Fiction:
Witches worship Satan, do strange things with small animals in the woods and spend most of their time naked.
Fact:
Witches worship nature, recognise not only a God but also a Goddess and make magick by doing spells and rituals.
The emphasis Witchcraft puts on being close to nature is appealing for a lot of people who live stressed out lives dominated by clocks and technology. Witches practice their magick according to the cycles of the seasons and the phases of the moon and work to harmonise themselves with the outside world as they unleash their inner powers.
How Do You Become A Witch?
Maybe you have watched the sassy, sexy sisters of televisionâs Charmed and thought, âI want to be like that too!â Maybe youâve been browsing in a bookstore and an unusual book title caught your eye. Perhaps your mother and her mother are Witches (in which case youâd be a hereditary Witch). Most Witches these days start off as âsolitariesâ reading books and surfing the internet to find out more. Becoming a Witch doesnât take much more than an open mind and a desire to learn.
Real Witchcraft isnât about special effects so real Witches donât stop time, move things with their minds or see into the future like the girls from Charmed â though real Witches can âstretchâ time, create change with their minds and read tarot cards for hints of what the future holds.
So if you want to be a Witch, start by reading books, trying spells, trusting your intuition and celebrating the Sabbats. You donât have to be psychic, though itâs great if you are and often the rituals of Witchcraft will help increase your psychic ability anyway. You also donât have to hide away and spend hours on complicated routines and rituals â there are lots of simple magickal things you can do in a day.
The Eight Sabbats
Witches get eight special days to celebrate and party a year (and thatâs not including the Full Moon celebrations!) The Sabbats are based on an ancient calendar of agricultural and astronomical events.
Samhain: May 1
A time to honour our ancestors. It is when Witches consider the âveils between the worldsâ to be at their thinnest and a good time to contact spirits and ghosts.
Yule: June 20-23 (depending on the actual Winter Solstice)
The longest night and a Witchesâ Christmas. Presents are exchanged and everyone sits up all night to welcome the sun as from now the days will grow longer.
Imbolc: August 1
A time to honour the feminine and get ready for spring â clean out the cupboards!
Ostara: Sept 20-23 (depending on the actual spring equinox)
A time to honour the masculine and as day and night stand equal celebrate everything that is great about being alive.
Beltane: Oct 31
Spring fertility festival. Fires are lit and there is feasting and celebration â a great festival for lovers!
Litha: Dec 20-23 (depending on the actual Summer Solstice)
The longest day of the year and a time to spend outdoors absorbing the regenerative power of the sun.
Lammas: Feb 2
The great harvest festival â a time to reflect on the successes of the year and reward yourself for jobs well done.
Mabon: March 20-23 (depending on the actual Autumn Equinox)
A time to reflect on what it means to be a Witch and reaffirm your commitment to the Craft
Tips For A Magickal Day
Start the day by affirming to yourself that you are a special and essential ingredient of the Universe by saying this magickal charm:
âAll power is mine
As A Witch I am free
In the eyes of the Lady
I am Blessed Beâ
Donât feel trapped by stressful situations â instead start thinking in âGoddessâ time, knowing that anything is possible. Just decide what it is that you want â for example you WILL arrive on time, you WILL find that parking space, you WILL meet that deadline - and expect to be amazed! A strong will is one of the most important assets a Witch can have.
Looking Like A Witch
Isnât about gothic theatre props and black eyeliner and robes (though it can be if you want!) You can usually spot a Witch because she carries herself with pride â sheâs in touch with her inner magick and projects this outwardly â bewitching everyone who lays eyes on her! Witchy style means always making the effort to look and feel your best. Some Witches also choose to wear a Pentacle ring or necklace featuring the sacred Witches five pointed star as a way of identifying themselves to other Witches.
Are You A Good Witch, Or A Bad Witch?
Being a Good Witch or a Bad Witch is more about how much work you want to put in at becoming adept at magick than anything to do with evil.
There are three essential laws of Witchcraft and every âGoodâ Witch knows them off by heart:
âDo what you will as long as you donât hurt anyoneâ
âDo what you will as long as you donât interfere with anyone elseâs free willâ
âAs you send out, so returns threefoldâ.
So the above rule out too much mischief and anyway, really powerful Witches know that it is a greater show of magick to help and heal rather than harm and destroy.
Getting It Right
Spells work with the passion and intent that you fuel them with. If you want a spell to work believe that it will!
Well, How Do Spells Work Then?
