There have been many misconceptions about Witchcraft and other Pagan religions. The most popular seems to be the one that the Pagan religions are Devil worshipers. This is not true; there are some groups that claim themselves to be Pagans that do believe this. There are evil, immoral and perverted people in every segment of our society. You read about it in the papers every day. The Devil is the exclusive property of the Christian religions. It was probably invented by some well meaning priest, like a boogie man, to keep his followers in line. You will find that churches in general will make rules for their own use as needed.

Pagans worship the Sun and Moon is another misconception, also not true. The Sun and Moon are symbolic representing the male and female aspects of our God. The book of Genesis chapter 1 vs. 26 & 27 explains that God made man in their likeness, male and female was he. To say that Pagans worship the Sun and Moon would be like saying that Christians worship plastic and brass when they worship in front of a statue of a Saint of Christ. They are not praying to the chunk of plastic, they are praying to the Saint or Christ. The statue is used to help focus their thoughts and spiritual energies.

The Sun and Moon are also symbolic of the masculine and feminine qualities of God to the Witch in their worship and help focus their spiritual energy. The magick practiced by the Witch is equivalent in many ways to prayer in other religions. Christians pray and believe that their prayer will bring results. Pagans practice magick, cast spells and other rituals knowing that they will bring results.

The tools and symbols in Witchcraft are used to focus and direct the spiritual energy of the universe on a specific goal. The alter is a place where these tools are used and is the center of worship as is the case in most religions. ( They are not used for sacrifice of babies, cats or chickens ) Candles are a common tool used in many religions for spiritual and magical use. Witches use them in many spells, rituals and other spiritual practices. Many churches and households use candles for both spiritual and magic uses, candles are lit in memory for love ones that have crossed over to a pure spirit existence ( died ) or for someone that is sick or in need of prayer. Quite often candles are used for magical purposes as well, a candle lit dinner is a good example, there is something about a candles flickering light that changes moods and relieves tension in people.

The color and composition of candles is also of significance to the Witch, some even make their own in order to have a more spiritual bond with the candle. There are a lot of books available on candles if you are interested.

Witches believe that the entire universe and everything in it is made up of five elements, Spirit, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. As with the Gods we often use symbols, minerals and colors to represent them, Spirit could be either black (absorbs all colors) or white (radiates all colors), Air is blue (the color of the sky), Fire is red, Water is green, and Earth is generally brown or yellow. Candles and inscriptions are also used by some. There are no fixed rules because they are symbolic only to the witch or coven that uses them.(coven is the name for the group, a church may consider their members a parish or congregation)

The coven study, worship, work group magick, celebrate holidays and social events together. Each witch is actually a solitary individual and is not bound or controlled by others except for mutual coven guidelines. There is order and political structure in most covens and it is up to the coven to structure how they will operate.

There is no need to join a coven or be involved with others to practice Witchcraft. There are plenty of books available to study on your own on being a solitary witch. Wicca a Guide For The Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham is a good one to start with.

Personal experimentation is also a good way to develop your skills in the craft, read what others find effective then develop your own skills and rituals as you go, be careful. Most witches keep a diary (Book of Shadows as it is called in the craft)

It can be fun to be with others that are also practicing the same Pagan principals as you. There is also an opportunity to exchange ideas and have meaningful discussions with others to see what works best for them. The more you understand about any religion the better off you will be.

The Pagan Religion may not be right for you, we believe it is for us. We also encourage that whatever religion (if any) you are comfortable with that meets your spiritual needs is right for you and you should stay with it. The Gods have given you the ability to know what is right for you, every creature in the universe has it, it is called instinct. We also believe that if someone is comfortable with their religious beliefs you should never attempt to convert them to your beliefs. There is nothing wrong with teaching them about your beliefs or making information available to them.

The Bible is an excellent source of information (it has been corrupted by the churches over the years, however the truth is still there if you study it), the Kabala is also a good reference (it also has been corrupted) and so is The Key Of Solomon The King.

The Great Kabuda