Witchy Whims

Before I begin I would ask that you take a moment to write to yourself an answer to the question “What is a witch?”

It seems safe to say that the majority of individuals have ideas in their heads about what a witch is and what they may do; an understandable result of the role witches have played in folklore, literature, and media. There are many that are happy to believe that this is where witchcraft begins and ends: myth. I have nothing to say to the nonbelievers, they are within their right to hold their own opinions, and those opinions do me no harm. But then, there are those who believe it is real and continue to persecute it. These individuals who continue to draw lines are also entitled to their opinion, after all, everyone has a right to believe what they wish, however, when these individuals continuously harass, persecute, and threaten others, that is when their opinion becomes discrimination. When discussing the nonbelievers, deniers, and persecutors, you will often hear me use the term: the unawakened. They are not who I write my content for, however, I have addressed them and will continue to address them in discussions, because I am sure more than a few will engage with the content.

Witchcraft and Social Media

For my fellow awakened answer me this: what images did you have of witches before starting this journey? Were you a nonbeliever, denier, or persecutor? Can you recall what it was like to be asleep? Personally, I don’t think I remember what it was like to be in the dark. My sister got into Wicca when I was still in elementary school, so witchcraft has been a part of my life since I was a child. I even began to develop my practice when I was just 8 years old.

Social Media has played quite the role in removing the pop-culture vision of a green-faced cartoon villain from the top spot of where people’s minds go when they hear “witch.” In recent years, especially during the pandemic, we found that witchcraft became a hot topic on TikTok with the hashtag WitchTok regularly appearing on the FYP. When a topic generates views, it also generates imposters. Many WitchTokers were revealed to be lying about their practices, being newer to the craft than they let on, or not even practicing altogether. The constant drama also gives major difficulties in discerning who you can and can not trust for information.

TikTok was not Witchcraft’s first time on the internet though. Facebook Covens and High Priestess MySpace Pages existed long before Byte even imagined TikTok. While these spaces were great for finding fellow practitioners – especially when people were less open about their practices – the lack of access to information led to the spreading of misinformation and widespread cultural appropriation.

The internet has long been a place for misinformation and false practitioners to curate a witchcraft narrative that will generate their personal gain. In this piece, I would like to steer the narrative back towards the original goals of witchcraft, ones that are detached from religious boundaries, cultural appropriation, and greed.

Witchy Whims Dictionary: What is A Witch

Writing a definition for the complex identity of a witch is an egotistical task at best. I don’t claim to have a definition that works for everyone, merely a personal one that holds true to me. You will find that it may vary from practitioner to practitioner.  In developing my definition I have a short description as my base: a witch is someone who uses one or more energies provided by the universe to access other realities of this universe. This definition is simultaneously mystical and scientific, which sounds like an oxymoron to those who don’t understand the craft. A witch can use both seen (plants, rocks, water, and fire) and unseen (spirits, deities, Chi, emotion) energies.

As a witch, you know that we are inherently linked to nature. Why you know that link exists is where faith comes into play. Some believe that because we all came from the same atom and developed into different creatures and wonders, nature and we are one. We had just as much a chance that the elements that made us human could have gone a different direction and made us a tree. Some believe we are linked by some cosmic or divine power, perhaps a creator or creators or a lineage from the heavens. Regardless,  this link stands at the core of the practice. “The realities we access” portion of the definition refers to a wide variety of outcomes. It refers to the more mystical ideas of literally accessing other realities, dimensions, and planes, while simultaneously referring to the changes in our current reality, such as using herbal remedies to cure back pain and manifesting. Which of the energies you choose to use along with the outcomes you focus on influence the areas of craft you will choose to incorporate into your practice. (Chaos, Hedge, Lunar, Baneful, etc)

Witchcraft is commonly associated with terms such as the “dark arts” or “black magic.” While witches may choose to use these terms in their own ways, the public has infused them with negativity – mostly as a result of racist rhetoric and cultural discrimination. Witchcraft is a strong but overall neutral practice that is capable of making great changes. Whether it is “good” or “bad” depends on whether the practitioner is a good or a bad person.  The power that a witch uses come from the universe and when they choose to access it they take on a great responsibility: equilibrium. A practitioner of the craft should not choose to act against the need for balance. This applies to both “love and light” practitioners as well as baneful practitioners. Too much of a good can lead to excess (for example confidence can lead to ego and love can lead to obsession). Baneful practitioners use magick often associated with “dark magick” in their practices such as hexes, curses, jinxes, and crosses. However, a baneful witch can still abide by the universal balance in their practice.  Hexes and jinxes are powerful weapons for wielding justice and are especially important considering the fact that witchcraft historically has been the practice of the oppressed.

Looking back to my original question “What is a witch?” with my understanding of responsibility to the universe, I like to add to my foundational definition of “witch.”  A witch is a person who accesses universal energies in order to bring about or maintain balance.

Who Can Be A Witch?

There have been many individuals who claim that witchcraft is a birthright, but I personally believe that anyone can be a witch. I do believe some individuals are born with gifts and inclinations that steer them more directly to witchcraft, but if an individual with no clair senses and no prior knowledge of the craft decided that witchcraft was the spiritual path for them, I fully believe in their capabilities as a practitioner. These two scenarios lead me to two categorizations of witches: Witches by Fate and Witches by Choice.

A witch by fate is a practitioner whose essence finds itself within a body that is already using universal energies before conscious action. (e.g. people born with Clair abilities). A witch by choice is a practitioner whose essence finds itself within a body that did not previously use universal energies until the practitioner found Magick. A witch by choice is driven purely by passion but may take longer to access all those energies. A witch by fate is driven by need but will find answers and access come more easily to them. Although a witch by fate is born with natural gifts, I do not believe their magick is inherently stronger. In fact, I would say there are disadvantages to being born with these abilities. A witch with clair senses may find that they lack understanding of their abilities and struggle to control and hone them to work how they wish.

Witchcraft is a beautiful and powerful spiritual path, that I believe many souls can make a happy home in. If you wish to start exploring this possibility then you have landed in the right place.