From Blood Sacrifices to Black Cats: Common Witchcraft Myths.
A bloody dagger under a silvery full moon. A pointed black hat and a snaggle-toothed smile. The word witchcraft can bring many images to mind, none of them very good. Followers of the Wiccan faith, as well as non-wiccan witches, are usually portrayed in the media as shadowy, enigmatic figures, whispering chants to wicked demons. This is simply fiction. Any follower of a witchcraft-centered religion, including myself, will tell you that the portrait the media paints in a Christian-centric world is incredibly inaccurate.
Myth #1: Human and animal sacrifice.
Witches that partake in nature-based religion, especially Wicca, have a fierce love and devotion for Mother Earth and all of her inhabitants. An important mantra from the Wiccan Rede goes “An if it harm none, do what ye will.” Animal and human sacrifice is heavily frowned upon in the witchcraft community, and is seen as completely unnecessary during witchcraft rituals.
Even the famed Satanists, with all their pentagrams and bloody daggers, despise animal sacrifice. Anton LaVey, the father of The Church Of Satan, has called it cowardly — not just in his famed The Satanic Bible, but in additional writings:
“Those that would say the Satanist would like to kill animals. . .I would say they would make ideal animal sacrifices. I love animals and animals have always been part of me.”
Now, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t bad apples who haven’t done animal sacrifices, or even hurt their fellow man. But to paint the entire witchcraft community with the same, bloody brush is nowhere near fair.
Satanic panic around human sacrifices has landed innocent people in jail — see the West Memphis Three — and spread dishonesty about all witches, from pagans to wiccans to Satanists. Anyone who insists on these things has never done a shred of research on witchcraft, and their claims should be dismissed immediately.
Myth #2: All witchcraft is devil worship.
I imagine when one of my good, Mormon grandparents discovers my witchcraft altar — the tarot cards, the crystals, the sage and incense — they will clutch their hearts and shriek, “The devils work, in my beloved’s house? How dare you!” They would be even more shocked to discover I believe in no such thing.
Mind you, witches are a great variety of beliefs, practices, paths, even religions. No two witches are alike. There are Satanic Witches who worship the actual Devil as portrayed in the Christian Bible. There are Satanists who see the Dark Lord as a rallying point for political philosophy, or who claim the Devil as a figurehead for religious freedom and worldly desires. The automatic link from witchcraft to demons to devil worship is incredibly uninformed.
For example, there are many atheistic witches who believe in no Gods and practice their craft for spiritual — rather than religious — reasons. Some witches believe in Pagan Gods, such as the Triple Moon Goddess, Odin, Zeus — the list goes on. Hell, there are witches who practice Christianity and witchcraft at the same time, who are as devoted to a loving God as any pastor. Witchcraft is not anymore inherently Satanic as it is inherently Christian.
Myth #3: The pentagram is inherently satanic or evil.
The pentagram often fastened around my throat rarely gets attention. The only time it got a comment was from a fellow witch, a practitioner of Wicca. While many hold their tongues at the controversial symbol, I’m sure some of the good Mormons in my community have made assumptions about my beliefs from the pendant.
The pentagram, while often associated with the Devil, has no inherent evilness to it. While the inverted pentagram — often referred to as a pentacle among witchcraft circles — can be associated with darker paths, the pentagram itself is not wicked. Even the inverted version is not inherently Satanic. Most consider the pentacle a symbol of protection, as it represents the five elements witches call upon in spells and rituals.
When I wear my pentagram, I feel safer, more in tune with Mother Earth. I am reminded of Her love, and that I need to embody that love in my daily actions. I am not wearing it for the aesthetic, to be edgy, to come off as intimidating; I wear it for the same reason a Christian wears their cross. It is as simple as that.
Myth #4: All Occultism is inherently for power.
When one imagines a witch casting a spell, it is often either a curse or an offering. I too have conjured the thought of witches dancing around a fire, pleading with devils to do their bidding or spitting their enemies name with venom. However, the use of magick is not inherently for gain, power, or money.
I often compare spellcasting to the stereotypical Christian prayer: asking for blessings, sure, and sometimes giving thanks to a Creator for all they have done. For example, the spellcasting I have done has been for the healing of Mother Earth. Popular rituals among Wiccans are for self care, for help in achieving personal and spiritual goals, or for deeper self love and understanding. Some cast spells for the health and betterment of those they hold dear.
Magick can be a wonderful, beautiful thing. When used for good, it can be a beacon of light in a dark world, a guiding lantern in the black woods. While it certainly can be used for nearly anything, it is not inherently selfish, evil, or power hungry.
Myth #5: Witchcraft in real life is like Harry Potter.
Good God above I wish. If I could flick my wand and have a spotless house in a flash, I absolutely would. I would become the next Hermione Granger and be absolutely obsessed with everything witchy.
Sadly, real life witchcraft is quite different from fiction. The usual belief surrounding magick is that energy lies within everything around us. The moon, the sun, the stars and the earth are large sources of specific, powerful energy. Some witches also appeal to a higher power in their spells for power. Witchcraft, in it’s most simplest terms, is directing and using energy from these sources to get certain results.
Keep in mind, there are a wide variety of religions and paths that have their own definitions around magick and it’s uses. We don’t exactly have time to delve into every path in the winding road of witchcraft, so take my simplified definition with a grain of salt.
And there you have it, five witchcraft myths demolished. Witchcraft is a broad, beautiful practice filled with all kinds of different people. Generalizing an entire group of people based off of Old Wives Tales and Satanic Panic does much more harm than good.
