The written word is a powerful medium. Around the time when the alphabet was first created, Goddesses were worshipped in most parts of the world. The word “witchcraft” did not exist and the words “pagan”, “heathen” did not exist either. Cultures lived by following natural cycles of life by taking care not to destroy more than they had to. Words written, mostly from a male perspective started the downfall of the feminine themed ways of life including witchcraft.
There is evidence of temples and places of worship where Goddesses were revered and rituals performed for the good of mankind. Fertility rituals, seasonal rituals and other ceremonies were conducted usually officiated by women as they are the people nature had chosen to carry on human existence.
Traditional witchcraft is the label given to the practice of witchcraft that is not Wiccan and “non new-age” in origin. Traditional witchcraft is the collection of witchcraft beliefs and rituals that used to be practiced all over the world.
Since human beings have the capability to think imaginatively, we have always tried to distinguish the supernatural and experience the awe-inspiring possibilities. Most cultures have ways to alter states of consciousness and try to connect to our origins or “the source”. In a few countries, where the Europeans could not completely annihilate and destroy the magickal cultures and their ways of life, these traditions still flourish.
The advent of religious writing was what started the vilification and defamation of natural ways of life. A bunch of disconnected drivel was compiled together in the name of God, and people, obsessed with ignorance greed, tried to “conquer” the rest of the world to “save them from sin”. In the name of God they plundered, looted and murdered innocent people. In the name of God, they destroyed (“colonized”) many beautiful nature loving cultures that were flourishing in different parts of the world.
Traditional witchcraft, which was the way of life in most of the world, was a motley mix of inspiration, meditation, spell working, divination and fortune-telling. It was concerned with the powers that exist in the netherworld as well as life after death. It was fascinated by nature and with ways to control or change the direction of the wind, the flow of water and the movement of the planets.
It did not have the Wiccan belief of the three-fold law of returns. Most witches were free to do any ritual that could potentially damage their lives as well as that of others. However, they were not aware of the consequences of their actions.
Traditional witches believed in multiple Gods and Goddesses, each of them having a specific power or duty. There were local Gods, some having more power than others, Gods in human form, animal form or other mixed forms. In contrast,
Wiccans believe that there are only two divine beings, The Goddess and the God.
Many other names may be used in rituals, but they are all”manifestations” of these two powerful entities. Wiccans also believe that the God and Goddess may merge into the almighty “One” who combines the powers of both.
