When you think of the word witchcraft, what words or images come to mind? Maybe a bubbling cauldron, or three old, ugly women in black robes? Or perhaps certain movies or television shows such as The Craft, Charmed, or Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Witchcraft is defined as the use of supposed magical powers to influence people and events. (Internet: witchcraft.simplenet.com). In this perception, it is known as sorcery and has been part of the folklore of many societies for centuries. Since the mid-1900's, Witchcraft has also come to refer to a set of beliefs and practices that some people consider a religion. Its followers sometimes call it Wicca, the Craft, the Wisecraft, or the Old Religion. The term witch comes from the Old English word Wicca, which is derived from the Germanic root wic, meaning to bend or to turn. By using magic, a witch is believed to change or bend events (Internet: witchcraft.simplenet.com). Today, the word witch can be applied to a man or a woman. In the past, male witches were also called warlocks and wizards (Rose, 146). Witchcraft is a peaceful, nature-based faith or path. Practitioners of Witchcraft, or "witches" are often accused of devil worship due to the prevalence of misconceptions within the general public (Rose, 13). Not all witchcraft pertains to evil. Witchcraft was all but eradicated by the spread of Christianity because of the interpretation of biblical verses such as: "There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of the times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard or an necromancer." (Deuteronomy 18:10 - 11); or "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" (Exodus 22:18). (Internet: witchcraft.simplenet.com).

Between the years of 1450-1750 hundreds of thousands of people were captured, tortured and killed for the practice of Witchcraft. By some estimates, between 80 - 90% of the witch-hunt victims were women (Rose, 28). Witchcraft grew out of the pre-Christian pagan beliefs and popular common superstitions of the Middle Ages. Its beliefs included strange rituals, which coincided with autumn pagan festivals on October 31 (Dismont Robinson, Unholy revellers raise suspicion of Satanic Cults), as well as magic charms, love potions, demons, and spirits. Although witchcraft was illegal in the Middle Ages, the laws against it were not strictly enforced. Witchcraft was considered a crime punishable by execution, and normal rules of evidence and legal safeguards were regularly violated. Since it was done in God's name, torture was considered a proper tool to uncover witches. People accused of witchcraft were often considered guilty until they could prove their innocence, and many tests were devised to detect the guilty. Professional witch finders identified and tested suspects for evidence of witchcraft and were paid a fee for each conviction. The most common test was pricking: All witches were supposed to have somewhere on their bodies a mark, made by the Devil, that was insensitive to pain; if such a spot was found, it was regarded as proof of witchcraft. Other proofs included the inability to weep, and failure in the water test (Karlsen, 123). In the water test, the accused would be thrown into a body of water. If the accused floated - as most did - it was taken as a sign of guilt and the person would be executed. If the person sank, he or she was considered innocent and hopefully rescued before they drowned. Thumbscrews and boiling water were used to obtain confessions of guilt, and few people could withstand such torture. Many confessed to witchcraft in order to be executed quickly and put an end to the torture. These confessions became proof of the existence of witchcraft. Convicted witches were often burned at the stake. In England, witches were usually hanged. In rare cases, the convicted might be spared death. Instead, a priest might perform a ceremony of exorcism to drive out the demon that was supposed to have taken over the witch's body (Karlsen, 46).

The practice of Wicca - Witchcraft as a religion - developed in Britain in the mid-1900's. It flourishes primarily in English-speaking countries. Wicca has no central authority. Witches are loosely organized in groups called covens. Some covens are made up of only women or only men, and other covens are mixed. Many Witches do not join a coven but practice alone in secrecy. Some do so because they wish to avoid persecution. Because of secrecy, it is difficult to estimate how many people practice Witchcraft as a religion. (Rose, 1)

Belief in witchcraft as sorcery exists around the world and varies from culture to culture. Historically, people have associated witchcraft with evil and usually have regarded a witch as someone who uses magic to harm others, by causing accidents, illnesses, bad luck, and even death. However, some societies believe that witches also use magic for good, performing such actions as casting spells for love, health, and wealth. People around the world continue to practice witchcraft as sorcery, claiming to use magic for good or harm.

The practice of Wicca is controversial, primarily because many Christians find the idea of a religion based on witchcraft unacceptable. Some Christians associate any form of witchcraft with the worship of evil powers. Others fear that Wicca might be tied to modern cults based on illegal drug use. Followers of Wicca deny any such connections. Wicca is a re-creation of pagan, folk, and magical rites. Its primary sources are Babylonian, Celtic, Egyptian, ancient Greek, Roman, and Sumerian mythologies and rites. Wicca also borrows from other religions and mythologies, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and the rites of American Indians (Internet: witchcraft.simplenet.com). Essentially, Wicca is a fertility religion that celebrates the natural world and the seasonal cycles that are central to farming societies. Witches worship both Goddess and God in various personifications, including ancient gods and goddesses. Rites are tied to the cycles of the moon, which is the symbol of the power of the Goddess, and to the seasons of the year. Religious holidays are called sabbats.

There are many common misconceptions of Wiccans. These misconceptions are due to several reasons. There are common myths about witchcraft that are only "believable" because a person chooses to be narrow-minded. Also, a person may think his or her own beliefs are the "right way." Some misconceptions are: Wiccans believe in or honor the deity known as Satan; Wiccans sacrifice humans and animals; Wiccans use aborted fetuses in rituals; Wiccans renounce the Christian God or faith; Wiccans hate Christians, the Bible and Jesus; Wiccans abduct children and kill animals on Halloween; Wiccans worship Satan on Halloween; Wiccans are trying to overthrow Christianity; Wiccans make pacts with the devil; Wiccans desecrate Christian icons, hosts and Bibles; and Wiccans practice black magic. These are just a few of the misconceptions many people have against Witchcraft. (Internet: witchcraft.simplenet.com).

There are thirteen principles of Wiccan belief. Firstly, they practice rites to attune themselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the moon. Secondly, they recognize that intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. They seek to live in harmony with Nature. Thirdly, they acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary, it is sometimes called "supernatural," but they see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all. Next, they conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity - as masculine and feminine - and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and the feminine. They value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. They value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magical practice and religious worship. They recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconsciousness, Inner Planes, etc. - and they see in the inter-action of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena, and magical exercises. They neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment. They do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership. They see religion, magic and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it - a world view and philosophy of life, which they identify as Witchcraft - The Wiccan Way. Calling oneself a "witch" does not make a witch - but neither does heredity itself, or the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations. A witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that makes life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with nature. They believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe they know and our personal role within it. Their only animosity towards Christianity, or towards any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claims to the "the only way," and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief. They are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. They are concerned with their present and their future. They do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do they worship any entity known as "Satan" or "the Devil," as defined by Christian tradition. They do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another. They believe that they should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well being. (Internet: witchcraft.simplenet.com).