When spell casting a Witch uses creative visualisation but she also has extra ammunition up her sleeve by using crystals, herbs, colours and special words that correspond magickally with her goal and can act like magnets to further enhance the success of her spell.
All-Purpose Candle Spell
A good Witch will be a wiz at candle magick. It is very effective as it works with the element of fire, which brings swift action.
All you need is a candle in an appropriate colour for your desire, some essential oil that corresponds with your goal and a sharp pin or knife and lighter or matches.
Choose your candle and oil. For example if you have trouble remembering your boyfriendâs birthday you may want to do a spell for a better memory, so youâd choose a yellow candle and rosemary oil. Now take a few deep breaths focusing on your desire. When you are ready imagine a sphere of white light around you giving you a pure and powerful space to work magick within. With the knife or pin carve your name into one side of the candle and your goal into the other. In this case for your goal you would carve the words âBetter Memoryâ. Now lick your thumb and trace it over your name to make the candle your own. Take a couple of drops of the oil and rub it well into your goal, concentrating on achieving your desired outcome. Next light the candle and gaze on the flame as you picture success. Spend at least five minutes doing this. When you are ready snuff the flame - donât blow it out, youâd be âblowing awayâ the magick! Relight the candle every day for at least seven days to really pack a magickal punch. Each time rub a little more oil into the candle to keep charging it up! You will have results within seven days.
Colours
Red : passion, love, willpower
Pink : friendship, beauty, peace and harmony
Blue : healing, communication and truth
Yellow: clarity of thought and brain power
Orange: creativity, legal matters and pride
Green: prosperity, fertility, employment and good luck
Purple: spiritual insight, inspiration, power and success
Black: to prevent harm or to get rid of something
White: cleansing, protection and can also take the place of any colour except black.
Oils
Basil: harmony and communication
Bergamot: prosperity
Cinnamon: better sex
Ginger: courage and strength
Lavender: Healing, love, anti depression
Lemon: purification
Mandarin: happiness
Peppermint: luck and success
Patchouli: love (especially good for attracting lovers)
Sandalwood: spirituality and protection
Ylang Ylang: aphrodisiac and beauty
Tools Of The Trade
A Witch will have an altar (or magickal workbench) somewhere in her home. It can be a small table, a shelf or even a window sill and needs to feature the four essential elements of magick:
Air: Incense and feathers
Fire: Candles
Earth: some crystals and a bowl of sea salt
Water: a glass or crystal bowl of water
The Goddess and God will be represented by special figurines or perhaps framed pictures from magazines that are inspiring.
As Witchcraft is nature worshipping, fresh flowers, or a small potted plant is another good addition.
An important Witches tool is the Athame or Witchesâ dagger - a double bladed knife that is never used to cut solid things (so donât make the kidâs sandwiches with it!). It is used to direct and focus energy. Some Witches use a Wand instead. To use both you hold them and focus on channelling your will through them - touching them to an object that you wish to empower. You can also imagine a stream of light flowing from the tip to form a magickally protective circle of light around you.
Herbal Love Lore
Witches know that herbs are very powerful magickal tools and fantastic aids to help sort out your lovelife!
To ensure a lover is faithful break a bay leaf in two, giving one half to him and keeping the other yourself.
Dip a sprig of rosemary into your loverâs wine and have him do the same to yours and your love will always flourish.
Pop a sprig of lavender into your bra to attract a lover!
To ward off arguments in the home grow a pot of basil in the kitchen
Three pinches of cinnamon in your loverâs morning coffee will ensure he performs well in bed that night!
Bathe with a handful of lovage floating in the water to enhance your beauty and bring romance into your life.
Environmental Awareness
Witches practice what they preach and honour the earth not only with magick but in a practical sense. Supporting an environmental protection group like Planet Ark or Greenpeace, recycling your rubbish, having a compost bin and saying no to plastic bags and unnecessary waste will make you a more powerful Witch.
Phases Of The Moon
Waxing : as the Moon grows from dark to full
A good time to do spells to bring things to you and to encourage things to grow.
Full: When the moon is full itâs a great time to do spells of all kinds, they will get an extra boost of powerful lunar energy! Witches can hold a special gathering called an âEsbatâ at this time and do spells and rituals together.
Waning: as the moon fades from full to dark
A good time to do banishing or binding spells â when you need to get rid of or stop something.
Dark: A Witches holiday â you can take a few days off from magickal chores!
Good Reads
Book Of Shadows, written by New York based Lawyer and Witch, Phyllis Curott, published by Transworld
The Spiral Dance 20th Anniversary Edition, Starhawk, An absolute classic published
