Thanks for all that @Tanga.  I'll read and digest it later ...I have a gutter cleaner here just now, and I'll need to keep an eye on him.  By the way, apparently you can't edit a journal response ...as I discovered!  🙂

Yeah, one of my aunts was sometimes seen as a witch when she was clearly not, just because she was reading cards.

I think media is confused as to how to dspict anyone mysterious or magical without using tarot. Tarot is whatr most people know by name at least.

4 hours ago, Arania said:

Yeah, one of my aunts was sometimes seen as a witch when she was clearly not, just because she was reading cards.

 

I think media is confused as to how to dspict anyone mysterious or magical without using tarot. Tarot is whatr most people know by name at least.

So you mean, your Aunt was seen as a witch in a traditional negative sense by your community (whatever that may be exactly in your area of the world), and the neopagan idea of "witch" - is not known or accepted.

Confusion is not just in the media - there is a huge bank of definitions to choose from for "witch". Witchcraft has an extremely long history.

And modern neopagans "reclaimed" the term "witch" in an effort to change it's deep routed negative definitions.

(Ofcourse, in many places (not so modern yet) openly reclaiming "witch"  will get you stoned or other such treatments.

Here are some of the myriad views on "Witch":

- Old English wicca (masculine), wicce (feminine), wiccian (verb); current senses of the verb are probably a shortening of bewitch.

- The word "witchcraft' undoubtedly derives from Anglo-Saxon wiccecraeft just as "witch" derives from the related noun wick, signifying a female worker of that "craft" (plural wiccen) and wicca, meaning a male one (plural wicca).

- while ancient Greek does not have a word that directly translates as "witch", it does have "pharmacies" (someone who gives out drugs or medicine), , "adios" (singer, enchantress) and "graus" or "graia" (old woman).

***  And Tarot of course - because it purports to give life answers or solutions by mystical means that possibly circumvent's a recognised Christian 'God' (or other) - is of course "evil" - therefore, it can only be used by "evil witches".

All these things... and the a picture painted as white or black instead of seeing the elaborate bigger grey picture - boils down to ignorance.

And how can we solve that?  - Globally? 🧐  

1 hour ago, Tanga said:

So you mean, your Aunt was seen as a witch in a traditional negative sense by your community

Mostly yes. Very Christian oriented community with little tolerance for anything else. There were non-christians of course but their idea about what a tarot reader does wasn't in any way better. And it wasn't even a rural community.

We're looking into why there are editing problems after posting a comment on blogs currently 🙂

Just tossing out a few ideas.

I wonder if the word 'witch' could be transformed into 'worker.'  He/she is a something-'worker.'  'Worker' would imply a craft or skill that must be learned and maintained, but depending on the 'something' word could be any number of things.

Does this person just study nature, via personal experience and knowledge acquired from many sources, and do the kinds of things a herbalist might do?  This person could be a 'Herbal Worker' or something similar ...without negative (or gender) connotations. Or does this person attempt to create a bridge between our world and different realms?  Does this person connect with ancestors?  Does this person try to influence outcomes via spells and rituals?

I think we definitely need new terms, and maybe a diversity of them, to cover all aspects of non-linear ritual, study, skill, and power.

I'll preface this comment by saying that I'm not really qualified to speak on this subject as I'm very new to the world of working with magic and with traditional practices, although I'm very interested and I have definitely opened the door for myself. Plus this applies to those beliefs that have an active practice, as it were, I appreciate that not all of them do.

But as I was reading what everyone has to say it struck me that what's happening here is crafting, many variations of a belief that we can learn and use our skill and intention to in part form the things available to us (both tangible and intangible) into something new, or something different. A reciprocal relationship where we are empowered to be an active part in our relationship to what's around us. Of course I realise the word craft also roots into ideas of the Wiccan Craft and witchcraft. 

And then I read @Chariot's post and found myself nodding along. If a person feels that an existing label fits their practise and beliefs best, if they feel that that's where they 'belong', and they potentially wish to reclaim a label from issues of the past, then that's powerful. There are also those that of course have deeply rooted traditional and ancestral practices, they will carry the names for who they are and what they do with them. But, others might not know where to fit themselves and that's part of what makes this conversation so interesting.

I personally have, almost by accident so far, found that certain things I have done have had results that I can't readily explain. I feel like I'm being guided towards a place where I form a craft for myself and have that empowered, reciprocal relationship. Crafting, or working, feel like very apt ways of describing that process. Like I said I'm only just on the first part of my journey so it's too early to really say, but would I ultimately call myself a witch? I'm not sure, there's something about the name that doesn't quite fit. I'd like to believe that it has nothing to do with its complex history, but can we ever really escape it?

One of my mentors called herself an 'Esoteric Hermetic' and have grown to think of myself by that term, but have found most people don't know what I'm talking about when I reference it.  I've taken to calling myself Pagan and inevitably people come back with 'oh you're Wiccan' which is so untrue.  The thing is, it is easier to let people believe they know what I mean rather have the long conversation about what I actually do mean when I say that I am an Esoteric Hermetic Witch.  

First there had to be a consensus among practices of alternative religions as to what they want to be called and that can be difficult.

I often wonder what I am?  I'm not a Christian or practitioner of any one faith.  I have labeled myself as heathen because I'm a non-believer.  Yet that carries such because connotations to other--I just  consider myself as spiritual if someone else were to ask, but it's difficult when you don't know your own mind at times or where you fit in. 

How about metaphysical technician?

That's a good one.  I'm have to think it over. 

Benebell Wen has used the phrase " independent metaphysician".

3 hours ago, Glenn said:

Benebell Wen has used the phrase " independent metaphysician".

I like that one!💖 It hits for me.

Then again ... WE get it ... but mainstream folk?

I think people would ask what it meant, but it's nothing that would  come up in a conversation. 

"Independent Metaphysician"..........

GO BENEBELL!  Lol.

"The Craft" is already a name for Wicca/Witchcraft.

@Tom - in the neopagan world a heathen is someone who follows the/a Norse Tradition.

"Esoteric Hermetic".....

🤓  "Hail Hermes, Herald of Skies!  come swiftly,

Guide us all to greater wisdom in our lives.

Bring us peace here - and on our journey to the afterlife.

God of boundaries and laughter, give us the gift of always finding lightness of heart, when times are hard."

Well... that's where I went with that one.  🤔

I  had a client this week who when I mentioned Wicca said - is that a word or a contraction for something?

Lol.        What does it mean?...