Witchcraft Exposed

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Witchcraft Exposed

• It is not a woman riding on a broom

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Definition of a witch

• Wicca   A modern Pagan religion with spiritual
  roots in the earliest expressions of reverence
  for nature. Some major identifying motifs are
  reverence for both the Goddess and God
  acceptance of reincarnation and magick ritual
  observance of astronomical and agricultural
  phenomena and the use of magickal circles for
  ritual purposes.Witch   A practitioner of folk
  magick, particularly that kind relating to herbs,
  stones, colors, wells, rivers, etc. It is used by
  some Wiccans to describe themselves. This term
  has nothing to do with Satanism.Witchcraft   Th
  e craft of the witch - magick, especially magick
  utilizing personal power in conjunction with the
  energies within stones, herbs, colors, and other
  natural objects. This belief system also has
  nothing to do with Satanism.

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What it is

• Witchcraft is a spiritual system that fosters the
  free thought and will of the individual,
  encourages learning and an understanding of the
  earth and nature thereby affirming the divinity
  in all living things
• It acknowledge the cycles of nature, the lunar
  phases and the seasons that celebrate their
  spirituality and to worship the divine.   It is a
  belief system that allows the Witch to work with,
  not in submission to deities with the intent of
  living in harmony and achieving balance with all
  things.

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Witchcraft a trinity of nature

• A witch strives to gain knowledge of and use
  the natural remedies placed on this earth by the
  divine for their benefit instead of using
  synthetic drugs unless absolutely necessary.
• Wiccan believe that the spirit of the One,
  Goddess and God exist in all things.   In the
  trees, rain, flowers, the sea, in each other and
  all of natures creatures. 
• The Goddess and God are seen as a manifestation
  of the feminine and masculine forces of nature.
  Each having unique characteristics that when
  combined result in the harmonious creation of
  life.

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Unholy trinity

• The Supreme Creative ForceThe One is the all
  encompassing unity of all things which exist.
  This includes that which is manifest to our
  limited awareness and understanding as well as
  that which is not. The One is infinite to a point
  that the human mind simply cannot comprehend its
  vastness.
• It really matters little whether we associate
  with the divine as the "Father, Son and Holy
  Ghost" or "The One, Goddess and God." Ultimately,
  the concept is the same.

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Symbols in Witchcraft

• Pentagram and pentacle - A 5-pointed star used
  for protection, spells, conjuring, etc.
• The Ankh - Egyptian cross-like symbol with a loop
  at the top associated with the worship of Isis.
• The Crescent Moon - A symbol of the Goddess also
  used in Islam.
• Crystals - believed to contain healing and
  spiritual properties.  Crystals are also used by
  many other new age cults.

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Sin, Salvation, does not exist

• in Wicca there is a lack of belief in a need for
  forgiveness or salvation.  To the witch, there is
  no sin therefore no need for forgiveness. 
• There is no need for salvation, as there is
  nothing to be saved from. 
• Wiccan Rede" which states "And it harm none, do
  as ye will".  Basically, as long as you don't
  hurt anyone, anything goes.

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Endless rebirth

• whatever you do will come back to you three-fold,
  so it pays to be careful. 
• Witches do not believe in a heaven or hell and
  will usually espouse the concept of karma and
  endless reincarnation. 
• Others believe in reincarnation until
  enlightenment, or endless rebirth until such time
  as the person is enlightened enough to pass on to
  some other existence. 

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Blending in Humanism

• Wiccans fit very well into the humanist religion
  that has become so widespread in modern society. 
  As with other humanist religions everything goes
  as long as it doesn't oppose their claim to being
  god/godess or hold them accountable to a higher
  power. 
• To them it is intolerant to believe in an
  absolute truth and they will often take it as an
  insult to be told there is evil in the world and
  we all sin. 

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Worship of Nature

• Wiccan learn from and revere the gift of nature
  from divine creation by celebrating the cycles of
  the sun, moon and seasons
• teachers are the trees, rivers, lakes, meadows,
  mountains and animals as well as others.  This
  belief creates a reverence and respect for the
  environment, and all life upon the Earth.Wiccan
  also revere the spirits of the elements of Earth,
  Air, Fire and Water which combine to manifest all
  creation.   From these four elements they obtain
  insight to the rhythms of nature and understand
  they are also the rhythms of their own lives.

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What they do not believe

• They say that they do not worship Satan or
  consort with Demons.   Satan is a Christian
  creation and they can keep him.
• do not sacrifice animals or humans because
  that would violate the basic tenant of "Harm
  None.
• There is no need to steal or control the life
  force of another to achieve mystical or
  supernatural powers.   We draw our energy from
  within, our personal relationship with the divine
  and nature.

