Men and women, boys and girls generally form their first impressions of witches form fairy tales, book, movies and even musicals. “Wicked’ is one of the most successful Broadway shows ever, exploring the tropes of witch dynamics and interpersonal witch relationships. “The Wizard of Oz”, a fable seen  by billions,  has a stereotype witch, with green skin and a black pointy hat and gnarled fingers. Repulsive to look at, with a scary voice, and threatening to our heroine, the Wicked Witch of the West was Hollywood’ conception of a fairy tale trope for the big screen.

A witch dress turns away for the “princess’ cut and becomes something else. Dark, dark dark fabric and trim, dark boots or shoes, a dark hat and rough or messy hair complete the witch dress up costume. Robes, hoods, and capes, pointy hats and accessories like rope belts and chatelaine keyrings complete the witch concept. Witches putatively have dungeons that hold prisoners and the rope can be dyed black or left plain.

Enchantment is a big part of a witch lifestyle and spells and rituals need props and accessories to complete the full witch dress. Witch rites, witch lore, and witch ancestral traditions make TV series like “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” popular everywhere. A witch dress can be set off by a crystal pendant, a stuffed cat, or a fake bulbous nose with a wart on it. The witch dress itself can be very plain or elaborate and ornate with additional tailoring and luxury features.

The witch dress can carry the lines from a specific period or follow an artist’s conception of a Gothic horror look. Flowing dresses with long sleeves, wisps of streaming tulle, airy black gauze, curious charm jewelry, dark colored witchy looks with hats and a head-to-toe dark look are commonly termed “witchy” by observers. Witch dress costumes may be accompanied by wands, cats, bats, or brooms. Cats are familiar, animals who help witches communicate with the spirit world. Bats, spiders, and cobwebs may be part of the witch dress for a Halloween costume look.

Movies like “Enchanted” and “The Witches of Eastwick” show us that witches are far from pagan exiles of modern central culture.  Films like “Hocus Pocus” relate the comic fun and holiday mock terror associated with the culture of witches in the American pop culture. The Disney version witches from “Sleeping Beauty” and ‘Snow White” color the imaginations of countless filmgoers around the world forever.

Witches in America are folkloric fables embraced for their specialness, holiday scariness, and magical potential. The dark origins of Hallow’s Eve and Druidic rituals have been replaced by modern vegetarian Wiccans and the savvy splendor of silver witch themed jewelry. Today’s witch may not dress in black, but the concept of a witch costume will always have a classic form with black coloring, a medieval or Renaissance folkloric cut, and important props like a wand, pointy hat, broomstick or charms and crystals.

by Murry Hope

The roots of Druid Magic and Northeastern Europe, especially Ireland and the United Kingdom as its historical core is emphasized in this book. A fanciful celebration of both folk myth and Celtic cultural history, the appearance of “vulgar” red haired Boudicaa to a Roman writer is compared to impression of overdecorated and vain Celts on their immediate neighbors.The comic-book Druid here is less a caricature than a fleshed out mythic character made real.

But Practical Celtic Magic, A Working Guide to the Magical Heritage does not stoop to any audience. Preteens may be as young as can understand some of literary and historical ideas outlined here. The writings of Plutarch and Polybius blend with folk songs and historical half-legend. There is a depth to this writing that is absorbing and suitable t an imaginative reader able to grasp (or look up) more complicated words and themes.

Although Hope paints her Celts as hedonistic and war-loving, their status as historical contemporaries of the Romans positions them in counterpoint to the polytheism of the day. Druids were powerful and administrators of justice, and their observance of Celtic religious rituals absolute. Irish mythological sources and the Welsh tradition bring many intriguing folk tales to light.

Practical Celtic Magic, A Working Guide to the Magical Heritage makes the runic world of ancient Ireland come alive with Arthurian grails and singing stones. These icons are the fabric behind the figures seen in classic Celtic fairy drawings and illustrations. Eddic Literature and connection to the emerging Christian tradition bridges the historical time of the Druids to the Enlightenment and then the New World. These Celtic traditions are the wellspring from “which” the witchcraft lore begins.

It’s unusual to think of Celtic Christianity and God but the entire Celtic ideal incorporates totemic symbolism of the horse with early Christian influences. The fantasy of bards and druids, trees and fairies is almost the cornerstone of literary works from British authors like C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Not many people worry about splitting hairs between Celtic witch deities and Aryan ones, but the elements are well investigated and described. The Arthurian legends and Taliesin(Merlin) and Celtic trees are also touched on. This book fairly well describes the birth pangs of modern Wicca.

Wicca,  A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, is by Scott Cunningham and includes his Book of Shadows in the text. This book is a very read-friendly primer that lightly touches on basic themes of Wicca like invocation and Mirror Books and Meditations. Recipes like Beltane custard and combinations of incense make for intriguing reading ad craft projects.

Wicca, A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, has an herbal bent which picks up the botanical note cherished by vegetative Wiccans. Ritual Design and Self-Dedication are important parts of the Wiccan practice and the history stories of these rituals allow for some light breadth of the myths and lore. Mixtures of oils and ritual chants allow the casual practitioner to enjoy the mystic culture of Wicca for themselves.

