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Do you have to practice witchcraft to be Wiccan? The short answer is no. Wiccans Practicing Witchcraft

The word "witchcraft" has such an evil association as does the term "witch" and I find that unfortunate.

What most consider witchcraft is, as you mentioned, a matter of intention and ritual and all religions practice both.

I'm glad that the Wiccan Rede is about not harming others. That shows that true Wiccan practice is of benefit to mankind and earth.

Thanks for enlightening people.

By the way, what is the difference between Wicca and Druidism?

You're very welcome, Lori, and thank you for your comment! As for the difference between Wicca and the Druids... I have to admit that I'm not very knowledgeable about the Druids. And I'm not really even that much of an expert on Wicca!

I know that both Wicca and Druidism draw from Celtic folklore and mythology, and both celebrate the eight festivals associated with the Wheel of the Year. The Druids may have more of an Irish cultural flavor than the Wiccans, and they have their own customs such as the Ogham (tree alphabet) divination. But there is a lot of borrowing back and forth. Many Wiccans may use the Ogham.

I tend to think of the Druids as more intellectual and the Wiccans as more intuitive. I guess that comes from historical times when the level of scholarly knowledge was much higher among the Druids than found in the hands-on practice of the hedge witches that were closer to what Wiccans are today. But that's just my uninformed opinion!

Here's a bit more about the Druids. Witches are more associated with the Middle Ages, and Wiccans with the late 20th Century. On a lighter note not all today's Druids can exactly be called 'intellectual' as this article shows. 3:)

Too funny! I see what you mean about Arthur failing to live up to the Druids' reputation for intellectualism. My favorite part about the article? The British police luring out the one Druid with breakfast.

Even Funnier: Dylan was leaving anyway, having done his ritual, so the breakfast was a bonus

That's the thing with the British police, since they don't depend on firearms (most UK police are unarmed) they have to outhink their suspects. Usually this works very well, cognitive skills not being highly developed by most of the criminal classes, but it can be used to advantage as Dylan showed

Because they used to surround Stonehenge in a circle every Solstice back in the '90s some Pagans refer to police officers as 'Blue Serge Druids'. This "ritual" may have had more of an effect than they bargained for as there is now a Pagan Police Association that I aim to talk about in a article later in the year.

I see what you mean about the unarmed British police having to rely upon creative thinking. Plus, there seems to be a strong British tradition of tolerance toward eccentricity.

I was showing up to tell you how wonderful I thought the article was (and I really mean that), and the forum dialogue was just as noteworthy.

Thanks for offering clarity on the religion and some of its customs. I appreciate it so much!

You're very welcome, Yvonne. I'm glad you liked the article. Yes, this forum thread turned out to be very entertaining, thanks to Ian's stories about the Druids versus the cops.