Tired of what he regards as tirades against real
witchcraft by uninformed writers in national newspapers a
witch requests us to publish his viewpoint. He asks us not to
print his name and address, "I have a wife and a small son
to consider” he says, and people still have a tendency to
throw bricks at the unusual, His serious comments are in
marked contrast to the nonsense printed last week on the
occasion of Hallowe’en.

I am a witch descended from a family of witches.
Genuine witchcraft is not paganism, though it retains the
memory of ancient faiths.

It is a religion mystical in approach and puritanical in
attitudes. It is the last real mystery cult to survive, with
a very complex and evolved philosophy that has strong
affinities with many Christian beliefs. The concept of a
sacrificial god was not new to the ancient world; it is not
new to a witch.

Mystic at heart

Mysticism knows no boundaries. The genuine witch is
a mystic at heart. Much of the teaching of witchcraft is
subtle and bound within poetical concept rather than hard
logic.

I come from an old witch family. My mother told me of
things that had been told to her grandmother, by her
grandmother. I have two ancestors who died by hanging for
the practice of witchcraft. The desire for power may have
been the motive behind the persecution of witches.

In the 13th or 14th century there was an influx of
Islamic mysticism into Europe. This was due to the Crusaders
and the wanderings of various mystical societies from the
Middle East. There is also strong evidence that this influx
of Islamic ideas infiltrated into witch covens of that time.

The king's fear

Since the persecution really began during this period,
it is my considered opinion that the extermination of
witches was bound up in the conflict of two major faiths,
Christianity and Islam. During the Reformation and the
decrease of the Musalmen Empire the motives were probably
forgotten, but the propaganda remained.

James I obviously had good reason to fear witches. The
witch theology of that period demanded he should die since
he descended from a line of "divine kings". The "divine
kings", in theory anyway,
died for the sins of their subjects and to mediate between
man and the evil chance.

It must also be remembered that witches existed
probably among the upper classes as well as the lower.
These witches possibly desired power like any other
lordling.

One basic tenet of witch psychological grey magic is
that your opponent should never be allowed to confirm an
opinion about you but should always remain undecided. This
gives you a greater power over him, because the undecided is
always the weaker. From this attitude much confusion has
probably sprung in the long path of history.

Judgment decides

Nothing about witchcraft is ever stated definitely. It
is always left to inference and your judgement. Consequently
nothing written about witchcraft can ever solve it or confirm
or deny its existence.

As for witches belonging to a premature Spiritualist
movement, this is a pleasant daydream. Of course there
are psychics in every period of history. Sometimes they
became priests of the local religion. At other times
they died at the hands of priests of the local religion
who did not like having their particular theology
confounded by spirits, even if the message came directly
from the other world.

No simple belief

Witchcraft is not primarily concerned with messages or
morality gained from the dead. It is concerned with the
action of God and gods upon man and man's position
spiritually. It is not a simple belief, though many might
think so from a superficial examination. Much Spiritualist
phenomena would not satisfy the witch, who either attempts
the heights or plunges the depths.

There is also a basic conflict between two attitudes.
The Spiritualist asks for "miracles" vide the spirit of
another world. The witch, or anyone interested in magic,
tries to work those "miracles" herself by an act of will
with the ordinary "spirit", but it is very doubtful if she
would ever allow herself to be controlled by it. It is of
course the old controversy between the occultist and the
Spiritualist.