Paperback
-
PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781567187250 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD. |
| Publication date: | 09/08/1998 |
| Pages: | 288 |
| Sales rank: | 689,687 |
| Product dimensions: | 7.00(w) x 10.03(h) x 0.72(d) |
| Age Range: | 12 - 17 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Chapter One
The Craft: What It Is and What It Isn't
Ten thousand years we've struck the fire, Creation's music freely sung With Magick joined we've praised the stars Since first the world begun. Our spirit lives in timeless dance, The Tarot and the Rune, And nights united in the power Of Drawing Down the Moon!
—David O. Norris, 1994
The years between puberty and adulthood can be exciting and difficult. I remember my teen years as one upheaval after another, from high to low and back to high again. I watch as my own four children experience these same fluctuations in emotions and experiences. It's tough. Don't let anyone fool you.
Sometimes you feel that all you've got are your friends. If your parents don't approve of those friends, then your whole world seems like milk dribbling off a chocolate chip cookie, leaving mushy brown crumbs on the floor of your life. Things get worse if your friends treat you badly, but you hang onto them anyway, because they're all you think you have. Who cares if Emily has a ring the size of a pancake hanging off her nose? She's just expressing herself! There are times when we look up to people, both big and small, and suddenly realize these people are really not who we thought they were. Getting to that realization can sometimes be traumatic and difficult.
You go through a time when you positively, without a doubt, know that you are always right and everyone else is wrong. You convince yourself that your parents came from another planetand that they couldn't possibly have been young—indeed, they vaulted full-grown from the cabbage patch on Mars to your home, marriage vows included (or not). You begin to wonder how you got into this family in the first place. Visions of baby switching at the hospital to your parents finding you at the Laundromat and taking you home, without telling anyone, of course, make you wonder if your real parents aren't somewhere else, living in a mansion complete with pool, servants, and all the McDonald's hamburgers in the world. Naturally, these mythical parents swoon and weep for their lost prince or princess—which would be you, obviously.
You may think life isn't worth living when you bring home your report card and your parents ground you until the end of the next semester. Fantasies of jamming stuff in a duffel bag and hiding in your friend's basement surrounded by candy bars, pizza, and diet cola hit you full force. In retaliation you lop off your long hair. You cry for hours because now you look like you stuck your head in a blender, and then you stay up all night writing poetry that begins with the line: "I sit and stare at these four walls," with the lament repeating every other line.
Then there comes the time when you hide in your room every second you can, blasting your brain cells with the latest CD, thinking that if you become deaf, the world will finally understand you. You've holed up because the girls you look at won't look back, or the boys you favor really only want one thing, and if you gave that up your parents would immediately put you in a convent complete with a torture chamber equipped with Red Riding Hood and Three Little Pig videos for your painful entertainment.
Or how about the time that your best friend snuck out with your boyfriend (on several occasions) because your parents won't let you go to those hot teen spots? Or when you sat by your phone and cried for four days because your boyfriend didn't call you like he promised? Or when your date ditched you at the homecoming dance and waltzed off with that girl-who-has-all the-money or the boy-who-has-the-spanking-new-cherry-red-pick-up-truck? How about the time everyone got drunk at that party, and you had to walk home because you knew it wasn't right and you were afraid to call your parents to come and get you? Then there was the time when you started your first job, and suddenly everyone—from adults to kids who had been there longer than you—started bossing you around and making fun of you. That was a real kicker.
Rules at home, rules in school, rules on the job—ah, yes, those were the days. And these are the days you search for the "reason why." Why is this happening to me? Why can't things be better? Why doesn't anyone understand me? Why won't anyone listen to me? What have I done to deserve this? Somehow, some way—you picked up this book, and you wonder—can WitchCraft help me?
My answer would be yes, indeed, but don't forget that any positive religion (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, et cetera) can give you the necessary support you need at this time in your life. Teens often look to the Craft because the religion appears powerful, glamorous and foreign; and their parents don't like it. The practices of the Craft appear to be different from other religions, which makes this belief system alluring. As you learn about WitchCraft, you'll find that the religion of Wicca isn't so different from the spiritual structures that you may have already experienced.
