The Magic of Wicca

Witch! The mere word carries a stigma, doesn't it? When we speak of witchcraft, we tend to envision an old hag of the wood bent on evoking havoc and destruction on the next waxing moon. Or perhaps, on Halloween. But this is a picture etched by centuries of ignorance, fear and an Anglo-Saxon attempt to stamp out the old pagan ways. Actually, the word "witch" is of Anglo-Saxon origin meaning "wise one." Originally, Wicca was the title given to a male witch and Wicce was a female witch. Today, the term Wiccan applies to both sexes who practice modern witchcraft.

Witchcraft, or Wicca, is the ancient religion and craft of the wise, deeply rooted in traditional lore with strong ties to the natural world, personified by one or more deities. It is also a philosophy of living, embracing the natural forces of the earth. Wicca unites the "magical world" with the spiritual, man with his natural environment. It is a practical approach to Magick, to unleash the natural forces within ourselves and in the gifts of nature to heal, protect and bring about change. Sounds a lot like prayer, doesn't it?

Halloween is an old Anglo-Saxon tradition and really has no connection with Wicca at all. However, All Hallow's Eve, which falls on the eve before Halloween on the Christian calendar, marks the New Year for the Wiccan. Unlike Halloween with its purpose of warding off evil spirits, the pagan New Year known as Samhain (pronounced "Sow-en") welcomes the "dark" part of the earth's cycle and celebrates an increased awareness of the spiritual world. It is also a time of remembrance for those souls who have departed from the material world.

All religions, whether Christian based or Caballistic, incorporate rituals has part of their system of belief. Whatever their origin, rites are practiced because they are meaningful to the practitioner; they serve to direct one's energies and are simple acts of faith. Before the birth of Christianity (which "borrows" many pagan traditions), the ancient Celts and Druids empowered their magical rites by calling upon the forces of nature, called elemental spirits or rulers. Everything that exists in the universe consists of one or more of the elements Air, Water, Fire and Earth. These elements are further divided into masculine and feminine classifications to adhere to a system of total polarity, similar to the eastern concept of Yin and Yang. The Druids visualized these four elements as components of a circle, or compass, with each element being governed by a different direction and associated color. The Druids also believed in a fifth element, Spirit, which commanded the center of the circle and therefore balanced the other elements. (This is similar in concept to the Native American medicine wheel.) The spirits of the elements have long been recognized by various cultures, including the ancient Greeks and Romans.