Like many religions, Wicca has it's fair share of persons who claim
to be a follower of our path, but really violate most of our basic
principles. Ever meet someone who claimed to be Christian, or whatever but
certainly did not behave in a manner becoming of their faith? You get the idea.
Anyway with Wicca it can be very difficult to tell who really is what they
claim to be, since there is so little information about our path available.
It's not too uncommon for someone to pick up the claim of being
Wicca for "shock" value, and then behave like fools. The following
list of signs is intended to help you tell the difference between
those who walk the moonlit path, and those who want attention.
Unwarranted threats, usually in the form of "I'm a witch and I'm going
to put a curse on you!" something similar, are a good sign that the
person isn't a true Wiccan. The only real reason for someone to place
such threats is to impress or scare someone. Wiccans don't have any
reason to blow smoke and intimidate others just to see them scared.
Pressuring others to convert others to Wicca. Unlike the movies, Wiccans
do not need 4 to complete the circle, etc. Those who are peaceful and
public about their craft usually have more requests from people seeking
knowledge than they can deal with. We have no need to go out seeking
specific individuals who supposedly "belong with us" or are "born one",
etc.
Offers of magic spells, or training, but only at a price. Selling spells
cheapens the craft, and it's caster, and is severely frowned upon by
the craft. The same applies for training in the ways of Wicca, you
can't buy your way into Wicca. It's acceptable to ask for help with
the costs of supplies (i.e.: candles, incenses, etc.) but charging $50
a lesson for private training is not the Wiccan way.
any general "look at me I'm a witch" and other Oogie boogie behavior is
also a good hint that the person is most likely seeking attention rather
than enlightenment. I personally always answer honestly when asked about my
faith, but it's not how I introduce myself. There is a difference between
being open about your religion, even very open (i.e.: wearing pentagrams in
public, but not making a scene out of it), and acting like a fool in
a fairy tale trying to get people's attention.