By now, you have figured out I’m a Witch. (duh!) However, many of you may not know what that really means. Often times the word “witch” conjures up images of black cats, broomsticks, and some really ugly lady stirring a pot of something that no one would not dare stick in their mouth. However, if you ask someone what a witch is, they more than likely will not know or tell you we are devil worshippers. In this article I will try to give you my best explanation of what a witch is and is not, the basic tenets of Wicca, and try to dispel some of the mystery around what it is we do and the symbols we use.
Let me start by saying, we DO NOT worship the devil! As Wiccans or Pagans we don’t even believe in the devil. It is hard to worship something you don’t think exists. Satan, the devil and their wonderful place called Hell are all part of Christian theology, not Pagan. We do believe in an afterlife. Just not one where you’re tortured or rewarded for your deeds here on Earth. The afterlife for us is more of a resting place (called the Summerlands or the Underworld in some traditions) for your soul before it has its next incarnation. We believe in reincarnation. In other words, you’re gonna have a go round on this plane a few times before you finally move on to become an Ancient One. (more on that later) Karma or ” The Law of Return” is another thing that we believe in. This is why you will find no self-respecting Witch doing anything that would harm another, with magick or otherwise. We bide by something called ” The Wiccan Rede “. If you’ve never read it, you will have your chance now.
Notice how there is nothing evil in there? There is a longer version of this Rede as well. Maybe to further clear this up I should tell you what the word ” witchcraft “ actually means. Wicca is an old Anglo-Saxon word that means ” seer “. In Old English it also means ” to bend “. The word Witch has Germanic roots and means ” to know ” or ” be wise “. Witchcraft translates as ” Craft of the Wise “. We have to be wise. If we are not and do something we should not, it can mean real trouble. Now, I know what you’re thinking ” What about all that crazy stuff about black cats, broomsticks and those big pots of brew? “. I’m getting there. As a matter of fact, let’s go there now.
Black Cats, Big hats, and things that fly. The symbology of Witchcraft.
Let us start with the most misunderstood symbol in Witchcraft to date, the Pentacle. This little 5 pointed star causes more commotion than any other symbol in the whole religion. Many believe it to be a symbol of Satan worship. And indeed, Satanists have desecrated this symbol just as they did the Christian cross. Often times the Satanists will use the inverted Pentacle as their favored talisman. Each of the 5 points represents one of the 5 basic elements in all creation. Those Elements are : Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit or the Divine. The circle around the star represents the never-ending circle of life : birth, death, and rebirth. If one is studying within a certain tradition or coven they will be given this sigal upon First Degree Initiation. In its upright position it shows that spirit is over all the elements. When one is initiated for their First Degree, they will be just starting to really explore and understand spirit, really trying to make a connection with the Divine. They will also learn about the basics of magick and the elements as well. All 5 of the elements are needed for creation and for magick. The inverted Pentacle is not necessarily a sign of evil either. In many traditions, the inverted Pentacle will be given to Second Degree initiates. It is symbolic of the inner journey that the Second Degree goes through next. They will also learn more about divination and what are considered to the ” The Black Arts “. This still is not evil. Just another facet. The Black Arts are simply banishing and magick that concerns taking away negative aspects of the self and of ones reality. Also falling under this heading are thing like tarot reading, runes, scrying, crystal ball reading and divining by the moon. One must journey through the darkness to get to the light. When the initiate moves onto the Thrid Degree, they will then come back to the upright Pentacle.
We’ve all seen this image right? A Witch and her cat, a black cat even. No, the cat is not evil either. We have something we call a familiar. This is an animal that we do our magick with. Although cats do seem to be the most common even amongst modern witches, they are not the only familiar a Witch can have. Cats have long been revered in Egyptian, Welsh, and Irish tradition. The cat was believed to be able to see both worlds at the same time. In other words, they were always ” between the worlds “. This made them very useful for the work that witches do. We too need to be able to walk between the worlds to seek out guidance, healing and wisdom to use in this world. A Witch can choose whatever kind of familiar she wishes. I have known some who have had reptiles, rats, turtles and even fish they considered to be familiars. I personally have a cat. His name is Merlin. He’s actually not that cat that seems to like me most. But, when the candles, incense, and herbs come out, he’s right there waiting for me to cast the circle.
Big bubbling pots of brew. This, my friends, is a cauldron. The cauldron does in fact play a pivotal role in our practices. It is NOT used to make potions that will turn people into frogs. (Although, there are days I wish it did!) The cauldron represents the pregnant womb of the Goddess which is always ready to birth with creation. It is a symbol of the Divine Feminine and the Holy Goddess herself. Attributes of the cauldron are fertility, abundance, transformation, luck, and love. In our practices we use it to hold the fires that will burn the papers or incense for our spells. Occasionally someone will use it to actually ” brew ” something up, but that is not the norm. Most times it’s just another symbol on our alters that represent another aspect of the Divine. Throwing something in the cauldron means you want it to change or take shape. Unlike the first 2 examples, this is an actual tool that we use when doing our magickal work.
