What Witchcraft Is and Is Not

by Lisa Parker

Witchcraft's origins are disputed, and I am not going to try to give any one answer to that question here. There are numerous books that have done that, so read up. What I can say about the question is that it is a very old religion, sometimes referred to as The Old Religion. It is an Earth religion, a Goddess religion, a Pagan religion, etc. Paganism was around long before Christianity, many practices found in Christianity were taken from the first Pagans. For example: the Christian observance of Easter, was taken from the Pagan celebration of Spring. The name Easter is from the Goddess Eostre or Ostara, the Goddess of Spring, of fertility, of rebirth and new. Even the commercialism of Easter has Pagan influences found in the Easter Bunny (the hare is associated with various fertility Gods/Goddess and the Moon), and the Easter egg is a symbol of birth, fertility and spring. The timing itself of Easter is influenced by the cycle of the Moon, that is why the holiday "floats" each year. For more explanations on the various origins of religious holidays see The Witches Web of Days, a web site loaded with information on holidays, moon cycles, and deities.

Witchcraft is a legally recognized religion (since 1985) it is not a cult. A cult is a group of people who follow one leader and that leader believes themselves to be a direct link to their God. There is no one leader in Witchcraft, we do have many elders of The Craft to whom many look up to and come to for guidance, but the system of hierarchy in The Craft (using hierarchy for lack of a better word) is very loose and open to everyone. Cults also base their religious belief on Christianity, and we have already established that Witchcraft is not Christianity.

Witches do not attempt to convert or recruit others. We leave that sort of bigotry to other religions . In short, spirituality should be free, and that includes freedom to worship how you please. Witches believe it is up to the individual. When someone is seeking more information on Witchcraft or is seeking guidance the proper people or resources will come to that person naturally, not by force.

There are different Pagan traditions that are considered Witchcraft, and you will find many different definitions for each. Each path has it's on beliefs, traditions, celebrations, rites, rituals, names, definitions etc. All are Earth based and pretty much have the same basic background.

There are Solitary Witches (those who practice alone) and Covens(a group of people who gather to practice). There are Eclectic or Kitchen Witches (those who take various rituals, spells, beliefs, etc. from different traditions and use them together or simply make there own) and those that follow structured traditions. No one tradition or background is correct, whatever suits you and works best for you is correct.

Witches usually celebrate in ceremonies called Rituals. Rituals are held for many reason at different times. We follow what is know as The Wheel of The Year. We cast a circle, and there are even various ways of doing that, but there are a few things I have found that are pretty much universal when it comes to casting a circle. The four directions are called (or quarters or watchtowers or guardians....depending on what you call them); East, South, West and North, this is done clockwise in a circle. At each direction an altar is set up with candles, gems, stones, feathers, any article that you choose to represent that direction. In the center of the circle an altar is set up to represent Spirit. It is within this sacred space, this protected space, that rituals, spells and ceremonies are done.

A very simple description of something not so simple, but it is definitely nothing scary or weird. The feeling of being in the sacred space of a Witches circle is natural and relaxing nothing should ever feel scary about it, if it does you can always leave the circle and come back if you choose.

There are use various tools used in Witchcraft; Wands, Athames, Chalices, Cauldrons, Candles, Gems, Poppets, Potions, Herbs, etc. Most of the time these tools are charged (spiritually cleansed) before they are used, this is to get rid of any negative energy that may be in that object that may interfere with that Witches work.

Witchcraft has been the bases for many lies and fears for centuries. In what is know as The Burning Times millions were killed for being accused of Witchcraft, it is not known how many of the people burned at the stake, tortured, and hanged were indeed Witches, but research has shown that many were killed for other reasons. A person could have been accused of being a Witch because they were female, or lived alone, had birthmarks, or mental or physical conditions. People were killed out of jealousy, and ignorance. It was not only women that were accused, though history shows that the majority of people killed during that time were women, but many men were accused of Witchcraft also.

How did it start?...Again there are numerous books with different ideas. It is believed to have started in Europe during the rise of Christianity, under the rule of Constantine. In America it started in the late 1600's in Salem, MA.

Why it started? As I stated before, out of fear and ignorance people act strangely. When the a culture is run by one type of people and then is violently taken over by another group, that group will use everything to exploit and dominate over the first. This is what happened when society went from matriarchal to patriarchal. Women who were revered and looked up to, who were the healers and backbone of the society were made out to be evil and dangerous.

A lot of the Witch hunt was based on a piece of propaganda commissioned by Pope Innocent VIII. The manual Malleus Malificarum (translated...The Witches Hammer) was used to destroy Witchcraft and demean women and healers and spiritual leaders. Passages from the Malleus Malificarum state "When a woman thinks alone, she thinks evil." (Strangely or not so strangely, this same idea was used in the early part of this century when women were denied the right to vote), "she is a liar by nature.....", "All Witchcraft stems from carnal lust, which is in women insatiable". It is horrible beliefs such as these and false accusations that took the lives of nine million people. For more on The Burning Times visit The Burning Times by Catala.

We are Witches not out of fear, not out of necessity, not out of a need to belong to a group...We are Witches because it is in our spirit it be, to be connected to that higher spirit no matter what it is called. Witchcraft is peaceful, loving, spiritual and fun, ask any Witch!

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