how do you define a witch?

[Mike182]

hey all. i'm putting this in comparative religion because i'm interested in everyone's views on this.

for my dissertation, 10,000 words, i have decided my dissertation title will be "In the modern world, how does one define a witch?"

i have until 10 months from now to do my research and write it up, so plenty of time but i want to get started soon.

my current reading list is:

Witchcraft Today - Gerald Gardner
Witchcraft Tomorrow - Doreen Valiente
Satanic Witch - Anton LaVey
Witcha, A Book of cunning - Nathanial J Harris
Mallious Maleficarum, "The Hammer of the Witches" - Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger
Triumph of the Moon - Ronald Hutton.
What Witches Do - Janet & Stuart Farrar

I will also be doing some interviews with friends of mine who are witches, and sending some questionnaires to covens/Pagan groups that i know of, as well as posting it online for the Witches of various forums i frequent to answer.

Anyway, that's what i have to read, but i'm also interested in how other people see witches. so please, everyone feel free to have a bit of a rant and discussion

 

[doppelganger]

Scientifically, a witch is defined as "one who weighs less than a duck."

 

[Magic Man]

Scientifically, a witch is defined as "one who weighs less than a duck."

Dangit, you got to it first! I would add that warts are also a sure sign of a witch, along with the ability to turn someone into a newt.

 

[doppelganger]

along with the ability to turn someone into a newt.

Well . . . I got better.

 

[Mike182]

Scientifically, a witch is defined as "one who weighs less than a duck."

"And who are you, so wise in the ways of science?"

yes, i expect i will fit Monty into my dissertation somehow.

 

[Magic Man]

yes, i expect i will fit Monty into my dissertation somehow.

Frankly I don't know why you're reading any of that other rubbish anyway. This is the only real source you need. :yes:

 

[BucephalusBB]

I know a few witches, I always thought it was easiest to let them define witches themselves. The answer was always, "I am one.."

 

[rheff78]

So if she floats then.....she's a witch!!

 

[Guitar's Cry]

For me, a witch is someone who actively participates in magical spellwork. That's a broad definition for me, since magic is not something sequestered to a ritual. In my normal usage of the term, it refers to pagan--as defined as nature based spirituality--magic.

In other words, there really is no difference between someone participating in baptism and another participating in a water-cleansing spell. But "witch" has certain connotations that have been ingrained in me through experience.

 

[Rolling_Stone]

how do you define a witch?

My next-door neighbor.

 

[Tau]

A woman (Only women can be witches in my universe I don't care what anyone says) who knows exactly where she is and who she is at all times.
And of course knows how to deliver a baby, cure ailments & nurse the sick, lay out the dead and knows about herbs, that sort of thing.
Thats a real witch.

 

[EtuMalku]

A Strega

 

[Nessa Nenharma]

Witch: one who practices magick: a practitioner of folk magick. This term is used for both MALE and female witches.
"To me it means mystery, healing, power, special, different, balance, and history. It means knowledge, secrets, the earth, and a bond with both the male and female sides of myself. " AmberSkyfire

You also need to know that there are different types of witches:

