Witchcraft & Paganism Q&A

Raymond · Witchcraft & Paganism Q&A

Do you have any questions about Witchcraft that you've always wanted to ask a Witch about?
Maybe it's a really sensible question or seemingly a daft one (no, we don't actually fly on broomsticks).
Don't be shy - just ask.
I'm not out to try and convert people but I do try to do my bit in clearing up misconceptions.

Kas

What's the connection of Rowen to witches?

Raymond

Do you mean the Rowan Tree?

Rowan trees are considered magickal by Witches because of thier seeming ease at growing just about anywhere.
Even in very poor, over-worked soil the Rowan Tree seems to thrive.

Some believe the Rowan Tree is some kind of portal where fairies and othe elemntal spirits go back fourth between our world and thiers.
It is considered very bad to cut wood from the Rowan Tree unless you leave some kind of offering in it's place otherwise you may upset the fairy folk and thier vengence will be spiteful, and it's a definate no no to cut one down.

It's also believed the Rowan provided the wood that early northern Europeans carved thier Runes on.

Rowan is also believed to be a very protective tree and is said to protect a house and it's occupants from darker magick when grown in the garden.
Witches who do not have a garden tend to hang a Rowan branch over thier front door to achieve the same protection.

Today, Witches prefer their wands, staffs and Besoms (Broomsticks) to be made from Rowan wood as it is believed all the magickal history and folklore behind the Rowan Tree will somehow imbue thier workngs with extra power and energy.

Kas

meiah

What is witchcraft? (I know...duh!!...but I really don't know

)

Raymond

LOL! That's a good question actually and now I'm aware that I don't want to start rambling in answer because the reply could go on for hours!
Modern Witchcraft is essentially a way of life.

Think for a moment about Christianity. Christians have various religions, Catholicism, Anglican, Mormon, Baptist etc... but all of them follow a 'Christian' way of life.

Witchcraft comes under the umbrella term of Paganism.
Paganism was (and is) the religious observances of any given country or continent before the organised religions took hold.

The term 'Witchcraft' can mean many things but generally it is accepted as the religious observance of Britain and Europe before Christianity became the main organised religion.

Witches and Pagans endevour to observe the seasonal cycles as well as the cycle of the Moon and are aware that these cycles have a tremendous impact on the earth and seek to use this impact in the form of energy to bring about needed change within thier own and other people's lives.

Witches are aware of the natural energy that is constantly around us and within us and can manipulate and use this energy for thier own purposes.
The energy itself is neither good nor bad, think of it like electricity - it just sits there until it is given a purpose - it's the same thing.

Witches seek to communicate with thier Gods through reverence of the land and the natural cycles of the earth.

Witches are not devil-worshippers or Satanists. Most Witches do not accept the existance of the Devil, believeing he is a Christian concept and as they are not Christians he holds no relevance.

That is a very brief outline of what Witchcraft is (very brief) I couold go on but like I said, I don't want to waffle.

meiah

That is not so different to how I work, but with a much more conscious emphasis on the cycles of nature and the moon. These are aspects which I accept are missing from what I do, and which do affect us profoundly on a subconscious level, as I believe, aslo do the movements of the stars via the magnetic affect they have on the planet on which we live.

OK, so how do witches work? (Meaning here the way on which they affect the manifestation of the maniplulation of energy)

Raymond

Some Witches who have a knowledge of Astrology do indeed use the movement of the stars and even the planets in thier magick, however most just focus on seasonal and moon cycles.

When Witches spellcraft they create around them a circle. Within this circle they raise the energy about them through dance, chant, visaulisation and so on.
They give that energy a purpose by meditation of whatever it is they are working towards and then release the energy from the circle back into the world to do it's work.

