First of all let me start off with this ,a Shadow Witch is not an Evil Witch who is just going to cast negativity or curses on you, A Shadow Witch believes in not only using but respecting, accepting and embracing the light and the dark. In life and all things there is positive and negative so why as being a Witch should we only embrace the light when we are supposed to be people of nature who keep a balance and accept that balance. If one only deals with the positive or light then to me there is no balance and one is not truly accepting or living in a natural balance. A Shadow Witch practices in all area's of life whether it be to heal and protect or to defend and fight back to survive. A Shadow Witch does not allow someone to just walk all over them and do nothing about it even if it's just a simple Karma spell. We as Witches should be in control and even Wiccan's say they are in control of their own life however when someone does them wrong they just ignore it and turn the other cheek and in some situations it is not worth your energy or time to cast but in other situations it is worth it and part of being in control of your life is not letting people walk all over you and keep walking all over you and other people over and over again, so in certain situations something needs to be done.
Now how a Shadow Witch practices is much different then the way a Wiccan practices which is why Shadow Witches don't like to be called Wiccan's and some find it rather offensive. Shadow Witches live and practice by a much older way then what Wiccan's do. Shadow Witches do not call on the quarters or different Gods and Goddesses they stick to one God and or Goddess that is close to them. Shadow Witches also do not call on a Deity every time when working magick or during ritual, only when we would like their help or aid with something or just to honor them on their special day's. Shadow Witches also do not believe in worshipping Deities all though when we do work with them or call on them we will leave an offering in thanks for their help. Shadow Witches do not always cast circles when doing rituals or working magick it is just not necessary. The only circles I cast are for extra protection if I feel it is needed and I can cast a circle in about 30 seconds. I don't feel it is necessary to do all of that mumbo jumbo that Wiccan's do because all of magick is all about mind control and focusing your energies and the energies around you, there for that is all I need. Others may feel the need to do all that to help them focus or what have you and that is fine for them I just don't feel it is necessary and I can work just fine with out all that. I always make my own rituals and spells I do not like using other peoples work I feel it isn't close enough to my heart for the out come to be exactly what I want it to be. All though I have used something a friend has given me and changed it to fit my needs. When working magick and during rituals I use herbs, stones, crystals and candles to symbolize and aid what I am working on. I also ONLY use magick and spells when all else fails. I believe communication can be just as powerful as magick and spells so I always talk about things and try to work things out that way first and if I have done my best and worked my hardest and all attempts fail then I will work some magick if I feel it is necessary. Sometimes in life we must just accept things and learn from them and other times we need to make things happen for survival. Before I ever work any magick I always meditate on the issue for a while first some times I will meditate on it for a full Moons cycle before I do what needs to be done.
I celebrate all the Witches Esbats and Sabbats in the Wheel of The Year plus a few extra that are special day's to my family and to my Goddess. During the Esbats I do not do a full ritual unless working magick usually I will just go out side and enjoy the Moon for a while and meditate. For Sabbats I do not work any kind of magick at all and my rituals exist of having a nice feast with my family (all traditional foods for the Sabbat) with candles lit, some herbs laying around the house and on the dinner table and give thanks and honor for the blessings of that Sabbat. I do not believe in doing any kind of magick or work on the Sabbats because in ancient times those day's where for peace, relaxing and enjoying your loved ones and all the blessings that has been given to us and I feel doing a full ritual is work in itself so that is why I do not do that or practice that way. I do daily prayers/blessings and give thanks every morning and night and at every meal for all the happiness and hardships that have been passed to me for they are all a blessing and all have taught me valuable knowledge and experiences that make me who I am today. I also want to add during my prayers/blessings for meals that I do eat meat and I feel there is no difference between eating an animal and eating a plant they all have life at one point and I believe they all feel things just as we do. If a plant is not happy in it's surroundings or is abused will it not shrivel up and die just as animals and people do, so how can one say it is ok to eat plants but not ok to eat animals? So when doing my meal prayers/blessings I thank all the things on my plate for their sacrifice to feed me and my family so that we could survive, down to the grain that was used to make my bread etc... I also do not say my prayers/blessing aloud I feel all those that care to hear it hear it just fine in silence and my husband is not a ritualistic person and is not a Witch so why should I push my way's on him. Even though he respects me and my way's and would sit there and listen to my prayers if I made him I just don't feel that is necessary. Now about sacrificing, I also believe that I sacrifice every animal and plant that I eat as well as every plant/herb that I use in magick and so I give thanks to those things for their life to aid my life and my survival even if I go to the local market and buy them they still have been sacrificed because of me and/or for me. It is all a part of the circle of life and I give my blessings and respect to that fact.
