There’s a lot of fear and hate surrounding spiritual witchcraft, and it’s time to clear that up. First off, witchcraft isn’t inherently good or evil—the witch is. It’s no different from any other religion. I’ve known kind, compassionate people in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Some are good friends, and open-minded too.
Then, there’s the “other kind” — hateful, fearful, bigoted individuals. They get swept up in the mob mentality. Some can’t even fathom spiritual witchcraft, calling it evil. They often need a scapegoat for everything. It’s a human tendency we see all too often. Sadly, they believe they’re always right and can’t consider that their perception might be wrong. Everyone’s going to their version of hell, except them.
It’s easy to assume that witchcraft must be evil just because it’s witchcraft. But most of these people have no idea what witchcraft is. They just assume it’s about devil worship. That’s nonsense. Thanks to mainstream religion, a few bad actors, and Hollywood, witches get instantly pegged as evil. They see the pentacles and pentagrams and jump to conclusions.
Spiritual Witchcraft? Symbols and Spirituality
Pentagram window at First Methodist Church in Warren, Indiana. This church was built in 1897 and used until 2013. I would love to give credit to the photographer if anyone knows who that is.
The pentagram and pentacle aren’t symbols of the Christian devil. Instead, they represent power, protection, and harmony. Christianity repurposed this symbol and placed it on old churches. In later years as the churches grew in power and authority, and the inquisitions began, they gave it a new definition and labeled it “evil.” Ever hear of Solomon’s Seals? They transformed him into a wise king blessed by their god with riches. But, in reality, he was a necromancer working with spirits. You’ll even see his pentacle designs in the Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t wise or spiritual. Maybe they should read some occult books and educate themselves.
The pentagram and pentacle are geometric shapes, and no copyrights can be had on those. I don’t hate or despise it’s use in Christianity, they took the symbol and tried to ascribe something meaningful to it. Don’t we all do that at times with various symbols? And symbols mean to us what we believe. But I like to challenge beliefs, including my own, revisiting what I believe and why. Questioning ourselves is a sign of spiritual maturity and emotional maturity too. No one religion has a copyright on what it is to be spiritual either. Talk about spiritual points of view, you could say they “borrowed it” or they “stole it”. Like I said, I don’t hate anyone for using this symbol, but don’t hate on me for my use of it.
Check out this historical article on pentacles and pentagrams found in Christian churches. Next time you see one, pause before you judge. Stop assuming that because it’s not a cross, it’s evil.
Photo courtesy of Hindus for Human Rights
Spiritual Understanding of Symbols
People associate the swastika with evil, but they borrowed it from Buddhism, The Japanese version of the symbol is “manji”. In Buddhism, it can be said it represents “eternity” and as manji, it means good fortune or good luck. Yet, out of ignorance, people make huge assumptions, just like with pentacles and pentagrams. They even get hung up on whether the symbol is upright or reversed. Interesting that these two symbols are reversed from one another too, one clockwise and one counter-clockwise (manji). Here’s a great article about swastika symbols, the Buddhist and the Japanese manji symbols.
The point I am making is perception. Witches know that there are always two sides to a coin, there is always more to ‘truth”. Reserve, observe and consider greatly before passing judgement. Is that not spiritual?
Spiritual Witchcraft? What Do Witches Do?
Yes, witchcraft can absolutely be spiritual. While some use it for things like money, love, or finding a soulmate, most of us treat it as sacred. The smear campaign against witchcraft started with mainstream religion. A lot of people wonder, “What do witches do?” We heal, help, and support our communities. The real question is, who’s more evil: those who condemn others? But let’s not stoop to that level and hate in return.
At our metaphysical shop, we help feed a couple hundred homeless people each week. We also provide clothing, socks, and hygiene items. We’ve created a program to help them get into treatment, clean up, and find second-chance jobs. They don’t know who we are or see our faces. We don’t push our beliefs on them, we just want them to be well, happy, and healthy. We want them to reclaim some dignity and find meaning in life again. Visit our private Facebook page, Secret Conjure Saints to see more of what we do. Connect with us for more on Instagram, Facebook (Meta) or TikTok.
So, the next time someone challenges you about witchcraft, stand your ground. Yes, it can be spiritual. No, it’s not evil. And no, pentagrams and pentacles aren’t devil worship. Why Are People So Scared of Witchcraft? Before you judge, take the time to understand where someone’s coming from. Maybe learn about their beliefs. Consider factual history. Or you can continue in your dogmatic tunnel vision, remaining ignorant.
Spiritual Practices of Witches
The spiritual practices of witches vary from culture to culture. There are many types of witches, and those practices vary widely. If you research different gods and goddesses, you’ll notice duality; light and dark. Light and dark do not pertain to “good and evil” in our world. Light and dark are simply polarities. In Hermetic Principles, one principle is the law of paradox. All paradoxes can be reconciled, all truths are but half truths. In Wicca, which is like an umbrella term, under the greater umbrella term “witchcraft”, is just another branch in a very big tree. Wicca and witchcraft are not the same.
Overall, witches and wiccans try to live in harmony with the earth and its peoples. We spend a lot of time in introspection, self-reflecting and in self-examination. Great personal evolution can be found in service, just like we help the homeless through our metaphysical shop (come visit!). We help feed a couple hundred homeless people a week. It’s part our program designed to get them cleaned up, into treatment, off the streets and eventually into second-chance jobs.
I learn a lot in helping others too, spiritually speaking. In our store, we also provide a judgement-free zone where the colorful and the curious can feel at home, be themselves and ask questions. We don’t care if you are black or white, young or old, gay or straight, rich or poor or anything else, We don’t care if your beliefs don’t match ours, we aren’t going to hate on you. We leave that to the ignorant. Blessings.
The attached articles were great! They further clarified for me. I’ll work on going back and reading more.
I think pursuing spirituality should be a given for anyone, no matter if one chooses a form of witchcraft or not. We all need a sense of purpose, it need not be grandiose or some high destiny. Many who are religious that claim to be spiritual condemn other people’s paths and perspectives. To the narrow mind that has subscribed to an absolute, all else must therefore naturally be evil. 🙂 avoid such people, you do you dear. 😉 Blessings!