For example, as I said before, thsi natural energy I'm talking about is around us and within us all the time.
It doesn't do anything until you give it purpose.
Let's say you wanted a new job and you ask me to work you a spell to gain this new employment.
I raise the energy in my circle, give it it's purpose and establish the psychic link to you so the energy knows it will be working for you.
I release the energy and because of the psychic link I've created that energy now finds you and surrounds you.
Suddenely you're surrounded by a very alive energy which is saying "Give me a job!"
You will still have to apply for jobs and go for interviews - nobody will turn up at your door in a trance like state and offer you a job - but you will be head and shoulders above other applicants because you will have this energy about you that will be attracting that specific request.
If you like you will become a 'job magnet'.

In essence when you work with energy in this way you are making someone (or something) become very attractive to a certain thing because you have changed the energy (or the vibration) around them for a while.

There's a lot of talk about 'curses' and 'hexes' and they are performed in exactly the same way as I've outlined above - you just change the energy of a person so it attracts negitivity or something equally nasty.
However, a word of caution here, Witches are aware that each time they work with energy in this way it also changes their own energy and to a point affects the things they attract.
A Witch who does nothing but negative magick will lead a very sorry life indeed because he or she will be attracting a lot of that negativity towards themselves.

evergreen

Raymond, I get told by psychics all the time that I have a been a witch (& I dont' doubt I have been at some time)

can you please explain why the special clothing like robes/cloak and the staff

it is a personal question but when I see past lives and witches in them they appear very natural looking just like people who work with herbs and help heal with them.... is this a new thing this wearing of a cloak and the staff or have witches always had these things?

Raymond

Well, once upon a time it was quite fashionable for people to wear cloaks. They didn't have coats like we have today.

However the cloaks and robes Witches wear today are pretty much worn because people like wearing them.
They really hold no magickal value in themselves.
Don't get me wrong, I have a number of robes and cloaks myself and they're great if you keep them for special occasions because just by putting them on puts you in the 'right frame of mind' and it's also very romantic.
It's great walking through dark woods on a windy night with your fellow coven members on your way to a Sabbat gathering with your lanten lighting your way and your cloak billowing around you,... but that's all it is, 'dressy-uppy' as I call it.
The robes and cloaks add nothing to the abilities of a Witch.
You can work magick just as effectivly in jeans and a t-shirt.

As for the staffs, a staff is a magickal tool along with wands and the ritual knife (Athame).
All these tools are used for focusing and directing energy.
Various materials are used to make these tools (wood usually) and the type of wood used depends on what it will be used for.

For example, Holly is a very protective plant and it's natural vibration is believed to disperse negative energy and break curses.
So a Witch who does a fair amount of curse-breaking will more than likely have a wand or a staff made of wood from the Holly bush.

It's quite usual to find a Witch having a number of wands or staffs made from a variety of natural materials.

It's the same principle as herbs. We use herbs a lot because they all have a natural vibration which lends itself to certain types of magickal working.

evergreen

Thanks Raymond.. I have a number of cloaks myself

i have a wand I made myself from Willow... where could I find about willow or do you know (I dont' want you to feel you have to answer my every question- as I usually have lots).. Ijsut had an over whelming urge to make a wand from this branch

Raymond if I plant a Holly tree out the front of my home, will it help protect my property- I'm guessing it will..

evergreen

I'm a total novice to witchcraft Raymond so forgive my questions

So a staff is used when casting magic is it? Is it to strengthen what is being done?

Raymond

The Willow Tree is another tree sacred to Witches as it is the tree of the Moon Goddess.
A Willow wand will assist you in any Moon magick, psychic ability, healing and insipration.
To keep your Willow wand at full working strength attach a moonstone to it's tip and once a month leave it in the light of the Full Moon.

Yes EG a holly bush in the garden will certainly protect you negativity and also it's believed it will prevent lightning striking the house.
For optimum effectivness make sure you plant the 'male' version of the bush (the one with prickly leaves).

