Witchcraft Q.
& A.
- What
is a Witch?
- Are
witches into devil worship?
- Do
witches believe in God?
- What
is a witch's ritual?
- Why
do witches perform rituals and cast spells?
- Is
spell-casting evil?
- Are
you a good witch or a bad witch?
- So
you are a white witch?
- Are
there male witches? Are they called warlocks?
- You
say witchcraft is a religion. Do you have religious holidays
and festivals?
- Are
witches psychic?
- I
cast spells myself sometimes. Does that make me a witch?
- What
is a pentagram?
What
is a witch?
That
is a complex question and differs greatly depending on the witch
in question! What witchcraft means varies from person to person.
For those who know little about witches save what you may have learned
from misleading movies or TV shows, I'd like to provide you with
some general information. Or maybe you've done some reading about
what the religion and practice of witchcraft entails and are interested
in learning more. Either way, here are some answers to some of the
most common questions people ask when they discover that I am a
witch.
Are
witches into devil worship?
No.
Satanists are into devil worship. The religion of Witchcraft is
completely different and has nothing to do with Satanism per se,
though there are a few witches who are interested in Satanism.
I am not one of them and I don't know many of either.
In Ancient times, pagans worshipped different Gods,
conducted rites, many of them related to fertility and lunar and
solar cycles. When Christianity became the predominant religion
in many parts of the world, the Gods
and Goddesses
of the pagans were demonized. Witchcraft is not demonic. It is
a pantheistic
religion that identifies spirituality and divinity with the forces
of nature. We understand nature to mean, among other things, the
earth, the elements, the seasons, plants, landscape and animals
(including human beings).
Because witches believe that every living thing is a repository
of the Divine, we do not believe in working
evil spells—spells that direct harm toward our fellow creatures.
We do not sacrifice animals or human beings under the light of
a full moon (or any other light for that matter) as some people
have been led to believe by misrepresentations of witches in films,
books and television programmes.
Such practices are against all our moral and ethical codes. Witches
believe in the Wiccan Rede, which states, "'An
it harm none, do what you will."
Most witches also believe in the threefold rule: that anything
you do, any energy you send out will come back to you in magnified
form. Simply stated, this means, do good and good will return
to you. Do evil and evil will return to you. Or as Christ
said, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap"
and "Do unto others as you would have others
do unto you."
Do
witches believe in God?
Yes.
Witches believe in a Divine power that
encompasses all the forces of Nature: The Planets,
The Stars, The Moon, The Sun, The Elements, animals, human
beings, etc. Most witches believe in one omnipotent Divine
force which is symbolized by The Goddess,
the feminine principle and The God, the
masculine principle. These principles are contrary but complementary.
The Goddess (who is known by many names)
is often viewed as being identical with Mother
Nature. The God is also known by many names. He is the seed
of creation, the initiating force behind life. Because witches celebrate
the union of these polarities, we also celebrate sexual differences
and sexuality. Sexuality is not something sinful but rather natural,
the source of life and therefore Divine
and sacred (and quite a bit of fun as well).
What
is a witch's ritual?
The
simple answer to this is that a ritual is the medium through which
magick is practised.
Why do witches
perform rituals and cast spells?
Some
of the most common reasons are to put oneself in touch with the
Divine by giving thanks to the Gods
and celebrating natural cycles such as solstices, equinoxes and
moon phases, to invoke Divine power, to
bring about spiritual cleansing, healing, wealth and general good
fortune, to enhance romance and psychic power and to celebrate significant
events in our lives.
Is spell-casting
evil?
It's
amazing how many people think that casting a spell is evil but
think that praying is virtuous. Forms of magick and spellcasting
have always been part of religion, even mainstream religion. Nobody
accuses someone who prays for a sick person's recovery of "practising
the Black Arts" yet such a prayer is really nothing more than
a spell to encourage healing.
