Hello! I know its been a bit since our last major discussion thread, but something a group of friends and I were talking about the other day got me thinking;
What are some of the biggest misconceptions we face in witchcraft?
So in this discussion, I'm going to start it off by naming just a few and the why portion of it being a misconception, and then you guys can add your own!
Misconceptions:
Intention is everything
This is something that has been deeply ingrained into the minds of witches and practitioners alike for years now. Mostly in part due to the Wiccan religions heavy influence, a lot of love & light naysayers and a bunch of other things that have led a massive amount of people to think that the intentions behind your spell/ritual/working, etc is the only thing that matters.
However, that couldn't be more wrong. While your intention is incredibly important, its only half the battle. Your intention and reasoning behind your working is the 'oomph', the energy focal point. The herbs, candles, crystals, whatever tools you're using for that particular spell matter just as much and sometimes even moreso.
Rosemary, clear quartz, white candles and roses are substitutes for everything when you don't have a specific ingredient for a working.
There's been a lot of say around this topic, and rumors that rosemary can be a substitute for any herb when you don't have one, clear quartz for crystals and roses for any flower or other plant that you may need and a white candle can be used in place for when you don't have something for your spell. I will say the only exception here would be the white candle.
This one is pretty much summed up to a few things; there is no one size fits all for your practice. No one thing will ever be a universal substitute for ingredients for witchcraft. If you don't have something that the spell requires, you can however replace it with something that has similar properties. So if your spell requires you to use cinnamon but you don't have it, then Angelica root or basil, bay leaves, etc will do just fine as a substitute because they share similar properties and correspondences, etc.
There's a few others, but now its your turn! What's a common misconception you've heard or are curious about?
I have been told that you can't have an affinity with the elements. I am half Native American and I lean a lot on my heritage knowledge. I feel connected to all elements each affects me different. With water its cleansing and healing to me. Fire is like a purification to me. Earth gives me strength to continue when I think I can't and air gives me hope and lifts my spirits. When storms come u love being out in them. I've traveled through hurricanes and never feared them. Some say I'm just crazy.
Assumptions that witch = Wiccan (or some kind of Wiccanish neopaganism), and therefore all witches have similar practices and lore. I don't cast circles or call quarters and my festival calendar looks somewhat different from the Wheel of the Year. But I do practice seasonal magic, perform ceremonies and do spiritual work.
I suppose it would depends on your definition of 'witchcraft' as to what beliefs and /or practices apply to the term?
Hello. I'm super brand new in my practice. Everything I've read says you must cast a circle. You said you don't to that. So it isn't actually necessary? Can you talk about that some more? Thanks
Yeah its not actually necessary if you don't like to/want to cast a circle everytime you perform a spell or working. As longas you have protections set up and have created your 'sacred space', you should be fine.
Okay I might sound kinda stupid for asking this, but I actually have wondered this for some time. Is it necessary to memorize a spell before putting it in use or is it fine to read off a paper? In general I'm confused if this can alter the chance of a spell to succeed and work.
I've always thought it was strange how much emphasis is placed on intention, while at the same time it's generally agreed upon that certain things have inherent magickal properties. Like how white sage is good for cleansing, or salt for the same reason, as well as creating a protective barrier. It stands to reason all things, from stones of various kinds to flowers and elements, also have their own unique properties as well.
If sage has a definable property, wouldn't that mean all things in existence do as well, and couldn't those properties be used if one had the understanding? I say yes, it only makes sense.
Yeah everything has power I believe and its own energy so makes sense that as long as you know that you can use it. I think some people put a lot of emphasis on intent because it helps new people to remember to focus, but I could be wrong too. Just my thoughts on this topic.
Re: Common Misconceptions By: Misanthropy Moderator / Adept
Post # 10 Mar 31, 2024
I wanted to chime in on this a bit too. I have myself brought up intent to newer practitioners, not to put emphasis on it as a core of practice, but much like Nixie has said; to help remind them to focus on their goal. Everything in nature has its own energy and power, especially those living aspects of it. These items and ritual tools are associated with these energies and power for a reason. They embody these aspects and thus have their own power and can add it to the energies of our spells and ritual work. This should not be forgotten or left to the wayside. They are like the ingredients in baking, for lack of a better example, and they all have their own purpose and place within the recipe (spell/ritual) and they each work together to make the end result blossom.
