What Witchcraft Is

I notice a recurring theme in my posts, of defining & redefining witchcraft & the witch figure over & over. It would surely limit the multi-faceted witch figure too much to stick to, or even attempt, a simple definition of who we are & what we do. A dictionary-style definition such as that used in the concise Oxford for Wicca (the neo-pagan religion) leaves us in exactly the same position. Given that I'm quite capable of posting completely contradictory posts on this, before I contradict myself again today I will attempt a synthesis: witchcraft is what is done by those who call themselves witches, which is a collection of beliefs or practices proper to the individual or group, & which tends to be known when you see it, even if the individual practitioner does not call what s/he does, witchcraft. That's that cleared up then.

One of the aspects usually soft-pedalled in witchcraft's more 'ceremonial' forms is that of martial art. The virtues of balance, philosophy of praxis & form, & use of energy found in martial arts is very much as found in witchcraft. I wrote the following quote from Rae Bone in my book of shadows years ago (I'm afraid I have lost the reference), which is pure martial artist:

'There are three divisions of our philosophy which we, seeking ancient wisdom & ultimate good, must exercise. First there is avoidance & pursuit; a Witch must not fail in anything she has the will to achieve, nor fall into any misfortune that she can avoid. The second concerns her desires & aversions: she must attain a balance, so that he personal life is orderly, with no single thing done heedlessly. The third is concerned with seeking security from delusions & apprehensions. She must become sure of herself in every way in her private life, & in her public one, & in the way she is concerned with others.'

In aikido dojos there is a sort of shrine called a kamiza. Unfortunately there are no schools of witchcraft where you can try out what you learn on the mats. Our dojo is of necessity the world & the altar is our kamiza. Our consecration/dedication/initiation - however that may have come about - is our entry into the dojo of witchcraft & puts us in the way of learning experiences.

I have recently myself learned what will probably be a very basic point to others. I have cast a banishing spell, which brought all sorts of ills in its wake. At first I thought this was merely the kickback, until I woke one morning with a plan to sort it all formed in my head: I had to create something to fill the vacuum I had created, which would otherwise just have been filled with any old psychic gunk that was passing.

That done, it feels much better. I have also spent today cleaning the house from top to bottom. For the martial artist cleaning the dojo or the witch cleaning the house this is never just plain housework, & should not be approached disdainfully. This is another similarity, that both the witch & the martial artist can both invest apparently insignificant actions with meaning, & also find meaning in these actions.

Another source for witchcraft for me is also related to combat: I am re-reading Mao Tse Tung on Guerrilla Warfare. This may sound strange, but when I say that it's a particular approach to the subject of strategy, its relevance will become clear. This is often a shortcoming in the philosophy of witchcraft, because a lot of witches are in denial about combat & having enemies. Some witches like to talk about maintaining the balance as if to imply that homeostasis in nature is not a continual shifting between polar opposites. This is bizarre since there is an element of combat in most of the magics in the world: witness the hoodoo formulas Essence of Bend Over & Boss Fix, for example. The simple fact is the world is full of piss-takers, the screwy, the manipulative, & the downright nasty, people who will use other people for no better reason than they happen to be there. I will deal with them because that is what I am consecrated to do, this is my holy & divine task, I just want to make sure there's a certain economy of movement as I do it.

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