With the falling of the leaves this year, several new Witch-bashing TV series and movies have been dumped on us. What's the big deal? you ask. It's all just horror/sci-fi/fantasy fun, isn't it? There's no such thing as real Witches, just as there's no such thing as real vampires or real werewolves, anyway.
First of all, how do you or I know there's no such thing as real vampires or real werewolves? I'm not willing to make that blanket statement, though I've never knowingly seen either. After all, as Hamlet said, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
Personally, I'm not discounting any entities different from myself. The universe--including any less-dense or parallel dimensions or however metaphysicians and quantum physicists describe it all--is suitably infinite to contain all sorts of creatures both familiar and strange to us. Including real Witches.
But you don't have to achieve altered consciousness or travel outside the Milky Way Galaxy to find real Witches. You probably don't have to look any farther than your own hometown. Witches, by one definition, are practitioners of the federally recognized religion of Witchcraft, sometimes called Wicca. The U.S. military recognizes its symbol, the pentacle, for the final resting places of their honored dead. Most law enforcement agencies are aware of it, sadly, often due to hate crimes perpetrated against Witches and their families. Various courts in this country and others have ruled that it is a bona fide religion, not a cult, as the slanderers and religious bigots declare.
Witchcraft/Wicca--let's just go with Wicca as that's the name more people seem to recognize, though I personally think Witchcraft is more correct--defies rigid, concrete definitions, for it is a very inclusive, dynamically evolving religion. Its traditions reach back in time to the earliest depictions of the divine feminine--the Goddess--some 30,000 years ago. Yup, you read that correctly, thirty thousand years. Think, the cave paintings of Altamira. Think, Merlin Stone's classic book When God Was A Woman.
Wicca is, in very general terms, a Goddess-centered nature religion, sometimes classified as an example of neo-paganism. It's central tenet is a reverence for all life and a mandate that "no harm" be done to anyone or anything. Though simple, this law of Wicca--often called the Wiccan Rede--works out to be an extremely strict moral code. It's always seemed to me that the obvious corollary to doing no harm is helping others whenever possible. Doesn't sound like boiling children or burning scarecrows is allowed, does it? Well, they're not.
In early Colonial America, the easiest way to take a widow, or other unmarried woman's, property was to have her declared a Witch. In Europe during the Middle Ages, declaring a woman a Witch provided permission to torture and kill her. Indeed, this Witches' Holocaust in Europe, usually called "The Burning Times," extended from 1300 c.e. to 1800 c.e. and exterminated tens of thousands, possibly even millions of women and men.
What about Witches and Satanism?--you know, devil worship? Neither possible, nor allowed. There is no concept of a devil in Wicca. And any bad stuff associated with such a concept, is definitely forbidden in Wicca and a violation of its moral code. Sorry, Hollywood, real Witches don't sleep with your devil and consequently can't bear his demon spawn. I've seen some Witches with poorly behaved children, but that's hardly the same thing!
The stuff about good Witches versus bad Witches, white witches and dark Witches, that too is all silly TV stuff, folks. All Witches are supposed to be good Witches, according to the Wiccan Rede. Of course, Witches, being human, sometimes break the rules. Sorry to burst your expanding bubble, but there are miscreants and wrongdoers in all religions. Witches are not immune to misbehavior.
The Witches I've known, have generally been good people. They love and guard the animals. They do their part to protect the environment and help those in need. They try hard to get along with those of different faiths and philosophies, and to dispel misconceptions about Wicca. If you want to see this in action, go to Salem, Massachusetts and watch how the Wiccans and those of other religions work together to plan fund-raisers and other events benefitting the community. It's a special place, but not the only Wiccan enclave whose members work to create a harmonious community spirit.
Real Witches don't try to push their religion on anyone. Trying to manipulate or convert someone is strictly forbidden under the "no harm" provision. Manipulation is harm to a real Witch. Witches respect all sincere religious beliefs and the lack thereof--Wiccans respect agnostics and atheists, too.
What about real Witches and spells?--you know, that magic stuff? Well, it's spelled "magik" to differentiate it from stage magic--you know, from illusionists like David Copperfield?--and it's nothing more than using thought to encourage energy to move in a specific way--very much like prayer. Once again, spells are only for good things--healing, protection, wisdom, harmony--like that.
Magik itself is neutral. There are people who practice negative, a.k.a. as "black" magik, but those unfortunate folks are headed down the same path Obi Wan and Yoda warned Annakin Skywalker about--with similar detrimental results. There is another tenet of Wicca called the Law of Threefold Return which says that what you send out, returns to you in kind, magnified by a power of three. Sound like what happened to Annakin? Uh-huh. Real Witches don't go there.
