Witchcraft or The Craft is a fascinating so I was most excited when I Got a fascinating bit of info land on my lap. Obviously the misspelling or terms in esotericism is common. Take Qabbalah, Kabbala, Kabbalah or is it Cobbler? We explore this in another article but here we look at the different terms used for Witchcraft and the esoteric and intentional spelling changes.

THE Craft, magick and the Aleister Crowley definition

The world at large is asleep the real magick and the witch trials of a few hundred years or so back are thought of as an error so forgive me starting off by stating the obvious. The word CRAFT when used outside of arts and crafts (and sometimes within if it’s creating related items like candle magick) is referring to witchcraft so actual magick within whatever context it’s within. Note, I use the Aleister Crowley spelling for “Magick” there, a K at the end instead of just “Magic”. We are talking manipulation of energy and the science of alchemy, not the illusionists who use smoke and mirrors to entertain. Important distinction there.

How to expect Craft that’s Magick?

Magick still isn’t an accepted thing by the mainstream and as a Christian you might think I see that as a good thing. WRONG, because most people don’t actually believe in the spiritual world this allows it to quietly slip through the cracks in our culture. Let’s see how this works on a real example of linguistic imprinting of the terms of magcik and craft that we don’t for a second question.

Example: I love acting and all of the MAGICK that it entails, it’s not the money, it’s the CRAFT. The silver screen has brought MAGIC into the homes of the American family for years and I am just glad to be a part of that.

You hear this sort of phrasology all the time from actors, directors and the promotional material for movies. Why? Hollywood is saturated with the occult and was founded by practitioners of Kabbalah. You will even actors and actresses like Denzil Washington and Oprah Winfrey talk about how they open their minds and let the spirits guide their performance. Consider that for a second. Is that the normal thing you might say in your job or are we so well imprinted by the way Hollywood embraces this esoteric occult phrasology that it no longer registers?

Let’s get back to the misspellings, I just thought it important to give some background on the what and why behind this linguistic sleight of word and then the letter jumbling. Basically, things buried in confusion and brought in subtly will be right under your nose and unavoidable before you even know what’s happened.

Cræft – The Lost Wisdom and Local Alchemy of UK

I didn’t even know I could copy and paste that glued together A and E so I’m wondering if that’s witchcraft in itself. I came across this term a number of times but most recently on a book about the mystical nature of ancient crafts by Alexander Langlands.

Another phrase used is “Lost Craft” and “Lost Wisdom” where old skills are listed off with the odd spell or a method of alchemy mixed in there. A book called, Lost Wisdom by Una McGovern covers beekeeping, fixing clothes but then also predicting the sex of babies and finding water with dousing. The latter two are most certainly the science of alchemy is successful. The publisher Michael O’Mara (there is no Michael, it mean MOM) has a whole selection of books that subtly deal with ancient crafts, divine femininity and cats. Yes, cats.

Creft – Witchcraft Still a Taboo

This term is used by social media witches who perhaps aren’t too at home revealing their skillset and adhere to the online mantra you sometimes rea, “keep your witchy mouth shut!”. Should they worry or should we worry? We weren’t particularly stupid as humans when the witch trials happened. Not only that, it went on in multiple countries and was lead by a number of very different variations of Christianity who didn’t listen to the other as they considered them possible heretics. There was no email, no telephones and they weren’t unified in any way but they all trusted it was very dangerous witchcraft they were expelling when these trials went forward. For years my small understanding that I only heard incidentally was that they got it very wrong, used silly tests like “If she drowns then she isn’t a witch, if she survives she is and we burn her”. These trials went on at a time when justice systems were formed, industrialisation had started and although life and times were harder, people were decent. Let’s not overlook that in India they certainly do believe in the divine feminine, scary as she is in the Goddess Kali.

Kraft – Fairuza Balk in The Craft

Kraft is a lesser used term, most likely because it’s the name of a large food company but it fits within the esoteric canon. One event that stuck out for me in this large but quiet saga was the 1996 Movie, The Craft featuring Kabbalist actress and expert Wicca practitioner Fairuza Balk. This movie put a seal on the term and as a movie it was both shocking and realistic. The research completed for the movie and the team involved knew their craft.

Dictionary Definitions of Craft

craft (n.)
Old English cræft (West Saxon, Northumbrian), -creft (Kentish), “power, physical strength, might,” from Proto-Germanic *krab-/*kraf- (source also of Old Frisian kreft, Old High German chraft, German Kraft “strength, skill;” Old Norse kraptr “strength, virtue”). The ultimate etymology is uncertain.

Sense expanded in Old English to include “skill, dexterity; art, science, talent” (via a notion of “mental power”), which led by late Old English to the meaning “trade, handicraft, employment requiring special skill or dexterity,” also “something built or made.” The word still was used for “might, power” in Middle English.

Use for “small boat” is first recorded 1670s, probably from a phrase similar to vessels of small craft and referring either to the trade they did or the seamanship they required, or perhaps it preserves the word in its original sense of “power.”

craft (v.)

Old English cræftan “to exercise a craft; to build,” from the same source as craft (n.). Meaning “to make skilfully” is from early 15c., obsolete from 16c., but revived by 1954, largely in U.S. advertising and commercial senses. Related: Crafted; crafting.

If anyone cares to solve this for me then I would be grateful.