This is really a frequently asked question on Yahoo Answers. I’ve probably answered it two dozen different ways over time. Here are a few answers I’ve given.
Answer 1
I have practiced Witchcraft for half my life and my experiences have been largely positive. Many of my personal and community goals have been reached, quite possibly due to the practice.
To say “I believe in Witchcraft” is a bit of a stretch (other than to say that it exists as a practice), as I am a skeptic by nature, but feel that a true skeptic will at least try to prove as much as disprove any possible conclusion.
Now, why would someone practice something they don’t really believe in? It seems to help. That is why. It may be as simple as doing a little magic makes me confident that I will succeed, and therefore I persist in mundane ways where I might otherwise give up. As Granny Weatherwax* would say, “Witchcraft is mostly Headology.”
Source(s):
Answer 2
I don’t know what you mean by “believe”…I mean, I can look in the mirror at any time.
Witchcraft is a craft of witchery. Some people say the word “Witch” means to bend, or wise or some other such thing. I don’t know for sure, but I know that I have experienced changes which I attribute to the Craft. It might just be that the rituals we do alter the chemical makeup of our bodies with all the jumping and singing and incense, but it seems to have an affect. Scientific or metaphysical, my experiences say it does *something*.
As for Wicca, well, that’s a priestly caste of Paganism in my tradition. We require an initiation (again, in my tradition) and the initiation confers on one the role of priest/ess and Witch (Wicca). It’s roughly equivalent to the ordination of Catholic priests or investiture of Deacons. I don’t think there’s anything here to disbelieve, unless it’s the idea that Wicca is not valid as a religion…it’s certainly an extant practice.
What happened at Salem had pretty much nothing to do with modern Witchcraft or Paganism. The only person who was likely practicing any kind of Craft was Tibitua, and she was more likely practicing something from the African Diaspora.