What is witchcraft? Where did it come from? Scott Cunningham states (in Wicca for the Solitary Practitionar) that shamanism was the first recorded religion. The shamans were the medicine people, the "wielders of power", both male and female. Through deep contact with nature and themsleves they obtained magical knowledge. They could conference with spirits and dieties of animals and plants. They moved on to fashion tools and used those tools to continue the quest for knowledge. Witchcraft can be defined as a shamanic religion, because of these origions. We today have adopted acient aspects of these shamans to further our understanding of the world around us.

Raymond Buckland (in his Complete Book of Witchcraft) gives us the information that the ideas of multi-dieties are as old as Palaoelithic wo/man. When these ancester would hunt they would portray the god by throwing on a skin and an antlered mask to play the part by directing the hunt. This was also evedent of the first sympathetic rituals. By using figures and symbolism they felt that they affected the world around them. Over thousands of years this "cave man" religion became what we now refer to as the "Old Religion".

When Christianity came about, rulers adopted this "new" religion and claimed there countries as Chrisitian, when in actuallity only the rulers followed it. Mass conversion were attempted but most failed. Christianity gained in strength however, and eventually pushed the old religion back. Soon the only non-Christians were known as Pagans and Heathens. Pagan comes form a latin term Pagani, meaning "people who live in the country", and Heathen simply means "one who dwells on the heath", which was appropriate due to the fact that only the out laying country districts still followed the old Gods. The origional words had no evil conotations, but have been slandered through the centuries and now are derogatory slang.

Eventually the smear tactics used by early Christians changed the definition of witch entierly. They claimed that instead of fertility rituals to increase offspring, they made women barren, and crops die. People grew in thier discontents and soon the Witches were blaimed for poor weather, dying relatives, and sexual deveancy. With this the Church took it upon themselves to irradicate the problem, and the "burning times" began. Even the mere rumor that you were a witch would get you killed. Thousands of people were torture to gain the "confession" that they were involved with the devil. The idea that witchcraft was satanic arived from the conclusion that the God was horned, and the Christian devil was horned, so there for witches must worship the devil! (theres logic for you) "The estimated number of people burned, hung, or tortured to death on the charge of witchcraft was nine million." (Buckland) The remaing witches went underground, and slowly revived to the craft we now practice today.

This is a loose history, just a little bit. If you would like the full in detail, you should check out the New Age/Occult section in your local bookstore, or order if you have to!

Try to read Raymond Bucklands Complete Book of Witchcraft, True Magick by Amber K. and anything written by Scott Cunningham. (he is my fave!)