Swati Prakash

Top Tarot Healing and Wiccan Expert

Tag: witchcraft

  • The Vegan Witch’s Cauldron: Beautiful Plants, Not Animal Parts

    The Vegan Witch’s Cauldron: Beautiful Plants, Not Animal Parts

    Blessings of the Hallowed Season of Samhain!

    Every Halloween, witches have been misrepresented in media, brewing dark potions with eyes of newt, tongues of dog, and dragon’s blood. From Shakespeare’s “bubble, bubble, toil and trouble” to TV shows like Charmed, magic was often imagined as something wicked — full of animal parts and sinister ingredients. While Veganism is about not exploiting non human animals, Wicca is meant to be a path of positive witchcraft which includes not harming anyone, and being against all evil overall to the best possible extent.

    Evidently, the truth about these ingredients used by witches in potions, is far gentler — and far greener.
    Real witchcraft has always been rooted in plants, not cruelty. And Halloween as it is called now, was originally Hallows Eve or Samhain, a sacred festival of celebrating the final harvest of the year with pumpkins, apples, candied fruits, and lights, just like Diwali in Hinduism is too a celebration of the harvest and a new year for pagans or plant farmers at the summer’s end, with presents, fruits, nuts and decorations of light. This is a global time for celebrating the bounty of Earth mother or Lakshmi, whether in the West or the East. The use of animal milk or dairy, animal gelatin sweets, animal body products for food or any other evil ingredients in food, worship, or magic is simply repugnant and unnecessary.

    The old “body part” names were never literal. They were secret herbal codes — poetic metaphors used by healers and wise women to protect their craft when magic was forbidden. What sounded eerie was simply earthly.

    The Secret Language of the Wise

    When you read that a witch added Eye of Newt to her potion, she was actually using mustard seeds — tiny and golden like a newt’s eye.
    Bat’s Wings? Those were holly leaves, protective and spiky like wings in flight.
    And Tongue of Dog was houndstongue, a soft-leaved herb used for grounding and courage.

    Even the “pigs’ feet” shown in Hollywood cauldrons of witchcraft in Charmed, could simply mean Pigweed (Amaranth), a nourishing plant used for health and strength and also for protection against evil.

    Ancient herbalists used these coded names both to guard their knowledge and to speak in symbols. Magic was never about harm — it was about understanding nature’s hidden language.

    Plant-Based Magic for the Modern Witch

    As vegan witches, we continue this tradition with compassion.
    Instead of animal-based products like honey, we can use Honeysuckle in spells for sweetness, attraction, and love — no bees exploited, and the symbolism remains pure.

    Dragon’s Blood isn’t blood at all, but a deep red tree resin used for protection and empowerment. I used to sell these in my store called Magick in Mumbai.

    Devil’s Claw sounds frightening but is simply a healing root used for releasing negativity.

    Every animal body part sounding name has a positive truth inside it — a lesson in transformation, the very heart of witchcraft.

    Decoding Shakespeare’s Potion

    In Macbeth, the witches chant:

    “Eye of newt and toe of frog,
    Wool of bat and tongue of dog…”

    To the uninitiated, it sounds like a horror scene — but to herbalists, it’s simply a recipe written in code:

    • Eye of Newt – Mustard Seed
    • Toe of Frog – Buttercup
    • Wool of Bat – Moss or Holly
    • Tongue of Dog – Houndstongue herb

    So if you use the right plant based ingredients, it is not an evil brew at all, but a poetic herbal spell for transformation, written in the language of nature.

    To be fair you could change the rhyme a bit. Why not ‘Double Double, Success Double, Take Away all Toil and Trouble‘? (As I wrote in my book Yes, You Are a Witch/ You Are the Magick). Sounds and feels way better than ‘bubble bubble toil and trouble’ anyday! A good witch will use magic for banishing misfortunes and replacing them with positive energy in our lives instead of brewing even more toil and trouble than what we already endure. And in order to handle enemity or evil beings, we do not send toil or trouble to them, but rather repel evil beings away. That truly is the path of real ‘wit’ and deep ‘wisdom’ which is real witchcraft – the craft of the wise.

