Basics of Witchcraft
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As soon as the word “witchcraft” is spoke, most people would get strange pictures in their head about people gazing into a magic ball and maybe even individuals being burned at the stake. These images have been implanted into the minds of people throughout the years, but in all reality, witchcraft is a religion that is more prevalent than most would assume. Historically speaking, the word magic derives from the Magian religion practiced in the ancient Persian Empire. In this religion, priests were known as Magi, which specialized in fire and lightening. According to text, the idea of magic may have started as far back as 7,000 years ago with the priests of the Sumerian culture. It is thought that the Sumerians launched western civilization in the Fertile Crescent of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and continued through the succession of priestly cults. These cults were known among the Akkadians, Egyptians, Jews, the Greeks, and the Romans. These cults continued in the Middle Ages, when the traditional practices of magic interfered with the rituals of the church.
The idea of witchcraft actually swept over Europe between the mid-fifteenth and mid-eighteenth centuries. It was said that the witch owed her somewhat infamous status in this period of time to none other than her master, the devil. During the early middle ages witches and magicians did not attract much hostility from the public. People wuickly changed their minds about this issue by the end of the fifteenth century. By this time witches and magicians had become the main target of loathing and mass execution by church men and judges of the inquisition.
Although most of history shows that witchcraft started in Europe, it is also clear that this form of religion traveled to the Americas. As it remained a huge controversy in Europe, America felt the same way about the satanic doings. This brings me to the topic of the Salem Witch Trials that marked history and will forever be talked about. This trial took place in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1651. As the story goes, Mary and Hugh Parsons were a couple who had problems to say the least. They were constantly having issues with each other and their neighbors as well. In 1649, Mary accused one of her neighbors of being a witch. These accusations turned out to be very untrue, and Mary was fined as well as whipped for making such an accusation. This incident alone simply shows how seriously everyone was taking the idea of witchcraft. After she had falsely accused her neighbor, she then accused her own husband and claimed that he was at fault for the death of their two sons. Hugh was un-doubtfully found innocent, but shortly after Mary herself was accused as carrying out witchcraft and being the cause of death for a young girl. When Mary was confronted with these charges she confessed to being a witch. After this incident Mary was condemned to hang, but it is thought she died in prison. Her simple acts caused a whirl of confusion and hostility within the town of Springfield and ended up stealing many lives.
Although this incident happened many years ago, there is still a lot of discrimination against modern day witchcraft, or as many call it Paganism. Today many people who live daily by their paganistic ways, want to fully embrace their lifestyle and do not want to keep it a secret any longer. They want people to understand that this is their form of religion and it should not be looked down upon. To help people from the outside looking in understand how normal their life really is, these modern day witches have actually started campaigns and even wrote books explaining that you could not even tell walking down the street who practiced paganism or not.
To dig deeper into the religion, one also must understand that just because someone practices withcraft, this does not make them a witch. Many believe that being a “witch” consists of being involved in some sort of occult. For example palm reading, the use of tarot cards, ritual magicians/sorcerers, Satanists, and basically everything down to astral projectors and visualizations. The main reason for this definition is because the English word witch are variously employed in the most commonly used English translations of the Bible to designate different types of occultists and occultic practices. Also, the term witchcraft, also known as wicca , is appropriate for both genders. Most people think that a female is a “witch” and a male is known as a “warlock” this is not accurate at all.
The contemporary beliefs of witchcraft today are almost impossible to completely define, just like any other religion. This is because not every individual who practices this religion believes the exact same notions; religion is not a concrete matter. It is known that witchcraft (wicca, paganism) is very prevalent in todays culture though, do to all of the covens and spokespersons who do exist and represent this religion. Some examples of covens that exist are, Algard, Alexandrian, the American Order of the Brotherhood of Wicca, Church and School of Wicca, Church of Circle Wicca, Covenant of the Goddess, Cymry Wicca, Dianic (feminist), Gardnerian, Georgian, Seax-Wica, and the Witches International Craft Associates. Along with this, The major spokespersons for witchcraft today are even more diverse than the types. Besides Raymond Buckland, predominant voices in the witchcraft (and neopagan) world include Margot Adler, Jim Alan, Jessie Wicker Bell (Lady Sheba), Zsuzsanna (or simply “Z”) Budapest, Laurie Cabot, Scott Cunningham, Selena Fox, Gavin and Yvonne Frost, Judy Kneitel (Lady Theos), Leo Martello, Miriam Simos (Starhawk), and Doreen Valiente. All of these people and groups listed have dedicated their lives to teaching, networking, and defending witchcraft.
When it comes to the principals of their religion, there is one that may surprise many. This is that witches do not view their religion as a reaction to or a reversal to Christianity. They like to view it as its own tradition, as an alternate religion or faith. People who live this tradition see it as pre-Christianity, not something to refute Christianity. In accordance to this, witches see themselves as affirming folk who worship the Mother Goddess and her consort the Horned God. They also consider themselves very fun-loving and life celebrating, nothing like the images that come to mind when people think of the word witch.
One of the first beliefs of witchcraft is known as the “Creed of Experience”. Experience is exalted dogmatically above, and often set in opposition to, creeds or doctrines. In simple terms this means that experience