Originally Posted by
Ghost of Shaolin
Perhaps I should have clarified my position. Yes, I am speaking of "traditional European" Witchcraft (although, as Broomhilda mentioned, these origins can be traced beyond the European continent) and some commonalities thereof. Regarding foundational/fundamental elements, I am referring to practices in these traditions that could be said to stem from "shamanic" principles, although that's not really the word that I want to use here. I would hold to my position that Witchcraft does in fact have elements that pertain to a particular religion, and that religion is Witchcraft itself. It is more than a religion, of course, and is a way of life. That being said, the relevance of things "working" for someone, regardless of their adherence to a particular religion implies an external system (religion as it's commonly understood) superimposed over the belief system of an ancient tradition, and the things that would "work" in that case would be spells, charms, incantations, etc. To me, this falls more in the realm of general sorcery rather than "Witchcraft" per se, and also suggests that Witchcraft is comprised primarily of the aforementioned elements. This is something that every Witch knows is not true. So-called magick is only a part of Witchcraft as a whole, just as meditation and kung fu are only aspects of overall Daoist practice. At the end of the day, one can call themselves and their practice whatever they want, and discussions along these lines are largely matters of semantics (and maybe epistemology?), which is not what I'm looking to get into here. But I do appreciate your insights and the valid points and questions you've raised in this discussion.