Magick plays a big part in Christian, Jewish and Islamic religious
practises though most adherents of those faiths would vigourously
deny such a claim. In reality though, there is not much difference
between magickal rites and mainstream religious rites. As the
famous anthropologist Margaret Murray wrote:
"In all studies of witches
and magic, one point must be kept in mind, that when anything
regarded as out of the ordinary course of nature is brought about
by human means, it is called a miracle if the magician belongs
to the beholder's own religion, but is it magic, often black magic—if
the wizard belongs to another religion."
Jesus
told his followers to: "Heal the sick, cleanse
the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils" (Matthew
X:8) which is really the sort of work that witches
do. Though I must confess, I have yet to meet a necromancer and
have no real expectation of doing so in the near future.
There is a saying I like from the Victorian era children's book,
The
Secret Garden:
- Call it magic, call it a miracle, call it a touch of the
Hand of God.
Are
you a good witch or a bad witch?
People
don't usually fit into such pat categories, but I guess I'm a good
witch in that I try to be the best person I can be (though I more
than occasionally fall a little short) spiritually, mentally and
physically. I take my responsibilities to my fellow creatures seriously
and try to be there as often as possible for those who need me.
So you are a
white witch?
Well,
I don't practise bad magic so I guess some might call me a white
witch, but I don't particularly like the term because it implies
that the colour white is good and black is bad, which is misleading.
Black is actually a colour of great magickal power because it absorbs
all light, thereby drawing in cosmic power. In Jewish Cabalistic
tradition, black and white are the colours of knowledge. Black represents
Wisdom, because it absorbs all light, and
white represents Divine Light.
Are
there male witches? Are they called warlocks?
Yes,
there are male witches, and no, they are not called warlocks. "Warlock"
is an archaic derogatory term used by the witch hunters during "The
Burning Times"—the era of persecution and execution on a massive
scale of people who were accused and convicted of witchcraft—to
describe male witches. Warlock actually means "oathbreaker." A male
witch is properly referred to as a witch.
You say witchcraft
is a religion. Do you have religious holidays and festivals?
Yes,
witchcraft has its own holidays. The main ones are Samhain
(Pagan New Year), Yule, Winter Solstice, Imbolc,
Ostara, Beltane, Midsummer Solstice and Lugnassadh.
To read more about these and the other religious festivals of
witches and other pagans, click here.
Are witches
psychic?
Many
witches are more motivated than the average person to develop their
psychic abilities. Also witch tend to concern themselves with unseen
worlds and be open-minded to information gleaned through their sixth
sense and less likely to dismiss such information as mere fancy.
That said, I believe all people are naturally psychic though most
have, through the conditioning of a society that places little value
on that which cannot be measured empirically, have learned to ignore
their inner voice. There are those who have a greater natural psychic
gift than others but everyone can increase the degree of their psychic
perception. To find out how, click
here.
I
cast spells myself sometimes. Does that make me a witch?
Well,
you are practicing the spell element of witchcraft, but witchcraft
isn't just about casting spells and brewing potions. That is just
a small part of it. There is a whole complex philosophical system
behind it, as I've pointed out. If you work toward appreciating
and worshipping the Divine force in the
Earth and all Her creatures, celebrate life and keep your
mind open to learning not just about witchcraft but to all knowledge,
you are definitely on the right track!
What is
a pentagram?
A
pentagram is a five-pointed star drawn in one unbroken line which
many witches have taken for their symbol. In the upright position,
the way witches use it, it represents the human figure and also
the elements with spirit taking precedence over the lower four elements.
A
pentacle is a pentagram that is inscribed on a disc (generally
circular) of parchment or metal or marked on the ground to form
a magick circle.
Text
© 2000 Sheila
O'Sullivan/The Electric Witch
Layout & Graphics © 2000 Kevin Andrew Murphy/Alphyn Press.
Permission granted to reproduce these texts and graphics
for inclusion in personal Books of Shadows
or for use in personal rituals only.
All other rights reserved.
