I've been quiet for years on this out of the fear of not wanting to step on any one's toes. However, now it's time to come forward and reveal a deep dark secret about modern witchcraft that most people have no clue concerning.
When I write "modern witchcraft" I am referring to two groups of people, Wiccans and so-called "Traditional Witches". So what is the deep dark secret? The deep dark secret they don't want you to know is that both Wicca and "Traditional Witchcraft" are based on lies. For the purpose of this blog entry let me state that the term "Traditional Witchcraft" refers to people who claim to be witches and who claim to follow a certain non-Wiccan tradition of Witchcraft. Traditional Witches tend to subscribe to the same false beliefs as Wiccans with regard to a made-up history of their alleged religion.
1.) Witchcraft is "The Old Religion".
The lie of witchcraft being the old religion stems directly from the work of Margaret Murray who proposed that witchcraft was a pagan cult that worshipped the goddess Diana and her male consort Dianus (Janus). Murray claimed this cult survived the coming of Christianity and that it was the popular religion of the masses that went underground. What proof did Murray have that her theories were correct? The answer is of course none, and hence it is simply something she invented in her mind and claimed represented reality. She would not be the last to do this.
2.) Witchcraft is a peaceful, earth-based religion that seeks harmony with Christianity and other religions.
The sad truth is that the people who created the lie of Wicca and "Traditional Witchcraft" were fervently anti-Christian. People like Margaret Murray, Charles Leland, Gerald Gardner, and Alex Sanders were deeply opposed to Christianity. These people are the founders of Wicca and "Traditional Witchcraft" and their form of witchcraft was nothing like the new-age mess that Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft has now become. Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft originated with "Christian-Haters" who wanted to form their own religions and who were, in my opinion, motivated out of a spirit of rebellion and attention-seeking.
3.) Witchcraft has nothing to do with Satanism.
This is one of the biggest lies told about Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft. The founding fathers and mothers of Wicca and Witchcraft were highly opposed to Christianity. Charles Leland even invented a reversal or mockery of Christianity by inventing an antichrist figure he named "Aradia", a witch messiah who incarnated into the world to save witches in a mockery of Christian beliefs concerning Jesus. If that's not bad enough, Leland also claimed that the male god worshipped by witches was none other than Lucifer. This notion of Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft being completely separate from Satanism is simply not true. Many big names in Wicca also dabbled in Satanism. Up through the 70s it was a common reported belief among Wiccans and Traditional Witches that Satan was in fact Pan and there was no stigma for Wiccans or Traditional Witchcraft to use images of Satan in their worship. Many Wiccan and Traditional Witch covens even went as far as performing their ceremonies in churches, church cemeteries, or the ruins of churches. Again, this stems from a mockery of Christianity, which is at the very core of Satanism. The Wiccan and Witchcraft of the past decades was nothing like the light, fluffy, new-age nonsense that is presented today.
4.) Aradia is a real goddess.
I touched on this in number 3 above. There is absolutely no evidence that there was ever a goddess named Aradia. All the available evidence suggests that Charles Leland simply invented Aradia and turned her into an antichrist figure due to his hatred of Christianity. Individuals like Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders went on to steal Aradia and incorporate her into their own systems of Wicca and Witchcraft. What does this tell us? Well, it's a huge hint that both Gardner's and Sander's tradition are likewise b.s.
5.) Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft are systems of "white magic".
Another big lie. The founders of Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft performed curses, even death work on their enemies. Not only did they hex people but most of them experimented with drugs, held orgies, and claimed to have gone through initiation rites the involved incest, forced sex, sex with minors, bloodletting and sometimes animal sacrifice.
6.) The people put to death in Salem were Wiccans or Witches.
Another whopper of a lie. The people executed in Salem were Christians. Tituba may have been the closest thing to a witch there but what she did definitely did not involve the goddess Diana or anything close to Wicca or Traditional Witchcraft.
7.) Millions of Wiccans or Witches were executed during "The Burning Times".
The figure was closer to circa a hundred thousand, possibly going as high at a few hundred thousand, but no where near millions of people. Second, the people executed were Christians, not Wiccans. There is no actual evidence that the people who were executed were pagans.
8.) "I come from a long line of witches"
Lie. Falsehood. However you want to call it is untrue. This saying has been popular for decades and not one single person who claims such has ever been able to back up the statement with proof. Usually when people say this they are falsely identifying folk magic practices as being Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft. If you go back far enough pretty much all families will have a history of folk magic practices. But folk magic practices is not the same thing as Wicca or Traditional Witchcraft.
