What would you think if I say that I am a witch? probably that I am evil and worship the devil, that I am crazy and live in a delusional fantasy or that I am trying to fool you. Well guess what, none of the above are true.
Witchcraft and paganism have been misinterpreted both by the state and by the church for so long that no one understands what we do and what we stand for anymore, we have even been reduced to mere fantasies when, in fact, of all the fantastic creatures that populate our legends witches are the only ones that exist and have vindicated themselves as such.
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| Little Altar, photo taken by Darius Tubilda. |
Our culture (I see it more as a culture or way of life than a religion) has been misunderstood, blamed and feared for centuries. And loads of legends have been made around it, feeding the prejudice and superstitions. When it is, in fact, a culture based around life and the natural balance that comes from it. I could try to explain all the misconceptions and false beliefs about witches, and challenge the ideas that social media has built, Nevertheless I believe it will be even better to explain the bases of our culture and what it does mean to be a witch:
It means freedom, and being afraid of nothing, not even death.
It is to see, not to look. To listen, and not to hear. To be present and feel beyond our limitations.
Witchcraft is union. Knowing everything is one, and that we are as old as the universe.
To be a witch means discipline and responsibility, curiosity and contemplation.
Witchcraft is education, from a young age, about how the Elements of Nature and our bodies work. Allowing us to make better and informative choices about our health and empowering knowledge at a cellular level.
It is trust, to be faithful to your own spirit. It is a home, a lineage; to learn, to practice, to write, to teach, to protect, to nourish, to love…
It means change. Change towards peace, balance and self-steam.
Being a witch is to question everything, to follow your instinct. Transcend time, space, prejudices and identity.
It is… Magic.
Traditionally the search for meaning has been carried out on the tribal or mass plane. Mass worship remains the norm for religious groups. However, we are inclined towards a more mystical and spiritual quest in which the "great boss" version of the "creator" or "supreme intelligence" is surpassed, allowing instead a personal connection with a higher level of Consciousness, in other words, we put more emphasis on contemplation and meditation than on worshipping. In resume, witchcraft is build through common sense, the nature of things and under a maternal and avid gaze of knowledge. The philosophy of witches is, basically, a different perspective of our world focused, as I said, in Life.
So, I have decided to honour my lineage and go ahead with the truth; It is who we are, we are not criminals so there is no need to hide, to do so would be a way to underestimate ourselves as well as a way of resignation toward the myths and wanderings that surround our figure. The truth is that there are many variants of living and interpreting the world and, in the case of witchcraft, this is no exception, in fact, each Circle or pagan group, is free to interpret life in their own way and the introduction of new knowledge is one of our usual practices. If I had to describe witchcraft using a single word it would be "movement", because it is not a static culture, witchcraft is always evolving. It comes from one of the firstborn cults of mankind: Shamanism. Archaeological evidence, as found by the Norwegian archaeologist Sheila Coulson, attest to this.
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