Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

WIZARD

A term stemming from the Middle English word wis (wise) and first applied in the mid-15th century to denote a wise man or woman commonly known as a Cunning Person or a White Witch who worked only for beneficent purposes. The sense was modified in the 16th and 17th centuries to refer to a High Magician and, from 1825 onwards, it equated wholly with a witch.

Many medieval wizards adopted an ambivalent attitude towards Christianity and, in fact, probably saw themselves as good Christians, believing that their powers stemmed from such Biblical personalities as Adam, Abel and Moses and including prayer and fasting in their methods.

Members of the Christian establishment, including such notable figures as Archbishop Thomas Becket, were not above seeking the services of wizards and the more modest ranks of clergy were also susceptible. A record in 1579 is typical, noting that Edmund Curteis, Vicar of Cuckfield, Sussex, was defrocked as a 'seeker to witches', having requested the aid of a local wise woman for some magical purpose.

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc