Ok, I’m not trying to stir up trouble here. This isn’t exactly a timely topic anyway except that my curiosity was piqued regarding this matter since the new Fall TV season is starting and I keep seeing social media posts from fellow Witches and other Pagans who are so excited that one particular show is about to start its new season. That show is Supernatural. So, seeing that many of my peers like this show, I have a few questions.

        Now, the purpose of this post is not one of debate or value judgments or angry arguments, just genuine curiosity. I’m not trying to pressure or shame anyone into following my point of view (which seems to be all too common in blog posts of this nature); I am merely trying to learn from and understand other people’s point of view. If you are a fan of the show, a Witch, Pagan or other non-Christian theist of some type, and have an inclination to reply, I would like a response to the following questions:



1)      Does the show’s portrayal of Witches in the standard “people who have made deals with demons to gain magical powers” characterization bother you?

        I know that there has been mention of “good witches” even going so far as to use the terms “Wicca” and “Wiccan” but the initial portrayal of witches has been along stereotypically evil lines. This of course is neither unusual nor surprising given the fact that incorrect depictions of witches and witchcraft are common in the entertainment industry. What is unusual are the lengths that the show has gone in the past to purposefully twist practices, names and historical contexts in order to fit their storyline needs. A specific example is from season 4, episode 7, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester” from October of 2008.

On this episode a “Witch” is using hex bags to magically kill three blood sacrifices over three days in order to summon “Samhain” (pronounced: Sam-Hayn on the show), a special “demon of Hell” that can only be summoned on Halloween. It is referenced that he is the origin of Halloween and that the ancient Celts “mistakenly worshipped him as a god”.



2)      Does the show’s portrayal of “pagan gods” upset you?

        A specific example is from season 5 episode 19, “Hammer of the Gods” in April of 2010. On this episode, the gods Isis (portrayed as a Caucasian woman for some reason), Mercury, Ganesh, Baldur, Odin, Baron Samedi, Zao Shen, and Kali are shown as human-like beings with supernatural powers. They are portrayed as human-eating and subject to being killed. Lucifer in fact kills all of them except for Kali, though she is rendered powerless against his presence, thus giving the obvious impression that the pagan gods are “lesser” than even the Christian devil.



3)      If these things bother you to any degree, what are the qualities about the show that compel you to watch anyway?

        I have noticed that this particular show is very beloved by its fans, many of which are Pagan of some type and it has been on for quite a number of years. I’m not saying it’s bad or should be cancelled or anything; I’m not even necessarily criticizing its content, I’m just curious that since it does have this type of slant, what makes it so appealing to our particular demographic. Especially given the fact that so many other shows which have featured Witch themes have been vilified over their inaccurate content; I’ve read quite a bit of angry opinions regarding the third season of American Horror Story, for example but there is almost no backlash for Supernatural.

        If you wish to comment below or send an email response, I would appreciate it.

Blessed B 

A fast and easy treatment to dissolve any negativity you suspect may be being sent your way is to burn a mixture of equal parts powdered cloves and garlic skins as an incense. Be careful though as the smoke can be irritating; don't do this in a small enclosed room, make sure you open at least the doors inside if not the windows too. You can also combine cloves and the garlic in a charm bag and carry it on you as a means of personal cleansing and protection. Use either a black or red charm bag and charge it with the power of fire for protection and cleansing.
Blessed Be.

            I have seen a lot of mixed reviews of the new WGN television show, Salem in regards to its portrayal of supposed Witches in the Puritanical environment of early New England, some negative, some positive, but the only thing I have to say about it is this: If the show were addressing any other group would it be considered okay for that group to be portrayed as evil and demonic with the caveat that it's just a "Hollywood" fictionalized portrayal?

            If a television show portrayed a group of people that have sold their souls and transformed into vicious monsters and described them as fictionalized "Hollywood Baptists" or "Hollywood Catholics" or "Hollywood Muslims" or "Hollywood Buddhists" would it still be considered okay? Would those groups be expected to "be mature adults" and not complain about such a degradation and distortion of their practices? Would they be expected to be satisfied with a "complex morality tale" that throws a crumb here or there toward their reality? No. The answer is no. In 2014, no reasonable person or religious group would ever allow themselves to be so viciously slandered, so why should Witches?

            We need to demand that we are either portrayed accurately or not at all. They can use other names and titles and practices for magic-based fiction. It doesn't have to be Witches.  The time when we had to suffer in silence and shoulder the burden of misinformation and slander has long since passed. We have an open and active culture and to stand idly by and say things like, "well, it'll open up a debate" or "at least it means Witches are popular subject matter" is nothing more than weak cop out; a victim mentality. The bottom line for me very Witch should watch this show once, to have an informed opinion, then no one should ever watch the show again. Blessed Be.

            Some thoughts on how we as humans take care of ourselves and the others that share the planet on this Earth Day.

            It is important to have a developed awareness and the ability to discern the true nature of a situation. As Witches, we learn that in many cases the truth lies in the resolution of a paradox, meaning that when you are confronted with situations or arguments that end up self-contradictory or with no positive solution, it is time to get creative. It is very important when confronting a problem, to actually identify the real problem or you run the risk of merely treating the symptom while the underlying problem remains. A simple example of masking the symptom versus solving the problem is in how most people deal with allergies. The actual problem is how our bodies react to allergens; pollen, dust mites, pet dander, et cetera. The mask is in taking allergy medication to suppress our body’s inherent reaction to these allergens, which is much easier than solving the problem by removing the allergens from our immediate environment. It would make much more sense to make sure to live in a dust free, pet free, flower and grass free environment but most of our lives are not equipped to live in such a sterile setting, so in this case the mask is the best option. In other cases however, masking the symptoms can leave us vulnerable to the problem resurfacing again and again.

            Here are two very relevant examples of the danger of treating the symptom while ignoring the deeper issue; weight loss and animal rights. With weight loss, we have all been trained to view weight loss, fitness, disease and health as some great mystery that we can never possibly understand when in fact, once viewed through the critical eyes of a Witch, everything becomes crystal clear. Here’s how the body (basically) works.

            There are three sources of food energy (calories); carbohydrates; proteins; and fats. Our bodies utilize the calories and other nutrients from each of these sources in a different way. The human body runs primarily on carbohydrate energy. When our bodies are at rest, up to 75% of the calories we are using come from the carbohydrates we eat (The difference between simple and complex carbohydrates are in the amount of time it takes the body to break them down, simple carbs are already nearly broken down and so are absorbed by the body much faster. Complex carbs take longer to digest and so provide the body with a steady stream of energy instead of one fast burst then nothing, like simple carbs do) while the remaining calories burned come from fat. When we are active, meaning that we are doing some form of aerobic activity (moving consistently for 30 minutes or more within our fitness level, while remaining in oxygen i.e. not out of breath), our body shifts and up to 75% of the calories we burn come from fat.

            Under ordinary circumstances, the body does not use protein as regular fuel. Protein is only used to build muscle and to provide pathways for carbohydrate molecules or fat molecules to digest so less protein is needed than most people realize. The majority of the US population takes in around 4 times the amount of protein than they need per day. Since our bodies do not store protein, the body is forced to constantly try to remove the excess. This process results in extra strain on the kidneys, a leeching of calcium from the bones due to excess nitrogen in the body, and can result in kidney damage and osteoporosis in the long term. It can also contribute to/worsen gout. The World Health Organization recommends that healthy protein intake be around 5% of our daily calories. 5 not 15 or 25….. 5. Incidentally, when a person eats a grain and a legume (together or separately within a 24 hour period) you end up with “complete” protein and since there are amino acids in virtually every food, it is impossible for vegans or vegetarians to eat too little protein.

            If you listen to the diet industry, you are told that all calories are the same and the only way to lose weight is to cut calories and exercise more. If you listen to the high protein/low carb people, you are told that all calories are not the same and that you can eat as much protein as you want, pay little attention to fat content and only cut carbohydrates down to almost nothing. This is supposed to “trick” the body into a state known as ketosis which is when the body will use the protein and fat you eat as energy sources (since it does not have the carbohydrates it actually needs), so you don’t die. The funny thing is, when you cut calories the “traditional” way, you also throw your body into ketosis as a result of going into starvation mode. The thing neither side tells you about ketosis or starvation mode is that there are four things which occur every time you restrict calories.

1.      Your metabolism slows down to compensate for the lack of fuel, which usually results in feelings of fatigue and exhaustion during the diet.

2.      Your body begins to crave high calorie foods as a means of regaining its lost fuel, which usually results in “cheating” on the diet with junk foods.

3.      Your body begins to store the fuel that lasts the longest i.e. FAT, which results in those “plateaus” when no matter how hard you try/starve the fat just won’t come off.

4.      Internal cannibalism. A.k.a. ketosis, a.k.a the only time your body actively uses protein as a source of energy is also when it is digesting its own muscle tissue which usually results in weakness and lethargy.

            Since no one bothers to tell us these things, most of us remain convinced that a lack of effective weight loss (or weight gain for that matter) is somehow a character flaw instead of what it really is, a lack of proper information. It’s sad/disappointing/enraging to think of all of the low self-esteem and eating disorders that result for a simple lack of information. Dieting masks the symptom (while creating several more issues) but never solves the problem. What is the problem and how do we solve it?

            Without addressing GMOs, antibiotics, hormones or other food additives which do contribute to a decline in overall health and wellbeing, the problem with weight gain is actually, simply, and obviously, FAT. We have been so misled for so long that many are actually convinced that it is somehow easier for the body to digest store and magically transform sugars into fat rather than for the body to just absorb and store the fat we eat. Here’s the truth about fat. A tablespoon of pure lean protein has about 45 calories. A tablespoon of pure carbohydrate has about 45 calories. A tablespoon of pure fat has about 126 calories; more than double the other two sources of energy. If you eat fatty foods, the volume of food that you can eat is much smaller than the volume of genuinely low fat foods while having the same number of calories. The pat of butter on a baked potato has more calories than the potato. That’s not the fault of the potato; throw out the butter!

            High protein pushers have pointed to carbohydrates as the root of all weight gain evil. When they say carbs, they always seem to point to French fries, potato chips, cookies, cake and doughnuts and say they are responsible for people gaining weight. This is true but not because of the carbs, each of these items are loaded with fat. One thing they say is true, when you eat high carbohydrate foods that are also high fat, the carbohydrate content does make you store the fat much more easily. This is due to the fact that fats and carbs both need to attach to an amino acid molecule for digestion and when there are a lot of fats and carbs competing for the amino acids, the carbs are faster and so they get digested and the fat is left to be stored. Their conclusion that you should eat the fat and toss the carbs is false, ludicrous and dangerous however; just toss the fat.

            If, when we are at rest, we burn no more than 25% fat calories, then why would we want to eat more than that? If you weigh what you want and never want to worry about gaining weight ever again, simply make sure that you eat no more than 25% fat in your daily calorie intake. Don’t count calories or grams, consider percentages. Look at a bottle of ranch dressing. Calories: 148 Calories from fat: 140. Simple math (divide fat cal by total cal) 140 divided by 148 tells us that the salad dressing is 94% fat. Gross. So we go to the low fat? Nope. Looking at that label, we see calories: 29 calories from fat: 12. 12 divided by 29 tells us that this alleged low fat is actually 41% fat. Basically what I’ve learned is that “fat free” is actually low fat; “low fat” is actually high fat; and regular is outrageously high fat! Of course, all of this can be avoided by eating only natural foods, but to each their own.

            If you wish to lose weight, instead of eating 25% of calories from fat reduce that down to between ten and fifteen percent but do not reduce caloric intake. Generally speaking, it is wise to take whatever your current weight is and add a zero to it, with that number being the minimum amount of calories you should eat daily! In addition to fat restriction, add in 30 minutes of aerobic activity 4 to 6 times per week and you’re all set. Period. Done. Problem solved. No eating disorder, no self-hatred, no yo-yo dieting, no kidney damage, no morbid obesity, just the resolution of a paradox; eating more to weigh less.
            One final point about fat; vegetable fat will make you gain just as much weight as animal fat. If you are old enough to recall, there never used to be any fat vegans. Vegans were always thin, so much so that meat eaters tend to make fun of vegans as scrawny people. This is changing though, and there are an increasing number over overweight vegans. This seems to be due to the overabundance of vegan substitute products on the market: vegan “cheese”, “meat”, and “ice cream” products, most of which are incredibly high in fat. Fat makes you fat.

            The second example of ignoring the problem while treating the symptom is in the area of animal rights. Most Witches, me included, adore animals; we tend to see them as friends, companions and equals, but most of the population doesn’t fully share in this view. There have been horrible abuses of animals in everything from ranching to cosmetics and people rally and protest and try to create greater safety conditions for the animals, but only marginal progress has been made. The problem as I see it is that there aren’t enough supporters of animal rights to make a definitive impact, so we need to look deeper.

            The real issue must be why they use animals, not merely that they do use them. In the cosmetics industry for example, they use animals to test the safety of the makeup and I don’t understand why I haven’t heard many people express concern that they are using toxic chemicals in the makeup. They put them on the animals to test for reactions to the poisons they include in the makeup. Why is it acceptable at all for there to be any amount of poisons in makeup? Various forms of cosmetics have existed for hundreds of years and humanity has managed to beautify itself without lead and toxic chemicals for the most part. We need to come at this from a human standpoint. We need to stop settling for (which is a tacit allowance of) low quality, toxic, foods, medicines, makeup, etc. It’s not okay that chickens are crammed into pens, de-beaked and have to have more than three open sores on their body to be pulled from the production line. It’s not okay that poisons are put into makeup in any levels. It’s not okay that cows are pumped so full of antibiotics and hormones that they can barely move and it’s not okay that we are consuming them to the severe detriment of our health. We need to seek Quality and Equality and these issues will be resolved. If we don’t buy toxic makeup and toxic meat and toxic processed garbage “foods” they will stop making them and the torture and disease of both humans and animals will stop, thus reconciling the paradox of how do we get humans to treat animals with care and respect? Make it all about the humans! Most people only do something if it directly affects their lives and being poisoned and made ill from toxic garbage affects the quality of all our lives. Happy Earth Day and Blessed Be.  

    This year, I am certain that I am in the minority on this, but I will miss winter. Granted, where I live winter has been unusually hot and dry with an unprecedented drought expected for summer, so I fully respect that most people are ready to see winter go. As a Witch, I celebrate the changing of the seasons but, I usually save my Vernal Equinox celebration for March 25th each year.

    March 25th is “Cailleach Day” which is essentially a celebration of the Spring Equinox on a fixed date. This day acknowledges the yearly defeat of/escape from The Cailleach by Brigid/Bride in the Celtic lands. This conflict is reflected in the changing of the seasons away from Winter into the warmth of Spring. As a priest of the Cailleach, this is a bittersweet occasion since the yearly reign of the Cailleach is nearing its end at this time. This year, for most of the nation winter has been very heavy and difficult and most people are more than ready for it to be over, but I am always a bit sad to see the approach of Bealtaine, as that is the official transition day from the Dark half of the year to the Light half and on May Eve Cailleach transforms once again to gray stone only to be reborn at Samhain; which is a long time to wait for your Matron Goddess!

      Celebrations for this day include offerings of blackened bread, prayers for protection from the harsh heat of summer (where I currently live, the temperature always climbs into the 100 degree F range) and the burning of black candles to honor the Veiled One; Winter’s Crone. Though I welcome Spring with its growth and greenery, gardening and blossoming flowers, I am always a bit sad to see winter wane and to know that a long, exceedingly hot summer must once again be endured before we reach Samhain and The Cailleach awakens from her slumber.

    Well now that American Horror Story: Coven has concluded, I feel it is appropriate to give the season a review as it pertains to actual Witchcraft (no important spoilers included for those that haven’t seen it yet). First of all, as a season I thought it was pretty good though I didn’t care for the ending of several characters but since it is television, I’m not too broken up about that.

    As far as how the show portrayed Witches and Witchcraft, I felt that while it did a marginal job of portraying Witches as not inherently evil (having Stevie Nicks appear as a “White Witch” was helpful to that end), the show focused a great deal on the concept of “Hell” and the notion of duality as expressed in the dominant culture (good vs. evil) which is not the way Witches view the universe at all.

    Sadly, though I enjoyed the “Voodoo” storyline, it seemed to cater to negative stereotypes of what Voodoo is and may have helped reinforce a negative view of the religion in the public mind, once again.

    Also, the creators of the show said that this season was supposed to be very woman-centered and “girl power” and yet we the audience were still subjected to seeing: two (very powerful) women fighting over a man as the majority of their storyline, a man pieced together from mostly rapist parts no less; the only aspect of divinity shown being male and portrayed as malevolent; both of the most powerful women on the show (Fiona Goode and Marie Laveau) being subjugated by their male counterparts; and one of the main characters being strangled in a very “weak 1950’s-style fragile woman in an old movie” kind of way when she should have put up some form of defense (her being a powerful Witch and all).

    The bottom line is that it’s television (and no, there is not such a thing as a “Supreme” in real life) and we can’t expect much accuracy but, just as pure fiction and not reflecting at all on real Witchcraft, it was compelling and I enjoyed most of the season, though without giving away any spoilers, the ending didn’t go the way I would have liked. Just my opinion. Blessed be.      

              As Witches, it is very important to be reasonably knowledgeable about our history and our Craft. When talking to other people about Witchcraft, I have noticed an alarming and pervasive trend which seems to be sweeping its way through Witchdom; people that think the Craft is entirely “neo”. I have learned that the people who feel that Witchcraft is somehow a new phenomenon zealously cling to this belief and that it is very difficult to get them to see beyond this viewpoint. I choose to tune those people out due to their lack of deeper knowledge on Witchcraft. I don’t mean to sound like a snob, it’s not entirely their fault, a great many people have been spoon-fed distortions and half-truths by the likes of “historians” and other experts that made it seemingly their life’s purpose to “disprove the Murray thesis”.   

            An example of the ignorance that is permeating the modern Craft movement and a prime example of when to tune out is a phrase that I have heard more than once (even on a college campus), “Well, Gerald Gardner invented Wicca in the Fifties[and/or Sixties] anyway.” This sentence is usually uttered to justify whatever pro or con viewpoint they hold but it tells me two things, 1- they don’t know anything about Witchcraft and 2- they don’t know very much about Gerald Gardner. Witchcraft as a form of Goddess-centered Pagan worship and magical practice has been written about as far back as 30 B.C. (by the Roman poet Horace) and has been chronicled throughout history as a Goddess-centered form of Pagan worship and magical practice despite the Inquisition and Witch Trials, despite the expansion of Christianity, and despite what alleged historians pushing an agenda may say. The fact is; all we have to do is look to actual history to find our evidence.

        The Council of Ancyra, a group of high ranking church officials, in the year 314 C.E. came together in what is now Turkey and among a great many proclamations related to church doctrine, officially defined Witches as heretics who are deceived by Satan into believing they are Pagans (gee, that’s not stupid at all).

        A further example of this is in a portion of the Canon Episcopi text, an 11th century church doctrine that became the standard against Witches during the middle ages (pre Malleus Maleficarum) - ([Witches are heretics who] “believe and profess that, in the hours of the night, they ride upon certain beasts with Diana, Goddess of the Pagans, and an innumerable multitude of women, and in silence of the night traverse great spaces of the earth and obey her commands as of their Lady, and are summoned to her service on certain nights.”). It goes on to say things like the church should teach that they are being deceived by the devil, blah, blah, blah, but the important part for our conversation is that they were acknowledging at that current point in time, the existence of Pagan Witchcraft, they twisted it of course but, the acknowledgement still stands. (Witchcraft in Europe 400-1700 edited by Alan Charles Kors)

        The Council of Trier, in Germany in 1310 C.E. declares that Witches are practitioners of magic and worshippers of Diana and are thus guilty of heresy.

        Bartolo Spina, in 1576 writes in his Quaestico de Srigibus, “Investigation of Witches” listing information gathered from ‘confessions’ that Witches gather to worship Diana and have dealing with spirits.

        GirlamoTartarotti, in the year 1749 in his book, Del Congresso Nottorno Delle Lammie, trans. “On the Nocturnal Meetings of Witches” writes that “that the identity of the Dianic cult with modern Witchcraft is demonstrated and proven.” In the year 1749!

        Charles Godfrey Leland, 1899 (in his book, Aradia: Gospel of the Witches presents Witch-lore and practices told to him by a Witch allegedly named “Maddalena” in which Italian Witches or Strega are shown to worship the Goddess Diana and perform magic.) 

        Margaret Murray, in 1921 presented her book, The Witch Cult in Western Europe in which she purported to show that the people persecuted in the Witch Trails were in fact members of a pan-European Pagan religion.

        Gerald Gardner, in 1954, in his book Witchcraft Today, reveals that Witchcraft practices are still being practiced by then-current people. Gerald Gardner was initiated into an existing coven in the New Forest in England in the 1930’s. He had the desire to show the world that Witches still existed and were not evil, so he said that he got permission from the coven to share some of their lore. He almost never even used the word Wicca and when he did he spelled it with only one “c” as wica. He added much to the lore and later Doreen Valiente modified and added her own beautiful poetry to the work. Gerald Gardner passed away in 1964.  

        Doreen Valiente is considered the “Mother of Modern Witchcraft”. She wrote or modified much of the ritual and lore that has been used in much of Witchcraft since the 1960’s. In 1962, her book, Where Witchcraft Lives showed authentic modern Witchcraft to the world. She sought to prove and subsequently did prove the existence of “Old Dorothy” Clutterbuck the woman who initiated Gerald Gardner into the Craft and who many said was a lie concocted by Gerald to give “his” Witchcraft legitimacy. 

