“I’m sorry, did you say ‘Witch’?”
There is a small little word that you might see here and there on my site, in my bio, in blog posts, or even in descriptions of some of my products and services. The word is so small but it can really freak some people out because of the misunderstandings and misconceptions that surround it and I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge those concerns and share a few thoughts about it.
The word…
Witch.
A simple, short, one syllable word but a word that does everything from cause fear or anger to hatred and out right confusion.
It’s a word I have come to use less and less to describe myself these days. Not because of how people react to the word but because I have come to find it is has become limiting for me.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the word Witch. Famous Salem Witch Lori Bruno has the best description of the word I’ve ever heard. “W’ is for Wisdom, I is for Integrity, T is for Truth, C is for Courage and H is for Honour”. That’s me; anyone who knows me knows that.
I love practicing the magical arts and being a Witch. I have studied with some of the most famous Witches in the world, from Janet Farrar to Christopher Penczak to Laurie Cabot. I am more than happy to tell anyone that asks that, yes, I practice magic and Witchcraft and therefore I am a Witch.
But I’m much more than just a Witch.
In fact, I’ve come to a point in my spiritual journey where I have started to think I’ve out grown the word in some ways, or maybe it’s that the cultural perceptions of it have changed so much that it no longer resonates with me.
The truth is, today you tell someone you’re a Witch and they instantly get images from all these different movies and TV shows of young women practicing ill-conceived spells for love or revenge. Right away people start trying to envision what you look like in head to toe black and a pointy hat. Despite all the efforts that the Pagan community has tried to make, the stereotype is still strong in people’s minds and always will be.
In the process we’ve also seen some new stereotypes develop as well. There is the assumption that all Witches practice Wicca, are Goddess worshipping hippies or have issues with men and God. While this isn’t true for everyone or every situation, more often than not, it’s what we hear and see. If you heard about the disparaging comments made about Wiccans and Pagans on the ever classy Fox and Friends morning talk show, you saw what the modern Witch stereotype is.
I hate it. It isn’t me. It isn’t most Witches I know. But I was finding more and more these things were what people assumed and it caused a lot of people to not take me seriously as a spiritual mentor, coach, and lightworker as soon as they heard me say I was a Witch.
Most of all I was frustrated with constantly having to explain to people that I wasn’t Wiccan and that my spiritual path was much broader.
Despite these things I do still identify as a Witch even though it’s not a “professional title” that have chosen to keep. I think of it as something that’s more personal and reflects my personal spiritual practice and a part of my soul’s work and journey, something that I now like to keep more private.
I might keep it private but I don’t hide it, which is why I wanted to share these thoughts here. My clients, readers, and fans all know that I fully embrace magic and ritual; it is something I often share with them in our work together.
I love showing people how to embrace their spiritual power in order to harness and work with the spiritual and natural energies in the world around us to help manifest the lives they desire. There’s nothing “supernatural” about it.
If you have questions or want to talk to me about my views on Witchcraft or being a Witch, I am more than happy to talk with you! Please feel free to email me with your questions and let’s have a chat.
Me with members of my first degree witchcraft class with Laurie Cabot
in the Cabot Tradition of Witchcraft.
I am a Second Degree Cabot Witch.