So, let's say you have a friend who's a Witch--and you go to her, or his, home--by the way, a male Witch is simply called a Witch, not a warlock. The word "warlock" historically means "oath breaker" and is not, in the real world, at least, applied to male Witches. Sorry, Samantha, Uncle Arthur was really a Witch, not a warlock, unless, well, he did tell some fibs occasionally. . ..
Anyway, you go to your Wiccan friend's home and you see a "kitchen witch," one of those cute dolls with the green face and long, warty nose riding a broomstick hanging over her sink. What's up with that? Back to the human thing again--real Witches have a sense of humor. Besides, there are enough real Witches around that some probably do have a few warts. It's a common skin problem. Mostly they choose to laugh at the stereotype. Sometimes it does get a little old. But only the part about Witches being mean and nasty and doing horribly imbalanced and evil deeds. When you hear those things being said about members of other religions, it's called prejudice and religious persecution, and it's illegal and immoral. And it's how many thousands of human beings ended up being burned alive.
So what about Witches and Halloween? Well, it's Witches and Samhain (pronounced Sow-when), really. It's the Witches' New Year. A time to put the crops in storage for the winter and shelter the animals, in the Old World's traditions. It's also a time to honor the ancestors and give thanks for everything the Goddess has provided all year long. A time to rest and plan for the future. A time to celebrate the cycle of life and death.
Halloween refers to All Hallow's Eve, the eve of the Christian holiday All Saints' Day. Same calendar day--October 31st--as Samhain, different religious observance.
Samhain is not a mischief-making event--unless it's a fun masquerade ball or taking the kids trick-or-treating. It's also a somber celebration to honor the family and friends who've passed on in the previous year. It's the most important holiday on a Witch's calendar. So, please remember that when you take your kids to your Wiccan friend's door on this upcoming highest holiday for Witches. When she says, "Happy Halloween," to you and your kids, the polite reply is, "Happy Samhain."
Samhain and Halloween both happen this Thursday night, so drive carefully when the little ones and their parents are out and about! Be safe and have fun!
Here's the Jude Hayes Mysteries, Book One--Remover of Obstacles excerpt for the day:
Holding a mug of tea, (Jasmine) joined me on my side of the counter. “So how do you like my new window display?”
“To be honest, I didn’t really notice it,” I finished, blushing.
“It’s been up there for three days and the crack private investigator didn’t notice a whole picture window full of stuff. Way to go on the keen observation thing, Jude!”
“All right. All right. See me going over there right now.” I flounced up off my stool and over to the window facing the main hallway. Hanging from the ceiling was an opalescent five-pointed star within a circle of silver, shimmering a holographic blue—the color seemed to change as you looked at it—surrounded by similar, smaller stars and much colorful glitter on the white counter below. I walked out the door so I could see the hallway side of the display. An assortment of small Goddess statues, candles in rainbow colors reflected by nearby quartz crystals and mirrors, various small knick-knacks, and books with such titles as Curious About the Craft?, Is there a Goddess in Your House?, All Witches Are Good Witches, and You Can Be Magikal, Too. Several varieties of ivy wound their tendrils about the display items. The effect was—well, magical, full of light and color.
A jade bullfrog seemed poised to leap to freedom out of a black onyx cauldron. His little froggy face was so compelling that I picked up the small statue to look at the price tag underneath. The price was very reasonable and I carried him over to my place at the counter.
“Pretty nice display, Jazz. I’m impressed.”
She sighed. “It’s mostly for the kids. We get so many teens in here who are just dying to ask me questions about Goddess traditions, the female divine, and what it was like when people knew that Witches were wise women and healers. But they just blush a lot and hide in the back of the reading area looking at the books. It’s usually up to their mothers to purchase a book by, say, Silver Ravenwolf, that’s written for teens.” I vaguely remembered Jasmine describing the famous Wiccan author—a modern Witch—who tried to correct the slanderous and misleading impressions about real Witches that movies and TV had been only too happy to promulgate.
“I see you like my Adventure Frog series.”
“Adventure Frogs? Are those like reptilian Transformers or G.I. Joe dolls or something?”
She tried for a disparaging comeback but burst out laughing instead, “No, Miss Smartie, they’re a hugely popular collector series and—”
“Jasmine?” I interrupted, my eyes going wide as I did a double take, staring intently at the little frog statue. “What do modern Witches use cauldrons for?”
“What? Oh, well, they’re mostly symbolic these days—symbolic of the divine feminine. We use them in our rituals to hold water, sometimes wine or mead, and they make a safe, fireproof vessel for burning incense on self-igniting charcoal. Why?”
“Not for cooking?”
“Maybe at a Renaissance Fair or some other historical reenactment, but I myself prefer a non-stick pot on a gas stove. Why do you ask?”
I grimaced as I said, “Not to bring up unpleasant subjects, but a cast-iron cauldron was apparently the murder weapon used at the Pierpont Mansion.”
“How strange. The tragedy that the media is so callously calling ‘The Garden Party Murder’?”“That’s the one.”
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