The following article was written as a general guideline for
introducing traditional Witchcraft for those who might be unfamiliar
with what it is. Upon joining these forums, many people are often
unaware of what constitutes traditional Witchcraft as opposed to
Neo-Paganism, New Age philosophy, general magic traditions, Wicca, and
general Paganism.
The purpose behind this article is to:
- Provide a general definition of traditional Witchcraft.
- Offer guidance regarding many topics found within general
Neo-Paganism and New Age philosophies and why they are not found or
appropriate within traditional Witchcraft.
- Provide a suggested reading list.
Basic Working Definition
The term traditional Witchcraft covers many different traditions and as
such there are specifics to each tradition that might not be
adequtately defined in a simple article such as this one. This article is designed as a general reference
point that can be easily understood by newcomers
Traditional Witchcraft is a term that was introduced to refer to
the aboriginal spiritual traditions of Europe. There really is no
collective historical term that could be used to refer to these
traditions, so the use of the term Traditional Witchcraft fits quite
nicely. Those who follow these traditional ways are often referred to
as Traditionalists. However, there are other terms that are used
by specific traditions and cultures that are even more appropriate, but
these are left to those who follow those traditions and will not be
mentioned here.
Traditional Witchcraft refers to the old traditions of the
Ancestors and will embrace family traditions, living traditions, reconstructionalists, pre-Gardnerian traditions, and
others who seek to follow the ways of the Ancestors and honor the land
in accordance with tradition. Culturally speaking, the focus is predominately on European traditions.
Misuse by Rebellious Neo-Pagans
Unfortunately, in an effort for
Traditionalists to define their cultural beliefs and traditions which
varied dramatically from those proposed within the Neo-Pagan movement,
somehow the term Traditional Witchcraft was also adopted by those who
became disenchanted with Neo-Paganism and its Wiccan counterpart. Still
others adopted the term Traditional Witchcraft as a rebellious movement
against the fluffy bunny goodness and light that seemed to be
manifesting itself within Paganism. Of course, this deviated so
incredibly from the definition of Traditional Witchcraft and from those
who actually are Traditionalists.
Magic and Spells
Traditional Witchcraft is not solely about spells or magic. This is
not to say that spells and working with magic are not found within
traditional Witchcraft, but rather that magic is not a primary focus.
Many people often seek to study magic in an insolated format and have
little or no interest spirituality. Such approaches to magical study
are inappropriate within traditional Witchcraft as it does not offer an
adequate understanding of the implications of working with such things
as magic and this misuse and ignorance is irritating and insulting -
not to mention the more dangerous aspects of magical abuse. For these
reasons, among others, many Traditionalists do not discuss magic
publicly. Those that do choose to discuss magic in a public venue often
do so only within a limited capacity.
Also, the use of the term "spells" is often widely misused by
individuals to refer to minor magical workings which is an incorrect
definition of the word. In practical use, the term spell refers only to
a set of words, written or spoken, that are used in magic. Regardless,
for those whose sole purpose is focused on magic and spells then they
will find that traditional Witchcraft is not necessarily what they are
seeking.
Topics Not Related to Traditional Witchcraft
There has been a large influx of posts to the forum that are unrelated to traditional Witchcraft. Therefore, a
Differences and Misconceptions
board was created to help new members understand how and why some of
these subjects are not found within traditional Witchcraft and belong
more to the world of Neo-Paganism, New Age philosophy, and Wicca.
Some of the items that are commonly discussed by those unfamiliar with
traditional Witchcraft and associated traditions include: Book of
Shadows (BOS), energy, harm none philosophy, karma, three-fold law, and
Wicca. There are many more topics th at can (and will be ) included
within this list. If you do not understand why these topics are
inappropriate, please refer to the above mentioned board devoted to
these topics.
Dead Relatives and Other Fanciful Tales
Traditionalists know and recognize each other. Sometimes, some
idiot will venture into an area frequented by traditionalists and will
inevitably begin relating some fabricated story about a dead relative
who they have never met. Let me explain something very clearly... If
you were not taught in person, then you did not receive the tradition.
It does not matter who you are related to. The other problem is that
now that there are second and third generations of Neo-Pagans and
Wiccans running amuck, these individuals make the truthful claim that
they are from a family tradition but have no understanding or concept
of Traditionalists.
Of course, there are probably a thousand and one different stories that
people like to tell about how they are a great and powerful witch and
will add on almost any number of fanciful attributes that will attempt
to lend more credibility to their story. One of the more popular
stories usually involves some individual who claims decent from someone
involved in the Salem trials. Unfortunately, the Salem trials has
nothing to do with Witchcraft and more to do with silly childish antics
and a little dose of Voodoo. The ony exception to this might be by
those who practice Sabbatic Witchcraft and this is a reference to
Yelga Paterson or Helga Paterson
who was claimed by Austin Osman Spare to have lineage from the Salem Witches.
The members of this forum do
not have the time or inclination to deal with a person's delusional
fantasies - that is what psychologists are paid to do.
There are also those whose family member, both past and present, were
knowledgeable of a great number of folk traditions and perhaps even
minor magical workings. These things are a valuable source of
information but do not make a person a Witch. Within the last fifty
years or so, there has been a decline in common folk knowledge. In
previous times this was not the case and so many people often shared a
vast repository of such folk knowledge as a part of normal every day
life. Again, this is not meant to underestimate the value of such
information but at the same time this information alone would and does
not make a person a Witch.
The best suggestion to newcomers is to be the person who you really
are. If you have a question then ask and don't waste our time
with fanciful antics. Storytelling has its place, but this is not
considered to be a suitable application.
Now, for those who come from actual lineaged traditions and Families,
well, as stated, we recognize our own and no more need to be said.
Suggested Reading
Most individuals will often request book titles that they can read that
will help them to learn more about traditional Witchcraft. The truth is
that there really are not any good books written about traditional
Witchcraft. The reason for this is that traditionalists by their nature
and respect for their Craft do not publish books about their Craft.
These traditions and beliefs are considered private. There is, however,
quite a bit of information that can be found regarding general beliefs
and traditions that can easily be distilled by doing a bit of research
and combining that information with a healthy dose of common sense.
Unfortunately, most people these days want to engage in one-stop
shopping and pick up a single book that will provide them with
step-by-step all inclsuive information, and well, that is not going to
happen - especially when it comes to traditional Witchcraft.
The other problem with providing a suggested reading list is that most
of the books that would contain suitable content are tradition
specific. Admittedly, there are some traditions that are more publicly
accessible than others and therefore an individual is more likely to
find a book that at least makes mention of that tradition and perhaps
even notable historical figures within the last two centuries. But,
even those books are very limited in content and definately do not
provide a wholistic view of traditional Witchcraft.
Most of the information available about traditional Witchcraft is
derived from interaction and asking questions. Therefore, a forum such
as this one is a suitable context for open style learning. It is, at
the core, a hybrid format for discussing oral traditions. Of course,
any information discussed here is always going to be for the outer
court.
The biggest suggestion that can be provided concerning the
identification of suitable books is to avoid books that contain words
such as Wicca and Witchcraft in the title. Also, it is strongly
suggested that books published by Llewellyn be avoided.
Over time, perhaps the members of this forum will be able to work
together to create and
submit suggested reading lists that are more specific to
each tradition or at least a compilation of suggest reading that is
culturally specific.
End Notes
This article will continue to be updated as time permits and will be
posted as a live working document. If you have suggestions or text that
you would like to have included, please send a private message to the
SysAdmin for further implementation. Forum members are also encouraged
to
submit articles regarding associated topics or specific traditions.
