The word witch comes from the Old English wicce pronounced wiche or wikke and wicca, which are in turn derived from the root wikk, which applies to magic and sorcery. Many witches say witch means wise or wisdom, so a witch is a wise person, and witchcraft is the Craft of the Wise. Wicca however, comes from the Germanic root wic, which means to bend or to turn, which does apply to witchcraft in the sense that witches bend or control forces to effect changes. 

In ancient times pagans worshipped different Gods, conducted rites, many of them related to fertility and lunar and solar cycles. When Christianity became the predominant religion in many parts of the world, the Gods and Goddesses of the pagans were demonised. Witchcraft is not demonic. It is a pantheistic religion that identifies spirituality and divinity with the forces of nature. They understand nature to mean among other things the earth, the elements, the seasons, plants, landscape and animals (including human beings). They honour the old goddesses and gods, including the Triple Goddess of the waxing, full, and waning moon, and the Horned God of the sun and animal life, as visualizations of immanent nature.

Witches believe in the Wiccan Rede, which states "'An it harm none, do what you will." Most witches also believe in the threefold rule: that anything you do, any energy you send out will come back to you in magnified form. Simply stated, this means, do good and good will return to you. Do evil and evil will return to you. 

Witches are generally female but can also be male and can be of any alignment. Witches must belong to a coven, those who do not will not have access to the coven’s High Secret Order spells. The deities of witches jealously guard their followers. The Goddess is ready to aid her witches in times of need, grant her spells and powers, but this comes at a price. If a witch abandons her deity she will lose all her magic regardless of her former level or station.

At entry to the coven every witch will receive a special mark on her body that identifies her as a witch. This mark, which can be almost anything is usually small, well hidden, and insensitive to pain.  Any witch can recognize another witch due to this mark, unfortunately so could witch hunters. This mark can never be removed except by the witch’s deity. Common rites performed by a witch are birth rites, marriage rites, changes of the season, and death or funeral rites. A witch may also provide spells for a service or payment. Any witch can provide her potions for sale or use. Most common are healing, potions for telling fortunes and the casting of love or curse spells for others.

Unlike other classes, one does not wake up one day and decide to become a witch. Generally the prospective witch, the Initiate will hear the Call of the Goddess at a young age. She must then seek out a coven and a witch tradition. Upon entering the coven the highest ranking witch called the High Priestess, will invite the young initiate to learn all she can from the covens’ Books of Law. Some covens require a year and a day before the initiate can fully join. Only then will the new witch be taught the magic and ritual of being a witch. If a coven is not found, then the initiate might become a solitary. Often the solitary may be learning from an old book of a forgotten coven or she may be receiving direct instruction from her Goddess. 

There are several types of Wicca;

The Gypsy Witch tends to be aloof, almost xenophobic and is always given great respect by the other members of the tribe and normally feared by those outside of it. She may not necessarily be the leader of the tribe, but she will be among its most powerful individuals. Many times the old witch may adopt an orphaned child and raise her as her own and as a witch. No one but the gypsies themselves know to which goddesses they pray. Also the witch is likely to keep all her secrets to herself. Often the witch will dress up simpler magic or herbal remedies to seem more mysterious than they are. Typical roles for the Gypsy witch are fortune-tellers, midwives, herbalist, and sages of the tribe. 

While the Crone may be physically frightening, the idea that someone would willing submit herself to the creatures of Hell is a much more frightening prospect. Crones are evil witches who worship the various demons of Hell. Power and riches are the lures for these witches, which may be male or female. These witches do not differ from any other witch to a significant degree. They do however gain the ability to request a service of their lord. These must be within the ability of her master to grasp and fulfil and must work towards his own ends. Plus the lord may attempt to alter the intent of the wishes to suit his own needs and wants. The lords have even been known to kill their own witches when it suits them. They are often the bogeyman or spectre used to frighten children or blamed on when crops fail. But they are out there, in very small numbers and they are very dangerous. This is one of the few traditions that worship a male power above a female power. 

The Tantric or Voodun witch learns ways to use sexual energies and focus it into her magic. This is visualized as a curled serpent of power that lies at the base of the spine up through successive focal points, until it reaches the highest chakra, at the top of the skull, and the adept experiences, within, the union of the god and the Goddess. A Tantric witch’s Healing Touch power will cause the person being healed to experience a great amount of pleasure. Voodoo witches are instructed by Guedes or Ghedes. In Voodoo, Guedes are the spirits of the dead and voodoo witches believe that they are everywhere and in everything. They use magical focuses known as fetishes to cast their spells. They will sing their spells and often they accompany it with a musical instrument or by dancing. 

The final type of witch is the modern day Wicca who seek an understanding with the elements. They believe that there are five elements; fire, air, earth, water and spirit. However the Wicca may only access one of the four primary elements; water, air, fire or earth as her own. Wicca will generally choose an element that is close to their deity. Air Witches usually worship a Goddess of flying, fire witches may belong to diabolical cults, and so on. Water and Fire are the most popular elements for many witches which could explain why burning and drowning are the preferred methods of eradicating a witch in most lands. A coven can have all four kinds as members. 

Modern Classes