"UNDERSTANDING WITCHCRAFT"

After thousands of years of targeted misinformation and persecution, countless fiction in books, movies and on television, it is understandable that confusion exists about Witches, the Craft and the ancient Hermetic Path.  Here are a few things you should know:

Black and White Magick:
There is no such thing as Black or White Magick.  Doing Magick allows an individual or group of individuals working in tandem, to align with the correct forces of the universe, the creator or the All.  Keeping this alignment is hard in today’s society and Witchcraft gives us many tools to assist in that task for ourselves and to help others.  Unlike a hammer that can create and destroy, Magick can only help align, it can do nothing else. Some may try to project their intent on others to cause harm, those acts are not Magick any more than mugging someone with a baseball bat is playing baseball.  Their efforts will trigger the Threefold Law on themselves and can easily be undone by any who know the most elementary Magick. 

Spells.
Spells are akin to prayer but with more focus.  The process of making a spell allows the individual to truly focus on what needs to happen, for themselves, others and for the good of all.  It is part of our science and should be understood as a way to assist in concentration by bringing a number of elements together in line with an intent.  Before going on a trip you pack appropriately, spells allow your intent to journey with all it needs to succeed.

 Demons – Satan and other scary things.
Demons such as Satan and Lucifer are the relatively recent fabrication of the Judeo-Christian faiths to cow their ‘believers’ into obedience and have nothing to do with us.  We were around way before the Christians or the Jews, which is why they usurped so many of our traditions, but that is another story entirely.  Our religion has no evil deities; our philosophy requires no fear tactics to function, only education and enlightenment.

 Power and The Craft.
The Hermetic principles teach us to have an active role in our lives.  We are pacifists but hardly inactive when it comes to protecting ourselves.  We use our Magick and our science to get out of harm’s way and to help others do the same. We do not return harm or incorrect energy to those that wish it upon us, we neutralize it so it can harm none.  It is best to make the fire ‘cease to be’ than to drown it with water. Any firefighter will tell you that water often times causes the most damage in a house fire.  A Witch must learn to take care of themselves before they can help others in any meaningful way.  This is not selfish, but practical.  You would want your surgeon to be at their best  before embarking on a complex operation, Witches view life in this way.

What’s in a name?
Witchcraft is not an umbrella terms for all those that have Magickal ways.  Witchcraft is largely Indo-European in origin and our tradition begins with Hermes who seems to have hailed from ancient Egypt.  The craft evolved and was carried  through the migration of the people who became known as the Celts.  A male Witch is not a Warlock.  The word Warlock means “Oath Breaker” in Scottish.  Followers of The Craft are simply Witches.  You can also be a Druid, a Magi (Maig) or Mage, Wizard, Priest, Priestess, or even an Elder of the Craft, but you are still a Witch.

Witches and Fashion
Witches wear clothing of every color and every style - Many Witches do choose to wear black clothing or ritual robes. The color black is the culmination of all vibrational rates of light on the material plane. Black absorbs light information and helps Witches be more receptive to psychic impressions and energies.  It takes a bit more than wearing a pentacle and wearing a cloak to be a Witch.

Witches are everywhere!
Witches come from every socio-economic and ethnic background - Many Witches are professional people holding positions of responsibility such as Doctors, Nurses, Police Officers, Teachers, etc. Witchcraft does not discriminate against color or ethnic origin and does view everything as equal in the eyes of The All.

Wands.
Witches do use magic wands - Often you see the use of magic wands in children's cartoons and movies making the idea seem frivolous. In actuality, the magic wands are used in healing and for directing energy.

One –We abide by the Threefold Law of Return & “An it harm none – do what ye will.
Two – Treat others in our tradition as you would like to be treated. We are Witch sisters and brothers.
Three – We recognize a Witch of any degree as a part of our tradition.
Four – Integrity, Discipline and Respect must be self-evident in all our affairs as we represent our Tradition.
Five – We practice our craft according to Hermetic Laws, and we are accountable to the God/Goddess/ALL
Six – We do not accept any outside contributions or any influences that would undermine our authority. We are a Sovereign Tradition. As such, we do not take part in the inner circles of other traditions.
Seven – Each Witch is Sovereign and accepts the Responsibility that this incurs.
Eight – We are committed to our way of life and firmly grounded in the Science of our Majick. We express our Tradition as an Art, a Science, and a Religion.
Nine – We respect and adhere to the wishes of our Council of Elders.
Ten – Our Tradition has an interest in issues such as ecology, hunger and human rights. We seek to heal and protect our Mother Earth and better the lives of the humans and animals around us through majickal and charitable means.
Eleven – Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we do not proselytize. We do seek to educate anyone that does seek knowledge from us.
Twelve – We place principles before personalities. We abstain from gossip and other behaviors that would undermine our brothers and sisters or our Tradition. Our actions reinforce “for the good of all…”
Thirteen – We do not charge money for taking healing cases, but may charge for any type of psychic consulting to the public as a reader (i.e. Tarot).