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Common Misconceptions

We have heard all of these. Some from strangers, some from our own mothers. Here are the honest answers, given with as little eye-rolling as we can manage.

"Witches worship Satan."

No. Satan is a figure in Christian, Jewish and Islamic theology, and witches are not in those theologies, so he does not come up. Our Horned God is older than the devil and lent him his antlers, not the other way round. There are people who call themselves Satanists; they are a separate movement with their own ideas, and most of them are not witches and would say so firmly.

"Isn't it all black magic?"

We do not divide magic into black and white, and most of us wince at the colour language, which has done real harm. Magic is a tool like a kitchen knife. Our ethics govern how we use it, and our ethic is harm none. We work for healing, protection, clarity and growth. The overwhelming majority of spells cast tonight, all over the world, are for someone to get better, get the job, or get some sleep.

"Can you put a curse on my ex?"

No, and please do not ask anyone who says yes for money. Beyond the ethics, think about it practically: a person who will curse a stranger for cash will have no scruple about cheating you.

"Is this a cult?"

Cults isolate you, demand your money, control your relationships and punish you for leaving. Witchcraft has no central authority, no required donations, and a long tradition of people wandering off to start their own coven after an argument. Any individual group can go wrong, as any church choir can, and we give warning signs in Seeking a Teacher. But the Craft itself is the least cult-shaped religion we know of.

"Witches are all women."

Many of us are, and the Craft has always made room for women's power in a way few religions have. But Gardner was a man, the Horned God is a god, and our circles include men, women, and people who are neither. The word "warlock" is not used for male witches; it means oath-breaker, and nobody wants it.

"You have to be born into it."

Some people are. Most are not. Nobody is born a carpenter either. You become a witch by practising witchcraft, as you become a gardener by gardening. Family lineage is lovely where it exists; its absence has never stopped anyone.

"Wicca is an ancient religion that survived in secret."

This was believed in good faith by Wicca's founders and repeated for decades. The historical work since, above all Ronald Hutton's The Triumph of the Moon, shows that Wicca as a religion was assembled in the twentieth century from older pieces: folk magic, ceremonial traditions, romantic scholarship and personal inspiration. We think this is a strength. A tradition that knows its own history can grow. The pieces really are old; the weaving is ours.

"It's just a movie thing."

We enjoy the films too. But nobody at the Hearth can float, light candles by looking at them, or turn anyone into a newt, and we would be deeply suspicious of anyone who claimed otherwise. Real witchcraft is slower, quieter, and involves more washing up.

"Is it dangerous?"

The herbs can be, and we say so wherever we mention them. Candles are fire. Meeting strangers from the internet needs the same care it always does. The spiritual practice itself is about as dangerous as prayer, meditation or a long walk, which is to say that it can change your life, and you should be ready for that.

"Does it work?"

We would not do it otherwise. Whether it works the way the physicist means, we cannot prove and do not claim. Whether it works the way the heart means, so that people who practise it become steadier, kinder, braver and more awake to the world, we have watched happen too often to doubt.