9.) Hecate as a beautiful maiden or as a crone.
Wiccans and Traditional Witches like to portray Hecate as either a beautiful, fairy-like maiden or else as a loving, grandmotherly figure. It's a lie. Before the rise of Christianity Hecate was viewed as a bogeyman-type figure and was equated with monsters and demons. During the time of the Roman empire and once again before the rise of Christianity, Hecate was viewed as a hideous being with snakes for hair, who had a triple-body, and who drank blood and haunted crossroads and cemeteries on nights of the dark of the moon. Hecate was also the mother of various demons, such as the empusa, which were a type of vampires. The Wiccan and Traditional Witchcraft view of Hecate is not and has never been rooted in any actual historic representation of the goddess.
10.) "I'm a solitary, eclectic Wiccan/Witch"
No such thing. The founders of Wicca never intended it to be a religion for the masses. You cannot be a Wiccan until you are initiated and you cannot initiate yourself. Also, the founders of Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft never intended for the religion to be a "free for all" where you can do whatever you want to do and slap a Wiccan label on it. Most Wiccans tend to be the 'out of the closet' variety and don't even know that according to the rules of Wicca nobody is supposed to admit to being a Wiccan! If you are a true Wiccan you are supposed to deny being one!
11.) The upside-down pentacle, a.k.a. pentagram, is not used in Wicca.
The reversed or upside-down pentacle is indeed used in the second degree of Wicca. The people who claim the upside-down pentacle is not used tend to be the so-called solitary Wiccans who have not been initiated and know very little about actual Wicca.
12.) Wicca is thousands of years old.
Similar to the lie of "The Old Religion", Wicca is not thousands of years old. Wicca is only circa 62 years-old, from it's founding in the early 1950s.
13.) The ancients worshipped an all-powerful Mother Goddess and her male consort, the Horned God.
This is simply not true and there is no actual evidence indicating this was ever a reality. Instead, what has occurred is that certain archaeological evidence has been distorted by Wiccans and Traditional Witches. This belief also stems from certain Freemasons who were Luciferians (worshippers of Lucifer, though may be only in a philosophical manner) and who viewed Lucifer as having both a male and a female aspect. The Freemasonry link to Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft has been ignored by many and is practically unknown among actual Wiccans and Traditional Witches who know little to nothing about the origins of their faith. The core of Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft is Freemasonry, Ceremonial Magic, the teachings of Aleister Crowley, and a tad bit of folk magic thrown in. Most of the magic practiced by Wiccans and members of Traditional Witchcraft has been stolen from other, older traditions. Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft has absolutley nothing in common with the pagan religions of the past, save for the use of the same name for divinities.
14.) Wicca means "wise one".
This false notion came about probably by the false equating of the word witch with the word wizard. Wizard means "wise one". We honestly do not know the original meaning of the word witch. Some speculate that it means "to bend", with it being the root word for other words like "wicker"; however, no one knows for sure. Anytime you hear a Wiccan claim that they practice "the craft of the wise", you can be assured they are mistaken.
15.) Sex plays no part in Wiccan initiations or rituals.
Not true. In past decades initiation involved sex, a.k.a. "the great rite". In many actual covens sexual intercourse is still a requirment for inititiation.
Now for the truth.
The closest thing to true witchcraft is folk magic practices from various cultures. The problem is that these practitioners were Christian, yes Christian! Or should I state Christian with regard to the U.S. and European traditions. Murray, Leland, Gardner and Sanders want to pull the wool over your eyes and have you believe that witchcraft is linked to Western paganism. Not true. Witchcraft is a craft. It's an art, a skill, a trade, a practice. Practitioners of folk magic have been Christians for a couple thousands years now and the sad truth is there is no underground survival of Western paganism. These were just the lies of these people who sought fame and fortune and who held a deep hatred for Christianity. Don't be deceived. It's time for the truth to be made known. Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft is founded on lies.
8 comments:
Hello, dear friend, although you do raise a couple of good points concerning fallacies found in the witchcraft community, your knowledge base is a little skewed and inaccurate itself. Let me present to you a list of your own lies within this article, for your enlightenment. :)
1. ""Traditional Witchcraft" refers to people who claim to be witches and who claim to follow a certain non-Wiccan tradition of Witchcraft."
Traditional witchcraft is an umbrella term, much the same way paganism is. It doesn't describe any one "certain" tradition of witchcraft, and even some Wiccan traditions such as British Traditional Wicca may be considered under this banner.
2. "Traditional Witches tend to subscribe to the same false beliefs as Wiccans."
Technically, witchcraft refers to an evolved form of European shamanism and is generally regarded as folk magic rather than a religion. That means it didn't come from Christian Haters who wanted their Own Special Thing. That accusation might better be labelled at the modern Satanism movement.
That's not to say there aren't witches who consider their craft to be religious or spiritual. Beliefs, definitions, practices and religious trappings (or lack thereof) differ from group to group, person to person. Wicca, on the other hand, has strong roots in ceremonial magic and and emphasizes the religious aspect of the path. Folk magic, shamanism and the other trappings that make witchcraft, well, witchcraft, play second fiddle.
3. "Witchcraft is "The Old Religion."
... would have been more accurate of a fallacy if you'd replaced Witchcraft with Wicca.
Besides, most serious practitioners and students of witchcraft know that Murray's works have all but been debunked and discredited. Most serious Wiccans know their path originated in the 50s. However, Murray didn't simply "make things up." She was basing her essays on the evidence then present in the 1920s, so it's important to remember to read Murray through that lens. For what it was, at its time, it was a remarkable piece of research. However, as we've uncovered more, it's been rendered obsolete.
A lot like how leeches were once considered a wise medical practice.
4. "Witchcraft is a peaceful, earth-based religion that seeks..."
... Again, replace witchcraft with Wicca here, and your point would be stronger. Traditional witchcraft itself uniformly makes no such claims.
5. "Witchcraft has nothing to do with Satanism."
... Wicca has nothing to do with Satanism. Traditional witchcraft may, or may not. Depends on the group or person.
Also, Lucifer and Satan aren't the same figure. Most Biblical scholars will tell you that.
(cont'd)...
6. "Wicca and traditional witchcraft are systems of white magic."
Remove "traditional witchcraft" here and you have yourself another gem. However, I already touched on above that Wicca emphasizes religion first, and magic second. It's not a system of magic.
7. "There is no actual evidence that the people who were executed (during "The Burning Times") were pagans."
I'd like to see the source you cited for that one, please. The Inquisitions began as an attempt to stamp out various religious sects that were seen as competing with the prevailing religion at the time, the Catholic Church. This included sects such as the Cathars, who were gnostic Christians. Similarly, the Goa Inquisition which began in 1561 paid particular attention to stamping out Hindus and Hindu converts suspected to have reverted to their original faith. And Hinduism is considered a pagan religion.
8. "...falsely identifying folk magic practices as being Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft ... folk magic practices is not the same thing as Wicca or Traditional Witchcraft."
As I said before, traditional witchcraft is comprised largely of folk magic. This includes herbalism, ethnobotany, spiritual ecology, necromancy, ancestor worship, candle burnings (novenas), etc.
9. "Wiccans and Traditional Witches like to portray Hecate..."
Traditional witches (Wiccans, even!) don't necessarily even worship Hecate. Again, traditions vary.
10. "I'm a solitary, eclectic Wiccan/Witch"
Your entire paragraph here is geared at Wiccans, which aren't necessarily witches (just as witches aren't necessarily Wiccan). So what's wrong with being a solitary, eclectic witch? After all, where do you think the original strands of witchcraft came from? Someone had to either be divinely inspired, or steal from another who was, at some point!
11. "The Freemasonry link to Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft has been ignored by many and is practically unknown ... The core of Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft is Freemasonry, Ceremonial Magic, the teachings of Aleister Crowley, and a tad bit of folk magic thrown in."
Again, this is only true in regards to Wicca.
12. "Traditional Witchcraft has absolutley nothing in common with the pagan religions of the past, save for the use of the same name for divinities."
Clearly you've never met a Reconstructionist. There are indeed traditional witches out there who practice from either a family line, or from what they've pieced together from historical records, mythology and folklore of specific regions.
13. "These practitioners (of folk magic) were Christian, yes Christian!"
Some may have been, but this statement itself is not true, and you're implying here that pagan folk magic doesn't exist.
14. "There is no underground survival of Western paganism."
Asatru. Hellenism. Kemetics. Slavic reconstructionism. Gaulish reconstructionism. To name a few.
15. "These were just the lies of these people who sought fame and fortune and who held a deep hatred for Christianity."
It's easy to belittle the groups and people that you hate and fear when you know next to nothing about them.
Food for thought. Hope that helps. :)
~ A traditional witch.
Hello Rose, Thank you for commenting. Below you will read my reply explaining how your are incorrect.
1.)
I wrote:
"Traditional Witchcraft" refers to people who claim to be witches and who claim to follow a certain non-Wiccan tradition of Witchcraft."
You wrote:
"Traditional witchcraft is an umbrella term, much the same way paganism is. It doesn't describe any one "certain" tradition of witchcraft, and even some Wiccan traditions such as British Traditional Wicca may be considered under this banner."
My responce:
Your reply is redundant.
2.)
I wrote:
"Traditional Witches tend to subscribe to the same false beliefs as Wiccans."
You wrote:
"Technically, witchcraft refers to an evolved form of European shamanism and is generally regarded as folk magic rather than a religion."
My responce:
False. "Traditional Witchcraft" was born at the same time Wicca was, circa the 1950s.
You may want to search my blog for my entry on "Cunning Men And Women". You will be suprised to learn that they were not pagan, but Christian, nor did they consider themselves witches.
3.)
Skipped majority of what you wrote as it was pointless. Except that i will clarify that Murray's work had not one drop of truth in it. It was a complete sham, an invention of her imagination.
4.)
Skipped as it was pointless
5.)
I wrote:
" Witchcraft has nothing to do with Satanism."
You wrote:
"Wicca has nothing to do with Satanism. Traditional witchcraft may, or may not. Depends on the group or person."
My responce:
As I indicated above, your concept of "traditional witchcraft" is incorrect. The Cunning Men and women of Europe were not Pagans, nor were they Satanists. They were Christians.
You wrote:
"Also, Lucifer and Satan aren't the same figure. Most Biblical scholars will tell you that."
My respone:
In this instance Lucifer was indeed used as a sysnonm for Satan, by the people who made-up the so called origin myth of witches. So your argument is once again pointless.
@ Rose,
Below are my continued replies to your comments.
6.)
I wrote:
"Wicca and traditional witchcraft are systems of white magic."
You wrote:
"Remove "traditional witchcraft" here and you have yourself another gem. However, I already touched on above that Wicca emphasizes religion first, and magic second. It's not a system of magic."
My responce:
I'm not sure what to say without sounding repetitive. Your notion of traditional witchcraft is skewed.
7.)
I wrote:
"There is no actual evidence that the people who were executed (during "The Burning Times") were pagans"
You wrote:
"I'd like to see the source you cited for that one, please. The Inquisitions began as an attempt to stamp out various religious sects that were seen as competing with the prevailing religion at the time, the Catholic Church. This included sects such as the Cathars, who were gnostic Christians. Similarly, the Goa Inquisition which began in 1561 paid particular attention to stamping out Hindus and Hindu converts suspected to have reverted to their original faith. And Hinduism is considered a pagan religion."
My responce:
I would like to see one shred of evidence that they were pagans. So far we have only self-styled Wicans and Witches who have made the claim that these people were pagans, yet no one can provide proof of such.
"The Goa Inquisition" has nothing to do with the medievil witch hunts and burnings. The Goa Inquisition lasted centuries yet only 57 people were put to death. Now, every human life is special, but that doesn't compare to the possible couple of hundred thousand in Europe.
8.)
I wrote:
""...falsely identifying folk magic practices as being Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft ... folk magic practices is not the same thing as Wicca or Traditional Witchcraft."
You wrote:
"As I said before, traditional witchcraft is comprised largely of folk magic. This includes herbalism, ethnobotany, spiritual ecology, necromancy, ancestor worship, candle burnings (novenas), etc."
My responce:
You fail to understand what withcraft is. Folk magic is not witchcraft. Witchcraft has always been viewed by nearly every culture as being evil.
9.)
Skipped because it is pointless.
10.)
skipped because it is pointless.
@ Rose,
11.)
I wrote:
" "The Freemasonry link to Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft has been ignored by many and is practically unknown ... The core of Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft is Freemasonry, Ceremonial Magic, the teachings of Aleister Crowley, and a tad bit of folk magic thrown in."
You wrote:
"Again, this is only true in regards to Wicca"
My responce:
Not true. Most people who refer to themselves as "traditional witches" continue to do most of what Wiccans do, casting circles, using phrases like "so mote it be", etc.
12:
I wrote:
"Traditional Witchcraft has absolutley nothing in common with the pagan religions of the past, save for the use of the same name for divinities"
You wrote:
"Clearly you've never met a Reconstructionist. There are indeed traditional witches out there who practice from either a family line, or from what they've pieced together from historical records, mythology and folklore of specific regions."
