Do you want to become a witch?

When you google the word witch this image and definition you will found.  The word “witch” is a noun pertaining to a woman thought to have magic powers, specially evil ones, popularly depicted as wearing black cloak and pointed hat and flying in a broom stick. In reality, Witches can be anyone from woman to man, young and old. In some country they brand people with deformity and even at birth they identify them and kill them immediately as they believe that witches will only give bad luck and curse to them. In short, the Witches are agents of the Devil. In the Philippines, we call the witch as mangkukulam or a person who does kulam. But what is a witch by the way and who they are?

In Luntiang Aghama we define the Witch being a person who apply their knowledge of the law of nature and the universe, thus the word “Witch” means Wise or in other Filipino term is called “Maaram”. Technically the word witch is derived from the old english word “Wit” which means to know. Merriam Webster Dictionary also define the word as a person of superior intellect. Thus in our Shrine we associate the word “Aghama” that is derived from the word “Agham” which means “Science” that has a word origin from “Scire” which means “know”. With this definition we call our selves a Witch that practices the knowledge we gain from the Universal Law and the Laws of Nature.

In most online dictionary now-a-days, the word Witch is associated with Wicca as a masculine form of a witch and Wicce for the female witch. In our First Degree Correllian Wiccan Lesson, Wicca is defined as a religion that seeks to understand and interact with the Deity and the Universe. It is a life affirming path of growth and expansion. Magick is one of the many things you will learn in becoming a Witch of Wicca but it is more about knowing and taking your place in the universe and your evolution as a spiritual being.

Wicca is based on reverence for Nature and Her cycles, respect for the Earth and all Her creatures. Wicca reveres the natural forces of the Universe and sees them reflected in the world around us, and in every person and thing. 

Wicca has great reverence for Deity, Who for us has both a Mother and a Father aspect.  Wiccans approach Deity through many names and forms, both masculine and feminine, drawn from all over the world and from every age. We often compare Deity to a diamond with many facets; each name or image for Deity is like one facet on the diamond. Each facet may be considered separately and all are beautiful in themselves, but all are aspects of the single stone.

Wicca believes that Deity comes to each person in the way that is best understood by that person, and that this is different for different people. Wicca believes that the relationship between a person and Deity is highly individual, personal, and subjective. Not everyone will have the same understanding of Deity, because not everyone is in the same place, or able to understand from the same level or perspective. Because of this no one has a right to judge another persons relationship with Deity, because each person is different.

This is why we respect all the names and forms that have been used to honor Deity through the centuries -Deity needs them all in order to come to all people in the way they can best understand.

Come to think about it, Wicca is a religion of building a personal relationship with the Divine. Being a Wiccan for 2 decades since year 2000, everyday is a new experience that i call Wicca as experiental religion not based on what is written from the books  but we ourselves will find out the magick as we practice the religion in everyday life.