Looking for a few good witches

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This article was published 17/01/2019 (2666 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A group of women are working to create a positive community based on the power of empathy and intention with their group, the Witches of Westman.

Witches Val Laderoute, Rayna Moffat and Candice Richard have grown up immersed in the craft.

Richard and Laderoute have been practising witches for about three decades.

Moffat, Richard’s daughter, grew up seeing her mom practise.

Perceptions are changing about witchcraft. Richard said the group has encountered a mix of legitimately interested parties alongside and some negative people.

“Nowadays it’s trendy,” Moffat said. “People are getting into tarot cards and things like that. … People’s eyes are opening up to what it actually is.”

Seeing it become trendy has been interesting, with a diverse array of people now expressing an interest in the art.

“If they take an interest in it as a way of life, then it’s cool,” Richard said. “For the people who really want it to be a way of life and are seeking to make themselves feel better, what they can do to be a good person, that’s the positive part.”

The trio of ladies launched the Facebook group “Witches of Westman” to help guide those interested in the craft.

Everyone is welcome, from witches to Christians and everything in between.

Mindfulness, purposefulness and intention guide their spiritual practices, with an emphasis placed on thinking about one’s actions and acting based on empathy.

“You’ve gotta be careful with what you send out,” Laderoute said. “It’s karma.”

One of the most difficult aspects is explaining what a witch is, as the experience is highly personal with practices based on individual beliefs.

While practising witchcraft can be similar to Wiccan practices, Richard — the matriarch of the group — said the two are not mutually exclusive.

“Not every Wiccan is a witch, and not every witch is a Wiccan,” Richard said.

The difference between witch and Wiccan will depend on with whom one is speaking.

“Sometimes people will be more accepting of the word Wiccan than they are of the word witch,” Richard said. “Sometimes it’s just easier for them to hear (Wiccan).”

Life as a witch is nothing like what one sees in popular culture, like on the television show “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” or movies like the “The Craft” and “Hocus Pocus.”

Having spent her life battling misconceptions created by media, Moffat finds that the most common myth she encounters is the assumption that witches worship the devil.

“We don’t even believe in the devil,” Moffat exclaimed.

These false media presentations often leave them livid.

Moffat cited the recently-released television show “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” as especially infuriating.

“I was fuming,” Moffat said. “We fought so long to convince people that we’re good people.”

Shows contribute to false stereotypes that witches put hexes on people, cast unwanted spells and sacrifice animals.

“The only time I sacrifice an animal is for my dinner,” Moffat laughed.

Instead, witchcraft places an emphasis on mindful action and empathy.

“Spells really aren’t any different from prayers,” Richard said.

Comparing it to the law of attraction, Moffat said it is like a putting a wish out into the universe and looking to have it fulfilled based on the proper intentions.

Spells encourage mindfulness by allowing a person to take the time to sit down and understand the intention behind them and carefully craft them, ensuring no harm comes to anybody or anything.

“Really be careful what you wish for,” Richards said.

Hoping to see the community grow, Richard said she wants to one day see people in the metaphorical “broom cupboard” come out, no longer afraid of the misconceptions that surround the religion.

For them, a big part of witchcraft is being the best you can possibly be, following something comparable to the “golden rule” by treating others the way you want to be treated.

Each and every Wiccan group has a unique set of rules that varies, but all follow the Wiccan Rede.

The Rede sets out rules to follow, but what a person does outside the Rede is up to them as long as they are not harming anyone.

“I just always treat others how I wanted to be treated, same with animals,” Moffat said. “Treating everything as equal.”

They have tried to restart a coven in Westman, but this can prove difficult because it is such an individual spiritual practice.

“The three of us won’t believe in the same thing,” Richard said.

Moffat said she likes the idea of opening their doors to interested parties because they are a good resource for those interested in witchcraft.

Remembering how they used to have to sneak into a bookstore and hide as they learned about the religion, Richard said the internet has opened up a world of wonders to interested parties.

“(Back then) you had to hide and read your stuff and hope no one was watching,” Richard laughed.

The internet has changed the face of researching the subject. The only thing, Richard said, is to be mindful of what they read, taking the common pieces from what they learn to build a foundation for individual spiritual practices.

Calling what she does empowering, Laderoute said, “Learn, but make it your own.”

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp