What is a witch?

What is a witch?

This is a question I get a lot and I really wish more people would ask. There are so many misconceptions about what a witch is and so many different beliefs. Below are some of the definitions of what a witch is.

  1.  A witch is someone that follows the Wicca religion. While it is true in a strict sense, I don’t think you need to follow the Wicca religion to be a witch any more than you need to practice witchcraft if you do follow the Wicca religion.
  2. The christian biblical witch. The christian bibles interpretation of a witch is confusing to say the least. At one point it says that you should not practice witchcraft, but in that original text a witch is defined as a person that poisons the mind with words or the body with pharmaceuticals. In all other places it refers to spiritual individuals that do not conform to the then Christian doctrine which changes over time.
  3. In many countries a witch is just a person that has advanced knowledge and because most people fear what they cannot understand This person is a feared and very often violently prosecuted for their knowledge.

So, what is my definition of a witch?

A witch is a person (male or female) who seeks, defines and practices what can’t  be proven with hard science. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t real and many of the practices can be explained and quantified with some of the softer sciences. (Psychology, parapsychology etc.)

Using a combination of mental, spiritual and physical disciplines they can perform acts that seem to defy our normal physical reality. Whether this is because of our lack of knowledge of our true reality or reality adjusting to our beliefs is unknown, but I believe that it is a combination of both.

Some of the practices include:

  1. Astral-projection – the ability to travel through space and time by temporarily leaving the physical body.
  2. Devination – contacting spirits to get help in telling the future or with situations. (similar to a fortune teller)
  3. Spell Casting – channeling the powers of the universe to create a desired outcome.
  4. Telekenisis – influencing physical matter with thought
  5. Astrology – Studying the stars and planets and their affect on our lives.

If you would like to add to this list or have any comments, please use the comment form below.




David Hodgson (63 Posts)

Posted in Witchcraft
9 comments on “What is a witch?
  1. ingrid jimenez says:

    My great grandmother was a witch my mom told me how she used to teach her magic and my grandmother burned all her books when my great grandmother died . My mom was also born dead but the she came back to life then the doctors said she was probably going to die but she didn’t . But then she started seeing ghost and she saw my great grandmother on the day of the dead but she was dead . And now after all she told me I started seeing shadows and weird dreams like a warning . Also I practice magic . My life is so complicated . I’m not sure but am I a witch ? Can someone please answer me ?

  2. mikayla says:

    am i a witch , i have always had a strong connection to cats i have many cat vocals and they come out randomly , and it usally gets windy when i am mad, sometimes i think about one of my friends then the call in a few secconds, i have always felt diferent am i a witch?

  3. Catorina says:

    I am 31 years old. I have always known and felt from a very young age that I was different, but as got older I started to believe I was a fool. That I had to get my head out of the clouds, out of my wishy washy nature ways. Then for no reason at all the other day an old feeling, a thought came back to me. Could I be a witch? I looked on line for information but lets face it, its looked at as rubbish and folklore. I would like some advice on how to really see and test if I have this in me. I have had most of the signs listed on this sight and the few times I have done Tarot cards they have been scarily correct. But I need real proof. Can anyone help?

  4. James Westmoreland says:

    I agree, we are what we do and we are what we are. I was born a Witch, Period!!!
    I have been born again as a Christian, but I am still what i was born.
    As a side to the question of what a Witch is? Because the Bible was translated from Hebrew to Latin then to Greek and the Hebrew word for Witch ended up being a Greek word which meant ” a poisoner of cattle and a strangler of men.”
    When the Bible was translated, Cattle were incredibly valuable because the milk fed their own young and human young as well as providing meat for every one.
    It was{ as it still is now) men who were considered to be of more value than women. So, Witches were considered to be a danger to the Hebrew people as a whole.
    Blessed Be The Wise, and may God Bless every one.

