Witchcraft has always been a part of the healing arts. In the earliest times healers used herbs and auras, hands and minds in addition to physical surgery and manipulations to cure diseases and heal the sick.
The ancient methods fell out of favor as medicine advanced and the methods to use herbs, auras, hands, and mind/body/spirit went unused.
Today the ancient methods are all coming back into favor. These older and often safer methods are having a rebirth as more and more people turn to the Pagan religions and many Christians are also returning to the old ways of healing.
Take one look into any old magickal grimoire from any land or culture and you will find a preponderance of spells and charms.
These have survived through the years of persecution because they were spells that worked so the people refused to let go of them even under threat of death.
Witches have always been healers. Some are more gifted than others, but it remains one of our most basic practices. They know how to raise and direct healing energies, and which herbs and plants can be distilled into medicines to back up these magickal efforts.
They are part of the universal power that animates all life. Knowing how to manipulate them, coupled with a commitment to the ethical use of will, makes the only difference between so-called white and black magick.
Pagan ethics teach us that all people are responsible for their own well-being. Once we do fall ill, we have the right to decide for ourselves whether we will accept healing treatments, what kind, for how long, and from whom.
It has always been a Pagan custom to obtain a person’s express permission for a healing ritual to take place. Anything less is a violation of free will, a slap on the face of our Rede.
One of the great “mysteries” of the Craft is that the energy with which you heal is not your own so it doesn’t wear you out, take your strength, or put you at risk of getting the same illness you are trying to drive out.
We are merely a channel or medium, a means of focusing and directing the power. Like the energy used in spellwork the energies raised for healing are drawn from either Mother Earth or the universal diver.
As with any magickal operation, healing is work, and it takes effort to make it happen.You know you have expended effort so you are a bit fatigued but are also invigorated.
Healing magick can be done from a remote place. This is called ABSENT HEALING and is a method of sending healing energy to a person at a distance.
The easiest method of healing is LAYING ON OF HANDS. This custom is almost as old as humanity itself and the practice can be found in almost all spiritual systems. Having the person who needs the healing present is the most direct way to heal. The visualizations can be backed up with the hands-on effort that always make the healing energies stronger.
Healing rituals can and should be tailored to meet the needs of the person who is sick.
One final thing that must be done after a healing is to give yourself total health clearance. This not only reinforces the healing magic in yourself but also makes sure that you don’t temporarily assume some of the symptoms even though you can’t catch the illness itself.