Unfortunately there are still many people out there who do not understand what it means to be Pagan or a Witch. However, not only does that misunderstanding come from those who follow more widely accepted religious paths in our society but also unfortunately from some of those who call themselves Pagans or Witches. My purpose here is to try and dispel some of those myths and misconceptions.

Right off the bat I will say that Paganism and Witchcraft is not in any way (or at least it shouldn't be) associated with devil worship or satanism. Witches do not even believe in a "devil". Christian activists will often point to the Pagan Horned God and say that it proves Pagans and Witches worship the devil. What they will not say or perhaps some do not even know is that this is what the Christian priests used to create their version of the devil from in the first place. That myth was a complete fabrication by Christian leaders way back in the Dark Ages to demonize and therefore eliminate the belief in the old Pagan Gods and Goddesses.

Their depiction of the devil was based primarily on the Celtic God Cernunnous. He was associated with the hunt and fertility. Cernunnous was sometimes portrayed with serpent legs, torso of a man, a head of a bull or ram, or shown with stags wearing antlers. He has been represented on Celtic artifacts such as the Gundestrup Cauldron. It was also derived from Pan the Greek God of fertility. He was worshiped principally in Arcadia and was depicted as a merry, ugly man with the horns, ears, and legs of a goat. The Horned God's origin possibly dates back to Paleolithic times, as evidenced by a ritualistic cave drawing found in the Caverne des Trois Freres at Ariege, France. During certain rituals the high priest would wear a headdress of deer antlers and sometimes even the whole mask of a deer head and a furry robe. The wearing animal clothes in rituals to secure game was practiced in Europe for thousands of years. What's more, no where in the Bible will you find a description of Satan or Lucifer as having horns and a tail, the lower half of his body being that of a goat or deer. In fact in the beginning Lucifer was supposed to be, second only to God and leader of all the angels, a beautiful being of light who only after defying God by thinking himself to be more powerful was cast from heaven and cursed to be the scourge of man and woman kind. The devil has nothing to do with Paganism or Witchcraft and never did.

Second of all is the belief that Witches are evil minded and cast spells to curse people or make their hapless victims do things that are the design of the spell caster. Unfortunately there some people who do try to cast dark and controlling spells because they believe that this is what magic is for. Fed by the images perpetuated by movies and tv they fall for the glamorized version of Witchcraft and become seduced by the power they think it is supposed to bring them. In truth magic is meant to empower but with any power comes responsibility. The Wiccans have a saying that "whatsoever you do unto another shall come back upon thee three fold". That means if you use your power for ill or to control a person's will then the time will come that you will receive what you have put out and become a victim yourself one day. We also have a saying that has often been twisted by those who become misguided from the Wiccan path that we are to "do as we will". But that is only half of the Witches' reed or rule. Whole of the reed says "Do as Ye will, so long as Ye harm none." HARM NONE! That is the most important part of the rule and sadly it is the part that often is ignored.

All that can be said for this is that all faiths, regardless of origin or persuasion, contains it's "bad seeds", misguided followers and out right fanatics who are so arrogant as to place themselves above reproach by saying to themselves, "I am justified in what I'm doing" for whatever reason or purpose they conjure in their minds. From the witch who casts dark spells for the purpose of exacting revenge or control, to the Catholic Priest who molests children, to the Methodist Minister who murdered his wife while their infant son watched from his play pen to the self proclaimed "Christian solider" who blows up women's clinics and plans to execute any doctors who know how to perform abortions, to the fanatically religious terrorist leader who seeks to attack what he considers and enemy nation and an "evil culture". The only thing we can do as individuals no matter what faith we turn to is be aware of our own actions and the actions of those around us. Question what seems wrong and do not let ourselves become so caught up disquieting tides religious extremism.

Faith should be a guide by which we make sense of and interpret our world and our place in it. It is a very personal and intimate thing that should serve to bring peace and calm to our hearts and souls during times of trouble, not incite us to inflict harm upon those we deem different from ourselves and therefore "bad". I think one thing all faiths can and should agree upon is that final judgment is reserved for only for the Higher Power. We ourselves have no right to pass this final judgment and no right to carry out the damning sentence. To do so is arrogant and goes against the very core of every faith which is; for all our might we are not the mightiest that there is.

