Witches normally conjur up images of old hags flying on broomsticks, wearing black hats and capes accompanied by black cats and mixing spells in cauldrons. This is the fairytale version. In reality, people have been persecuted for centuries for practicing the art of magic and some were executed for being witches just for living alone or just being different.
The word "Witchcraft" comes from the Old English word "wiccian". Wiccian means the practice of sorcery. There is actually a difference between witchcraft and sorcery. Witchcraft is a religion reflecting religious philosophy and culture whereas sorcery is the practice of magic, curses and spells. This can take the form of simple herbalism to the use of wax images and elaborate spells. However, the term witchcraft is widely used now in both religion and sorcery.
The practice of witchcraft goes back for centuries and dates back to pre-Christian pagan origins. Witchcraft was a way of explaining and understanding mankind's origins on earth, the rising and setting of the sun, movements of the moon and other forces of nature. Early man depended on this for his survival.
Modern witchcraft is a spirituality which strives to seek harmony with nature. Witches are no longer seen as the evil which was depicted during the witch hunt era. Today, witches seek relationships with the natural world.