    Some other eerie sounding names of plants which are not animal body parts at all (and if people knew these they would stop killing innocent animals for cures and magical remedies or luck):

    • Rabbit’s Foot – Davillaya plant
    • Dragon’s Blood – Cinnabar tree sap
    • Wish bone – Turenia pansy
    • White Man’s Foot – Common Plantain
    • Graveyard Dust – Mullein
    • Lizard’s Leg – Ivy
    • Lamb’s Ear – Betony
    • Hens and Chicks – Sempervivum
    • Horse’s Tongue – Heart’s tongue fern
    • Sparrows’ tongue – Armstrong
    • Lion’s Tooth – Dandelion
    • Swine Snout – Dandelion leaves
    • Wolf’s Foot – Bugleweed
    • Dog’s Mouth – Snapdragon
    • Pig’s Ears – Round leaved navelwort
    • Bone of Ibis – Buckthorn
    • Elephant Ear – Purpurea
    • Ass’s Ear – Comfrey
    • Dragon’s Scale – Taro
    • Tear’s of Himadryas Babboon – Dill juice
    • Adder’s Tongue – Trout Lilly
    • Bear’s Foot – Lady’s Mantle
    • Bird’s Foot – Fenugreek
    • Crow’s Feather – Foam Flower
    • Tiger’s Claw/ Devil’s Claw – Martynya Annua
    • Wood Spider/ Devil’s Claw – Grapple plant
    • Cat’s Claw/ Hawk’s Claw – Unkaria Tomatosa
    • Gall of Goat – Honeysuckle
    • Cat’s Tail – Reed Mace
    • Crab Eye – Coral Bead Plant
    • Lady’s Finger – Okra

    As an easy guide also remember that blood in herbal magick simply means the sap of the tree, milk simply means plant secretion, foot or ear usualy stands for the leaves of the plants, guts for roots, hair for fine roots, eyes for the whole flower circles, tongue for petals, eggs for fruits, tears for seeds, flesh for stem or fruit flesh, toes for small leaves and wool for moss.

    The Witch’s True Magic

    Real witches — ancient or modern — are healers, herbalists, and guardians of life.
    Our cauldrons are filled not with suffering, but with seeds, roots, leaves, and blossoms for love, prosperity, protection, and health. We stir teas for wellbeing, create tinctures for healing, and burn incenses for meditation

    Magic isn’t about commanding dark forces or using demons for fulfilling sinful wishes at all. It’s about repelling dark forces away and keeping safe from them, as well as working in harmony with the living Earth in order to make our life positive in a real way, not just in thoughts but also in practicality. Witchcraft is practical magic of everyday life, with potions steeped with wisdom, stones for building positive realities, smoke of purification, candles of light, and of course positive intentions in words to energise our mind, body and spirit and protect our life, home and hearth.

    So next time someone criticizes witchcraft or magic, please guide them towards the truth and dispel myths to make the world a better place for all beings.

    Closing Blessing

    May your spells be kind, your herbs be green,
    Your cauldron bubble, with courage unseen,
    May you flourish and grow, in kindness and peace
    May your success and prosperity never cease
    May all evil beings leave you unharmed
    And may your life be magically charmed
    By earth and fire, wind and sea
    By the Spirit, Blessed Be!

    Rev. Swati Prakash, High Priestess

  • Witches and Their Familiar Animals

    Witches and Their Familiar Animals

    Do you believe we are magical beings?

    If yes, did you think only human beings are magical?

    Animals of non human species are powerful beings with magic in them just like us. They all have their free will and creative energy.

    Respect of each person’s free will is most important in witchcraft as it’s all about free will and crafting a chosen reality out of your will as well as not harming others in the process (the Wiccan Rede). No one should be treated as an object or owned or forced to live with us against their will, or forced into becoming our companion animal, or farmed animal, or domesticated slave, or our victim to be bred, used, traded, or killed (not even to become food or pets).

    Witches don’t usually prefer to have ‘pets’. We may at times have familiars, i.e. some animals who are free to come and go as they please as per their own free will, and are willing to be with you if they like to. Not confined in a small space indoors ideally, although they might be indoors if they are happy. Not domesticated. Not owned.

    Contrary to what religions have claimed, witches do not work with demons or any devil, and their familiar animals are not their slaves, servants, or ‘demon spirits’ on animal form who do their bidding.

    Familiar, as the word indicates, is a term that simply means someone who is seen around or known to you. Often an animal from the neighbourhood might like you or spend some time with the you…as many animals can sense energy and know whom to trust, therefore those who have spiritual (magical) or healing energy can often attract various animals from time to time. Sometimes someone brings them to you especially because they felt they should. The bond needs to develop naturally. I always had a stray animal or two wandering around deciding to enter my home and live with me, or someone brought an injured one to me. Often pigeons walked into my rooms when hurt, or a cat or dog in Mumbai where so many were on streets. I always felt bad that humans have brought so much sorrow to them by not thinking about their needs and focusing only on our own desires.

    Sadly religions have destroyed free will, and stopped humans from using our own good sense. They have also created an illusion that other animals are below humans and are made to serve our wants. Most of the negative beliefs regarding humans being superior, made in the image of an all powerful lord who is a singular creator, and that it’s ok to harm, kill, breed, farm, and use other animals, are from religions who have destroyed sense and sensibility, and taken away our intuition, empathy, and natural inner power from us.

    We are all animals. We all have a sixth sense and magic inherent in us. Let’s use these powers well for the betterment of ourselves and all beings.

  • How Do We Manifest Reality?

    It’s Witchcraft!! Except, that it’s not.

    Teen Witch movie reminded me, I always had this power to think and make something happen. Like a switch you turn on or a computer button to get an output, there is a power in every person in the world. Our mind and emotions.

    I decided to pursue a higher research degree in Psychology this year and was preparing for IELTS which is a requirement. It was really tough in the computer practice tests at home, so I did a spell quickly at the venue in my mind on the computer and made the final test super easy for me. I went to eat out at lunchtime and thought about how the speaking test would be. I heard a voice inform me to talk about Tarot Reading (I do hear prophecies). I then thought that perhaps the examiner should ask me about food and veganism. On returning to the test centre I was called for the interview round and he asked me exactly about that. First he asked me about my profession which is Tarot reading, and then entirely about food and veganism.

    Once last year in summer I was eating falafel wraps at a stall and suddenly thought, ‘Well, that is a nice dish to cook and I wish I could wear that pretty apron and work there for a bit and learn how it’s done.’ I pictured myself wearing that apron. Suddenly the chef came over and I complimented him on the colourful apron. He said, perhaps I could wear it someday and work there. Of course I couldn’t do it for too long as he was also serving halloumi wraps that aren’t vegan and I quit.

    Do this yourself.
    Try to create an image in your mind of what you want to do, where you want to be, how you want to enjoy life, or meet people, and make it as colourful and clear as you can. It must be something that feels good and that you are emotionally drawn to. Then let me know what happened.

    Remember that even those things that emotionally upset us happen to come true.

    Infact, anything and everything happening around us is always, related to our feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and worries.

    This is a super fact that if everyone knew about, we could solve the mystery of the universe.

    Also very important is, not to waste time thinking of romance or relationship with particular persons, as this is a sure way to invite trouble into your life. Focus only on yourself and how you wish to feel instead of controlling someone.

    Try to manifest something positive.

    Blessed Be!!

    Swati Prakash

  • Hope for Little African ‘Witches’..and the TRUTH about Witchcraft

    Hope for Little African ‘Witches’..and the TRUTH about Witchcraft

    Many of you might be aware that in many countries, especially in Africa, women as well as kids have been branded ‘witches’ and abused or killed due to the misconception that they can curse or harm.

    This little boy of barely two years old for example was found roaming hungry and naked for eight months! The family abandoned him and left him to die because they thought he was a ‘witch’. Emaciated and riddled by worms he was surviving on scraps thrown by passersby. Thanks to the efforts of Anja Ringgren Lovén from Denmark, he was rescued and is now healthy and safe and is named ‘Hope’.

    The problem is not a belief in ‘witchcraft’ but a false belief in ‘evil witches’ and the tendency to discriminate against those accused of being so.

    Witchcraft is a much misunderstood word and is not at all related to cursing or evil. Due to widespread fears and ignorance many innocent women and kids have been hurt and killed in the pretext of witch-hunting for several centuries all over the world, be it medieval Europe or modern Africa and India. Today we all are realizing that everyone creates and manifests their own life and there is nothing supernatural or evil about ‘witchcraft’ which was simply a name for folk-remedies, herbal healing and ancient shamanism in the past.

    In the ancient world the words witch or wizard simply meant ‘wise men and women’ who could help people with their problems using spiritual advise. Whether in ancient India, rest of Asia,  Africa, Native America or ancient Europe, astrology spells and natural healing has been practiced as something positive and useful. The below video explains how the practice of blaming and killing people labelled as witches began in western Europe.

    The ideas of ‘evil witches’ sadly spread to the rest of the world, including Asia and Africa where harmless women and kids have suffered in modern times, wrongly accused for causing bad luck, disasters, and illnesses in families and communities.

    According to Safechildafrica.com, a charity that helps African kids accused as ‘witches’, ‘It is thought that the child has been put under a spell and given the power to wreak havoc. This is a belief that cuts across all tiers of society. Some churches and Nigerian movies also play a major role in spreading this belief. And there are many so-called pastors who brand children as witches and then charge extortionate fees to ‘exorcise’ them.’

