The Philospohy of Witchcraft

The Philosophy of Witchcraft

The Craft is a religion of love and joy. It is not full of the gloom of Christianity, with its ideas of original sin, with salvation and happiness possible only in the afterlife. The music of Witchcraft is joyful and lively, again contrasting with the dirge-like hymns of Christianity. Why is this? Much of it has to do with the Wiccan empathy with nature. Early people lived hand-in-hand with nature through necessity. They were a part of nature, not separate from it. An animal was a brother or a sister, as was a tree. Women/men tended the fields and in return, received food for the table. Sure, she or he killed animals for food. But then many animals kill other animals in order to eat. In other words, woman and man were a part of the natural order of things, not separate from it-not above it.
Modern men and women have lost much, if not all, of that closeness with nature. Civilization has cut them off. But not so the Witch! Even today, in this mechanized, super sophisticated world that this branch of nature (woman and man) has created, the Wicca retain their ties with Mother Nature. In books such as Brett Bolton's The Secret Power of Plants we are told of the incredible, extraordinary healthy reaction of plants to kindness; of how they feel and react to both good and evil; how they express love, fear, hate (something that might be borne in mind by vegetarians when they become over critical of meat-eaters, perhaps?). This is no new discovery. Witches have always known it. They have always spoken kindly to plants. It is not unusual to see a Witch, walking through the woods, stop and hug a tree. It is not peculiar to see a Witch throw off her or his shoes and walk barefoot across a ploughed field. This is all part of keeping in touch with nature; of not losing our heritage.
If ever you feel completely drained, if ever you are angry or tense, go out and sit against a tree. Choose a good, solid tree (oak or pine are good) and sit down on the ground with your back straight, pressed up against the trunk. Close your eyes and relax. You will feel a gradual change come over you. Your tension, your anger, your tiredness will disappear. It will seem to drain out of you. Then, in its place, you will feel a growing warmth; a feeling of love and comfort. It comes from the tree. Accept it and be glad. Sit there until you feel completely whole again. Then, before leaving, stand with your arms about the tree and thank it.
Take time to stop and appreciate all that is about you. Smell the earth, the trees, the leaves. Absorb their energies and send them yours. One of the contributing factors to our isolation from the rest of nature is the insulation of our shoes. Whenever you can, go barefoot. Make contact with the earth. Feel it; absorb it. Show your respect and love for nature and live with nature.
In the same way, live with other people. There are many whom you meet, in the course of your life, who could benefit from their encounter with you. Always be ready to help another in any way you can. Do not ignore anyone, or look the other way when you know they need help. If you can give assistance, give it gladly. At the same time, do not seek to take charge of another's life. We all have to live our own lives. But if you are able to give help, to advise, to point the way, then do so. It will then be up to the other to decide how to proceed from there.
The main tenet of Witchcraft, the Wiccan Rede, is An' it harm none, do what thou wilt. Do what you will … but do not do anything that will harm another. It is as simple as that.

In April, 1974, the Council of American Witches adopted a set of Principles of Wiccan Belief. I, personally, subscribe to those principles and list them here. Read them carefully.

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.

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.

3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called supernatural, but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.

4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity -as masculine and feminine- and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive to the other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.

5. We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, Inner Planes, etc.-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.

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.

7. We see religion, magick, and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it-a world view and philosophy of life that we identify as Witchcraft- the Wiccan way.

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 herself or himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with nature.

9. We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role within it.

10. Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be the only way and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief.

11. As Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.

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 the Christian tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.

13. We believe that we should seek within nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.

The Power Within
There are many people who seem, very obviously, to have some sort of psychic power (for want of a better term). They are the sort who know that the telephone is going to ring before it actually does, and who is on the other end of the line before they pick up the receiver. People like Uri Geller are able to demonstrate this power in more dramatic ways, by bending keys and teaspoons without physical contact. Others have visions or seem to be able to make things happen. Often these people have a peculiar affinity with animals.
You may not be like this. You may well feel somewhat envious of such people. Yet you should not feel that way, for the power that these people have-and it is a very real power-is inherent in all of us. To be sure, that power comes out quite naturally in some, but that does not mean that it cannot be brought out in others. The aura (which will be dealt with extensively in a later lesson) is a visible manifestation of this power. Those able to see the aura-and you will become one of these-can see it around everyone; again demonstrating that the power is within everyone. Witches have always had the power and used it. Most of them seem to have it naturally, but not all, by any means. For that reason, the Witches have their own ways of drawing it out, ways that are especially effective.
In the magazine Everyday Science and Mechanics, for September 1932, appeared the following report:

Human Tissues Produce Deadly Radiations

Rays emitted from human blood, fingertips, noses and eyes, kill yeast and other microorganisms, according to Professor Otto Rahn, working at Cornell University. Yeast, such as used in making bread, was killed in five minutes merely by the radiation from the fingertips of one person. When a quartz plate, ½ inch thick, was interposed it took fifteen minutes for the yeast to die. In tests of fingers it was found that the right hand was stronger than the left, even in left handed persons.

Professor Rahn continued his experiments and published results in Invisible Radiations Of Organisms (Berlin, 1936). Speaking at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he explained how the rays seemed to come out most strongly from the fingertips, the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, the armpits, the sex organs, and-in women only-the breasts. Dr. Harold S. Burr, of Yale University, spoke of similar experiments and conclusions when addressing the Third International Cancer Congress.
Witches have always believed in this power coming from the body and have developed ways to increase it, collect it, and use it to do what we term magick. Professors Rahn and Burr showed the destructive use of this power, but it can be used equally effectively constructively.
Here is a simple experiment you can try with a friend. Have the friend strip to the waist and sit with his back to you. Now, extend your hand, with the palm down and fingers together, straight out to point at his or her back. Keep the tips of the fingers an inch or so away from the surface of the skin. Now slowly move your hand up and down along the line of his or her spine. Try to keep your arm straight and concentrate your Radiation energy felt from one body to another thoughts on sending all your energies out along your arm and into your hand and fingers. You will probably get quite a reaction from your friend as your power makes contact. He or she might feel a strong tingling sensation, heat, or even what seems like a cool breeze. He or she will feel something!

Experiment. Try with the left hand; with the fingers together; at different distances from the back. See if the person knows where your hand is. Does he or she feel it moving up when it is moving up; down when moving down? You will find that the intensity of the power varies dependent upon your physical health and also upon the time of the day and the day of the month. Keep records and note when it is the best time for you to generate energy.

Spells and Charms
Spells and charms are the part of Witchcraft most commonly used by the Solitary Witch. Spells are done by full covens, certainly, but there are very effective ones that can be done by the individual. The most important ingredient in a spell is emotion. You must want something to happen. You must want it with all your being, and through that desire, you will drive all your power into the magick. This is the reason that it is far better to do magick for yourself than to ask someone else to do it for you. If you are doing a spell for another person there is no way that you are going to put the same amount of emotional drive into it that they could.
Spells and charms are not necessarily tied in with the religious side of Witchcraft. To work a spell within the Circle, immediately following an Esbat rite would, almost certainly, be extraordinarily effective. Yet you can cast a simple Circle and work your spell at any other time and still get results.
What are the actual mechanics of casting a spell, of working magick? Let us leave that until you are somewhat better versed in the religious side; after all, Witchcraft is a religion.

Another great lesson... very thought out nd informative...

Christina Krantz
Pagan

A Witch seeks to control the forces within herself or himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with nature.

The 'as above so below' 'macrocosm-microcosm' paradigm.

Good stuff!