malleus
*A Witch is born, and not made; or if one is to be made, then tears must be spilt before the moon can be drawn. For the Lady chooses whom she wills to be Her Lover, and those She loves the most, She rends apart before making them Wise.*(attributed to Robert Cochrane/Roy Bowers). Contrary to popular belief, Witches do not fly around on Broomsticks (a misrepresentation of Fertility Rituals, where the Pagan women folk would jump over a plant whilst straddling a Broomstick (hobby horse fashion) to show the crops how high to grow, and journeys to the Astral Plane that have included the feelings of flying, and the use of hallucinogenic herbal potions which brought about visions). Nor do we practice Devil worship (or Satanism) for the Devil is a Christian concept, and one we are happy not to share! Neither are we Evil hag's, bent, old and decrepit (for we come in all ages, sizes, sexes and races!). Nor do we cast spells to turn others into frogs! Not only is this unwise (cos they'd be too many frogs around!), but also goes against common sense, which tells us that we will have to take responsibility for our own actions, (and for Wiccan's, the Rede, which dictates how those of us who consider ourselves Wiccan Witches believe our behaviour should be!)Witchcraft is the actual practice of the Old Ways, that of the Healing Arts that were the trade of the Village Wise woman, the use of Divination and other Magickal tools. It can be Hereditary, that of the Family Tradition, or that of the Traditional form, and although uses Ritual, Magick and other things that are found in the newer Wiccan form of Religion, has one main difference, that of not conforming to the Karmic Law of return that Wiccan's believe in. Most Witches will instead accept that they have to self-justify their own actions, taking responsibility for what they do unto others, whereas in Wicca, we believe in the Three Fold Law, and have the rule 'An it harm none, Do as Ye Will', whereas the Witchcraft equivalent states 'Do what Ye Wilt, An know What Ye Do!'Wicca is the modern recreation of the Pagan Religion of the Old Ways, a subtle but real distinction! Those of us that consider ourselves Wiccan are following the resurgence of the Goddess based Worship and Religions of our distant Ancestors, as formulated by Gerald Gardener (and others) in the 1950's, using the term Wicca in it's 'new' sense (as that of a Religion, rather than as the term that was a root of the word Witch), reclaiming that which was taken from our Ancestors by the Christian Church. If you'd asked me when I first started to look into Paganism I'd have said that Witchcraft and Wicca were one and the same thing, that to be a Witch you had to be Wiccan, later I'd have said that a Witch was someone who used the Old Ways but didn't necessarily follow a Pagan religious Path, yet nowadays I'm certainly aware of many other different views, and although I consider myself a Wiccan Witch, am fully aware that others may consider themselves Witches without ascribing to the Wiccan religion! After all, there are those that consider themselves Christians, but use Healing techniques that are derived from the Old Knowledge that was an integral part of Witchcraft, and during Medieval times Witchcraft was certainly practiced by many who considered themselves Christian! The history of Witchcraft has been so tainted by historians throughout the years, in articles and books so blatantly filled with prejudice and fear, that it's hard to uncover the truth. But as more and more brave souls step forward and proudly proclaim themselves as Pagans, Witches and Wiccan's we are beginning to learn more about our ancestry. Tens of thousands of years ago, our ancestors lived close to the land. They hunted and harvested fruits and seeds from their environment, and their respect for the creatures sharing the Earth was a constant point of reference in their day-to-day existence. Because the world of our ancestors was a magical place filled with the spirits of plants and animals, and because their experience had shown them that cooperation was more efficient than working alone, it was only natural that a bond of cooperation with nature would be sought by them. Thus was born the world's oldest religion: Paganism, in it's many forms, including Witchcraft. During the following centuries this religion developed naturally and easily to fit the needs of the People. As closer bonds were developed with nature, rituals became more complex and the ability to accurately communicate with nature spirits was designated to 'The Wicca' (variously accredited as a term derived from the Saxon 'Wycce', Indo-European 'Weik' or 'Wikk' - meaning having to do with Magick and / or Religion, and the Middle German 'Widden' - meaning to predict by Magickal means) - in it's original meaning of "the wise ones" (rather than it's newer meaning of those who follow the Goddess / Nature based Religion formulated by Gardener in the 1950's). These men and women held the secrets for the community, sharing wisdom and power and leading the rituals during the Sabbats - the holy days that mark the turning of the wheel of the year. With the advent of Christianity, several things changed and we feel those repercussions even today. This new, man-made religion (in terms of its highly organized and institutionalized ways) focused on a single God as opposed to a pantheon of Goddesses and Gods that had developed naturally over hundreds of generationsAccording to Joseph Campbell, monotheism is the single most dangerous idea humans have ever had because this new God is a being we cannot relate to in any way. Rather than interacting with people, this God dictates from a position of formlessness and timelessness. This God has no personality to relate to, no idiosyncrasies to show us that our own quirks are acceptable. Is it any wonder that the monks, nuns, missionaries, bishops and priests of the early church were seen as erratic, pointless souls lost in a belief they could neither explain nor understand?The spread of Christianity was not as lightning fast as our history books would have us believe. Rather, women and men of power were converted first and the force of their will was imposed on the People - sometimes on entire countries. When the People refused to give up the Old Religion, Pope Gregory the Great issued an order to destroy the sites of worship associated with the Old Religion and replace them with Christian churches. The Old Religion was seen as a rival to the Christian march toward world domination, so the ugly rumours began in earnest. No one could have been more surprised at the accusations of "devil-worship" directed at the Pagans than the Pagans themselves. Until the moment they were cursed, they had no concept of a devil. Satan was a Christian import and the history books are full of examples of the "winner-take-all" philosophy of the Christians. Throughout history the Gods of the defeated become the devils of the victors, and so it was in this case. The Great One, the Horned God Herne (or, depending upon your Pantheon, Pan, Cernunnos, etc) became the epitome of Satan - horned, cloven hooves, etc., etc. By the time Pope Innocent VIII took office, the cards were stacked against our ancestors and the followers of the Old Religion. Pope Innocent issued a Bull against Witches in 1484. And in 1486 two German monks submitted a filthy, obscene, personally-conceived document against Witches that changed the course of history. This document is the "The Witch's Hammer" - a title that still sends chills up and down the spine of pagans and Witches today. The holocaust against Witches began in earnest with its publication, and this time of hysteria is nowadays called The Burning Times. (Ironically, their manuscript was rejected by the Theosophical Council as "crazy" and the monks forged the signatures of approval: a fact that was not made public for over 400 years.)During the Burning Times, an estimated nine million people (some of whom were undoubtedly Witches, but the majority were innocents that composed the Midwives (whose role was being sought by the newer male dominated medical profession of the Doctors), the elderly and infirm, those that nowadays would be considered Eccentric (the old woman living alone in the woods), the victims of land greed (the accusers were usually able to gain hold of the alleged Witches property once s/he had been convicted) amongst others!) were killed by their Christian brothers, sisters, spouses and neighbours. Even today you cannot publicly announce the fact that you are a Witch without fear of severe and often brutal repercussions, depending on where you live in the world. But the times are changing and the Goddess is re-awakening. The power of Herne is calling to us, children of the Earth, and many of us are answering, but not with vengeance or hatred. We are answering with the Witch's Rede:An' it harm none, do what thou will .