I am 2nd degree Witch and Priestess in the Cabot tradition and as a Witch, I have long loved Halloween. It is the witch’s New Year, a time we stop to reflect on the past year, remember those who passed and reflect on the year to come. We often dress on Samhain or Halloween not as a scary ghoul, but in costumes that reflect what we want to achieve in the follow year. If we want financial freedom, we may dress in a fancy outfit with dollars sticking out of our pockets, if we are looking for abundance or harvest, maybe we add wreaths and garlands of flowers and vegetables to our costumes.
Witchcraft has been demonized by those in power and authority over the centuries. Innocent (mostly) women were tortured and put to death for being either out of the mainstream – widows, old, poor or simply odd. Some once revered for helping people with herbs and tinctures were then persecuted and accused of “witchcraft” for using them and equated with Satanism.
Satanists practice Satanism, most witches I know including myself, are a force for good and are not Satanists. We do work with herbs, tinctures, even “potions” like protection potions and we work with energy in the quantum field. It can be called spellcasting, but it is also accessing energy we all have and directing attention, similar to a prayer. I have actually kept a log of my spells to see what methods “work” and actually produce the desired result. Most, not all, witches adhere to the “three fold law” or “Law of Return”. We are very careful in crafting our spells to 1. ensure no one is hurt even inadvertently in the process and 2. we word every line extremely carefully because we know the Universe is listening and will give us what we ask for. For example, if we want to lose weight, we may not use those words because the Universe may pick up on the word “weight”. We may instead say; in 3 months I would like to be at an ideal 140 lbs.
I love witchcraft, I love spellcasting, I love Halloween and the Fall. I would hope that in the 21st century people could start to see beyond the stereotype and start seeing what real witchcraft is about – a force for good. Are there “bad” or costume witches out there? Of course, just as there are “bad” or virtue signaling Christians or any other religion. Most of us are loving, kind people who are trying to do good in the world in our own way.
Happy Fall! Happy Halloween!
