How Many Here Consider Themselves Witches or....

[GreatDane]

identify as one, whether or not they call themselves that?  And anything they care to share with whatever their practice is.  I am happy to answer any questions about what I do or don't do.

 

While I do various things that perhaps those who consider themselves witches do, I don't call myself one.  I suppose Wise Woman in Training might be more apt :-).

 

I work with energy in various ways, focus on intentions, but I don't do certain rituals by a book or belong to a coven.  Maybe a solitary energy practitioner?  I have worked with energy with another person on a Ridding (house with some BAD vibes).  But mainly I just work with intention, focus, energy and do it alone and my own rituals or variations of rituals I have read.

 

ANYONE else wish to share about their practice?  If they identify as anything in particular?  Work alone?  Would love to hear what others do, whether they consider it witchy or just their own thing.  Their favorite rituals, what they have found that works or doesn't?

 

 

[Symph]

I consider myself a Mystic and I am comfortable with the title "Magician".  I like it even 😄 I however do acknowledge that there are many out there who would say I was involved in Witchcraft and therefore a Witch and my feelings on that are a little complicated.  As I understand it, Witch is a word that means different things to different people, and it would seem that in the past it was used as a horrendous slur that carried so much weight people were put to death over it.  I understand that many of these people who were labeled this and put to death did not consider themselves witches.  Because of this, because we are their ancestors in many cases, I understand the desire to take back that word and in some ways I support that.  

 

However I also believe that there is still a strong stigma against this word.  People fear it and many automatically assume to own such a word makes you evil.  I do not agree with those judgements, but I don't wish to fall under them either.  That's why I just can't call myself a witch the idea makes me too uncomfortable and it's too opposed to the belief system I came out of but still in many ways hold true.  I cannot say the word "witch" and feel I'm talking about a person of love, light, and truth, even though I know that many witches are exactly those qualities inside.  There's still too much negativity attached to it in my mind.  

I am open to meeting more witches though, hearing more perspectives, and who knows how I will feel in the future.  Words are words, magic is magic, I do magic, whatever else people call me is their perception, nothing more.  

Edited November 5, 2019 by Symph

[GreatDane]

Great points, Symph.  We are who we are, we do what we do, and people will call it what they will.  I know who I am and feel no need to really label myself.  But like you mentioned, I also do things people might consider witchy or witches or wiccans may do something similar.

 

I work with energy, really at the base of everything, don't we all in one way or another?  Intention, energy, focus, the rest  just tools, words we use, rituals we use to focus our intentions.

 

Being older and someone who just likes wearing black (no, I'm not Goth at all, just always loved black, so live in black jeans, black turtlenecks, black boots, long flowing blue or purple scarves) and being considered perhaps a bit different now that I live in Small Town Midwest after living in big cities like L. A,,  I still don't think anyone sees me as witchy :-).  Of course I don't tell everyone I read tarot or Lenormand.  It doesn't exactly come up in conversation.  While we have at least two or three tattoo parlors, we have nothing remotely occult re shops.  IN FACT, our library keeps ANY witchy, occult type books BEHIND their customer help desk because people kept checking them out to destroy them!  Getting a picture?

 

BUT it is a college town and not all are close-minded.  It's just that there are not a lot of people into the things I am into and as I am a Solitary, I see no point of just bringing the subject up out of the blue.  The big things here are quilting and bridge (when I first moved here, THOSE were the two questions I was asked as soon as I joined a book club, do you quilt?  Do you play bridge?  No and no, so that didn't exactly bring me into the fold).  There are quite a few free thinkers, academics, but even there, most people just don't really get the energy thing.

 

   

[katrinka]

I'm a card reader.
And while I have no problem throwing a little hoodoo at something when I have no other recourse, I don't call myself a witch.
That's just me. You can do witchcraft, you can do Sabbats and Esbats, whatever...but it's not inextricably tied to reading cards. Likewise, I fall back on magical thinking when at wit's end. We all need our "invisible means of support". (I'll do hoodoo for clients, too, but when I get out of my depth, I refer them to Madame Nadia)
I think it's important to separate the two. It's gotten to the point that Tarot is considered "Wiccan" and most of the ephemera like bags and spread cloths available have pentacles, triple moons, and triskeles on them. Ironic, when you consider that most popular Tarots are RWS based, and both Waite and PCS were Christians.
Reading Tarot, Lenormand, playing cards, etc. is just that...reading cards.
 

