Читать книгу The Real Witches’ Handbook: The Definitive Handbook of Advanced Magical Techniques - Kate West - Страница 7

Having looked at the misconceptions people have about Witches and Witchcraft, let us look at what Witches do believe in and practise.

One of the best definitions I have heard for a Witch is ‘healer, teacher and parent’. The Craft has its roots in a time when people lived in small communities, when communication and travel, over even small distances, were the exception rather than the rule. The village Witch was the nurse, doctor, midwife, vet and counsellor for the community. Witches were the ones who held the knowledge of healing and prepared the medicines of their time. They were the ones whose study of human actions and human nature enabled them to help their friends, family and neighbours solve their problems and resolve their differences. They were the ones whose observation of nature enabled them to advise on when to plant crops and when to harvest, and how best to treat and keep the animals which provided food for the months ahead. They cared for the people, the land, the growth and the future of their community. As keepers of knowledge they also took the responsibility of selecting and training the next generation of healers and teachers.

Today’s Witches often use the term ‘near and dear’ to refer to their community and, in a world where travel and communication are so much easier, this can extend to friends and Witches from far away. But the feeling is still that of family, whether through blood, fellowship in the Craft or simple friendship. The work is still that of healing, sharing knowledge and of caring for those in the immediate circle.

There are many kinds of Witch and many ways of practising the Craft and I shall talk about some of the better known variations later, but there are many common threads which link us together. To be strictly honest I should say that most Witches believe the following statements, but that their beliefs may be stated or emphasized in individual ways.