Am i really a true Wiccan

a lot of people that are wiccans tell me that if I don't do a self dedication ritual that im not a true wiccan. Is this true.
I know the wiccan rede and respect it with all my heart, I do my very best to help the environment and be as holistic as I can, but am I really a wiccan if I don't do the ritual.

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you dont HAVE to do a ritual, but you need to know what you want from wicca and why you chose it instead of another religion.

Some people think of the self dedication ritual as a kind of baptism into the religion, an accepting of vows that you will live your life in accordance with the Wiccan way. Others believe that the label/title of "Wiccan" should be reserved for those who have spent a quality amount of time and effort working within the religion, and are apart of a group of other dedicated followers. My advice would be to seek out those who are really knowledgable and established workers within Wicca, and talk to them about it. Lark is member on this site who is a great Wicca-related resource.

I would say no... But I only like that term being used for people who are actually members of the fertility cult started by Gerald Gardner, and I highly doubt you are, with it being rather exclusive and oath bound...

Now... I can't say you aren't rightly following the bastardized version of it that most people know of. But I need a new word for that...

If you believe you are one then you are. No one can tell you whether or not you're a witch, and times and degrees don't mean much spiritually. You will grow to be who you are and who you want to be.
the dedication ritual doesn't define a wiccan/witch ether. Personally, I see it more as a personal/life path commitment similiar to being baptized in the Christian religion. Its up to you whether you want to do it or not, but if you haven't that doesn't make you less of a wiccan then any other.

Its you and your power and beliefs that make you a witch, its what you are on the inside and once you know thats what you are you will be able to tell. It may before or after the ritual, but only you can tell if you're a witch or not

I don't think anyone can tell you that you're not Wiccan any more than someone call tell you you're not Christian, or not Jewish. Religion is a personal choice, and you know what's in your heart.

There are those who will tell you that you are not Wiccan because you have not been properly initiated into a coven with a proven initiatory lineage leading back to one of the New Forest Covens, such as the coven which initiated Gerald Gardner.

There are some very good reasons why this is so. Traditional Wicca isn't about what you believe or whether you follow the Rede. The Rede isn't even part of British Traditional Wicca. What makes one actually Wiccan in their viewpoint is that one practices in a specific way as passed down from initiate to initiate, and that one worships a specific God and Goddess whose very names are oath-bound and no given to non-initiates. So in the viewpoint of those who hold to the original definition of Wicca, anyone who is not an initiate of British Traditional Wicca is not a Wiccan.

Personally I believe that the term "Wicca" has long escaped from that sort of limited meaning and has come to include those who learn from authors such as Scott Cunningham and may never undergo initiation at any time.

I don't believe that one has to do a self-dedication to consider yourself Wiccan; however, if you are serious about your religion then a dedication can be a powerful ritual commitment on your part.

Where I find I have more issue is when people call themselves Wiccan because they read the good parts of one book and dress all in black but don't actually practice the religion. They don't do regular honor to the Gods and Goddesses, they don't mark the Sabbats and Esbats, and they don't truly look at this as the spiritual journey that it is. They are what I call "Playgans", playing at something which should be important to who they are.

I your case, if you are serious about what you are doing and if it is filling an important spiritual place in your life, then I don't think you need to worry about whether you are a "real Wiccan" or not. It's quite enough that you know what is in your heart.