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Witchcraft is not just a legend or theme from a Hollywood movie it is not extinct or obliterated though it has had it's share of trials and tribulations throughout history in fact many of the laws against it's practice were only repealed in the 1950's. Prior to this it was treated with disrespect, torment and death to practitioners. Modern times and changing beliefs have lifted many of the laws banishing witchcraft and allowed followers of the faith to again practice their beliefs without fear of prosecution and provided a better understanding of a faith known as Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan which is a belief based on the teaching of love for all life.

Dr. Gerald Brousseau Gardner was one of the first people to bring the faith out of the dark and into the light of the world through his publications. Most of today's denominations or traditions in the practice have been formed on the works, information, publications and teaching presented in the 1950's by him. Later groups have their roots in the teachings that were brought to the United States by Raymond Buckland who expanded on Dr. Gerald Brousseau's works.

It is important when discussing the Witchcraft, Wicca, or Wiccan faith to understand early on that this practice is a religion which pre-dates Christianity, that is not to say it is Anti-Christian, it is not Anti-Christian, it's not Anti-Anything, it simply is not or a non Christian faith. Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan is a loose religion or belief that is practiced around the world with no concrete central governing authority. It has a wide variety of denominations or traditions which worship the old Gods such as the God of life and death, the Goddess of nature and fertility. It celebrates the seasons and practices the ancient arts of healing, magic and divination.

Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan in it's true sense pre-dates the common notions of Satan, the devil and original sin that is so wide spread in most Catholic and Christian based faiths today as well as those groups which practice the worship of Satan or the devil. Since Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan pre-dates these notions it is important to understand that followers of this faith do not participate in such practices because those ideas, notions or other worldly beings such as Satan simply did not exist at the onset of the faith and are not associated with it now or in its originating roots. Thus we come to see why Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan is often called "The Old Religion" or "The Old Faith" as it pre-dates the modern Christians, Satanist and the many others that have sprung up over the centuries.

Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan is a faith based in love, joy and seasonal festivities, it is not concerned with the gloom, despair and disgrace of original sin, salvation and happiness that is only attainable in the afterlife. Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan is filled with grace, bountiful blessings, musical celebrations, the harvests, and awareness of nature and the natural world in which we all thrive. Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan faith does not participate in a belief of the devil, sins, atonement of sins, salvation or the fiery pits of hell. These notions are again ideas that were cultivated by Christianity and are not a part of the Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan Faith.

Witch's as followers of Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan faiths are referred to are quiet, peaceful people concerned with nature and the natural world around them having one uniting bond to all they believe which is "And it harm none, do what thou will." This rule or commandment is the tie that binds practitioner's of Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan for it is intended to be adhered to quite strictly, a rule which encompasses the craft. Intended as a subtle warning, a calm reminder and guardian to everyone in the faith and everything they do every day of their lives. Be mindful of your actions, your words, your thoughts, be sure that you do what you will but harm none in the process.

Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan practitioners believe in what is known as the "Three Fold Law" which simply means for each action taken or deed performed be it of good nature or bad will be sent back to the originator three fold or three times what was sent. This might seem like a great prospect when you think of the good things you did for someone else but when you consider the wrong doings or angry wishes you spoke toward another at some point in your life you might suddenly begin to see this "Three Fold Law" as a bit more then just a way to get back three dollars from lending one to another. Therefore Witch's are ever mindful of their actions and treatment of others which in turn they believe makes them more compassionate, understanding and considerate people.

Followers of Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan faiths do not have special powers that can turn an enemy into a toad or allow them to fly through the heavens on a broom stick in the wee hours of the night, nor do they possess the power to right the wrongs, wrong the rights and provide humanity with magical cures for all ailments, turn a single meal into a harvest that will feed all the hungry people in the world or even make a failing grade on a youngsters paper turn to a perfect score.

