What I Know
Before beginning the research process, my knowledge on witchcraft, Wicca, and Paganism was very limited. I gathered that witchcraft is part of Wicca and that Wicca is part of Paganism.
I had no knowledge on witchcraft at all. I struggled to separate fact from fiction regarding the practice of witchcraft. I was familiar with caricatures and fictional portrayals of witches and wizards like Hocus Pocus and Harry Potter, but I knew not to rely on those inaccurate representations of the religion. I also observed that throughout history, witches have been ostracized and persecuted. People burned any person suspect of being a witch at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials. I thought this stigma regarding witchcraft was ironic. Our society seems to hate witches, but we adopted almost all of their holidays.
I knew that people who practice Wicca have a deep appreciation of nature. I knew that there was a female deity in the religion, and assumed that the goddess was Mother Nature. I knew that there are rituals and spells involved in Wicca, but knew nothing about the processes or purposes. I knew that sage could be burnt and inferred that, like in many other cultures, the purpose of the sage was to cleanse. I have heard that witches dance in the woods but …show more content…
Witches use spells, or wholehearted prayers using the power of the elements to manifest wishes. (Zhao). Stigma surrounded witchcraft with the assumption that witches use satanic rituals and dark magic. This negative perception of witchcraft came from the Catholic Church. They proclaimed that Pagan gods were actually demons disguising themselves as gods to fool people into worshipping them. The rumor about Pagan gods being demons morphed into the misconception that witches worship Satan. From medieval times, witches have been used as a scapegoat for unfortunate events. From plagues to droughts, women have been accused of causing disasters with witchcraft and were
Before beginning the research process, my knowledge on witchcraft, Wicca, and Paganism was very limited. I gathered that witchcraft is part of Wicca and that Wicca is part of Paganism.
I had no knowledge on witchcraft at all. I struggled to separate fact from fiction regarding the practice of witchcraft. I was familiar with caricatures and fictional portrayals of witches and wizards like Hocus Pocus and Harry Potter, but I knew not to rely on those inaccurate representations of the religion. I also observed that throughout history, witches have been ostracized and persecuted. People burned any person suspect of being a witch at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials. I thought this stigma regarding witchcraft was ironic. Our society seems to hate witches, but we adopted almost all of their holidays.
I knew that people who practice Wicca have a deep appreciation of nature. I knew that there was a female deity in the religion, and assumed that the goddess was Mother Nature. I knew that there are rituals and spells involved in Wicca, but knew nothing about the processes or purposes. I knew that sage could be burnt and inferred that, like in many other cultures, the purpose of the sage was to cleanse. I have heard that witches dance in the woods but …show more content…
Witches use spells, or wholehearted prayers using the power of the elements to manifest wishes. (Zhao). Stigma surrounded witchcraft with the assumption that witches use satanic rituals and dark magic. This negative perception of witchcraft came from the Catholic Church. They proclaimed that Pagan gods were actually demons disguising themselves as gods to fool people into worshipping them. The rumor about Pagan gods being demons morphed into the misconception that witches worship Satan. From medieval times, witches have been used as a scapegoat for unfortunate events. From plagues to droughts, women have been accused of causing disasters with witchcraft and were