Wicca in general is used in a good way, not an evil way, but how come people always view witches as "bad" , vicunas claim casting spells in an evil way is going against its religion, so is there 2 separate kinds of "witchcraft", an evil one and bad one, and or can Wicca and witchcraft differ in methods and beliefs? or are they the same thing.
There is no good in Wicca, because you are entertaining evil spirits deceiving you into believing it is good. All spells are called curses, and there is no such thing as a good curse. All witchcraft is bad, and condemned by God. Witches are bad in practice of Wicca, even if they are decent people otherwise. Romans 10:8-10 is how to be born again, and be delivered from witchcraft.
Any religion can be perverted for personal gain. Take Christianity for an example of the. Wicca is a positive religion that believes that a spell made for negative or personal gain will come back to you through karma 10 fold.
People View witches as "Bad" because over the years parents have told those lovely bedtime stories like Hansel and Gretel to scare their kids into behaving a certain way. That along with the churches views have created a very negative View of witches.
The idea of Wicca is that there are forces at work that are not accounted for in our sciences, and which are obvious to anybody who observes nature closely, and have been known to the wise for all time. The means of utilizing these forces may be formalized somewhat, but remains more of an art than a science. Since the use of any sort of power may be for good or for ill, Wicca maintains that there are strict requirements to use it only for good. Presuming that the forces involved are real, though, and may be manipulated by the mind and intent of the practitioners of accumulated wisdom, or Wicca, there is no means whereby to be certain that they will not be abused. Any misfortune may be attributed to the improper use of knowledge on the part of some user of Wiccan knowledge, and this has traditionally been done by persons who feel that the world is unfair and that somebody may have it in for them. This is especially true if there is profit for the Wiccan and not so much for the person or persons so accursed.
Actually, Wiccans believe in a threefold law, not 10. If you want more information on the moral code of Wiccans, read the Wiccan Rede. There is some information about practices and such, but there are also moral guidelines. The Wiccan Rede is what all Wiccans abide by; if a Wiccan claims not to follow the Rede, they are misinformed and NOT Wiccan, simply some other type of pagan.
Also, Wiccans are not necessarily witches, and witches are not necessarily Wiccan. Wicca is a nature based, polytheistic religion that usually centers around a Goddess and her consort. Wiccans believe in worshipping following the natural cycle of the year rather than religious holidays, and they celebrate on solstices and other lunar events. Look up Sabbats, Esbats, Solstices, and Equinoxes, and you pretty much have all holidays Wiccans celebrate.
Wiccans cannot use magick (modern spelled with a k to separate from show magic) in evil ways, as the core belief is to harm none. Wiccans also believe in karma, so negative magick would be merely hurting one's self anyway. However, witches who do not practice Wicca or conform to any moral code, may do as they wish and can practice either left hand or right hand magick, white or black magick.
Wiccans can also practice varying methods and often pull from different pantheons (cultural groups of Gods/Goddesses/Demi-Gods). Eclectic Wiccans do this, otherwise, you will see Wiccans who say they practice a Celtic or Norse path. Wiccans choose their pantheons based on either being drawn to it or honoring their heritage or ancestors.
As with just about any pagan spiritual path, Wiccans can also either practice alone as a solitary, with a group of like minded pagans, or join a coven. What you do often depends on the pagan population in your area and your access to events, but it also depends heavily on your personal preference.
Wicca is not something I "use". Wicca is my religion, my way of life. It is my relationship with my gods, my striving to live in harmony with the natural world and the natural cycles of the year, and my code of ethics and acceptance of personal responsibility.
Witchcraft is a magical practice. While many Wiccans also practice witchcraft, not all witches follow the religion of Wicca. There are not 2 separate and distinct "kinds" of witchcraft. Witchcraft encompasses many occult practices - spell craft, herbalism, alternative healing methods (such as Reiki), divination, etc. Witchcraft is a set of various skills one learns and practices, and each witch has their own niche. (Rather like not all doctors are heart surgeons.)
Witchcraft in and of itself cannot be "evil" or "good". A *person* has harmful or helpful intentions...it is what a person chooses to do with their knowledge and skills. (Such as the above doctor analogy. One doctor could choose to use his knowledge and skills to cause harm to people, but that wouldn't mean all doctors are "evil".)
