So what is witchcraft? It’s not what most people might think it is. A person wanting to know more about witchcraft these days would probably just google it, and they might see these definitions:
Merriam-Webster:
witchcraft
noun witch·craft \ˈwich-ˌkraft\
Simple Definition of witchcraft
a : the use of sorcery or magic
b : communication with the devil or with a familiar
Dictionary.com:
witchcraft
noun
1. the art or practices of a witch; sorcery; magic.
2. magical influence; witchery.
These are problematic because…well, they’re either redundant or just wrong. ("Communication with the devil"?! Come on, Merriam-Webster!)
In my opinion, the best and most accurate definition is from
Urban Dictionary (read the whole thing but here’s the summary): “Witchcraft is the practise of any Magickal Art from any religious or spiritual system, regardless of alignment or intent.”
OK, so again…what is witchcraft? In my opinion, the simplest and most inclusive definition of witchcraft is manipulating energies to bring about change. Which energies to manipulate, how to manipulate them, what tools to use, and what kind of change is all up to the user. Whether you’re participating in a highly ritualized ceremony with a coven, or meditating alone with a green candle to send healing energy to someone, it’s all witchcraft, and it’s all valid.
Witchcraft can help you:
- Effect the change you want, i.e., to make your sincere intent into reality
- Achieve greater understanding of yourself, others, and the universe
- Decide on a course of action or make a decision
- Train your brain for different states of consciousness
What Witchcraft is Not
Unfortunately, misconceptions still exist and we must do all we can to dispel them. Witchcraft is
NOT:
- Devil worship/satanic
- A religion unto itself
- Only for a certain type of person
- Dogmatic
Let’s talk about these a bit. The idea that witches were/are satanic or worship the devil exists thanks to Medieval Christianity. The Church engineered a propaganda campaign in the Middle Ages to try to convert local people from their old Pagan religions. Part of this was putting forth the idea that witches, also known as “wise folk” or “cunning folk” (who had been around for millennia and were actually revered as healers and protectors in their communities) had made deals with the Devil or were consorting with demons. They also turned the Horned God of the local people into a representation of Satan to spread further influence. Modern witches and Pagans overwhelmingly don’t even believe in the Christian devil.
Also, witchcraft in and of itself is NOT a religion. Witchcraft is a practice and can be paired with, or practiced separate from, any religious beliefs. There are witches of all religions; I personally have heard of witches who are Christian, Jewish, Asatru, Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan, Pagan, Unitarian Universalist, pantheist, deist, animist, and secular. I think this misconception comes from the popularity of Wicca, which is the largest subset of the “Pagan” umbrella. Wiccans do practice witchcraft as part of their religion. Also, many of the books and other resources on the subject are Wiccan-based so I think that adds to the perception that witchcraft = Wicca. Some books I’ve read use the terms “Witch” and “Wiccan” interchangeably, which is actually kind of confusing.
Who Can Be A Witch?
Witchcraft can be practiced by anyone. It is not exclusively available to only a certain type of person. All races, all sexes/genders, all sexual orientations, all religions, all nationalities, all socio-economic statuses, all levels of able-ness, all political viewpoints, etc. There are elements of witchcraft as a practice in cultures all over the world. Witchcraft is highly adaptable which is so great because it can be tailored for use by anyone. Which leads me to the next point…
Witchcraft is not dogmatic. There is no one “right” way to do it. Some people may think there is, and that’s fine if that is how they want to practice their craft. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with sticking to a certain tradition if that’s what a person prefers. But you have to remember that everyone works differently – some people may work best with clearly defined rules and guidelines. Some people take a little from various areas and some people make it up as they go! When reading/learning about witchcraft or planning a spell, I try to keep my motto in mind: “Do what works best for YOU.”
The thing I love about witchcraft, besides actually doing it, is the variety of practitioners. There are so many ways to practice the craft and they are all valid. That fits in nicely with one of my core beliefs about humanity, which is that everyone has something to learn, and everyone has something to teach.
How do witchcraft and magick work?
There is currently no scientific explanation for how magick works. I think it depends on who you ask. Someone who is Wiccan and worships the Goddess and God is going to have a different answer than a Hellenic Polytheist or a Pantheist. The "how" of magick is relative to your particular paradigm.
Since I am an atheist, I have been approaching the practice of witchcraft from a scientific or psychological angle. Luckily I am not the only one, though secular witches are a minority. Many sources I have read indicate that using magick is a way for us to tap into and communicate with our subconscious. If our subconscious has different wants than our conscious mind, the subconscious will usually win.
Example: You want to lose weight, but you get pleasure and enjoyment out of eating certain foods. Your subconscious is soothed by eating the food and this will often override your conscious desire to eat healthier and lose weight. You need to find a way to change what your subconscious wants (or find a better way to self-soothe) so that it matches your conscious will.
If we are able to access our subconscious, we can sort of re-program it to be aligned with our conscious will. This is done through meditation and visualization.
Brain Waves
We know that our brains produce several different types of waves depending on our activity and mental state. When we are casting a spell, meditating, trancing, or doing a visualization, our brains will produce waves in a certain frequency. The known types of brain waves are alpha, beta, theta, delta, and gamma.
I will summarize these here, and provide some links at the end of the post if you care to dig deeper.
Alpha waves (8–12 Hz)* are produced when one is in an awake but relaxed state. Light meditation, going for a calm walk, reading a good book, or sitting quietly and reflecting over a cup of tea are alpha states. They also occur during REM sleep, which is when most dreaming occurs.
