The Real Witches’ Handbook: The Definitive Handbook of Advanced Magical Techniques. Kate West

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СКАЧАТЬ invisible to anyone but the most keen observer. The pointed hat, however, is not something many Witches will own unless they have a taste for fancy-dress parties. It is said by some to represent the cone of power which is often raised when working Magic. But as the cone of power is something on the psychic, rather than visible plane, it is hard to see how this became popularized as a pointy black hat, with or without symbols on it.

      Witches wear lots of heavy make-up and jewellery.

      Some do, many don’t. The modern image of the Witch dressed in black, with long black hair, pale skin and darkened eyes, hung about with chains of silver, is partly generated by movies and TV, and partly by a fashion trend which some people are enjoying at present. Make-up and jewellery are fashion accessories or personal statements about the way you feel and the group you feel comfortable with, not requirements for Witchcraft.

      A Witch lives with a black cat, a toad or other kind of familiar.

      The belief that Witches have a familiar goes back to the time when it was usually the old and lonely who were accused of Witchcraft and these poor unfortunates often had a pet to keep them company. Many modern Witches do have a pet or pets – being a part of a nature religion inclines a person to seek the company of animals – but many do not keep pets. Toads, however, have never been all that popular!

      Witches fly on broomsticks.

      Witches fly on aeroplanes. The idea of flying to meetings on a broom is derived from the use of ‘flying ointments’. These often poisonous ointments used to be made to heighten the senses, much in the way that some people today use drugs in a ‘recreational’ manner. The effect of some of the ingredients was to give the illusion of flight. Most Witches discourage the use of artificial aids to increase awareness, partly because such use can be dangerous (sometimes causing long-term physical and mental problems and occasionally death) and partly because if awareness or heightened senses are acquired or enhanced with drugs or herbs, they are not truly your own. It is, if you like, a second-rate form of enhancement compared to that which can be achieved through study and practice, and the use of artificial aids often slows down the development of unaided skills.

      Witches do, however, use the broomstick, or ‘besom’ as it is also called, to sweep, whether practically as in removing autumn leaves from the garden or metaphorically in preparing a working space. The besom is also used in some kinds of fertility rituals to represent the union of male and female. At a Witch’s wedding, or Handfasting, the couple will jump over the broom to symbolize the leap from their old lives into their new one and to encourage fertility – physical, mental and spiritual – in their union.

      Witches brew strange concoctions in Cauldrons.

      Witches who practise herbal work or who make ointments, salves and lotions tend to do so in the kitchen, in clean surroundings and comfort. These brews are often no stranger than any other natural remedy – indeed, they could be as normal as onion soup for a cold sufferer.

      The Witches’ Cauldron is often used to contain fire when working outside, or candles when working inside. This confines the flames so there is no risk of a fire getting out of hand and so that no damage is done to the surroundings. Sometimes a Cauldron is used to hold water as a symbol of the Goddess, or as an aid to divination or scrying (more on these later).

      You may by now have noticed a number of main themes running through all these misconceptions:

      

Everything nasty and frightening has been, or is, attributed to Witches and Witchcraft. People have a tendency to group together the same age-old fears whenever they are trying to put down the beliefs of others, especially when their own beliefs can become linked to the control of the people.

      

Quite a few, but not all, of these accusations are built around a grain of truth. This is because it is easier to discredit someone if you build your propaganda around something they cannot deny. It is far harder to undo the damage, especially when it has had over 1,000 years to become part of people’s beliefs.

      

When it comes to appearance you cannot tell a Witch by the way they look – Witches are as individual as anyone else.

      But by far the most insidious myth about the Craft is that Witchcraft makes life easier. Witchcraft does not make life easier. As a Witch, you will not have fewer problems, you will probably have more. Witchcraft is about hard work, study and self-discipline. It is about knowing when to speak or act and when to hold back.

      If you practise Witchcraft you will almost certainly have to be careful about whom you tell about it and about what you tell, so you will have to learn to be very discreet. There will always be things which you need to keep secret, for example the names of those you have helped and their problems. As a Witch you must keep your word – you cannot give away the secrets of others, even though you may feel that this might solve a problem.

      The Craft will give you the means to understand the way others think, feel and behave, and this understanding will eventually enable you to see that there are always two or more sides to every situation and many possible outcomes to every action. In time this knowledge will make you a better Witch, but often in the short term you will feel as though every potential action is going to fail. This can be the very time when you learn to wait and see.

      For anyone who thinks that the Craft will make their life easier I would recommend that they give serious thought to the Wiccan Rede and the Rule of Three, both of which are explained in more detail in the next chapter.

       TWO WITCHCRAFT IN REALITY

      Having looked at the misconceptions people have about Witches and Witchcraft, let us look at what Witches do believe in and practise.

      One of the best definitions I have heard for a Witch is ‘healer, teacher and parent’. The Craft has its roots in a time when people lived in small communities, when communication and travel, over even small distances, were the exception rather than the rule. The village Witch was the nurse, doctor, midwife, vet and counsellor for the community. Witches were the ones who held the knowledge of healing and prepared the medicines of their time. They were the ones whose study of human actions and human nature enabled them to help their friends, family and neighbours solve their problems and resolve their differences. They were the ones whose observation of nature enabled them to advise on when to plant crops and when to harvest, and how best to treat and keep the animals which provided food for the months ahead. They cared for the people, the land, the growth and the future of their community. As keepers of knowledge they also took the responsibility of selecting and training the next generation of healers and teachers.

      Today’s Witches often use the term ‘near and dear’ to refer to their community and, in a world where travel and communication are so much easier, this can extend to friends and Witches from far away. But the feeling is still that of family, whether through blood, fellowship in the Craft or simple friendship. The work is still that of healing, sharing knowledge and of caring for those in the immediate circle.

      

      There are many kinds of Witch and many ways of practising the Craft and I shall talk about some of the better known variations later, СКАЧАТЬ