I know that there are a few Wiccan traditions that place all focus on the feminine aspects of deity. From my experience, though, Wicca is all about balance, not neccesarily emphasising one gender over the other, but rather celebrating both equally. You have the sabbats which celebrate The God’s life and death cycle(the solar cycle of the year as marked by eight major Wiccan holidays), and you have esbats that celebrate the Goddess’ lifecycle(the lunar cycle, as denoted by the full and dark moon rituals). One is not more important than the other, but rather compliment each other. The union of the two aspects is (IMHO) the most important concept in Wiccan philosophy, and is symbolically played out in The Great Rite.
Solitary Druid checking in here…here’s my take on the difference:
Witches are very Earthy (I mean that as a compliment) folk that lean towards spells and rituals as their chosen form of religious expression.
Druids are a little more serious and tend to celebrate science more than superstition and we really try to focus on collecting the best tidbits of knowledge from all sources and celebrate the collective wisdom of humanity.
I have the utmost respect for Wiccans (at least SERIOUS Wiccans), and don’t get me wrong, Druids are wont to talk about Faeries and Magick quite often too. We’re both Pagans, and therefore we tend to be lumped together by the Uneducated Masses (Jesus Freaks), and we also tend to stick up for one another 'cause all us Pagans gotta stick together.
If there’s one thing we have in common that I’d want you to take with you, it’s the Rule of Three. I don’t know whose it was historically, but most Pagans pretty much adhere to it. It’s really shaped my life and it’s the only piece of dogma I’d ever allow myself to come anywhere near to preaching.
Remember well the rule of three, three times what thou givest returns to thee.
I feel I do need to point out that there are many Wiccan and Druid traditions out there, and that is one of the reasons why a clear definition of what is Wiccan and what is Druid is difficult. Some Wiccans (such as myself) place a lot of emphasis on the philosophy of Wicca, as well as how mythologies and symbolism affect the human psyche, rather than on rituals and spells solely. I can’t begin to tell you how many books on psychology, mythology, and Wicca I have read in these past 8 months. Joseph Campbell is my new best friend. 
It is a good rule to live by, and certainly something to remember throughout your day. My circle sees the rule of three as more of a guide rather than dogma, though. It should be enough that you understand the consequences of your actions, rather than limit you from doing them. I suppose we see it more as a “reality of three”.
Ack! That last post was mine.
I think this thread is a good illustration of a positive action that may result in the manifestation of the Rule of Three (which I mentioned in it). This guy is out looking to add to his collection and happens upon some neat old letters. He takes the initiative to see if he could find the original owner, which he does. He doesn’t say how much it cost him, but the “goodness” spread by his actions surely outweighed his outlay.
What will he get out of it? He’s already felt the warm feeling of gratitude. Someone suggested that he tell a newspaper about the story. Perhaps the story is carried and someone who can make a difference in the poster’s life reads it and acts on it. Perhaps the poster will get a new and better job. Perhaps it will launch him on a new career. Maybe someone will say, “What a nice thing to do. I think I’ll leave my estate to him.” Maybe nothing will happen. You never know. But by his act of kindness he has set in motion events that may (or may not) materially benefit him sometime in the future. If not, then, as I said, he has already experienced the emotional rewards of having done a good thing.
I’m reminded of A Christmas Carol. Scrooge learns that he gains more by giving than by keeping, and is transformed into the veritable Spirit of Christmas. Scrooge never reaped a monetary reward (at least I don’t remember the book saying so – and he might have generated more business because his customers liked him better), but he certainly gained spiritual rewards.
Oh – re: the above. I’m trying to remember a bit of A Christmas Carol. There’s a part where Scrooge expresses his appreciation of Old Fezziwig. The Spirit of Christmas Past says something along the lines of, “What did he do to deserve your praise? Spend a few pounds? Dance like a monkey?” I’d say Fezziwig’s kindness – “good magick”, if you will – was returned to him many times, including fond memories from an old scrooge like Scrooge.
Yo, Johnny, I didn’t get the handle “Broomstick” because I fly airplanes… (yes, it’s TRUE! Some witches DO fly… but nowadays we use aircraft. Brooms can give you splinters in places you don’t want to know about!)
I think you have a good grip on some basics, but any question like “what do witches believe?” is a real minefield. There’s not a an official Book of Dogma like the monotheisms have. Practices range all over the place. Since tolerance is considered a virture there is a really wide range of acceptable practices in the larger Neo-Pagan community.