        In many modern books on the subject of Witchcraft it has become a popular practice to say things like Gerald Gardner just cobbled together things from Margaret Murray and Alastair Crowley, that Margaret Murray was wrong because her claims were too sweeping and she just over inflated what Charles Godfrey Leland claimed, that Charles Leland was wrong because he was either lying or being lied to and that he was no expert, etc, etc. but how far are we to go back and still claim that they were lying or misled? All the way back to 30 B.C.? Look at the simple timeline I was able to create with mild investigation: 30 B.C.; 11th Century; 1310; 1576; 1749; 1899; 1921; 1954; 1962, so somebody please tell me when the supposed gap exists where Pagan Witchcraft was fully extinguished in Europe?

        The answer is that it wasn’t ever extinguished. The answer also is that most of the Witchcraft practiced today is most certainly NOT a fully realized ancient oral tradition passed down through endless generations either. Most Craft practiced by most Witches today is new(er) but based on older practices. It has evolved over time; not remained frozen in a static state. Kind of the same way that Lutherans are Christians (which is considered a 2000 year old religion) but, their denomination didn’t really start until 1521(ish). Why are Witches the only ones ever subject to age-based authenticity? And perhaps the real question is, why are some people SO driven to disprove ancient Pagan Witchcraft?

        The truth is that there are great many people that could be considered fully neo-Pagan these days. They blend different forms and practices from all over the world or create new rituals, holidays and sometimes even create new Gods to worship. I have read more than one article describing methods of creating and interacting with television or comic book heroes as spiritual archetypes. There are also some groups of modern Wiccans that decry the use of the name Witch (and that phenomenon thoroughly disturbs me) and seem to prefer to believe that Witchcraft started “in the fifties”. I have read blogs from other modern Pagans that vehemently spread the idea (sometimes almost as a commandment) that in order to be “intelligent” and “honest” one has to believe that Gerald Gardner somehow made up Witchcraft. They then go on to qualify and rationalize their statement by saying things like “that doesn’t invalidate it as a religion though” and “it is still the spiritual descendent of ancient Paganism” et cetera. Another point that many have made as alleged “evidence” that Gerald made it up are the Eight Sabbats; stating that Celtic Britain only celebrated the four fire festivals and that Anglo-Saxon Europe only celebrated the solstices and equinoxes, thus it “should be” only four Sabbats, not eight!

        The fact is that in Celtic Britain the solstices and equinoxes were known and acknowledged facts for centuries (think Stonehenge and Newgrange). Conversely, “scholars” that question Gerald’s celebration of Eight Holy Days should note (but never seem to state) that originally, he only celebrated four; the Celtic Fire Festivals of Samhain, Imbolc (Candlemas), Beltane, and Lughnasadh (Lammas). In his personal practice and later in his coven (when they asked him to), he chose to add the solstices and equinoxes into their ritual calendar. So, for anyone to make a statement like he didn’t know what he was doing is ridiculous. The Witchcraft he was given had four Sabbats; the same ancient four that “scholars” say should be the only ones he should have celebrated. He chose to add more, but in so choosing does not mean he made up Witchcraft anymore that modifying a cake recipe would mean someone invented baking. Incidentally, known as Walpurgisnacht, the May Sabbat has been celebrated for centuries by Anglo-Saxon Witches, so they didn’t only celebrate the solstices and equinoxes as some have said.

        Interestingly enough, no one ever seems to point out to these scholars that since the four Celtic solar days were celebrated by Pagans for Pagans with magic and ritual and blessings and worship and that many of these days continued to be celebrated (in some areas, all the way up to modern times), and that they were declared to be the “Witches’ Sabbaths” by the Church during the persecution, stating that Gerald Gardner somehow just decided to “use” these days to create a previously unknown religion is ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that everyone who was burned during the Burning Times was a Witch; most were not (though in the very beginning, many victims were Witches), or that people all across Europe practiced the exact same form of Witchcraft (there were many different types depending on region), but I am saying that Witchcraft itself as an established religion and a magical practice predate Christianity (for my personal definitions of Witch and Witchcraft, please see the Basic Witchcraft Info section).  

        The fact is, most Witches in the world today would probably not be Witches if not for the contributions of Gerald Gardner, but there are others. Laurie Cabot is one. The late Sybil Leek is another, just to name two. Their Witchcraft is not a result of Gerald Gardner’s work. I am not diminishing Gerald’s work, I am just pointing out that he is not the sole point of contact for Witchcraft the way his detractors often claim. I have a great deal of respect for the passion and drive that Gerald Gardner had in order to bring Witchcraft out in the open and keep it alive. I know there are things that he added to it, but he most certainly (and most obviously) did not make it up.     

