By Raven Fon
Was that title a bit too harsh? Maybe. But to be honest, I am sick of having to explain this to people.
For the past week I have had this subject come up so frequently that I figured I must be meant to write about it. So here goes:
Witches are not evil. I know that some of you might still be stuck in the days of Salem, but a few things need to be set straight because this entire perception of who we are is beyond f*’d up.
What do witches do?
Believe it or not, we don’t wear point hats and ride around on broomsticks, and we don’t “curse” people. Real witches who practice the craft are not trying to hurt anyone, and they aren’t out for selfish gain.
What witches do is simple: we bask in the essence of nature and pay attention to the energies around us. Honestly, you’d be surprised how much goes unnoticed in your life when you are rushing around all the time. That’s another thing- we like to take our time with things. We put our energy and our focus in to the things we are trying to manifest, just like anyone else who “wishes” for something. But you don’t go around verbally crucifying every person who says “Oh I wish I could do that,” or “Oh I wish I could have that in my life.” So please stop verbally crucifying us.
What do witches believe?
This may vary depending on the kind of person you are talking to, but for me, and most Wiccans, we believe in a couple key things.
First, “harm none” is the foremost rede. And next would be “the power of three.”
The power of three entails what comes back to you. It is essentially why witches do not perform what you would call “black magic.” It’s like Karma, but three-fold. “By the power of three times three, As I will, so mote it be.”If you know anything about numbers, you know the number 3 is powerful and it connects everything in the Universe. Even Tesla had theories about this concept.
To sum it up, “traditional Witches are not monotheistic nor do they follow any revealed scripture (Torah, Gospels, Quran, Book of Mormon, etc.). Traditional Witches do not worship any entity as their superior, though they recognize the existence of other entities. They believe in the equality of all beings in the Universe, seeing them as different, separate, but never superior or inferior. This difference is often a source of confusion. A Traditional Witch may speak of the God and the Goddess, referring to the female and male aspects of Nature, but while they revere and respect Nature, they do not worship it or its representatives. Traditional Witchcraft is polytheistic and animistic, meaning that they incorporate a number of elements and spirits into a meaningful whole.”
” It is fertility, earth-based and nature oriented; Wiccans recognize and worship during the change of the seasons and the full and new moons…. Wicca is unique in that it has no dogmas, doctrines (sic), or set of rules…. Wiccan practices are derived from within, are personal and individual and are not mandated by any one person, hierarchy, or “Bible”.”
The principles of Wiccan belief are as follows:
- We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters.
- We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.
- We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. … it is sometimes called “supernatural,” but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
- We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity—as masculine and feminine—and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and the feminine. … We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.
- We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconsciousness, Inner Planes, etc.—… We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.
- We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.
- We see religion, magick and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it—a world view and philosophy of life which we identify asWitchcraft—the Wiccan Way.
- Calling oneself “Witch” does not make a Witch—…. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with nature.
- We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role within it.
- Our only animosity towards Christianity, … is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be the “only way” and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief.
- As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.
- We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as “Satan” or “the Devil,” as defined by Christian tradition. …
- We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being. (Guiley, pp. 65-66)
Okay, so I hope that helps clear some things up.
Also, when it comes to spells, you use them too. Whether you know it or not, the words you speak are powerful and they carry magic. You create your reality as much as we do, simply by saying things over and over again. If you put yourself down and say you will never accomplish the things you want to achieve, then guess what? You are turning that into a reality by saying it and putting it into the Universe. Try speaking in a better way about yourself and see what happens.
I really just want everyone to try and understand that witches are not evil. It’s too easy for people to associate negative concepts to things they don’t understand.
Real witches, those who live to do good and embrace nature, are your friends. They aren’t going to turn you into a frog, but they very well may help you to see the prince (or princess) that’s inside. Give us a chance before you shun us, push us away, or say cruel things about us.
We’re really not that bad.
∼If you like our article, give Conscious Reminder a thumbs up, and help us spread LOVE & LIGHT!∼
4 comments
Thank you! While I’m not “traditional”, I agree it’s hard to tell people over and over what it is that we believe in. They see two sides of the coin, Good vs Evil and if they worship a book and one deity which is good and we do not then certainly we must be the opposite. It’s just not true. Just like in every religion, there are those that do harm and do not follow the “rules” of that religion. They make the rest of them look bad and are all that are remembered. Which is sad. Not every Baptist is Westboro, not ever Muslim is an Extremist and not every Witch is evil.
I have recently become very interested in the Wiccan way. I’ve had very strong feelings towards this & it has been extremely hard growing up in a very Christian family. I recently had a reading where I was told I am very intuitive and psychic… boy do I feel it some days. I look forward to learning more and paying more attention to what I have deep inside me.