I tend to think spellwork and prayer are equivalent on many (although not all) levels, so it’s a good comparison for someone just starting to study witchcraft whose background is Judeo-Christian. If you want something more detailed about my personal practices/beliefs e-mail me.
Broomstick: If you check out this site this site and scroll not quite half-way down, you will see that…
Some witches really do fly on broomsticks
(That’s a .mov three-second film clip, 260k. For a larger still photo, go here.)
That is rude and ignorant. As an educated Jesus Freak, I do know the difference, and it’s offensive that you would lump the two (ignorance and Jesus) together. Kindly educate yourself before making sweeping judgments.
A ‘secular neo-pagan’ checking in here…
I’m not a Witch, but a previous girlfriend was, and she introduced me to the beliefs a bit. A few times we visited the Circle of the Wiccan Church of Canada. Quite enjoyable; at times it reminded me of the Scarborough Theatre Guild (which, considering the origins of theatre, probably isn’t all that surprising…).
We were only together a few months, but it was a definite eye-opener. Later I explored neo-paganism quite a bit more, and there was much that felt like home. My best friend and I went to the International Pagan Spirit Gathering in Wisconsin. And I woke up from an interesting dream, and I knew I was Pagan.
But… I never sensed this ‘magic’ that people spoke of. I never felt that there was a Prescence supporting me and with me; I never felt that the Gods and Goddesses (whoever/whatever they may be) were with me. Matt_mcl speaks of something considerably more subtle:
but I’ve never sensed something like that either. Possibly there is too much noise and clutter in my mind.
So I remain friendly to Wiccan and Pagan belief, but I’m not really a ‘believer’. Hence, ‘secular neo-pagan’.
I agree. I’m sort of ashamed I didn’t catch that first. 
I don’t like Christian bashing. It’s one of the things that disturbs me about some people in my local Wiccan community. It’s great to say that you are respectful of all religions, but if you don’t back that up with actions, it’s all just lip service.
The “reality of three” doesn’t just apply to spells.
I am a practicing eclectic Druid. I have belonged to groves in the past but I don’t like the politics of being part of a “circle.” It probably stems from my distrust of organized religions.
I have attended all sorts of other various pagan circles though most of them were basically Wicca even if the group didn’t want to profess it. They almost invariably had a god and goddess ritual while casting a circle.
I studied Wicca before I ultimately fell along the Druid path. Wicca never completely spoke to me but it was a nice start on my developing belief system. I could never get into the whole polarity thing that seems to dominate the Wicca rituals that are in my area. I see the archetypical divine as a much larger shade of gray than what my studies of Wicca implied to me.
As for the likenesses and differences of Wicca and Druidry there are many. Though I will just explain a little more on the form of Druidry I have studied thus far. Basically most of Druidry is based on animism (the belief that everything has a soul) and reverence for the natural world. Depending on where you study Druidry doesn’t necessarily believe in magick but instead reveres science which is in a similar line of thinking as Asaturu (sp). However, divination isn’t really considered magick and one form or another is often practiced. However, divination in itself is for personal exploration rather than for “fortune telling” or looking into the future.
With that said, the grove I studied under did use ritualized magick and spellwork. It was small and not affiliated with the larger organizations such as OBOD, TBD, or ADF (other Druid groups). I can’t say what all of their beliefs are specifically. Anyway, most ritualized magick and spellwork to me are both simply a statement of intentions and getting the intention into your head so you go out and complete it. Other ritual magick falls along the lines of celebration for what already is.
Just wanted to raise my hand and say, “Here.” I do identify as Wiccan. I’m generally a solitary practitioner.
I practice magic very rarely – Wicca for me is more a way of seeing the world and understanding. When I do do it, I don’t rhyme – I’m more of a free-verse witch
Another solitary Wiccan chiming in. To me it’s a belief system, one that works for me.
This site might interest you. It’s a message board for other Wiccans. I haven’t visited in awhile, but it was created as a sort of breakaway from another board that got filled up with newbies wanting spells to make their hair grow longer or change their eye color. Stuff they’d seen on Charmed.
Thanks for the answers so far. Very enlightening. Keep 'em coming!
Anyone like the flying witch? I’ll heve to see if I can find plans for it…