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Go Back   Spiritual Forums > Religions & Faiths > Wicca

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  #1  
Old 04-10-2010, 11:34 PM
stormdancer
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Myth Of The White Witch

Aside from the tricks of the movie or TV witch, usually accomplished with special camera techniques, there is no reason why any woman who puts her mind to it and learns the proper method cannot become a full-fledged witch in accord with popular conception. Only those who either do not know the means to success or are too stubborn to use them, once having been told, will persist in defining themselves as witches by using the sanctimonious definition of so-called 'White Witches' working for 'the benefit of mankind.' There will always be those who, furtively desiring personal power but unable to do anything about gaining it, devise their own definition of what a witch should be like, seeing to it, of course, that their definition fits themselves.

The 'White Witch' is the by-product of an emergence in England of an above-ground witchcraft interest at a time when witchcraft was still technically illegal. In order to pursue the 'craft' without harassment and prosecution, the spokesmen for witchcraft attempted to legitimize and justify what they were doing by proclaiming the existence of 'white' witchcraft. 'White' witchcraft, it was stated, was simply a belief in the religion of the old wise ones, or 'wicca'. The use of herbs, charms and healing spells was only employed for beneficial purposed.

It was to be believed that the kind of witches that were dangerous to have were 'black' witches. These were supposedly evil in their pursuits and worshiped Satan. The fact that the 'good' or 'white' witches employed a horned god in their ceremonies was justified because it 'doesn't represent the Devil!'.

Of course, no one admitted to practicing witchcraft ceremonies of any kind. Anything that was associated with witchcraft was pursued in the name of 'study' or 'research'. This was the climate in England between 1936 and 1951.

With the repeal of English witchcraft laws in 1951, all of the underground witches started creeping to the surface, and as their eyes became accustomed to the light of sudden legality, they ventured forth. Unused to such freedom and heavy with stigma of illegality, they went about shouting 'White Witchcraft' even louder than ever, as if expecting at any moment to be snared by a heretic hook.

About this time, interest in the occult was becoming popular in the U.S., so naturally attention was focussed on the British Isles with its rich heritage in all matters ghostly and fanciful. As might have been expected, newly emerged English Witches saw the U.S. as a fertile stamping ground for safe recognition of their 'witchiness'.

'White witch' became a definitive term and thousands who wouldn't touch the practice of witchcraft with a ten foot broomstick found conscience-redeeming opportunity to follow the 'art' by using the new rules of the game. Regardless of what these people would like to believe, the image of the witch has been stigmatized for centuries. All witches were considered to be agents of the Devil, antagonistic to scriptural teachings, and a direct part of the dark side of nature. As there is always a relative outlook as to what is good and what is evil, once witchcraft emerged from its 'all evil' state into neutral territory, a differentiation was bound to occur. The righteous, of course, will always wear the mantle of 'good', 'white light', 'spiritual' and varying shadows of holiness.

An analogy might be made concerning 'white' and 'black' witches. Let us assume that warfare had, for centuries, been called 'wholesome murder' and the men who fought called 'murderers'. One day it was decided that there was something quite noble and dignifies about this old activity of wholesome murder. All the murderers, basking in the light of new found legitimacy, began calling themselves 'good murderers.' The stigma of the word, 'murderer', still remains, but at least the good murderers felt little more at ease. Now, maybe these murderers always had a fairly legitimate reason for going into battle. Maybe they succeeded in saving their homeland from that which threatened it. They might have even had a scholar among them who had traced the origin of the word 'murderer' to an ancient word which meant 'mother'. But the fact remained, 'murderer' was still a negative term in the public's mind. So instead on simply revelling in their subsequent acceptance by the public, their guilt, brought about by long years of stigma, necessitated their placing of the word 'good' in front of 'murderer' as a sort of self-reassurance that they were doing the right thing!

Whenever a woman or girl becomes a 'White witch', you know she is either kidding herself or has much to learn.


Blessings and Peace


Storm xx
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  #2  
Old 05-10-2010, 10:49 PM
Chatters
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Great post

Enjoyed reading. I completely agree, for me there is no such thing as a white witch, just how we choose to work. How we direct energy. Energy itself is neither good or bad, white or black, it just is, the same as nature is just nature. Nature does not recognise black and white.

I argue that the term white witchcraft and the like has become another marketing tool for a type of witchcraft that is consistent with consumerism as well as being more palatable. Do we really need loads of crystals and different coloured candles, a full table of tools such as wands etc etc. As pretty as they are(-:

So called white witchcraft emphasises growth and success while leaving out the areas for understanding loss and death that is found in traditional witchcraft. Which for me personally is a very unbalanced practice. And not just that but also missing out on really knowing yourself and really understanding the world around you. Not everything is all beauty and light. Although I don't knock the beauty in life, I too embrace it, but I also think a witch should understand life more fully.

