The Craft by Michelle Morgan

I wanted to share a section of Michelle Morgan's Simple Wicca with you guys. I have showed this to my family to explain Wicca to them better than I could myself.

In truth, there is nothing simple about Wicca. It is a religion, a science, an art, a means of spiritual and self-expression, and a way of life. It is both ancient and contemporary, traditional and ever-changing. There are as many ways to be Wiccan as there are Wiccans; spiritual truths are the sole proprietorship of the individual.

Wicca, known also as Witchcraft or the Craft of the Wise, is a beautiful and sacred religion, centuries older than Judeo-Christian theosophy. Based on reverence for the Earth and all living creatures, Wicca emphasizes harmony, respect for the rhythms of nature, and the worship of both male and female aspects of Divinity. At the heart of Wicca is the law “Harm None;” in its souls lies the understanding, expression, and tangible experience of magic.

In light of the stereotypes and misconceptions surrounding Witches, it’s easy to understand the fear, prejudice, and outright hatred sent our way. But I find it incredibly sad how many people in this day and age are so unenlightened, and even sadder still that so many, even when presented with the truth, choose to remain unenlightened.

That said, here’s what Witches are not: Green. Wart-covered. Able to turn innocent victims into mice, toads, or garden statuary. We do not drink blood, eat small children, nor do we sacrifice anything at the crossroads at midnight. We do not take part in any kind of sexual perversion, nor do we seek power through the suffering or oppression of others. We do not put curses or hexes on people, nor do we force, coerce, or magically control anyone against their will. We do not stick pins in dolls, put poison in apples, or raise the dead. We do not have magical “powers;” we can’t throw fire from our fingertips, stop time, or conjure objects from thin air. We do not destroy or deface the symbols of other religions, and we do not worship the Devil. Most important, we never, ever, hurt people, either physically, mentally, spiritually, or magically.

Why do the lies persist? We belong to a culture that thrives on fear, and the original corruption of the Pagan faiths, which began as a power play by the medieval Church, has been kept alive and well to a tragic degree ever since.

Witches, for the most part, are fairly ordinary people; generally speaking, you can’t tell a Witch simply by appearances. What sets Witches apart, however, is how they live their lives. Wicca teaches you to look at the world through magical eyes, to see the fabulous in the mundane, to care for and tend your days with consciousness. At the root of Wicca is the word wic, meaning “to bend” or “shape.” Witches bend and shape the innate laws and energies of nature through ritual, prayer, and spellcasting, to produce positive ends in the physical world. This is the essence of magics, and magic is the lifeblood of the Craft.

Scott Cunningham defines magic as “the projection of natural energies to produce needed results.” Magic is the focused use of language, will, action, and emotion, and the shifting of consciousness to achieve spiritual communion.

All religions practice magic in some form, through the rites and ceremonies performed by their priests. Wicca embraces magic as a spiritual practice for everyone, and Witches work with magic consciously and deliberately. Prayer is a form of magic. Chanting, singing, dancing, affirmations, meditation, visualization- all are magical in nature. A ritual or spell is merely a corporeal prayer, the magical aspects of which are made all the more powerful by physical interpretation.

The word religion means to “re-link” or “bind back.” As a Pagan, or nature, religion, Wicca links us to the original concepts of deity by our earliest ancestors, the idea that God or Spirit resides in all things, and within each of us as spiritual beings. In Wicca, there is no separation between human and Spirit. Rather than some far-off unreachable, omnipotent being, God is manifest in a hundred miraculous ways, in the day-to-day rituals of life as well as the larger, more mystical patterns of the universe.

Wicca sees the Earth as a living Goddess who blesses us and must be nurtured and cared for in return. Wiccans honor and work with the cycles of nature and the seasons rather than trying to dominate their environment. The Wheel of the Year, the Wiccan sacred calendar, is marked by eight festivals that celebrate the eternal circle of life, as witnessed in nature by the changing of the seasons and the natural cycles of birth, maturation, death, and resurrection.

Because of this deep connection to the Earth and her mysteries, natural lifestyle choices are common among Witches. Ecological issues are of great importance, as are social issues such as equality of the sexes and racial diversity. The feminist movement in the late 1960s had a great deal to do with the resurrection of the Craft and the Goddess religions, bringing a much-needed counterbalance to the patriarchal systems that have dominated Western culture for centuries. Though still bucking the tide in some regards, Wicca continues to make significant marks in the areas of personal and global responsibility, environmental action, and multicultural relations.

Wicca is a highly individualistic and experiential faith, with a strong ethical code based on moral and personal responsibility. There is no “confession” or absolution of sins by an outside authority; instead, Wiccans are required to face up to their actions, admit their mistakes, and set things right whenever they can. Wiccans also believe in reincarnation, which deepens their commitment to personal and spiritual growth, and to learning from all experiences.

Another aspect that differentiates a Witch is the practice of intuitive and psychic abilities. In the Craft, you learn to work with all the senses, and to become especially attuned to your instinctual voice through the use of divinatory tools. Many Witches focus on specific methods of meditation and achieving altered states of consciousness in their ritual and magical workings. Tarot cards, pendulums, crystals, and runes are tools commonly used by Witches to access the realms of psychic perception.

Unlike organized Judeo-Christian religions, Wicca adheres to very few set precepts or doctrines. Rather, there are certain beliefs held sacred by all Wiccans, from which the individual Craft traditions and practices spring. The lack of absolutes by no means indicates a lack of conviction; because Wicca’s system of ethics comes from personal honor rather than imposed dogma, Wiccans are highly committed to “walking their talk” in all aspects of life.

One of the most fascination aspects of the Craft is its autonomous, eclectic approach to worship, encouraging followers to develop a personal religious practice, gleaned from one’s own experiences, wisdom, and instincts. A sense of spiritual diversity is key to the Craft, as Wicca is polytheistic in nature.

Wicca respects the idea that different spiritual beliefs works for different people. In fact, many Witches add aspects of other religious systems, such as Native American Shamanism or Buddhism, to their rituals and practices. Others work closely with Catholic saints, angels, and Jesus Christ. Religion is a language of spirituality, and Wiccans are definitely multilingual!

Another distinguishing factor of the Wiccan path is the acknowledgement, and even celebration, of Darkness. Darkness, in the Craft, is not the Devil or Satan or anything evil. It is the night, death, the dark of the Moon before She comes round to new again; the understanding that for every creation there is an inevitable cycle of entropy. Wicca is nature based and, just as in nature, when plants die, compost down into the Earth, and serve to nourish new growth, the Darkness honored in Wicca is a natural part of life.

Indeed, not only do Witches not worship the Devil, Witches don’t even believe in the Devil! Because of the Craft’s tenets regarding personal responsibility and morality, the concept of an Absolute Evil doesn’t hold any water with Witches. Besides, Satan is a Christian fallen angel, not a Pagan god, and while some Witches adopt certain aspects of other religions, Old Scratch is definitely not a candidate.

Finally, Wicca is fun! The joyful, celebratory nature of the Craft invites the child in all of us to come out and play, to meet Spirit with a sense of innocence and wonder, And the act of performing magic is pure enchantment. Think childhood treasure hunts, games of make-believe and storytelling; Faerie dust and bubbles, candlelight, ribbons, and wishes, and lavender ink on handmade paper. Of course, there is also a serious side to magic, and to the Craft- concentration, intent, energy projection. But even in the serious moments, Wicca incites the imagination, engages the soul, and helps you put your energies into creative, tangible focus.

A definitely must read for those who have a skewed opinion of our beliefs. I live in a small farming town, mostly made up of Baptists and Methodists, and am not really sure if I will ever be able to come out of the broom closet LOL. A definate good read though