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Thursday, October 05, 2006

TT #10: witches

Thirteen things people should know about witches

  • We don't look like the witches you know from fairytales: old, ugly, crooked nose with big pimple, etc. There is no stereotype really!
  • We do have besoms or brooms; however they are not used for flying but for cleaning the circle, the sacred space, before doing a ritual.
  • We do not worship satan. We don't even believe in the devil or his existence.
  • We don't have a holy book like the Koran or the Bible. We have a Book of Shadows (or BOS), but that's a personal book in which a witch records his or her personal beliefs, rituals, etc. It is called "Book of Shadows" because in earlier times witches had to hide it to prevent being accused or burnt. The term has nothing to do with 'dark magic'.
  • There are a lot of male witches and they are called witches too.
  • Gothic is not the same as witchcraft. Some goths are witches and some witches are gothic, but there's no connection.
  • We respect people of all religions and don't want to convert anyone to the Craft. Everyone should be free to choose his or her own path in religion. If someone shows real interest though, we'll do our best to explain and help further.
  • Witchcraft is a generic term for a lot of traditions within the Craft. To name a few: Gardnerian Wicca, Celtic Wicca, eclectic witchcraft, druidcraft, etc. etc. (*Gardnerian comes from Gerald Gardner, the founder of Wicca)
  • We use another concept of deity. Some witches believe in one God and one Goddess, others are polytheistic. We all believe in a feminine form of deity right next to the masculine form. Like everything in nature there has to be a balance: the God can't exist without the Goddess and vice versa.
  • We don't need a church or temple (although they are sometimes used). Nature is our sacred space and very important to us. We cast a circle to do a ritual; the circle is our sacred space and can be cast anywhere we want.
  • We celebrate the Wheel of the Year: a full circle of the seasonal year, consisting of eight holidays or sabbats, starting at Samhain then Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lammas, Mabon. Sometimes other names are used (solstices, equinoxes).
  • The moon has a special place within the Craft. We live by the phases of the moon. Full moon celebrations are called esbats.
  • Although there are witches / traditions that work skyclad (dressed in sky=naked) in ritual, a lot of witches don't. Some wear special garments, some work in day-to-day clothes, some work naked. The thought behind skyclad is being closer to nature, no hindrances in the form of clothes. In any case it has nothing to do with sex (*I know, it's hard to believe but it's true!)!!

If you have any additional comments or questions,
please feel free to leave a message!

I have Blogger Beta. If you have classic Blogger and don't allow anonymous comments, I can't leave a comment on your blog. I'm sorry! Blogger will fix that later. In the meantime I can recommend Blogger Beta!

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Links to other Thursday Thirteens!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

32 comments:

  1. Very interesting, I say, indeed, very interesting. I'd love to sit and chat with you. I'll be by once in a while if that's all right?

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  2. Anonymous5/10/06 10:10

    Thank you for that Tink - I'm very interested in it and it was great to get some facts.

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  3. Great TT Tink, hopefully it will help people to understand us.
    My TT is up too.
    Have a great day!

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  4. Thanks for educating us about witches. It was very interesting reading. Happy Thursday. :)

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  5. I really enjoyed this list - interesting and educational. I will need to visit more often to learn.

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  6. Great TT. I've read a lot of books with Wiccan characters, so it wasn't all new, but it was nice to get the real details.

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  7. Anonymous5/10/06 13:09

    Very very interesting :D Thanks for visiting my TT :-)

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  8. That was fascinating. I have a few witch friends and I really enjoyed that list. Thank you

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  9. you mean you don't wear the cool pointy hats? darn it! ;)

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  10. Very interesting indeed. But I am not convinced that there is nothing sexual in this. Anyway I also think all religions should be respected unless they don't harm our society.

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  11. Anonymous5/10/06 15:14

    This is a great list and very informative. Charmed is one of my favorite shows, I like good witches!

    My list is up.