My responce:
Again, your concept of 'witch' is faulty. The pagans did not view themselves as witches and were opposed to witches. The Celts executed witches. The Norse executed wiches. Africans executed witches. Native Americans executed witches, etc...
13.)
I wrote:
"These practitioners (of folk magic) were Christian, yes Christian!"
You wrote:
"Some may have been, but this statement itself is not true, and you're implying here that pagan folk magic doesn't exist.
My responce:
The Cunning Men and Women of Europe were all Christians, not Pagans. Enough said. This myth of a survival of paganism is just that...a myth.
14.)
I wrote:
"There is no underground survival of Western paganism."
You wrote:
"Asatru. Hellenism. Kemetics. Slavic reconstructionism. Gaulish reconstructionism. To name a few."
My responce:
You just showed your ignorance as all of those are recontructionist movements and not survivals of Western paganism.
15.)
I wrote:
"These were just the lies of these people who sought fame and fortune and who held a deep hatred for Christianity"
You wrote:
"It's easy to belittle the groups and people that you hate and fear when you know next to nothing about them."
Well said, now let's see if we ca do something about your own overwhelming ignorance.
@ Rose,
1.) You are ignorant on history and have accepted a pseudohistory instead.
2.) Folk magic is not witchcraft.
3.) The Cunning Men and Women of Europe were Christians, not pagans.
4.) Learn the difference between witches and witch doctors.
5.) I recenlty watched the documentary, "The Pendle Witch Child". There's an expert on there that gives a very brief explanation that the cunning men and women were the good practitioners and witches were the evil ones.
Now, you can call yourself whatever you want to call yoursel but in my book you will never be a witch until you turn evil and do evil unto others.
Please do not reply further.
Thank you.
I am a Wiccan, not a witch, and sadly Rose is correct in her comments. I am also very apt at history and mythology. Hostorically, the Catholic Religion is a "raped and perverse version" of pagan religions. Christmas falls on the Winter Solstice, for example. I do not (naturally) involve myself in conflict; however, to put it quite plainly you are an idoit. You, yourself cannot claim to be Wiccan without fully understanding your own religion or being as closed minded about another's, I would think the same can be said for any other religion. Also withccraft is not Satanism; mind you, you may not have meant to imply that though the words you've use indicates as much. Witches are not evil, nor are Wiccans. Also (this is my pet peeve) there is no such thing as Black or White magic; that in itself is propaganda spread by the church and hollywood. Also the Witch Trials (Salem to be precise) was more of away for the communety to get rid of those who are different, gain land, fear of inovative medical practice, and fear of independent women (married ot not). All of these reasons where amplified by the paranoia caused to mold in-fested rye.
In fact, on a historical level, the Catholic Church has been known to portray women as the root of all evil. However, women and men are viewed as egual in the Wiccan belief.
Keep in mind, each religion is viewed differently by each individual. I reconmend find more information out before you post something like this again. Also you should know "Do what you will, but harm none."
Blessed be,
Mags
@ Anonymous at 12:26 AM,
You are incorrect and don't have a leg to stand on in the debate. The Wiccan religion was created circa 1950 and is a mixture of Judeo-Christian Ceremonial Magic, Freemasonry, and the stolen teachings of Aliester Crowley. Wicca has absolutely nothing to do with any ancient pagan religion or culture. It is completely made up.
In addition, the Wiccan faith has stolen things from so many different cultures and religions. For example, the Celtic holidays were stolen as Wicca itself is not Celtic and has nothing to do with Celtic paganism.
But you know what made me laugh? Your comment about the Wiccan Rede, "Do what you will but harm none". If you actually had a clue you would know that Gerald Gardner stole that from Aliester Crowly and just tweeked it.
And you are 100% incorrect. Wicca and modern witchcraft began as being a dark, "satanic", and rebellious religion that mocked Christianity.
Quite frankly I'm sick of you idiots who don't know a damn thing about your own religion. Wicca is not light, love, and rainbows. That's what the fluffbunnies have turned it into. In the past it was far daker.
And just for the record, witches are evil. Christianity didn't invent the concept of the evil witch. The ancient pagans believed that witches were evil. The Celts killed witches. The Norse killed witches. The Africans killed witches. Native Americans killed witches. It has nothing to do with Christianity making witches appear evil. The truth is that witches have always been viewed as being evil and that it is the Wiccans and self-styled witches who lie and try to blame Christianity for it.
So I strongly recommend that you actually do research on your own religion. Do not read the books of self-styled witches as they will lie to you. Wicca and modern witcchraft are no "the old religion". They were completely made up just 60 years ago or so.
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