I'm still learning about both and am new to both but it's SO confusing. they are so similar yet have sable differences. it's going to take alto of time to learn about them both.
Anyone else face this dilemma when they started out?
They are not mutually exclusive. I have an interest in both so I do know how you feel.
I suggest you work with a Celtic Wiccan tradition and study Duidism at the same time and you will eventually find your own path.
Check out my link below- You may find it helpful.
No. But this will give you an excellent opportunity. You can go to twice as many rituals and social gatherings. You will be a conduit for conversation in mixed company.
This is something that you would need to discover for yourself. Both have different paths within and specific history. You would need to discover a path that resonates with you.
The book religions mainly Christianity, Judaism, and Islam can be oppressive and will push their dogmatic viewpoints on you to convert and call you evil.
When I was a "seeker" I ran into many paths but one stood out more than any other, so I chose to become part of it, it took me some time but it was well worth the effort., I started out as a "solitary" then soon after, became part of a tradition that focuses on Spiritualism and Philosophy.
I wish you well in your spiritual journey, and May the Goddess guide you to her.
There's actually not that similar. You've probably run afoul of sources that try to give the impression that Wicca is Celtic. It's not.
These links may help clear the confusion:
Wicca is Not Celtic: http://wicca.timerift.net/not_celtic.shtml
When is a Celt not a Celt? http://www.cyberwitch.com/wychwood/Library/whenIsACeltNotACelt.htm
Gardner was Druid before he decided to create his own Path, and that was partly in response to the elements that had been added to the various "Druidic" groups in the 18-1900s.by well-meaning Christians.
The "Old Ways" had pretty much disappeared, or gone "underground" in much of England, as WitchCraft had been illegal for many years, and Druidry was only to be found in the Celtic regions.
Gardner was faced with either including Christian beliefs in his system, or finding the source of the Magic Tradition of the Isles-he chose to include the Anglo Tradition and mix it up with what he knew of the Celtic world-the result is Wicca.
Read the Gardnerian B.O.S. and related writings on sacred texts.com, and you will find the reason many Traditional Wiccans believe their Path includes Celtic Gods and values, because it DOES!
Wicca started out eclectic, with a mix of Celtic, Anglo, and Graeco-Roman Rites, Gods, and an addition of Gardners naturism-which in modern tongue, is nudism.
It is certainly possible to include Celtic elements into the basic Wiccan style without losing sight of the original goals-just read D, Valiente and you will find the Key-
I have written several tracts on how "Wicca" is not a Celtic Tradition, but it DID evolve from an Engish Tradition which includes Celtic elements-
D. Valiente includes the "Airts" in the Elemental Callings, and this is Celtic in origin. The "Lord and Lady" refers to the Anglo Tradition, which had been in England for centuries, and which followed Fryja and Fryjr, rather than the Norse Pantheon.
Wicca is a synthesis, just look at the "Wheel of the Year" for confirmation of this, and with the inclusion of words like "Sabbat" and "Athame" the transition is complete.
So, follow your Heart in this matter. Wicca is a start on the Path-many fragments of actual Traditions reside within the teachings of this modern Religion, as do the teachings in "Neo-Druidry", which is, at this time, a reconstructionist path for many, an Ancient Tradition for others.
Caught between Wiccan and Druidism?
