The Weaver

The words witch and witchcraft evoke a sense of humanity's mystical past and a hope for the future. Whenever someone, individual or culture, sought to understand spirit through the cycles of life, honored the divine as being both masculine and feminine, recognize the Earth and sky, quieted themselves enough to hear the soft inner whisper, and took an active partnership with nature, they were practicing witchcraft. It is only through an unfortunate period of history that the words witch and witchcraft became maligned. 

The most important aspect of this tradition is the individual's sovereignty. Each practitioner is his or her own priest or priestess. Teachers, elders, and healers are respected and can help you on the path, but ultimately witchcraft is about your own personal, individual relationship with the divine. through such training you have the ability to perform your own spiritual rituals and seek guidance. We have the last word on what is correct and good for us, as well as the responsibility of living with those decisions. 

The eclectic witch borrows from many cultures. These cultures do not necessarily have to be Celtic or even European to be a part of the modern craft, even though some traditionalists feel that witchcraft is exclusively Celtic. We come from a tradition filled with the mysteries of the past, but now witchcraft generally encourages one to find the path that works for the individual. All our other "hats"-healer, therapist, herbalist, shaman, mother, brother, priest, priestess, environmentalist, counselor, researcher, writer, psychic, and teacher-all fit nicely under the "hat" of witch, for witches are all these things, too. The path of the witch is truly the path of knowledge and, more importantly, wisdom. It changes and adapts as new information is discovered. Witchcraft is a living religion. 


*Credit to Christopher Penczak