Witchcraft... What is it?
A brief breakdown of Witchcraft, for all you curious souls.
Witchcraft, in essence, is a traditionally nature based practice, & a broad term for the belief, & practice of magick. Also known as the ‘Craft of the Wise’ Witches use Magick as a tool in their everyday lives, generally to enhance themselves/their lives for the better. Those practicing Witchcraft tend to work closely with Nature, learning to work in unison & harmony with the Earth. Reconnecting with, & developing this special relationship with one’s environment allows the Witch to learn of the many mysteries Mother Earth has to share, including the healing properties of Herbs & Crystals, as well as the many magickal correspondences that make up magickal practice.
No, Witchcraft itself is indeed a ‘craft’ & not a religion, as a religion relies on some form of structured belief based on Deity. Witchcraft is as flexible as one may desire. Some choose to adopt beliefs & traditions into their Craft that may involve singular or even multiple Deities, or join structured Covens, others see their faith in the Universe as a whole, also known as ‘the All’ or even in their own consciousness. It is a craft moulded by the individual themselves, meaning that they alone guide, & lead their spiritual journey. It is due to the Crafts very flexible nature, that you will come across religious forms of Witchcraft. Wicca is one of these Craft-religious aspects & is a very popular adaptation of the Craft today. Many people confuse Wicca & Witchcraft as the same thing, but this is not so. Witchcraft is an umbrella of Magick based belief systems & practice, under this umbrella lie the various different paths of Witchcraft one may (or may not) choose to take. Using Wicca & Witchcraft interchangeably is implying that all Witches everywhere practice the same Craft, believe in the same exact principles, & perform the same workings/Rituals, which couldn't be any further from the truth.\
Can anyone practice Witchcraft?
Yes, Witchcraft is for anyone willing to learn. Whilst hereditary Witches do exist, (those who are born into the Craft through family or a caregiver, & are raised as such) We are all born gifted & capable of discovering the many mysteries of Witchcraft, at any point in our lives if we wish. Males make just as effective Witches as females do, the reason we may read/hear of Witchcraft being a female based religion is simply as to the public eye, it was more commonly practiced by women & midwives in it’s origin.
Witchcraft relies on Magick, & Magick relies on intention, & connection.
“The primary principle of Magic is connection. The Universe is a fluid, ever-changing energy pattern, not a collection of fixed and separate things. What affects one thing affects, in some way, all things; All is interwoven into the continuous fabric of being. It’s warp and weft are energy, which is the essence of Magic.”- Starhawk, The Spiral Dance.
Spells are a small part of Magick as a whole. Chants & invocations, Visualisation, meditation & trance are all important aspects of how Magick can work as well.
I cannot speak for all Witches when answering this because what each Witch does is unique, & unlike the other. A Witches magickal interests/practices are reflective of the type of Witch one may be, representative of their spiritual beliefs, studies, & magickal practice. Labels are by no means necessary in the world of Witchcraft, but they do help in understanding a Witch’s path. For example, if someone were to state they were a green/nature Witch, their primary magickal focus is obviously nature, they are likely to work with closely with the Elements, their magicks may include Crystals, Herbs, etc. See, the different types of Witch for more on what different Witches do.
Traditionally, no, nowadays, you will come across those that do claim themselves to be ‘Satanic Witches’. As we know, Witchcraft is representative of a range of magickal practices & belief systems, it’s a highly flexible Craft that does not discriminate, the individual may adopt various cultural/religious beliefs & traditions in which they can incorporate deities from such systems. The concept of Satanic Witches was a difficult one for me to grasp as a fledgling, but as I’ve developed in my own Craft I’ve realised we should not judge a Witch for their Craft, as it is intimate, & personal to the individual Witch. We cannot dictate what’s right & wrong, what deities to worship, which Magicks to practice, etc to conform to our own ideals. This is reverting straight back to a patriarchal structured system & this is simply not the essence of Witchcraft. There are Witches who curse & use their magick to harm others, but vast majority of these are in no way associated with Satanic practice. Some Satanic Witches don’t actually use their magick to harm, some do, like any other Witch. It is wrong to deny someone’s Craft simply because we do not agree with it.