Chatters

Last edited by Chatters : 05-10-2010 at 10:52 PM. Reason: Spelling
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  #3  
Old 05-10-2010, 11:09 PM
EmergingPath
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stormdancer
Aside from the tricks of the movie or TV witch, usually accomplished with special camera techniques, there is no reason why any woman who puts her mind to it and learns the proper method cannot become a full-fledged witch in accord with popular conception.
(Italics mine) Hi Stormdance, any reason why a male could not not either?
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  #4  
Old 05-10-2010, 11:53 PM
stormdancer
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Male/female...is one soul it makes no difference hun you are also studying conscious creation.

peace xxxx
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  #5  
Old 06-10-2010, 08:03 AM
norseman norseman is offline
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"Triumph of the Moon" - Ronald Hutton.
"White Witch used to describe Cunning Folk. Whereas witch was used to denote those who used their crafts for personal or malign gain."
Not a modern term.
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  #6  
Old 06-10-2010, 09:39 AM
Chatters
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Isn't the term white witch more modern, as all witchcraft was seen as the black arts?
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  #7  
Old 06-10-2010, 09:48 AM
norseman norseman is offline
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It was a term used by lore collectors to differentiate between the "witch" and the Cunning Folk who were sometimes used as Witch Finders. White Witch was not a term used by practitioners.
Witchcraft seen as the Black Arts - by the church. In fact, Witch and Witchcraft are descriptions used by the church to denigrate and victimise people - those words were never used by practitioners.
It is sometimes difficult to cut thro the propaganda put out by the church at times.
The Arts or Craft are neither Black or White - they just are ! Blackness and Whiteness lies in intent.
To give another example of the confusion. In Britain, there were "witches" [?] and the Cunning/Wise Folk. At first the church attempted to eradicate the Cunning/Wise Folk and bring charges of the usual garbage. No-one was ever brought to trial because "the Cunning Folk were deemed too useful, especially in rural communities". A further complication was that some rural priests were, in fact, Cunning Folk.
This is where Gardner comes in after the repeal of the Witchcraft Laws. He [ and others ] set about creating a new path which avoided the dreaded words Witch and witch craft to appeal to a wider circle. A faith was based, in the main, on existing Pagan Nature worship. He then added ritual and ceremony from various mystical orders of the 19th century including initiation and a hierarchy. In this, he was aided by Ross Nichol who founded the largest of the British Druid Orders. Both Gardner and Nichol were ordained christian priests from an obscure Celtic church. So New-Witchcraft or Wicca was an off-shoot of the original "witchcraft" that still flourishes in the UK. Never forget Gardner's past ! [look it up yourself].
The new faith, path was appealing to the US as Traditional British Wicca [ traditional in the sense of post-1950's !]
and new varieties began to spring up in the States. This was the beginning of the so-called Witch Wars about who was "real" and who was not. Initiated or Self-declared, Coven or Solitary ?
This still rumbles on today in Wicca.
So, to sum up, Wicca should be seen as a new branch of an old tree which is still going strong.

Last edited by norseman : 06-10-2010 at 10:07 AM.
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  #8  
Old 06-10-2010, 09:56 AM
Chatters
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stormdancer




It was to be believed that the kind of witches that were dangerous to have were 'black' witches. These were supposedly evil in their pursuits and worshiped Satan. The fact that the 'good' or 'white' witches employed a horned god in their ceremonies was justified because it 'doesn't represent the Devil!'.

This is not a witchcraft belief as such. Some witches do not believe in gods and goddess. While others do, and neither is it a white witchcraft practice. The horned god represents and is a god of nature, he is both good and bad, however good and bad does not come into it, as good and bad are human traits as good and evil are human beliefs.

Some pagans and witches also believe that the horned god is a part of the source or god/divine and that god is neither male or female
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  #9  
Old 06-10-2010, 10:06 AM
Chatters
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Quote:
Originally Posted by norseman
It was a term used by lore collectors to differentiate between the "witch" and the Cunning Folk who were sometimes used as Witch Finders. White Witch was not a term used by practitioners.
Witchcraft seen as the Black Arts - by the church. In fact, Witch and Witchcraft are descriptions used by the church to denigrate and victimise people - those words were never used by practitioners.
It is sometimes difficult to cut thro the propaganda put out by the church at times.
The Atrs or Craft are neither Black or White - they just are ! Blackness and Whiteness lies in intent.

Thanks Norseman, this is what I think and believe too. Through my reading I came to the conclusion that many people simply practised folk magic, and had a lot of knowledge about their land, the local plants herbs etc. Some more than others. The cunning folk to my mind were people that helped others when needed, some were the local mid wives, whilst others may have lived away from the village, some would have properly felt very close to the spirit world and may have been viewed with both respect and fear.

The cunning folk may have very likely had no title for themselves at all.

I agree with the craft being neither black and white, it does lie in the intent. You could use the so called black or white practice for either harmful or beneficial.
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  #10  
Old 06-10-2010, 10:11 AM
norseman norseman is offline
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Chatters, like many people, I originally took up wicca but was re-directed by an ex-HPS towards the Cunning Folk path, realising that I had been training for that for many decades without even knowing it.
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