In this first chapter I'm going to work through a lot of the misconceptions that teens (and grownups) have about the Craft. Once we have that out of the way, we can have some major fun.
I'm in Michigan, in the Lansing Conference Center, walking slowly down the long, red carpeted hall toward the Governor's room, where in a few moments I'll be giving a lecture titled Living a Magickal Life. I realize that twenty years ago this would never be happening, this acceptance of a woman coming into a large, modern conference center that literally faces the capitol of the state of Michigan and talking about WitchCraft to a big audience. I also realize, as I enter the room and grin at the smiling faces of my audience, that we've still got a long way to go, we Witches. We can talk about our religion in Lansing, Michigan, but there are still many places in the United States where uneducated, unenlightened people believe that Witches are bad, and therefore these poor, unfortunate souls will do anything in their power to discriminate against us. Over centuries, people who knew nothing about the Craft have tried to turn Witches into all sorts of mythical beasts, fibbing like crazy to the public. Well, I'm a Witch, and I've had enough. I'm going to use my magickal power (the gift of the written word) to turn those myths back into truth.
This book, designed for you teens, adds to the cauldron of my continuing efforts to fight against discrimination and to teach people that WitchCraft can help them in improving their lives and making them better people, if they so desire. Some day, I want to be able to walk down any hall of any building in the United States and know that people don't misunderstand Witches anymore.
The Basic Theology of Wicca
When someone asks me, "What is Wicca?" a thousand wonderful things come to mind, but the person who asks the question usually expects a limited answer. Although I could talk for hours on what the Craft is or is not, the basic answer would be: WitchCraft is a nature based, life—affirming religion that follows a moral code and seeks to build harmony among people, and empower the self and others. If you think about it, we could use that statement for almost any positive religion, couldn't we? Witches usually follow their own path, and don't meander along with a crowd just because somebody says so. Witches practice individualism, freedom of thought, and have a close connection with the world around them, including plants, animals, and people. We commune with streams, sky, fire, trees, animals, and rocks, much like the indigenous ancestors of America. We see everything on our planet as a manifestation of the Divine.
The Principles of Wiccan Belief
At the Spring Witchmeet of 1974, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Council of American Witches adopted a document titled "Principles of Wiccan Belief" to inform, educate, and define for the public, and the new Craft practitioners, the central belief system of Wicca (WitchCraft). This document represents an overview of Craft Law and theology but does not contain the many nuances of the religious structure that most Witches may follow. As with any religious belief that has had time to grow and change, no single set of thirteen statements could completely define the faith. The Principles of Belief serve well as a simplified explanation of the system.
Unfortunately, the Council of American Witches disbanded in that same year, but this does not mean the efforts they made were inconsequential; quite the contrary! Twenty years later, in 1994, the religion known as WitchCraft (Wicca) made history when members of its belief system answered an invitation to attend the World Parliament of Religions Conference in Chicago. Those attending included Selena Fox (of Circle Sanctuary) and members of the Covenant of the Goddess (COG). Through their fine efforts, Wicca moved from what many thought of as a fad to find a definite place among the various religions of the world.
The Principles of Belief, as set forth by the American Council of Witches, are:
The Principles of Belief
1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the moon and the seasonal quarters and cross-quarters.
Teen Speak: Witches celebrate God through religious services, commonly called rituals. A rite is a segment within a ritual. Most of our church services correspond to set days throughout the year. Some celebrations follow the phases of the moon, where other services match the seasons of the planet. Rather than wasting space and building a place to hold church services that will remain vacant for most of the week, Witches often meet in their homes and have their church services there.
2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.
Teen Speak: God has given us the ability to know right from wrong. Since we stand at the top of the food chain (well, at least most of us) we have the responsibility to make sure that the planet doesn't get gummed up because we are so darned "smart." The best way to protect the planet and all the creatures on it is by living in harmony with all our bird, bee, and animal buddies. In essence, we need to be ecologically conscious of our actions at all times.
