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WITCH: A practitioner of a nature-based
religion which recognizes the feminine in divinity and follows the seasonal
cycles. A Witch believes that the divine exists within his or herself as
well as without, and therefore feels a direct connection with the God/dess
self. Witches come from all racial, socio-economic and religious backgrounds.
What we share in common is a loosely structured system of beliefs largely
known as "Wicca".
Q: Are there "Black Witches" & "White Witches",
good Witches & evil Witches?
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A: Witches are just Witches. We tend
to refrain from using the terms "black" and "white" to describe a person's
magical morality as we feel these terms promote racist thinking. As far as
"good" or "evil" Witches are concerned, Witches are highly moral and religious
people. Those that follow their religious principles, regardless of the religion,
usually do "good". Those who go against their own religious tenets tend to
act in harmful and manipulative ways.
When you ask if someone is a "good" Witch or a "bad" Witch it is the same
as asking someone if they are a "good" Presbyterian or a "bad" Presbyterian.
Q: Do you worship Satan?
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A: Satan is a part of the Christian and
Muslim religions. Since we are neither Christian nor Muslim, we do not recognize
the existence of Satan, let alone worship him/it.
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Wicca, the religion of many Witches, is a religion of responsibility. As
we do not believe in any outside force, such as "Satan", we believe that
each and every human being is completely responsible for his or her own actions.
To us, evil is a choice, albeit a bad one, that a human might make, not an
entity to blame our actions upon.
If an individual chooses to do evil, we believe they will be punished via
the laws of karma. If one is working for the good of others, we feel that
the same laws will reward them. In other words, "What goes around comes
around."
As the majority of Witches and other Pagans believe in reincarnation, we
feel that karma can follow a person from one life to the next. This sometimes
helps explain why terrible things happen to wonderful people.
Q: So why do you use that "Satanic" symbol?
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A: The pentagram, or five pointed star,
is not Satanic. Pythagoras used it as a symbol of health and his followers
wore them in order to recognize one another. In Medieval times, some Christian
knights used the pentagram as their symbol. To modern Witches the pentagram
means many things; The five points correspond to the elements Air, Earth,
Fire and Water with the top point corresponding to "Spirit". The pentagram
in a circle may also represent a human with their legs and arms outstretched,
surrounded by universal wisdom or the "Goddess" - humankind at one with the
environment.
Satanists turn the symbol upside-down, which puts the elements of Fire and
Earth at the top (Fire symbolizes willpower and passion and Earth, prosperity
and earthly goods) and Spirit, spirituality, at the bottom. Satanists also
turn the cross upside-down. This, in itself, does not make the cross or pentagram
a Satanic symbol. In some Wiccan traditions, the reversed pentagram is a
symbol of "second degree" status - one who has been elevated from "initiate".
To members of these traditions, the reversed pentagram is considered highly
positive and has no connection to Satanism.
Q: Do you do blood sacrifice?
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A: Goddess No! The nature of sacrifice
is to give up something of one's own in order to gain something more important.
We do not feel that the life of another creature is ours to give...therefore
we would never kill an animal in ritual, as we would not consider it a true
sacrifice. Witches believe in the sanctity of all life. For this reason a
large percentage of Witches are vegetarian.
Q: Do Witches cast spells?
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A: Yes. However, the term "spell" is
widely misunderstood.
Spells, much like prayers, are used to create needed change in one's own
life or the life of a loved one. Prayers are a petition to an external Deity
to create the change. We as Witches believe that Deity is present in everything,
including ourselves. Spells, then, are the channeling of our own divine selves,
our own energies, to create the change. Spells and Prayers are just different
approaches to the same goal. One difference is that Witches generally will
not do a spell for anyone who has not given them their permission.
Spells such as those which use love magic to gain the attention of a specific
individual, or curses, are considered "manipulative". Anything manipulative
goes against the free will of another is considered wrong. It is against
our belief system to become involved in such things.
Q: Is Witchcraft a cult?
