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THE TERM "WITCH"
Some sensationalist (and mostly very young) Wiccans never tire of
calling themselves "witches" much to the horror of the public and the
delight of the press. Other Wiccans think of "witch" as a dirty word,
and say "Wiccan" only.
Regardless of where you believe that the word "witch" roots from, or
what it once meant, the Christian church, among others, has blackened
the word, and corrupted it into a term of Satanic evil. Most
Traditional witches do not use the word "witch", preferring to call
themselves "The People" or have no special name for themselves at
all. They sometimes say "crafters" or "Pellars" or some other term,
but "witch" was and is an ugly word, intended to be an insult and at
one time, a serious criminal charge.
In the modern day, some Traditionals have taken to using the
word "witch" to help lines of communication between them and the new-
age world, to "speak in the language of the modern day", as it were.
But if the word "witch" is used, it is by group choice or personal
choice. House Faringdoun Trod uses the term "Witch" to further its
connection with the post-medieval form of the Cunning Craft that it
practises, and for little other reason, aside from enjoyment of the
term. Like it or no, many have lived and died by it, and it meant
something very important.
THE AFTERLIFE
Wicca firmly believes in a very eastern Hindu/Buddhist model
of "reincarnation" and of spiritual evolution. Obviously, this is yet
another theosophical import brought in by Gardner or any of Wicca's
other formative writers.
In The Traditional Craft, There is some notion that the soul or
spirit may enter into another phase of existence after death, and
this usually heralds a return into the power of the land, to dwell
with the ancestors, or become a guardian spirit, or maybe just a
return to being a part of the spiritual dimension of Nature. From
this state, a re-birth into your extended family or clan may be
possible, but it is mysterious. There is a well-defined, though
naturalistic notion of spiritual existence for all things, up to an
including humans. That time moves in cycles and so does the power of
nature is obvious, and life and death are mysteries entangled with
this flow.
As nature is alive, and so are we, that is immortality. The spirits
of the land are also the spirits of the deceased, so Nature is
venerated on many levels.
Through application of some Old Craft rites, a soul may achieve a
higher level of existence, and dwell amongst the "Hidden Company"
after death, but this is also a mystery known best to those
traditions that teach this.