3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than is apparent to the average person. Because this power is far greater than ordinary, we sometimes call this force "supernatural," but we see this power as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
Teen Speak: Over the centuries, humans have managed to suppress many of their innate talents. The power of the mind truly is an incredible thing. Did you know that we don't bother to use a huge portion of our mind power? We've become lazy, and access only what we think we need. It is from this unused mind that wondrous abilities unfold, such as clairvoyance, telekinesis, clairaudience, extrasensory perception (ESP), remote viewing—call it what you will. Everyone has these abilities, but most don't use them, and some people fear these powers. Witches, and other enlightened souls, strive to strengthen these natural gifts. In the eyes of the Witch, everyone and everything stands equal.
4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as manifesting through polarity—as masculine and feminine—and that this Creative Power lives in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of Life.
Teen Speak: Just like any other religion, Witches believe in God. We see God as having two sides—masculine and feminine. Together, these two sides mix to create the whole of God. Witches respect both men and women, and the male and female properties of everything. We agree that men aren't better than women, and that women aren't better than men. Witches believe that having sex with another person is not a "bad thing," though we do feel that sexual acts and interests carry a heavy responsibility.
5. We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds—sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, the Inner Planes, et cetera—and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.
Teen Speak: We know that energies exist in the world, seen and unseen. We value the world of the mind as much as we value the world around us. The Collective Unconscious means the psychic connections between people, plants, animals, insects, and Spirit. We call the powers of the mind the Inner Planes. Witches realize that the techniques known as paranormal phenomena and magickal application begin in the mind and manifest in the universe. We pay attention to what we think and what we do. We believe that to think a thing is to create a thing.
6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.
Teen Speak: Unlike other churches that feel the need to have a central government that dictates the rules and activities of its followers, the Wiccan religion does not have a central government. We do have teachers and leaders that we honor for their wisdom and the time they have donated to the Wiccan way. Each Wiccan organization, church, coven, group, or open circle governs itself.
7. We see religion, magick, and wisdom-in-living as united in the way one views the world and lives within it—a world view and philosophy of life, which we identify as WitchCraft or the Wiccan Way.
Teen Speak: Wiccans believe that religion, the power of the mind, magickal applications, wisdom, and faith in Spirit do not function separately, but together. We try not to wear blinders to what goes on in the world, and to keep an open mind as much as possible.
8. Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch—but neither does heredity itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within him/herself that make life possible to live wisely and well, without harm to others, and in harmony with nature.
Teen Speak: Putting down this book, going to school, and proclaiming to one and all does not make you a Witch. Wearing black clothing and lots of gaudy jewelry and threatening people with the silly nonsense of cursing them puts you far away from the path of the real Wiccan. Joining a coven and taking an initiation and collecting status within that group also doesn't make you a Witch. How you live, how you deal with others, how you incorporate Wiccan laws into your life—these all determine whether you are, or are not, a Witch.
9. We acknowledge that it is the affirmation and fulfillment of life, in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and to our personal role within that Universe.
Teen Speak: Witches respect all life, whether that life belongs to a bug, a weed, a beautiful tree, a tiger, or the rude man who lives down the street from you. All must survive to evolve.
10. Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that these institutions have claimed to be "the one true right and only way" and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practices and belief.
Teen Speak: Witches are sick and tired of people in other religions passing judgment and spreading lies about our belief system just because they are either insecure in their own faith or don't realize that many paths to God exist in our universe. These unenlightened people think that hurting us is better than admitting that people should be free to believe as they want to believe. Witches do not hate Christians, or Jews, or followers of Islam; however, when people from these structured groups try to hurt us with lies, gossip, or physical force, they can expect the Witches to be upset and to fight back.
11. As American Witches, we do not feel threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We concern ourselves with our present, and our future.
