What Is A Witch

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What Is A Witch

what is a Witch

Contrary to popular belief, Witches do not fly around on Broomsticks (a misrepresentation of Fertility Rituals, where the Pagan women folk would jump over a plant whilst straddling a Broomstick (hobby horse fashion) to show the crops how high to grow, and journeys to the Astral Plane that have included the feelings of flying, and the use of hallucinogenic herbal potions which brought about visions). Nor do we practice Devil worship (or Satanism) for the Devil is a Christian concept, and one we are happy not to share! Neither are we Evil hag's, bent, old and decrepit (for we come in all ages, sizes, sexes and races!), nor do we cast spells to turn others into frogs! Not only is this unwise (because they'd be too many frogs around!), but also goes against the Wiccan Rede which dictates how those of us who consider ourselves Wiccan Witches believe our behavior should be!

Witchcraft is the actual practice of the Old Ways, that of the Healing Arts that were the trade of the Village Wise woman, the use of Divination and other Magikal tools. It can be Hereditary, that of the Family Tradition, or that of the Traditional form, and although uses Ritual, Magick and other things that are found in the newer Wiccan form of Religion, has one main difference, that of not conforming to the Karmic Law of return that Wiccans believe in. In Wicca, we believe in the Three Fold Law, and have the rule 'An it harm none, Do as Ye Will', whereas the Witchcraft equivalent states 'Do what Ye Wilt, An know What Ye Do!'

Wicca is the modern recreation of the Pagan Religion of the Old Ways, a subtle but real distinction! Those of us that consider ourselves Wiccan are following the resurgence of the Goddess based Worships and Religions of our distant Ancestors, as formulated by Gerald Gardener (and others) in the 1950's, using the term Wicca in it's 'new' sense (as that of a Religion, rather than as the term that was a root of the word Witch), reclaiming that which was taken from us by the Christian Church. If you'd asked me when I first started to look into Paganism, I'd have said that Witchcraft and Wicca were one and the same thing, that to be a Witch, you had to be Wiccan, now I'm certainly aware of a different view, and although I consider myself a Wiccan Witch, am fully aware that others may consider themselves Witches without ascribing to the Wiccan religion ! After all, there are those that consider themselves Christians, but use Healing techniques that are derived from the Old Knowledge that was an integral part of Witchcraft, and during Medieval times Witchcraft was certainly practiced by many who considered themselves Christian!

The history of Witchcraft has been so tainted by historians throughout the years, in articles and books so blatantly filled with prejudice and fear, that it's hard to uncover the truth. But as more and more brave souls step forward and proudly proclaim themselves as Witches, we learn more about our ancestry.

*Big thank you to SilverWolf's Lair for provideing me with this info...........*