Wicca Vs. Witchcraft?   "What's the difference between Wicca and Witchcraft?" There is no simple answer, at least not that everyone will agree with. Many believe there is no difference at all. Most of the controversy is based around the fact that Wicca is a word invented by Gerald Gardner - therefore the traditions which existed before his time cannot be called 'Wicca'.   Personally, I don't see how the two things connect logically. Just because Gardner invented the word 'Wicca' does not mean that it can only refer to sects that appeared during/after his time.   Imagine, for example, that someone were to say to you "Tyrannosaurus rex did not live 75 million years ago because 'Tyrannosaurus rex' is a human word, and there were no humans 75 million years ago!" You'd probably think that person was nuts. And if that person said "Tyrannosaurus rex was not a dinosaur because its name means 'tyrant lizard king' and dinosaurs were not lizards!" You'd probably point out that the meaning of a word really depends on how its used. In this case, just because the original latin meaning may not be technically correct, it does not mean we're using the wrong word. All it really means is that we are using the word in a contemporary context.   The same here is true for Wicca and Witchcraft. There are some who say they are completely different, "Wicca is not Witchcraft, because the word 'Wicca' was not in use when Witchcraft first started being practiced!" or "Wicca cannot be an ancient religion because it is a modern word!". It is true that there are differences between traditional Witchcraft and Wicca in practice, but not everyone will agree on what these differences are. There are several Witches who hate to be identified as Wiccans. Likewise, there are Wiccans who hate the words 'Witch' and 'Witchcraft' because those words were negative labels put on the religion during the Burning Times.   This website only recognizes a thin, blurry line between 'Wicca' and 'Witchcraft', and considers them two different aspects of the same religion. Witchcraft being how we practice our faith, and Wicca being the faith itself.   Here at 'The Old Ways', we do not participate in the semantic word games of Wiccan/Witch separatists.