Sunday, November 18, 2012

WITCHCRAFT


~Witchcraft~


 I've practiced a lot of witchcraft in my life. I started doing it at a young age. I haven't done any witchcraft in a long, long, time though. Here is some information about witchcraft that you might find interesting.


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DIFFERENT FORMS OF WITCHCRAFT

Quote:
"Alexandrian - Founded in England during the 1960's by Alexander Sanders, self-proclaimed "King of the Witches". An offshoot of Gardnerian, Alexandrian covens focus strongly upon training, emphasizing on areas more generally associated with ceremonial magic, such as Qabalah, Angelic Magic and Enochian........." 
"Celtic - The Celtic path is really many traditions under the general heading of "Celtic." It encompasses Druidism, Celtic Shamanism, Celtic Wicca or Witta, the Grail Religion, and Celtic Christianity or Culdees. Each path is unique and stand alone meld together with another and still be part of the Celtic tradition. It is primarily derived from the ancient pre Christian Celtic religion of Gaul and the British Isles............"
"Ceremonial - Uses a great deal of Ceremonial Magick in practices. Mostly derived from the works of Aleister Crowley. Detailed rituals with a flavor of Egyptian magick are popular, as Qabalistic ritual forms......." 
"Dianic - This is the most feminist Craft Tradition. Most Dianic covens worship the Goddess exclusively (Diana and Artemis are the most common manifestations) and most today are women only. Rituals are eclectic; some are derived from Gardnerian and Faery traditions, while others have been created anew. Emphasis is on rediscovering and reclaiming female power and divinity, consciousnes-raising, and combining politics with spirituality. The Dianic Craft included two distinct branches:............."
 "Eclectic - Refers to groups and individuals who do not fully adhere to one specific form of Paganism. They choose to incorperate some beliefs, practices, rituals etc, of a few, or many paths to form a unique one that suits their spiritual needs...."
"Faery/Faerie/Fairy/Feri -  It is an ecstatic, rather than fertility tradition, emphasizing on polytheism, practical magic, self-development and theurgy. Strong emphasis is placed on sensual experience and awareness,including sexual mysticism, which is not limited to heterosexual expression. This is a mystery traditionof power, mystery, danger, ecstasy, and direct communication with divinity. Most initiates are inthe arts and incorporate their own poetry, music and invocations into rituals. The Tradition isgender-equal,.........." 
"Gardnerian - Gardnerian covens are always headed by a High Priestess and have three degrees of initiation closely paralleling the Masonic degrees. Worship is centered on the Goddess and the Horned God. The tradition emphasizes polarity in all things, fertility, and the cycle of birth-death-rebirth. Eight seasonal Sabbats are observed, and the Wiccan Rede is the guiding principle. Power is raised through scourging and sex magick ("The Great Rite"), as well as meditation, chanting, astral projection, dancing, wine and cords. Designed for group/coven work, through solitary workings have been created. Covens work skyclad........."
"Minonian Brotherhood - The Brotherhood remains exclusively a venue for Gay men to explore a traditional ritual Witchcraft, one which can foster a similar, though Gay, sexual mysticism and sense of personal empowerment as in some British traditions of Wicca. As the founder was a Gardnerian initiate, the rituals are roughly Gardnerian, with changes to accommodate a different core mythology and ritual custom.. Imagery and deities are those of Ancient Crete and Mycenae............."
 "Shamanic Witchcraft - Shamanic Witchcraft emphasizes serving the wider community through rituals, herbalism, spellcraft, healings, counseling, rites of passage, handfastings, Mystery initiations, etc. The distinguishing element of Shamanic Witchcraft is the knowledge and sacramental use of psychotropic plants to effect transitions between worlds. The theory and practice of Shamanic Witchcraft has permeated widely though out many other established Traditions............."
"Stregheria - Stregheria is the form of witchcraft native to Italy; there are several distinct traditions sharing common roots, in various parts of Italy. Also called, La Vecchia Religione, Stregheria is a nature-based religion, it's followers worship the forces of Nature, personified as gods and goddesses..........."
"Wiccan Shamanism - Founded by Selena Fox in the 1980's. Ecumenical and multicultural focus. Combination of Wicca, humanistic psychology and a variety of shamanistic practices from around the world. Emphasis on healing. Uses traditional shamanistic techniques to change consciousness, such as drumming and ecstatic dancing......"

SOURCE: READ MORE: 
http://www.pathcom.com/~newmoon/diff.htm

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Quote:
"Druidic - Neo-Druids are polytheistic worshipers of Mother Earth. Very little is known today about ancient Druidism and there are many gaps in the writings that have been found...... Druidic ritual often employs sacrifices to the Mother Goddess. These sacrifices often include grain, sometimes meat. These ritual sacrifices are often accompanied by a verse not unlike the following: "Earth Mother, giver of life we return to you a measure of the bounty you have provided may you be enriched and your wild things be preserved....." 
"Pictish - Pictish witchcraft is nature-based with little emphasis on religion, Gods, or Goddesses. It is much like Celtic witchcraft, only the traditions are Scottish. Pictish witches perform solitary and rarely, if ever work in groups or covens......" 
"Pow-Wow - Here is a term I rarely hear when referring to witchcraft. This tradition is based on old German magic. Today, it is considered a system of faith healing and can be applied to most any religion....." 
"Teutonic - A Nordic tradition of witchcraft that includes beliefs and practices from many cultures including Swedish, Dutch, and Icelandic....."
Wicca - Probably the most popular form of witchcraft. Wicca is highly religious in nature and has a good balance between religion/ceremonial magic and nature. Wiccans believe in a God and Goddess who are equal in all things, although some may lean more toward the Dianic form of Wicca, worshipping only the Goddess or lowering the God to an "assistant" status. Wiccans commonly form covens and rarely work alone."


