Misconception 1:
Witches are not real
This is obviously not true. The types of Witches that are portrayed in fictional books, or in on-screen entertainment, that possess supernatural powers, are green-skinned, fly on brooms or (as more modern Witches are portrayed) extremely beautiful, with awesome powers, do not exist. While many Witches are attractive in their own way, not all of them have 5 inch waists. But there are many Witches in the WORLD that practice the art of Witchcraft, albeit in a different manner and perhaps according to their ethnic background and ancestry.
Misconception 2:
Witches are all delusional
It would seem the ones who are suffering the delusion are the ones labelling us Witches as delusional, as the skeptics are the ones believing Witches are as they are portrayed in famous works of fiction, believing Witches to be possessing supernatural powers, or bent on evil and destruction. It would serve them well to take a long hard look in the mirror at who is delusional, as no actual practicing Witch would ever make a wild claim, like they can levitate, fly on a broom, or any other impossible act, that is KNOWN to be impossible. Witches KNOW that things of that nature are against certain natural laws and cannot be done.
Misconception 3:
Witches are all suffering teenaged angst and rebellious
If people would actually stop once in a while and look at those who really practice Witchcraft…they would see that numerous Witches (and I’ll include Wiccans in this) are actually of adult age. It’s the teenagers who get all the attention though, because it’s what they crave, when they come into a religion that has been glamorized by the media and popular works of fiction, yet know nothing of what it truly entails. Witches and Wiccans are indeed of all ages, and not all of them are suffering teenaged angst or rebellious, as many who come to the path, are well over the age of majority.
Misconception 4:
Witches are evil/worship the Devil
Witches are no more evil than anyone else in the world. The unfortunate truth is, it was rumor that began all this “Witches are evil/worship the devil” nonsense…1) perhaps to get people to rely on the church for help or 2) because people feared what they saw when they stumbled upon a gathering in the forest and didn’t understand what they saw.
Misconception 5:
Witches worship trees, plants...nature in general
Witches don’t worship plants. They honor them and make use of them because they are provided by the Mother Earth. We all come from the earth…even the Christian Bible states we come from the earth, and we should respect that which we come from. We don’t worship it, but honor it as a life giver.
Misconception 6:
Witches worship planets, moons, suns and stars
To make this claim, people should look at their own spiritual practices as to the outsider it could construed in the same manner. Christians (to outsiders) could appear as though they worship a cross/crucifix or bible. Neither worship such things, but use them as symbols to represent that which they cannot see. No one actually believes a star is going to grant their desires anymore than Christians believe a crucifix is going to heal their wounds.
Misconception 7:
Witches are fat and social outcasts
Witches come in all shapes and sizes. Personally I find a great majority of Witches to be of a healthy weight size and have quite the following or are quite social and friendly. If a person appears to be overweight, perhaps look at the underlying conditions, instead of being stereotypical and assuming it’s because they eat too much. It could be genetic, a medical condition or medication of which they take that causes the unfortunate side effect of weight gain. People see in others what they dislike in themselves, therefore those who accuse Witches of being overweight and social outcasts should take a long hard look in the mirror and see if they themselves do not view themselves as having weight or social problems.
Misconception 8:
All Witches are Wiccan
Wicca is a religion. Not all Witches are religious and therefore do not wish to follow the religious aspects of Wicca. Nor should they have to. Witchcraft is not a religion, but a practice; a craft; a set of skills. There is nothing religious about Witchcraft unless the individual Witch chooses to follow a particular religion (which could be just about any religion that is out there) or a particular deity (god). A religion is NOT a necessity to follow in order to practice Witchcraft.
Misconception 9:
All Witches adhere to the Wiccan Rede
To claim all Witches follow the Wiccan Rede is like saying that all Atheists follow the Ten Commandments. Witches do not follow a particular religion in order to practice, and therefore generally follow their own personally set ethical format or that of their particular tradition.
Misconception 10:
All Witches are pacifists
Witches generally understand that while a person lives it is impossible for one to avoid harm at all costs. Simply living causes harm to all kinds of things. Houses destroy forestry land in which animals live; plants are harvested to provide nourishment, just the same as animals; healthcare destroys harmful illnesses that (even though cause sickness are living organisms too). It is impossible to live a pacifist lifestyle and expect that you cannot cause harm in any way.
Misconception 11:
Witches are vegetarians
I think this can fall under the pacifist misconception. There are numerous Witches who happen to enjoy eating meat. The difference is that Witches generally give thanks for what they receive; thanks to the animal for providing nourishment, thanks to the plants as well for the same, and thanks to the deity for providing both. Many people believe that as Witches (and because we revere nature), it means that we won’t harm animals, BUT because that would fall under the pacifist misconception above, we know that living a pacifist life is not properly attainable (nor is it healthy)
Misconception 12:
Witchs are fluffy bunnies
Perhaps the newbies who read one book and worship like a bible and take it’s word at a deeper level may be fluffy, but those of us who practice long enough know that not everything written is sound and should be taken with a grain of salt. It is important to question things if they don’t make sense; not follow it anyways, even though our intuition says not to. If it doesn’t make sense, then it’s more than likely not true.
Misconception 13:
Witches possess "supernatural" powers
You know how many Witches only wish they could possess supernatural powers? They would have their massive mansions, fast, fancy cars, maids to do their work and fly on their brooms to save money on gas. Unfortunately life doesn’t work that way. There’s these little laws known as the laws of physics and the laws of the universe/nature that prevent us from working the impossible. Physics says we are unable to fly due to our physiology. If humans were meant to fly, we’d have wings, no?
Misconception 14:
Witches use spells to do the impossible
I don’t understand how people can realistically believe that we Witches can do the impossible. Yes, TV and movies make it appear that we can do all kinds of cool things like change our hair color by running our hands over it, or levitate by chanting a few words, but remember people…TV use this cool thing called CGI or Computer Generated Imagery. This is how they make Witches look like we do supernatural things.
Misconception 15:
Witches must have a bloodline
I don't understand where people get their delusions, aside from the fluffy crap tv portrays. No. No witch "MUST" have a bloodline in order to be a Witch or a "Proper" Witch. The only reason Witchcraft seemed like it was passed through the "family line" was because they couldn't broadcast to the entire village that the coven had an opening. Exposing themselves in such a way was usually a death sentence. These days there is no such thing as a "blood Witch" (nor was there any in the past, they were merely heredity Witches which only means they had someone in their family teach them). Anyone can be a Witch, regardless of their family lineage or current religion.
Misconception 16:
That Witches are either Good or Bad or practice "White" or "Black" Witchcraft
While Witches are generally good people, trying to be a benefit to others, it's naive to assume that all Witches only work "Good" magic all the time. Not all Witches are good, and there ARE Witches out there who use their practices for negative uses. Witchcraft is no more good or bad than a chef making good or bad meals. Witchcraft itself is just a practice...it's up to the individual what he/she wants to do with that practice. Not all Witches will use their craft for positive or negative all the time, it varies depending on the goal or need.
No comments:
Post a Comment