[ Post a Response | Celeste's Magickal Witches Cottage ]
Posted by Spirit Dancer
on October 25, 2009, 7:03 am, in reply to "When does a Witch stop being a Witch?"
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As I understand it (and feel free to correct me if I am wrong) Celeste is using the term Witch to mean someone who practices magick (of any kind). Much like I use the term Practitioner. This is not to be confused with the more modernly trendy use of the word to identify a Wiccan specifically.
Thus, to prevent any possible confusion (and to in no way mean offense) , I will use the term Practitioner to answer this question.
The thing with magick is that it is VERY open. Words like witch, wizard, magician, magus, and sorcerer get thrown around the craft like confetti. Whereas, these used to be titles of one’s marketable craft (like Doctor or Mechanic). Now, they are applied to just about anyone who owns a spell book. And, the masses are too ignorant to know the difference.
Honestly, I blame monotheism for how the titles have been denigrated. The church’s campaign against paganism forced our kind to live in secret. It is because our ancestors had to hide who they were that we now have to live in a world that thinks that we are beings of fiction, and that magick (emphasis on the ‘k’) is that thing that rebellious teens do to piss off their parents.
Fortunately, we have, for the most part, gotten past the point where we need to cower in dark shadows. A practitioner can announce him/herself without fear of being burned at the stake for associating with a devil that was created, nurtured, and empowered by the very people who wielded the torches.
What we need now (in my opinion) are schools of witchcraft. Schools that teach magick not only as a matter of spirituality but also as a matter of science. Schools which issue degrees of mastery (thus official, recognizable, and marketable titles).
The importance of this was demonstrated in Injade’s question to Celeste about the Sabbats. As nature (meaning time, space, and its relation to the worlds around us) is at the core of all magick, it is imperative for any practitioner to be conscious of the times and dates that changes in nature are to occur.
(Just to be clear, I am not saying anything against Inujade here. I used her question as an example purely for the sake of making my point)
What we live in is a true Allegory of the Cave situation. Most practitioners are content to remain in the dark, for fear of the light. Those of us who dare to venture topside have to deal with the lies, the assumptions, the imposters, and the pompous ignorance of people who only think they know what they are talking about.
In summary.
I whole-heartedly agree with Celeste in that some reverence should come part and parcel with the title (as it once did). If you practice magick regularly (meaning that it is consciously apart of your lifestyle, and you make the effort to keep it that way), then you earn the right to claim the title. If you have given up the lifestyle (meaning you no longer make a conscious effort to keep magick in the forefront), then you should (out of respect) make it clear that you are non-practicing. If you are someone who knows a little about a little, but isn’t in the lifestyle, then you shouldn’t claim a title at all.
Unfortunately for us, I don’t think that we will see any real changes in society’s approach to us, if we don’t first change our approach to ourselves. If we don’t treat our own with the respect that we would extend to anyone else who was adept in a field of study, then how can we expect for others to.
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