Witches in the Real World

Yes, witches do really exist, though the reality is a long way from the hook nosed pointy hatted broomstick riding stereotype of popular culture, and not really that close to the girls of Charmed either. In general terms a witch is a follower (male or female) of the belief system known as Wicca. There is currently a great resurgence of interest in Wicca and most people have probably heard of it only recently (if at all). However it is older than most religions and dates back to ancient times.

Wicca is an earth based religion and emphasizes the one-ness and harmony of all elements of creation. As such it is not supernatural, rather its practitioners seek to understand, embrace and utilize natural forces. Wiccans recognise a Goddess (or Mother Nature) who is represented by the moon and is manifested in the fertility of the Earth. The God is represented by the Sun and is seen in woodlands and in the hunt. Both manifestations are seen as aspects of the one creator.

Witches do not worship Satan. In fact they do not even believe in him. The concept of Satan originated with Christianity and is thus much more recent than Wicca. It seems likely that the Christian church deliberately tried to confuse their Satan with the male aspect of the Wiccan deity in an attempt to portray Wiccan beliefs as 'evil'. In fact Witches follow the Wiccan Rede which states: 'If it harm none, do what you will' and are further discouraged from doing evil by the Three-Fold Law which states that whatever you do (good or bad) comes back to you three times over.

For more information try the following sites which I found helpful:

Witchcraft: The Facts
Good source for basic information

Wicca: What it is, what it isn't
A more female centred perspective

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