        After all, every Witch adds to the Craft in her or his own way. I make brews on the kitchen stove not over an outdoor bonfire because, let’s face it, it’s not the 16th century. Boiling water in a cauldron or pot on an electric or gas stove does not mean I am making up new Witchcraft, it only means I am using modern means for an ancient practice. Witchcraft will never be exactly what it was in 30 B.C. but any religion goes through changes over the centuries. Christianity is not what it was in the Middle Ages thank goodness, but it still exists. It seems absurd to think that there are an increasing number of people that honestly find it easier to believe that the church managed to stamp out all forms of European Witchcraft and then somehow “in the fifties” one British man made up an entirely new version to somehow fool the masses than it is to realize that Witchcraft, much like the African religion that is the root of Voudon and Santeria, could never have been fully eradicated but survived and has now flourished. For me, the bottom line is; when people say that Gerald Gardner made up Witchcraft or that there is no evidence for Pre-20th Century, Goddess-centered Pagan Witchcraft (since I have researched both sides and uncovered my own evidence); I just have to tune out!

        Okay, I am going out on a limb here and am going to risk getting myself in a lot of trouble with what has become the vocal majority. Witches have been around for a very long time. This is an actual fact. The style and focus of the craft of the Witch has shifted, sometimes dramatically, over the centuries depending on the culture in power at the time. Originally of course, Witches were concerned with successful hunting excursions, using sympathetic magic to aid the process. Later, as the building of society progressed, Witches aligned to the agricultural cycles (as did everyone else) and became concerned with magic to ensure the success of crops and healthy livestock. Throughout all of this the focus was always on survival; weather divination, success of the hunt and/or a bountiful harvest, fertility and healing of both humans and animals and magical protection from enemies and unseen forces. Next, once society had settled in a bit, the Witch could shift focus (somewhat) to magical ways to improve life (as opposed to only focusing on survival) and spells for things like love, good luck and money came into being. Then sadly, the dark times began and Witches were persecuted more than ever before. But, they still existed.  

        Most of us have heard or read all of this a million times. The sticking point for most people is in not wanting to acknowledge the less pleasant methods that Witches have historically employed to work their magics. While on the one hand I can completely understand wanting to avoid the parts of our magical heritage that are less glamorous than others, there is a danger in completely overlooking reality. In the past several decades, there have been many courageous Witches who have publicly acknowledged their Witchcraft and stood up for the rights of all Witches. The late Dr. Leo Martello was one. Rev. Laurie Cabot, the Official Witch of Salem, Massachusetts, is another. They proudly proclaimed what we are and showed the world that Witches are not evil or crazy, but that we are different. They have never tried to hide that fact. Witches are different from other people. Not better or worse; different. We have an entirely different focus from most people. We know that we can create change and communicate with Gods, spirits and the fae. We know that no intermediary is needed for our calls and spells to be answered; the link exists between ourselves and our Gods and Ancestors. Most people have little to no magical knowledge, training or even interest. We, on the other hand are magical.

        A large part of modern spell work uses ordinary candles, nontoxic herbs, and ornate tools. Rather, some of the spell work of the past was a bit grittier, using such things as bones, blood and animal parts along with the candles and herbs. While in my personal practice, I do not use such things (well, occasionally some of my own blood), I do acknowledge that this is part of our magical heritage. To acknowledge that something is true or has occurred is not necessarily condoning it; just acknowledging it. To deny that something is true or has happened is just that; denial. I don’t see denial as serving any positive purpose. If someone has to lie or deny something in order to feel comfortable with it, that something may not be right for them. Now again, I am not trying to say that we as Witches have to love the idea of using bones and blood in our rites in order to be genuine Witches, but I am saying that to live in denial of the fact that some Witches have/do raise spirits or use bones in their practice does nothing to further our cause or our individual spiritual evolutions.

        I have noticed that when confronted with the stereotypes made of Witches (eating babies, satan worship, orgies, nudity, animal sacrifice, curses, et cetera.) many modern Witches get very defensive and turn around and make us sound exactly the opposite; like some kind of Glinda/Mary Poppins hybrid with a penchant for meditation. The latest trend seems to be to try to completely eliminate the title *Witch* all together and I find this both shocking and distasteful. No, of course Witches are NOT Satanists and we do not kill or eat babies, but in all honesty, we HAVE practiced (some still do) ritual nudity and sexual magic and our history DOES include animal sacrifice (does Samhain, the Sabbat of death/the meat harvest; ring a bell?). The truth does not mean that we are evil or demented or “illegitimate” or non-spiritual; it is just the truth of the history of our people.

