To ask if you believe in witchcraft?

[superstarheartbreaker]

My exes mum was known as a " White Witch". In other words she was very into woo and practiced as a Chrystal healer, could sense energy, was psychic and was into all the new age bull shit. Vegan etc , etc.

I think a large amount of this is bullshit however there are a few incidents which made me think. One involved her son. He was v abusive and when we split up I felt very low. At the time she was thousands of miles away in the USA. She phoned me up in ters ( she had no idea we gad split up) and told me she knew how low I felt and tha I should hang on in there ( I felt suicidal) she said she could feel my pain. Wierd as last time we met I fine.

I don't agree with the way she raised my ex ( brought him weed for his bday etc) and a lot of what she believed in ( and how she enforced those beliefs) was questionable but I do think there was something a bit strange about her. ( my dad who is the straightest man on the planet even thought she'd put some kind of spell on me at one point -- although that was probably due more to her abusive son.)

My own feeling is that Wicca has some power but that any attempt to manipulate nature to ones own ends is not to be trusted.

Am I barmy???!!!

[bigbluestars]

I have been a practicing witch for 30 years. It is not a religion, nor do I think it is particularly "supernatural". We all have the ability to perform magic and cast spells.

I am also a scientist and an atheist.

[mwalimu]

Tell us more bigblue

[bigbluestars]

Nosure what you want to know. I perform magical rights, spells - to me it a natural extension of being human- something we all could do if we wanted.

[Downtheroadfirstonleft]

I think Wicca/ witchcraft is absolute tosh. If people want to follow it, that's up to them.

[bigbluestars]

downtheroad- I am not sure what you mean by "follow witchcraft". Are we sheep?

[Hakluyt]

"I don't believe in religion at all, yet I couldn't utter the words "Jesus is a cunt" without an awful feeling in my chest (I have it now, just typing that)."

I wouldn't say that about anybody!

I believe that witchcraft exists and people belive in it. But it is not real.

[DoraGora]

You can follow stuff without being a sheep or an idiot.

[mwalimu]

What kind of spells bigblue? To do what? And how do you perform them?

[mwalimu]

And do they work?

[mwalimu]

And how did you start doing it? Is it a family thing?

[Hakluyt]

I can answer that, mwalimu- no, they don't.

[DoraGora]

I performed a spell to make the sun rise this morning and warm up my garden. Seems to be going fairly well...

Didn't medieval people have spells to make people love them?

[AboutAWeekAgo]

worraliberty, precisely. I guess that's what faith is though. Jesus wasn't born on 25th December, but Christians still celebrate his birth on this day. When you have faith, you still believe things your religion tells you no matter what.

Where jinn and black magic are concerned though, maybe it's bad luck, but it doesn't explain illnesses and certain objects being found around the house like a balls of fabric with pins sticking out under my bed.

[mwalimu]

Oh shut up you lot; stars is not likely to share her experiences, if you are ridiculing her. I know nothing about Wicca, I'm genuinely interested

[specialsubject]

There's a prize of a million dollars for anyone who can prove psychic powers. It has been on offer since 1964, in ever increasing amounts. Plenty have applied, no-one has ever got past the preliminary test.

You don't remember the thousands of times when these coincidences DIDN'T happen.

Witchcraft etc is just as valid as mainstream religions and our good friend the flying spaghetti monster.

if it makes you happy and doesn't hurt anyone, believe away.

[DoraGora]

I spose. But, isn't it the equivalent of trying to conduct a confession in the middle of a football crowd? Surely the best place for faith activities is among like-minded people.

[DoraGora]

I guess the true psychic could just tele-prompt the prize givers to transfer the money.

[mwalimu]

Witchcraft isn't the same as 'psychic powers' as far as I understand

Urgh, to the 'spaghetti monster' reference. I'm a devout athiest but why you got to be so disrespectful of other peoples beliefs/lives/values?

[ArgyMargy]

Sorry to be thick, but what is woo?
The hairy shower note makes no sense at all.
Tufts of hair by the side of the road surely could get blown away?
Police using "psychics" makes a lot of sense - a fresh look at the evidence by someone with great instincts/intuition is quite likely to come up with a new lead.

[BMW6]

Belief is the key - be it Wicca, Islam, Christianity, Voodoo, etc etc

[BMW6]

By that I mean - If you believe in something it is real and true (for you)

[DoraGora]

bmw6 isn't there something to be said for sharing the belief with some other people. There's a guy down the chip shop, swears he's Elvis. I'm not sure that means it's true, not even for him.

[StripedOss]

Wicca is simply one facet of paganism.

I'm pagan, i identify as Solitary and Eclectic though.. i'm not into all the Wiccan pomp and ceremony with the altar and candles and crap.. its unnecessary, as much as all the High Church stuff is to believing in Christ and God.

I believe in a God and Goddess, i believe that we are all connected and connected to the earth, i believe spells are simply an expression of prayer done in a different way, i believe that power ebbs and flows with the changing of the seasons.

I believe that some people use long entrenched fears to manipulate and scare people and i believe that magick is simply some people abilities to manipulate the natural energies that connect us to Mother Earth, and that some people choose to do that in a negative way, rather than use it positively to benefit us all.

[mwalimu]

Yy BM peoples realities are so different...

[specialsubject]

bad news, mawalimu, you don't get to control what I say. As an atheist I would expect you to be more tolerant of what people say rather than getting offended which is usually the sign of a rocky faith.

Why is the reference to pastafarianism disrespectful? It is no more or less valid than any other religion.

beliefs are never worthy of respect. People get respect (if they are not intolerant and don't harm others).