Wicca has been characterised as a life-affirming religion. [80] Practitioners typically present themselves as "a positive force against the powers of destruction which threaten the world". [81] White Magic — or Positive Witchcraft — can be used by anyone. These spells and rituals are useful in helping us achieve our goals, or for good physical and mental development in connection with the Spirit.

Heselton, Philip (November 2001). Wiccan Roots: Gerald Gardner and the Modern Witchcraft Revival. Freshfields, Chieveley, Berkshire: Capall Bann Pub. ISBN 1-86163-110-3. OCLC 46955899.While the origins of modern Wiccan practice lie in covenantal activity of a select few initiates in established lineages, eclectic Wiccans are more often than not solitary practitioners uninitiated in any tradition. A widening public appetite, especially in the United States, made traditional initiation unable to satisfy demand for involvement in Wicca. Since the 1970s, larger, more informal, often publicly advertised camps and workshops began to take place. [154] This less formal but more accessible form of Wicca proved successful. Eclectic Wicca is the most popular variety of Wicca in America [155] and eclectics now significantly outnumber lineaged Wiccans.

Step-by-step photo recipes to craft your own Witch apothecary cabinet, including oils, salves, bath blends and other simple and safe homemade herbal remedies. Firmly breathe out as you visualize this energy being expelled. Visualize how it’s banished and sent away. Almost all of Murray's peers regarded the witch-cult theory as incorrect and based on poor scholarship. However, Murray was invited to write the entry on "witchcraft" for the 1929 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, which was reprinted for decades and became so influential that, according to folklorist Jacqueline Simpson, Murray's ideas became "so entrenched in popular culture that they will probably never be uprooted." [171] Simpson noted that the only contemporary member of the Folklore Society who took Murray's theory seriously was Gerald Gardner, who used it as the basis for Wicca. [171] Murray's books were the sources of many well-known motifs which have often been incorporated into Wicca. The idea that covens should have 13 members was developed by Murray, based on a single witness statement from one of the witch trials, as was her assertion that covens met on the four cross-quarter days. [171] Murray was very interested in ascribing naturalistic or religious ceremonial explanations to some of the more fantastic descriptions found in witch trial testimony. For example, many of the confessions included the idea that Satan was personally present at coven meetings. Murray interpreted this as a witch priest wearing horns and animal skins, and a pair of forked boots to represent his authority or rank. Most mainstream folklorists, on the other hand, have argued that the entire scenario was always fictitious and does not require a naturalistic explanation, but Gardner enthusiastically adopted many of Murray's explanations into his own tradition. [171] The witch-cult theory was "the historical narrative around which Wicca built itself", with the early Wiccans claiming to be the survivors of this ancient pagan religion. [172]Also, if you are casting a spell for someone else, be it a family member or a friend, let them know what you will be doing and get their permission first! III. Be Realistic