Do you know of any black Wiccans?
How about Oriental creative anachronism buffs (AKA geeks with swords)? Mexican-American Promise Keepers? Samoan PETA activists? Native American Objectivists? Hmong Libertarians? Jewish Daughters of the American Revolution?
Of course you don’t.
Or do you?
Anything you’d like to add?
I have, actually, known an Oriental creative anachronism buff. My SCA group in Misawa AB, Japan, had a very nice Japanese gentleman as a member, who had wonderful period Japanese garb.
I should have figured, especially if they have those societies in Japan (which I didn’t know). I would imagine he could use a sword for real–not a geek by any means.
But Hmong Libertarians–I gotcha there, don’t I?!?
How about a black member of the National Association for the Advancement of White People, and KKK wannabe?
I thought there were plenty of Black Wiccans. But then that’s only because I can’t see much difference between Wicca & Voodoo.
Well, no.
Probable reason there are none: Wiccans practice WHITE magic. The name WHITE might have something to do with it.
Most Black practitioners of the so-called black arts tend to be Voodoo PRIESTESSES. (See the logic here? Voodoo is mainly a Black oriented religion/belief. The practitioners of high rank are NOT WITCHES but PRIESTESSES.) Priestess sounds better than witch.
When I lived in Hawaii I did know a Samoan PETA member. Can’t for the life of figure out why you’d think being Samoan and being a PETA member would be exclusive traits.
But then I can’t figure out why you’d think most of the options you listed were exclusive.
Hey, Prism, could you maybe check with a Wiccan or two before you make such an assinine guess?
Wiccans practice magic. Period. If a Wiccan casts a spell with an evil or misguided purpose, it’s referred to as “dark” magic or “left-handed” magic. (Yes, I know it’s an insult to southpaws. I don’t use the designation myself.) There is no such thing as “white” magic in Wicca, and most practitioners recognize that so called “black” magic comes from “nigromancy” which is a corruption of “necromancy” - magic of the dead.
The head female member of a Wiccan coven is referred to as the priestess or high priestess, so you struck out on that one as well. “Witch” is a generic term used by some neo-Pagans and Wiccans, but it tends to be avoided by most because of the connotations involved. The few who prefer “Witch” to “Wiccan” tend to enjoy the shock value of the label. Voodoo and Wicca both fall under the umbrella of Paganism, but they are not alike at all. If most Black Pagans practice Voodoo, it’s because they have an ethnic and familial connection to the African animist/Pagan religions brought into the Caribbean and US South. If most White Pagans practice Wicca or some related neo-Pagan religion, it’s because neo-Paganism was born in England shortly after the turn of the last centry and spread through upper class, Anglo intelligensia.
Have I known any Black people that present themselves as Wiccan? No, but I don’t know any Black people that openly practice Voodoo either. Do I know any White people that practice Voodoo? Not personally, but I’ve heard of one or two.
So, please, grab a clue before you say something that insulting.
I personally have known a black, a hispanic and two mixed wiccans. I don’t think I really get the point of the OP. Care to elaborate?
I have this image of a young black woman showing up at her neighborhood Pagan Recruitment Center, taking the personality test, and then filling out a form that asks,
Acknowleding that they’re essentially the same, would you prefer to practice:
[ul]
[li]Wicca, or[/li][li]Voodoo?[/li][/ul]
Seriously, is this “umbrella of paganism” something that voodoo practitioners acknowledge or are even aware of? Genuinely curious.
Zarathustra
Also, let me clarify that my question isn’t meant to mock–I found phouka’s response above to be rational and informative, and I’m just curious to find out more.
There are some ethnic groups that I personally have a hard time picturing as members of various groups, and I’m curious why I have that impression.
First off, Zara, I’m not offended, just a little exasperated. The differences seem so obvious to me. I have to remember that not everyone’s Pagan. 
Voodoo and Wicca are not at all the same - even if you’re only looking at it from an “accessories” point of view. Voodoo has an entire pantheon of deities and spirits. Wicca, for the most part, tends to stick with a relatively generic “God and Goddess” cosmology that is tailored to individual preferences by the practioner. Voodoo is relatively static. Wicca changes with every practitioner and every region.
Voodoo is (from what I’ve read and documentaries I’ve watched) the result of many faiths from Africa being combined by slave and free populations of Black people in Africa. Wicca was created out of whole cloth by a small circle of people in IIRC the 1910s in England - Gardner was one of them. Wicca tends to be based on Celtic and Teutonic influences, though that’s a very pointed “tends”. Both have ritual spellcasting, but that’s about as far as you can combine the two. Voodoo recognizes and allows for spell-casting that harms others. Wicca does not - so far as there are any hard and fast rules in Wicca.
Voodoo practitioners usually apprentice with senior priestesses. Wicca practitioners may or may not. It’s completely up to the individual.
