Alexander - The Modern Guide to Witchcraft : Your Complete Guide to Witches, Covens, and Spells

I wish to thank my editors Tom Hardej and Peter Archer, and all the other talented folks at Adams Media for making this book possible.

Skye Alexander is the award-winning author of more than thirty fiction and nonfiction books, including The EverythingWicca & Witchcraft Book, 2nd Edition; The EverythingSpells & Charms Book, 2nd Edition; Naughty Spells/Nice Spells; Good Spells for Bad Days; The Secret Power of Spirit Animals; and The EverythingTarot Book, 2nd Edition. Her stories have been published in anthologies internationally, and her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. The Discovery Channel featured her in the TV special Secret Stonehenge. She divides her time between Texas and Massachusetts.

Snow White, Cinderella, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, Star Wars. Most of us first discovered wizards and witches, spells and potions, and the never-ending struggle between good and evil through these stories. Fairy tales showed us a world filled with magickone where inanimate objects like mirrors, stones, and gems can have special powers; animals can talk; plants can think; and with a sprinkling of dust, kids can fly.

Then we grew up and forgot about magick. Our lives became a little less rich and our imaginations started to shrivel as we got mired in the mundane details of our daily lives. But every now and then, we recapture some of that early magick through books and movies like ET, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter. We find ourselves fascinated once again by the supernatural world and eager to reawaken the magick within us.

Before we go any further, lets get rid of those ridiculous ideas some people still hold about witches. Misconceptions about witches come from ignorance and fear. For centuries, mainstream religions have encouraged negative images about witchesand during a period known as The Burning Times these false ideas led to the deaths of countless innocent people in Europe and the New World. In recent times, the media continue to present a distorted picture of witches and magick, further confusing the issue. For the record:

• Witches do not steal or eat babiesthis idea comes from old folklore, and fairies were often blamed for doing the same thing.
• Witches are not Satanists who sell their souls to the devil in return for special powers. Lots of witches dont even believe in Satanhes a Christian conception.
• Witches dont ride broomsthey get around in cars, trains, and airplanes just like everyone else. (You might see a bumper sticker that says, Im driving this car because my brooms in the shop but thats just a joke.)
• Witches prefer pizza over eye of newt any day.
• Witches dont inherit magickal powers from mysterious ancestors, although if Grandma was a witch and trained you in the Craft from childhood, youll have a head start on other wannabe witches.
• Not all witches possess remarkable psychic powers, nor do they have the gift of prophecy. Some psychics may be witches, and many witches develop their intuition through practice. But the truth is, everyone has psychic ability, including you.
• Witches dont consort with or battle demons, vampires, zombies, or other monstersthey have better things to do.
• Not all witches worship ancient gods and goddessessome dont believe in any type of deity.
• Witches arent immortal; they live ordinary lifespans just like other humans.
• Witches arent ugly old hags, they can be young and incredibly beautiful, but most of them are just average people like you and me.
• Witches dont engage in rivalries and conflicts with other magickal practitioners. The witches in Salem, Massachusetts, for example, dont have a long-standing rivalry with New Orleanss voodoo priestesses. Trust me on this. Ive been a witch for twenty-five years and lived in Salem for eightand I get along with people from New Orleans just fine.

If you choose to become a witch, youll have to throw out all the silly and sensational things youve seen, heard, and read about witchcraft. At least for the time being, youll have to live with being constantly offended by the ignorance of people who would never think of insulting blacks, Jews, or other folks so outrageously as they do witches. Just put on your magick, protective shield and get on with practicing the real deal.