I haven’t managed to find a lot of posts or blogs about Hedge Witchcraft, and just in case I’m not actually bad at finding such things, I figured I’d answer this question. Please note that this question is answered by me through my personal journey in Witchcraft, and is not a global response to what all Hedge Witches are. Just like in all other aspects of other forms of Witchcraft, every Hedge Witch’s journey is different.
So what is a Hedge Witch? A Hedge Witch is a Witch (of any identification) that focuses on astral projection, working with spirits/the dead/etc., divination, and healing. The term “Hedge Witch” comes from the Middle Ages where dedicated practitioners of medicine weren’t always available, but nearby Witches were easier to come across. These Witches often lived outside of town and near the forest, often called the Hedge. Hedge Witches would help heal not only physical wounds, but mental and spiritual as well. They were known to have potions and salves ready, with knowledge of the local environment and experience to act on the knowledge.
That practice became tradition for Hedge Witches, being able to help and heal. Astral projection, or soul wandering, is what I call “walking the hedge.” This means being able to travel to Otherworlds, whether its the land of the dead or somewhere else, for various uses. These uses can be for divination, spell casting, any soul magic, and more.
Because of their wide range of skills needed back then, Hedge Witches picked up an eclectic nature to their practice to best suit them and their environment. This eclectic nature means that every Hedge Witch is different in their practices, and what I say here may not be accepted by other Hedge Witches.
I haven’t brought up a major point, though, that needs to be mentioned. Hedge Witches don’t follow any Deities, unless you count Nature, the Sun, the Moon, or the Stars/Universe as Deities. They can work with any Deities, but usually don’t dedicate themselves to any.
So what does this all mean? This means that a Hedge Witch is a little mixing pot of a Green Witch, a Kitchen Witch, and many others depending on their individual practices. The biggest differences are their ability to astral project (or at least borrow magick from Otherworlds) and they don’t usually follow Deities. Due to this, most Hedge Witches are solitary in nature.
I plan to make a post in the near future going into more detail about hedge walking, how I believe it’s different to astral projecting, why I use the terms interchangeably, and the risks in walking the hedge.
(Post created and posted in November 2018, edited for spelling mistakes.)
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