by Laura Beth Caldwell

Created on: December 19, 2011

The thought of witches and witchcraft conjures up familiar images such as wart-nosed hags and boiling cauldrons, black cats and midnight flights on broom-sticks. These popular images have shaped our understanding, or more accurately, misunderstanding of what witches really are.

Witchcraft has been broadly defined as the practice or use of magic or mystical powers in casting spells and summoning spirits. This spell-casting and spirit-conjuring is for the sole purpose of manipulating the elements, and the dead, in order to bring about either good or evil. Where the misconceptions come into play is when witchcraft is seen solely as a tool of the devil, or a diabolical conspiracy against Christianity. Witches, and the magic they practice, can be either good or evil. “White witches” who practice “white magic” are individuals, either female or male, who seek to use their craft for the benefit of others. This form of witchcraft is known as the “right-hand path”. Witches who practice “black magic”, magic intended to manipulate or harm others, are known as “black witches”, and their magic follows the “left-hand path”.

Our limited understanding of witchcraft typically does not go any further back in history than the Salem witch trials of the late 17th century. However witchcraft, in one form or another, has its roots in ancient civilizations. Shamanism, dating back to prehistoric times, is in essence the earliest form of witchcraft. Cave drawings from the Paleolithic period depict shamans, or medicine men, dressed in animal skins and engaged in ritual dances. These rituals were intended to bring about certain events, such as fertility, hunting success, good crops, etc. These ancient “witches” were seeking to manipulate the elements to bring about a favorable outcome. The ancient Sumerians and Babylonians believed that the world was full of spirits, most of which were evil. The only way to protect yourself from these spirits was by the use of amulets and magic spells. These beliefs would be adopted by the ancient Egyptians. It was believed that the high priests of ancient Egypt held magical powers and were able to cast spells. The Egyptians had an elaborate belief system concerning the after-life. The use of rituals and spells were used in order to ensure safe passage into the after-life.

Witchcraft, as we know it today, can be traced back to around 700 B.C. with the Celts of northern

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