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introduction to wicca and witchcraft  wicca 1
the cult or practice of witchcraftwitchcraft 1 the art or power of bringing magical or preternatural power to bear or the act or practise of attempting to do so. 2 the influence of magic or sorcery. 3 fascinating or bewitching influence or charm. An Introduction to Witchcraft By Amber Moon  Witchcraft
is a nature based religion, it dates far back before the birth of
Christianity and other religions, and in fact many of the pagan
festivals have been taken and adapted into other religions, such as
Yule (Christmas) and Oestara (Easter).There are many types of witch, and many ways of practising the craft, but there are common threads, which link them all together. the goddess & the god Witches believe that the divine is both female and male. respect for nature As mentioned above, witchcraft is a nature-based religion. They have tremendous respect for all things natural, be it animals, the environment and tress, plants, rivers and oceans. spiritual choice Witches believe that everyone is entitled to their own spiritual choice, and would never try to convert anyone to their way of life. personal responsibility Witches believe that we are all responsible for our own actions. We cannot blame any outside forces for what we do. personal development All witches are responsible for their own personal development. This takes a lot of dedication to continue your development, possibly this may take up a lifetime. the elements Witches incorporate the elements into their workings. The elements are Earth, Air, Fire and Water, together with the fifth element spirit (ourselves). The elements are used in magic and rituals, and are an essential part to working the craft. the cycle of the moon The phases or aspects of the moon are also important in witchcraft. The different phases are incorporated into the magic and rituals just as the elements are. Witches see the moon as an ever-repeating cycle of the goddess; the goddess has three aspects, maiden, mother and crone. This relates to the fact that everything has a beginning, middle, and an end. the sabbats and wheel of the year  Witches celebrate eight seasonal festivals or
sabbats31 OCTOBER SAMHAIN ... all souls ... all hallows eve ... halloween. pronounced 'sow'ain' This is the most important festival in the witches year. In the wheel of the year it symbolises the start of it (like our New Year) and marks the death of the old year. With winter setting in the veil between the two worlds (living & dead) is at its thinnest so divination and communication with the dead is usually done around this time. The wild hunt begins. This is when the horned god rides out with his hounds to gather up all the souls who are left behind or are unwary. This continues throughout the winter months. The goddess takes on the role of 'crone' or 'wise one' ... this means that we should look to her for guidance and wisdom. Greeting and celebrating those who have gone before us. YULE 21 december ... the winter solstice ... christmas shortest day/longest night it is an astronomical event so dates vary from year to year the rebirth of the sun the oak king lord of the summer is reborn IMBOLG 2 february ... Imbolic, oimelc, festival of bride (pronounced 'breed'), festival of bridgit, candle mass the first signs of spring the word imbolg means 'belly' the word oimelc means' ewes milk' a time when the earth is made pregnant with the promise of summer fruitfulness and the harvest to come. Goddess returns as the maiden a time for new life and growth OESTARA 21 march ... oestre, eostar, the spring equinox the names above are used to associate the Anglo-Saxon dawn goddess whose symbols are the egg and hare balance where day and night are now equal seek balance within ourselves get rid of old habits and take on the new BELTANE 1 may ... beltan, bealtaine, walpurgisnacht, may day second most important festival in the witches calendar again the veil between the worlds is thin a time of mischief! The festival of the fire god Bel goddess takes on role of mother the god come down to reign beside her again marriage of goddess and god are celebrated fertility a traditional time for hand fasting (pagan marriage) may day celebrations LITHA 21 june ... the summer solstice longest day, shortest night holly king reigns a time for reflection the peak of the suns power and the start of the suns decline. LAMMAS 1 august ... lughnasadh, loaf mass festival of the dying and rising god lughnasadh (pronounced 'loo-nass-uh) is the commemoration of the death and subsequent resurrection of the Celtic sun god Lugh a time to make sure we have enough for the months to come time to consider the positives in life (count your blessings so to speak) MADRON 21 september ... the autumn equinox, harvest festival again balance between night and days are equal harvest time release old regrets and arguments a time for forgiveness magic Witches believe in and practise magic. The magic they practise is not that of stage magic, but a very real force, that can be used to change the life of the witch and of those around her. three fold return The law of threefold return mans that anything you do whether it be good or bad, will be returned to you threefold. divination Witches practice different kind of divination, they use their intuition, the aspects of the moon and their wisdom to produce very accurate and meaningful readings, for themselves and for others who seek their guidance. Some forms of divination are, the tarot, scrying, the pendulum, the witches runes, tea laves, and the crystal ball. the summerland's All witches believe that when they die they will go to the summer lands. This is a place where they will rest and go and learn, and gain more wisdom and insight before being reincarnated into another body to do more work on earth. the wiccan rede Finally witches all adhere to the Wiccan Rede, this is the rule that witches follow.
This is only a brief introduction to the craft, if you need to know more, there are lots of sites on the internet and great books to read. You can also visit my site, where i have more on the magical mysteries of witchcraft and all things enchanted : www.mystic-moon.co.uk Blessed Be xx amber moon |
