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Beyond black hats and broomsticks, here's what to know about witches, witchcraft, spells, magic, covens, Wiccans and beyond. Learn about the facts and history. Are witches real?
Witchcraft is growing in popularity, but few know the real stories behind those who practice. (Credit: Getty) (Kharchenko_irina7 via Getty Images) Video produced by Stacy Jackman for Yahoo Life.
Wicca (English: / ˈ w ɪ k ə /), also known as "The Craft", [1] is a modern pagan, syncretic, earth-centered religion.Considered a new religious movement by scholars of religion, the path evolved from Western esotericism, developed in England during the first half of the 20th century, and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant.
Wiccan views of divinity are generally theistic, and revolve around a Goddess and a Horned God, thereby being generally dualistic.In traditional Wicca, as expressed in the writings of Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente, the emphasis is on the theme of divine gender polarity, and the God and Goddess are regarded as equal and opposite divine cosmic forces.
These witch trials were the most famous in British North America and took place in the coastal settlements near Salem, Massachusetts. Prior to the witch trials, nearly three hundred men and women had been suspected of partaking in witchcraft, and nineteen of these people were hanged, and one was "pressed to death". [31]
7. "Witches serve the devil." Lastly—and we’ve already mentioned this a bit—but just like witchcraft isn’t inherently evil or doesn’t directly conflict with mainstream religions if you ...
In 1953, Doreen Valiente joined Gardner's Bricket Wood coven, and soon rose to become its High Priestess.She noticed how much of the material in his Book of Shadows was taken not from ancient sources as Gardner had initially claimed, but from the works of the occultist Aleister Crowley, from Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, from the Key of Solomon and also from the rituals of Freemasonry. [8]
Learn about the truth, myths, and misconceptions about real-life witches. Yes, but maybe not the way you're picturing. 9 Things You Never Knew About Real-Life American Witches