Teen Speak: There is no one right way to practice the Craft. The religion is what you make of it.
12. We do not accept the concept of "absolute evil," nor do we worship any entity known as "Satan" or "the Devil" as defined by Christian Tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept the concept that personal benefits can only be derived by denial to another.
Teen Speak: We do not worship the Devil nor do we believe in the Christian Satan. We believe that to give evil a name is to give evil power. Witches do not find an interest in working with, in, or through evil. We do not believe that a person gains power by hurting, threatening, or killing someone—that would be evil.
13. We work within nature for that which is contributory to our health and well-being. Not bound by traditions from other times and other cultures, we owe no allegiance to any person or power greater than the Divinity manifest through our own being. As American Witches, we welcome and respect all life-affirming teachings and traditions. We seek to learn from all and to share our learning. We do not wish to open ourselves to the destruction of Wicca by those on self-serving power trips, or to philosophies and practices contradictory to these principles. In seeking to exclude those whose ways are contradictory to ours, we do not want to deny participation with any person who carries a sincere interest in our knowledge and beliefs, regardless of race, color, sex, age, national or cultural origins, or sexual preference.
Teen Speak: Witches work with nature rather than against nature. We believe that God is the supreme power and that no human or group of people is more powerful than God. Witches respect all religions on the face of the planet, and respect an individual's right to practice a positive faith. We do not teach our mysteries to fools, and we will exclude those people whom we feel are either self-destructive or whom we feel have the potential, or the history, of hurting others. Most Wiccan organizations screen prospective members.
* * *
Those of the Wicca follow an intricate set of laws in their personal and group practice. Collectively, Witches call these laws The Ordains. The Ordains fall into three basic categories: Spiritual Laws, Practical Laws, and Coven Laws. The Spiritual Laws represent a code of ethics or morals giving the Crafter a guideline for spiritual living, whether you choose to practice as a Solitary (a Witch alone) or within a group structure. These Spiritual Laws apply to all magickal people, and most magickal individuals incorporate these laws into their group workings and their solitary practices.
Witches think of the Practical Laws as the blossoms of experience from those who have practiced the religion before you. Therefore, not all of the Practical Laws will apply to every person. Think of these laws as guidelines.
The third type of Craft Law (Coven Law) belongs to group hierarchy, and most of these laws do not apply to the Witch practicing alone. This doesn't mean that solitary Witches should ignore these laws entirely, as many in their community may follow some sort of coven or group government and they practice WitchCraft within the confines of these laws. Coven Laws fall into two categories: Those Laws created for general Wiccan government, and those Laws created by the current organization, group, or coven. The laws created by each group may not contradict the general Coven Laws but seek to enhance the organization and assist in creating a harmonious balance among the group's members.
Through the Principles of Belief and the more intricate Ordains, New Generation Witches (Witches of the 90s) can practice a structured religion that doesn't appear structured. That's the enchantment, and the mystery, of the Craft.
Where Witches Get Their Power
When you look at a Witch's hat straight on, you see three sides, don't you? Indeed, a Witch's hat looks like a triangle and represents what we call the cone of power. WitchCraft encompasses three angles or sides of belief: Love, Positive Creativity, and Spirit. Love conquers all things. Love opens doors, soothes the soul, and makes us all one. This love includes the good emotions you may feel toward your parents, the planet, your siblings, a pet, your friends, or that special person in your life. The Witch does his or her best to love all creatures, big or little. That's the foundation of the Craft, or the bottom of the hat—Love.
The main purpose of being human falls under the art of creation, whether you make jewelry, invest your time in the science of numbers, write poetry, practice positive magick, or give sincere advice—it doesn't matter, if you create in a positive way. We can create good things, or we can create negative things. This is the gift of free will. The Witch strives to create in a positive manner. That's the second side of the hat—Positive Creativity.
