I grew up with witches, but I didn’t know they were witches. I just called them family.
I have been around folk magic and occult traditions since I was a child; to me, it’s a way of life. However, no one in my family claimed the title of being a witch. No one ever used the word witch. As I grew up, went to university, and started incorporating practices in my day-to-day, practices I learned from the amazing women in my family, things started to connect. One day, it dawned on me while visiting my mother and looking around my childhood home that I realized, “Oh wait, we are witches!”
The word witch has been through the ringer for centuries. In the beginning, if someone was labeled a witch, they were persecuted, ridiculed, or worse. Then, when the 90s came around and witches started making their way into pop culture, being a witch was cool and edgy. Today, the term witch has been transformed into the acronym as a “Women In Total Control of Herself” (W.I.T.C.H.) and is associated with people who are tarot readers, healers, or herbalists.
There is still a stigma behind the word, and some people refuse to be labeled as a witch. There are different parts of the world where the witch is still hidden and not accepted. But here is why I decided to embrace it.
As a little girl, I was always fascinated with witches growing up. The witch, to me, seemed to have more control over their destiny than princesses, who were always portrayed as some damsel in distress waiting for someone to rescue her. But a witch doesn’t wait around; she gets to work, and that is how I view witches. A witch is someone who combines folk magic and occult traditions and mixes them into their day-to-day life.
Whether you believe in a religion or spirituality, anyone can be a witch. No degree or certification will confirm this for you, only experience.
What’s fascinating is that more witches, healers, psychics, mediums, and spiritual leaders have sprung up in our world offering their advice and tips. With the rise of social media, we are seeing more people embracing this way of life, which tells me that witches have been here all along, just living among us, trying to get through the day. They are everyday people who like to live their lives more magically.
And who doesn’t want that? The world is hard enough as it is, so why not incorporate spells and potions to make your life more magical?
I’m a witch because I was born as one. I use the traditional practices and methods that my family has taught me and infuse them into my life in my unique way. I’m a witch because to me, this way of life is much more aligned with anything I have tried to incorporate in my life.
If you have a love for nature, for lighting candles and saying prayers, for using herbal remedies instead of pharmaceuticals, or you find holding crystals makes you feel happy, you might be a witch. If you ever felt curious about working with tarot, astrology, or love reading your horoscope, you might be a witch. And that’s okay!
If you’re super cool and not into labels, that’s okay too! Practicing the craft is a personal journey, and being a witch is a personal preference. But if you do label yourself as a witch, then I see you, and you are safe here. And you are doing a badass job!
Til next time,
KD