Let’s look at some of the reasons, good and bad, that you might be reading this book.
Some Really Good Reasons for Choosing Witchcraft
There are several very solid reasons for becoming a Witch, and yes, one of them is a desire to affirm your worth. Becoming a Witch doesn’t make you better than other people…but it may help you understand that all people, including you, are part of the divine energy that creates and sustains the universe. Thou art Goddess. Thou art God. You are not the Creator, but you are part of the Creator’s essence. Knowing that places a great responsibility on you to act wisely, lovingly, and thoughtfully; Witchcraft can train you to handle that responsibility with grace and honor.
You may feel a deep need to connect with your heritage: with the people of field and forest, the healers, farmers, hunters, warriors, and explorers of the past. If you have been a Witch in past incarnations, or simply a proud Pagan, the old ways may call to you. If the modern world and mainstream faiths seem alien to you, maybe exploring a faith rooted in nature will feel like coming home.
If you are female and have grown up in a culture that still belittles you, then you might need to affirm the power and beauty of being a woman. As a Witch and priestess in service to the Goddess, there will be honor and strength and self-acceptance in a way you have never experienced before. Wiccan women have the whole range of goddesses to inspire us—not only pretty and gentle ones but warriors, scholars, leaders, and wild ones.
If you are male but feel disgusted at the macho posturing and power games that society expects of you, and if you are looking for other models for being a man, Wicca might be the spiritual home for you. As a male Witch, you can be courageous and strong without being a tyrant; gentle and loving without being effeminate; and sexual and lusty without being an exploiter or game player. (In fact, the strong women of Wicca won’t stand for games, and it takes a strong man to enjoy the company of powerful women.)
You may be called to Wicca or the other Pagan paths because you love nature far more than you could ever love a “holy book” or the inside of a church. For you, perhaps, the wind flowing through tall pines is sacred; a stone warming in the sunlight is sacred; wolves and hawks and silvery fish are sacred. If you are inspired and empowered and healed and free when you are in the wilderness, Witchcraft is one path that is a natural fit.
Or you may have an abiding curiosity about the deep energies and mysteries of the universe. You may or may not be drawn to science as a career, but you know in your heart that there is more to the cosmos than science has yet discovered. You are called to be a magician, a mystic, or perhaps an artist or poet. Through inner journeys, using the very personal and subjective tools of mind and spirit, you want to explore the metaphysical heart of reality.
You may have come to the Craft with a powerful need to explore the shadow side of reality. By this, we do not mean that you want to steep yourself in evil. But you do understand how a worldview that is all rainbows and sunshine cannot equip us to handle the darker side of life. There is pain and anger and fear in the world and in ourselves, and if we do not face these powers and come to terms with them, they will control us. Some religions conveniently divide the whole world into good and evil, and simply tell their followers to embrace what they define as “good” and reject what they have labeled “evil.” If only it were that simple! Wiser heads know that we must face and understand and heal what is hurting and hurtful inside us before we can face evil out in the world. Wicca has the tools and the will to encourage this inner journey.
Another reason for the appeal of Wicca is that we understand and accept the inner child, or younger self, within each person. We may be adults on the outside, but that childlike, playful, curious, and adventurous part never really goes away, although many people try to squash it into submission or at least hide it. Witches don’t. That inner child is what keeps our minds and hearts youthful. Its laughter heals us, its delight gives us joy, its curiosity makes us creative. So Witches dance and sing, light bonfires and make love, play music and put on costumes, feast and drink mead. When no one is harmed, why not?
Pause now, and think. Which of these aspects of the Craft, if any, call to you? Which ones feel like a cool drink to one who has wandered too long in the desert?
Some Really Lame Reasons for Choosing Witchcraft
If this path calls to you, you must weed out any motivations that are shallow, ignorant, or fleeting.
Being a Witch can be a great way to get attention; often the wrong kind, but some people crave attention so badly that they’ll do anything to get it. Being honest with yourself, is that what you want? People staring at you, whispering comments, gossiping about you?
One might become a Witch because of low self-esteem. “I’m a bad person. Everyone must know I’m bad. Okay, then; I’ll show them how bad I can be. I’ll be the worst thing they can imagine—a Witch!” Then, when “they” scold you or avoid you, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Some young people choose things, including a religion, to show that they are more liberated and adventurous than their boring old families. They may even want to deliberately shock their parents. Of course, whether you copy your parents’ lifestyle or choose one that’s the exact opposite, it’s still
