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Oakspear

By Oakspear,
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Oakspear

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To avoid continually derailing and distracting on the "TWI Witchcraft Thread", here's a list of different types of witches.

I erred in presenting witches in only one (positive) light, ignoring the other definitions and usages:

Definitions of witchcraft

The following 17 common meanings have been derived from our glossary of religious terms [W]. Some are positive; others neutral, many negative.

"Witchcraft" can be:

  • In the Hebrew Scriptures and ancient Native American usage: an malicious person who secretly uses evil sorcery (black magic) to intentionally harm others
  • In the Christian Scriptures: a criminal who murders people by administering poisons.
  • A Gothic Satanist; a worshiper of Satan who, during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, was believed to use black magic to harm others, by involving the aid of Satan and his demons.
  • A Wiccan; a follower of Wicca, a benign reconstruction of an ancient European Celtic religion. Wiccans are prohibited from using magic to harm others. No all-evil deity -- called Satan, the Devil, or by any other name -- exists in their hierarchy of Gods and Goddesses.
  • A follower of modern-day Religious Satanism who recognizes Satan as an earthy, virile pre-Christian, pagan concept.
  • A wizard who inhabits an alternate world of fantasy and magic, filled with good and evil people with magical powers, flying broomsticks, dragons, talking animals, magical quills, etc. e.g. in Harry Potter books.
  • A person, usually a woman, who was born with supernatural abilities and is capable of performing miracles by waving a wand, wiggling a nose, etc. This is often seen in TV programs, like Bewitched or Charmed.
  • A woman of such incredible beauty that she bewitches others
  • A woman of incredible ugliness; a hag.
  • Followers of a group of Caribbean religions which combine elements of tribal African religions with Christianity; e.g. Santeria, Vodun.
  • In some African Aboriginal religions, a person who unknowingly has supernatural powers capable of hurting others. Witch doctors attempt to counteract these evil energies.
  • An expert; e.g. "She is a witch of a writer."
  • A person who uses a forked stick or other instrument to locate sources of underground material -- typically water.
  • A woman who is not submissive to her husband.
  • A general "snarl" word for a nasty, vicious person, typically female.
  • A follower of any religion other than Christianity (e.g. of Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Native American Spirituality, etc.) The Christian Scriptures state that people who pray to other Gods are in fact worshiping Satan or demons. Many conservative Christians, believing in the inerrancy of the Bible use this description of non-Judeo-Christian religions.

  • A ceremonial magician with unusual knowledge who can apparently perform miracles during magic/magick rituals.

It doesn't matter if we turn to dust...guess I'll see you dancin' in the ruins tonight

Oakspear icon_cool.gif

[This message was edited by Oakspear on February 26, 2004 at 17:06.]

[This message was edited by Oakspear on February 26, 2004 at 17:09.]

[This message was edited by Oakspear on February 26, 2004 at 17:11.]

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Oakspear Enthusiast

Oakspear

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Warlock: An old-English term for oath breaker. Conservative Christians and the media often refer to male Witches/Wiccans as Warlocks. The term is not used by Witches, Wiccans or other Neopagans.

It doesn't matter if we turn to dust...guess I'll see you dancin' in the ruins tonight

Oakspear icon_cool.gif

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TheInvisibleDan Newbie

TheInvisibleDan

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quote:
Originally posted by dmiller:

Dan -- so she is still practicing, or did she get out too? icon_confused.gif:confused:-->

I'm not a Wiccan myself. She was something of a nature loving "Witch" when I met her (a couple years after I left the Way), and I was progressing in the opposite direction of anti-world neo-Marcionism through my studies. Our religious/spiritual ideas couldn't be more radically different on the face of it. But we share the same ideals of trying to be good to everyone and to one another, wishing to bring no harm or injury to others. In that respect she lives up to, through her continual voluntary work through charities and soup kitchens and the Red Cross.

Which is immensely inspiring for me personally.

And when I think about it, this was much more than I could sadly say for the previous group we all experienced here. They never really inspired me to actually "give", outside of the fearful dogma wearing the clothing of Dale Carnegie, of a petty deity who would abandon his children to potential poverty and violence if they didn't fork over 10% to that week - not much of a Christian God of Love going on there, in my opinion.

So mywife was refreshing to me. And yes, the only woman in the world crazy enough to actually marry me.

Our differences seem to boil down to merely different or variant conceptions concerning the make-up of that realm invisible to us. Which hardly seems grounds for basing any marriage.

Unless one wished to change their spouse into someone else other than the one to whom one was attracted originally. The futility to which I think many here already more than understand.

So she prays to her goddesses, and I pray to my God. Almost 15 years later, - along with the inevitable ups and downs of any marriage - so far, so good. And no pesky mother-in-law who actually pop in unexpectedly out of thin air, and turn me into a frog or newt. No, her parents are actually Episcopalian, and they're sweet. There's quite a variety on both sides of our families. Pagans, Jews, Episcopalians, Catholics, Protestants, agnostics, gays, and least one neo-Marcionite and who-knows-what-else. And maybe one republican (in the closet).

But it's not me.

Danny

[This message was edited by TheInvisibleDan on February 27, 2004 at 1:44.]

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Bramble Newbie

Bramble

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Wiccan joke:

Someone wants a love spell. This is the spell you give to them:

Light white candle.

Slap face three times.

Chant : "I resolve to abandon trouble and strife. I will now go out and get a life."

Repeat action and chant until candle has melted down.

Manipulating another's free will is considered to be doing harm by Wiccans.

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Bramble Newbie

Bramble

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Rafael 1969:

Nope, not interested in gaining approval--wouldn't have registered here except for the threads about witchcraft.

I'm not someone who thrives on confrontation-- it makes me anxious-- and I'm not comfortable in an enviromnment where others seem to have something invested in me conforming to their beliefs. I lost myself once, won't go on that road again.

I approve of your religious choice (assuming here you're not an ax murdering wacko). You freely chose your path? It brings you close to your God? Brings joy and meaning to your life? Your seeking days are over? That's lovely.

I don't believe in One True Religion for everyone--believe there are different paths for different people.

Wordwolf:

Loophole found! Sometimes growth is accompanied by pain. Maybe you could get alot of growth going!

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