Spirits Craft
Is Traditional Witchcraft Reconstructionist?

Traditional witchcraft includes magico-mystic practices from pre-christian, christian (and christian heretical) and now (arguably) post-christian times.  Witchcraft is usually irreligious. Meaning that regardless of the witch’s religion (or not religion), they practice the craft, even if it is prohibited by their stated religion’s doctrine. In this way there are some folk-polytheist practices that are survivals and revivals in traditional witchcraft. Despite being at least nominally christian in many cases and vehemently christian in some, what we now call witches often held onto alternate beliefs in addition and even contradiction to societal norms.

Traditional witchcraft can be somewhat eclectic incorporating christian, heretical, native polytheist, and classical polytheism in addition to ideas gained through cultural exchange throughout the generations of the tradition.

In these postmodern times, polytheist reconstruction is growing, and traditional witches may incorporate some aspects of reconstruction into their craft. However, traditional witchcraft isn’t particularly reconstructionist in nature. Considering the procedure of polytheist reconstruction is so new, it wouldn’t make sense for practices stemming from before the postmodern period to have that structure.

(I shouldn’t leave out that alternatively to Christian, other major religions likewise influence(d) forms of traditional witchcraft).

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