Frequently Asked Questions
"And thou who thinkest to
seek for me, |
What exactly is a witch? A witch is someone who practices the Craft, who worships the Goddess and/or the Old Gods. Every witch is a priest or priestess of the Goddess. We obey the Law: do as ye will, so long as ye harm none. This is why we do not practice black magic. Witches are a force for Good in the universe.
What is Wicca? Wicca is the name of our religion. We are Pagans who
respect all religions. Wicca is not an organized or monolithic religion. There is no
Wiccan Central. There are many paths and all are valid. The Goddess is Aradia to some,
Diana to others, Isis, Lilith, Goddess, Hera, and others to me. Wicca gives us the freedom
to make it up as we go along, so long as we follow the Law. See here for more details
I know Wicca has different traditions - which one do you follow? Me? I am
definitely an eclectic witch. I take what I feel works for me out of books and websites
and things. I practice Wicca as seems right and natural to me. If you want a name, call me
the High Priestess of the Green Dawn, which is really just a name I made up for a story,
not an actual tradition. Don't ask me about different kinds of traditions, I don't know
much about any of them, other than that they exist.
Can guys be witches? What do you call a male witch? A witch is a witch, whether male or female. There are lots of male witches. Wizard, sorcerer and magician are names for non-witches who practice black or white magic. We don't use the term warlock. Warlocks, according to historians, means "oathbreaker" and they were men who pretended to be witches in order to betray us during the Burning Times.
At what age can I start? Everyone is welcome in Wicca, so long as they
follow the Law. We believe that children have the right to choose their religion. But
youth is the time for study and exploration. If you are very young you should read widely
before you make a choice or begin to practice magic. Study many religions, including
whatever one you were raised with. Educate yourself so that your choice will be an
informed one. Me, I'm only 15 right now, and I started learning about it when I was 13
How do I know if Wicca is the right religion for me? It should answer all
your questions. If you have any doubts, this is not your Path.
Are witches the same as Satanists? "Absolutely not. Witches are
Pagans. Satanists are twisted Christians for whom the cross and other Christian symbols
have power. They pervert Christian symbols for their own evil purposes. We have nothing in
common, being positive whereas they are negative. Christian symbols have no meaning for
us. We don't even believe in the Devil." This is the answer many witches will
give you. Especially the "nothing in common" part. No we are not Satanists, no
the Christian symbols don't mean anything to us, but I have personally talked to three
actual Satanists, and those three really weren't horrible and evil and baby-killers, any
more than witches are. Their law states that Will is the most powerful thing and "Do
what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." Wicca adds "An it harm None"
to this. There are "good" Satanists out there, and I think it is unfair to brand
them all as Manson-worshipping, grave decimating. evil doing freaks. There are two main
branches of Satanism, one of which is the Temple of Set, an Egyptian deity, and the other
has more of an atheistic point of view. Atheism is merely a non-belief, i.e. no
"God/dess" no afterlife, no magick, when we die, that's it, nothingness really,
enjoy life now, it'll be over soon. Its sad to see some witches who are as quick to bash
Satanism as and Christian. We witches should look at what we have been called, and not
immediately turn around and brand someone else with the terms we have endured. There is
much to be learned from each other.
Do witches hurt or kill animals in their rites? Never! We love animals.
That 'eye of newt and toe of frog' stuff is nonsense. It is hard to reconcile the
gibbering witches of Mac Beth with the proud Pagan priestesses of Egypt, Babylon, Knossos
and Ireland, or with ethical modern Wiccans, but those were Burning Times, when magic and
the Craft itself became degraded under constant persecution.
I believe in God. Can I be a witch without converting? There are a whole
lot of arguments about this. Personally I think you can be a Christian Witch, my mother
has explained my religion to my 6 year old sister as that I believe in Father God, and
Mother Nature. I will tell you though, it is going to be hard, since both Christians and
Witches will, at the least, look at you funny. You have to figure that one out on your
own. You can practice magic without being a witch. Mainstream religions have magical and
mystical traditions of their own that you can study, like Kabala, Sufism, Gnosticism and
Rosicrucianism. Learn more about your religion. You may find your Path by investigating
your own religion's mystical side.
Are there gay witches? Of course. Wicca is a very accepting, open-minded
religion. We are all Her children. The goddess Cybele was served by transvestite priests.
Try reading 'lesbian' for 'virgin' in some myths, and they will suddenly make sense.
Can I be a witch if I'm disabled? Why not? There are blind witches and
wheelchair witches and others. As the above says, Wicca is a very open minded religion. No
one cares if you are a 80 yr old blind crippled Ethiopian lesbian with AIDS or a straight
Caucasian 20 yr old male with two working legs, arms, eyes and no medical problems
whatsoever, we will still accept you. (Personally, I'd rather you be the Ethiopian woman,
most 20 yr old males have very few things on their mind other than sex.)
What about that film, The Craft? OK, for the last time: As cinema it
wasn't very good. For witchcraft it got more wrong than it got right. Most of what they
did was contrary to the Law. I have never heard of the deity they worshipped. You cannot
use magic to fly or change your hair color. The levitation thing is an old parlor trick. I
liked the bookstore lady, though.
This movie has gotten many young people interested in Wicca. In fact, that was the very
movie that got me interested in Wicca. Some of you will actually become witches while the
rest will move on to another fad. If you are serious about the Craft, study it properly
and learn about the Goddess. Magic is for positive use, not for battling one another.
Where do you get all those God and Goddess names? They are all real
deities, hero/ines and archetypes from many different cultures: Aztec, Celtic, Mayan,
Norse, Babylonian, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Native American, etc. I get them from mythology
books, stories, and religious texts.
What is the meaning of life? This one's easy. The bigger the question,
the simpler the answer. The meaning of life is to live. Think about it.
What's the difference between a Witch and a Druid? We have much in
common. Both are Pagan faiths of European origin. We both practice magic, use plants and
poetry in that practice, observe the same holidays and worship some of the same deities.
Historically Druids were more patriarchal that witches, with a male priesthood that
interposed between the people and the godhead. The priests also got very involved with
politics. ("And the king called to him his druids.. .") Witches have never been
that organized, or wanted to be. We have been more solitary, more matriarchal and
Goddess-centered. We have always dealt directly with our deities, and been personally
responsible for our actions and choices rather than following the dictates of a creed.
Both religions have evolved. I am no expert on modern Druidism, but it seems to me the
differences between it and Wicca are more of style than substance.
Coven questions I am a solitary, a witch who practices alone. I have
never been in a coven and don't foresee joining one anytime soon (I live in rural Minn,
what do you want?) I am definitely not the right person for coven questions. What I would
say to you, though, is to really check people out before you get involved with them, and
not to be a part of any group whose workings or beliefs are not in line with your own.
Can I start a coven? Why not? It's a free world.
What about nudity? Some traditions insist on sky clad worship, but I
can't imagine that the Goddess gives a damn what we wear. Or don't wear. Street clothes,
ritual nudity, ceremonial robes . . . choose whatever feels right to you.
Are vampires real? Immortal preternatural beings? Not likely. I never believe in anything unless I see or experience it myself, and I haven't run into any vampires. But I have met psychic and sexual vampires who would gladly drain you of your life force if you let them. Protect yourself against such people.
Who are you? The same as you, only different. And why do you want to know
anyway? Don't worry about me, worry about yourself. As a bumper sticker I saw read
"Worry about your OWN damn family"
How long have you been a witch? Who knows. I'm pretty sure I was a Witch
in a past life, but in this lifetime, since 1996