Witchcraft

Witchcraft is a practice of magic that encompasses many different types of activities including astrology, divination, spell casting, and spirit communication. It includes the practices of many cultures, nations and religions as well as many books and writings from ancient times. Depending upon the individual, some witchespractice their power by certain belief systems, such as Shamanism, Voodoo, Wicca, or any number of other magical practices from countries and cultures all around the world.The witchcraft label has historically been applied to any influence on another person's body, mind, or property against his or her will (or sometimes in order to undermine the social or religious order). One of the most commonly attributed characteristics of a witch is their ability to cast a spell, which is basically the means employed to accomplish some magical action. Necromancy (the practice of conjuring the spirits of the dead for divination or prophecy, or sometimes for other purposes) is another practice which historically has been commonly associated with witches.

Although witchcraft can often share common ground with related concepts such as sorcery, the paranormal, magical, superstition, necromancy, possession, shamanism, healing, spiritualism, nature worship and the occult, it is usually seen as distinct from these when examined by sociologists and anthropologists.

History
Throughout history, witches have faced persecution because of misconceptions about them and their practices. However, it should be stressed that the practice of witchcraft is not necessarily associated with evil or the infliction of harm, nor with diabolism (the invocation of devils), and certainly the vast majority of the participants in the contemporary revival of Neopaganism and Wicca would identify themselves as benign witches. In addition, many of the accusations of malicious witchcraft in the past have been unfounded and have sprung from irrational fears and social anxieties.

Since ancient times, there have been reports (such as those from Egypt and Babylonia) of magic believed to have the power to influence the mind, body or possessions. Malicious magic users were accused of causing disease, sickness in animals, bad luck, sudden death, impotence and other such misfortunes. Witchcraft of a more benign and socially acceptable sort was then employed to turn the malevolence aside, or to identify the supposed evil-doer so that punishment may be carried out.

Contemporary Witchcraft (Wicca)
Some modern commentators consider the malefic nature of witchcraft to be a specifically Christian projection, after sorcery came to be associated in the early Middle Ages with heresy and apostasy. It was increasingly believed that Christianity was engaged in an apocalyptic battle against the Devil and his secret army of witches, who had entered into some kind of diabolical pact. This led to the trial, execution, imprisonment, torture or banishment of tens or hundreds of thousands of people in the Late Medieval/Early Modern Europe, the vast majority of them women.

However, at the same time, there has also long existed in popular belief the concept of white witches and white witchcraft, which is strictly benevolent. Many modern Neopagans and Wiccans strongly identify with this concept, and profess ethical codes that prevent them from performing magic on a person without their request. Cunning folk (also known as white witches, unbinding witches, wise-men, wizards, sorcerers, etc.), for example, were a recognized part of British rural and urban life, as late as the 19th Century, and were well respected and considered a valued part of the community. Among the services offered by these practitioners of folk magic were protection against other witchcraft, healing, treasure hunting, fortune-telling and love spells and potions.