A true Witch speaks out...

Greetings and Blessed Be.

I am the Sorceress JoHaunna and I am pleased to accept Dream Teller's invitation to visit and speak with you. She forwarded many of your e-mails to me and requested that I give them my personal attention, as they pertain to Witches and the religion of Witchcraft. I will endeavor to give you a broad overview of a Witch's life in these modern times and, hopefully, dispel many of the wrong assumptions attached to our religion and our way of life.

Let me begin... Historically, Witches are portrayed as crones and hags flying about on broomsticks, bent over boiling cauldrons, and practicing Black Majic, to achieve many unsavory purposes. The hag and crone image was perpetuated during olden times when attire of the period was mostly raw, homespun material unless one was descended of wealth and royalty. Females wore garments that covered their bodies from neck to toe and the available materials were either black or brown. Cloaks were the only available 'coat' against the harsh elements and most often were fashioned with a hood known as a cowl. Taken with the aging process (we do age as Outsiders do, although some of us at a slower rate) and given the hard times and way of life, the complete image was that of a stooped old hag with unmanageable gray hair and aging features who went about muttering incomprehensible things to herself. But you can read history for yourself.

Do you not find it odd that Witches were generally portrayed as old crones and few are mentioned in their youth; their physical appearances, then? Most of the untruths arose out of the Witchs' propensity for secrecy; neccessary then and often today, for obvious reasons. There have and always will be those Witches who practice evil and for those, every Witch carries the burden. Too, Paganism has never been an acceptable form of worship for the simple fact that other faiths view all Pagans as evil-doers and satanic worshipers. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Certainly, there are satanic worshippers and devil worshippers (not one and the same) but that is a subject for another time. Practicioners of White Majic hold sway with the Witch's motto 'And it harm none'; simple, easily understood. Today we are many, yet, for the fact that our religion goes against the grain of other faiths, particularly Christianity, few are willing to expose themselves to unwarranted ridicule and harm from those who refuse to live and let live.

Witches are of both genders and our life styles are not unlike yours, in many ways. We have families, regular careers, and enjoy many of the same pastimes such as theater, movies, and so on. We are educated in the same schools and institutions of higher learning as Outsiders, are members of the same political persuasions, and so on. Some of us even attend your churches in the effort to learn about other faiths, for we are accepting of every individual's right to their religious persuasion.

Naturally, we are also unlike in some ways. Witches regard their offspring as precious gifts (that is not to say that Outsiders do not) but it is rare that our children are left to fend for themselves in a world where children often fall through the cracks of society. We have different views regarding sex and our children are taught that their bodies are beautiful, regardless of physical appearance. We keep close tabs on them and constantly reinforce the evils of substance abuse and promiscuity; for those pose great danger to our inherent abilities and skills. A mind altered by such substances and a diseased body cannot perform at the peak level required of our Kind, anymore than it can of your Kind, but the greater danger lies in our children falling prey to those who seek information in order to exterminate all of our Kind.

Witches are human, as the rest of humanity; people who are much maligned for the fact of their religion and craft and we only seek tolerence in an intolerant society; no more or less. We are looked upon as heathens, for our secrecy and the abilities which we must protect from those who would use us for their own evil purposes. By virtue of our Kind and our abilities we are branded as evil-doers but it is our feeling that the evil-doers are those who hunt us, relentlessly, in their efforts to expose us as charletans for those things the ordinary individual cannot understand, and thus fear.

Thankfully, times are changing and we are more at liberty to move about society and while we interact with many Outsiders who have come to accept that Witches are no threat, we are careful whom we choose to reveal ourselves to. Many modern Witches are comfortable with a degree of exposure though they retain a certain amount of secrecy concerning their private lives. One does not go about proclaiming to be Sorceress, Warlock, Magician, Wizard, and the like for it is those titles which provoke misunderstanding and fear. Rather, you will find less-provocative, more acceptable descriptions such as psychic, medium, and so on and only among our Kind, and those Outsiders we choose as friends and allies, are we known by our true level within the Witch's hierarchy.

I hope I have given you some valuable insight and that you will take the time to consider it and come to the conclusion that, as with your Kind, there are both good and evil individuals within our Kind. Mayhap, some of you will have the opportunity to meet and greet a true Witch and learn from them. As we walk among you, we are always on the lookout for a kindred spirit; those whom we will welcome as friends, given the opportunity. For now, I wish good things in life for each of you and Blessed Be.