Witchcraft is a joyous celebration: of nature; of the seasons; of earth, fire, air, water, and spirit; of the waxing and waning moon and the fiery sun; of the life force manifesting as the Goddess and God. It is a form of spirituality that honours the environment and the other species with which we share our world, and which seeks to respect the rights of others. This is not a path that is trodden by a chosen few, or within only a handful of countries, or by people of a particular culture or skin colour, age, or gender. Witchcraft is universal, though its modern practitioners are far fewer in number than those of the major world religions.

In ancient times a witch was a shaman, probably a medicine man or woman; in classical times he would have been a clairvoyant or soothsayer, possibly working in one of the famous oracle sites such as Delphi; in medieval times a witch was often the village wise woman or cunning man, the purveyor of curses, fertility spells, abortions, healing charms and herbs, something of an expert in weather lore. There were and are witches among the indigenous peoples of many countries. In modern times, witches have a little, or a lot, of all their ancestors' abilities (though few of us now would think it either acceptable or ethical to manipulate another or harm life), but in addition, many have developed skills such as astrology, the reading of cards, and other forms of divination, along with a flair for creating ritual and a keen insight into the psychological workings of the human mind.

Unlike some of the witches of old, their modern counterparts are bound by an incredibly strict code of ethics, something partly bequeathed to us by ritual magicians and the occult societies of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is no longer acceptable for pagans of any persuasion to do harm to another in any way whatsoever, or to use occult means to take what is not theirs. Also, with the environmental crisis we face today worldwide, witches have a deep and keenly developed concern for the land and the creatures that live on it, and they can often be found involved in conservation groups and protest movements.

There is often no way to tell a witch from a nonwitch, unless they are comfortable with dressing up to the role. Witches are usually ordinary people, drawn from all walks of life, whose spirituality just happens to be pagan. And when I say from all walks of life, I mean just that: I have known witches who are shop assistants, lawyers, computer programmers, psychologists, bank clerks, nurses, doctors, and teachers, among many other professions.

Some people are open about their religious views and some are not. We still live in an atmosphere that is less tolerant than we might wish, and in some areas-for instance, rural backwaters in Britain and the Deep South in America-to announce one's pagan leanings would expose one to the risk of abuse ranging from insults and foul language to actual harm to one's self or family or property. Much of this prejudice has come about because of negative stereotypes created or perpetuated by the media, film, and novels, and by suppression and misunderstanding at the hands of other religions. However, the general public is becoming better informed and more enlightened, and many of us now enjoy a climate of greater religious tolerance and freedom than this, and live openly and amicably with those of other spiritual persuasions.

To practice witchcraft, you don't need to go to a special building on a set day of the week, although certain days and points in the year are sacred to us. It's possible to be a witch simply by observing the seasons, gardening in accordance with certain moon's phases, or lighting a daily candle to honour the deities.

The way witches perceive deity is also somewhat different from the way mainstream religions perceive it. Some witches honour only the Goddess, though they may see her through the faces and guises of many different cultures and historical times. Others revere the God as well. To some, divinity is one being, though it shows a masculine and feminine side. To others, there are two distinct deities, one male and one female. To others still, there is a multitude of gods and goddesses, while to yet others, the Goddess and God show many aspects that are seen as the separate deities of cultural pantheons such as the Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Hindu, Norse, and Celtic.

The Goddess and God are everywhere: not in some special place like the ritual circle, or hovering around our altars and shrines, but in every part of our lives. When I sit in my springtime garden and see last autumn's oak leaves woven among grasses and bright blooming daffodils, or when the sky is dark with winter rain and all the power of the elements is unleashed, or bees and butterflies busy themselves around me in the summer warmth, then I am moved and shaken, filled with love and awe and reverence. For ours is a religion of the earth, and our most powerful confrontations with the divine are often in the little things that pass by those whose lives are entangled with the cut and thrust of modern life.

The Goddess and the God live within each of us, and we live within them. The divine is part of the world . . . is the world. Nothing exists that is not a part of the thrilling and sacred dance of life. But many among us feel that the wonder of life did not come into being because of a finite act of creation, as is taught by the monotheistic religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: we believe that creation never stops, that everything goes on evolving; life goes on discovering itself. Part of our contribution to this ongoing formation is to realise ourselves and our own creativity, to become fully realised beings while retaining our sense of interconnectedness with everything else with which we share this universe. Within paganism, we express and experience these ideas through following the cycles of the moon and the seasons, paying special attention to certain significant points on these interlocking rounds.

Divinity is a concept that humans have developed to help us understand the part of spirituality that will not fit into words, or even into ideas that can be fully formulated and rounded out. We clothe the numinous in symbols and forms taken from the world we can see and hear, touch and taste, for we cannot give shape to it in any other way. Because we are creatures of matter, we best understand a reality that appears solid to us. Our minds may be able to conceptualise more abstract hypotheses, but our hearts relate best to something we feel we can recognise with our senses.

Witches and pagans generally understand this need to conceptualise our spirituality, and we weave symbols into ritual. Even those of us who don't work within a sacred circle still perform small rituals such as lighting a candle before a representation of the Goddess or God, or decorating our homes with seasonal flowers, fruits, and greenery. We may come together in groups to celebrate moon rites, especially at the full moon, or to rejoice as one of the eight ancient festivals arrives.

Because pagans no longer have very many temples or other permanent sacred structures, many of us create our own sacred space, a temporary environment existing on other levels as well as the earthly, an environment that we dismantle again once our rite is over. Such a psychic temple is constructed with etheric or astral energy by our minds, and is invisible to ordinary eyesight, though it can be seen with our deeper senses. Within our sacred space we practice rituals of celebration, meditation, and magic.

Some witches are content to practice their craft in nonritualistic ways, planting seeds, baking bread, raising children, doing whatever work they do as an offering to the Goddess and God, celebrating the major turning points of the year with food and drink and song, but never delving deeper into occult lore. These are good ways to follow the path of the spirit, and we can all benefit from holding them close to our hearts. But for some of us, these things are not enough on their own; we want to dedicate more time and effort to our spirituality, to evolve a celebratory and spiritual life built on profound magical and ritual practice.

The purpose of this book is to provide the tools needed to build such a practice, or to extend any ritual framework already in use. These building blocks include the elements, meditation, chakra work, ways to raise and shape energy, and magic. All these skills can be treated fairly superficially, and they will still develop in time. But choosing to work hard, studying, practicing, and trying different things will bring greater rewards, along with fulfillment and a keen awareness of the spiritual truths behind it all.

Wands