Witchcraft’s perceived threat upon Christianity plays a major role in the reputation of Witchcraft today. The fifthtenth & sixtenth centuaries saw the horror of the burning times in Europe & the colonies that would make up the United States. In essence, these historical events were results of a twisted game of Chinese Whispers. Created from harsh & horrible rumors that came to generalize & stereotype entire communities of Witches, in an attempt to wipe them out completely, in order for patriarchal systems to be introduced. Propaganda of mass fear & negative images were widely used to create false misconceptions regarding Witches, deeming them evil & deserving of being burned, but more often, hanged. Some organizations offered money for accused Witches lives, & fairly soon those who did not even practice the Craft were innocently killed. In the practice of trials that could not be proven, people could be convicted without any solid evidence & things got obscenely out of hand, people turned others in simply for not liking them, Wives were threatened to be accused by angry husbands, people were accused & killed for their land, or for simply having an open mind or being outspoken. Witchcraft or no, very few were safe from these ‘trials’ & it wasint just Women that fell victim to the Witch Hunts, many Men were also lost in the disaster. Witchcraft became overshadowed in darkness, people began to fear the word & all it’s aspects because it now represented fear, death, & at the time, mass loss of life. People were forced to cease practice out of fear for their lives, & those who continued, did so in utter isolation.Christianity is a religion of patriarchy, whereas Paganism & Witchcraft in general are belief structures based on matriarchy. These are two very opposing systems, & Christians certainly did not see eye to eye with Witches upon their first encounter, the leather bound doctrine grasped confidently in their hands that states “thou shall not suffer a witch to live" didnt leave time for positive impression either. Fortunately we (somewhat) overcame our brutality.Unfortunately, not much has changed in over 500 years in regards to the imprint of fear & loss these events have left behind. As today most of us live in a society dominated by the ideals of Patriarchy, the negative reputation conjured up all those years ago, tends to stay with the general public today. We see false interpretations of Witches everywhere, the green, warty skin, cackling laugh, flying through the air on her broomstick in the fog of a full moon cursing everyone in sight. Sound silly? That’s because it is.
Are there Christian Witches?
Yes there are some who claim the title of the Christian Witch. This is a topic of much debate in the Witch community, mostly due to the opposing ideals of patriarchy vs matriarchy as explained earlier. Finding balance between these two systems is not an easy task, but the aspect of Jesus & many of his teachings are not so conflicting to the Craft as one might expect. Christian Witches do not simply throw out their bible & begin their new path, they incorporate their beliefs into their Craft. I cannot possibly explain this in depth, as I have not read the bible, nor follow Christian beliefs, but I do know that Witchcraft is an extremely flexible, & personal Craft, & I’ve come across many Witches who honour the Christian God as deity & base their magickal workings on Christian teachings.
What’s the difference between Witchcraft, Wicca, & Paganism?
As mentioned before, Witchcraft is a broad term for various different magickal practices, Wicca is stemmed from Witchcraft but is infact a religion, & Wicca & Witchcraft are not the same thing. With that established we are left with Paganism. In brief, Paganism is another umbrella term covering many different earth based practices, similar to the way in which the term ‘Witchcraft’ is used. Paganism is a spiritual way of life and its origins are rooted in the ancient nature religions of the world, that pre-date Christianity. Pagans practice an earth-based religion native to their land. Modern day Pagans are people who have retained the wisdom and values of their ancestors and modified these ancient practices to suit their contemporary lifestyles, meaning that like Witchcraft, Paganism is an equally flexible practice too. Pagans may practice different religions based upon their geographical location or cultural background, or they may practice based upon a spiritual affinity for a specific tradition. For example, in Africa pagan practice includes tribal religions; in Europe, some traditions include Norse, Celtic, Greek and various traditions of Witchcraft.
How does one get started?
Plenty of research into Witchcraft as a whole is important. This post is only a mere breakdown of the practice. Study into one’s Craft is vital because it helps one gain a deep understanding & confidence in their personal practice. Confidence in Magick is important as you need some form of faith in your spells & Magickal Workings, when working Magick it’s important to know that what you will, shall be, & that inner skepticism most of us face is what can hold us back in our Magick, & as Witches. Study into the various topics of Witchcraft helps to break down this skepticism, &,helps develop one’s own understanding of their Craft, as well as build the confidence to begin practical workings. I’ve created a small list of various helpful links for beginners,
Beginner Witchcraft Resources Masterpost
Basic Witchcraft Masterpost
10 Terms every new Witch should know
Cleansing, Charging & Consecrating
Budget Witchcraft supplies Masterpost
Witchcraft: Sourcing supplies
Books and Resources (Paganism, Witchcraft and More)
Wicca & Witchcraft how-to Articles
Books of Shadows Masterpost
The great thing about Witchcraft is that is is ever-flourishing, ever giving. It is an ongoing spiritual development, you can never learn, or gain too much from it. I am constantly going back & revising my notes & comparing them to what I know today, there are so many ways to personally develop with the Craft & seeing that progress in yourself is so satisfying.