[Symph]

 

3 hours ago, katrinka said:

I'm a card reader.
And while I have no problem throwing a little hoodoo at something when I have no other recourse, I don't call myself a witch.
That's just me. You can do witchcraft, you can do Sabbats and Esbats, whatever...but it's not inextricably tied to reading cards. Likewise, I fall back on magical thinking when at wit's end. We all need our "invisible means of support". (I'll do hoodoo for clients, too, but when I get out of my depth, I refer them to Madame Nadia)
I think it's important to separate the two. It's gotten to the point that Tarot is considered "Wiccan" and most of the ephemera like bags and spread cloths available have pentacles, triple moons, and triskeles on them. Ironic, when you consider that most popular Tarots are RWS based, and both Waite and PCS were Christians.
Reading Tarot, Lenormand, playing cards, etc. is just that...reading cards.
 

Yes there is something very tangible about reading cards.  I still can't figure it out cause on the one hand... it seems personal.  Like I'm interfacing with a higher intelligence.  But on the other hand... it's not... it seems very much... of me.. from me.. just me. It's hard to explain but... card reading is not what I thought it was that's for sure.  The sense of "Anyone can do this..."  is very present.  So what's witchy about using a skill everyone that everyone has...

[Blasianpersuasion]

I definitely consider myself a witch just not the mainstream hocus pocus kind LMAO

[katrinka]

2 hours ago, Symph said:

The sense of "Anyone can do this..."  is very present.  So what's witchy about using a skill everyone that everyone has...

Anyone can do it if they invest the necessary years of study and practice. Most don't.

Edited November 6, 2019 by katrinka

[Decan]

Madame Nadia looks terrible, she makes me scared! 😲

Edited November 6, 2019 by Decan

[Saturn Celeste]

13 hours ago, katrinka said:

I'm a card reader.
And while I have no problem throwing a little hoodoo at something when I have no other recourse, I don't call myself a witch.

This is me also!  I have done a few rituals in my life but never called myself a witch.  I am a card reader and that is what I want to be known as.  Before I started to read the tarot though, in the small town I lived in people thought I might have been a witch but I never professed to be one.  Just small town gossip. 😉 I tend more to the psychic end of the line anyway.  I don't say I'm psychic, I say I'm intuitive.  What I do doesn't stem from visions, it comes from within.  Card reader suits me just fine! 😊

[Birchwind]

I called myself a witch in my early 30's when I was a student in a Gardnerian coven and then went on after my 2nd degree to hive off and have our own coven. But then as I learned more and integrated more paths --- esoteric Christianity, Gnosticism, Judaism, modern Druidry etc.... it just felt too limiting. As mentioned by @Symph most called 'witches' were not. It was a derogatory term. I then went to use the term Wiccan for a while, from the whole 'to bend' meanings that they say it may be from... but again I'm not sure if I liked those terms just because of some inner ego thing to be 'on the fringe' and different or if it rang true. (or maybe it DID ring true at the time)

Since then I have learned that many spiritual paths use herbal healing, prayer/energy work, etc and that it's really to me just a natural way to live. Whether I am embracing my Jewish roots, or doing my OBOD work, or attending my local Anglican church. 

So long story short, I don't call myself a witch anymore. I am at core a Christian who works with the energies of the Divine in the world, whether it be herbs, prayer, ritual.... sometimes I am in church or my prayer space having an esoteric experience. And sometimes I am at a potluck or seasonal druidcraft celebration having an esoteric experience. Sometimes my Christianity is more Gnostic in appearance, and sometimes it is more Earth-Based in appearance... it often just depends on whatever 'glasses' I am wearing at the time when I view the world and my life around me. 

 

[Symph]

1 minute ago, Birchwind said:

 

Since then I have learned that many spiritual paths use herbal healing, prayer/energy work, etc and that it's really to me just a natural way to live. Whether I am embracing my Jewish roots, or doing my OBOD work, or attending my local Anglican church. 

 

 

I really resonated with a lot of what you just said, but this right here ^^   I don't like how shocking and serious "witch" sounds, when often times all that it means is a person who is in tune with the natural world around them and uses it to their advantage.  Isn't that how everyone should just be?  I don't like throwing such a loaded word at such a natural way of life.  

[Saturn Celeste]

11 minutes ago, Symph said:

I don't like throwing such a loaded word at such a natural way of life.

That is a lovely thought, Symph!