If you suspect negativity is being deliberately directed at your house EG it would also be a good idea to grow some Rosemary.
I suggest you grow it in a large pot by the front door as Rosemary has a tendancy to take over if left to it's own devices.

evergreen

Thank you so much Raymond!!!!!

cripes Raymond

I am laughing here (I was going to say freaking out but in a good way) I have a beautiful rainbow moonstone on the tip of this wand .. and a few other crystals on it too all female energy ones LOL some info must have guided me there I also say that I live by the energy of the moon I know when it is coming up to a full moon as my energy grows suddenly and I feel fantasitc so I have decided to look into this a bit for my own understanding of what is effecting my energy SO I am assuming that looking into the craft would be a good place to start to learn about this

I have rosemary growing out the front of my house and either side of the front door. My garden is a classic country garden but I kepe it well in check... I am pretty chuffed I feel I must be doing some of the right things without any idea that I am being guided stupid isn't it as I really should know that my guidance is strong from the work I do

Raymond falling short of picking your mind to pieces can you recommend a good book or author who talks about moon energies it is nothing I have seen before or should I just read about the Goddesses I have read a fair bit about them already and use a goddess tarot pack? I have some Wiccan books but I have felt they glossed over what I wanted to know more about so they haven't sat with me that well

Raymond

LOL! so many people who espress an interest in the Craft always find themselves saying "I knew that anyway" or "I've already been doing that for years" once they start to study it and find out about it.

Three books specifically about Moon lore I would recommend are:

'Moon Magick' - David Conway
'Book Of The Witch Moon' - Michael W. Ford
'Magick And Rituals Of The Moon' - Edain McCoy

Another incredibly good book about the Moon tides and the Craft in general is:

'A Witch Alone' - Marian Green

All these books can be picked up quite cheaply on Amazon.

evergreen

I really feel I know very little.... I am just doing what feels right to me, adn am honestly surprised that it appears to fit with known understandings of earth laws and earth energies (or the craft as it is known)

Thank you very much Raymond I will be looking these books up.

I also have to add you know your subject very well indeed. you are going to a natural draw card in your own shop.

Raymond

LOL thanks EG, but there's always something new to learn in the Craft.

The day I feel I know 'everything' will be the day I'll probably start looking into Druidry.

evergreen

that leads me to another question then....

are there levels in witchcraft??? is a druid a total different thing? I ahve had people tell me they are a druid I a female I dont know much about druids

is there a bigger link to the earth and plants than with witchcraft?

I have done some quick reading this morning about the elements and the plants that you can work with for each element, rather interesting reading

Raymond

There are different levels in Wicca. You have to remember that Wicca and Witchcraft are two different things.
Wicca is slightly more organised. Wiccans generally meet in groups called 'Covens' and they follow set rules and laws.
Wiccans seperate themselves further into 'traditions'.
Gardinarians follow the wicca path as laid down by Dr. Gerald Gardner. Alexandrians follow the path by Alex Sanders. Dianics follow Zusanna Budapest. Seaxians follow Raymond Buckland and so on...
Within these covens there is usually a hierarchy of first, second and third degree Wiccans.
The first degree is obtained after a year and a day and consists of the intitial training in all the basics of the craft.
The second degree usually after a further 2 years of coven membership and regular attempts at leading the group in ritual.
The third degree has no set time but usually comes when a person feel confident enough to become a HIgh Priest or High Priestess and lead thier own coven.
People who follow Witchcraft do most of the same things as Wiccans but don't usually bother with all the 'degrees' or the hierarchy.
Witches usually work alone and are their own HIgh Priest or Priestess.

Druidry isn't any 'higher' or 'lower' than Witchcraft. It's a different form of Paganism.
As you have Catholics, Anglicans and Baptists under the umbrella of Christianity so Druidry is another religion under the umbrella of Paganism.
Druids have a slightly different approach. They tend to focus more on the relgious aspect of the changing seasons and they approach the gods very differently to Witches.
There are also three levels to Druidry yet they aren't any 'higher' or 'lower' than the others.
When one decides to follow Druidry you spend an indefinate amount of time as a 'Bard', then an indefinate amount of time as an 'Ovate' and finally an indefinate amount of time as a 'Druid'.
Once all these levels have been sufficiently practiced you then decide which one you liked the best and go back to it.
Bards, Ovates and Druids have very differnet roles to play in the practice of Druidry. Druids meet in groups called 'Groves' and rarely do they work solitary.

mark

fascinating raymomd

Raymond

Glad you liked it Mark

evergreen

it is fastinating Raymond.... i feel very very illiterate in this area.
Once again thank you for taking the time to explain it so clearly

Raymond

No problem EG. If you have any other questions please feel free.

meiah

It strikes me that witchcraft does not sound so different to many other ways of working, but with a much greater emphasis on living in tune with nature, and the use of tools to strengthen what you do.
No, what I actually mean, is that it seems that many other ways of working may have stemmed from witchcraft, or are one aspect that have been taken in isolation, ie herbalism, aromatherapy, astrology etc.

Do the tools actually have an affect, or are they a focus for the subconscious mind?

Raymond

meiah

Am trying to bring what you are saying into my own thinking, or to alter my thinking in order to understand, so please forgive me if I fumble around a bit here.

To raise energy, are you raising your awareness of it in order to change your reality, ie manifest something which already has the potential to be?
To harness it...ummm... you cannot trap it, collect it, so are you focussing it? By your intention, your visualisation.....ir by seeing it already there, you are bringing it into physicality?

I do know what you are saying about the vibration of the trees, I think. To me it is almost like the personality of the tree, the trees way of seeing things, the trees way of doing and being. Right? and within that there is the "group" vibration, ie oak as a whole, and the individuals vibration, ie this oak feels different to that oak, a young one feels different to an older one.
Like Quert, the apple tree, is a loving, lighthearted tree, giving and supportive, nurturing. Like that?
I work with that in a different way, but much the same, perhaps?

Raymond

meiah

Raymond

It's not really a case of 'more' energy in the circle it's more a case of that energy having a specific purpose.
You're right, there's energy all around us all the time but when you're in circle (especially if there are a few of you) that energy is contained within the circle and is given direction.
That's what causes the changes needed.

Kas · Re: Witchcraft & Paganism Q&A

laura

hehehehe... Kas you are THE MAN!!!

david hobbs

On the subject of containing power.

I always worked priest, priestess. The priest summons the energy to be contained and then passed it is given to the priestess who releases that energy (in that situation it feels more like power than energy but that's another thing.) to give it form. I only ever found one priestess who I could really work 100% with and she went over to the negative side( I won't say dark because I feel that it is all grey). Oh well, that's life.

What I am trying to get to in my own way is that you feel the power building and then it is released at it's fullest flowing point. Emphasis on the word feel.

I suppose that I was a cross between a witch and a magician as I feel Raymond to be.

Raymond

meiah

I would like to experience this

david hobbs

david hobbs

Raymond

meiah

(sigh...rolls eyes) no, not being a male witch. Nevermind.

david hobbs

Raymond

That's very true Mr. Hobbs, but then how do you explain all-male or all-female covens?
They do exist and they are just as effective as mixed ones.

david hobbs

billy nomates

as far as i can tell (being a novice) whatever cracks the 'field' is fine......

ie the power is not in the tools but in the ability to use whatever it takes to go beyond our normal daily perceptions and pierce the source with our will.

if you want to pray to a banana or a mountain or an idol it doesnt really matter.

http://ageofkali.blogspot.com/

Raymond

Well said Billy

david hobbs

Any idea how many pagans in the UK?

Raymond

Oh Mr. Hobbs what a question!
When you say 'pagans' you are including Witches, Wiccans, Heathens, Druids, Voodooists, Native Americans, Astaruists and generally everybody who identifies with the pagan way of life.

The problem so far that when the national census has been around people write under religion "Witch" or "Druid" etc. so those branches of paganism have been counted as seperate religions.
An effort has been made over recent years asking for all people wh identify with a pagan religion or way of life mark themselves simply as 'pagan' on the 2011 national census.

Maybe then we will have a clearer idea.

Witchcraft & Paganism Q&A

Re: Witchcraft & Paganism Q&A