Bokelskere.no

Witchcraft is defined in that it acts. This is not a path of contemplation, but of engagement. There can be only one reason to engage, and that is that the action is imperative. Witchcraft grew from need. In shamanic culture the role is very clear. The shaman is expected to deal with issues of life and death on a daily basis. Hunger is a reality, starvation, war, disease, cursing, theft, murder, childbirth, hunting. For us, huddled in the narrow apse of the technological age, these concerns seem remote. Each of these skills has been prised from us. The shaman must act because the stakes are high, it is survival, life that hangs in the balance. He is expected by his community to produce results, or be considered worthless. His night flights have purpose, his cures and curses are in demand. His reading of omens, his telling of story, his organising of hunt or war, are vital. Compare this to the state of the West. Our ritual specialists do not have to demonstrate any competence or effect. There is no need but simply want. With nothing to play for, with no stakes on the table, the game inevitably becomes an empty charade.