I suffered my first ever act of discrimination today  

I was working in my front garden (I have many little strange and weird objects which need sorting out every now and again) and a woman walked by with her young son.  She lives a couple doors down from me.  My cat was sitting on the wall about 6 feet from me and as he walked by the boy lunged towards Grimoire (the cat) with his arms above his head and shouted at him   I couldn't believe it!! I stood up and said calmly (but I have to say quite menacingly) that if he did that again I'd put him in a pot and cook him!!  I have no idea why I said that!! LOL  it made no difference to the lad but the mother actually clamped one hand over her childs mouth and another one over his eyes

She then legged it down the road telling him not to look in my direction as I was an evil devil worshipper and very dangerous !!! LMAO

Now most of my neighbours know that I am indeed a practicing witch.  I have a wish tree in my front garden and a number of local people have come to hang ribbons, etc from it and made wishes.  I also get people coming round asking for healing for themselves, friends, animals, etc.   I've been brought up with the Craft but in 40 years this is the first time I've ever had someone act like this!! 

At first I was quite amused but thinking about it now I wonder how many other people in the area think that way of me? Or even how many other people country-wide think that way of witches?  I've never hidden what I do and what I believe but neither do I ram it down other people's throats but I do know a lot of witches never come out of the "broom closet" so to speak for fear of recrimination.  Always poo-pooed it before but now I'm beginning to wonder whether they have the right idea!

Debs

I wouldn't worry and at least the little 'brat' oops the child shouldn't be nasty to
your cat again! :D

Good for you. If he is scared he wont come back and scare the poor cat.

Good for you! I might take up wicca if it will scare the local yobs from hanging round my door.

Would you care even if the locals thought you were the mad witch woman down the road? Im sure it wouldnt bother me one tiny bit.

The term 'sticks and stones' springs to mind, I would just carry on my merry way and ignore them :)

Edited to add: The cats name.  does it mean 'Magic' ??

It isnt a black cat is it?????
Cause they wont even go anywhere near it now ;) with minds like that they will think the cat can curse them. Although that deffinatly solves the problem ;) LOL
A wish tree. Only ever seen one down in Cornwall. I went in August and put a hair band on it(no ribbon on me :( ) and made a wish, it was such a peacful place.
Hopefully they will walk the other side of the road now!!!
And your comment about cooking the poor lad, isnt it always the best comments that come out without thinking!!!!!!!! Now that comment was priceless :)
Lea :) :)

yeah he is black LOL

No it's an old name for a spellbook :D  He's the least witchy cat you can imagine LOL. He's such a wuss!!!  But I do love him very much :D

LOL :D :D that is sooo excellent.  My grandmother was a witch (wiccan) she was even born on the witching hour of halloween and she owned a cauldron, broomstick, black hat and cloak and a 'stuffed' black cat (it was a very lifelike teddy not an actual stuffed cat - or at least I don't think it was) and I loved it all - the way we was ushered out of her house on halloween pretty early as she had to get ready to go witching :D   Some 'friends' of mine at school found out about my nan and gave me a load of stick about it, I was actually proud to be related to her, she was cool and I figured that if she was a full wiccan then that made me half wiccan and I have learnt a lot of things from her with regard to natural remedies etc.  People can be small minded - they don't understand what being a witch is all about, neither to they want to find out as they have their views, to them it's against christianity and totally barbaric - oh well, just remember to cackle every time the little horror goes by :)

If I don;t turn up at the next show I'm entered at just presume I've been dunked or burnt at the stake :D :D

:D :D   Just remembering the Monty Python scene in The Holy Grail and imagining your street being like that soon, grab your axe and pitchforks lads were're witchin :)

I have a lot of friends who are Wiccans, or pagans, and they are the nicest people I have ever met. They were so convinced that I was a wiccan too that I have been invited to their meetings. If only I could be bothered I must admit to liking their lifestyles. Most of them anyway ;)

what on earth is a wiccan??

A Wiccan is someone who practices Wicca.  Wicca is a religion which incorperates witchcraft and was started by Gerald Gardener in the 1950s after he was instrumental in repealing the witchcraft act in the UK.  It's now a worldwide thing and to be honest has changed almost beyond recognition.  I have to say I'm not Wiccan - I'm what's commonly known as Old Craft (British Traditional Witchcraft) which is the oldest form of the Craft. 

and was started by Gerald Gardener in the 1950s

:rolleyes: Cults and preying on the venerable comes to mind :)

I agree with the others let them have a helthy resoect for you for wahtever reason

I'll never forget how funny I thought it was when my daughter was in ehr secodn year of secondary school in an what is quite a tough inner city school.

