Yes, Witchcrafte is a "real" religion recognized by the Federal Government under the name of "Wicca". The Olde Religion as is it sometimes called is better known as "Wica" by those of the Old School.

Wica predates Christianity by centuries. Religion, simply put is how you live your life. Wica does not have ten commandments, just a simply stated, yet highly complex understanding.

In otherwords, live your life as you would, just don't hurt anybody, but at the same time realize that you have to defend your rights.

In nature, nothing is either black, nor white. Black and white denote preconceptions that we hold to. Black is supposedly evil, and white, supposedly good. If this were true, where does that put penguins and Orca's? To be totally evil or totally good is rather unbalanced when practicing a nature religion. Nature is neither good nor evil, it simply is. Any, quote, natural catastrophe, unquote, that involves humans can easily be shown as the fault of humankind.

But, remember that Witches are just like any other people, there can be good or bad ones. Just like there can be good or bad persons in any culture, religion, organization or even families. Take the time to get to know who you are dealing with.

By traditional standards of Old, meaning the times before the "Great Inquistion" or what many of the Crafte refer to as the "Burning Times", a Witch was an elder wise person. This person's role was that of spiritual leader, Matchmaker, family-clan historian, counselor, meterologist, teacher of the ways, procurer of herbs, maker of medicines and overall healer of body, mind and soul of a village.

Let's take a look at what a village was in those times. Villages, in those times were comprised of a single clan-family, large families were the typical, as more offspring meant more help in the fields. The average clan consisted of a granmother, a grandfather, their sons and daugthers, as well as their sons and daugthers with their wives and husbands, cousins, children, and perhaps some inlaws. Think about this for a moment, say there is five sons and four daugthers, they each having one spouse and an average of say eight children. That right there is ninety people. Being a Witch was a full time job.

With proper discipline, education and training anyone may become a Witch. There is far more to being a Witch than garbing one's self in black or robes and proclaiming to the world that they are a Witch. This would be the same as a Catholic proclaiming that they were a priest and not having ever under gone the neccessary training.

Without the proper discipline, education and training, one could do far more damage than good. Not to mention the havoc such a role could wreak upon those not properly prepared for the task. Proper training takes years, sometimes decades, as it involves far more than book learning. There is personal experiences, personal growth, and much more that is involved before one may take on the selfless role of a Witch.

Traditionally the Crafte is passed down by means of one on one instruction. In these modern days, since about 1400ce, the system of Covens has evolved. In the days before the burning times, a Witch may have had one, possibly two apprentices. However, during the inquisition, it was found neccessary to go underground, teaching as many as possible the old ways, to ensure the survival of the Crafte.

Today, one can find a multitude of ads in magazines offering to teach the Crafte for a price. Then there are many local occult shops that advertise classes available. Lastly, but not least is "Covens" and "Teachers" who willing to take on neophytes. As in any type of personal education, check around before finally deciding on which course of action to pursue. And if money is involved, Buyer Beware!

There are now many organized "Wiccan" churches and religious organizations. One that is most publicized at this time is the "Church of Iron Oak". They are currently in Federal Court fighting for their right to Freedom of Religion against the city of Palm Bay, Florida. The "Church of Wicca", Gavin and Yvonne Frost was instrumental in the Federal Court's recognition of "Wicca" as a religion.

If they are recognized by their state of residence as ordained clergy, and satisfy the criteria given by that state, Pastors and Ministers of these "Wiccan" churches may legally handfast, the Pagan ritual of wedlock, couples.

If you mean animal or blood sacrafices, NO! If you refer to the giving of one's self to one's community, as well as to Mother Earth, YES! Each Witch is bound by duty to give of themselves selflessly in order to help those in need. But, it is also our duty to recognize those who would abuse that help. We, personally, have seen days where on average we have received twenty-five phone calls from those in need. We neither ask for, nor receive compensation for our time. Is this not a sacrafice of the self?

Unlike the gross misconception portrayed in such movies as "The Witches" and "Hocus Pocus", we love, value and cherish our children. We see all children as the future, a treasure of our ancestors. Though we will teach our children of our ways, it is their own personal decision to make when they reach adulthood as to what religion they will follow.

Though the religion is often called Goddess Worship, men do have a role of equal import within it. A male Witch is NOT a "warlock". This is a term of degradation. Coming from two older Scottish words "waer" and "logga", together they mean "Oath Breaker". The word "Witch" is used for both males and females. However, in Old English, the masculine was "Wicca", and the feminine was "Wicce".

WITCHES DO NOT WORSHIP SATAN! Generally those who practice the Crafte are not Christian. Our religion does not recognize, nor lend credence to an all powerful evil being. In order to believe in "sin", "heaven", "hell" or "Satan", one would first have to recognize the Christian pantheon.

No, the pentagram, sometimes mistakenly refered to as a pentacle, can be found on the seals of Solomon. Many cultures used the five pointed star as a sacred, mystical symbol. Practioners of the Crafte understand the pentagram to represent the five elements of life, Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit. Those who are of the "Old School" of the Crafte, recognize an inverted, meaning upside down, pentagram to denote the wearer as having received their second degree initiation.

Yes, though we believe that every day is sacred, we tend to hold ritual, which you might refer to as services, on esbats, the full and the dark of the moon. We celebrate eight holidays called sabbats. Four honoring the Sun, and Four honoring the Moon.

NO, we have no plans for world domination. We seek only to live our lives, and raise our children in harmony with the Earth and those around us. We do not seek converts, only to inspire others to be considerate of the Earth, and those around them. And we seek to do this by means of our own personal examples.