WITCHCRAFT: REASONS TO COME OUT OF THE BROOM CLOSET

"Wicked, wicked witchcraft," the old song goes. Many people, when they hear the word "witch" or "witchcraft" think of something evil: curses, Satan, dark forces. Any modern day practioner of The Craft, as it is now called, will tell you they have no truck with the devil. Unless they worship Satan, in which case, to those of us that don't, they are Christians. That's right, witches who worship Satan are Christians, albeit damned ones.

Most of us worship many gods, and many of us consider each God or Goddess to be but faces or masks of a greater power that is neither male nor female, or even human. We have no need of Satan. (I see Satan as a necessary evil of Christianity. If the God Jehovah is all things, he must be evil as well as good. But I don't call on him for spells, or honour him in rites, etc.)

Witches work with natural forces and elements: earth, air, fire, and water; the winds, rains, rivers, sun, oceans, the earth and her creatures and growing things. People have said it is best to leave those forces for God to control, yet no one ever questions technology, electricity, pavement, automobiles, etc.

At least a witch asks the elements to do her bidding. The pavement that covers grassland does not ask the grass if it wants to be suffocated. Electricity does not ask fire and spirit if it wants to channelled into the television-- a medium that exists for no other reason than to sell advertising, regardless of the programming.

The way that humans live, if we are indeed to leave the forces of nature to do God-- and only God's-- bidding are, in my opinion, far more "evil" than a spell to attract money, or love, or a new job.

Yes, there are those that curse as well as bless with their powers. But even here, one must ask, what does more damage? A human society that is driven by greed and corporate growth, with no regard for consequences? Or a witch asking a wind to carry evil to an enemy? And most witches believe strongly in karma, regardless of what they call it (the Law of Three, etc.) Witches learn very quickly that what you send out comes back to you, both good and ill.

And a note here, on charging for services like psychic readings, charms & spells, etc. Why would it be alright to charge for services like bringing electricty into a home, repairing a computer, or even typing a letter, and not alright to charge for communicating with dead, peering into the future, or making a charm that is pleasing to the Planetary ruler Mercury, so that your computer doesn't crash, or your luggage get lost, during a retrograde period?

I have been cautioned lately, a number of times, to stop calling myself a witch because it might scare people, or because the word carries negative connotations to many people. This advice was always given to me with love and concern. But I must say here, again, I AM A WITCH.

I am proud to be a witch. I am delighted when I call the winds and they come to me. When I speak to someone that has passed onto the other side, I do not feel evil. When I do a spell for myself or someone else I feel much as the electrician does when performing his magick. A magick that he is well compensated for, I might add, and that he probably does without asking the fire element and elementals, or thanking them.

Samhain is the witching hour of the year. Witches and would-be witches all: come out of the broom closet!

PRAISES, THANKS, & BLESSINGS!!!