Sye over heard some of the tough kids say one to another, hey don't bother that girl there he mother has a pack of wolves!

What exactly is a 'wish tree'?  Is it just any normal tree or a specific type of tree?

Stacey x

Basicly it's just an old tree that people hang things from to either make wishes or to say thank you for something.  You normally find them near ancient sites and wells.  There's one next to the White Well in Glastonbury (where we get all our drinking water from) and we always hang something to say thankyou for the water.  It's a very old custom.

One of my exes was a Wiccan. We got on fine till one weekend visiting friends, when he was different to the man I was used to. He'd changed, and was very strange and scary. I was scared to be near him. Weeks later he told me about his beliefs and how, that weekend, he'd asked his 'guide' to come too. He had to make a choice. I still think I was the winner, because we split up.

Good, i hope the kid was really scared!

Hi ,
so what is the definition between Wicca, and Traditional British Witchcraft?  Sorry to sound so stupid , but I thought that Wicca was a unique British thing. Love the name of the cat , again would have made no connection about its' name,
regards DD.

Hi ,
I have lots of books about witchcraft I find it a very interesting subject.

Would loved to have seen the mothers face

Roni

The difference between Traditional Craft and Wicca is explained on this site http://www.spelwerx.com/wvtw.html

Umm... I have read a number of varying views on this subject of  Traditional Witchcraft and Neo-Pagan Witchcraft or Wicca, and I must say that it all sounds like it is something that is quite satanic and very much of the occult.  There have been terrible crimes which have been committed through such beliefs in witch-craft and a number of these have been shown that such ideas were bought about by this belief in the 'innocent' cult of Wicca.  I would also be very scared if I was the parent of this child -( as we all know how many children have shouted at a cat or chased a pigeons?) and the local 'Wicca Witch' stated that she was going to put my child in a pot and cook him - is that a 'normal' reaction to state at a child?  It seems that many cults such as this prey on the weak and vulnerable and reading many of the horrific cases / crimes which have been breed from such beliefs, I find it hard to agree that any such practices are acceptable.  So in response to your question - are you really that scary - I would imho have to say that anyone that would threaten to put a child in a pot and cook him who also is well known to be of a cult which has lead to a number of horrific crimes then yes I would consider you 'that' scary. 

The same kind of reasoning could be laid at the door of any religious fanatic.  We have plenty of examples ancient and modern of atrocities carried out in the name of religion, none of which have anything to do with the teachings and real beleifs.

LOL!! Just so you know - witches don't believe in Satan or the Devil.  The people you are on about are Satanists (and not the proper sort either as Satanists in the true sense do not see him as the devil).  The Devil is a purely Christian concept and therefore has only been around for the past 2000 years, whereas witchcraft and the worshipping of nature deities has been around for much, much longer. 

You are right in thinking that witchcraft is an occult practice - but as the word "occult" means "Of, relating to, or dealing with supernatural influences, agencies, or phenomena. Beyond the realm of human comprehension; inscrutable. Available only to the initiate; secret: occult lore. Hidden from view; concealed" it's nothing to worry about :)  Wicca is a very structured religion/path and one of the things they follow is the Wiccan Rede - the last line of which states "do as you will but harm none".  It's a peace loving path so you're worrying unneccessarilly.  :)

I'd love to know your sources re: ""There have been terrible crimes which have been committed through such beliefs in witch-craft and a number of these have been shown that such ideas were bought about by this belief in the 'innocent' cult of Wicca. "".  I've only read such things in the tabloid press.

I think most of our problem lies in the portrayal of witches on the TV, big screen and press. It makes for better viewing if we're all devil worshippers and off our trollies ;)

As I have stated before I'm not personally Wiccan. I'm what's known as a "hedgewitch" - I don't practice with a coven.   IMO the biggest "cult" around is Christianity - which I also have no problem with :)  If you take the word "cult" in it's literal sense (Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing) anyone who shows dogs alot, goes to football matches every weekend, goes for coffee with their friends every week, etc. would be part of a "cult". ;) 

"I'd love to know your sources re: ""There have been terrible crimes which have been committed through such beliefs in witch-craft and a number of these have been shown that such ideas were bought about by this belief in the 'innocent' cult of Wicca. "".  I've only read such things in the tabloid press."

Not reading tabloid press i couldn't pass comment, but i would agree even the broadsheet newspapers do like to exaggerate things at times - but would it be the english media if it didn't?

As for my 'sources' i will pm you some very interesting case law citations, where you will be able to read the full case and judgements word for word.  Including references to these 'peace loving' Wiccan beliefs.  Although from what i have read there are no references to hedge hunters - oh sorry 'hedgewitches'