Wicca and Witchcraft – Myths and Legends

 

Over the years I have heard a lot of misconceptions about wiccans, witches, what they believe and what harm or good they can do, so I thought I would clear up a few of the most common ones.

Who the Devil is Satan? 

A big misconception is that Wiccans and Witches are devil worshipers or in league with the Devil, this is not true. The Devil or Satan is largely a Christian concept and has no equal in Wicca. We don’t recognise the existence of the Devil so naturally we can’t worship it, obey it or follow it in any way.

You have me under your spell.

Wiccans and Witches cannot control other people, in fact in Wiccan it is against the primary tenet; Do as you will but harm none. Trying to control someone else or their destiny is considered harming them because you are trying to take away their will. Having said that it won’t work and instead will result in others trying to control you big time; this is because we believe what you put out will return to you in threes.

 Is the Power of 3 carbon neutral?

I must admit when I hear about the power of 3 I have a bit of a giggle. No, you do not need to get two other friends every time you want to cast a spell. The power of 3 is a thing of fiction; Wiccans have a Rule of 3 which states that whatever energy a person puts out into the world, be it positive or negative, will be returned to that person three times. So if you zap someone in the butt with your wand, sometime, someplace you’ll either get zapped yourself three times or three times as hard, so watch where you point that thing.

Which Witch is Witch or Wiccan?

Many people think that being a witch or a Wiccan is the same thing, but it is not. Wiccan is a religion whereas a witch is a person who practices witchcraft. A person can be a witch without necessarily following the religion of Wicca and some Wiccans do not describe themselves as a witch because they do not practice the craft.

I’d tell you but my Crystal ball has cracked.

Not all witches or wiccans are psychic, speak to spirits, tell fortunes, know anything about Tarot cards or scry (what you do with a crystal ball). Sure there are some out there who either have these abilities naturally or have nurtured them but there is a whole lot more who have not.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, to which God will I go.

Not all witches believe in polytheism, though some do. Wiccans on the other hand may refer to the God and the Goddess but believe they are aspects of the same entity, two sides of the same coin. While some may refer to the Goddess exclusively, trying to restore the balance in the universe brought about by the concentration on the male aspect by others, others again simply refer to The All. The All is recognised as neither male nor female but is both and so is perfectly balanced.

"Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

Not all Wiccans consider themselves witches as they do not practice the craft. Those that do practice witchcraft may dabble in everything but most tend to prefer one method over all others. For instance some will prefer using herbs, others a wide range of food stuffs while others will use essential oils, all would be considered potions. There are also many witches that don’t use potions or kitchen magic at all, preferring other tools of their craft such as tarot, crystals, charms, poppets and knot magic to name just a few. So for those that use it, the type of magic they use may depend on the circumstances but more importantly it will depend on what type of tool or method resonates best with them. We are all different.

When the moon is full on the longest night, we dance around the fire in the naked light.

Yeap, your average witch or wiccan does like to party but not all go naked, sorry guys. Some do but it’s all ceremonial and it’s conducted far from prying eyes. It is a religious ceremony; it’s not for anyone’s entertainment nor is it some wild orgy.

I hope this made things clearer but if you have any questions by all means send them to me via the contact form on this site and I will try to answer them for you.

So until the next edition,

Blessed Be,

Mad Meg

The Web Witch