Reclaiming the word Warlock

I personally never understood the whole issue over male Witches using the word Warlock to describe themselves. I personally like the term an I do not see anything wrong with using it whatsoever although their are some who may take offense to the use of the term. I believe that Witchcraft is not a one size fits all way of life and their are many ways to practice it regardless what you may read in most of the modern day books on The Craft. Keep in mind that A CRAFT IS NOT A RELIGION and you can practice the art of Witchcraft without the Gods or Goddesses and I know some who do.

If the word Warlock does mean oath breaker (which I do not think it does) Then the only oath I have broken is my connection with the Christian church and it's teaching because in my opinion their philosophy goes against nature were as I live in harmony with nature. For me the Gods and Goddess are representations of the forces of nature and they appear to us through what Jung called the archetypes of the collective unconscious. I do not believe in a heaven or a hell and if that makes me a traitor against Christian dogma then SO MOTE IT BE.

If woman can reclaim the word WITCH then men can reclaim the word WARLOCK. Why because it represents the male mysteries. My dad use to go hunting every year around deer season, he would disappear for about two weeks and at the time I didn't understand what he was doing but I did enjoy the food he would bring home after the hunt. Later on in life as I began to study Paganism/Witchcraft and the male mysteries, I began to understand that hunting and gathering is part of the male mysteries and if you think you are truly making a connection with nature by living in the big city and never going out to the woods you are sadly mistaken. Hunting is a big part of the male mysteries and it is something that I now embrace. I tried being a vegetarian at one point in my life but after I had a conversation with Ted Nugent I began to eat meat again (thanks Ted).

Note: I will have to tell you guys that story one day.

Most Wiccans hate the term Warlock and never use it which is fine with me because I see Wicca as just another form of Witchcraft and if they choose to not use it then it's their prerogative but their are those within the community that embrace the term.

Here's my definition of a Warlock

1. One who thinks for himself and challenges authority.

2. One who breaks away from traditional dogmas of the church and from dogma that are part of fundamentalist thinking. (That goes for Christians and the magical community as well.)

3. One who explores the male mysteries from Hunting to studying Martial Arts, it's all apart of making a connection with nature.

4. A Warlock is a male Witch

So in closing I believe that no one owns the copyright on the word WITCH or WARLOCK, if you are one or the other claim it, and think for yourself, don't bow down to the thought police because they are not looking out for your best interests anyway.

Love is the Law: Merlin

The Following is from an e-mail I received from MstrMacabre in regards to reclaiming the word Warlock. Enjoy

Hope everyone's Yule was grand!

I'm currently sending the following request to many in the Wiccan/Pagan Community in an effort to not only reclaim the term 'Warlock' for we 'Male Practitioners' (of which I must say has spread over the Internet like the proverbial wildfire these last few years) but also to dispel the rather blatant (in my personal opinion) misrepresented (for far too many years now) term of Warlock.

I present the following excerpts from an article I originally wrote a few years ago (as well as my other friends who have since reclaimed the term 'Warlock') in order to illustrate my point.

RECLAIMING THE WORD WARLOCK!

Much like the term "Wicca" which comes from the root term "Wicce" and means "to bend," or "to shape." NOT "The Wise" or "Wise Ones" that has been continuously circulated around the Metaphysical Community by many misinformed Wiccans and Neo-Pagans for years, the word Warlock has befallen the same gross misrepresentation.

Contrary to current popular belief, it does NOT mean an "Oath-Breaker" in "Scottish" as again many Neo-Pagans and Wiccan's love to tell you (which they get from the Old English and later Colonial Wytch Hunter's jargon) but in fact it is a derivative from the High German word "Ward-lokkur" (BTW...W is pronounced V in german) meaning "Spell-Caster" for Enchanter or Sorcerer, much the same as the German word "Hexen" which just means "Wytch" or the Old English "Wizard!" It is generally applied to a "Male Wytch" who practices some form of Magick usually in the Nature of Conjuration or Sorcery....thus, the reason for it's application as a definition for the Male gendered Witch in "Pop Culture" society today!

As "RuneWolf" says in his article "Warlock: The Other 'W-Word" of which ECHOS my own feelings on the matter...

"Matthew Sandow speculates that what we think of as Witchcraft might originally have involved both Male and Female Mysteries, and that much of what we think of as "Wicca" today descends predominantly from the Female Mysteries. The Male Mysteries, on the other hand, would have had more to do with hunting and warfare, and that the "War" in "Warlock" refers to just that - the Way of the Warrior and the arts of "battle-magic," as exemplified by the ulfhednar and berserkers. This only further enthralls me, as I consider myself to practice a "Warrior" Tradition of the Craft, and have long felt the need for a specific term for "Warrior Witch." Given the possible history of the word, "Warlock" seems to fit that bill quite nicely!

"Warlock" also has a somewhat darker connotation than the now-popular definition of "Witch," and that applies to me as well. The whole issue of what constitutes "Dark Paganism" has been addressed by better writers than I, and whilst I won't rehash any of it here, if you tend to dismiss Dark Paganism as an aberration, I suggest that you do a little research. After all, that's one of the first suggestions we make to Christians who try to inflict their stereotypes and misconceptions on us.

And finally, I have to admit to a little rebelliousness in choosing to be known as a Warlock. In many ways it's just my way of saying, "Go ahead - tell me I can't." My personal definition of "Warlock" could be summed up as "Male Witch - With Attitude." It has its own, in-your-face kind of mystique that I find endearing.

Many years ago, my teacher gave me some good advice, and that was to use anything in the practice of my Craft that helped me to "feel Witchier." Ironically, "Warlock" does that for me.
"
---RuneWolf.