Practitioners of the craft are common everyday people that attend to daily needs, go to work and live life one day at time just like everyone else on this earth. They are not sitting around on the floor waving wands making things fly across the room, chanting spells and creating potions to turn a mouse into a sports car or a dog into a house. This type of behavior is Hollywood movie fun. Creative and imaginary thinking for the young and those that are young at heart. It's fun and cute and puts a smile on ones face and that is fine but the real practice of Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan followers is far deeper and more serious then that.

To gain a clearer understanding of the depth of Witchcraft, Wicca or Wiccan faith it is necessary to examine its roots and origination. Dr. Margaret Murray theorized that Witchcraft originated in Paleolithic times some twenty five thousand years ago. She viewed the development of the practice as a consecutively developing religion spanning from Paleolithic times to an organized practicing religion throughout Western Europe for centuries before Christianity's appearance, though in recent years scholars have disputed Dr. Murrays findings however she did provide possible evidence and material for the development of Religio-Magick that adds substance to her theories even today.

Paleolithic peoples were aware of their surroundings they witnessed the power of the elements, the roar of the thunder, the violence of the wind, rain and other weather conditions. In light of all this over-whelming fury surrounding them it is understandable to modern man that they would have felt a great deal of wonder and fear for such events therefore they began to give these things great respect and honor which eventually lead to the God status of many earthly events which eventually evolved from spirit, to deity to God. This development is what is known as (animism) the God of wind had the power to produce a gentle breeze or a violent gusting wind, The God of the water could make a nice stream or flood the earth, The God of the hunt could make it successful and provide the much needed food for them or a failure and they would suffer starvation and be ravaged by the elements thus the Gods became a very powerful and important part of early humans lives as they viewed their very existence as being dependent upon the Gods.

One of the most important Gods to early humans was the God of the hunt as they were greatly dependent upon hunting, it was through hunting that they were able to obtain food to eat, furs and skins to cover themselves for protection from the harsh environment, they were able to fashion tools and weapons with the animal bones for hunting and protection. Since most of the animals were horned early humans viewed the God of the hunt as being horned as well. Thus early humans began to worship a horned God known as the God of the hunt often done by creating life sized models of animals then attacking them and killing them in a symbolic ceremony or by wearing the head and hide of a killed animal and acting out the hunt in ceremonies. This type of behavior or re-enactment is known as (Sympathetic) magick meaning like attracts like. If the re-enactment of the hunt was successful then the upcoming hunt to should be successful. A more recent example of this type of magick ceremony or sympathetic magick is the Mandan Indian's Buffalo Dance.

Along with the horned God of the hunt came a Goddess though which evolved first is unknown. It was probably though observation that early humans came to understand that there had to be fertility in order to ensure that there would be animals to hunt in the future. Thus the Goddess, if there was to be animals to hunt there had to be fertility. If early man was to survive there had to be fertility. Models were made of animals mating and in ceremonies celebrating the fertility of the animals early humans would often copulate.

There are many modeled and carved representations of the fertility Goddess generally known as Venus. One of the most popular and well known of these is the (Venus of Willendorf) which features greatly exaggerated breast, over sized buttocks and an enlarged gentiles with a swelled stomach emphasizing a state of pregnancy. This particular representation of Venus has no defined facial features, arms and legs are not well developed and it is quite obvious that the creator was concerned with the fertility aspect of the model. Woman was represented as the child bearer and nurse of the young. The Goddess was the representative of woman. Mother Nature or Mother Earth. The great comforter and provider.

As time progressed the Goddess not only watched over the fertility of animals and early humans but also over the earth and the bounties that it produced through the crops. With the onset of agriculture and crop harvesting the year became split in two sectors. One half of which was devoted to the Goddess, the other to the God. During the growing season the Goddess was predominate. During the off growing season the God of the hunt took over. Other deities such as the wind, thunder and lighting began to play a less important role in the lives of early humans and they begin to receive less attention.

As Early humans developed so to did their beliefs and their religion which eventually spread across Europe. The God and Goddess acquired variations of names though they essentially were the same deities. An example of this can be found in Britain where in the south of England the God (Cernunnos )which means "The Horned One" can be found and in to the north the same god is known as (Cerne) a shortened version of the name but the same God. Another variation includes the name (Herne) though all three names are referring to the same God.

