Witchcraft and Paganism of the 19th Century

The Party in the Summer Garden   -    Efim Volkov   1890

1) Leave each other alone. This bullshit about “witch wars” and sending messages on anon telling someone you are going to curse them is childish and makes all of us look bad. Do you even think about how non-magick people think of us? Because while what others think might not effect you much, there are new witches and witches who have to hide their practice who are put in danger by the way people think of us. Don’t give them more ammunition.

2) Smudging, Smoke Cleansing, this is an argument we’ve had about ten times too many. I have personally seen posts from practitioners of non-Native American religions who have said that their religion also calls it Smudging and has called it that for generations. They didn’t take it from Native Americans, they just happen to share a common practice. Unless you know the facts, please just leave it alone.

3) Christian shaming, Satanist shaming and Wiccan shaming. It needs to stop now. We already have non-magick people harassing us around ever corner, we really don’t need to be judging each other based on religion. Christian, Wiccan, Pagan, Jewish, Muslim, Satanist or any other faith, religion is between the practitioner and their God/Goddess/Gods and it’s none of your business no matter what you’ve heard or what someone’s grandmother’s cousin said. It is none of your business. Also, witches can be atheist or agnostic too. Witchcraft is a practice, not a religion. Write it down. Repeat it to yourself. Say it when you go to sleep at night. You need to remember that fact.

4) Witches can be male. Witches can be trans. Witches can be gay. Witchcraft has nothing to do with gender or sexuality. I really didn’t think I would have to outline this but there it is. And they can call themselves whatever they want too, because guess what? None of your business. If a male wants to call himself a witch, that’s fine. If he wants to call himself a warlock, that’s fine. Yes I know warlock has been used to mean “evil witch” but that doesn’t make it any of your business. That information is on Google. You are not responsible for telling them or policing their terms.

5) Cursing. Who. Fucking. Cares? If someone curses, cool. If they don’t curse and feel it’s against their religion, also cool. It is not your responsibility to teach them about the threefold law, and it’s not your responsibility to teach them why you think the threefold law is bull. “Different blokes have different strokes” or whatever the saying is. None of your business.