This post is with regards to my personal experience of British witchcraft.This is the craft we lived prior to the repeal of the witchcraft act in 1951 then again in 1957 in Britain. The repeals led to the 'outing' of witcraft by Gardner et al, but many will argue that his sources are unreliable.
Contrary to what many modern pagans are led to believe, there is an older system of Craft than modern Wicca that has never left the shadows, and which has its roots in the pre-repeal of the Witchcraft Act of 1951. These groups have never been part of the publicity machine to popularise Craft, and have always muttered darkly that the mass publicity of the past 60 odd years would destroy Craft not preserve it. But what exactly is traditional British Old Craft?
Firstly, we need to accept that traditional witchcraft (unlike Wicca) is not a religion it never has been, simply because its an individuals natural ability that distinguishes him or her as a witch. In other words, a Witch is born, not made. Sorry if this upsets anyone. This to me underlines my belief in hereditary craft, in the same way as a talent for music might run through a family. I became a Witch because my mother was a Witch, and her mother also was a Witch. I have evidence for this, but I doubt my grandmother called herself a Witch. I believe that Witches require certain genetic and personality traits, alongside a nourishing environment.
It just isnt possible to learn how to become a Witch if we havent got these abilities, although it is possible to learn how to hone and develop latent, or suppressed psychic talents, under the right tuition, and it is possible for people to learn the arts and theory. This can be likened to the fact that anyone can learn to play a piano, but some people are simply never going to be a genius at it. And there is no age limit for these discoveries in either the young, middle-aged or old.
Wicca, on the other hand, has fast become accepted as the new pagan religion with its doctrines drawing heavily on an eco-feminine shadow-image of Christianity . This of course is nothing new, since Christianity itself absorbed many of the existing pagan festivals and celebrations into the Church calendar (including an identification of the Virgin Mary with Isis), and contemporary paganism is merely reclaiming its own. But in reality, even in the days before the Christian invasion, not all of the pagan populace were skilled in the Craft of Witches. With due respect to Wiccans, I have before called Wicca, "Christianity for Hippies". I'm not asking you to like me.
To use a natural analogy, the difference between traditional witchcraft and paganism is to liken them to the relationship between the domestic and the wild cat. To the casual observer there is little difference. Just as the similarities between the modern wild cat ( felis sylvestris ) and the house cat ( felis catus ) are so great and the differences so few, that it is difficult to establish any authentic genealogy. The wild cat, however, cannot be handled or tamed; even a small kitten it is extremely ferocious. In appearance it is difficult at a distance to distinguish a wild cat from a large domestic tabby that has gone feral, but (as with witchcraft and paganism), the subtle differences are there, if you know where and how to look. For example:
Paganism (including Wicca) has developed a very strong community spirit in recent years, with everyone at public events joining hands to celebrate the festivals, organised around the nearest weekend coinciding with a formal Wheel of the Year. Pagans generally believe that information should be available to all, and that everyone has the right to access esoteric knowledge. However, many pagans are highly suspicious of traditional witches, with some denying that they practice any form of magic at all. Neo-Paganism caters for teenagers within the community and actively encourages them to attend the fairs, buy books and any appropriate accoutrements. The commercialisation of a sacred path. Pagans claim to worship Nature in the persona of the Goddess.
The generally accepted pagan motto is: And it harm none, do what you will.
Old Caft is not bound by social rules and conventions, only by the personal morality of the individual, and is governed solely by the natural tides. Any form of magical working or spiritual observance tends to be of a solitary nature, or in the company of tried and trusted people. Old Crafters believe that esoteric knowledge should be kept hidden because it is impossible to convey the meaning of the true mysteries without the appropriate teaching. Traditional Witches are rarely seen at public pagan events, and hold that any ritual equipment will be acquired as and when it is necessary. The Witch learns his or her Craft along the way, and pays homage to Nature but in a more abstract form than the textbooks will allow, something along the lines of Blakes Auguries of Innocence:
To see a World in a grain of sand,
And a Heaven in a flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour
The Old Craft motto is Trust None!
The old Witch of fairy tales is an isolated and outcast, laughed at, figure, avoided and scorned by her neghbours. This is the Witch I am. I am not part of a group of like minded locals, my life is twisted and unique, free and untamed, in it's own way. Yes, I seek the company of Witches, but each one is as twisted and unique as I am, not of like mind!
Most of my "spells" I will never share. No one but myself would ever understand them. I look inside for my tution (hedging, - real hedgewitching) more than I seek tuition from the media and other people. I dance the wild dance that only I and the mothers before me know. On this site, if I spoke of my experiences, (which will not happen), I promise you that you would cease to trust me. I know what is and what is not acceptable.
Of course, I love to be here. But, I am learning more about people and there ways and views, less about my own craft.
Sincerely yours: A Traditional Witch.
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Reference: Melusine Draco, William Blake, witchesandpagans.com
