Wiccans practice magic. Magic and Wicca go hand-in-hand. It is not some cute or novelty addition to our religious beliefs, it is part and parcel to our practice and observance, and is an integral part of our methods of worship. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard somebody claimed to be a Wiccan and in the same breath say that they do not practice magic. I cannot tell you how many times I have read from an author or self proclaimed authority that you do not have to practice magic to be a Wiccan. That is hookey and hogwash!

While Wicca is not an obviously theurgical observance, our understanding and application of magic introduces the opportunity for theurgical progress, and this is not too different from the ceremonial magician whose ritual work assists for theurgical process even when its objectives are fully mundane. Through the practice of magic a Wiccan draws closer to the divine through the varying mediums by which we perceive it to manifest. Through the practice of magic, a Wiccan learns to recognize that they do in fact have power and influence over the conditions and quality of their life, and furthermore that they are not helpless in the face of events and circumstances. Through the practice of magic, we find ourselves drawing ever closer to our conception of the divine and make its presence more obvious as we grow in wisdom and experience.

A Wiccan who does not practice magic is much like a race car driver without a car. They have the talent and skill but no medium by which to manifest it. I can only imagine that any Wiccan's apprehension to ritual or spell work could only be some underlying or deeply buried prejudice left over from their parent religion or from whatever cultural beliefs they are still affected by. Those who claimed that magic serves them no good purpose obviously have no idea what magic is in the first place. I'm not telling you to rush to your altars and bang spells out all day long. Don't misunderstand me; I'm simply asking that you recognize that Wiccans do in fact practice magic, that it is just as an important part of the path as is our celebrations in times of worship, and to remove it from the tapestry of our religious beliefs is to take away the empowering work of our theurgical element.

Magic and spell craft are very important parts of Wiccan religious practice. They should never be assumed to be simple additions to our craft. They're not simply means of creating or encouraging change in the world around us, but through their practice they teach us a great deal about just how things are. Wicca is first and foremost an initiatory mystery religion and the practice of magic is an integral part of it. Secondarily it is a spiritual philosophy. And lastly it is a religion in the sense that we typically regard them in the West, an institution of belief, and a moral compass for our behavior.

The funny thing is that I'm well aware that most people who come to Wicca in the first place, do so because they want to learn how to practice magic, and adopt the religion as just being a requirement to do so. I know that sounds a little harsh but I suspect it is more than true in most of the cases. Certainly not all. I'm not accusing anybody of coming to Wicca with anything less than the highest motives and intent. However, there are very few books on Wicca that don't include a huge discourse on the practice of magic, or even small spell books. That content wouldn't be there if the author or publisher wasn't well aware of why most people come to Wicca to begin with.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with that either. If someone's pursuit of magical knowledge leads them to Wicca and Wicca leads to their personal transformation than I can only say, "no harm, no foul."

I would encourage anybody who is sincerely interested in Wiccan magic to also sincerely explore almost everything related to western esotericism. Western occultism with its magical philosophies and forms is the very foundation upon which our own Wiccan ritual structures in magical knowledge rest. They are the founders of our magical current. It's absolute rubbish that our philosophies and practices of magic and spell work are somehow related were resurrected from the crafts medieval witches or ancient shamans. Maybe the ancient priests and magicians of Babylon and the near East, but not country witches of Europe (Well I can't say that is wholly true, since I have seen over the past tens years a great deal of very cool "reconstructions", but generally speaking...), and most definitely not from western or American witchcraft. Our magical observances have little to nothing in common with the before mentioned. Ours are the passions and pursuits of high ceremonial magicians, esoteric adepts, Kabbalistic masters, and secret societies. Shoot, even our elemental schemas are based on the ideas and philosophies of ancient Greek esoteric and philosophical societies, and anyone who would suggest or suspect that came from the ancient Celts or Native American shamans seriously need to go back to the books.

Don't be fooled and don't fool yourself. Wiccans practice magic, a form and philosophy of magic "donated" from western esoteric and occult societies some 50 or so years ago, and that it serves a higher religious purpose in our craft. Certainly, nobody has to feel obligated to practice magic, but without this element of observance doesn't it make more sense to possibly consider some other pagan religion than to assume the identity of a Wiccan who only lives half of the role? And if you were going to practice magic, doesn't it just seemed like good advice to make sure you check out the sources and inspirations for the forms and philosophies of magic you adopt? I think so.







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