Spirit (or the Lord and the Lady) comprises the third side of the hat. This is the belief in divinity, the knowing that God, in whatever form, exists and the understanding that God is within us and around us, willing to help us if we only ask. Witches see God as both masculine and feminine, so often we call God the Lord and the Lady. Sometimes we say Spirit. We realize that Allah, Jesus, and Buddha are all faces of the masculine side of God; however, we also give equal importance to the feminine side of God. We call this side of God the Lady. In the Christian religion, the female part of God manifests through Mary, but Mary doesn't have equal status with God. Usually, the Christians see God as only masculine. We feel that the masculine and feminine sides of God are extremely important. No religion is wrong in the way they see God. There are only differences in ideology and theology. The Lord and the Lady (or Spirit) is the third side of our Witch's hat.
If we put the three sides together—Love, Positive Creativity, and Spirit—Wiccans make a cone of power from which their magick springs. That power incorporates our love, our creative abilities, and the strength of God as we see him or her. Witches can, and do, make miracles happen for themselves and others through Love, Positive Creativity, and Spirit.
Right about now you are saying, "But, but, but ... that's not what my friends, or maybe my parents, or perhaps my minister says about Witches. They tell me something different. How can what you are saying be true?" I think the thing that irritates me most about human beings is that they are willing to believe anything evil, morbid, or gross without question. Try to tell them something different and bingo! They demand "truth." "Show me," these unenlightened people say. "Show me that what I've heard all these years isn't true. I will believe bad things because this belief makes life more interesting. If you tell me good things, then I will be bored." People amaze me. Most people will buy rumor over truth any day. Just look at the sales of the trash papers in the grocery stores if you don't believe me.
The Persecution of the Witches
I wasn't going to cover the persecution of the Witches, but then, I promised you the truth, didn't I? Whether you believe it or not, since humans sought to join the other creatures on this earth there has always been magick and individuals chosen by Spirit to work that magick. Indeed, anyone can study and employ magickal practices if they work long and hard enough. Our gift of free will makes us unique but, in that thrust for individuality, humans may use this free will in a bad way. Take, for example, war, crime, hatred—the list of negative things born by humans running under their own steam looks embarrassingly long.
Evil, as much as we'd like to lay the blame elsewhere, does not belong to some strange entity floating around, rubbing its clawed hands in delight, salivating about what it can force us to do. It is my firm belief that we humans create the evil in the world and are too chicken to take responsibility for what our minds, hearts, and hands have wrought in negative circumstances. Humans find great joy in laying the responsibility on some mythical being rather than owning up to what we have, in error, created ourselves.
During the Dark Ages, the Church sought to get rid of the Pagans and Witches from the countryside so that the Church could amass both power and property. In essence, the Church developed a marketing plan to sell Christianity and, much like the political marketing plans today, used various methods to push their product, including fear, torture, and misinformation. During this process the Church incorporated many entrenched beliefs of the country folk (the Yule log, Christmas trees, gargoyles to guard churches, the Easter bunny, et cetera) into Church custom and policy to keep the people they were trying to brainwash happy. The church even took the Pagan Gods and Goddesses and turned them into Saints—St. Brigit as case in point. When the Church could not convince the people to give up their Pagan ways, they moved to stronger methods. During the Dark Ages, historians believe that over two million people were murdered by the Witch Finders.
In the eighth century, a document written by the church titled the Canon Episcopi declared that Witches were illusions but, at the same time, the Church created a very deadly weapon—the Inquisition. The leaders of the Inquisition overturned this document and thus began their wicked persecution of innocent people all across Europe. These men of blood had the full sanction of the Church. Most persecutions took place between the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. By the time these fanatics of the Church were through, the female population had dipped to an alarming rate, and almost no wise women, midwives, or local healers remained alive. During that time, religious leaders changed the Bible, particularly in one passage, where it still says "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." In the original language of the Bible the wording was "Thou shalt not suffer a poisoner to live." As you can see, the men of the Inquisition ruled with an iron hand, even changing many of the passages in the Bible to suit their own purposes and free themselves of the responsibility of their own evil.