You obviously know very little about “Christianity”. “Just saying your a witch doesn’t make you one” also applies to “Christian”. Wicca was an unknown term to those of the days of Biblical translation. According to the Bible, You’re not a witch if what you said is the truth. A witch, as defined in the Bible is “someone who keeps/consults a familiar spirit”, that spirit being metaphysical/supernatural. Christianity, Judaism are
inherently Mystic in nature but unfortunately, most who try to live the life of a Christian never “grow out of their rookie seasons” (you may have heard the term “babes in Christ”). Most Christians die in infancy even though they’ve lived for decades in an attempt to “Reach their Creator”. A mature Christian is one who communes with the Creator. The Creator, is his “Familiar Spirit”. The Creator is his Father. As I haven’t mentioned anything about the lifestyle you lead, because I don’t understand it, I would greatly appreciate it if you did the same. I didn’t speak ignorantly, you shouldn’t either. As for Islam and Westboro, both have proven themselves to be sociopaths and therefore, unsuitable to commune with the Father. Do not trust any Moslem, the Koran (which I’ve read) speaks to moslems to be “Peacefully deceptive” in order to catch us off guard when the jihad (Holy War for Allah) comes, not if, but when. And don’t refer to Westboro as a “Christian institution”. It’s not.
Not all witches are Wiccans, you would do well not to infer that. It only adds to the confusion, and seems to imply an air of superiority. Not hat any of us are perfect, especially me. Just some advice , and a comment meant to better clarify the information given. I have personally sought out information on many different philosophies , religions, and spiritual beliefs & practices. I am eclectic and I find value in all philosophies, including what I know, so far , about Wicca. Though I have found some ideas not to my views, overall, I think it seems like a positive approach, other than sharing a trait with other religions, which is to think they do only good , every spell, prayer or what have you, creates a wave of effect that changes everything..what’s good before you,will cause or allow some negative things you are not aware of to manifest. The same is true for prayer, what one gives must be taken from elsewhere, if not from they themselves, good health causes the death of germs and that weakens the immune system if it is prevented from at least building antibodies . Additionally a child may well not miss school due to never being exposed by someone who is magical or spiritually protected…and due toi that be run over walking to school that day, or some thing negative perhaps to a different degree…and that effects everything as well. So on and so fourth. I know , I know, this is the purpose of divination, prior to casting a spell. However, just because you get an agreement through whatever means you check with to decide if it is truly a warranted or necessary, and positive instrument of change, does not mean it won’t cause a half million to die in nuclear fallout, or something, which is positive in the light of overpopulation…to someone. Yet , as well, it instead bo looking only at the immediate and superfisial effects of the action, especially if you focused your questions in that mindset. Even a bad person may well save lives by apparent happenstance…perhaps effecting someone in such a way that they see things more clearly than most; perhaps by intimidating someone not to get on a bus that later crashes, etc…and quite possibly they may eventually realise they should be more considerate and mindful of people. People do do tings against their true nature at times…for long periods even, before realising it is not truly them, and changing their behavior…happens every day. Contrary to main stream pessimism, instilled upon us by those that seek to gain more power , which is in reality another illusion we all allow, sometimes for many lifetimes before setting solid boundaries. Though in that case we have checked and double checked and so fourth, and are pretty damn sure we are seeing things n a correct way, to us, before setting down a fairly rigid boundary on moral or other grounds. I personally, do not like to assume things about other people. most often this is an error. Yet in some aspects it is necessary to have certain pet peeves , if you will, or deal breakers, due to learned probabilities. Otherwise there is no wisdom in life. Though all things are subject to reassessment or reconsidering, especially if you operate on an individual and empathetic set of principles you , yourself, hold as valuable, such as integrity,and honor, etc. You then must intelligently realise you are not perfect, honestly, and may have rashly assessed a situation or action of a person(s). Nothing is absolute in our lives. If one thinks thy improve by denial of their darker half, then they lack insight; and shall soon realize or be shown, tat their prefered half cannot survive without the other..as it weakens the remaining (focused) one since it has no balance, and not resistance within to keep it strong and vital. It’s like hopping along with one leg ,one arm, one ear , one eye, and use of 1/2 a mind. This is also addressed in the Christian Bible, although there are many, whom think they are more complete by ignoring most of the too. I ,personally, find it is full of wisdom, whit, and provocatively, which encourages meditative thought about many things…yet it also says, “the treasures hidden in darkness shall be yours, which to me sums up what I have just written.