So what is Witchcraft from my point of view? Witchcraft is nature-based spirituality, we are the healers the wise ones, the shaman, and the medicine men and women. We are connected with the regenerative forces in nature which are both masculine and feminine. We follow the cycles of the seasons which connect us to Mother Earth and Father Sky, we view this as the life force within the universe. Our rituals celebrate the turning of the seasons along with the solstices and equinoxes. Our rituals also reflect the different phases of the moon and the sun. Samhain which the laypeople call Halloween is a very important day of the year because it is the time where the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is the thinnest. This is a time were Witches connect to others who are no longer with us.
What others call Gods or Goddesses I see them as being Neters. Neters are the forces of NATURE that are both inside and outside of one's self. From the word Neter we get the word NATURE. To live in harmony with NATURE is to be one with it. So what about SATAN? Why do Christians associate Witchcraft with SATAN? Fundamentalist Christians have a hard time understanding concepts that go against their core beliefs. Everything outside their immediate frame of reference is evil. The word SATAN just means adversary or accuser. I reject the Christian notion of SATAN being an evil being that is hell-bent on trying to drag you to hell. I see him as a dark force in nature that has always been here. The best representation of him in my opinion is BAPHOMET. He is the adversarial deific mask of THE GREAT GOD PAN, CERNUNNOS, and a host of other horned Neters that have been around since the beginning of time. It was The Christians that associated PAN along with other horned deities with The DEVIL or SATAN it wasn’t done originally by Witches. Some of us including myself have no problem with Baphomet because we know this NETER in its original form is as old as time its self. I take the name SATAN as part of myself and separate myself from the sheep because I’m a proud MOUNTAIN GOAT. So in that respect, if I’m going to play the Devils game I will also take his name as well.
In regards to Lucifer, the word only means light-bringer. I associated it with the planet, Venus. Some people mistakenly call Venus a Star but it‘s really a planet. It is the brightest planet at dawn, this is why Lucifer is called the Light Bringer. There are times where you can see this planet at night and it shines so bright that you may mistake it for a star but it is only the planet Venus radiating her beauty. Italian Witches (Stregas) don’t have a problem with Lucifer, they incorporate him into their CRAFT. I don’t either and I proudly bask in the light of Lucifer regardless of what Fundamentalist Christians might object to.
So what about the DEVIL? The word DEVI is a Sanskrit word that means Goddess, and the masculine word is DEVA, some people believe this is the origin of the word DEVIL. I’ve heard some say that the word DEVIL comes from Daemon which in ancient Greek only means guardian spirit. Some people believe this is a being of nature that lives between the Gods and Humans. The philosopher Socrates had a daemon that guided him throughout his life. This was his inner voice which he learned over time to trust. So in closing, Christians have a habit of viewing other people’s religions and gods as evil. They have a history of bastardizing names and concepts in such a way that it lowers their value so they can declare it as evil. I reject their claims and don’t engage them in any way. Separation is the best solution when dealing with them.
© MerlinRavenSong )0(
