Interview with a Witch

    Interview with a Witch

Suzanne Marsh

The door opened wide; a smile slowly spread across the round face of the owner, I was here to interview a woman who thought she was a witch. I hoped she would cooperate with me; I had no idea of the influence she would have on my life. She asked me to come into her home, asked if I would like a cup of tea, and then asked me to have a seat. I had no idea where to begin this interview but she graciously aided me:

“I don’t do: “double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble.” I don’t fly on a

broomstick. I am not an old hag, with wars on my nose and long stringy gray hair. I don’t

wear black or a pointed hat. I am no Elizabeth Montgomery as a beautiful blond who

happens to be a witch. I can not even begin to identify with these images. I am a person,

nothing more and nothing less. Witches have been misunderstood for thousands of years,

why? I don’t understand why people have these preconceived notions of witches and

witchcraft.

Most witches have a relationship with the devil, do you?

Witches are NOT let me repeat NOT devil worshipers. We actually don’t believe in Satan[;, we

think that this is a Christian construct, Wicca’s do not worship the devil. It is utter

nonsense to think that.

What do modern witches believe in?

We celebrate nature, the beauty and glory of the earth. We follow nature's cycles of the moon and

works. We use earth’s elements: earth, air, fire, and water. There is nothing that is written

down, everything is oral tradition. We were persecuted for so very long. So many were

burned at the stake, drowned, and tortured. Women were forced to say they were witches,

most were uneducated, and if tortured would tell that black was white and white was black.

If a woman was different or was old suddenly she was a witch. Salem was a true

witch hunt. Modern witches, like myself, believe in an open mind, I have spoken to trees and

the wind; fire is not my thing usually. I have learned to practice witchcraft, have an open mind

, and be flexible. Diversity is a strength most witches have and we are feminists.

While doing research I found the names of Gerald Gardener and Margaret Murray who were they and why are they important?

During the 1940s and 50s Gerald Gardner wrote about his experiences with a coven of witches, he developed Wicca into what it is today, a modern form of witchcraft. He was very curious about witches and their covens.. He met Margaret Murray, she was part of a coven of witches. He attended a ceremony that felt like an initiation of sorts, where he heard the word Wicca as an alternative to the word witch. He spoke about one ceremony that took place in New Forest where the witches formed a circle to raise a cone of power. That cone of power was to help keep England from ever being occupied by the Nazi war machine.

Why do you believe witches are misunderstood?

Simply put fear and lack of knowledge, we are no threat to Christianity. We believe in the earth as part of our religion, the elements of the earth. We believe: ‘Harm none, do what you will” we do not cast spells or harm others. People believe the worst of us simply because we are different, our beliefs are different. Good is good and bad is bad it may be simplified but that is what the basis is for us. Let me point out that most modern witches believe in the good not the bad. Black magic is not something Wicca practice, that is evil and harmful. When we cast a spell we cast a circle of salt to keep all the good within and all the bad without.”

What can you tell me about some of the most famous witches?

There is something you don’t seem to understand, witches don’t broadcast who they are they live simple lives dwelling with nature and her beauty. There were and always will be witches as long as there are human beings. Several witches come to mind for instance Isobel Gowdie confessed to witchcraft but no harm came to her.

Queen Anne Boleyn, don’t look so shocked, Anne Boleyn was a witch perhaps not in the purest form, she had mystical practices. I have often thought that contributed to her early demise, she was beheaded, Henry VIII I don’t believe engaged in anything mystical. There was Alison Device, she confessed to many counts of witchcraft employing a familiar to hurt enemies, and charming milk into butter. Sybil Leek, she was Britain’s most famous witch in the twentieth century. She wrote several books: Book of Herbs and Star Speak: Your Body Language from the Stars.

Lastly Moll Dyer, perhaps you are familiar with the Blair Witch Project near Leonardtown, Maryland. Moll was blamed for the local settlement’s harsh winter and other settlement problems. A crazed mob went to her home in the middle of the night, set the house on fire, and drove her out into the cold of winter. She died frozen to a rock, poor thing.

I have one last question, do you believe witchcraft and Wicca will ever be accepted as a religion?

No, simply because people won’t leave us alone, religion is something you believe in whether it

is God or the elements regardless, we would be singled out because we are different. Some

people hate us because they have no knowledge of who we are or what we believe in. We have

been prosecuted, defiled, and murdered yet in our own way we have prevailed.

Is there anything you would like to add to your comments?

We are not something to fear, we are people just like everyone else in this world. My point

is to live and let live.