Wicca A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner is good reading for a young adult or mature person who can handle the obvious moral themes and decisions involved.

This book contains a very positive energy. While some witchcraft books have a somber and suggestive note, this one reads more like a self-help book out of depression with a few cheery spells and charts. How do ancient omens, portents and charms play into this? One learns in A Witche’s Grimoire about tamulets and hex signs and other witchly traditions. But the spheres of influence and the other themes in this book are not for children.

The readership for the book A Witche’s Grimoire should be an adult. Some of the phrasing will not be understood in or out of context by today’s young readers. This book illustrates in part why so many “new’ witch books are so popular (and why so many of them are being written). Magic Money Balance and other concepts as written here seem more entertaining than serious.

The devotees of Wicca will embrace this book, while others will find it heavy sledding. There are many anecdotal stories included which have the feel of a get-rich-quick advertisement. Some of the claimed religious and spiritual totems were described as having qualities or characteristics I do not believe.  Do people wear rings as safeguarding devices to control the flow of energy out of the body? Do belt buckles guard the solar plexus from negative energy?

The connection of inpourings of money and fair fortune connected to placement of amulets in a courtroom has a “magical belief system” warning over it, or should have. Any book that connects the wearing of jewelry and chanting directly to $100,000 reads like a phony sales pitch. The anecdotal scenarios seem to guarantee getting the man you love if you can send him the right necklace or crystal.

The transliteration of the device and amulets and personal fortune devices like rings is interesting. This is because there are people among who who are stalwart in their beliefs regarding the power of these objects and live their lives that way. But highly suggestible people may find this book somewhat persuasive to a case not yet proven. The use of rings, charms, and amulets to actually influence others is a mystical practice not actually demonstrated to work.

If you have a chance grab the Disney Store Halloween Craft book at bookstores and drugstores now. Full of the cutest crafts and some of them are using recycling items. There is a witch slammed against a tree you can build, and many cute party foods like brain (frosting) cupcakes and icky zomby fingers (string cheese sticks with green pepper “fingernails”). The picture shows flour dough ghosts and paper bags twisted into the shape of trees.

Don’t forget to get your makeup ahead of time, and get enough makeup and plan ahead for time with it to experiment.  Have fun seeing how creepy, scary or weird you can look. Ask parents or siblings for advice with how you’ll wear it on the big night. Take notes on how you apply it, you’ll want to remember the best way later!

Is makeup too garish? With a stark black costume, makeup and effects will really stand out. If you feel shy about wearing witch makeup, blot with baby powder. Try makeup “rehearsals” with the costume on. Take pictures along the way. You’ll see how rubbed down makeup looks faded with the costume on.

Not sure about wearing full witch makeup? Even a forehead “wound” with red blood or both eyelids painted with solid eyeshadow will be enough drama for the big night. Draw an outline to blood “stains” with lip liner. Heavy black eyebrows can be drawn in. Gold or silver hoop earrings work too.

No money for makeup? Try this:

Homemade Witch Dress Halloween Makeup:

Ingredients:

* Popsicle sticks or coffee stirrers(or plastic forks)
* Few small sprinkles of baby powder
* 2 Tbsp cornstarch
* 1 Tbsp solid shortening Crisco/baby oil)
* 1 Red /1 Yellow or 1 Blue or 2 Green food color drops

This paste can be thinned out with mineral oil (baby oil) if it gets gloppy. Some recipes suggest using Crisco, which is fine unless you have sensitive skin. Corn syrup and peanut butter can be used but these attract flies and ants, too much bother and not recommended.

Note: Glue should be used for prosthetics only, it blocks pores and skin aspiration when it dries and can be toxic to skin. Fake noses and chins might held on with elastic, too. Never use glue or any product other than mascara near eyes. Don’t use kitchen items that look like the right color, ask an adult first.

Prosthetics/Effects

For grisly vampire-type witches, red “blood” may be dripping from mouth, etc. Oatmeal mixed with red food coloring makes zombie witch gore that can be papier mache’d to the face in layers. Use glue in corresponding areas between fake noses and chins, and natural cornstarch mixture on skin.

An EYEPATCH makes an excellent witch dress-up accessory. You can make one by taping black felt and gluing it onto a black ribbon, or taking a piece of black elastic and sewing or stapling it to make a headband. Cover with velcro or use a velcro fastener to close the elastic strap. If the eyepatch band elastic is long enough, you can tie it in the back and hide it under long hair.

Witch makeup from stores can be sheer and sparkly, like a lip gloss or liquid blush, or deep toned makeup like the green or blue skin makeup from movies.

For a sheer ace makeup, use a lip gloss with extra glitter added on forehead, cheeks and chin if no solid color witch makeup is desired. Use a gray eyeliner to draw “wrinkled” on forehead, nose, chin and from corner of nostrils to end of mouth. Blend each line equally into makeup.