The World of the Witches: A Magical Journey (Phoenix Press) - Perfect for Fantasy Readers & Witchcraft Enthusiasts

What is a witch? Well as the book will explain in great detail, that the answer depends on the time and place one might be thinking about. There has always been a close relation between religion and magic as both systems claim to have a special connection with forces or energies which are beyond a person sphere of influence. Priest and witches will offer to their followers their special services to make the believer wishes come true by prayers and by submitting to powers outside their grasp.Before Christianity the image of the witch or the sorcerer, was not particularly separated from that of a priest. However, after Christianity gains political power the "witches" become prosecuted as they are the last remains of paganism (must of them use to praise the forces of nature and follow fertility rites) and if they claim to have "powers" those must be diabolic. Why? as it needs to establish that Jesus is the only source of "legitimate" power to provide a solution to a person needs and desires.It's fascinating to see how by means of propaganda both Catholics and protestants create a whole set of images and beliefs so that the failures and frustrations of everyday life must be answered not by a useless god or his son but by poor and uneducated women, and then how when reason starts to prevail over superstition the belief in the powers of the witches begins to fade.