Border, divider, and design concept copyrighted to Talisza's Graphics 1998-2002, by Taliszanna WhiteCrow. Give me credit if you use it. Thank you!
a "Christian Witch"?
Yes and No...
(No, according to the Catholic Church. Yes, as a witch with an Eclectic spirituality.)
(Updated: June 14th, 2002)
Introduction:Hello, my name is Jessie Brown and I am a former Christian Witch[*1]. Today, I identify as an Eclectic spiritualist and a Natural Witch. Being a Natural Witch means that I instinctively work magic/k and always have, never needing to be told how, (but perhaps still requiring a bit of guidance upon how to *improve*). There are many of us out here like this and we come from all different social, cultural, economic, regional, and religious backgrounds. Myself, I grew up for the most part on the Canadian prairies of Saskatchewan but also grew up partially in Toronto where I was born, and for a short-- but very influential time-- I lived in St.John's Newfoundland where my spiritual community was Bah'ai. The Bah'ai community that I knew there at that time was made up mostly of a mixture of people bearing Middle Eastern origin or ancestry. Through these people's guidance my moral base was formed. Their music, art, dance, food, perfumes, and fashion affected me greatly and it should come as no surprise to hear that at 18 I returned to those childhood cultural roots, finding the goddess Inanna, (or rather, being found by Her).The following is an article that I wrote back in 1998 upon grating frustration with the Witch Wars afire upon the alt.religion.wicca newsgroup, (abbreviated as the ARW NG). To those for whom the term "Witch Wars" rings no bell, Witch Wars are ridiculous bickerings between Craft practitioners over whose way is wrong and whose way of practising magic/k is right. Unfortunately, it is commonly only made worse when the inevitable happens: someone decides to bring religion into it. *sigh* There is some good that comes out of Witch Wars-- for example, one being made to examine what exactly they are doing and what they believe in-- but for the most part, it's nonsense and it wastes a lot of time and server space.
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1 : note the use of capital letters-- this is the name of a specific denomination of Witchcraft paths.
Before you continue:To clarify, "Christian Witch" is a loosely used term for one who is an Eclectic Witch with Christian influences. According to the Church and to the Bible, if one is a Witch one cannot be also be a Christian. If you research the Inquisition, (known amongst those in the Pagan/Neo-Pagan community as "The Burning Times"), you will see that it stems from King James' fear of Witches and the anti-female/anti-Matriarchal feelings of the time. The Black Plague had set in and most of it's victims were men, leaving a gross population of women. Religion and politics were one then and there was a fear of women gaining independence and power. What better way to eliminate the problem then to eliminate women? And the best coverup for this plot was the excuse of religion and law. From it was born the Malleus Malificarium-- or, "The Witches' Hammer"-- the book which was referred to and relied upon by the men who sought out the "witches" it spoke of (who were harmless Christian women, in reality). With all of this in mind, you may now continue.
Originally appeared:
Date: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 18:43:14 -0600 (CST)
To: WTCArticles@WhisperedPrayers.com
Cc: Taliszanna WhiteCrow <timeshatter@angelfire.com>
Subject: article submission: Christian witches[**Article submission to Whispers to Chants on-line newletter on Christian witches. Written Mar. 29th, 1998 by Taliszanna WhiteCrow, an Eclectic Spiritualist and former Christian Witch residing in Saskatchewan, Canada. See bottom of article for e-mail address and website.]
Are There Christian Witches? While surfing the 'net I've often found pages written by Wiccans or other Neo-pagans speaking about the community in which they live, the general persecution now and in the past of Witches/"witches", and unity in the Pagan community. I've also found wonderful sites dedicated to the religious rights of minority groups in the age in which we now live, what we can do to fight for ourselves as Pagan people, and how to handle negative situations in a positive manner. The sites are helpful to those who happen to live in a community that is unaccepting of Paganism/non-mainstream faiths and I applaud the people who take the time to provide those in 'the broomcloset' with a means of continuing in their spirituality safely. What bothers me, however, is the discrimination towards Christians that I at times come across in the process. When I read such material, I have to wonder: how do the Christian Witches feel?
