What does it mean to be a witch?

In our present days, witchcraft has become a popular and loved practice, especially since the pandemic. Unfortunately, in the midst of many people claiming to be a witch, it has been harder and harder to understand what are the roots of witchcraft so you can develop yourself fully as a practitioner.

     Witchcraft, like we know today, is a fairly recent practice; a movement of people trying to reconnect to the ancient ways of living hasn’t been around until the 20th century. Before that, witchcraft was seen as just a myth, and before that, it was a weapon to punish marginalized groups, and there is the first key to understand what witchcraft is: a practice that belongs to those who live in the margins. Does that mean people with any privilege can’t practice? Of course not! But walking the Craft is to acknowledge all those ancestors who were burned for not being white, neurotypical or men. Being a witch means stepping up to defend people who might not have the same privilege as you. It means listening to black and indigenous people, to Jewish people, to women, to people with mental illnesses. These are the same people whose ancestors paid with their lives for us to call ourselves witches today, and respecting that is the first entry point to the Craft.

     On the other hand, being a witch today means being the connection point between nature and humankind. Our current society has lost the connection with our Mother, we constantly deplete her instead of peaceful exchange, and it’s a witch’s job to turn back to her. Being mindful of what you take from the Earth and what you give back, while truly connecting with your immediate environment, is the first step to acknowledge the sacred path of witchcraft. Additionally, us witches make the bridge between the old and new ways. It’s a fact that it’s impossible to recreate the lifestyle of yore nowadays, that’s where adapting takes place. Being a witch in modern days means understanding the life we live now and search for magic in this life. We might not be farmers and depend on climate anymore, but we can raise plants on our windowsill, we can take care of stray cats or

dogs as a way to care for nature, we may head to a local park at least once a week to ground, we can get to know our local fauna and flora and leave them better than when we found it.

     Finally, after understanding what it means to be a witch, you can start to develop your own way of practicing. There are so many ways in which we can incorporate the Craft into our lives. You can follow certain religions like Wicca, maybe focus only on the natural world like green witches, or head into the more traditional paths and follow an ancestral based practice. Some witches works with gods, some are secular. Some witches work with familiars and the Fair folk, others wouldn’t dare to make contact with them. As long as you have a strong foundation, I’m sure you will flourish in your own way of living witchcraft.