    On one hand in many countries witchcraft is today being as a religious and spiritual path based on positive thinking and nature based healing, especially as Wicca which is a modern religion based on witchcraft that Harms None. Yet, on the other hand media including Hollywood as well as common news media has still been wrongly depicting witches as well as Wiccan rituals as evil, adding to the confusions and misunderstandings all over the world.

    Some people being influenced by such media hype, have been trying to make a quick buck or gain popularity by projecting themselves falsely as professional ‘witches’ who can be paid to ‘cast a spell ON’ or ‘curse someone’, or to ‘enchant someone’…both being things that are not wisdom magick and hence not real or actual witchcraft.

    While we must rescue and help little kids such as ‘Hope’ above, we also have to deal with the bigger picture – about eradicating false fears regarding witchcraft and helping people gain more spiritual awareness about positive thinking, meditation and real spiritual healing as the real ways to magically improve our life. By creating positive awareness we can save more lives and improve the way women and kids are treated in the world today.

    Meanwhile you can contribute to these charities that help African kids accused of witchcraft today and save some precious little lives:

    http://www.dinnoedhjaelp.dk/

    http://www.safechildafrica.org/

    REMEMBER THAT TODAY:

    • Real witchcraft is based on inner wisdom or spiritual awareness 
    • Real witchcraft is no longer about cursing or harming anyone
    • Real witchcraft is no longer about attracting a man or woman to you
    • Real witchcraft is about nature based healing and natural spirituality
    • Real witchcraft is not about casting spells upon others or on behalf of others
    • Everything is self-created, stop blaming others for cursing you
    • Real witchcraft is about YOUR inner spiritual power used for improving YOUR life YOURSELF
    • Real witchcraft is not a special supernatural power found in some people
    • We all have this NATURAL inner power to create our own life!!
    • Yes, YOU ARE A WITCH! and its a good thing to be!

    swati

    Swati Prakash is a spiritual author and the founder of Global Wicca.

  • Eeeek …Witches! Really?

    Eeeek …Witches! Really?

    ‘Miss. Miss. Miss…can I tell you something?’ an excited three year old girl at my son’s nursery ran to me and started off. ‘There was a woman. She wanted to eat up all the pet animals. She was so scary. She was a witch. She was so evil….’ she went on breathlessly… and then quickly ran away to play with my son. The kids had just been subject to an hour long pantomine that told the wicked tale of the supposed evil that lurks as witches in the world.

    Now what can I say to a small kid of her age? In my book ‘Yes, You Are A Witch!‘ explains in a fun way, to older kids and young adults, how being a Witch is great and positive and how witchcraft is simply wise-craft, a positive application of a spiritual power that all of us are naturally endowed with, to improve our life. Yet instead of books like these, libraries have been stocked with children’s books such as ‘Witches’ by Roald Dahl, that bring forth images of horrible women who turn innocent kids to mice. I am glad that at least JK Rowling and Sir Terry Pratchett brought some kind of balance to this situation by depicting at least a few good witches their legendary fiction books. Yet the amount of misunderstanding that little ones have been subject to, in the name of ‘witchcraft’ and ‘witches’ through fiction and fairytales over the years of growing up right from babyhood is absolutley incredible.

    The other day I was reading a book called ‘Meg and Mog’ to my son which is about a witch who lives with her cat Mog. Turns out predictably that she dresses up in black cloak and a tall hat to fly on a broom up the chimney after midnight with her cauldron brewing bats, spiders, worms, beetles and frogs with her witchy friends at her ‘spell party’ gathering on the hill, where her friends get turned into, guess what – mice.

    Funny? Enjoyable? Yes for sure! But such stories while fictional also strengthen the mis-perception of witches being crazy weirdos having strange super-powers who are upto no good.

    Have you ever heard of any such negative images regarding any other real-life, very much existing, thriving community or sub-culture made of real people being spread amongst kids and adults alike in such a widespread way across centuries? Have you heard of books that have cartooned up any other social, professional, religious, or cultural group in this manner through fiction and non-fiction alike, brainwashing us right from the time we were little? What if we depicted any other professional skill in similar derogatory ways commonly in literature – lets say carpenters as men who sawed kids up, beauticians as ladies who skinned people alive, or religious priests as horrible men who abused little boys? Doesn’t sound fair now, does it?

    The last thing I want my son to grow up thinking is that witches are pure evil, kind of weird, whacko loonies or in any way ‘not normal’ people. Not because I am a Witch, but because I believe in sharing only truth.

    So when can we have some positive stories written about witches for little kids? Any of you writers listening out there? Coz if you don’t do it I surely will!