Oh, and Taryn above does not and cannot speak for all Wiccans, she can only speak to her understanding and practice of Wicca. I, for example, do not subscribe to the "Threefold Law" as literal. I would prefer to call it the Law of Return. Or if you like, compare to Newton's Third Law of motion - For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
And I'm going to guess that reading the Wiccan Rede isn't going to clarify things much for you. The Wiccan Rede consists of 8 words - "An it harm none, do what ye will" (or some version of that like "If it harms none, do what you will".) What this means is that any action I take that does not cause harm is acceptable. This is a base guideline to follow and one that a code of ethics is built from. Codes of ethics may vary some from tradition to tradition, or solitary to solitary.
One, Wicca and witchcraft are two different things.
Two, there are many different definitions of "witchcraft." Historically, witches were not nice people. 'Witch" meant someone who was killing, causing disease, maiming, and creating other harm through magic. That's what the word meant. As such, many people still have very negative associations with the word.
That's NOT what people generally mean when they describe themselves as witches. They refer to a morally neutral magical practice. But that doesn't mean the entire world magically got the memo about the change in definition.
There are a LOT of different types of witchcraft, defiantly more then 2!! The type associated with the religion of Wicca is just one type, and it appears to be one of the most popular among modern witches.
Wicca, the religion, asks that you "harm none"... but does not specify what "harm" is... each witch must determine for themselves what constitutes "harm." Some say that love spells are harmful because they infringe on free will... others, like myself, disagree and feel that love spells do not infringe on free will and, usually, are not harmful. Some witches feel that defending oneself from harm through magi ck is completely acceptable and reasonable, while others define defensive magi ck as harmful.
Once you leave the realm of Wiccan teachings though (which is easy to do seeing as Wicca is a fairly young religion and witchcraft has been practices for thousands of years leading to thousands of different traditions and witchcraft cultures), the guidelines change because the concept of how magi ck works changes. Hoodoo practitioners, for instance, have no rules about "harm" and see the world in a much more practical way. What's mine is mine, what's yo urn is yo urn and what's not yo urn can be mine if I want it. They tend to be of the mind that "God helps those who help themselves" and don't fuss and quibble about defining what "harm" is... they just get out their tools and do what needs to be done without over thinking things. It's a very practical form of magi ck without the cerebral overtones of some Wiccan philosophies. Besides hoodoo rootworkers, there are a ton of other magickal traditions like it, such as the cunning folk traditions of Britain, stregheria of Italy, santeria etc.
Even they, however, tend not to bother much with malicious witchcraft. It takes a lot of energy to curse someone and there are few people who can do something awful enough to be worthy of a real curse.
Witches are perceived as bad for several reasons... First of all, the term itself, "witch," has been used to describe something evil... to the point that the meaning of the word has changed to describe just that... evil sorcery. Modern witches, like myself, use the word because of a modern movement to reclaim some ancient meaning of this word... we try to insist that it simply means "wise one" or that "witchcraft" is the "craft of the wise and cunning." We have changed the modern meaning of the word "witch" to something different... something that is not inherently evil or malicious but is merely a neutral power that can be used for good, bad, selfish, altruistic, light, dark, or anything at all.
Modern witches generally don't believe in evil. Dark and shadowy may be the nature of some magick, but that does not make it "evil." Shadows are an indication of the presence of light... shadows define shapes from the blankness of pure light, thus making the world real and whole. Without shadows, we would know nothing at all but blinding light. Shadows can be good and useful in the right context.
Imagine you have a child and know that your neighbor is a convicted child molester. You find out, one day, that this person has approached your child and tried to befriend her with candy and toys. You've called the police, you've instructed your child not to go near this neighbor, but you still worry. If you are a witch, you could cast a spell to protect your child and/or, you could cast a spell to keep your neighbor away from your whole family, maybe even a curse to encourage him to move away from the neighborhood. Is this "evil" magick or is it merely shadowy, defining your boundries and protecting your children?
-Scarlet
2. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
Genesis Chapter 6
4. There were GIANTS IN THE EARTH in those days; and also after that, when the SONS OF GOD came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown.
17. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein [is] the breath of life, from under heaven; [and] every thing that [is] in the earth shall die.
The Book of Enoch: Chapter 7
1. It happened after the sons of men had multiplied in those days, that daughters were born to them, elegant and beautiful.
2. And when the angels, THE SONS OF HEAVEN, beheld them, they became enamored of them, saying to each other, Come, let us select for ourselves wives from the progeny of men, and let us BEGET CHILDREN.
10. Then THEY TOOK WIVES, each choosing for himself; whom they began to approach, and with whom they cohabited; TEACHING them SORCERY, INCANTATIONS, and the DIVIDING OF ROOTS AND TREES..
