FAQ’s of Witchcraft

Different types of witches and traditions

• Types of witches
• Types of Witchcraft
• Traditions of witchcraft
• Neo-Pagan Movements
• Glossary of Witchcraft words & terms

Q:What is the difference between Wicca and Witchcraft?

A: Wicca and Witchcraft are two distinct things.

• Wicca is a religion consisting of a God and Goddess (or many gods and goddesses, again depending on who you ask)
• Witchcraft is a practice of magic
• Wiccans may practice Witchcraft but witchcraft is not exclusive to Wicca, and one may be Wiccan and choose not to practice Witchcraft
• One can be a Witch and an Atheist

Q: Are witches good or bad/evil?

A: It depends on who you ask!

There are good and bad people in every society and in every religion. To judge a person as either “good” or “bad” based upon nothing more than their religious preference alone has a label, too. It is called bigotry.

Q:Do Witches worship the Devil?

A: Some do. Some don’t. If the devil upsets you, you need to ask yourself:

“What do I fear the devil will do to me?”

You then need to think back to where you learned this information, and think about why that person told you certain information. People share stories through the generations without question. We don’t have to live in ignorance anymore.

Witches do not worship anything but life itself.  However, the idea of the Devil has occupied a place in the history of traditional witchcraft for centuries and is a part of our heritage.

For Witches, the Devil is not a source of evil. Instead, he represents certain truths about nature and humanity that must be understood by every practicing Witch. These truth are expressed as the Devil’s trinity.

1. Devil represents the darkest aspects of the human psyche which must be integrated into the total-self rather than suppressed by some artificial morality.

2. The Devil embodies the indiscriminate forces of nature which yield to no one. The Witch seeks to understand the nature of the universe in order to be its master.

3. Despite the claims of modern revisionists, Witches historically identified with the Devil as an ally against the horrors and atrocities of the Church.  Classical Witches embraced the idea of the biblical Satan as a positive force that protected their freedom and survival. Today we re-invoke the notion of the Devil as a symbol of resistance to Wicca and other Neo-Pagans who seek to deprive us of our true history and heritage.

Q: Do you worship Satan?

A: I WORSHIP THE ELEMENTS. I do know through vast study, that Satan has been slandered to propel the “good v evil” pitch of mainstream religions.

Satan is a part of the Christian and Muslim religions. Since pagans are neither Christian nor Muslim, he is an evolving story told to control and place followers into fear.

The image of Satan betrayed by Christians is completely wrong. For those who have seen Satan or Lucifer, are in ore of his natural beauty. He doesn’t leaves inside the earth, And he doesn’t create destruction and killed people who do not believe in him. That indeed is the story of organized religion.

Enough said on this matter for now.

We believe that each and every human being is completely responsible for his or her own actions.

Many Witches and Wiccans believe ….…

…..in some form of reincarnation, that the results or karma of past deeds can follow a person from one life to the next. This may also help to explain why terrible things sometimes happen to wonderful people or why some people seem to have been born with certain skills and knowledge. It may also explain why some people seem to lead a ‘charmed” life.

Some pagans believe in an after-life spent in another plain of existence. Known as Summerland, Avalon, Valhalla or simply the “Other Side’, they believe that they will be reunited here once again with friends and family.

Q: So why do you use that “Satanic” symbol?

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. T

o modern Wiccans 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.

Many Witches and other pagan practitioners do not wear the pentacle at all, but have other symbols of special meaning to them.

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. A symbol is simply an image or mark in itself. It is the mind and the beliefs of the beholder which attribute to it a particular meaning.

Q: Do you do blood sacrifice?

A: Sometimes yes – and I use blood in spells as well.

Blood is a very powerful ingredient that you can use in hexes, personalizing a Runes set, in love magikc, and revenge spells. FYI – Wiccans believe in the sanctity of all life. Most pagans believe that animals are part of the same natural cycle of life as humans are.

Q: Do Witches and Wiccans cast spells?
A: Yes. I do

But not all pagan or wiccans do. See this blog post I wrote.

Q: Are Witchcraft or Wicca cults?

A: A cult by definition is a group of people who blindly follow one leader – like a church or a mosque.And all organised relaiogions.

As Witches, Wiccans and pagans tend to be free-thinkers, there is no one person that we consider to be THE leader. Thus we cannot be called a cult.

Q: Do you have ritual orgies?

A: I WISH! HAHAHA

Seriously, people having these rituals are more into the “lifestyle” than of the practice of witchcraft.

Q: Why do all Witches/Wiccans wear black?

A: We all don’t. Many Witches/Wiccans actually 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. Many Witches feel that wearing black attracts and holds more natural energy.

Q. Why do Witches wear the pointy hat?

The archetypal image of a Witch with her cloak, buckles and pointed hat comes from artists’ depictions of early Quaker women engaged in spoken ministry. The tall hat was not an unusual style for women of the early Quaker period but, over time, they continued to wear it even though fashion had long moved on. As Quakers became increasingly accused of witchcraft and heresy, the iconic image of the Witch took its shape in the antiquated style of the style of the Quakeress.

Some modern Quaker and Traditional Witches still wear the traditional plain clothing and hat during meetings and group celebrations, but rarely in public.

Q: Aren’t all Witches Women?

A: 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 can be Witches, Wiccans or pagans.

Q: Why would anyone want to be a pagan, a Witch or Wiccan?

A: People are generally drawn to Wicca and other pagan paths for several reasons.

Witchcraft 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 pagan belief systems 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. It gives us the freedom to make our own decisions about what is best for us.

Q: How do you convert new Witches/Wiccans/pagans?

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 pagan belief systems or religions.

Q: So what do Witches/Wiccans/pagans DO?

A: Pretty much what everybody does. We come from all walks of life. We raise families, go to work, throw steaks (or vegetables) on the “barbie” and hang out with our friends. We practice our religions and belief systems, celebrate our holidays with festivals and continue to study and explore our past while contemplating our futures.

Many covens and groups meet once a month to worship together under the moon. Pagans tend to hold ceremonies or “circles” out of doors as we feel that being with nature brings us closer to the divinity who creates it.

Some pagan beliefs may seem strange to those who have not heard much about them before. Pagans, on the other hand, are usually very well versed in the beliefs of other religions. They find the various religious systems interesting and often encourage their own children to learn about these other religions. Pagans believe in free will and free choice and that an educated choice is always better than blind obedience to any religion or dogma. We are not “against” other religions. We have simply made our choice to be pagan and we expect others to respect that choice as we respect theirs.

All that we ask is that we are allowed to practice our religion without prejudice or interference as is our right guaranteed here in the United States under the Constitution and as outlined within the constitutions of many other countries.

The freedom to practice religion -or no religion-as you choose-whether it be Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Pagan-is the freedom to follow your spirit and your heart. This precious freedom must be defended, protected and treasured by all or it will no longer be guaranteed for anyone.

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