Witches are great individualists, so there are probably as many different answers to this as there are witches!! A witch is a person who perceives vividly the connection between all aspects of life. Witches do not see spirit and matter as separate entities - they worship Nature in stream and stone, plants, animals and people. They usually have a well-developed instinctual side. They are vibrantly aware of unseen natural energies - herbs, colours, symbols - all have properties that witches use, mostly to help and heal.
Witches do not perform acts of faith or have dogma's; the Goddess and God are just there. The Earth is the body of the Goddess. The God is the life force that impregnates it. They are both within all of us.
Eight words the witches' creed fulfill,
If it harms none, do what you will.
Witches are not the same as the Black Magicians of the Satanists. You need to believe in the concept of Christianity to worship the devil, as in True Satanism. Witches see both darkness and light, creation and destruction as part of the Goddess and God. A magician is not the same as a witch as they are mostly men and most witches do not attempt anything "black" - you only end up hurting yourself.
Witchcraft is a type of paganism. Paganism is a Nature-based tradition, derived from the Latin word "paganus" meaning "peasant".
Spellcraft
Magical consciousness experiences the essential oneness of all things as a reality and it is needed in spellcraft. It is a light trance, an altered state of awareness that is not difficult to achieve with practice. Simply relax, allow a day-dreamy state to grow and the rest will follow. Do not expect anything dramatic, especially at first.
Spells can be likened to prayers. An example would be a person going into a church, lighting a candle, kneeling and saying a prayer. That is like a simple spell but instead of begging a God to help, the witch will place great importance on her or his own concentration and power. No sensible witch believes that such power is the property of the little human ego - it is really from the Goddess and God in all of us.
Before attempting anything magickal, make sure you are well informed. Read as many books on the subject as you can and approach magick with common sense. It is not a game but neither is it a long-faced matter. The Goddess says "Let there be mirth with reverance".
Books for Enlightenment:
*WITCH a personal journey by Fiona Horne
*To Ride A Silver Broomstick, and
*To Stir A Magick Cauldron both by Silver RavenWolf
*The Elements of Natural Magic by Marian Green
*Thorson's Principles of Wicca by Vivianne Crowley
*WICCA A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham
