The roots of magic come from the Celts, a people living between 700 BC and 100 AD.

Believed to be descendants of Indo-Europeans, the Celts were a brilliant and dynamic

people – gifted artists, musicians, storytellers, metalworkers, expert farmers and fierce
warriors. They were much feared by their adversaries, the Romans, who eventually adopted
a number of their customs and traditions.

The Celts were a deeply spiritual people, who worshiped both a god and goddess. Their
religion was pantheistic, meaning they worshiped many aspects of the "One Creative Life
Source" and honored the presence of the "Divine Creator" in all of nature. Like many tribes
the world over, they believed in reincarnation. After death, they went to the Summerland
for rest and renewal while awaiting rebirth.

The months of the Celtic year were named after trees. The Celtic new year began at
Samhain, which means "summers end," and was the final harvest of the year. This was also
their "Festival of the Dead," where they honored their ancestors and deceased loved ones.
Many contemporary Halloween customs come from Samhain.

Next on the wheel of the Celtic year was the Winter Solstice, celebrating the annual
rebirth of the Sun. Our Christmas customs today are similar to this ancient celebration.
Around the beginning of February came Imbolg, a time when domesticated animals began
to give birth. The Spring Equinox and Beltaine, sometimes called "May Day," were fertility
festivals. The Summer Solstice, known as Lughnassa, celebrated the glory of the Sun and
the powers of nature. Lughnassa, the Fall Equinox, and Samhain, were considered as Celtic
harvest festivals.

The "Druids" were the priests of the Celtic religion. They remained in power through the
fourth century AD, three centuries after the Celts' defeat at the hands of the Romans. The
Druids were priests, teachers, judges, astrologers, healers and bards. They became
indispensable to the political leaders, giving them considerable power and influence. They
were peacemakers, and were able to pass from one warring tribe to another unharmed. It
took twenty years of intense study to become a Druid.

Translated, the word Druid means "knowing the oak tree." Trees, the oak in particular, were
held sacred by the Celts. Mistletoe, which grows as a parasite on oak trees, was a powerful
herb used in their ceremonies and for healing. Mistletoe was ritually harvested at the
Summer Solstice by cutting it with a golden sickle and catching it with a white cloth while
never letting it fall to the ground.

The religious beliefs and practices of the Celts grew into what later became known as
Paganism, not to be confused with the term Neo-Paganism, which is beyond the scope of
this writing. The word Pagan is derived from the Latin word Paganus, meaning "country
dweller." This outgrowth was consistent with the Celts' love for the land and their holding
such things as the oak tree and mistletoe sacred.
Paganistic beliefs and rituals blended with those of other Indo-European descended groups,
and over several centuries spawned such practices as concocting potions and ointments,
casting spells, and performing works of magic. These practices, along with many of the
nature-based beliefs held by the Celts and other groups, became collectively known as
witchcraft.

The term witch, which means to "twist or bend," has its origin in the ancient, Anglo-Saxon
word "wicca," which is derived from the word "wicce," which means "wise." Witch is also
related to the German word, "weihen," which means "to consecrate or bless." Some say that
the origins of the witch date back thousands of years, to the days when the goddess was
worshiped and humanity had great reverence for the powers of nature and for women as
creators of new life. In the "New Age" philosophy, this relates to the concept of "Gaia," or
"Mother Earth," which views planet earth as essentially a living being.

Prior to the 14th century, witchcraft came to mean a collection of beliefs and practices
including healing through spells, mixing ointments or concoctions, dabbling in the
supernatural, divining or forecasting the future, and engaging in clairvoyance. Groups
holding to other beliefs and rituals often branded witchcraft as "demon-worship."

After North America was discovered and Europeans began migrating to the new land,
witchcraft came into practice by some of the early, colonial settlers. Since it had previously
been branded as "demon-worship," witchcraft was forbidden throughout the North American
colonies. Despite this decree by the powers of the day, some colonists secretly practiced
witchcraft knowing they would be hanged or burned if caught. It has been said that certain
rituals performed by early-American witches helped shield their settlements from attacks by
Native Americans.

Magic can effect many outcomes, some good and some evil, depending on the type of magic
and the intentions of the practitioner. The more well-known types of magic are denoted by
colors.

"Black magic" is performed with the intention of harming another being, either as a means
of building the practitioner's power or as the goal itself. The underlying ideology upon which
black magic is based states that the practitioner and his or her pursuit of knowledge and/or
physical well-being, are more important than other concerns, theological or ethical. "Green
magic" involves the practitioner's attuning himself or herself to nature and the world around
him or her. "White magic" is where the practitioner attunes himself or herself to the needs
of human society and attempts to meet those needs. This is a form of "personal betterment"
magic, and does not entail harming other beings.

"Grey magic" is magic that is neither green, nor black, nor white, and which usually replaces
the absolute stand of these realms with an ethical code that is particular to the practitioner.
It is a type of magic all its own, and may be used for many different purposes. "Folk magic"
is an eclectic collection of herbalism, faith healing, curses and hexes, candle magic, and
other workings that has thrived in rural areas for centuries. There is also the term, "hedge
wizard," which refers to an individual who attempts to practice magic with little or no formal
training.