"Christian Witches!?" Yes, such a category exists... kind of. Given the standing of the Catholic Church where witchcraft and sorcery is concerned, there has been a debate for years now on the point of whether or not it is possible for such a thing to be-- the amalgamation of the practises of pagan and Christian ways. Where has the debate gone on, you ask? In Pagan homes, in Christian homes, on websites of either religious persuasion, frequently in Christian or Pagan chatrooms, all over the alt.religion.wicca (ARW) and alt.magick (AM) newsgroups, and anywhere that a philosopher may be found. Most frequently, however, the debate is carried on in the minds of young people, those who have just begun to explore witchcraft & Neopaganism, and those researching different religions for academic reasons. I have spoken to some of these people-- heck, I've even been one-- and the results of conversion for those changing their path were very often the same: feelings of guilt (often in great quantities), confusion, panic, pressure to choose (sometimes very much self-imposed), fear of discovery, fear of being ostracized by friends, family, and community and (worst of all) there is an abundant fear of losing the love/favour of their god. Jewish Witches (sometimes dubbed "Jewitches") and Muslamic Witches go through the very same thing, of course... and the Neopagan and occult community unfortunately fails these people by forgetting to mention that one is not required to leave his or her current religious beliefs behind. As well, it is frequently forgotten that magic/k had a very strong place in the Catholic Church during Mediaeval times. Amuletic and talismanic magic/k were often employed as were the use of mystical salves and chants against the influence of devils. In fact, if one takes a look at Ceremonial magick (also called "High Magick") one can see Judaic influences: the studying and calling upon angels and daemons, learning their sigils, names, and planetary correlations. Magic/k is not new to religions of Middle Eastern origin by any means.
I think I'll take this moment to introduce "Gwen". Gwen, for many years now has been a Christian and has attended a United church for just as long. She utilizes the power of crystals and minerals, consults her tarot cards & runes for answers from time to time, incorporates herbal wisdom into her everday life, and casts spells when the need arises. She is just like everyone else at her church except that she thinks of nature differently and combines the beliefs of various faiths into her personal spirituality. She loves the Christian god but also respects the vision of the Divine Feminine. Both can be included in her life without conflict, she has said.
Gwen and I also have a friend called "Solstice". Solstice was raised a Roman Catholic (as I was), believing very strongly in G-d and in the Holy Virgin Mary, but Solstice's vision stretches beyond. She doesn't go to church very often, choosing to worship in her own way and in her own home. I have had conversations before with both Gwen and Solstice about being a Christian witch. They choose to take the Bible with a grain of salt and claim from the Book what they believe is most important within the scope their individual lives. During these discussions, I've many times been reminded of the words of yet another mutual friend. He mentioned to me in my first days of exposure to the religion of Wicca: "Each Witch takes the Craft in his or her own way." It seems that it has been proven to be true.
--Taliszanna WhiteCrow
Notes:
- My article was also featured in the on-line e-mail newsletter "CyberWitch" in the spring of '98.
- A woman named DonnaElaine wrote to me about a book that she thought might be of
interest to those on a Christian Witch path. She wrote:
"There's a really interesting book called 'Jesus the Magician' by Morton Smith, published ina popular edition by Barnes & Noble, 1993. I'd recommend it to all who are caught inbetween their very real feelings for Jesus as the God and Mary as the Goddess. It helped me in my time of need. Thanks for a much needed view on a common problem. Blessed be. --DonnaElaine"
There is a webring that exists for sites of this genre. It is called The Cauldron and the Cross.
Relevant Links:
- MagykAngel's Christo-Pagan Sanctuary
- Christian Witches
- Christ and My Craft
- The Celtic Cross Ritual (A Creation-Centered Christian Ritual)
- The Christ and the Craft / Christian Paganism: Why?
- Renee (personal page of a Christo-Wiccan
This page and all of the content is copyrighted to Jessie Brown/Taliszanna WhiteCrow 1998-2002. You have full permission to link to this page but do not have permission to save and then present this page on your own website. It makes my website less special if the same info is available elsewhere.
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