Are witches real? Experts weigh in on spells, covens, magic and more
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Witches. For centuries they’ve been the object of folklore, fiction and even persecution.
While in more modern times, the idea of witchcraft tends to evoke thoughts of black hats, bubbling cauldrons and movies like “Hocus Pocus,” there’s still an aura of mystery surrounding neo-Pagan traditions.
Why? And perhaps the more important question: Are witches real?
The answer is two-fold.
The kind of witches that ride around on broomsticks and are gifted with magical abilities can only be found in Harry Potter books and other fictional tales, but not real life.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t witches. Because indeed, there are — just not the kind of the Roald Dahl variety.
“Your average witch is just somebody who lives next to you and has this spiritual practice you don’t know about,” Deborah Blake, a self-identified witch and the author of “Llewellyn’s Little Book of Witchcraft,” tells TODAY.com.
To help separate fact from fiction, TODAY.com spoke to Blake and a variety of other experts to better understand the beliefs of modern-day witches, the basis of their spirituality, the history of their persecution, Wiccans and everything else on spells, charms, covens, broomsticks and more.
“Witchcraft, as we see it often in horror films or supernatural TV series, that doesn’t really bear much resemblance to the practice of witchcraft around this country,” Alex Mar, journalist and author of the book “Witches in America,” tells TODAY.com.
“Most of the time, when people are talking about actual practicing witches today, what they’re really talking about are Pagans,” she explains. “Not every pagan will call themselves a witch, but a lot of them do work with different kinds of rituals and spells.”
What is a pagan? By definition, it’s someone whose spirituality and practices differ from more mainstream religions like Christianity and Judaism. Quite often, Pagans tend to be earth-focused, as well as polytheistic, which means they worship multiple gods and/or goddesses.
According to Mar, there are currently around a million practicing Pagans in the U.S., and part of what draws some of them into the religion is that unlike more traditional Christian beliefs, females are allowed to be spiritual leaders instead of just males.
“It changes that power dynamic, and I think that’s part of what’s made it very attractive to a lot of people,” Mar says.
Among those drawn to witchcraft is Blake, who says she’s been “out of the broom closet for a very long time” and writes books on the subject to help increase understanding around the practice’s ideologies and traditions.
Content retrieved from: https://www.today.com/life/holidays/are-witches-real-rcna101373.
