What is a Witch?
You can’t pretend to be a witch nor can you pretend that you are not one when you are.
Wearing black and keeping crystals does not make you one. Watching The Craft doesn’t either (great movie though). I wear black but I know some very serious witches in important roles that do not check off any of the stereotypes.
It is a calling and work that you need to do everyday that will shape the witch that you are/will become. To simply call yourself one based on the aesthetic is not only inaccurate but also insulting to the devotional work that we do. It demeans our calling. Everyday we build that connection with spirit in the waking world and the shadow realm. I can cook but I’m not a chef and I can use a fire extinguisher but I'm not a Fire Fighter.
I’ve met many that claim to be a witch (and to be plain, a witch knows when they are in the company of another even if they are just coming into their craft; or a fraud), then have people start asking them questions and then confide that they really aren’t a witch and were not aware of all of the things they are being asked about. This really hurts our community and it leaves baby witches wondering whom they can trust.
And you don’t stop being one. Some will follow the crooked path only to fall out of it for a time and that is perfectly okay. There are many life events that shake your faith and many pull away…but never for good. You come back, rejuvenated, evolved… reborn. You can’t stop being a witch because that is who you are. It may take years but you will find your way back. Every journey is different.
You don’t need to come from a bloodline and you don't have to prove your worth or power to anyone (unless you’re a business and use the craft for it…then you should be credible). Witchcraft looks and means different to every witch. This is why it's a community. We grow separately but come together to nurture one other and the land we stand on. Forever changing and forever steeped in tradition; it is beautiful to practice. Ancestors smile upon us because we pick up where they left off and leave this world a better place for those who come after us and those who need our magick now.
📷: Robin Isley