Calling oneself a “Witch” does not make a Witch – but neither does the heredity itself, nor the collection of titles, degrees and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature.
(from the 1974 meeting of the Council of American Witches)
Wise words written by a group of pioneering pagans over twenty years ago. When they wrote the document that these words were taken from (read it here on my website) did they have any idea about how big the Wiccan movement would become? Did they imagine, even in their wildest dreams, the sort of wrangling that would take place around the idea that Wiccans and witches are separate groups that could cross-over, or maybe all Wiccans are witches, then again, maybe not.
Declaring one’s self a witch today seems to be the equivalent to being a hippy or a draft dodger or a Goth. It is something you do as a political statement, but also as a way to piss off your parents and society in general. But there is more to being a witch, or a Wiccan, than just saying you are one. You must live your practice. To do any less is to show an incredible amount of disrespect for those who actually live these paths daily.
As an aside, there are two interesting things to note about the Council of American Witches. First, it disbanded shortly after issuing its 13 Principles of Wiccan Belief. Second, the group was spearheaded by Carl “Llewellyn” Weschcke, the president of Llewellyn Publishing. Oddy, I suppose, but I think I am a little happier knowing that the president of Llewellyn helped to create these principles of belief. That fact actually increases my waning respect of Llewellyn (the publishing house).