What
      Is
      Witchcraft
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Witchcraft
      as
      seen
      through
      traditional
      myths
      and
     
     
      stereotypes
      is
      something
      evil.
      Witches
      are
      seen
      as
     
     
      ugly
      old
      women
      flying
      around
      on
      broomsticks.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      These
      as
      other
      stereotypes
      are
      far
      from
      true.
      witches
     
     
      are
      both
      female
      and
      male,
      the
      majority
      being
      female.
     
     
      Witchcraft
      is
      not
      evil
      or
      devil
      worship.
      ‘‘All
      witches
     
     
      adamantly
      maintained
      that
      their
      beliefs
      have
      nothing
     
     
      whatsoever
      to
      do
      with
      devil
      worship
      or
      black
      magic.
     
     
      (Witches,
      Pagans
      &
      Magic
      in
      the
      New
      Age.
      Kevin
     
     
      Marron).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Witchcraft
      is
      actually
      the
      belief
      and
      worship
      of
      na-
     
     
      ture.
      Old
      Pagan
      religions
      were
      centred
      around
      na-
     
     
      ture’s
      birth,
      death,
      and
      rebirth
      of
      crops
      (summer,
      fall/
     
     
      winter
      and
      spring).
      witches
      also
      worship
      the
      Goddess
     
     
      Mother
      Earth.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Why
      do
      people
      practice
      witchcraft
      today?
      well
      there
     
     
      could
      be
      anumber
      of
      reasons
      for
      this.
      One
      could
      be
     
     
      the
      growing
      concern
      for
      the
      environment.
      People
      are
     
     
      also
      looking
      for
      alternative
      religions
      other
      than
      the
     
     
      already
      existing
      ones.
      another
      reason
      may
      be
      that
     
     
      Witchcraft
      is
      one
      of
      the
      few
      equality
      religions.
      In
     
     
      traditional
      covens
      there
      were
      thirteen
      people
      usually
     
     
      an
      equal
      number
      of
      men
      and
      women,
      plus
      high
      priest
     
     
      or
      priestess.
      Traditionally
      Witchcraft
      worshipped
     
     
      both
      a
      God
      and
      Goddess.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      main
      Festivals
      celebrated
      by
      witches
      are
      Hallow-
     
     
      een
      (Samhain)
      (October
      31)
      this
      is
      the
      festival
      of
     
     
      death
      which
      celebrates
      the
      coming
      of
      winter.
      May
     
     
      EVE
      (Beltane)
      (April
      30),
      this
      is
      the
      fertility
      festival
     
     
      this
      marks
      the
      beginning
      half
      of
      the
      year
      ruled
      by
      the
     
     
      Goddess.
      Candlemas
      (Imbolg)
      the
      light
      festival
     
     
      which
      celebrates
      the
      first
      strings
      of
      new
      life
      of
      the
     
     
      earth.
      (February
      2)
      Lammas
      (Lughnasadh)
      which
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Campus
      Women
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      celebrates
      the
      corn
      harvest
      (August
      1)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Historically
      Pagans
      who
      were
      considered
      witches
      were
     
     
      mostly
      politically
      undesirable
      people.
      These
      people
     
     
      were
      also
      seen
      as
      a
      threat
      to
      the
      growing
      Christian
     
     
      religion.
      women
      were
      among
      those
      who
      ‘‘threatened’
     
     
      the
      men
      within
      the
      church.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘*Historians
      differ
      as
      to
      how
      many
      people
      were
     
     
      burned
      at
      the
      stake
      in
      Europe,
      or
      hanged
      under
      Eng-
     
     
      lish
      law,
      for
      Witchcraft.
      They
      also
      disagree
      about
     
     
      whether
      these
      people
      were
      witches,
      heretics
      or
      simply
     
     
      politically
      undesirable
      people.
      Although
      both
      men
     
     
      and
      women
      were
      executed
      as
      witches,
      the
      vast
      major-
     
     
      ity
      were
      women.
      This
      is
      partly
      a
      reflection
      of
      the
      face
     
     
      that
      many
      of
      the
      practitioners
      of
      folk
      magic
      and
     
     
      leaders
      of
      Pagan
      religious
      groups
      were
      female,
      but
     
     
      there
      are
      also
      other
      reasons
      powerful
      women,
      like
     
     
      Joan
      of
      Arc,
      were
      branded
      as
      witches.
      Midwives
      and
     
     
      herbal
      healers
      were
      regarded
      as
      a
      threat
      to
      the
      grow-
     
     
      ing
      body
      of
      professional
      male
      physicians.
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Many
      of
      those
      killed
      as
      witches
      were
      widows
      whose
     
     
      husbands
      had
      been
      killed
      in
      war.
      They
      were
      seen
      as
     
     
      surplus
      women
      and
      they
      were
      persecuted,
      either
     
     
      because
      other
      people
      coveted
      their
      property
      or,
      if
      the
     
     
      had
      no
      property,
      because
      they
      were
      regarded
      asa
     
     
      burden
      on
      the
      community.’’
      (Witches,
      Pagans
      &
     
     
      Magic
      in
      the
      New
      Age.
      Kevin
      Marron)
      For
      this
     
     
      reason
      witches
      had
      to
      take
      their
      religion
      underground
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      (practice
      in
      secrecy).
      the
      fear
      of
      persecution
      made
      i
     
    
   
   
    
     
      these
      people
      distrust
      others
      and
      become
      secretive
     
     
      which
      is
      likely
      the
      reason
      there
      is
      so
      much
      confusion
     
     
      surrounding
      witchcraft
      today.
      This
      also
      helped
      to
      —
     
     
      create
      the
      stereotype
      of
      Devil
      Worshippers
      because
     
     
      there
      was/is
      so
      much
      mystery
      and
      secrecy
      surroundif
     
     
      witchcraft.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Witchcraft
      is
      slowly
      reviving
      itself
      as
      an
      alternati
      e
     
     
      religion.
      eS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      X-P
      RESS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      31,
      1991
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Pagel