Question by indiankid14: Wiccans: I was looking today…?
about the ancient celtics, and i started reading, in a book, about the druids. Now, I know there are pagan Druids, and that there are celtic Wiccans(or wiccans of the Celtic pantheon). My question is, Is being a Druid a branch or denomination of wicca, or is it something totally different in Paganism? i know there are shamans, druids, Wiccans, etc. But are they branches or just another form of paganism? For example, like methodist is a branch of Christianity, and Muslims and Jews are another form of Christianity. you know what I’m saying? I always thought that, as being Wiccan, if you were of native american descent, you would be a Shaman, and if you were of Irish or Celtic descent, you were considered a druid wiccan.
Not that they are the same, Jews and Muslims, and christians. I meant they all basically share the same God form and outline, but they have their different views. You know what I mean?
Best answer:
Answer by adorkable vixen
Druids were Pagan priests. they were the holy people of the Celtic Pagan world.
Wicca is a newer religion – it has only been around for about 50 years.
What do you think? Answer below!
no they are not off shoots of wicca. wicca is only a few hundred years old. the druids sied out a long time ago. the thinking is that wicca came from the celtic women’s mysteries while the druids (men) followed the male mysteries. so while they might come from the same orgin, that orgin is not wicca!
Both Wicca and Druidism are different paths within the larger umbrella of Paganism.
good question, just to let you know muslim and judaism are not forms of christianity. lol they both were around before christianity..
but yeah, i shamanism and celticism are something completely different than wicca. I mean, yeah they are related but they are not sects of wiccan. i think there is just wiccan no matter what race you are if thats what you believe.
You’re right. It’s just another branch. They do things slightly differently, but it’s all the same basics and such.
I’m not a wiccan, I’m christian, but I’ve done research to find out about it. My friend is a wiccan, and as for the first girls comment, she’s ignorant, ignore her.
Wiccans and druids (neo-druids) are both pagan. But they are separate paths.
Druidism differs in a lot of ways from Wicca, even if there are some similarities. Not trying to say this to be mean – but a lot of people who follow Druidism would be insulted if they were called “Wiccan”. Just so you’re generally aware :).
No. Druids are completely seperate from Wicca.
Your “descent” has nothing to do with the spiritual path you follow, IMHO.
Paganism is merely an unmbrella term that encompasses many different faiths.
Muslim and Jews are another form of Christianity?
When did that suddenly happen?
just keep looking! =)
I don’t know if this is what you were looking for. But Druids predate Wiccans by a long shot, so I don’t know that you could accurately call Druidism a branch of Wicca. Wicca was derived from a book written in 1954 by Gerald Gardner; he was inspired by older forms of witchcraft when he wrote it, but most of the actual practices were already long gone. I suppose that a Wiccan who is particularly influenced by Celtic polytheism might call himself a Druid, but it isn’t quite the same as actual third century Celtic Druids.
Wicca has existed for less than 100 years. There is no ancient Wicca, so obviously Wicca and Druidry are unrelated.
Wicca is not Celtic.
First off the first answer was completely uncalled for. This person is evidently uneducated in the matter and had no right putting her/his two cents in.
Muslims and Jews are different than Christians. Christians believe that Jesus is the Savior and Jews and Muslums don’t.
I believe that the other belief systems that you mention fall under the Pagan umbrella so to speak. I don’t know too much about it because I’m Catholic, but I do have relatives that are Wiccan. What makes me angry is the fact that no one wants to recognize Paganism without attaching some sort of negative assumptions. It should be recognized with the same respect as any other belief system. Shame on us for that — what happened to freedom of religion.
Thanks for an interesting question.
Druidism is a branch of paganism, not wicca. As wicca is also a branch of paganism.
But in being a wiccan you can be eclectic, greek, celtic, egyptian, dianic, gardenarian etc either depending on your lineage, or what you feel most drawn to. Yes the name Wicca has been around only about 6 decades, but it has been taken from the old craft, not just completely made into a new craft.
Paganism is a group of religions.
Wicca and Druidry (among many others) are separate religions within this group. They are not denominations, because that would mean they are part of the same religion, and they are not. Some pagan religions are very much at odd with other pagan religions.
Wicca is a 20th century religion syncretized from many different beliefs. Modern pagan Druidry is also a 20th century practice, although it also has multiple roots. (Men who called themselves Druids in the 8th and 19th century were Christians who were part of a fraternal order and shouldn’t be confused with most Druids of today) Neither of these groups practice the religion of ancient Druids, who didn’t write their practices down. Celtic Reconstructionists come closest in their practices to historical accuracy, and they are neither Wiccans nor Druids but a third group altogether.
BTW, Muslims follow Islam and Jews follow Judaism. Neither of these religions are a form of Christianity, and Muslims and Jews are both likely to take offence at such a suggestion. Christianity is actually rooted in Judaism, not the other way around.
You are correct that Methodists are a branch (i.e. denomination) of Christianity.
Just wanted to mention that the “Shaman” thing does not originate with native peoples…
I see a number of good answers here today, but I wanted to add a few thoughts of my own.
First of all, Paganism (I prefer to capitalize it, as we do with the name of any other relgion) is based on both shared and individual experience, and not so much on doctrine, so you’ll find many different definitions of words like “Pagan,” “Witch,” and “Magic(k).”
Secondly, different groups that usually fall under the Pagan umbrella have diverse associations and definitions for some key words that may describe them, so, again, you’ll get different aswers to “What is a Pagan?” This sort of debate is going on all the time–it has for centuries–and is absolutely not restricted to any one religion.
Lastly, I think that to most of us Pagans, the words and categories used to describe us are important now because there’s so much misinformation, prejudice, and fear attached to them–not to mention some really confusing accounts of Neo-Paganism’s “history” that may have been fabricated or at least embellished! Unfortunately SOME modern Pagans respond by insisting that their own definitions, in every single detail, are the only “true” ones–they might feel invalidated or threatened by a differing word or phrase.
However, I think that most of us would be quite content to practice their treasured path in peace, and to receive the same respect and constitutional rights as anyone else’s religion does or should. We’re grateful to anyone who wants to understand us and our “lexicon,” as long as their intentions are kind and sincere.
Thanks for asking; do your homework and keep your mind open!