Not All Witches Wear Black

As a lot of you know, I get spirit guidance when deciding what to write for my blog. Not just this blog, but also the blog on my author page at teresakeeferromance.com

Today was one of those days when it wasn't just a vague whisper, it was a very distinct shout because I haven't been able to get that phrase out of my mind. Not all witches wear black.

My guidance said that I should start at the beginning and define what a witch was. At the beginning of time. That guidance also told me to be sure and distinguish that practicing witchery or witchcraft is just that. A craft. It's not a religion. It's a practice. A practice that you can define however you want to define it. It's individuality. It's not what the witch next door or the Wiccan tells you to do or be. Wicca is a religion. Witchcraft is a practice. A practice that uses earth, air, fire, water and spirit to manifest what you need. It's being a healer or a seer or a jumble of what you want to use your knowledge of the earth's energies to manifest an end result. Sigh...I guess I didn't really start at the beginning...or did I?

In pre-Christian Gaelic and Brythonic cultures, there was no term that equaled the word WITCH. That term came later when Christian influences used their influence to describe a natural and sacred skill that was practiced openly as a malevolent, devil worshipping, sorceress. As I've said in a lot of my other posts, religion is a set of man-made concepts that were created to put rules and control upon the people they wanted to rule. Wicca is a religion. With their own set of rules, just like Christianity, Judaism, Catholicism, etc. That is not witchcraft and it certainly doesn't make one a witch in the scope of this definition. And I want to say this...it doesn't matter what manmade religion you follow...you can still practice witchcraft. Yes, even a Christian raised individual such as yours truly.

Okay, back to the early days. Let's start with the Druids. They were elite. Philosophers, writers, priests and magicians. They engaged in practices such as divination, herbal healing, prophecy and rituals for fertility, protection and victory. They used manifestation practices to calm the weather or call in the rain, and healing. And the prophets? They talked to the spirit world. Just like today's clairvoyants and mediums. It was their gift.

There were the Bean Feasa or the women of knowleIf you dge. They were the community healers, the herbalists, fortune tellers and midwives. They were respected members of the community and not feared. At least, not until Christianity and other religions started gathering people by the hoardes into controllables factions. These women were powerful and nature connected individuals who were respected in their communities.

So, here we go with the title of my blog post. Associating black with witches was never part of early paganism. This stereotypical manner of dressing in dark or black clothing came about in the artwork of medieval Christian Europe to demonize older folk practices. Explicitly linking black to the night, the unknown, mourning sin and the devil. It was propaganda by the religious factions that has been adopted and perpetuated by a group of misinformed modern attention seekers who don't know the first thing about what the original witches were.

In summary, witchcraft and being a witch is a practice. A craft. A belief in the earth's energy, the seasons, and the spirit world. It is not dressing in black like a gothic queen and energy vampire and using the knowledge of manipulating energy to do shitty things to people they disagree with. It's people like this who give witches and witchcraft a bad name.

If you would like to learn more about the craft, herbal remedies, talking with spirit and making our world a more peaceful and balanced place for all...follow along because I will soon be offering workshops right here on The Green Witch Medium.