History of Witchcraft

History of Witchcraft Lesson 11- Magic and Color

So this is a little step to the side, this not only is relevant to today’s practices but the Celtic times as well. Prior to the 14th century, witchcraft meant a collection of beliefs and practices including healing through spells, mixing ointments or concoctions (you’ll learn this herbalism), dabbling in the supernatural, divining or forecasting a possible future ( occasionally using clairvoyance). Groups, such as Christianity, who held different beliefs would brand the users of these practices as “demon-worshipers” (sound familiar?).
So what is the deal with colors of magic? First, it was and still is believed that magic can affect many outcomes, some good and some not so much, depending on the “type” of magic and the intentions of the practitioner. Many will know the “well known” kinds of magic by their color, and sometimes the spells and things we find online use the color to grab your attention.
“Black Magic” is performed with the general intentions of causing harm to something or someone. This is usually because the practitioner is trying to build their power, or as a goal in and of itself. The underlying ideology upon which black magic is based states that the practitioner and his or her pursuit of knowledge and/or physical well-being, are more important than any other concerns, theological or ethical.
“Green magic” involves the practitioner being one with nature, or tuning themselves in to the natural world. Green magic is a more earth centered magic that brings us closer to the divine mother of creation. Many Gaiasts would be seen as Green Witches or green magic users. Green Witches are usually the ones out in the garden or in nature tuning themselves in with the Earth’s natural energies, or practicing herbalism (though this isn’t limited to green magic).
“White Magic” which is another well known magic, is where a practitioner attunes him/herself to the needs of human society and attempts to meet those needs through magic. This is a form of “personal betterment” magic, and does not entail harming others. Generically put, it’s magic to help others with a pure intent.
“Grey magic “, which seems to be the most easily confused magic, is neither green, white or black and usually replaces the absolute stand of these realms with an ethical code that is particular to the practioner rather than the practice. It is a type of magic all its own and is used for different purposes, which we won’t get into too deeply here.
“Folk Magic”, which we talked about in earlier lessons, is an eclectic (multiple) collection of herbalism, healing, curses and hexes, candle magic and other workings that has thrived in rural areas for centuries.

So as you can see, this seems pretty clear, cut, and dry right? Wrong! These are generalizations which are rather generic in this witch’s opinion. They don’t cover every kind of intent or situation, which no one could ever do anyways. Nature isn’t so clear, cut, and dry, it’s loving and caring, yet at the same time can be destructive and harmful. Also, in the color classification system there is little mention of Chaos magic, aka Red Magic. Red magic can also include Love, Sex Magic, and Revenge (also classified in black). For Black magic they leave out Necromancy, and nocturnal magic, which could be classified as black or white, or even grey for that matter. The color classification system was brought about because people needed an easy way to understand a persons intentions. The human mind is designed to categorize, separate, and then re-categorize again to make a better understanding of the world around us. Keep this in mind as you progress through your experiences in the Craft, and limit the use of the Classification through Color system.

Assignment: Think about the colors, write down the colors of the rainbow leaving plenty of space for you to write, and put down in the spaces what each color means to you. For example: Blue- peace, tranquility, calmness, clarity etc..
For this assignment if you wish to turn it in you may, but I want this to be a page in your personal Books of Shadows.

