Comparisons Between Witchcraft and Wicca
Within traditional Witchcraft, when one is taking part in a ritual
or observing a festival, there is some form of bodily covering.
Sometimes this is ritual garments, street clothes, ritualistic tattoos,
or the adding of pigments to the body.
Traditional witches do not worship while skyclad. It is rude to go
before your Gods in the nude. Outside of ritual, Witches may have
personal lifestyles that include being nude. However, while taking part
in ritual they decorate or cover their bodies in some manner. Some
rites might even call for the body to be marked with sigils, or covered
with pigments, in certain prescribed manners. Even though the body may
not be clothed it is still adorned.
It is perhaps possible that the Wiccan concept of being skyclad
derives itself from a sect of Jainism that refers to itself as
Digambara meaning "sky clad." Digambara monks live completely naked as
a way to demonstrate that they have given up all their worldly
possessions and moved beyond the emotional constraints of pride and
shame. Incidently, one of the five anuvratas or small vows held within
Jainism is ahimsa
which means "non-violence." This Jain concept of harming not even the
tiniest of creatures is perhaps also reflected in the Wiccan concept of
harming none.