When I say that both are Pagan religions, I say that because one of the accepted definitions of Paganism is a religion with multiple deities. Hinduism could, legitimately, be called a Pagan religion. I couldn’t tell you if Voodoo practitioners acknowledge this definition or the rather academic inclusion of their religion as Pagan. Look up Paganism or buy a book on it, and you probably won’t read anything about Voodoo. It’ll probably be about Wicca. That, however, is the popular definition, not necessarily the most accurate.
Sorry 'bout the hijack.
Yes.
Slithy Tove wrote:
Well, one difference is that Voodoun are all Catholic.
thank you Phouka!! I was getting really angry reading the ridiculus idiocey of some of the people here. I would just like to add that for wicca doing no harm is a very important aspect. The first and only real rule is “Do as ye will an it harm none” It is very important.
As for spells with evil intent it is believed that evil will return to you ten fold. I have never done an evil spell so i do not know. Morally it is wrong though and so I will never find out.
Didn’t. Then on the phone with my girlfriend last night, she mentioned that a black former coworker of hers (whom I’ve met) is a practicing Wiccan. So yes.
(of course, the first thing I thought of was this thread…)
It’s almost 2:00 AM where I live, and I’ve had a couple of margaritas, so I may not phrase this as tactfully as I mean to here, but:
Isn’t the “an ye harm none” a bit of a copout? I mean,
[ul]
[li]if there is such a thing as magic, how can you be sure of all the repercussions? We don’t even know all the repercussions of chloroflorocarbons and freakin’ fossil fuels, much less anything that can’t be quantified and observed by conventional means; how do you know you’re not harming anyone? With my own limited human wisdom, I’ve often found that my own best intentions have often led to some really lousy and harmful outcomes to others. Moreover,[/li][li]Aren’t you taking a potentially judgemental role here, determining by your own standards what is and isn’t harmful, and to whom? The “do as thou wilt” part is key, and whether or not it “harms” anyone is up to you yourself to determine–isn’t it merely a matter of rationalization to get what you want? Or is there some stricter Wiccan moral code that you haven’t yet mentioned–and if so, a moral code that appeals to whose authority?[/li][/ul]
I really only meant to start off with a whimsical question here, but now I that find my curiosity stoked by your intelligent responses, I can’t refrain from asking some more questions like these. Pls don’t be offended.
Zarathustra
Zara:
An ye harm none isn’t a commandment: it’s a guideline. Do this, and you should be fine. We don’t have any commandments because we don’t have any sacred texts nor dogma. We have to come up with our own ethical rules, then practice magick and everything else we do in accordance with what we believe to be good and just. Just like everyone else.
It’s true we may not know all the repercussions that our working magick may have. That’s true of everything else as well. You don’t know what all the repercussions may be if you cross the street.
As for the “judgmental role”: sure it’s judgmental. That’s what ethics are for: making judgments. As to your problem with that, if I rationalize myself into thinking that something won’t harm anybody, I’m just fooling myself, which defeats the purpose of ethical consideration anyway.
BTW, I’m not offended. These are subtle philosophical points. Note too that since Wicca has no dogma, other Wiccans may disagree with what I’ve written, but I believe it’s accurate as a general guideline.
Allow me to add that part of the reason that we call upon the Goddess and God in spells is for their protection to help us to not harm anyone with our spell. In other words, we ask for their assistance so that if we have overlooked or just not considered a possible harm our spell could do to others, they will not allow the spell to “work.” It is akin to praying to God that he grant this wish of yours so long as no one else gets hurt by it.
The Goddess can see all the repercussions of our actions even if we cannot and since the Wiccan Rede clearly states that we are to harm none, she would never allow us to cast a spell that would harm someone if we have asked her to protect us and oversee our spell. Does that make sense?
The rule about harming none goes hand in hand with the rule of three–whatever you send out comes back to you threefold. Therefore, of course you would want to harm no one in any way since that negative energy is going to come back to you (against you) threefold.
I see that quite a few other pagans have popped up here already, and covered most of this quite well. Here are some of my answers:
**Have I ever known a black Wiccan? **
yes
**Do Voudoun practitioners consider them part of the overall neopagan group (insofar as you can call it that)? **
I’ve met a few that do; most apparently don’t.
**Isn’t “An ye harm none” a tough judgement call? Can you be sure something’s harmless? Isn’t that judgemental? **
Yes. No. Yes. matt_mcl is right; that’s a guideline. We do our best to follow it, but sometimes we screw up. That’s what happens when you take responsibility for your own actions. It’s not a copout at all–it calls for us to at least try to think about the results of every action, something a lot of folks never do. As for magick, lots of us add a clause to our spells along the lines of “If answering my prayer would hurt someone, please don’t do it.” These are good questions, though; some of us often debate them among ourselves.
Now if you want the really subtle philosophical debates, ask us what “Do as ye will” means, exactly. Just not way in the wee hours, OK? I don’t think I could take it.