Marian Singer - The Only Book of Wiccan Spells Youll Ever Need

Before you can immerse yourself in the study of spellcrafting, its important to sort out fact from fiction when it comes to Witches and Wiccans. Unfortunately, modern culture promotes many erroneous beliefs about who Witches are and what they do. These sorts of stereotypical myths and misunderstandings need to be dispelled in order to understand the true ideals, ethics, and philosophy of Witchcraft.

Only education and understanding can uproot misconceptions and prejudices about Witchcraft and Wicca, and in reading this book, you are on the right path. Its time to start thinking of Witches and Wiccans in a new senseas people who are simply living their lives in a uniquely magickal way. Lets begin by examining the basic ground rules and core concepts that most Witches and Wiccans hold in common.

For the purposes of simplicity, the word Witch will be used to describe both male and female Witches or Wiccans throughout this book. (Keep in mind that a male Witch or Wiccan is not called a Warlock. He is a Witch or Wiccan, too. Warlock came from an Old English word for oath breaker, and later, during the mid-1400s, it came to mean liar. This is a rather nasty insult!) The words Wizard and Sorcerer can also be used for a man or a woman. Wizard derives from a term meaning wise, and sorcerer means Witch or Diviner.

Wiccan Wonderings: What, exactly, does Wicca mean?

Wicce, the Anglo Saxon word meaning one who practices sorcery, is the root of the words Witch and Wicca. At first the term was applied to both wise men and women, especially those who practiced herbcraft (sometimes called cunning arts). After the Crusades, however, the term was used mostly for women and carried negative connotations. Nowadays, it refers to modern Witchcraft and is not considered negative.

The word magician is also appropriate for both sexes and for Witches as well as Wiccans. The ancient Persian prophet Zoroaster taught priests who were called Magi, and they relied heavily on astrology as an art. Depending on the cultural setting, magician came to describe people adept in astrology, sorcery, or other magickal arts. Note that the word magick in Wicca and Witchcraft is spelled with a k, to differentiate it from stage magic (or sleight of hand).

Which Is the Witch

While folklore, literature, religion, and other cultural influences through the ages have often portrayed Witches in a negative light, history indicates otherwise in most cases. Despite the ugly face that these points of reference have tried to put on Witches, few, in reality, used their knowledge and abilities toward negative ends. Their heritage is that of helping and healing individuals and communities.

Most Witches learned their skills as a craftpart of a family tradition in which they were carefully trained. Villages and cities alike had honored, cunning folk to whom people would turn for all kinds of helpfrom encouraging crops to grow to mending a broken heart. In exchange for such services, Witches might receive a chicken, a measure of grain, or other necessities.

There was rarely any specific ethical or religious construct involved in Witchcraft unless it came from family or cultural influences, or from the individuals own sense of right and wrong. Witches do not need to believe in divine beings in order to use magick. They do not necessarily have a particular code or tradition to which they adhere, unless it is dictated by familial custom. This does not mean all Witches are without ethics or religion. Magick is simply a means to an end and is morally neutral (except in terms of how its wielded).