During the eighteenth century, the wickedness that sucked the life out of the population of Europe began to dwindle. Many historians call the beginning of this time the Age of Reason—meaning people actually began to think about what was happening around them rather than going along just to keep peace. In 1736, WitchCraft ceased to be an offense punishable by death in England and Scotland. In 1722, the last documented Witch Burning in the British Isles took place in Scotland, when a woman by the name of Janet Horne suffered execution. A look at history, even into the early twentieth century, shows occasional burnings and hangings involving suspected Witches.
In England in 1952, the government repealed the last of the WitchCraft laws, meaning it was no longer a crime to practice the religion of WitchCraft in that country. We in the United States are fortunate, because the laws here protect our faith ... supposedly.
Does this mean that the persecution of Witches has drifted into the dark and dusty corners of history? Obviously not. Even though most sane people realize that Witches don't hurt anyone, the rumors and misinformation persist. Some church officials still can't get it through their heads that we don't participate in negative activity, and many individuals in the media persist in yellow journalism, using us to boost their ratings with sensationalism.
This Little Lamp of Mine—I'm Going to Let it Shine
Let's light the lamp of truth and shine some rays of clarity on those nasty rumors you've probably heard. Once we correct the misinformation, we can get on with helping you to be a better person. You don't have to practice WitchCraft to make yourself a better person. We have lots of religions on this planet, and each religion serves the needs of the believers of that religion. I see God as a big, beautiful diamond with many facets. Each facet of God manifests as a positive religious belief. Witches see themselves as one of those facets on that diamond. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and hundreds of other positive religions make up that big diamond too. Together, we are all one. I've written this book for you so that you can understand what Witches think, what they believe, and how they try to act. So let's begin by giving you a handy-dandy list so that you can chuck those dumb rumors about WitchCraft in the garbage can where they belong.
Real Witches do not ...
... hurt people physically, mentally, spiritually, or magickally. Witches have taken an oath to help people, not hurt people. You are not a real Witch if you hurt anybody.
... take illegal drugs. The laws of our country forbid illegal drug use; besides, illegal drugs mess up your body. Why bother? Witches do go to the doctor when they are sick and follow the directions of the doctor for good health care. Witches do work magick to help people who are sick, but they never, ever use magick instead of good medical care. They use magick with appropriate medical care.
... work black magick—that's those other guys. Real Witches know that whatever you do, whether in this world or in the magickal world, comes back to you three times. If you do good stuff, then you get rewarded. If you do bad stuff, you pay the price—and, let me add, you will pay dearly. Wiccans have a poem that goes: Ever mind the rule of three, what you give out comes back to thee.
... fly in the sky on brooms. We buy cars and trucks and stay on the road like everyone else. If we feel the need to take to the skies we choose Delta, Northwestern, or American Airlines.
... eat babies. (Yuckie!) We love babies. We want them to grow up big and strong and do good things for people, like hopefully find a cure for AIDS, cancer, and the common cold.
... kill animals (or anything else for that matter). Real Witches love and honor animals. Animals are a part of Spirit, just like people. Witches are big pet-people. We have dogs, cats, gerbils, bunnies, et cetera, and they all live long, happy lives and see the vet regularly.
... tell fibs or big whopper lies. We walk our talk, and we know that a Witch is as good as his or her word.
... call themselves warlocks. The word warlock means "truth twister." Whether you are a boy or a girl, man or woman, the name remains the same: Witch or Wiccan.
... get into sexual perversions. Enough said on that strange arena. We don't want to go there!
... drink or use blood in any way from animals, themselves, or any person (alive or dead). How you like your steak has nothing to do with the Craft.
... change their hair color in the blink of an eye. We go to the grocery store and buy hair dye to cover the gray just like your mother.
... steal or take part in any type of criminal behavior. We believe that if we take from someone else, we are really taking from ourselves. Stealing from ourselves would be stupid.
... pervert the symbols of any other religion, such as the cross or the Star of David, or desecrate graves or statues of saints. We honor the dead as well as the living.
