Post by KittyLane on Jul 18, 2007 16:14:03 GMT -5
Witch Craft - what is it?
Witch Craft is the practice of sorcery. Sorcery is a word that originated in the 14th century and finds its roots in the Middle English word sorcerie and the Old French sorcier. Both sorcerie and sorcier are derived from the Vulgar Latin sortiarius, which can be traced back to the original Latin, sors, meaning lot, or chance, and also to the Latin sortis, the genitive case meaning of, or by, lots. Together, these terms indicate the root words of sorcery meant the practice of divination by lots.The practice of sorcery and hence witch craft dates back to prehistoric times and pre-Columbian religions, as well as those of the Middle East and ancient Egypt. Witch Craft and sorcery eventually came to refer to the practice of malevolent magic by the Middle Ages and became associated with the termr black magic. Black Magic was a label most commonly applied to the supposed supernatural powers imbued through the employment of evil spirits. The calling-forth of these spirits was believed to be accomplished by the casting of spells. Over time. sorcery and witch craft drifted apart in their usage with sorcery being considered an art that could be practiced by anyone and the term witch craft subsequently being considered as an art that was reserved for those skilled in the dark corners of magic and of possessing special powers attributed only to witches. Witch craft then came to be a practice that employed a wide array of tools with sorcery being but one. Witch craft came to be associated with not just sorcery and black magic, but also herbology, healing, and wisdom, to name a few.
Witch Craft Defined:
Witch Craft then can be defined as the practice of sorcery without specification of type or intent.
The Intent of The Practitioner
It is the intent of the practitioner that defines the type of witch craft.
Differences in applications are entirely dependent on the practitioner's purpose and free the acts from categorization, leaving them instead as only neutral acts.
Black Magic, White Magic, Gray Magic
Therefore, the classifications of magic and magic spells as black magic, white magic, and gray magic or grey magic cannot be assigned to the practices, but rather must be assigned according to the intent of the practitioner.
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