Do you have any resistance to the word “witch”?

If you do, it’s no surprise. This word has been intentionally and systematically maligned for centuries. In Fairy tales, rarely is the “witch” character good… Witches have been misunderstood and outright eradicated since before the burning times.

Take a moment, close your eyes, and feel into the energy of Witch for a moment.

What do you see? What do you feel? What do you hear?

Any inner stories that appear may paint a picture of why being a Witch and practicing Witchcraft are complicated for you. For me, I once imagined complex rituals (not that there’s anything wrong with that), women who walk a fine line with the dark side, being outcast and alone; becoming a wizened crone that’s jaded, lonely, and hard on the inside.

It’s no wonder I shied away from learning about witchcraft and wanted nothing to do with the word Witch! Shaman was far more resonant, or so I thought.

But, as I’ve been working through my ancestry and embracing my heritage, I’ve begun to shift my relationship with Witchcraft and calling myself a Witch. It helps that there are MANY conversations and resources available now on this very topic. It appears that my own personal journey is right in line with a collective shift.

It also helps to know that there are MANY kinds of Witches! “Witch” isn’t a one-size-fits-all label… Nor is Witchcraft a religion. You can be Agnostic, Christian, Atheist, Wiccan, Pagan, Jewish, Islamic, any—or NO—religion AND also be a witch.

You can also be male, trans, non-binary, gender-fluid, female, or anywhere on the “gender” spectrum and be called a Witch. Witch is not a female-only label.

Perhaps learning more about a few different types of Witch will expand the possibilities for your inner Witch to come out and play… Maybe, you’ll see a bit of yourself in ALL of them! Note that these are just a FEW types of witches; and you don’t need to resonate with ANY of these to consider yourself a Witch. You might define yourself quite differently than what’s written here.

Witch #1: The HEDGE Witch

A Hedge Witch belongs to no coven, nor do they adhere to any strict dogmas; religious, spiritual, or otherwise. Hedge Witches develop their own kind of magic, focusing primarily on creating remedies to heal the physical and spiritual woes of their community. Hedge Witches are plant magicians, creating deep relationships with medicine plant allies. Sometimes, they are handed down rituals and practices from a relative or guide… but more often than not, personal experience is their greatest guru.

This is the person to visit when other avenues of healing have not worked well. Hedge Witchcraft looks like part herbalism, part energy healing, part counseling, and part nature mysticism. Hedge Witches are usually tuned into the four elements, observe nature’s patterns closely, and will often access the Spirit World through altered states of consciousness (as a Shaman would) for guidance, insight, power, and clarity.

Often (but not always), the hedge witch is introverted, preferring the company of a few close friends or companions versus being in the midst of a crowd. You’ll never find two hedge witches that have identical practices, since their magic is deeply personal – though there will likely be similarities in interests. This is why they generally practice in solitary ways.

Could you be a Hedge Witch in the making?

You might be an undercover Hedge Witch if…

• You prefer your altars and rituals to be uncomplicated, with simple natural tools – such as a stone, some wood, perhaps a few herbs, and some salt.
• You love learning about herbs and healing plants.
• You’d rather be outside than inside and are a sponge for time in nature.
• You believe in the power of healing songs and spells.
• You are drawn to the healing arts as a profession, such as bodywork, midwifery, being a doula (for birth and/or death), energy healing, herbalism, and others.
• You’re fascinated by shamanism.

Witch #2: The KITCHEN Witch

The Kitchen Witch isn’t just a wizard in the kitchen. This is a person for whom “home” is a sanctuary. The Kitchen Witch crafts their personal space with great intention and care; curating a sense of safety and belonging for all who cross the threshold and enter into it. Part of the reason why cooking becomes a sacred art for the Kitchen Witch is that all of life is regarded as ceremony.

A Kitchen Witch doesn’t separate the magical from the mundane; preferring instead to weave a reality that seamlessly integrates them into a rich tapestry of being-ness.