Types of Witches
- by Silver Ravenwolf
"Alexandrian Tradition: Founded in England during the 1960s, Alex Sanders referred to himself as the “King” of his Witches. The rituals are said to be modified Gardenarian.
British Traditional Witch: A mix of Celtic and Gardenarian beliefs. Most famous organization at this time is the International Red Garters. British Traditionals move mostly from within the Farrar studies (the famous Witch husband and wife from England). They too are fairly structured in their beliefs, and train through the degree process. Their covens are also co-ed.
Celtic Wicca: The use of a Celtic/Druidic pantheon mixed with a little ritual Gardnerian, and heavily stressing the elements, nature and the Ancient Ones. They had a vast knowledge of and respect for the healing and magical qualities of plants and stones, flowers, trees, elemental spirits, the little people, gnomes and fairies.
Caledonii Tradition: Formally known as the Hecatine Tradition, this denomination of the Craft is Scottish in origin, and still preserves the unique festivals of the Scots.
Ceremonial Witchcraft: Followers of this tradition use a great deal of ceremonial magic in their practices. Detailed rituals with a flavor of Egyptian magic are sometimes a favorite, or they may use the Quabbalistic magic.
Dianic Tradition: First pinpointed by Margaret Murray in 1921 in “The WitchCult in Western Europe,” this term appears to include a mixture of various traditions. However, their prime focus in recent years is on the Goddess, and has been pegged as the “feminist” movement of the Craft.
Eclectic Witch: Look in any personals column in a Craft-oriented newsletter or journal and you will see this catch-all phrase. Basically, it indicates that the individual does not follow any particular Tradition, denomination, sect, or magical practice. They learn and study from many magical systems and apply to themselves what appears to work best.
Gardnerian Tradition: Organized by Gerald Gardner in England in the 1950s. Just why is this fellow so darned important? Gerald was one of the few people so determined that the Old Religion should not die that he took the risk of publicizing it through the media. Under all the hype, I truly believe he understood that the young needed the Craft as much as the Craft needed a new generation to survive.
Hereditary Witch: One who can trace the Craft through their family tree and who has been taught the Old Religion by a relative who was living at the same time. Channeling doesn’t count. How far one has to go back on the family tree to meet the conditions of the first part of this definition is debatable. Family Trades (another name for Hereditary Witches) occasionally adopt individuals into their dynasty. This decision is never a light one, and usually stems from the lack of offspring to carry on the line, or the high regard they hold for the person in question. The ceremony is intricate and important. After all, it is not every day you can pick your relatives! It is much like the marriage of an individual into a family.
Kitchen Witch: You will hear this term every once in awhile. Basically, this type is one who practices by hearth and home, dealing with the practical side of religion, magic, the earth and the elements. There are some who groan loudly at this type of terminology, viewing it as degrading or simply inappropriate. Just remember that the Old Religon started somewhere, and most likely the kitchen (or cookfire) was the hub of many charms, spells, healings, and celebrations. After all, where does everyone congregate during the holidays? Grandma’s kitchen has always produced magical memories for humanity; visions of Mother making that something special for a sick child still holds true today for many of us.
Pictish Witchcraft: Scottish Witchcraft that attunes itself to all aspects of nature: animal, vegetable, and mineral. It is a solitary form of the Craft and mainly magical in nature with little religion.
Pow-Wow: Indigenous to South Central Pennsylvania. This is a system, not a religion, based on 400-year-old Elite German magic. Pow-Wow has deteriorated to a great degree into simple faith healing. Although Pow-Wow finds its roots in German Witchcraft, few practicing Pow-Wows today in Pennsylvania follow the Craft or even know the nature of its true birth.
Satanic Witch: One cannot be a satanic Witch because Witches do not believe in satan.
Seax-Wicca: Founded by Raymond Buckland in 1973. Although of Saxon basis, it was authored by Raymond himself without breaking his original Gardnerian oath.
Solitary Witch: One who practices alone, regardless of Tradition, denomination, or sect. Solitaries come in various forms. Some were at one time initiated into a coven and eventually chose to extricate themselves from that environment and continue practicing a particular Tradition or sect by themselves. A solitary can also be an individual who has no desire to practice with or learn from a coven structure, but still may adhere to a specific Tradition or sect through the teachings of another.
Strega Witches: Follows a tradition seated in Italy that began around 1353 with a woman called Aradia. Of all the traditional Witches, this group appears to be the smallest in number in the United States; however, their teachings are beautiful and should not be missed.
Teutonic Witch: From ancient time the Teutons have been recognized as a group of people who speak the Germanic group of languages. Culturally, this included the English, Dutch, Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish peoples. This is also known as the Nordic Tradition.

Witches don't have warts, fly on brooms, or turn people into newts. Although I know a few people that I would love to do that too :flirt:.

We follow a code: (short version)
'An it harm none, do what ye will'.
And ever mind the rule of three;
What ye send out comes back to thee.
Follow this with mind and heart,
And merry meet and merry part.

:bb:

Nessa

 

[3.14]

to me witch is a person with power that defices logic, likw if a person should be dead by all accounts but he survived, the tree currently floating in the air should fall down to the ground because of gravity but doesn't because of someones or multiple people stop it

 

[Tau]

Witch: one who practices magick: a practitioner of folk magick. This term is used for both MALE and female witches.
"To me it means mystery, healing, power, special, different, balance, and history. It means knowledge, secrets, the earth, and a bond with both the male and female sides of myself. " AmberSkyfire

Na, men cannot be witches, men are druids or pagans or warlocks, witches are women.
They don't have the right minds for witchcraft, they can't be witches anymore than they can be mothers lol

 

[Mike182]

A woman (Only women can be witches in my universe I don't care what anyone says) who knows exactly where she is and who she is at all times.
And of course knows how to deliver a baby, cure ailments & nurse the sick, lay out the dead and knows about herbs, that sort of thing.
Thats a real witch.

so Gerald Gardner, arguably the father of Modern Witchcraft, is what exactly in your universe?

 

[Mike182]

Na, men cannot be witches, men are druids or pagans or warlocks, witches are women.
They don't have the right minds for witchcraft, they can't be witches anymore than they can be mothers lol

reversing this, would you say women can only be witches? ie, they can't be druids or warlocks?

that said, warlock traditionally means oath-breaker, so many disassociate themselves with that term.

Edit: you see, a lot of the witches i have spoken have said that they were not brought up witches, they broke away from traditional religion, and as such, they find that the religion they turned to - Witchcraft - is in part the breaking of gender roles and stereotypes, as well as an investment in a spiritual path. do you find this to not be the case? of course, some groups of Dianic Wiccans in America would completely disagree with me.

 

[Nessa Nenharma]

FYI... Warlock means "Oath breaker", calling someone that is bound to be insulting wouldn't you say..??

:bb:

Nessa

 

[lilithu]

Types of Witches
- by Silver Ravenwolf

I'm not sure that Silver Ravenwolf is a well-accepted source of authority on witches. I know several witches who seem to loathe her.

My first answer would be that a witch is self-identified. Whoever identifies as one, is one.

But if one wants a more objective answer, I would say that a witch is someone who's spiritual practice is fully integrated into their daily life, who's practice centers on but is not limited to an earth-based sense of the Divine. A witch is someone who practices magick, magick being the tapping into the forces that are all around us, some seen and others unseen, some understood and others not understood, in order to achieve one's objectives.

 

[Mike182]

I'm not sure that Silver Ravenwolf is a well-accepted source of authority on witches. I know several witches who seem to loathe her.

well, most of the historical stuff she wrote about was looked over by Hutton, she gives him credit for that in her books. but yes, she's like marmite - love her or hate her.