    • LeeLee says:

      Im confused by your comment. You say you are a born again christian, yet still what you was born? When you became a christian you chose to become a follower of Christ. How then can you still practice being a witch? I understand the pull to go back to your own ways but its a choice to make surely? I walked away from clairovoyance and chose to walk in the way of the Lord. Its hard but God can make your gifts into better things than witchcraft.

  5. Teresa says:

    As time went by I became more and more aware of how different I am… And the joy that comes from finally accepting who and what I am.. is indescribable and so liberating, now that I’m free of a dogmatic belief system and self doubt….. Now I need to learn to control it, because I pushed my power so deep inside of me it would only manifest itself to protect my being…. And now it is somewhat out of control and I get throw off balance when working on taking other people’s pain away…. But Lisa put it simply and best.. what it is we are

  6. Amara says:

    Ever since i was a child i always thought that im different.
    That im not like other kids, i can do stuffs that normal kids cant.
    I love going to our backyard. There’s a lot of trees, plants, and flowers. I always go there cause it relaxes me. I love playing with animals, even though i had have one but my auntie has one and i always play with her dog. I was always attracted to different stuffs. In my hometown me and my family always feel strange about our house. Our neighbors says that sometimes they hear noises inside our house when we’re gone. They say that our house is filled with ghosts. Im actually not scared about it cause i sometimescan feel them. Sometimes when i go to someone’s house i feel a weird feeling that sometimes i cant explain. When i came to US, i becamemore attracted to weird stuffs and i started learning how to cast spells. I felt happy and more alive. In middle school i met students like me. They were different like and were also studying magic. We became good friends and we’re learning magic together. I thought i was just a beginner, but when i read your article “signs about being a natural things” most of the signs happend to me and to my friends too. I was shocked when i found out that im a natural witch,but im really happy. Though i started wondering who in my family are witches. Im afraid to ask my parents who in our family are witches cause they’ll think im crazy. Im only 13 years old and i was 11 when i started learning magic.If my parents found out im learning magic they’ll forbid me from learning it because they’ll think its just a waste of time and that i should focus more on my education. I love learning magic but im lack of materials. My parents are really strick and wont let me buy stuffs that doesnt have to do with school. My life is so hard.

  7. cyndi says:

    As a child I was very quiet & obedient. I loved spending time outside in nice weather watching bee’s pollinate flowers and playing with the baby animals on our farm. I hated the fact that my step dad hunted and developed a phobia that makes it impossiible to touch or be near dead animals. I would wake up to use the bathroom and there would be the animals he murdered on the kitchen floor waiting to be cleaned, or skinned. I hated him. I am a vegetarian and animal rights activist as a result of my childhood trauma. I live in the forest and surround myself with nature. I couldn’t put a name to what I felt I was but new I was different. I shunned my Catholic religion because I feel that a loving Creator would never send their children to burn in hell for any reason. I found Witchcraft and Wicca after watching Practical Magic and I then new what I was. I finally found my calling in being a Witch. I never felt comfortable in churches. I once tried to take Jesus christ as my Savior to make my first husband happy (before I found Wicca). I waited for the feeling of complete happinness and euphoria they said I would feel when the spirit came in to my life, but I felt nothing but stupid for being there. There was no feeling at all but disappointment, discomfort and embarrassment. When I found Wicca and had my initiation ceremony, that was when I felt happiness & euphoria, it felt like my chest would burst with all the emotions & feelings of complete love & acceptance. I feel this everytime I think of or pray to my God & Goddess (Creator’s, Ultimate Mother & Father). I could never get into the whole Christian belief of only a Father as Creator because it takes male & female to create life. I am happy being a Witch. I have dreams that do come true & it scares me because I never know which ones will really end up happening. I always seem to know things about my close family that I shouldn’t. Such as everytime my daughters are pregnant. I’ve even told them & they were shocked to find out I was right. When I say I have a bad feeling about something or tell them what I think is going to happen they listen because it always goes the way I say it will. So I am a Witch and proud to be one.

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