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  12. Great info! TY

    http://www.bloglegion.com/Skittles/

    Mine is up at the above link. I am sorry if posting is a pain. :(

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  13. Anonymous5/10/06 16:10

    Oh that's an interesting read. I had no idea about witches. It was an enjoyable and informative T13!

    Mandy :=)

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  14. Interesting list....I never heard the word Gardnerian used before.
    I don't know if Gardenia flower has anything is connected with Gardnerian or not.
    As I understand the gardenia flower was no begining or ending.
    Anyhoe my tt is up

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  15. Anonymous5/10/06 17:46

    Wonderful. I can never decide if cats are all witches or all buddhists. perhaps they choose?h

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  16. It's all about the education. I was at a commitment ceremony for friends a few weeks ago, and they used traditional elements from Wicca in their ceremony. Super interesting.

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  17. Hi Tink...I lost track of your blog and I love your blog so much...I am going to link you to mine in a few minutes..


    Your list is so fascinating. I have a soft spot for the Craft as Shrone says...I have participated as a guest at a few solstice ceellbrations...very rewarding experiences.

    I happened to make my list about being goth!

    Here it is...

    http://gnosticminx.blogspot.com/2006/10/13-things-about-being-goth.html

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  18. Anonymous5/10/06 18:44

    omg...now i really have confirmed that witches are cool. makes me think of wanting to be one too hehehe...that is so great, your list corrected and confirmed some of my preconceived notions about witches.

    my TT is up, drop by if u can =)

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  19. it's too bad people don't understand about your ways and traditions. like so many other peoples, I guess. I hope your post opens a few eyes and minds!

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  20. That was a very informative list. Thank you.
    Happy TT!

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  21. Anonymous6/10/06 01:33

    Very interesting read. This is a topic I'm fascinated by. I'm going to bookmark you and stop by again.

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  22. Interesting...I have to aggree with Ma/Tutu Bent, I also like Charmed ;D

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  23. you are truly an inspiring witch. I just want to tell you that again....

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  24. Oh, amazing luck, because I am seriously interested in learning more about being a Wiccan, but I didnt know where to start. Please enlighten me if you have a chance. :)

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  25. wow - the list has taught me some things which I didn't know. thx for sharing them. my tt is now up.

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  26. Thanks Tink, for sharing. I have always had a fascination for witches, witchcraft, wicca, but have never taken it further than reading about it. It seems so different to my rather traditional life ... I guess that's where the fascination comes from. I'm enjoying learning about your life from your blog. Thanks again.
    Have a wonderful weekend.
    Take care, Meow

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  27. Hi Tink

    Thanks for visiting. Great list. Someone close to me practiced the Craft for awhile so most of the false sterotypes were already bannished from my consciousness.

    I enjoyed your list especially as it taps into my interest in comparative religion. You could almost say that my Practice is the respectful study of other practices and beliefs.

    Hey, I've been hearing stuff about blogger beta. what are the advantages? Any disadvantages?

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  28. I had a Wiccan friend several years ago I lost touch with. I didn't know all those things, and I was glad you shared. Thanks for the info.

    Thanks for stopping by today!

    God bless.

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  29. Anonymous6/10/06 23:05

    Great list--very informative. I don't think most people really know about witches, beyond the sterotypes.

    I studied Wicca for a bit in college and have always had a fascination with witches and the moon.

    Happy Thursday!

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  30. Thanks for the interesting list! I love Charmed, by the way!

    And thanks for stopping by and the prayers. Take care.

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  31. This is interesting--I hope you'll read mine!

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  32. Anonymous8/10/06 16:02

    Hi Tink!

    Hope you will be feeling better soon! Anyway, I like you're explanation for the BOS better than what I was "taught": that the "Shadows" is from the stuff written into it: that it's a shadow from what one does on the "astral plane". Yours is more down to Earth and easier to explain! Thanx!

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I'm really sorry I had to enable comment & word moderation. Loads of spam comments spoiled the free commenting, but please... don't let it stop you. I love every non-spam comment!
Thanks for visiting.
Love, Tink