Renunciation «vs» Dedication «vs» Initiation

⤞ Renunciation

Renunciation is a very specific rite which detaches the Witch from any previous beliefs, practices, and prior connections to other Gods and / or religious institutions or figures; the renunciation allows the Witch to free themself from the chains of their original establishments as a way of starting fresh on the new path of their chosen magical tradition. This is most common in Traditional Witchcraft in particular.

In that regard, in order to properly commit to Renunciation, one must often commit a blasphemous act against the institution one seeks freedom from. In the case of many historical Witches, that escape was from the Christian institution and examples of blasphemous acts performed included saying the Lord’s Prayer backwards, or flipping the meaning of its words (etc).

⤞ Dedication

The Dedication Ritual is a way of informing the Gods, the Spirits, the Ancestors, the Land (etc), of a Witch's chosen magican tradition that they are ready and prepared to take that tradition's Path. It can be very simple in design, as it is ultimately nothing more than a statement of one's intent to become a Witch, and to study and follow that tradition's teachings.

A Dedication is not to be confused with the concept of Initiation, however- whether done by the self, or by others. It is a Pact which can sometimes lead to Initiation, but it is not a form of Initiation in and of itself (it simply isn't possible to force yourself into a tradition's Mysteries if you are not known to or welcome by their Spirits) ... It also isn't a binding pact, either. The path can be abandoned at any time through Renunciation should the Witch choose to take another path or enter into a different tradition instead.

⤞ Initiation

Initiation means “a ritualistic rite of passage marking one's acceptance into a guarded group”. In various Mystery Traditions of Witchcraft, this ritual occurs when the Spirits and / or members of a Tradition both spiritually and magically accept a Witch as being one of their own, impose a spiritual marking upon a Witch (usually including a binding oath to that tradition and its Spirits), and thus open the Mysteries of that tradition fully to them. This is a process which may happen in several ways depending on the tradition: By Spirit, by Coven (group), or by Self.

None of these methods is inherently better than any another method. How one comes to be Initiated depends on their willingness, patience, personal resolve, circumstance, and tradition. However, each tradition has their own requirements for an Initiation to be considered valid according to that particular tradition. As a result, certain forms of Initiation may not be seen as valid to all groups- especially if they are lacking certain markers, or fail to meet certain criteria. And that is a fact that must be understood, acknowledged, and accepted as fair and just by outsiders to those groups.