Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
10 Things I Love About Witchcraft

10 Things I Love About Witchcraft

Last updated on: May 25, 2017 at 11:03 am by Jason Mankey

10 Things I Love About Witchcraft 2017-05-25T11:03:55-06:00 Jason Mankey

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

When I’m faced with doubt and uncertainty I find solace in Witchcraft. When my world seems to be spinning out of control I look to my Craft for comfort and guidance. Witchcraft can’t fix everything, but it can make things feel a whole lot better. Witchcraft offers an escape when the world gets to be just too much, but it also empowers so that we might have the courage to face that world and change it.

Witchcraft offers a world full of possibilities. I believe in science, but I also believe that fairy-folk live in my backyard and that the souls of the dead sometimes gather around me. In circle I’ve asked for angels to watch over my rites, and at the bar Dionysus has literally shown up to bring change into my world. As a Witch there’s also something brewing in my cauldron and right outside my backdoor.

When I’m unsure about the future I can consult the Tarot or scry with a mirror. Some parts of our society no doubt scoff at such things, but not most Witches. Our world is big, open, and still full of mystery. There are things we can explain, and those we can’t, and we’ll use either/or to empower our lives and give it meaning.

“Allegory of Fortune” by Salvator Rosa. From WikiMedia.

The history of Modern Witchcraft is full of strong and inspiring individuals. While Witches and Pagans are still very much a minority in today’s world, more people than ever are aware of our existence. We’ve been referenced on The Simpsons (“It’s called Wicca and it’s empowering!”) and Samhain-season generally sees us in all sorts of news articles and even sometimes on television. We’ve come a long way in just seventy years. But what must have it been like to be a Witch in 1953? Or even 1971?

I marvel at the strength possessed by women such as Doreen Valiente who stood proudly for the Craft long before it was fashionable. I salute pioneers like Dr. Leo Martello who fought for both gay and Witch rights back in 1969 when doing such things could literally destroy one’s life. As we face challenging times ahead I think of those individuals and countless others who stood up in the face of oppression and religious bigotry and helped to establish our community today.

Our mythology is potent and timeless. The story of the Burning Times that many of us grew up with is more mythology than historical fact, but that doesn’t make the tale any less powerful. The lesson to be learned with our Burning Times mythology is that Witches are strong, and will overcome no matter what obstacles are put in their way. Even when faced with death, we will hold onto our Craft and honor our traditions.

And as a Witch world mythology speaks truth to me. Tales of Greek Goddesses and Gods aren’t just stories, they are windows into our world and into the very nature of the gods. Cerridwen stirring her cauldron is more than just a fantasy spun by the bards of old, it’s an invitation to conjure up our own magicks.

Witchcraft has given me a chosen family. My coven is a family, and it’s a family I’ve chosen to be a part of. I wasn’t born into it, I came to it, and it to me. It’s a safe space where I don’t have to worry about some crazy uncle spouting nonsense at the dinner table. It’s a group of people that hold me up when I’m feeling down, and it’s a group of people that I’ll fight for until this body runs out of breath.

Most spiritual paths don’t allow us to choose those in our congregation. The Christian church of my youth was made up of hundreds of individuals, and many of them were the kind of people I didn’t want to break bread next to. As a Wiccan-Witch I’ve been given the power to choose my family, and I”m so happy to have that family right now.

“The Oxbow, View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, After a Thunderstorm” by Cole Thomas. From WikiMedia and the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Witchcraft connects me to the natural world. Mundane religions pay lip-service to the changing of the seasons, but Witches feel the turn of the Wheel. The energies of the world stirl and swirl around me when Summer gives way to Autumn, and I feel the power of life stir and call when Winter transitions into Spring.

Witchcraft has made me acutely aware of nature and my place within it. I’m not this world’s master, I’m simply a part of it. When we wound the Earth we wound ourselves. Too many other belief systems seek dominion over the Earth, I know that it has dominion over me.

As a Witch I walk between the worlds. I think we often forget just how powerful a well cast circle is. It’s not just a container for energies or a way to signify sacred space, it’s a portal between the worlds. In my circle I walk amongst deities and mortals. I stand side to side with angels and elemental energies. I wield power both alone and with others, and I can send that power to the farthest corners of the known universe.

There is something indescribably beautiful about sharing a space with deity. In that space between the worlds I have been held by a goddess and received her counsel, and I have seen things normally kept hidden from human eyes. It’s easy to trivialize a “time that is not a time and a place that is not a place” but it’s a very real part of Witchcraft.

Witches transform what we touch. Witches have the power to change the world. Perhaps it’s not always in the big sweeping ways we might like, but even the small things matter. In circle when I wield my athame I transform simple items such as salt and water into tools of purification. When we smile and treat everyone around us with dignity and grace we also transform things.

There’s a popular bumper sticker that contains the words “Witches Heal.” What is healing if not transformation? Let’s heal those who are hurt and make our world a better place in the process.

Witchcraft is about work. I like to think that in my coven we “do the work.” But what exactly is the work? Certainly much of that work has been directed inward over the years. It’s the exploration of the self that allows us to become better people, better magicians, and grow closer to our deities, but it’s also about external things as well.

It’s about using our energies to try and bring about change in this world and for those we love. It’s about sending love and comfort to the sick, and trying to protect those who are vulnerable. It’s about learning to love and letting go of silly and nonsensical prejudices. Witchcraft improves not just the spirit, but also the heart.

“The Veneration of Venus” by Peter Paul Rubens. From WikiMedia.

My deities are strong. I do not believe that my gods are all powerful, but I believe they are strong. They were strong enough to re-emerge after being ignored and neglected for several centuries by we humans, and today they are strong enough to stand beside us and lend their energies to our own. When I’m at my wits end I look towards the quiet power of Cernunnos and the ever-pouring love of Aphrodite.

In circle the deities we call upon share their energies with us so that we might change this world and our circumstances for the better. In a world with billions of voices and oh so much noise, my deities reached out to me so that I might hear them and draw closer to them. To me that’s power and it’s a power that has served us all well.

Witchcraft celebrates joy. For a Witch sex is not a purity challenge or something to whisper about in back hallways. It’s something to be celebrated both within and without the circle. It’s something special, sacred, pleasurable, and even fun. It’s a way to grow closer to those we love, and something to simply enjoy when we partner with someone looking for the same.

As a Witch it’s easy to look around this world and be angry. Our neighbors are often treated as second-class citizens, and we’ve all seen loved ones vilified for simply being who they are. But there are still moments of joy to be found in our day to day existence. There are sunsets and super moons, waterfalls and ocean tides, and so many other beautiful things. May we long recognize the beauty and the gifts of this Earth and this mortal life and celebrate them, no matter how dangerous the road ahead might be.

Previous Post

November 9, 2016

The Republic Will Survive, I'm Not Sure About My Friends

Next Post

November 16, 2016 Faces of the Horned God: Cernunnos

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Editorializing Gateways to Paganism Guest Posts Holiday Histories Led Zeppelin News and Views Occult Pagan Pagan TV Club Paganism polytheism Ramble On Reviews Ritual Strange Days Uncategorized

Select a Month August 2026 March 2026 February 2026 November 2025 September 2025 August 2025 April 2025 August 2024 April 2024 February 2024 December 2023 October 2023 August 2023 June 2023 May 2023 January 2023 October 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 April 2012 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Pharisee" mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Holy one Teacher Healer Separated one