... summon demons. We simply are not that dumb.
... worship the Christian Devil. We don't believe in Satan. We don't give power to bad things, like Satan or the Devil, because to name something rotten is to give it power.
... believe in the Christian Hell. Real Witches believe that we are responsible for our own actions, and that we will pay either in this life, or in the next, for bad things that we do—so, we try very hard not to do bad things. This leads us to a universal Wiccan belief—that of reincarnation.
... coerce or brainwash people to join us. WitchCraft or Wicca is not a cult. WitchCraft or Wicca is a legitimate religion. Our clergy can legally marry people. We also have christenings (Wiccanings or Sainings) for our babies, just like other religions. We do the sprinkle-water-thing, too. In 1994, at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, Illinois, Wicca or WitchCraft was acknowledged as a legitimate religion by the other religions of the world, including Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, and many Protestant Christians. Witches can legally have churches in this country.
... use Satanic symbols. The Witches' pentacle, or five-pointed star point-up within a circle, represents the four elements and the human, encompassed by Spirit. The pentacle has nothing to do with Satanism, and Witches get very, very upset with people who match the point-up pentacle with Satanism. Just as Witches do not invert the Christian cross, they don't appreciate it when someone inverts their symbol, either.
... have to go through an initiation ceremony to practice the religion of WitchCraft; however, Witches who practice in a group environment that has some sort of self-government for its members do perform initiations. You can't initiate yourself but you can dedicate yourself to the Lord and Lady. Initiations represent levels of training or spiritual progression within a group environment. Elders of the Craft pass power/lineage during certain initiation ceremonies. You can't pass power/lineage that wasn't passed to you—that's why the Elders perform this function. Initiations are celebrations designed to honor your spiritual progression. Bad things do not happen to anyone in a Wiccan initiation.
... become Witches overnight. Today a Baptist, tomorrow a Wiccan? Nope. Doesn't work. WitchCraft requires a lot of dedication, study, and perseverance. The religion of the Craft becomes a process of self-growth and joy. You don't slap on a pentacle, wiggle into a black dress or dark pants and shirt, paint your fingernails a disgusting color, wear wild makeup and call yourself a Witch. Nothing doing—to be a Witch isn't a fashion statement, or the trendy thing to do. The religion does not require you to wear black. If you go around dressed up like that, real Witches will laugh at you. The religion doesn't even require you to wear a pentacle. Real WitchCraft takes a lot of work. A Witch "is" by means of study and belief, not by what he or she wears.
... attack people, but they do defend themselves when attacked by others.
... blab to everyone that they are Witches. We practice the Witches' Pyramid—To Know, To Dare, To Will, and To Be Silent. To Know means that we constantly search for the truth and are strong in our beliefs. To Dare means that we are not afraid of the unknown, and that we dare to be different and to learn as much as we can. To Will means that we concentrate on being the best that we can be. To Be Silent means that we know pure thought has great power. If we tell others about our magicks, especially those who do not believe as we do, then much of the strength can seep away from our work. Therefore, we share only with those of like mind and leave other people to their own devices.
... always work magick. Most Witches practice the magickal arts but not all Witches work magick. Some of the nicest Witches I know don't work magick; they do, however, pray.
... gossip, tell lies, or hurt anyone's feelings on purpose.
... ever practice a magickal application that they do not completely understand.
... charge money to work magick or to pray for people, though they can ask reimbursement for the supplies they use.
... use their magick or other skills to show off.
... cast love spells to entice another person, break two people up just so the Witch can go out with one of them, or in any way seek to interfere with another person's free will. We do work to bring harmony and love into our lives, but we never, ever target anyone!
... abuse animals. Real Witches do work magick with animals. Witches respect animals very much; however, we don't have toads, or cats, or spiders that perch on our fingers while we do a little hocus-pocus dance, nor do we put animal or insect parts in bubbling cauldrons with appropriate mumbo-jumbo. Things like Eye of Newt and Tongue of Adder are really folk names for herbs, handed down from generation to generation.