    (*)

    Swati Prakash

  • The De-Occultation of Witchcraft, Wicca and Paganism

    The De-Occultation of Witchcraft, Wicca and Paganism

    Secret societies, underground witch-cult, hidden worship of pagan deities, clandestine initiations, ritual sex, skyclad covens, dark-magick, mystery religion, OCCULT – are these what you have been hearing all this while whenever you tried researching witchcraft and even Wicca?

    Is witchcraft something that is learnt only through initiation in a coven?

    Is the witch-power transferred only through either blood-lineage or coven-initiation?

    Is Wicca a kind of occult ceremonialism?

    Do you have to go through some secret ceremony to ‘become’ a witch?

    Is Wicca just another word for the witch-cult?

    These were questions that I have dealt with in my books but I still see a lot of darkness and ignorance being spread by certain ‘Wiccan’ traditions (also termed ‘fundamentalist’ Wiccans) who keep promoting Wicca as a secret, mystery cult that requires certain specific lineages and initiations by those who claim to have those lineages.

    In the past people had several misconceptions regarding witchcraft and Wicca. These were owing to the fact that there was no open practice of paganism, witchcraft and magick in the western world not so long ago. The western world had been quite totally Christianised and any kind of belief that was not part of the widely approved Christian teachings would be classified as witchcraft and paganism and connected falsely to satan or devil worship. The only reason this was done was to establish a superiority of Christianity over any other faith, especially older faiths. The west, just like the east, had ancient pagan faiths such as the Celtic, Norse, Greek, Roman and other beliefs, deities, magical practices and folk-magic of the old-times. However these ancient faiths were so majorly suppressed and people so heavily converted that there remained hardly any who have a direct awareness of their ancient pagan ancestry.

    Then came a host of secret societies who attempted to revive the ancient mysteries. These were perhaps inspired by travels of these occultists to the magickal eastern world that was still consisting of ancient pagan faiths and had not yet succumbed to conversions. Most of the occult practitioners of the west has some or the other inspiration from the eastern mystics for magic and paganism has been in a constant flow in eastern countries unlike the broken cords of the western paganism. At the same time in trying to somehow assemble the pieces of the pagan puzzle together, western occultists dabbled in various sources…  Egyptian, Greek, Mesopotamian, Arthurian, Hindu, Jewish and many more mystical ideas all intermixed with the prevalent Christian views. Their fear of being exposed while they formulated and crafted their ceremonial cults led to the creation of obscure, underground movements that spread in esoteric circles into which entry was barred to but a few, especially in the inner circles.

    Witchcraft is different. Witchcraft is nothing but the crafting our our life with spiritual wisdom. It can be as simple as basic folk magic practiced all over the world and not just the west. Its existed for centuries of human history much before such secret cults were formed in the west. Witchcraft is also be the timeless practice of spiritual realisation and higher mind-power such as practiced by meditators and preached by self-help gurus of today. There have been witches and wizards, shamans and druids, babas and yogis all over the world who have had magical powers since ancient times. These magical powers were not always passed genetially through the bloodline, neither were they conveyed through any special ceremonies in covens. Initiations if any were presented to students by teachers as a transfer of blessing of the master, whether in group or individualy, but in no way was initiation the only way of ‘becoming’ a witch or magical practioner. One could gain the power on one’s own through inner work. In many cases one’s self discovery was a part of several lifetimes of inner work carried forward from past to present and future lifetimes and soul’s often remembered their previous learnings and awakened their powers with or without any formal lessons or initiations conveyed externally. This is true today as well, and will always be.

    Wicca is an evolving and growing faith or religion which is spiritually open minded and based on the Wiccan Rede or guidance of harming none. It may involve witchcraft especially as Wiccan traditions have temples where trained healers help people through counseling and healing spells, rituals or therapies. Wiccan healers are highly studied in various healing modalities and therefore called witches. But not all Wiccans choose to become professional healers or witches. It is completely possible for you to accept Wicca merely as a faith by aligning with its philosophy without getting too deep into the witchcraft part of it.

    Some people who are stuck in the secret-society times and cling on to their deeply ingrained versions of the history and origins of Wicca, imagine that one has to be ‘properly’ initiated in a coven to become a witch, to belong to a hereditary or initiatory lineage by a specific British person who claimed to have such a lineage from some obsure source. Their insistence that such and such lineage is the be all and end of of witchcraft, and that British witchcraft or traditional witchcraft or the ‘craft’ is how Wicca began and will therefore will have to end is being totally ignored today.