The Book of Enoch: Chapter 8
3. Amazarak taught all the SORCERERS, and dividers of roots:
4. Armers taught the solution of SORCERY;
5. Barkayal taught the OBSERVERS OF THE STARS,
6. Akibeel taught SIGNS;
7. Tamiel taught ASTRONOMY;
8. And Asaradel taught the motion of the moon,
9. And MEN, BEING DESTROYED, CRIED OUT; and their voice reached to heaven.
The Book of Enoch: Chapter 9
5. You have seen what Azazyel has done, how he has taught every species of iniquity upon earth, and has DISCLOSED to the world all the SECRET THINGS which are done in the heavens.
6. Samyaza also has taught sorcery, to whom you have given authority over those who are associated with him. They have gone together to the daughters of men; have lain with them; have become polluted;
7. And have discovered crimes to them.
The Book of Enoch: Chapter 10
1. Then the Most High, the Great and Holy One spoke,
6. Again the Lord said to Raphael, BIND Azazyel HAND AND FOOT; cast him into darkness; and opening the desert which is in Dudael, cast him in there.
7. Throw upon him hurled and pointed stones, covering him with darkness;
8. There SHALL HE REMAIN FOR EVER; cover his face, that he may not see the light.
9. And in the great day of judgment let him be cast into the fire.
10. Restore the earth, which the angels have corrupted; and announce life to it, that I may revive it.
11. All the sons of men shall not perish in consequence of every secret, by which the Watchers have destroyed, and which they have taught, their offspring.
12. All the earth has been CORRUPTED BY the effects of the TEACHINGS of Azazyel. To him therefore ascribe the whole crime.
The Book of Enoch: Chapter 13
1. Then Enoch, passing on, said to Azazyel: YOU SHALL NOT OBTAIN PEACE. A great sentence is gone forth against you. He shall bind you;
2. Neither shall relief, mercy, and supplication be yours, on account of the oppression which you have taught;
3. And ON ACOUNT OF blasphemy, tyranny, and SIN, which YOU have DISCOVERED to the CHILDREN OF MEN.
5. And they all became terrified, and trembled;
KJV Bible
Exodus Chapter 20
3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Luke Chapter 16
13. NO SERVANT CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. YE CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON.
Exodus Chapter 34
14. For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name [is] Jealous, [IS] A JEALOUS GOD:
1 Samuel Chapter 15
2. For rebellion [is as] THE SIN OF WITCHCRAFT, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king.
Isaiah Chapter 8
19. And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have FAMILIAR SPIRITS, and unto WIZARDS that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?
Micah Chapter 5
12. And I will cut off WITCHCRAFTS out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no [more] soothsayers:
2 Timothy Chapter 4
3. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4. And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Galatians Chapter 5
19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
21. Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Revelation Chapter 21
8. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and SORCERERS, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Matthew Chapter 13
41. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42. And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Revelation Chapter 20
14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Acts Chapter 3
19. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
1 Corinthians Chapter 4
14. I write NOT these things TO SHAME YOU, but as my beloved sons I WARN [YOU].
Ephesians Chapter 6
11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, AGAINST SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH [PLACES].
13. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
John Chapter 3
16. For GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
1 John Chapter 4
9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10. HEREIN IS LOVE, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.
Luke Chapter 6
27. BUT I SAY UNTO YOU which hear, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, do good to them which hate you,
28. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
36. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Titus Chapter 3
3. FOR WE OURSELVES ALSO WERE sometimes FOOLISH, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, [and] hating one another.
James Chapter 4
12. THERE IS ONE LAWGIVER, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
John Chapter 5
22. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
1 John Chapter 4
11. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
1 Thessalonians Chapter 4
8. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
9. But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
1 Peter Chapter 2
17. HONOUR ALL [MEN]. Love the brotherhood. FEAR GOD. Honour the king.
1 John Chapter 4
20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, HE IS A LIAR: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21. And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 3
20. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
Galatians Chapter 3
28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: FOR YE ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 12
13. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.
Matthew Chapter 22
37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38. This is the first and great commandment.
39. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE THEY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.
1 Timothy Chapter 1
5. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and [of] a good conscience, and [of] faith unfeigned:
John Chapter 10
23. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
30. I and [my] Father are one.
John Chapter 14
15. If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Matthew Chapter 28
20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.
