what is witchcraft?

Answer 1

using various triggers to stimulate the latent powers within you and manipulate the world around you ..

Answer 2

Well if you ask 100 different Wiccans or Pagans (both practice some form of witchcraft) what their beliefs are, you'll get 100 different answers.

The form of witchcraft I practice is fairly new. It's really only been around for 50 years or so, but it has its roots in ancient earth based religions.

The Wiccan Rede is "An' it harm none, do what ye will." Which is much like any religions "golden rule." We do harm to no one, including ourselves, because we believe that ANY energy we put out - good or bad - will come back to us threefold.
I've been a solitary witch (that means I practice alone. Some practice in covens, which are groups of 3 or more) for eight years.
I believe that the divine spirit is in everything. Trees, stones, every blade of grass, the air, and us.
I believe in one diety/god (many witches believe in multiple dieties) and I believe that that diety has a male and a female side to it - the God and the Goddess. It gets more complicated than that - like there are multiple forms of the God and three forms of the Goddess, but it takes a long time to really understand that.
Wiccans and Pagans are very aware of nature. We celebrate eight Sabbats (holidays) in the Wheel of the Year and you'd be surprised how similar many of them are to Christian holidays. They're symbolic of the cycle of life.
I do spellwork. This is not Harry Potterish wave a wand and say some gibberish and my enemies turn into frogs. My magic is "prayer with intent." It's more prayer and meditation using symbolic tools, herbs, and stones.
The thing that I love about Wicca is that you can kind of mold it to suit your personal beliefs and ways of practicing. It's very personal. If you don't believe something will work, it won't, so you don't have to do it.

That's a super-quick rundown of my beliefs. But in the sources part, I've listed a ton of my favorite books on the subject if you're interested in learning more. That's the thing about Witchcraft. You can't really just jump into it not knowing what you're doing. It's taken me years of reading and studying to even understand the basic tenets of the faith.

Answer 3

There is a difference between wicca and witchcraft. Wicca, a religion and witchcraft a pratice of magic with the elements and nature. Here is a definition I found for you about wicca that I hope helps.

WICCA(sometimes called Wicce, Witchcraft, The Craft, or The Old Religion by its practitioners) represents an ancient religion of love for life and nature. Wicca is easily one of the most irrepressible religions in the world because it stimulates the intellect, promotes a simple, practical way of life and, most importantly, is emotionally satisfying. Our religion celebrates the Wiccan sabbats, which mark the seasons. A Witch, in coven or alone, uses magick and herbs to bend time and matter in order to achieve psychic and spiritual satisfaction. Witches do not worship the Devil. Witchcraft predates Christianity and does not incorporate a belief in the Christian Devil.

For the last fifteen years our beliefs in Witchcraft have evolved into a way of life. We celebrate the Wiccan sabbats and esbats. We divine with astrology, tarot and runes. With Wicca we invoke, chant, dance, and rite to the sway and ebb of the wheel of the year. We revere nature and the earth we live on as the biggest priority in our lives and lives to come.

Answer 4

most Pagans would probably define Witchcraft as the manipulation of natural or elemental energy into a desired effect. through the use of herbs and spellwork.

Wicca, However is a religion whose members often define themselves as witches. but see spells more as a Prayer to the divine.

not all wiccans are Witches. and not all witches are Wiccan.

Answer 5

According to the Ancients it is considered one of the " Sixty Four Arts and Sciences), and is not necessary in order for a human to find and know "God".

Depending on which form is used it can be detrimental to the
clarity within man!

Answer 6

Check out the website The Witches' Voice

Answer 7

it is a catch word to name anything you do outside the influence of the evangelical faiths that shows power over life or a need for a god/pastor and a church to dominate your life

pretty much science and technology was called this in the beginning, now the fundies can't live without it

Answer 8

the art of vexing people in a suttle manner that the doer will never be recognized. cunning way of treating a solution to a problem. the bible abhors it because it is true.

Answer 9

The practice of "low" or emotionally focused folk magic.

Often culturally associated with European traditions.

Answer 10

Anything that is not of the Lord. The occult in all forms - tarot cards, palm reading, horoscopes, mediums, Ouija boards, etc. Drugs, Harry Potter. Anything that opens your front door to Satan.