If Witches do not believe in or do bad things, you say, then why are people so afraid of them? A very good question that deserves a solid answer. People fear what they don't understand, and some people obviously don't understand the Witches. Witches stand for improving themselves and improving life for other people. This can be a scary thing for people who don't want to change. Witches, then, honor and seek change that will bring harmony into their lives and into the lives of others. Sometimes, people don't want to understand the Witches, because either they don't want to admit that they have been wrong all along (because that will make them look silly or stupid) or because they fear change. Some people like doing things the way they have always done them, even if those things are bad or inappropriate.
Another reason people are afraid of Witches is because most of us have an aura of power. That means that you can just tell by looking at us that we are "different." We didn't cast a spell, or twist anyone's mind—rather, we study and try to live right. This shows. I received a letter last month from a sixteen-year-old girl named Judy. Judy told me that, after several months, her best friend accused her of taking drugs. "What would ever make you think that?" asked Judy. Her friend replied, "Because you've changed. You're more laid back. You don't get as angry anymore. Everyone has noticed." Judy laughed, and said, "No, silly, I've been studying Wicca." Judy gave her friend my book To Ride A Silver Broomstick: New Generation WitchCraft. Now Judy's friend is learning how to be a better per- ( son, too.
(Continues...)
Table of Contents
The modern Wiccan community is now entering its third, and sometimes fourth, generation. But until now there have been no books specifically designed for teens. The growing number of children in Pagan households, as well as teenagers' growing interest in Witchcraft, meant that somebody had to fill this need. And I couldn't be happier that the person who did this was a mother of teenage daughters, Silver RavenWolf.
There are two reasons for this. First, because she's around teens, she knows how to talk with them and what their interests are. The spells she includes have relate to teenage problems: finding peace at home, getting new friends, raising self-esteem. The tools for the spells are all within a teen's budget. They include such common items as eggs or potatoes, or even just a pen and paper. They'll be learning about real Witchcraft in a way that is easy, fun, and safe.
Second, because she is a mother herself, she says the kind of things that teens need to hear. For example: drugs and alcohol don't go with magick; a ritual can help build your confidence so you can remember answers for tests (but you still must study so you know the answers to put down; "Witches do not work magick to harm others and we know that no real power lies in evil." There's even a spell to help keep Internet stalkers away.
This book is filled with everything a teen needs to know to start practicing Witchcraft. It also provides guidance so that teens can continue with their studies of Wicca. Without hesitation I can recommend Teen Witch as the first book any parent could give to their teen interested in the Craft. I also recommend it to any teen who wants to learn what real Wicca is all about.
Interviews
The modern Wiccan community is now entering its third, and sometimes fourth, generation. But until now there have been no books specifically designed for teens. The growing number of children in Pagan households, as well as teenagers' growing interest in Witchcraft, meant that somebody had to fill this need. And I couldn't be happier that the person who did this was a mother of teenage daughters, Silver RavenWolf.
There are two reasons for this. First, because she's around teens, she knows how to talk with them and what their interests are. The spells she includes have relate to teenage problems: finding peace at home, getting new friends, raising self-esteem. The tools for the spells are all within a teen's budget. They include such common items as eggs or potatoes, or even just a pen and paper. They'll be learning about real Witchcraft in a way that is easy, fun, and safe.
Second, because she is a mother herself, she says the kind of things that teens need to hear. For example: drugs and alcohol don't go with magick; a ritual can help build your confidence so you can remember answers for tests (but you still must study so you know the answers to put down; "Witches do not work magick to harm others and we know that no real power lies in evil." There's even a spell to help keep Internet stalkers away.
This book is filled with everything a teen needs to know to start practicing Witchcraft. It also provides guidance so that teens can continue with their studies of Wicca. Without hesitation I can recommend Teen Witch as the first book any parent could give to their teen interested in the Craft. I also recommend it to any teen who wants to learn what real Wicca is all about.
