Due to popular myth, as well as the media and popular culture, there are a lot of hidden lies about the practice of magick prevalent in society today. It is often hard as a parent or as a new student of magick to learn what may be true and what may be a simple myth when unfamiliar with the practice of magick. Here's a list of what is and isn't true out of the most popular myths about magick and the pagan community.
Truths
-We believe we can work spells and magick: Most practitioners of magick do work spells and use magick in some way, whether it be a full blown ritual, divination or a little prayer to the Gods to ask for help in our day. We believe that magick is present and active all around us, as well as accessable to the average human being if we ask.
-We hold nature as divine: One of the main tenants of wicca and witchcraft is that nature is divine as well as magickal and that that magick can be accessed. In response to this we often use natural objects such as seashells, feathers, stones and herbs in our workings to access their innate magickal power in order to help us ask for what we wish and put the correct energy out into the world.
-We believe the human body is a temple and we honor it through the practice of ritual nudity: To us, the body is sacred and is meant to be respected. It is given to us by the earth and the Gods and it is meant to be used to do their service. Some honor this by practicing magick in the nude to honor the fact that we are each divine creatures on our own and gifts from the Gods. Not all wiccans and witches practice nude but it is a common practice and is referred to as being "skyclad."
-Sexuality is sacred to us: Sexuality and the human body are treated with the utmost respect within the community. Just as the human body is a temple, our own individual sexuality as a male or female, straight, gay or otherwise and with a partner or without is considered a gift from the Gods and is treated with respect. Sex is not to be taken lightly as it is a divine creative force that honors the connection between the body and the soul and is therefore dangerous to disrespect.
-We often practice at night rather than during the day: A common belief in the pagan community is that the moon is a sacred feminine force in the universe that has incredible power that should be honored and utilized as often as possible. In order to honor the Goddess and her power over the feminine as well as her influence on the earth, we often practice at night under her light for certain kinds of magick.
-We form covens: Instead of working magick on our own all the time and relying on only our own personal power, we often choose to form covens in order to work magick together, learn from each other and simply network within the community. Often having a group of people who believe the same things you do and who share similar interests can be very beneficial and can support personal growth.
-We do not believe in good or evil: In general, most wiccans and witches (not neccessarily all pagans) do not believe in the concepts of good or evil because the concepts are viewed to be of christian theology and because we understand that something may be "good" or "evil" to one person but may be the absolute opposite to another. We believe reality is subjective and we are responsiable to interpret it to the best benefit for all.
-We believe in karma: We strongly believe that an act against another will have serious consequences against ourselves as harm has a domino effect and will eventually return to us as well as those around us.
Falsifications