As humans continued to develop their skills grew and they began to learn not only how to grow, gather and harvest food but how to store supplies for the winter and times of hardship. The Horned God of the hunt gradually became less important and people began to view him as a God of nature and God of death. The Goddess remained in charge of and responsible for fertility and rebirth. During this time early humans began to develop a belief in life after death. Period burial sites dating back to (22,000 - 18,000 B.C.E) have been unearthed showing graves in which the deceased were buried fully dressed with adornments often the use of red ochre, hematite or iron peroxide was sprinkled on the deceased to give the color and appearance of living flesh. The deceased was often buried with tools and other items used in life to ensure they would have all the essentials for survival in the after life.

As beliefs and ceremonies expanded the need for structure and leadership developed. Organization began priests and priestesses were placed in charge of rituals. They became known as the (Wicca) meaning (The Wise Ones) which evolved into the (Witan) or (Council of Wise Ones) The word Wicca or Wicce is also spelled as Wica or Wita. The role of the Wicca was wide and diverse encompassing the over seeing of rituals and religious rites, they were in charge of dealing with herbal lore, magick, divination, the practice of law, medical advisors and much more they also acted as the median between the common people and the Gods. The Wicca were essentially playing the part of the Gods.

The Witchcraft, Wicca, Wiccan faith evolved slowly and naturally over the course of thousands of years unlike Christianity which was a man made religion. Many books and early teachings lead people today to think that Christianity appeared on the scene and was immediately accepted by the people, this however is not the case, though entire centuries were classed as Christian when in reality only the rulers had adopted the new religion often only partially and not as a whole. The Old Religion and its followers was predominate for the first thousand years of Christianity.

At this time Pope Gregory The Great tried to evoke a mass conversion by having new Christian churches built in locations of older temples with the intention that followers of The Old Religion would be forced to worship in the new churches and therefore become converted. He ordered that all Idols be smashed and temples be sprinkled with holy water during rededication to the Christian faith ceremonies.

Pope Gregory's efforts were to some extent successful however since the builders of the new churches were artisans of the Wicca faith or what by this time is being referred to as (Pagan) A word derived from the Latin (Pagani) and simply means (People who live in the country) and (Heathens) A word which meant (One who dwells on the heath) very appropriate terms for non Christians of the time and used with no connection to evil or the derogatory sense that is associated with the terms in modern days. These builders of the Pagan faith the stone masons and wood workers incorporated figures of their own deities into the new structures thus those attending the new churches were still able to worship their own Gods. Many of these figures of the Gods are still in existence today. The Goddess is quite often shown as a fertility deity referred to as (Sheila-na- gigs). The God is often depicted with a horned head, encircled by foliage often called a (Foliate Mask), (Jack of The Green) or (Robin o' The Woods).

These carvings of the Gods should not be confused with (Gargoyles) which have rather hideous faces often carved or mounted on the four corners of church towers to frighten away demons. As Christianity began to grow in strength the leaders began to see a need to remove rivals such as the Wicca and Pagan practitioners. The result of this desire to wipe out the Old Religion converted the Gods of their faith into the Devils of the new Christian religion the Horned God of the Hunt became the Devil of Christianity, thereby effectively converting for all practical purposes Wicca or Pagan practitioners into Devil Worshippers.

Many of the Ideas and Gods of the Christian Religion were taken from other pre-existing faiths during it's formation. The idea of immaculate conception and sacrifice of the God for salvation existed in multiple religions prior to the formation of the Christian faith. Other examples of borrowed concepts concerning the formation of the Christian faith include the Christian (God, Mary and Jesus) trio which was derived from the old Egyptian triad of (Osiris, Isis and Horus). The Mithraism provided the birthday of Jesus as being December 25th and the notion of a second coming as is still seen in the Christian faith today. Christian followers to this day are waiting for the second coming of Christ (Jesus) who will return to save his people and settle the dispute between good and evil, or in other words, end the on going battle between God and Satan.

The Devil is derived by the Christian faith and appears in The New Testament though no other mention of this being is seen prior to the appearance of those writings. It is believed that the concept of evil being associated with the Devil is due to an error in translation as the original Old Testament Hebrew (Ha-satan) and The New Testament Greek (Diabolos) simply meant (opponent) or (Adversary).

The concept of dividing the Supreme Power into two with good and evil is derived through the notion that an (all loving) deity an idea which has it's roots in Persia developed by Zoroaster (Zarathustra) in the seventh century B.C.E that spread westward eventually being accepted in Mithraism and later incorporated into Christianity. Created the necessity or need for an antagonist such as Satan or a division of good and evil, for if there is light then there must be a counter part of dark. To have white there must be black. An idea created by a complex civilization and not a religion that was naturally developed over the course of thousands of years such as the Pagan faith which contained Gods that were very much human displaying both their good and bad sides.

As time advanced the Christian faith grew in strength so to did the desire to remove rival or opposing religions. Soon the Christian church was discovering more and more ways to undermine the Wicca or Pagan faith. The church attacked many of the old ritual acts such as the fertility celebrations in which Pagan followers would go to the fields in the light of the full moon and dance around with pitch forks, poles and broomsticks, riding them much like a child today with a hobby horse toy might by sitting upon the sticks and poles and leaping into the air. This act was intended as a form of sympathetic magick to show the crops how high to grow to ensure that there would be an abundant harvest. However, the Christian church twisted this about and insisted that the Wiccan's or Pagans were actually flying through the air on the poles and destroying the crops portraying the celebration as the work of the Devil. The Christian church also attacked the Pagans by reversing common rituals intended to increase fertility in live stock, crops and people into an act of creating barren, non fertile results again saying it was the work of the Devil.

by 1486 German monks Heinrich Institoris Kramer and Jakob Sprenger were creating the infamous Anti-Witchery work known as the Malleus Maleficarum or (The Witches' Hammer) book. This writing defined instructions on how to prosecute witches. The book was submitted to the Theological Faculty of the University of Cologne but was basically rejected by the professors who refused to accept it. Kramer and Sprenger forged the appropriate documentation the approbation of the entire faculty members to have the book accepted. This forgery wasn't discovered until 1898 The hysteria aroused by Kramer and Springer had already spread across the whole of Europe for about three hundred years the prosecutions against witches raged. The estimated total number of people put to death by hanging, burning and torture during this time on the charge of witchcraft is nine million.

New England's law for punishment of Witchcraft was hanging. Scotland and continental Europe burned people at the stake. Even the new world or what is now America was not exempt from the torturous treatment of witch hunts, trials and prosecution of witches as is seen in the Witches of Salem, Massachusetts. Though it is very unlikely that any of the people put to death there were ever actually followers of the The Old Religion or truly involved with witchcraft. It is speculated that perhaps Bridget Bishop and Sarah Good may have had some involvement with the old faith but most of the others were upstanding citizens and faithful church patrons.

In the mist of this turmoil and church prosecution, faithful Christians began to find the harsh treatment and control of their lives by the church was over-whelming, thus they began to think that if the God of this religion will not help them perhaps his adversary will. This is the first appearance of what is known as (Satanism). Satanism is the parody of Christianity. It was invented out of distress and despair as mockery of the Christian faith, as a revolt against the church and it's harsh actions toward the people. In the eyes of the Christian church Satanism was a form of Anti-Christian religion as was Witchcraft, Wicca or Pagan faiths thus they all became the same thing and basically termed by the Christian church as being Witchcraft and punishable by death.

