Guest Author - Fiona Blackwolf

There is a lot of emotion surrounding the word “witch”.

For some it is a word that conjures up feelings of fear and negativity, while for others, it evokes a feeling of power and pride. However you look at it, “witch” is a word with potent imagery attached. In fact, the word “Wiccan” is often used instead of witch because it does not have the centuries of storied history that the work “witch” invokes.

But are they really the same? Are all witches Wiccan? What makes someone a Wiccan? What makes them a witch?

The most commonly accepted usage defines Wicca as a religion and Witchcraft as a practice.

Wicca is a spiritual system of belief, just like any other religion. Wicca involves the honoring of the divine feminine, in the form of the Goddess, and the duality of Goddess and God, a general acceptance of the Threefold Law and the Wiccan Rede, and a connection to the elements. Note that this is a generalization because (like other religions) different traditions may have slightly varied beliefs.

So what is a witch?

A witch is someone who practices magic, also called witchcraft. Many Wiccans practice witchcraft, as do many other pagan practitioners who do not follow the Wiccan religion.

For many Wiccans, witchcraft, or the practice of spellcrafting is an integral part of their spiritual practice. For others, spells are done rarely…if at all.

Witchcraft, or the Craft as it is often called, involves bending energy for a specified purpose. It can often be a very personal process. There are so many books on the market today that are filled with spells for everything from getting a job to finding romance. But most of these lack the individuality that is necessary in spellwork. The more of your own energy you put into your spellwork, the better chance you have of creating your intended affect. Like any other spiritual work, the process is as important as the product.

So how do you work your energy into the spell or ritual?

An essential key is to layer the components of your spell or ritual in order to reinforce your intent. Colors, herbs, stones, oils, and incense are all ways to layer the magic. Even the day of the week or the phase of the moon can add to the layers of energy, and are topics that will have their own articles devoted just to discussing them all individually!

For more information on using color in your Craft work, check out my article The Magic of Color . Keep a watch for upcoming articles about other components of magical layering, and feel free to stop by the forums to ask questions!