Since several others have explained some of the basic ethics of Wicca, and some have decided to quote scriptures, I'm going to provide some information (scriptures) on the Bible and magi ck --
The Old Testament has "neutral or *positive* references to a wide range of magical and divinityRyractices."
(Joanne Kuemmerlin-McLean, "Magic: Old Testament," in David Freedman, ed., _The Anchor Bible Dictionary_, 6 vols, 4:469; also JOshua Trachtenberg, "Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in folk Religion" 19-20.)
Jewish and Christiian lore contains many references to occult incantations, amulets, charms, spells, exoercisms, etc. Here are just a few examples of the use of magick (and what we might call "witchcraft") in the Bible, by Biblical Heroes:
Jacob's Magick Rods:
The Bible indicates that the patriarch Jacob was interested in names of power and in magic rods. Genesis 30:37-39 Jacob used rods to cause [his father-in-law] Laban's flocks to produce spotted offspring after merely looking at the rods.
(John McClintock and James Strong, ed., _Cyclopaedia of biblical
Theology and Ecclesiastical Literature_ 12 vols, 2:836)
Joseph's Divining Cup:
According to Genesis 44:2,5 Joseph had a special silver cup in Egypt with which "he divineth" -- a Pagan custom. "Divination by cups has been from time immemorial prevalent among the (Pagan) Asiatics."
(Adam Clarke, _The Holy bible...With a Commentary and Critical Notes... 6 vols, )
Casting Lots:
The God of Israel commanded his people to cast lots (Leviticus 16:8-10), and the Hebrews chose priests and other temple workers by casting lots (1 Chron. 24:5, 25:8, 26:13) The apostles of the New Covenant also cast lots to select a replacement for Judas as an apostle (Acts 2:24-26)
*Not* a vote by ballot, the biblical casting of lots was outwardly identical to sortilege practiced throughout the ancient world by Pagans who sought to know the will of their various gods."
(M'Clintock and Strong, _Cyclopaedia of Biblical Theology_, 5:519-20; Jones, _Magic and the Old Testament" 545; )
Magical Healing:
Bible commentators have also generally acknowledged the magic context of instances where objects had power to heal. For example: In Numbers 21:9 Moses constructs a brass serpent, and any Israelite bitten by deadly serpents was healed by looking upon this image.
The _Abingdon Bible Commentary_ noted that this "is but one illustration of a practice well known outside the Bible as well as within it, namely, making an image of a pest or affliction and presenting the image to the deity who, in turn, would banish the pest."
(Frederick Carl Eiselen, Ediwin Lewis, and DAvid Downey, ed. _The Abingdon bible Commentary_308-309; also Joseph Dan, "Magic," in Roth, _Encyclopaedia Judaica_ 11:705)
St. Paul's Magic Handkerchiefs:
In one of the New Testament's best examples of magic healing, Saint Paul sent special handkerchiefs among the people to heal (Acts 19:12).
Jesus the Magician: (the title of a book, btw)
Jesus himself was accused of being a magician by Celsus and Jewish rabbis. Porphyry, another Pagan writer, dismissed Jesus as "not even an extraordinary magician," and called the apostle Peter "a dabbler in the black arts."
This was so well-known that medieval Passion plays emphasized the acusation against "Christ the Sorcerer"."
(R H NIcholson, "The Trial of Christ the Sorcerer in the York Cycle," _Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies_ 16:125-69)
"The belief, accusation or tradition that Jesus was a magician and that he passed magical power to his apostles and to the church as a whole is thus found in Judaism, Gnosticism, Christian orthodoxy and heterodoxy, Paganism, Islam and Mandeanism."
(John Hull, _Hellenistic Magic and the Synoptic Tradition_ 4)
Christians used "objects, rites, words and formulas charged with divine potency to force demons to yield," all in accordance with well-known, contemporary rules of magic.
Conspiracy of Silence?
Historian David E Aune says that many authors "most of whom consider themselves biblical theologians, write as if they were involved in a conspiracy to ignore or minimize the role of magic in the New Testament and early Christian literature.....
It does not seem appropriate to regard Jesus as a magician, yet Jesus DID make use of magical tecnniques which must be regarded as magical."
(David A Aune, "Magic in Early Christianity" 1508, 1539, 1538; also E P Sanders, "Jesus and Judaism 169-173; see also _Jesus the Magician_)
Conservative Christian objections to the practice of magick seems to
be:
"If WE do it, it's holy; if YOU do it, it's evil" !
question about wicca?