    People now realise that most of the covens that practice such ‘traditional’ witchcraft are not practicing the original witchcraft of really ancient origin, but something that was put together or assembled from various sources by British occultists. These occultists were  indeed inspired by Margaret Murray’s witch cult hypothesis claiming that witchcraft is a religion of the horned god and moon goddess, carried out in secrecy in the western world through covens. Occultists who claimed to be initiates of such covens attempted an amalgamation of pagan mythologies with ceremonial magic which was in vogue then, and created their book of shadows full of rituals that were a mix-and match of several things. Many of these occultists were also perhaps high on substance abuse and indulged in a few ‘demonic’ practices to come up with rather kinky rituals involving harmful kinds of magical spells, sexual orgies, whipping initiates on the bottom, spewing ritual curses against those who angered them, offering animal sacrifices, harmful use of vodou dolls and secret skyclad or naked gatherings under the full moon. In the eastern world of magic too, there have been plenty of negative practitioners who focused on the left-hand path including harmful aghora to create fear of their power, sexual tantra to control women, rituals to curse and harm others and manipulative vashikarans that are equally abhorable. Practitioners of both eastern and western occultism who induldged in harmful rituals did not have especially pleasant, peaceful or happy lives of course, and had distrubed families, physical and mental health problems and complicated relationship or sexual lives as well as financial and legal difficulties to handle all the time. They clinged on to their covens and expanded their following to satisfy their shallow egos and to add something ‘special’ to their inner void. Some even took some sort of unusual prominence and a weird kind of respect in the world in which they would otherwise not be accepted very well if not for their interest value. Now to link Wicca exclusively to those kind of western occultists and claim that the real Wicca is what these people claim to be as their version of the rebirth of the ancient religion or craft is an absolutely outdated way of thinking.

    Today witchcraft is not regarded as harmful sorcery but as a magical path of wisdom which is simple and meditative, using ordinary herbs, natural stones and crystals, positive thoughts and visualisations for healing and self help.

    Today most people treat Wicca as something different from witchcraft in general as a spiritual path based on ‘An Ye Harm None, Do As Ye Will’ – the Wiccan Rede that is the main guiding philosophy making it one of the most positive of all faiths.

    Today Wiccan witchcraft is not a cult, and not normally consisting of secret activities practiced in closed covens, but a spirituality which is an acceptable religion for the masses to easily follow.

    Today there is not usually a need to get initiated in covens through any lineages, in order to ‘become’ a Wiccan, leave alone to become a witch. Thanks to the wide spread of knowledge and open spirituality through books, internet and the numerous teachers and institutes of spirituality in the new-age wave, we have a lot of people realising their inner-witch and also choosing Wicca as a faith on their own.

    Instead of secret covens of those specific lineaged traditions who claimed to be the only type of Wicca, we now have many modern traditions that are promoting a positive and open form of Wicca to the masses without trying to control or dominate the Wiccan scene by proving their ‘legitimacy’ or superiority over other traditions or ideologies.

    A lot of darkness and negativity has been lifted away from the entire gamut of Wicca, witchcraft and magick.

    Today these paths have much more light and love, being free of rigid notions or narrow minded secret practices, free of harmful content and gimmicks, and welcoming to one and all regardless of your faith, your lineage or the lack of it, your ancestry or ethenicity.

    Today while Wiccans worship pagan deities, they also realise that all deities represent their inner powers and instead of focusing on external idolatory or entity invocations, they focus on self-awareness and inner work.

    Instead of focusing on ceremonialism and ritualism based on specific chants and rote-learned motions, Wiccans in the modern world focus on energy work, meditative spellcasting, inner healing and self-transformation with the aim of being happier, more positive people.

    Today Wicca is indeed transforming the world for the better through an eco-consciousness, an awakeneing of nature loving spirituality and kindness towards all on earth. Wiccans are seen openly performing earth healing rituals that are fun and relaxing, and easy to participate in. There is a lot to learn, and even children can feel safe in these modern Wiccan events and gatherings where there are enlightened and loving souls who participate joyfully without any of the obsure mumbo-jumbo to puzzle, riddle and confuse the masses.

    Indeed these are good times for spiritual seekers of the new Wiccan paths, and things are only getting better each day.

    I hope that you will have the discretion to choose those teachers and guides who are truly helpful in your spiritual growth and will have the wisdom to understand that all teachers are ultimately here to guide you back to your inner-self.

    Blessed Be

    (*)

    Swati Prakash

    www.globalwicca.com

  • The Man With the Beard

    In India it is almost impossible to not come across a man with a long beard, giving wisdom eloquently to thousands of enchanted people. Swamis, Sadhus, Babas, Sri Sri’s, Oshos, Sadgurus,…there is no dearth of men with long beards and saintly robes preaching, teaching and guiding others spiritually. Yes, there are a few who are not usually bearded – Yogananda, Ramakrishna, even Buddha probably considered shaving to be of at least some importance in addition to meditation.

    In the West there were and still are (a few) wise men or wizards, druids, shamans (from before the Pope and his team took over) symbolized by Merlin, Gandalf the Gray, or even the Hermit card of Tarot. All pointing to the higher self, respected, revered, held in awe and fascination, so much so that we call clever computer programs wizards that help us get things done so easily. Truly it has always been a compliment to be a wiz, hasn’t it?

    The Hermit of Rider Waite Smith Tarot cardsThe Hermit of Rider Waite Smith Tarot cards

    But where are the women? Not just the few scanty Matas and Ammas (and just why does a woman need to be a motherly figure to get some respect here) but all those numerous women who are wise and enlightened…why just a few in the limelight amidst so many men with beards? Why are they hiding under the veil of mystery just like the High Priestess – sworn to secrecy to practice in mystery covens or solitary, but not proud and open on every street and corner.

    The High Priestess - Rider Waite Smith Tarot cards
    The High Priestess – Rider Waite Smith Tarot cards

    Perhaps they all off on their broomsticks to Discworld (of Terry Pratchett) where it is completely normal to be a witch (a wise woman). Are they all still burning at stake, trapped in the cage of the past memories left by Christian inquisitors who made the word witch such an abomination that till date people are afraid to say – Yes, I am A Witch! Confused about whether witchcraft is purely evil or somewhat evil? Worried about whether half the witches are bad ones and not sure which half? Worried that they will put up a curse on you should you refuse to keep them happy? How many people have been brainwashed by Roald Dahl’s The Witches, Hansel and Gretel and other such innocent looking fairy tales passed on over generations to impress upon young minds that a witch can be really a dreadful thing to come by.

    Articles of witchcraft have been totally muddled up with all kinds of nonsense even till date – no matter how much we tell these journalists to pay attention to real facts and not fiction. References to movies and television shows such as The Craft, Bewitched, Charmed… that make a mockery of witchcraft, images of brooms and cauldrons of green slime, focus on hexing and love spells, newspaper headlines that begin with the word Devil, features that focus on myths and burning times as if the Christian views of witches are the most important thing about witchcraft, stories that almost always present counter-views by some ill informed rationalist or ‘expert’ who has no idea what witchcraft truly is with focus on how women are hunted and killed on accusations of ‘witchcraft’ when the fact is that it is merely a wrong or inappropriate use of the word witchcraft which as NOTHING to do with those ‘accusations of cursing’, and right on top Halloween cartoons designed to mock at witches used to embellish the story and make it more colourful (Phew! but I am not going to shorten this sentence)….truly journalists can do much better than all this.

    Yes, I would love to see more real witches and real witchcraft featured in the media – stories that say the truth, not some conditioned misconceptions but the real truth – that witches are nothing but the wise people who practice folk medicine, give intuitive or spiritual advise and were generally respected long before the meaning of the word witch was distorted to wicked from wit or wisdom which is and will always be what witches are all about. Why else are there so many places and plants, as well as people with the words such as wych, wich or witch in their names all over the western world, if not for the fact that these words were never meant to refer to evil but only to folk or pagan magic which has been practiced all over the world as a natural way of life – you may introspect and find the answer for yourself.

    So the next time you hear someone say ‘wise wizard’ and ‘wicked witches’, do give them the facts without any hesitation.

    My book Yes, You Are a Witch! has more information. You can get it on kindle or as a paperback – just search on amazon.

    yes you are a witch cover - frontglobal wicca revolution cover front

    And….for the sake of the Goddess, do not forget, witchcraft (not necessarily religious but a spiritual practice) is not exactly the same as Wicca (a specific religion or spirituality). More about Wicca in The Global Wicca Revolution 

    Happy witching!

    (*)

    Swati Prakash

    www.swatiprakash.com

    meaningofwitch

    Get more information and useful quotes, free pdfs, courses and newsletter on www.globalwicca.com

  • Wishing Moon

    Wishing Moon

    As the snow returns to water
    The wheel of nature turning soon
    Life keeps changing everafter
    Come september, march or june
    Trust me, says the Goddess softly
    As you cast the witches rune
    Look for signs and symbols daily
    Dawn or dusk, midnight or noon
    I am always there within you
    Sending you another boon
    From the universe inside you
    Singing the eternal tune
    Hear my voice and feel my power
    Shining through this wishing moon
    Merge with me and self empower
    With your inner truth attune

    Www.swatiprakash.com

  • The Eternal Now

    The Eternal Now

    So how are you and everything
    What do you feel tomorrow brings
    How was your day, or previous life
    And are you happy to survive
    There’s much to hear and much to say
    About today and yesterdays
    The woes and dreams are many, yet
    What we create is all we get
    Blessed are the souls who are content
    Who are free of worry or repent
    Those who have gained their victory
    Over endless triviality
    To finally see everything
    Merge into one eternal spring
    Emerging from the holy grail
    Our Self, who fashions every tale
    Past, future, in the moment
    The story of life makes perfect sense
    Fragments of this tale we see
    Unraveling through eternity
    Through the illusion we call time
    We create whats yours and what is mine
    We divide our consciousness
    To play a game of fake pretense
    Multiplied and so divided
    We spread through the world unguided
    We filled our minds with false beliefs
    To hide the truth we daily see
    Until we tired and exhausted
    Realise the truth is all we wanted
    Replacing simplicity for confusion
    To put an end to the illusion
    Embracing the oneness of all
    On everyone this light does fall
    In an alternate reality
    We are all awake in totality
    Its happening right now right here
    Seen through the mists of time all clear
    So let’s not wait or waste our time
    Awaiting for the great divine
    Or for a fate or destiny
    That lies within us already
    And shift perception to allow
    Our perfect state, eternal now

    Swati Prakash
    http://www.swatiprakash.com

  • You Are NOT a Zodiac

    You Are NOT a Zodiac

    Perhaps you were born at hhmmss time on ddmmyyyy date at xyz location. Does this mean you are an Arian, Cancerian, Capricornian…etc etc for life?
    Just how important is your sunsign or moon rashi?
    How about your ascendent or rising sign?
    And yes, your jupiter, venus, saturn, mars, pluto, rahu, ketu, neptune, uranus, mercury….what about those zodiacs. Are the signs these other planets occupy somewhat less important in determining your personality than your sun, moon and ascendent? Probably not. People are complex after all, are they not?

    So what is your zodiac? Is your personality a Taurus because its your western sunsign, or a Scorpio because its your vedic moon rashi….or should you refer to the horoscope of Gemini as its your vedic ascendent….are you all of these….or are you somewhat an Aquarius too because most of the other planets seem to be in Aquarius in your vedic chart….or should you consider your western chart too just to be on the safer side….and discover you are also a Cancer rising to an extent…..oh dear…what is actually your zodiac?

    The answer is none. Yes, none of these zodiacs are you. No one zodiac can ever truly be you.

    Try this, try believing you are a zodiac other than your birth sign of sun, moon, ascendent, etc….try. Really…really…really… believe it. Then read the horoscope of that zodiac regularly. Chances are….as time goes by you will program yourself to become that zodiac..and perhaps….someday……you will agree with those predictions too. Trust me.

    You are what you think you are.
    You are what you believe.
    You become what you want.
    You are unlimited.
    You are every zodiac, and at the same time…
    You are NOT a zodiac
    At least not NOW in the PRESENT moment

    Your birthchart or horoscope shows the karma you inherited from your past lives till your birth. The most important thing I teach my astrology students is simply this:
    Your horoscope or birthchart has just one use…to show you your limitations …those you imposed on yourself so far through all your lifetimes… and the ways (spells and inner work or unprogramming) needed to get rid of all limitations.

    Yes you were born with sun in a zodiac, moon in b, ascendent c, jupiter in d…and so on and so forth. You were born at hhmmss time and ddmmyyyy date at xyz location.
    And then something wonderful happened somewhere down the line after you were born.
    You grew up (i certainly hope you did)
    You acquired free will (at least some of you)
    You learnt how to use your mind (more or less)
    And whether or not you noticed it, your mind created your life all this while. And your mind, whether or not it be limited by your past, your horoscope, your birth sign, your preconcieved notions about who you are…will create whatever you believe to be you and your life.
    If you believe you are poor, you will continue to be. If you believe you are clever you will be. If you believe you are emotional you will be. Your personality and life experiences are all about those deeply ingrained beliefs you hold on to so preciously.

    No matter how deep the conditioning, no matter how strong the cords of karma, you can stop being a puppet of your past. Your beliefs limited you so far. All of them. Whether good or bad, no matter how attached you are to them, they are your beliefs and not the real you. Just merely, although importantly, they are beliefs.

    And if you ever wanted to toss them all out of the window…and it maybe a good idea to try doing that for once (by learning the right way of tossing them out)…..you just might be able to experience who you truly are meant to be :
    Free.

    Learn how to really read your horoscope, if only to figure out how to attain freedom from the same.
    Be not a slave to fate.
    Be a witch.
    Because you really are not a zodiac.

    Blessed be
    Swati Prakash
    @witchyswati