Are there still witches?

Question

Are there still witches? Were there ever or is it all in the mind?

English witchcraft (wicca) has roots going back to early English times and were thought to be male and female witches. Earlier forms of witchcroft are in the Celtic magical tradition and its Tree of Life.

As for the association between witchcraft and feminism (what feminists call "anti-feminist hysteria" and which I would call "normality of thought") this is nurtured by feminist misandry itself because feminism is a disgusting habit.

Answer 1

Of course there are. My best friend is a witch. Lives in Florida. Look out behind you...

Answer 2

Trying asking this in R&S.

"BOOM"! *the sound of a million report buttons pushed simultaneously !*

What does feminism have to do with witchcraft?

Nada! I don't think that there are any actual witches. There are people who call themselves witches. I would not fool around with Wicca if I were you. Magical powers are cool but there is no proof of their existence, sorry. No one will curse you or cast a spell on you!

Answer 3

There are still people who call themselves 'witches' though they mostly seem to subscribe to a sort of nature-worshipping cult, which is not what witchcraft was about in historical times.  People who were persecuted as witches in the early modern period were thought to be people who were capable of doing harm through magic, they were beleived to have made a pact with the devil.  There is no evidence at all that any of these people were practising some kind of ancient secret cult, this seems to have been an idea that was thought up in modern times.

People of any class might be accused of witchcraft, some of them were poor, but some of them were well-off, it was not inevitably poor people who were targeted.  Accusations of witchcraft tended to occur at times of crisis, during wars or bad harvests or epidemics of disease.  People looked around for scapegoats.  Suspicions of people who were thought to be witches often built up slowly over time, it might be twenty years or more before a person would be accused.

Answer 4

There were, are and always will be people who practice wicca. It is almost like a religion and a way of thinking and living your life. It's a personal choice and as long as it doesn't harm others then I think it's okay.

Answer 5

My significant other (male) practices neo-paganism, calls himself a witch and belongs to a coven. (He hates the term "Wicca" however, because he believes it's been misused and now has an association with fluffy, jewelry-draped rainbows-and-crystals type flakes).

I am pagan friendly, but do not practice. I find a lot of neo-pagans to be too flaky and navel-gazing. Not all, but a lot.

And for the poster attributing neo-paganism entirely to women, check out the followers of Asatru (neo Norse paganism) or Thelema, which follows the teachings of Aleister Crowley and his Book of the Law...mostly men.

Personally, I know more male neo-pagans than female.

Answer 6

What does witchcraft and feminism have to do with one another? Yes witches have existed and continue to exist...then there are those that play at being a witch to feel powerful...witchcraft is not about that at all...

Answer 7

I knew feminism would make my teeth yellow!

Answer 8

Feminism and witchraft have absolutely nothing to do with eachother. But to answer your question, yes witches do exist and always have. It's absolutely nothing like dipicted in tv and films, and has been given a bad name which is why many such as myself don't talk about it openly in our social circles.

If they didn't exist then I wouldn't be here writing this, or maybe I'm a figment of your imagination ;-)

Wicca is about the only religion that is based on complete equality of male and female. There are different strains of paganism but we basically believe in the God and Goddess and most of us nowadays like to practice alone.

You dojn't have to practice magick to be pagan but I personally do, although not that often. Magick to us is just another science, the manipulation of energy and power to change or create something.

We don't fy on broomsticks but some like myself practice astral projection.

Answer 9

There have always been people who practice Wicca, although they can be more open about it now. Whether you actually believe that some people have magical powers is up to you - I must admit that I'm sceptical.

In previous decades, women were more likely to be singled out as witches because they were more likely to live in poverty than men. It was strongly related to class; the majority of alleged witches were working class, and many had illegitimate children or mental difficulties. Most of the women tried for witchcraft weren't witches at all.

I'm not sure what the association between feminism and witchcraft is, beyond fighting for freedom of religion for women.

Answer 10

Yeah there are, if you go on the Mythology and Folklore section on YA there are lots of them, ask this question on there and I'm sure some of them will answer.

Answer 11

Actually; I believe not; to me it's always been a word thrown out there for a lack of better term.

However, there are people who believe they actually did and do exist.  For example in German a witch is called a Hexen. Well, feminism is a lot of things and we can all pick and choose randomly at our leisure.

Answer 12

Have you ever been on the R&S forum? There are people on there who follow this wicca nonsense as if it is a serious science. All invariably women.

According to a number of answers the attraction appears to be the inclusive feeling women get from Paganism in contrast to religions like Christianity.

It's all harmless really and modern pagans don't appear to bother anyone, the only gripe I have is that it distracts people away from common sense.

Laela, Hex is also a name for a witch in English. (German derived of couse)

edit - 7 doses of TD? What's up, are the wicca faithful defending the indefensible with TDs?

Wake up to reality.

edit - Tracey, read back and try to comprehend. I wrote that the number on the R&S forum were mostly women.

Answer 13

No, and I don't believe their ever were. Most 'witches' were merely unfortunate outcasts.

Edit: Thanks.

Answer 14

Celtish, in America the word is spelled differently.  Nevertheless, they're still among us; but nowadays instead of cannibalizing small children, they butcher them in the womb.

Answer 15

Certainly there are, and there are many more out there than you realize.  Most choose to remain in the (broom) closet because of the negative reaction and misunderstanding their views tend to generate from closed-minded know-it-alls.

Answer 16

I am a Wiccan who practices magick.  It is that practice of magick that makes me a witch.

Answer 17

I think witchcraft has a ton of negative stereotypes, whereas Wicca is just a religion.  

Wasn't it just the Christians who decided to label Wicca/ paganism as witchcraft, to get people to stop practicing non-Christian religions?

I'm curious to know from the asker, why is feminism a disgusting habit?  Sounds like maybe you've bought too much propoganda...

Answer 18

I don't know, but there ARE still witch hunts.