        The original impetus for this post was years ago when Christian Day’s book, The Witches’ Book of the Dead came out and so many people vilified him in reviews saying that he wasn’t writing about “true Witchcraft” that “Witches don’t use such things as skulls or try to invoke the dead” and I was just stunned at what I was reading. Even as a preteen, I knew that one of the skills of the true Witch is the ability to communicate with the Otherworld and that some of our methods use blood or bones. No we don’t kill anything, but to deny that spirit communication is a part of the Craft is ludicrous. The personal attacks were even worse against him saying that he wasn’t a real Witch (I’m not even going to enter the whole, “Warlock” debate) and didn’t know what he was talking about when he seems to be more qualified than most.

        After reading these reviews, I bought the book and found it to be excellent. After reading it, I began reading some of the modern “standards” and I noticed that more than one respected author has actually encouraged dropping the title *Witch* in public discourse at least and it seems as though this trend is increasing. When Laurie Cabot made a video for You Tube regarding the word Witch, and stated that “the word Wicca is a colloquialism but the government recognizes it so, now we’re all Wiccans, but in reality what we are is Witches” there was actually a backlash against her from several Wiccans saying she didn’t know what she was talking about and that they are Wiccans NOT Witches. To examine this, first let us all realize that Laurie Cabot has been a Witch since she was 16 years old and she is now 80, so I think she knows what she’s talking about better than most of us ever will. Secondly, Wica, Wicca, Wicce, Witchcraft; are all different words but they need not be divisive. Witches are not about division, we are about union; connection with all life. Modern people that are coming into the fold seem to be bringing their religious baggage from other paths and imposing it on Witchcraft. Let me make this abundantly clear; Witches do NOT share in the Puritanical “morality” that Christians have perpetuated for the last (nearly) 2,000 years. We are free of such constraints.

        While there are some Witches that incorporate elements of Judeo-Christianity such as invoking angels (and I make no judgments about this), at its heart, Witchcraft is entirely non-Christian; we have a complete system of philosophy and practice that is devoid of the repression and self-denial that is so common in the dominant religions. We needn’t be bound by others’ more restrictive views. The time has come where we as Witches need to break free of the notion that we must “justify” or “qualify” our religion to anyone else, whether they be Conservative Christians calling us satanic or other Pagans questioning the “correctness” of what we do. It is time to stand in our own power and our power lies in our heritage (all of our heritage), our common bond and the truth of our ways.

        Personally, I don’t have a problem with people doing things differently or being eclectic (as long as it’s well thought out and carefully done), but I do have a big problem with people who profess an authoritative view on Witchcraft when they are excluding or denying huge chunks of the truth. I don’t think all Witches need to be “dark” or goth or whatever but I very much think that all Witches need to be Witches, if get my meaning! If someone is uncomfortable with the “label” or uncomfortable with the practice, then why align yourself with us?

        I’m not trying to be divisive (I swear I’m not!) but it is imperative that we as Witches need to bring forth genuine and authentic Witchcraft for it to survive. Watering down Witchcraft runs the risk of leaving seekers without the ability to make that spiritual connection that is so intrinsic to the process and could thus result in feelings of spiritual emptiness. It used to be that if you became a Witch, you were always a Witch (it still is), but lately there has been a growing phenomenon stemming from the eclectic neo-pagan community of “former Witches”. I feel that this is an incorrect term resulting from confusion of what Witchcraft is and from improper training. I feel that a more appropriate term for them would be “almost Witches” since being a Witch is not really something you “become” as much as it is something you discover you already are. This is not an elitist statement, Witchcraft isn’t for everyone and that’s not a bad thing. We are all different and thank goodness for that.

Please remember that being a Witch is a continual process of evolution and not something that someone becomes after they reach a certain level like in a video game. All Witches don’t know or practice all things Witchy but all Witches do continue to learn and grow in their Craft, which is what we share. I’m not against modern practice or eclectic practice or “fluff bunny” ways if they work for the individual, more power to them. The key to any practice is if it works and no one way works for everybody. My problem is if we allow our heritage to be slandered and abandoned by our own people, what are we left with? The answer is that we may be left with style and no substance, form and no practice, the body without a spirit and that to me, is unacceptable. We must be authentic as Witches if we are to be Witches at all.