Essentially, Kitchen Witchcraft is a mindfulness practice. Your inner Kitchen Witch asks you to find Spirit in the dishwater and gratitude in the millionth load of laundry. If you don’t have the luxury of dedicating a ton of time and resources to rituals and ceremonies, and instead yearn to find the magic in your everyday life, then perhaps Kitchen Witchery calls you.

Here are some other signs that you may be a secret Kitchen Witch:

• You love pinning recipes on Pinterest and drool over #foodporn posts on instagram.
• A kitchen supply store (or getting school supplies) makes your insides hum with excitement.
• You instantly know if a space resonates with you or not.
• Your home is your altar.
• You love thrifting for decor and clothes to find something totally unique (and totally “you”).
• You are a sucker for good architecture.
• You love to cook with whole, organic foods as often as possible.
• You believe that food is medicine (maybe even the best medicine).

Witch #3: The GREEN Witch

The Green Witch is perhaps even more connected with Nature than the Hedge Witch… They work with Nature Spirits for divination, healing, and guidance. The Green Witch sees faces in trees; they feel Spirits in the forest and at the waters’ edges. The Green Witch loves making their own ritual tools from found objects in nature; often aware of the energies contained within them.

A Green Witch will often consider the source of their ritual objects and bring awareness to others regarding mining practices for crystals and stones, endangered herbs, and other such environmental considerations.

Green Witches often (but don’t always) prefer to work their magick outside so that their Nature allies are closer at hand. They often have Animal Guides and are good friends with the Plant Spirits as well. Green Witches are pretty careful to request permission from—and say thank you to—any plants or animals they wish to partner with; leaving offerings when harvesting herbs or calling upon Animal Spirits.

You might be a Green Witch if:

• You love spending time in gardens.
• You feel deep reverence for Nature; the forest feels like your church.
• You are fascinated by nature’s cycles and can see the life in death (and vice versa).
• You love growing your own food, herbs, and flowers (or would love to, if you had the space).
• You are an animal and/or environmental activist, you’re passionate about making this world a healthier place to live for all beings.

Witch #4: The TECH Witch

Do you consider Technology to be a friend rather than a foe? Then you just might be a Tech Witch. A Tech Witch uses technology of all kinds to weave spells and make magic. If you love your iPhone, adore curating your instagram feed to have a specific energy, and feel Spirit pour through your fingers as you post to Facebook or write a blog post, then you just may be a Tech Witch. The beautiful thing about Tech Witchery is that it’s easily accessible in urban places.

So, for those of you who live in cities or work in fields where you’re surrounded by technology, then you can turn those aspects of your life into magical access points! Imagine putting intentions into your graphic designs, or calling on Spirit allies as you press send on an important email… The Tech Witch makes the most of the modern times we live in. 

So, even if you don’t feel super at home in wild nature spaces and have the least green-thumb around, you can still be a totally legit Witch. Cool, right?

How do you know if you’re a Tech Witch?

If some of these things make you think we might be spying on you, then you might be a Tech Witch…

• You keep track of rituals, recipes, and other magical resources electronically – perhaps in an app like Evernote.
• You love apps, especially ones that track the weather, lunar cycles, astrology, and your moon time.
• You use social media as a medium for connecting with other magical humans.
• You name your car and pretend that it’s transporting you across space-time (which btw, it is).
• You daydream about the time when teleportation is an everyday thing (and love those old scenes from Star Trek).
• You loved the book Mathilda (by Roald Dahl) as a child and knew you had a LOT of kinetic energy inside you – maybe enough to move things with your mind.

There are MANY kinds of Witches…

Far more than the ones we named here. But, these Witchy Ways in particular are ones that we see over and over again with our clients… I find myself described in ALL 4 of these paths; I guess you could say I’m a Green-Hedge-Kitchen-Tech Witch. Maybe I should just call myself a Kitchen Sink Witch? Ha!

Which Witch resonated most for you?

We’d love to hear in the comments. Our next post will include ways to awaken your inner witch and begin embracing this side of yourself: no expensive (unnecessary) costumes or tools required.

Make sure you subscribe to our list below so you’ll be the first to know when that (and all of our other witchy content) comes out.

We ARE tech witches, so there’s serious magic woven through every word we type =)