[katrinka]

11 hours ago, Decan said:

Madame Nadia looks terrible, she makes me scared! 😲

You're kidding, right? Nadia's smokin'. https://www.instagram.com/madame_nadia/

And nothing to be scared of...if you don't p*ss her off. Muaa hahaha.

I like Nadia. But I don't refer people to her because she's a friend, I have a lot of friends. I refer people to her because she's a competent reader and she knows her spellwork stuff.

She's on a lot of these broadcasts. check it out. https://www.blogtalkradio.com/luckymojohoodoorootworkhour/2019/10/20/lucky-mojo-hoodoo-rootwork-hour-moon-magic-w-madame-nadia-of-airr-on-102019

[katrinka]

6 hours ago, Symph said:

I really resonated with a lot of what you just said, but this right here ^^   I don't like how shocking and serious "witch" sounds, when often times all that it means is a person who is in tune with the natural world around them and uses it to their advantage.  Isn't that how everyone should just be?  I don't like throwing such a loaded word at such a natural way of life.  

Some people use it for shock value: "Hi, I'm so-and-so. Imma witch. *stares and waits for a reaction*" LOL.
"Witch" is an odd word. It's kind of a catch-all for magical practitioners, but some cultures find it objectionable. I certainly wouldn't call a Native holy man a "witch". It's a nebulous, imprecise word that means different things to different people. I could post the OED definition here and people would disagree. So I just avoid it, for the most part.

Edited November 6, 2019 by katrinka

[Decan]

4 hours ago, katrinka said:

You're kidding, right? Nadia's smokin'. https://www.instagram.com/madame_nadia/

And nothing to be scared of...if you don't p*ss her off. Muaa hahaha.

I like Nadia. But I don't refer people to her because she's a friend, I have a lot of friends. I refer people to her because she's a competent reader and she knows her spellwork stuff.

She's on a lot of these broadcasts. check it out. https://www.blogtalkradio.com/luckymojohoodoorootworkhour/2019/10/20/lucky-mojo-hoodoo-rootwork-hour-moon-magic-w-madame-nadia-of-airr-on-102019

Lol yes, I'm kidding! 😀

I try to understand Hoodoo tradition, it's a recent interest and it seems to work well with me. I read regularly their forum and the radio is bookmarked too!

Actually Madame Nadia is a reputed Root Doctor!

[Symph]

8 hours ago, katrinka said:

Some people use it for shock value: "Hi, I'm so-and-so. Imma witch. *stares and waits for a reaction*" LOL.
"Witch" is an odd word. It's kind of a catch-all for magical practitioners, but some cultures find it objectionable. I certainly wouldn't call a Native holy man a "witch". It's a nebulous, imprecise word that means different things to different people. I could post the OED definition here and people would disagree. So I just avoid it, for the most part.

Yeah while I don't ACTUALLY want to be called a witch, I grasp the appeal.  I've even flirted with the idea of identifying that way just because.. I dunno it's like, after realizing how lied to I really was all my life, after realizing how silly people's fear mongering and superstitions are, how backwards it all is, and how frustrating it is to meet so much opposition while just searching for truth, after all I've been through busting through my programming it does almost make you wanna go up to some religious conservative and be like "Hi I'm a witch and I love Jesus too!  Wanna be FRIIIIENDSSSS?????"  LMAOOOO  Cause you know they'd take you seriously, they'd just hear the words and go "EEEEVILLL!!!! RUN AWAYY!!!!!"  So yeah... I really do get the appeal. 

[devin]

In ages past the name witch seems to have always denoted a malevolent magical practitioner.... with benevolent practitioners being called something else. So the term has been somewhat reclaimed or re purposed by contemporary pagans, hasn't it? 

 

Oh, and Madame Nadia rocks.

 

------------------------------------------------------

 

[GreatDane]

A rose by any other name?   I do what I do.  I don't call myself or what I do anything other that what it is.  I think those who don't do or understand what some of us do, whether reading cards, doing certain rituals, working with energy, might likely think of that as witchcraft.  In my case, I don't.  But know some people in covens who definitely think of what they do as witchcraft.  Again, a rose by any other name.  

I was just wondering who considers themselves as witch, Wise Woman, whatever and who works with some of those elements.  

[Decan]

It's nicely said @GreatDane!

Well, to fit the topic I don't consider myself as a witch (are guys named witch in the Wicca?), but in a quiz that I did lately I was a wiccan (What is the spirituality that best fits for you?), and a traditional witch in second position, lol.