SOURCE: READ MORE: 
http://www.witchcrafted.org/aboutw.htm#3

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Quote:
"Santeria - In Santeria, there is a great Creator Deity but it is the Orishas that are directly worshiped. The Orishas are comparable to the Catholic saints, and they often have similar traits and characteristics. For example, Elegba and St. Anthony are closely connected as patrons over roads, transportation and gateways......"
"Vodou - Though many people call it Voodoo, the more accurate name is Vodun or Vodou. It's a religion similar to Santeria as a mixture of Christian and African beliefs but it has gotten a lot more negative exposure from TV and movies. Vodou came from African with slaves and is primarily practiced in Haiti as well as some African nations.
There is one unknowable Deity figure, Olorun and the lesser spirits who are worshiped and prayed to are called the Loa (or the Lwa). Again, they are similar to many saints but the connection is not as strong as in Santeria............"

SOURCE: READ MORE:
 http://www.free-witchcraft-spells.com/african-witchcraft.html


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There are many more types of witchcraft. Feel free to do some of your own research. There are plenty of websites about the different forms of witchcraft out there.

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WHAT IS WITCHCRAFT?

Quote:
"Witchcraft, as the name suggest, is a ‘craft’ practised by witches. The reason why it is called witchcraft and not wizard craft is that it was mostly practiced by women in ancient times. So in a way, witch craft is usually associated with women."

Quote:
"Witchcraft, in fact, was known as the ‘The Craft of the Wise.”’ It was so called because those who practised it lived close to the nature and cured the diseases of the people, a service that nobody else could render. Because these witches stayed close to nature, they over a period of time, were able to decode the healing properties of various herbs and plants."

Quote:
"Witchcraft is actually a ‘craft’ and not a religion. The religion that the witches follow is called Wicca. Since the basic principles and beliefs of witchcraft are also followed in Wicca, therefore, witchcraft is generally identified with religion."

SOURCE: READ MORE:
 http://www.awakethewitch.com/witchcraft.html

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Quote:
"Witchcraft, Wicca, the Craft, the Craft of the Wise are all terms used by modern Witches.Witchcraft today is a renewed version of the Old Religion, with it roots based in the Palaeolithic worship of the Spirit of the Hunt and reverence for the Triple Goddess Maiden, Mother and Crone."

Quote:
"Witches may be female or male.  Male Witches are not called warlocks or wizards or anything else out of fairy tales or other fiction.Witches may work on their own, with a partner, or in a group, sometimes called a Coven.Group working has the advantage of being able to combine the energies raised, rather like putting several batteries together, to create greater power. Some groups are working groups only, others accept and train newcomers to the Craft."

Quote:
"Witches also observe the cycle of the Moon; from new (Maiden) through full (Mother), to waxing and dark (Crone).  The Maiden is fresh and new, and enthusiasm.  She is joy and life, and perhaps not all that careful!  The Mother is caring and sharing,  tending and knowing.  She  too has her fierce side - never come between a mother and her child.  She is protective, but with reason, she loves, fiercely and wildly and powerfully.  The Crone has always been feared as "she who knows"........"

Quote:
"Most controversial of all, Witches practice magic; this ability to change people, things and events by force of will, is often considered scary, but it is in reality no more frightening than the power of prayer.  True magic is not a matter of controlling others, for to change the path of another would be to interfere with their freedom of will and would be a source of, at least potential, harm.  Magic is rather the ability to change what happens by true balance and control of the self.  Magic must ever be able to be turned inwards, before it can ever work outwards....."

SOURCE: READ MORE:
http://kate-west.webs.com/whatiswitchcraft.htm

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Quote:
"Historically, benevolent workers of magic were referred to by a variety of other terms and were accepted and even respected members of their communities."
"In the 20th century, witchcraft started to take on a more generic and ethically neutral meaning. People started speaking of good witches and bad witches, with "witch" simply denoting a worker of magic, particularly practical magic. Witchcraft is one of several forms of modern magic. Witchcraft tends to focus on emotion over strict ritual. It also tends to use everyday items and is often practical in nature. It borrows from folk magic - that is, the magic of common people throughout history - much more extensively than from ceremonial magic, although there can certainly be some overlap...."

SOURCE: READ MORE:
 http://altreligion.about.com/od/glossary/g/Witchcraft.htm

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Another great source about witchcraft is:
"Buckland's Complete Book Of Witchcraft" 
by Raymond Buckland. 
This truly is a great book and source if you want to learn more about witchcraft. You can find it on Amazon.com




- Rachel Livingston

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