A Word to Teen Witches

There is a lot of confusion about Wicca and Witchcraft, since the general terms cover a number of different categories of belief. Some Witches practice magic, while others don't believe in messing with it for fear of karmic backlash. Technically, the practice of magic is not attached to any particular religion. For example, ceremonial magic is based on Christian and Hebrew ideas and uses the names of God, angels, and demons in magic. Magic is certainly not part of the religious aspect of Wicca, although far too many people think it is. Some Witches never practice Witchcraft as a religion, while many more, primarily those in Wicca, do. In the branch to which I belong, Wicca or Witchcraft is a religion, and magic is carefully used to make your life better.

I am a firm believer that no one -adult or teen- should become involved in Wicca for the wrong reasons. As a mother and grandmother, I believe that this especially applies to teens whose parents object to the religion, for whatever reasons. Teens new to Wicca tend to think it consists of magical spells to get what you want, not ancient worship. I can remember well being a teen and what I wanted to use magic for. True Wiccans also do not proselytize for members, and they never encourage teens to be disrespectful to their parents by lying about their activities. If your parents object to Wicca, and your interest in the religion is a true one, your participation can wait until you are out on your own to follow the path. Time does pass quickly.

Wicca has very strong beliefs in ethics and morals. This includes prohibitions against trying to control others (I want him/her to love me, give me money, or whatever), getting revenge, using magic for petty spite, and cursing people. There are no compromises to these. If you break the spiritual rules, you will pay the price in karmic punishment. It doesn't matter whether you believe in karma or not. There is no way you can avoid this. The universe doesn't accept excuses.

Now I know teens want to learn how to do magic. Everyone does. However, I worry about them learning the practical, how-to aspect without learning or thinking about the negative consequences if something goes wrong. Learning magic is like learning to drive a car. You need a learner's permit and adult supervision for a time before you can pass the exam to drive by yourself. No one would think of giving a driver's license to a teen (or anyone else) without rules or training just because they turned sixteen. That would be irresponsible, and very likely fatal. Responsible Wiccans feel the same way about young people using magic. They are concerned about the welfare of young people and not about keeping magical secrets away from them.

To all teens who are sincerely following the Wiccan religion, we do welcome you to our ranks. We have no problems with teen Witches belonging to our religion. However, we want you to know exactly why you are joining, what you are doing, and why you must follow the spiritual laws. We want your lives to be full of joy, not pitfalls and payments for rules broken.
I feel I need to put in a word of caution here about leaders in Witchcraft groups. This is for adults, as well as teens. Not all people who call themselves Witches or Wiccans are ethical or nice. If you discover someone who encourages you to be disrespectful to your family, tries to separate you from your family, encourages the use drugs or alcohol, endorses sexual initiations, tries to control your life and money, talks about "us" against "them," or says they have the only right way of Witchcraft (or whatever they espouse), you need to remove yourself from their influence at once! This smacks of a cult-type leader or group. Read a few books on cults, and you will understand.

To fully understand about Witchcraft and Wicca, read as many books on the subject as you can find before you make any decision to join. Let your intelligence and intuition be your guides. Don't join just because your friends do, or you think it would be cool to be a Witch. And if you fear going to hell, don't be a Witch at all! You also don't need to belong to a group to be authentic or learn the practice. You don't need a lot of fancy tools. Being a Witch must come from the heart, not from a fleeting moment's desire. Make your choice carefully and wisely. Study for at least a year and a day. And if you do decide to become a Witch, we welcome you to this ancient practice.

~ D. J. Conway

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