There are lots of theories and opinions about the burning times. Yes, people were persecuted and put to death for their beliefs, that fact is not in despute. The details of these horific events are the things that have come into question and scruteny. How many were really killed and who the victims really were and who were the ones who really ordered the executions seem to be unclear. If you wish to research this subject on your own I encourage it. For myself I have not found information yet that I feel is wholey acurate so I will refraign from making any comments on it at this time. One link remains from the few that I have looked at I have thus far.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_burn.htm

About Magic

So what about the concept of magic? Is it just something that exists in fairy tales? Or is it real? If it is what is it? Is it evil or good? While magic may not be what you think it is, it is a very real thing. Magic is a force that in and of itself is neither good nor evil. It is the purpose and the disposition of the user which determines its influence. Magic takes on the characteristics that you bring to it, this is an aspect of the law of “like attracts like”. This law refers back to the Witches' saying that "what ever you do to another will come back to you three fold" or from the verse in the bible "what so ever ye soweth so shall ye reap". Think of it this way, if you are around a person who is always angry and in a bad mood then you may find yourself feeling angry and unhappy also. Their bad vibes are being transferred on to you so you are more than likely to one day snap back at them or even other people sending out even more bad vibes. You see how this can easily become a vicious cycle? So it is with magic or any energy you send out.

Magic is nothing more than the same energy that all living things generate only rather than just being emanated it's focused for a specific purpose. The tool through which this energy is focused is called a spell. For example every time you toss a coin into a fountain a make a wish you are in fact casting a spell. It's the same for blowing out birthday candles or making a wish on a shooting star. Now making a wish to a Witch is no idle fancy, it's serious business. So we try not waste our energy on impossible wishes. Try as you might you are never going to be able fly without the use of some sort of aircraft and you will probably never win the affections of a movie or music star whom you've never met and don't have any personal connections to. And the odds of you hitting it big at the casino or winning the lottery don't look good either. However, you can use magic to help you gain an edge in finding a new job, getting a raise, helping you to pass an exam, finding a new love or improving relations with the love you have, even helping you recover from an illness. Now do not misunderstand this to mean that magic can solve all your problems or that it can take the place of the practical action needed to accomplish these things but it can help. You will never pass a test if you don't study, you will never find a new job or new love if you don't go out and look for one and you will not simply recover from an illness if you don't take care of yourself. Even then be realistic in your goals. You probably have no chance of winning the affections of someone who looks like a super model if you don't look like one yourself and you probably won't become the lead guitar player for a heavy metal band if you don't know how to play a guitar. Well ok you still might have chance with that last one actually. (ooh owch just kidding) ;) Seriously though practicle magic must be acompanied by practicle action.

Another thing to remember is that any practice of magic must be done ethically. While it may seem contradictory to some in fact Witches do have a code of ethics. We understand that the power of magic is very real though it sometimes works in ways that you do not expect. So we are very careful in how we practice and consider beforehand all the consequences of what will come about and how it might affect others if what we wish for comes to pass. Witches have long understood that with the use of any power comes responsibility. The following is a short list of rules from my own Book of Shadows that I use as a guide line in any magical workings. It was originally copied from a book by the late author Scott Cunningham:

Do not practice magic to annoy, irritate, harm, hurt, or to kill another person.

Do not practice magic that will bind, influence, manipulate or control another person.

Do not practice magic to try to win sexual favors from another person.

Do not practice magic try to win the love of a specific person.

Do not practice magic to satisfy your own ego.

Do not practice magic of any kind (even if beneficial) for another person without his or her consent.

Another use of magic is for the purpose of protection. Remember at the beginning or this section when I mentioned being around a grumpy, negative person can make you feel grumpy too? Well you can do something about protecting yourself from such negative influences. While you may not actively send out negative energy of your own to the offending person without the possible danger of attracting even more negative energy to yourself, you may block the negative person's energy from affecting you. How do you do this? Whenever you are faced with a nasty, negative person particularly someone who projects his or her negativity to everyone around just say in your head to them "whatever you do to me will come back to you times three." You'd be amazed at how much better you feel. Perhaps even try imagining yourself surrounded by a wall of mirrors reflecting back to the person who is being negative to you. Imagine whatever they say bouncing off the mirrors and reflecting back to them. Another ancient practice is the carrying of protective objects such as amulets or lucky charms as a form of protective magic. These objects are what is referred to as "talismans". I have several items I sometimes carry or wear for different means of good luck or protection. That can be affective also. The most important thing in making any magic real is the belief that it will work. Without that belief in yourself and your own power any spell or charm is totally useless and ineffective.

So what is Wicca anyway? Wicca is a form of Paganism that evolved from the writings and traditions of two men one named Gerald Gardner (1883-1964) and another named Alex Sanders (1926-1988). It was based on the ancient Druidic traditions of England and Ireland. Both are considered the fathers of Modern Witchcraft or Wicca. Up until as late as 1951 practicing witchcraft was against the law in England and anyone who practiced did so underground. Gerald Gardner feared the younger people were loosing interest in the old faith and sought to revive it through his writings and the formation of his own coven. In one of his books published in 1954 "Witchcraft Today" Gardner said science was replacing reliance on the old ways and also, "I think we must say good-bye to the witch. The cult is doomed, I am afraid, partly because of modern conditions, housing shortage, the smallness of families, and chiefly by education. The modern child is not interested. He knows witches are all bunk..." He died in 1964 before he saw how greatly his own writing inspired the revival of Witchcraft. To find out more please check out the links above.

A Note on Wicca and Witchcraft:
I should probably clarify at this point that being Wiccan and being a Witch is not the same thing. Wicca is a specific religious belief system that has it's own philosophies. Being a Witch or practicing Witchcraft is learned skill, a manner of effecting change by working with the forces of nature. Someone who practices Wicca may also practice Witchcraft but a Witch may not necessarily be a Wiccan.

What is a Witch? I think there is probably no word in the English language that is more misused. It's definition has evolved over many centuries and was derived from an Indo-European root word wic or weik meaning to bend, turn or shape, also the Old English word wicce and a Saxson word wych which means the same thing and the Germanic root word wit which means to know. The Anglo-Saxons then derived the word wicca or wicce to mean a male or female seer or person can find out things by using magic. There are no other known original meanings of the word and it is not used to describe magic in any other culture other than the Celtic tribes. So when people refer to voodoo or satanism as forms of Witchcraft they are using it incorrectly and in a derogatory and even discriminatory way.

So if a person who practices Witchcraft is a Witch then what is a warlock? I thought Witches were only female. Warlock is term that was created by the Christians in the early years of their attempts to erradicate the Pagan religions. The word literally means "oath breaker" and was used to refer to male magic workers to further instill negative associations that such folk could not be trusted. In more modern times was addopted by the entertainment industry (refer to the tv show "Bewitched") to mean the male equivalent of a witch. In truth both men and women who practice Witchcraft are considered Witches though some men like to use the term wizard.

What is a wizard and were do they fit in to world of magic? A wizard is nowadays referred to and someone who is an absolute expert on their particular field of knowledge. What it means in the terms of those ancient days of magic and sorcery is somewhat unclear. Was it a real term or just another fabrication? I'm going to go out on a limb and say I believe it had to do with anyone who was particularly learned about many things having to do with going beyond the ordinary scope of knowledge for most people. But at this time I do not have a clear definition.

Weird and weirdness, isn't that a bad thing? Actually the word "weird" originally meant beyond ordinary, something that was far from common place or what was unusual. So if you look at it that way weird is actually a compliment. What does this have to do with magic and Witches? A lot really, since a Witch seeks to go beyond what is the usual and make his or her life an extraordinary experience, become a more than usual being. Magic is all around us. All we have to do is see it in everything that is..well... "weird'. :)

So if Witches and Pagans aren't Satanists then what is Satanism? Satanism or Devil Worship seems to be more of an anti-spiritual movement than anything else. Rather than appealing or trying to cultivate our higher nature it seems to incite and encourage the cultivation of our baser characteristics. The whole principle behind Satanism is to take whatever you can grab and take it from anyone, anywhere, anytime and any way you can and hopefully without getting caught. Their perception is that only those who are strong enough, bold enough or sneaky enough have a right to get the best of what the world has to offer which in their minds is only wealth, sex and power and the only way you can ever attain those things is by lying, cheating and stealing. As far as they are concerned the world isn't fair so why play fair, playing fair and being kind and generous is for saps. There is no after life so take whatever you can get and take it now, use it all up now, don't leave any for anyone else. It sounds an awful lot like the mantra of corporate CEOs and politicians doesn't it?

So how do I know any of this? I actually met a Satanist once. Oddly enough it was on a semi-blind date that a friend set me up on. She was misled by his Pentacle tattoo and thought he was a Pagan. My guess was that he misled her to think he was Pagan also. Later she admitted to me that she didn't really know him that well and that he was attractive and just seemed so charming she thought we'd get on so she gave me his e-mail address and gave mine to him. He was indeed attractive and possessed a puckish charm, reasonable intelligence and dry wit that many women would find beguiling. But upon meeting him face to face and talking with him I did get a glimmer that there was far more behind those sparkly blue eyes than I would ever really want to know. He never fully admitted he was a Satanist but he expressed more knowledge in it than just the passing curiosity that he claimed. Towards the end of our date he ordered coffee after our bill had already been paid and he suggested we sit out on the patio. Once he'd finished his coffee he left the cup and headed for the rear gate without paying for it. I left a five dollar bill on the table then I followed him out. He rolled his eyes and sighed in disgust. We said our good-byes in the parking lot. It was clear, at least to me, there wouldn't be a second date. He did, however, keep in touch with me through email for a short time. He even sent me a URL to Satanic web site which I did visit, which was where I got my information. The site he sent me is no longer active but if you are curious I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding other sites on the subject.

Please DO NOT take this to mean I am endorsing Satanism in any way. I DO NOT endorse it nor do I have any respect for it, however, I always believe it is best to be knowledgeable about anything you express an opinion on or pass criticism upon.