How to be a witch

The Internet has greatly impacted the Old Religion. People now have been communicating from all over the world in ways the old ones never could. Wicca is growing by leaps and bounds!  I am frequently asked, "how do I become a witch?".

We are beginning to see a long awaited time when witches could come out and be who they are publicly without fear of being killed, persecuted, losing their jobs, ect. There is still much to be done in this particular area, as there are still millions of people that still think of the picture of the wicked witch of the West when we ask them what a witch looks like to them. We will get into what some of the things being done to support correcting that problem later in the site.

Calling oneself a witch does not make it so anymore than calling oneself a car makes it so. Many these days tend to enjoy using the title of "witch" as a fashion statement. We have seen people all over the place with the "gothic" look going around calling themselves witch (not that the gothic look is bad). However, an appearance ensemble of any kind does not make one a witch. Even if your family were all in the Craft before you, that still does not mean that you are a witch. Everyone must go their own way. Attending rituals does not make one a witch anymore than going to a hanger makes one an airplane. None of these things makes one a witch. So, what does?

The first thing is a calling from within your spirit. The God and Goddess call those to them who would walk the path. Witchcraft isn’t for everyone. The first thing is a pull from within to the way of the wise ones for real, not because it would be "cool" or a fashion statement, but because you know from deep inside that there simply is nothing else to be or do.

I felt the call of the Craft when I was meditating on the religion that I had grown up with and I realized that I had some real problems with it. It occurred to me then that all the things I believed about spirituality at that point were things that had been told to me by someone else. I had not made any decisions about my relationship to Deity based on my own thoughts. I had followed someone else’s lead my whole life! I did not know what I really believed, all I knew was what others had always told me.

Wicca is a path for people that think for themselves. There are some religions in the world that have commonly referred to their congregations as "sheep." That is a very appropriate name. They follow someone else, say what they are supposed to say, do what they are supposed to do, and think what they are supposed to think. Wicca is about personal responsibility for one’s relationship with Deity. There are no sacred books of scriptures to tell you what to think or how to behave. There are thousands of books about the Craft out there (a page in the web site is dedicated to suggested reading). There are people who have dedicated themselves to teaching Wicca. There is also one of life’s greatest teachers, experience.

Recently, I found out about a very well known author who has been selling initiations into the Craft. The same individual has been offering weekend and week long classes that promise advanced Witch status at the end. I am very upset by this. The Craft is not something you can buy your way into. Advancement in Wicca is earned through experience, study and practice; sometimes for YEARS! The path of the Witch is often simple; rarely easy. I consider it impossible to learn the work in just weeks. So, here is a warning. PLEASE BEWARE OF ANYONE OR ANYTHING THAT PROMISES A GET WITCH QUICK SCHEME.

Becoming a real witch takes study and dedication. That is why the first level is usually known as being a "Dedicant." There are witches that practice alone, called "Solitary." There are also witches that practice in groups, sometimes known as a "Coven Witch." Both of these have advantages and disadvantages. One can be either depending on the circumstances.

It is vitally important to know that the path of a witch involves service to the God and Goddess and to your fellow planetary inhabitants: human, animal and plant.