King James I passed his Witchcraft Act in 1604 but it was repealed in 1736 and replaced by an act that stated there was no such thing as Witchcraft and to pretend to have occult powers was to face being charged with fraud. By the late seventeenth century any real remaining members of the Old Religion had gone into hiding. Practicing their faith in secrecy and well away from the prying eyes of the Christian church or anyone who might forsake their trust. For the next three hundred years it appeared that Witchcraft was a thing of the passed having been wiped from the earth never to rise again. From that time on any literary material or public publications on the matter of Witchcraft came from the Christian church and was of course very biased and derogatory against the practice of The Old Religion.

Dr. Margaret Murray an anthropologist and professor of Egyptology at London University published The Witch Cult In Western Europe in 1921 in which she focused on the theory that there was a definite, wide spread, organized, pre-Christian religion with a consecutively unbroken line which could be traced to the time of the primitive cave people. This of course in time has been greatly disputed but much of her theory still holds enough value to be regarded as tangible to this day. In a second book The God of Witches which was published in 1931 Dr. Murray expanded on her views and theories much of which again are still quite credible to this day.

Dr. Gerald Brousseau Gardner published a novel called High Magic's Aid in 1949 which he claimed he was able to weave the true Witch beliefs and practices into, despite many of the covens and practicing witches wishes to keep things quiet and secret for fear that the prosecutions against them might start again. Finally In 1951 England repealed the last of the laws against Witchcraft which allowed any remaining survivors of The Old Religion to finally come out of hiding.

In 1954 Dr. Gardner published a book titled Witchcraft Today which basically substantiated what Dr. Murray had theorized on to be true. Dr. Gardner stated in his book that Witchcraft was indeed a religion of the past and was still very much alive and active in the present day. He wrote in his book that he was a Witch himself. He explained how he had been initiated into an English coven near Christchurch prior to the onset of World War Two. In 1959 Dr. Gardner published a factual treatment to complement Witchcraft Today titled The Meaning of Witchcraft. After a lifetime of study in religion and magick Dr. Gardner felt that the history of Witchcraft it's practices and rituals were incomplete with much inaccurate information.

For a Millennia The Old Religion had been orally passed down through the generations it was not until the persecutions and separating of covens that anything had been recorded at which time information concerning rituals and beliefs where written in what became known as the (Book of Shadows). This Book of Shadows would then be copied and passed around though the years from coven leader to coven leader. When Dr. Gardner entered the coven an English/Celtic group he realized that all this recopying of the Book of Shadows had created errors in the book he took his covens Book of Shadows and re-wrote it the way he felt it should have been written, this form then became known as Gardnerian Witchcraft.

Many have disputed the accuracy of Dr. Gardner's work on the Book of Shadows claiming that it is a fictitious creation of his imagination. While others claim that Aleister Crowley known around the world for his work concerning Tarot Cards was commissioned by Dr. Gardner to write the book for him. Much of Dr. Gardner's preparatory work can be found in Stewart Farrar's books, What Witches Do and Eight Sabbats For Witches. Regardless of who actually wrote the Book of Shadows for Dr. Gardner's coven one must keep in mind that a great deal of the research and works he produced on the topic of Witchcraft was done when much repression on the issue was still of a great concern and that he alone stepped forward to bring as much truth and information as possible into the public's eye.

Raymond Buckland Initiated in Scotland (Perth) by Dr. Gardner's High Priestess was the first concerning Witchcraft to step forward publicly in America. He was followed by Sybil Leek, Gavin and Yvonne Frost soon afterward. Today there is an abundance of covens and traditions to choose from including variations such as Gardnerian, Celtic, Saxon, Alexandrian, Druidic, Algard, Norse, Irish, Scottish, Sicilian, Huna and more. The fact that there are so many denominations or traditions to choose from is admirable when one considers how close Witchcraft came to extinction.

Today Wicca is recognized as a valid religion even the Department of the Army Pamphlet No. 165-13 (Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups - A Handbook for Chaplains) includes instructions as to the religious rights of Witches along with those for Islamic, Sikh, Christian, Indian, Japanese and Jewish heritages and groups.

The Council of American Witches adopted a set of Principles of Wiccan Belief in April of 1974. These Thirteen Principles are as follows:  

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