Beta waves (12-38 Hz) occur during normal waking consciousness, and can vary in amplitude depending on the person’s thought patterns or concentration level. Beta waves are active, working, alert. Interacting with people, working at a fast pace, trying to figure out a problem, or performing a delicate or dangerous task all use beta waves.
Theta waves (3-8 Hz) are the “daydream” waves. When you’re doing a task on auto-pilot and your mind is wandering where it will, you’re in theta wave territory. Theta waves would be happening if one were dozing, zoning out, or even going into a trance state. We also produce theta waves when we dream. When you get one of those “light bulb” moments (like a flash of inspiration or understanding), that is a flash of theta waves. Other theories associate theta waves with learning, memory, and spatial awareness.
Delta waves (0.5-3 Hz) are usually found in deep sleep. These are the slowest classified waves and are also more frequent in female mammals. Delta waves are necessary for the body to repair itself on a cellular level during sleep. Disruptions in delta wave activity are associated with many conditions including depression, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s, ADHD and some types of seizures.
Gamma waves (38-42 Hz) are the fastest type of wave. They are used in cognition, perception, memory and information processing. There is a strong association between high cognition and gamma waves. It is still not known how/where gamma waves originate as they are actually faster than our neurons.
When doing magick, visualization, or meditation, we are aiming for alpha or theta waves. For a light meditation or quiet reflection, alpha waves are ideal. For trance work or deep visualization, theta waves would be best.
But HOW?
So, OK, if all we’re doing is hacking into our subconscious and intentionally inducing certain brain waves, why do we need all the accoutrements like a wand, cauldron, candles, herbs, etc.? Well, some people may not need all those things, and kudos to them. I imagine it takes a lot of talent, work, and/or skill to be able to do that.
But, when we use implements or materials, we are helping ourselves to make the needed associations because of widely accepted attributes that are given to colors, herbs, crystals, elements, etc. For example, say I want to do a money spell. Well, because the color green is widely associated with money even in the mainstream world, I would use a green candle, write my intention on paper with a green pen, use mint (herb or oil), or charge a piece of malachite or green aventurine. Because green has this association, it will help me focus on money in my visualization when I am doing the spell. (If you would like to look into this further, look up “memory association.”)
This kind of symbolism really works for me – I’ve always been very interested in symbols and associations so this kind of stuff is right up my alley. Some people may get great results simply by meditating on their intent with a colored candle. Some people need a custom-tailored spell with lots of associations. Everyone is different and the important thing to remember is do what works best for YOU.
*The speeds of the different brain waves are taken from this
website. I have seen a variety of ranges on other sites so I don’t really know which is the “right” one.
Does magick always work?
No, it doesn’t. That answer might surprise you, but there may be one or more reasons why a spell you did doesn’t work. Some of these reasons might include:
- Your intent was not strong enough. The whole point of magick is making your will into reality. If you’re trying to cast a spell and you can’t muster up the feeling or desire, it’s not going to work. Intent is key.
- If your spell sort of worked, or worked in a way you didn’t expect, you may not have been specific enough, TOO specific, or could have used better wording when casting. If it worked but results are unexpected, it may be for reasons out of your control.
- The spell may have been too complicated. Particularly for newbies to the craft, it’s better to start simple. An overly elaborate spell can actually cause distraction while doing it, therefore weakening your focus.
- You may have been doing the wrong type of magick or using the wrong type of materials. What I mean by this is that certain things will resonate more with you than others. For example, I am much more comfortable (and get better results) using color or elemental magick than using herbs. Try experimenting with different ingredients or methodology.
- You may also want to approach the problem from another angle. Example: I wanted to do a money spell but I wanted to also tackle my spending problem. I rewrote a money spell to be a “free of debt” spell because if I didn’t have the debt, I wouldn’t need more money.
- You may just need more practice. Witchcraft is a practice and a skill and just like any other it needs to be done regularly. If your intent is strong but you just can’t get it right, pick a day/time every week or 2 weeks and re-do the spell once or twice, maybe with a few tweaks. (Some people say you should only do a spell once. I do not hold this opinion.)
- You may be expecting too much out of magick. You can’t just do a spell and sit back and wait for the results; there is still work to be done. Even though I did my “free of debt” spell, I still have to watch and modify my behavior. But doing the spell kind of kickstarted it, and also I noticed that paying down my debt is much more in the front of my mind and I am focusing on that more since I did the spell. As long as I remember that I am re-aligning my subconscious, that helps me keep my expectations realistic.
- You may need to wait longer. Magick isn’t instantaneous. Try to have a realistic expectation of the timing of results.
Further Reading
I realize my view of how magick works is not common; indeed, many of the explanations I’ve read tend to be based in the supernatural. If you’d like to read more about my personal beliefs and worldview, please visit my post
My Beliefs And Practices. It may help connect and give more perspective on the information in this post.
Additionally, here are a few other websites which I think explain this very well:
How To Use Magick With A Straight Face
Understanding Magick
How Magick Works: The 90% Beneath the Surface
Why Your Brainwaves are the Key to Your Success
WHAT ARE BRAINWAVES?
Seekers and Guides: Trance and the Brain (Book Excerpt)
I’d love to hear your views and ideas on how magick works. I think it’s important to discuss these things as we can all learn from and teach to each other. Leave a comment if you feel so inclined.
Thanks for reading and Blessed Be!
<3 Aranea