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The Law of Three

• Witches have a very strict belief in the Law of
  Three which states that whatever we send out into
  our world shall return to us three fold either
  good or bane.   With this in mind, a "True Witch"
  would hesitate in doing magick to harm or
  manipulate another

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Beliefs and Doctrines

• View of time is Cyclical
• Afterlife Reincarnation is until you reach
  Summerland
• Type of theism Polytheism (many gods) or
  pantheism (god/gods are part of nature)
• Ultimate reality "The All" or "The One," an
  unknowable Supreme Being

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Male\Femalebaal and Asherah

• Deities The Goddess and her consort, the horned
  god various other pagan deities like Diana,
  Thor, Zeus, etc.
• Venerated male figures The God Adonis, Apollo,
  Dionysus, Odin, Osiris, Pan, Thor, Zeus, etc.

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Rituals and Practices

• Assembled worshippers called Coven
• Place of worship Outdoors
• Regular rituals Prayer, casting a circle, Drawing
  Down the Moon, reciting spells, dancing, singing,
  sharing cakes and wine or beer
• Special rituals Initation, handfasting (marriage)
  
• Regular worship days 13 Esbats (full moons) each
  year
• Major holidays Samhain, Beltane, equinoxes,
  solstices

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Worship

• Q. Who do Witches Worship?
• There is a single power defined as the One or
  All, which is composed of everything it has ever
  created. This supreme energy force does not rule
  over the Universe, it IS the Universe. Since most
  find it difficult to talk to or call upon a
  faceless mass of Divine energy, this supreme
  power is personified into male and female aspects
  as the Goddess and God.
• like Astarte, Isis, Odin, Pan, Dianna, Cernunnos,
  etc., when invoking the Goddess and God. In the
  end, it is a personal preference and what a Witch
  uses depends on what "feels" right for them
  individually.

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Clothes

• If Wicca and Witchcraft are not evil, why do you
  wear black robes?
• This is another baseless superstition and Witches
  wear clothing and robes of every color. Black is
  the combination of all colors and all vibrational
  rates of light on the material plane. It is known
  that black is a very good conductor of energy,
  therefore wearing black simply helps Witches
  absorb natural energy to increase the power of
  their thought forms

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Book of Shadows

• If Witches don't have a bible, what do you use?
• Most modern Witches keep a Book of Shadows, (BOS)
  or Grimoire, which is more like an individuals
  workbook, journal, or diary, meaningful to the
  person who keeps it. This book contains rituals,
  discoveries, spells, poetry, herb lore, etc.
  Covens almost always keep a similar group book. I
  am not exactly sure how the name "Book of
  Shadows" came to be, but I would assume that this
  also ties into the Burning Times when the church
  set out to eliminate all texts along with the
  followers of the old ways. The writings that
  existed were more than likely were taken into the
  shadows and hidden with the survivors.

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Spells

• Do Witches cast spells?
• Some do and some don't. Spellwork should never be
  the focus of following this path and those who
  seek our ways only for this purpose are very
  misguided. A spell is a ritual formula, or series
  of steps, to direct psychic energy to accomplish
  a desired end. This energy is drawn from the
  Earth with the aid of elementals, concentrated
  and sent out into the world to achieve a positive
  goal. Since Witchcraft teaches that whatever one
  sends out is returned threefold, Witches are very
  careful to never send out harmful energy
  carelessly. The Christian word for this is
  "Prayer". The only real difference is that
  Witches also invoke the aid of spirit guides,
  familiars or other elemental energies to add
  strength to the process as well as using ritual
  tools

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Is there a Devil?

• Do Witches worship the devil?
• No. Satan, or the Devil, has absolutely no place
  in Wicca or Witchcraft. The worship of Satan is
  the practice of profaning Christian symbolism and
  is thus a Christian heresy, rather than a Pagan
  religion. The Goddess and God of the Witches are
  in no way connected to Satanic practices. Satan,
  or the Devil, is a Christian creation and they
  are more than welcome to keep him.
• Mat 2541 Then He will say to those at His left
  hand, Begone from Me, you cursed, into the
  eternal fire prepared for the devil and his
  angels!

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Summerland

• How do Witches view death?
• Many Witches believe in reincarnation and the
  Summerland. After passing over, Summerland is
  where the spirit awaits to be returned into a new
  physical form. We do not believe in an absolute
  Heaven or Hell where the spirit spends eternity
  as reward or punishment for ones earthly actions.

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Part two is coming

• The Christianity versus Witchcraft
• How is it affecting the world of today?
• What the Bible says...