what is a witch? words of caution as preface.
The question “What is a witch?” serves as the title to a series of posts in which I record my personal beliefs and thoughts on magic and witchcraft.
Returning to Tumblr after a major hiatus, I see a lot of people on here posting their personal approaches as generalizations of what witchcraft is or isn’t. I also see young and inexperienced witch apprentices taking them at face value and reproducing them without question or concern for their consequences. As an aging and matured witch, I can say that the rush of inexperience, immaturity, as well as the excitement over a new horizon opening before you, can lead you to hasty decisions and unforeseen outcomes. The fact that ignorance doesn’t protect you from the law not only applies to the rules of the rational world.
In essence, witchcraft is a tool. Magic is an approach to the world whose believers and practitioners have deemed rational means insufficient for them to achieve their goals and ambitions. Note that magic, like anything in the world, comes at a price: if it is not paid in rationality – that means you haven’t traded yours in yet and managed to safeguard it – it will demand its value elsewhere in your life, whether it be your energy, time, or even more.
Warnings about and around witchcraft are common and necessary. Believe it or not, not only do common people err, but even witches make mistakes. When I experiment with potions or spells, I am still grateful for each lesson I can learn from being wrong about trying out a new ingredient, something not going as planned, and what I can do better next time. Likewise, interpreting omens and signs comes with patience and experience. The strongest magic, the most potent potions, and the wickedest spells have been tested through trial and error. Witches grow and learn with time.
Proceeding with caution is as applicable to everyday life as it is to witchcraft. There are generous and kind witches, and I have met wicked and evil ones. I think that if you want to believe in “good,” you must also admit to “bad.” From personal and shared experience, I can also say that witch hunters and evil forces are just as out there as witches in general. Witchcraft is practiced behind closed doors and in secrecy for a reason, and witches are mostly solitary creatures for their own good. Although the proximity of interaction is desirable and sharing your experience with someone else is only human, remember that your safety and protection should always come first.
I believe in manifestation and reciprocity. Whatever you put out into the world will come back to you. If you act with ill intent, it will bite you back in the ass, even if you cannot see it for now. Be aware that “what you see isn’t always the truth.” At the same time, there is no need to be scared as long as you remain aware of your own intentions, conscious of what you’re doing, of your reasons for it and that you will have to compensate for it.
With this out of the way, you might still wonder, so what is a witch? Stay tuned and proceed with caution.