History of Witchcraft Lesson 11- Magic and Color

So this is a little step to the side, this not only is relevant to today’s practices but the Celtic times as well. Prior to the 14th century, witchcraft meant a collection of beliefs and practices including healing through spells, mixing ointments or concoctions (you’ll learn this herbalism), dabbling in the supernatural, divining or forecasting a possible future ( occasionally using clairvoyance). Groups, such as Christianity, who held different beliefs would brand the users of these practices as “demon-worshipers” (sound familiar?).
So what is the deal with colors of magic? First, it was and still is believed that magic can affect many outcomes, some good and some not so much, depending on the “type” of magic and the intentions of the practitioner. Many will know the “well known” kinds of magic by their color, and sometimes the spells and things we find online use the color to grab your attention.
“Black Magic” is performed with the general intentions of causing harm to something or someone. This is usually because the practitioner is trying to build their power, or as a goal in and of itself. The underlying ideology upon which black magic is based states that the practitioner and his or her pursuit of knowledge and/or physical well-being, are more important than any other concerns, theological or ethical.
“Green magic” involves the practitioner being one with nature, or tuning themselves in to the natural world. Green magic is a more earth centered magic that brings us closer to the divine mother of creation. Many Gaiasts would be seen as Green Witches or green magic users. Green Witches are usually the ones out in the garden or in nature tuning themselves in with the Earth’s natural energies, or practicing herbalism (though this isn’t limited to green magic).
“White Magic” which is another well known magic, is where a practitioner attunes him/herself to the needs of human society and attempts to meet those needs through magic. This is a form of “personal betterment” magic, and does not entail harming others. Generically put, it’s magic to help others with a pure intent.
“Grey magic “, which seems to be the most easily confused magic, is neither green, white or black and usually replaces the absolute stand of these realms with an ethical code that is particular to the practioner rather than the practice. It is a type of magic all its own and is used for different purposes, which we won’t get into too deeply here.
“Folk Magic”, which we talked about in earlier lessons, is an eclectic (multiple) collection of herbalism, healing, curses and hexes, candle magic and other workings that has thrived in rural areas for centuries.

So as you can see, this seems pretty clear, cut, and dry right? Wrong! These are generalizations which are rather generic in this witch’s opinion. They don’t cover every kind of intent or situation, which no one could ever do anyways. Nature isn’t so clear, cut, and dry, it’s loving and caring, yet at the same time can be destructive and harmful. Also, in the color classification system there is little mention of Chaos magic, aka Red Magic. Red magic can also include Love, Sex Magic, and Revenge (also classified in black). For Black magic they leave out Necromancy, and nocturnal magic, which could be classified as black or white, or even grey for that matter. The color classification system was brought about because people needed an easy way to understand a persons intentions. The human mind is designed to categorize, separate, and then re-categorize again to make a better understanding of the world around us. Keep this in mind as you progress through your experiences in the Craft, and limit the use of the Classification through Color system.

Assignment: Think about the colors, write down the colors of the rainbow leaving plenty of space for you to write, and put down in the spaces what each color means to you. For example: Blue- peace, tranquility, calmness, clarity etc..
For this assignment if you wish to turn it in you may, but I want this to be a page in your personal Books of Shadows.

History of Witchcraft Lesson 12- The Final Lesson

This is the Final Lesson of History of Witchcraft. I’m bringing you back to modern day. What have you learned so far?
This lesson will be a final recap of everything that you’ve learned so far.
• What is witchcraft in modern day terms
• What happened to the witches and cunning folk through the recent history, and who they were
• What happened with the Salem Witch Trials
• What went on in the Burning Times
• How the Emperor Constantine played a role in the evolution of witchcraft at the time of Christianities rise
• Who the Celts were and some of their practices
• A basic understanding of the Color Classification System in the Magical Community

During this time you should have been taking notes, doing the assignments and researching outside of the material that was provided for you. As a teacher I can not spoon feed you a bunch of information, if I were to do this, you all wouldn’t have made it this far with twice as much knowledge as when you began. Part of being a good witch means you are vigilant, and capable of finding information through the resources you are provided today. The Celts didn’t have written rituals and spells like we find on the computer today. The Romans didn’t have Google to help them search for information that was once known as Occult (hidden) Knowledge. There may have been books or documents that were forged back then, but nothing compared to what we know today.

You Assignment for this Final Lesson: I would like a minimum of 5 paragraphs on how Witchcraft has evolved, and how it still plays an important part in the communities as well as your life in modern day times. I would also like that these paragraphs be from your own personal perspective based on what you’ve learned from this class and the personal research you’ve done on your own. If you feel more than 5 paragraphs is needed, you are not limited to the 5 in this case, you may do more. Try to be as detailed on what you’ve learned and how it impacts you and how you can use that information to impact your communities.

Wow thank you for posting this,I really learned alot.