A Beginner's Guide to Witchcraft

What a Witch Isn't

Unfortunately, the media has destroyed witches. It is now necessary to ward off hate and misconceptions from even the most open-minded of people. Here are a few of those ridiculous claims and my response to them.

"Witchcraft? Like Devil worship?"
As are many others, I am sick and tired of being called a Satanist when I am extremely openly pagan. However, it usually isn't the people at fault. To the ignorance of one that has never come in contact with witchcraft, it might look questionable. I admit, my notebooks covered in sigils and my habit of collecting weird trinkets and nature for my alter and rituals earns me numerous weird looks, but how do you see Satan in that.
Again, people of any religion can practice witchcraft. Many don't believe in Satan or the Devil.
Even most Satanists don't believe in Satan, as it is often about self love and worship.
However, there is a branch of Satanism that believes in Satan, if I'm not mistaken, and they are completely welcome to practice witchcraft.
These people are a minority, though. I have yet to personally meet one, whereas I have met many pagan or wiccan witches, several atheist witches, and a few Christian witches.
Yes, they are there, but it is inaccurate and foolish to stereotype witches as Satanists.
"Do you do animal sacrifices?"
No! I have not yet heard of a respectable modern witch killing animals in their practice.
Most witches, whether for religious reasons or just out of personality, are usually in tune to nature. The craft itself demands a respect for it. Killing animals is going against this completely.
True, there are witches that are involved in blood or bone magick, but blood is intensely strong and only requires a few drops which should only be taken from a small prick in the witch's finger (NEVER CUT YOURSELF FOR BLOOD, USE OTHERS FOR BLOOD, OR INGEST BLOOD. USE A STERILE NEEDLE TO PRICK THE FINGER AND CLEAN THE AREA AND YOUR WOUND IMMEDIATELY) while bone magick is used with CLEAN AND BLEACHED bones of an already dead creature (animal!).
All in all, no one is harmed in the gathering of supplies, they simply use what is already there.
"Witches? I love Harry Potter!"
Let me just get this out of the way, I ADORE the Harry Potter series. It's one of the things that really got me to practice witchcraft. However, if you say this to me it will be a genuine effort not to knock you out.
Harry Potter, as well as most other shows, books, etc. involving witches is very inaccurate and fantasy based. They are not even remotely similar to real witchcraft most of the time and it devalues this practice. Imagine being a hardcore car enthusiast and have someone talk your ear off about Mario Kart because their relating to you and it has cars in it. If you're an extreme gamer, imagine having someone try to befriend you solely on the fact that they're okay at something along the lines of Just Dance. What if that's the only game they know, but they try to act like they are an expert on Overwatch or Persona 5 (sorry I'm so basic)? It's annoying, yeah?
That's what this statement does to us. For some of us, its a pastime, but for others you're doing this to our religion.
"But no one actually believes in magic!!!"
Uh... Clearly we do..? Why is everyone so obsessed with disproving or hating someone else's beliefs? This is just plain rude. You could say that about any religion, superstition, unproven claim, or home remedy. Yes, sometimes we don't have proof of things. That's why we have faith.

Now that that's over with, we can move on.