This is my personal definition of witchcraft.  I assume the reader will realize immediatly that I am not speaking about Wicca on this blog.  Therefore I anticipate some heavy flaming. :)

Imagine for a second that everything we collectivly know as "fact" is a raging bonfire.  Most of the worlds population is very content to sit by the fire and be safe in the knowledge that their world is carfully defined, by physics, by science, by electronic tethers (aka: cell phones)...they are safe, because they "know" how the world operates. 

Then there are the Seekers.  These are people who look to the outer darkness, of things which exist beyond the light of the fire.  They long to search, to peer into the darkness and see whats there.  So they take up a stick from the fire and venture away from their community of contentment; often at personal risk, but it's in their soul, they have to go out and discover the secrets of the dark - they have no choice.

The Seekers who have made discoveries, and have brought them back to the fire in order to benefit from the community of contentment, are the witches and warlocks.  They boldly went where even angels fear to go, and brought back enlightenment, magic and wisdom forged upon their souls with invisible flames of power.  Often they return beaten, sometimes discouraged, but once the choice has been made to Seek, there is no turning back. 

Once you embrace the darkness, it refuses to let go - not in a negative way, but in a very loving sort of way.  The darkness desires Seekers to discover it's mysteries, and it won't let you return to contentment, it forces you to become greater than your own will desires. 

To enter the world of witchcraft, you must have patience, strength, and courage.  A discovered ritual or prayer will only work for a short while, the darkenss wants you to discover more.  The darkness wants you to become a god; and why not?  The darkness is but the other face of our Holy Mother.  She shows Her light face to the world as contentment, but to Her hidden children, She shows Her dark face, which is the darkness most people fear; and for good reason.  She designed it this way.  If you do not feel the call to witchcraft, then you should stay away; you are not yet destined for this work - perhaps in a later life - but to those of us who desire the darkness, who approach it as a lover, we will rise at the end, to teach and disseminate the lessons learned.  To care for those who are content, and never recieve thanks.  Uncle Al didn't dream up Relativity on his own, he faced the darkness, he discovered, and then he faded because he refused to acknowledge other layers of reality - he denied quantum physics.  The Olds Ones led him to Relativity, and they were never acknowledged, and they didn't seek it, they simply gave.  This is the legacy of the Witch and the Warlock.  We give, and never take; we usually take on the role of saviors, without ever being thanked.  Most of us become jaded with this; I know I have.

Sure there are many people running around calling themselves witches, but they stop with books and simple rituals - never taking the time to wonder if something else is guiding them.  They never seek beyond the safe confined pages of their books.  This is the only issue I've ever had with Wicca.  Stop playing fantasy, and start meditating!  Start asking tough questions, such as "why does the Goddess allow child abuse?"  or, "why does AIDS exist when sex is so vital?"  Seek and discover!

With that I say, blessed be!