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A: A cult by definition is a group of
people who blindly follow a leader. As Wiccans tend to be free-thinkers and
have no one person we consider to be the leader, we cannot be called a cult.
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Q: Do you have ritual orgies?
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A: These rumors come from our lack of
taboos regarding sex. We have no rules which prohibit homosexuality, nudity
or pre-marital sex. Our one rule "An thou harm none, do what thou wilt."
tells us that harming others through misusing sexuality is wrong. Sex as
the generative force in nature is seen by Witches as something utterly sacred.
We feel that the physical act of love is to be approached with great respect
and responsibility.
Q: Why do Witches wear black?
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A: We all don't. Most Witches seem to
favor green and/or purple. Black, however, is in many cultures a symbol of
clergy. Priests, Ministers and Rabbis all favor black as the main color of
their ritual garb.
Scientifically speaking, color is energy. The colors you see are the ones
which are reflected and not the ones absorbed. Therefore, what appears to
be white, which is the culmination of all colors in the light spectrum, is
actually reflecting all colors and absorbing none. What appears to be black,
is absorbing all colors and reflecting none. This is evident in the fact
that when one is wearing white, one feels cooler - as the fabric is sending
the heat energy outward, and when one wears black - the heat energy is absorbed
in the cloth that one is wearing, making one feel warmer.
Q: Aren't all Witches Women?
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A: No. Witches can be either men or women.
The term "Warlock" is never used to describe a male Witch as it is considered
to be a religious slur. "Warlock" is an old Scottish word meaning "traitor"
or "oath-breaker". Men and Women alike are called Witches.
Q: Why would anyone want to be Wiccan?
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A: People are generally drawn to Wicca
for several reasons. Many women feel left out of more mainstream religions
because of the lack of feminine divinity. For them, the Wiccan concept of
the Goddess as Mother of all Living fills an empty space in their spiritual
search. As a nature based religion, Wicca also appeals to those who feel
a strong need to "get back to the Earth" and places a major importance on
protecting the environment, which we are a part of, not apart from. People
drawn to the mystical find Wicca much more accommodating as we do not see
anything unnatural about psychic ability or the use of magic to create needed
changes in one's life. Another reason is our one rule "An thou harm none,
do what thou wilt." This tells us that nothing is inherently wrong unless
it harms someone, including oneself. It gives us the freedom to make our
own decisions about what is best for us.
Q: How do you convert new Witches?
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A: We don't. We feel that the attempted
conversion of others is a form of religious bigotry. i.e.. If one tries to
convert another to his/her religion, s/he assumes that the other person's
beliefs are not as valid as his/her own. We feel that all paths are equally
valid as long as they do not infringe upon the basic civil rights or free
will of another. According to our beliefs, it is up to the individual to
choose his or her own path. We do not try to manipulate others into our way
of thinking, we only try to educate others about our religion so that they
may better understand us. We do, however try to help guide those who have
already expressed an interest in the Wiccan faith.
Q: So what do Witches DO?
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A: We live. We die. Some of us breed
and the vast majority of us pay taxes. We practice our religion without trying
to force it upon others. Many Witches are not public about their religion
for fear of the persecution that they may face if they admit to their
beliefs.
Although there are larger Wiccan churches, most Witches practice by themselves
as "Solitaries" or work within small groups usually known as covens. Covens
function not only as religious groups but also as extended families.
We tend to hold our ceremonies or "circles" out of doors as we feel that
being with nature brings us closer to the divinity who creates it.
Some of our beliefs may seem strange to most, but consider how strange and
horrific the eucharist, or consumption of the blood and body of Christ may
seem to one unfamiliar with Christianity, or the ritual of a Bris to one
who does not know Judaism.
All that we ask is that we are allowed to practice our religion without prejudice
as is our right guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America.
The basics F.A.Q.'s of Witchcraft were composed
by...
Paula Murphy, Ainsley Friedberg
J.Kyle Sweeney & Lisa Tonner
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