Actually I read a few books by Scott Cunningham, but out of curiosity, because I didn't practice anything or consider myself a wiccan but I am a respectful person and consider this matter seriously.

Otherwise I subscribed in the past to some training in talismanic magic (with Christopher Warnock), so I'm able to do one or two things in this area but I am not a mage. Actually I didn't finish the course while I was near the end though. It was too ambitious for a stranger like me to read things in "old English", and at some point a bit painful I recognize it, so I lost a part of my initial enthusiasm, too bad. Plus my results with talismans were rather average in my opinion (irregular results it's what I mean).

So I'm not a "witch", nor a mage or else, but I'm slightly an eccentric 🙂

Edited November 8, 2019 by Decan

[zedekiel]

Great thread topic! I've thought about this as well as I do practice witchcraft and have been in magical spaces my whole life. I think one thing about magic and spirituality though that is one of its greatest assets is the openness to how an individual identifies and works within the spiritual realms. A witch I've known for many years once said "First Rule of magic: There are rules. Second Rule of magic: There are no rules."

 

Words are powerful and how we use them affects the power we're using as well. To label or not to label something will affect how we see it, good or bad. I find this discussion on labels comes up in many other facets of human existence. Sometimes labeling ourselves as something feels constricting, yet sometimes when we find a label that suits us we suddenly feel much more free in our existence. It is such a personal and individual thing, and like in life, in magic you should never force yourself into a label that feels ill-defined for yourself. I think I would fall under the umbrella of "witch", and in some degrees have used the term to identify when in the company of other magic users. I think, especially after my time working with Tarot, I would more readily identify as a Magus now. Although, like others have mentioned, it's a "rose by any other name" scenario, I just feel more at home with identifying as a Magus than as a Witch. And whatever word we use that makes us feel the most empowered, the most connected with the energies that we want to connect with, well then that is the word we should use for ourselves. No matter if we know the reason why we feel that way about it or not.

[GreatDane]

Just updating.  Been away for some time, so checking threads.  Really enjoyed reading all your thoughts re magic, witchcraft, what you all think of what or how you do whatever you do.  You're right, Zedekiel, words are powerful.  As are intentions, energy, focus.   EVERYONE in the world uses intention, focus, energy to get what they want in one way or another, no matter what anyone wants to call it.  Human activity would halt if those things weren't in motion.  Like you said, it's how we think about it, how we use it that matters and/or labels us.  Whether we do things physically, with our thoughts, or our focused energy, we all create something out of what we, ourselves, are projecting. 

[Arania]

Mage, wizard, practitioner of the Arts... all preferable to witch for me. But the word witch nowadays embodies more or less what I do so I don't mind using it with others of the way, but not likely at home.

[GreatDane]

Makes sense, Arania.  Witch has become a cool term for wannabes for some, a derisive term to others (not that it hasn't been among many for centuries). 

 

I know some things I do others who DON'T know better might categorize as a witchy thing, I don't and know many who actually do workings as I do, wouldn't either.  So I understand what you are saying. 

[53rdspirit]

Folks usually ask ME if I'm a witch and I always respond "why do you ask?" I enjoy listening to their answer and in the end, I never get around to answering their question as the conversation ends with them answering their own question with me adding nothing at all. I've heard children whisper to another "She's a witch." It's curious to me because I wear flannel shirts, jeans and usually Doc Martens or sneakers, old Army jacket --definitely, not all black or flowing dresses, and I've never worn a pentacle or depiction of Baphomet in my life. Actually, if I must label my practices, I prefer "necromancer" since I grave-itate to endings, death, the dead, my ancestors, all the evergreens and earthy things, the night and murky waters, and the very darkest of the moon is my "time." And, that's not all bad., mind you. Often healing is done by ridding oneself of something, or killing an affliction or disease, in order to heal, etc. --just an example. I consider myself an eccentric, for sure, and I enjoy it immensely. 

Edited February 16, 2020 by 53rdspirit

[Arania]

Yes, the night/death/darkness in itself has gotten such a bad aura in society. And there is so much power there. Ah, graveyards by night. So happy our lil' graveyard in the village we moved to can't be locked as there is no gate at the back anymore 🙂 But unfortunately the old graves were almost all cleared out recently.

 

And the most powerful experience were the catacombs of Paris lagging way behind the main group connecting with the bones.