Good Witch or Bad Witch.....

Often when people find out about my spirituality, at the top of all questions first asked is "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" It never fails to give me a start no matter how many times I hear it, I don't know exactly why but as I'm hearing these words being spoken, my mind is instantly transported back to the age when I first saw "The Wizard of Oz" and Glenda asks Dorothy that very same question. To most folks I'm sure it's a very legitimate question in their minds and inwardly all the bad press down through the ages about witches and the craft makes me cringe. The craft does NOT fall into the categories of good or bad nor even black or white, the craft is an empowering; exhilarating and positive experience to those that choose this path and any other beliefs that classify themselves as anything else other than this definition in my opinion, are examples of attack magic and should be avoided. My main objective in starting this blog was to be an educational example of my everyday life as well as speak of the craft and how it weaves itself throughout my daily life so that maybe it can become clear that I'm really not so different after all, it may lay a few of these fears to rest. I like to explain it not as someone who lights candles; chants rituals makes charm bags (and occasionally participates in broom riding that results in reports of UFO encounters and general widespread hysteria because after all, we all know physics doesn't exactly work like that.) To me it's easier to just answer that it is simply a lifestyle or outlook on the world and how we interact within it and spells and rituals are how I approach the common practice of prayer that the "mainstream" religions follow. Lately, there has appeared an abundance of those who seek to remove the fear from terms like witchcraft; the craft; wicca and even paganism. The one I like the best is that of Ariel ( pronounced AH-ree-el) who moderates Ariel's Corner Discussion Forum. He has an excellent podcast titled "the Witches Primer" and can be found at this link: http://www.magic-craft.com/ and this one as well: http://www.thedcw.org/ They are chock full of wonderful info on just what the craft IS and so are the links on the right side of my page that will give you a glimpse of who we are and what we believe. I encourage those who read my blog to check out these links.

P.S.- I indeed DO own a rather handsome handmade broom (from an elderly gentleman in Oregon that made the brooms for movies like Harry Potter) but it flies above my door as a symbol of welcome and positive vibrations for those who enter my doorway.