The big, beautiful, Full Moon. Oh yes, we love this Moon. The Full Moon is when we go out and pay homage to our Gods. We will normally do a full ritual at this time. The moon itself actually represents the Goddess. The Full Moon is one aspect of the threefold or triple Goddess. The three aspects are : Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Maiden is the New Moon, Mother is the Full Moon, and Crone is the Dark or waning Moon. The moon has long been a part of Pagan worship. The moon has been seen as a symbol of the psyche, the hidden realms, divination, and the inner self. The Sun is also a part of Pagan worship, but it’s not a symbol that you see very often. The Sun represents the masculine part of Divinity, the God. At the time of the Full Moon it is believed that the energy of the God and the Goddess are combined since the Moon only reflects light from the Sun. The Full Moon holiday, so to speak, is called an Esbat. If one comes to the Goddess at this time of the month, they will surely gain Her favor, for this is Her time. ” If ever you have need of anything come to Her, and better when the Moon is full. ” – The Charge of the Goddess
The broom or besom. Contrary to popular belief, we do not fly on these. If we did, I would save a lot of money on gas and car insurance. The broom is actually used to sweep negative energies from our ritual space. It’s also used to sweep good energies in. There are a few superstitions about the broom. If a broom falls over, company is coming. Never store your broom with the sweeping end down. It will let all the luck out. Never move a broom from one house to another. It will bring back luck and dirt from the old house to the new. If you do use a broom from an old house you must pass it through an open window and the ill luck will be deterred.
These are just a few of the many symbols that are used in the Craft. I only listed these here because they are the most popular. I will now touch a little bit on what our idea of the Divine is and exactly what goes into a ritual.
The God, the Goddess and what we do with all those toys!
So, what is our system of divinity? Good question. This one can actually be a little tricky because every Witch views Divinity in a different way. We do all seem to agree on one thing, there is SOMETHING that seems to drive the Universe. In the Wiccan sector the general consensus is that there is a Goddess and a God. They are the 2 poles of the One. They are not actually separate but just pieces of a whole. Goddess worship is more concentrated on but is balanced by the worship of the God as well. We also don’t believe that we need anything but ourselves to access the Divine. All we need is love and intent in our hearts. The Goddess and the God are actually everywhere and in everything we touch, see, smell, taste, and experience. We don’t need any tools, although I really like them. Most of us pick a certain pantheon of Gods to work with. My personal favorite are the Greek Gods. Each of the different Gods aren’t actually individual at all. They are different aspects or personalities of the same great God or Goddess. Again, these are not actually separate entities, just a sliver of the whole. Along with the God and the Goddess we also pay homage to the Earth spirits. These are things like fairies, pixies, elves, trolls, dragons and slyphs. Each of them is a different element of the Earth. Unlike the Gods we don’t see, there are times we CAN see these things. I know I have personally had many experiences with fairies. They are all over my house and follow me everywhere. I’ve also had experiences with dragons. The Earth spirits can bring us luck and lend us their energy just like the Gods can. Sometimes they are even easier to access.
Now let’s move on to the ritual. I know this sounds like I’m going to go sacrifice something. Really I’m not. The ritual is like our form of church I guess you could say. Have you ever paid attention in church? Have you seen how they swing the censor with the smoke around the church? This is called smudging. We also smudge before a working. This is done to clear negative spirits or energies. I’m not sure why they do it in the Christian church other than it was a tradition carried over from the conversion from Paganism to Christianity. After the church is cleared with the censor often times candles will be lit at the front of the church. We too will light our candles after we have cleared our space. The next few parts of the ritual don’t really resemble church much at all. We do something called “ calling the quarters “. This is where we will invoke the 4 elements of the Earth to be present in our circle. We will also invoke the Goddess and the God. The last step in this process is casting a circle. The circle is an invisible barrier between us and the land of the other worlds, the unseen worlds. This is also our cone of power. At the end of the ritual the quarters will be released, the God and Goddess thanked and bid farewell and the circle of power released so the energy may go out and do its magickal work in the world. With all of this talk about magick, I supposed I should touch base on exactly what it is and is not.
Magick – Magick is the science and art of causing change (in consciousness) to occur in conformity with will, using means not currently understood by traditional Western science.
Magick - An action or effort undertaken because of a personal need to effect change, especially as associated with Wicca or Wiccan beliefs. Magick is the Science of understanding oneself and one’s conditions. It is the Art of applying that understanding in action.
There, does that help some? Magick does not happen like you see it in the movies. Magick is something that occurs naturally. It is in every living thing and being on this planet. When a flower blooms, that is magick. When the wind blows, that is magick. They are all examples of the natural energy I’m talking about. As Witches, we learn how to draw on this energy and harness it to conform with our will to effect change in the world. We use it for healing, to bring prosperity,to gain a good harvest, sometimes to find love, or to keep bad luck and spirits away. It’s sort of like a really concentrated form of prayer. Magick happens all the time in the world whether we ask it to or not. But, as Witches we have learned how to tune into this power and bend it to shape our futures. Most of us will not use this power for evil, but there are always a few bad seeds. These are people who don’t really understand what they are working with or are only using magick for power. Not a good idea.
So in conclusion…..
I hope this article has helped anyone who may have had a few questions about us Witches. We are not crazy people who fly on brooms. We are not evil entities coming to steal your babies, neither are our cats. I have been a Witch for many years. I actually think since the day I was born. I have never ridden a broom, cursed another person, stolen any babies, (I have plenty of my own, THANKS!) or sacrificed anything but my time and a little bit of food for the woodland creatures to practice my Craft. I love being a Witch. It’s one of the most freeing and enlightening things in the Universe. I never have to be afraid of the boogeyman either. I can just banish his ass away!! Please, if you have any great info to add here, feel free to do so in the comment box. I hope you have enjoyed this weeks journey into the life of a Witch. Till next time, I’m off on my broom!!
This article was inspired by my dear friend, Charlotte. I hope I did it justice for ya!
