![]() ![]() But if you practice witchcraft then you’re a witch, initiation or not. ![]() Various witchcraft traditions have their own definitions and qualifications, and most – but not all – witches I know have been initiated in one way or another at one time or another. Much virtual ink has been spilled arguing about who is and isn’t a witch. Today, solitary practitioners make up the majority of witches and Wiccans. Much of our thinking around self-initiation comes from Raymond Buckland, who invented a solitary witchcraft tradition that didn’t require in-person initiation, and thus made it open to those who couldn’t find an initiate to train and initiate them. Most of the wider Pagan community’s ideas about initiation come from Wicca (and through it from Freemasonry), where initiation is required. Initiation in the context of a polytheist religion Some initiations teach through shock and stress – it’s very difficult to do that on your own, because you always know what’s coming next… and you control if you continue or not. I’ve had one major initiatory ordeal in my life, though it was less of a test and more of a learning experience. Self-initiation can’t test you in ways you don’t expect. And that’s something you can do on your own. What I’ve learned that’s been life-changing has been done in the work that prepared me for initiation. While I’ve received secret knowledge in initiations, it’s always been things like explanations of symbols and names of allies – never life-changing information. Whether in-person initiations transmit secret knowledge depends on the group. You have to do it right or it’s not valid.Īlso obviously, self-initiation can’t provide secret knowledge. If you stole my collection of gwersi and performed the initiation ceremonies, neither the OBOD office nor the membership would recognize you as an OBOD initiate. Most OBOD member self-initiate, but they do so using OBOD’s ceremonies with OBOD’s approval. If you want to be a Gardnerian Wiccan you have to find a Gardnerian Wiccan to initiate you – there is no other way. Groups and traditions decide who gets in and how – and they’re under no obligation to take you in just because you really really want to be in. Let’s begin with what should be obvious but often isn’t: self-initiation can’t make you part of a closed tradition. And I can summarize those thoughts by saying that initiation is never required, but it is often helpful.
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