What do you think makes a witch?

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[Owl]

Thanks!

Personally, I've struggled to connect with any sort of "women's spirituality" because of the intense pressure above statements cause. So as a woman (which I didn't get to choose, and only vaguely identify as by default) I'm linked with some mysterious, occult power, not to mention nature (making guys linked to what, civilization?) that I've almost never been able to feel. Talk about performance anxiety in ritual. >>

I have the same issue.  I am totally hetero, but being female is simply a matter of plumbing.  Being a mother is not the pinnacle of my achievements.  I work as an accountant (not exactly a 'feminine' job), I am a math whiz, I am good at carpentry, but also at gardening and sewing.  DO NOT define me by my plumbing!

[Ellen M.]

I have the same issue.  I am totally hetero, but being female is simply a matter of plumbing.  Being a mother is not the pinnacle of my achievements.  I work as an accountant (not exactly a 'feminine' job), I am a math whiz, I am good at carpentry, but also at gardening and sewing.  DO NOT define me by my plumbing!

I'd rather my spirituality (and magic, or whatever) reflect something I'd actually achieved. Like my gardening! Or my creative output, or a hypothetically ability to summon fireballs.

[Aithne]

I'd rather my spirituality (and magic, or whatever) reflect something I'd actually achieved. Like my gardening! Or my creative output, or a hypothetically ability to summon fireballs.

I completely agree. I identify as a witch, but I think that is because of the whole practising magic thing, not because of whether I have a pair of X chromosomes or not.

[Sekhmet's Servant]

Er, on the Weatherwax side of this, there's a woman who comes into the store who is a crazy cat lady... and her name is Anne Weatherwax... and she looks almost exactly how I would expect Granny Weatherwax to look. Not quite as formidable, but close.

Cool! My grandmother was one scary woman when she was alive. I think that a witch is someone that does practice magic, both good and bad, and helps people with their problems. Sometimes strange things happen in a person's life that leads them down the road to becoming a witch. I've had strange, and deathly, things happen to me. I've had people die on me that's ticked me off and I always wondered why that was the case.

My grandmother told me that I have the gift of the evil eye. She said that it's not something to be ashamed of and I know that she would of fully supported me being a witch if she had lived. So right now I'm both a Druid and a witch. I love my craft and I love my gift. I'm not ashamed of it and I don't run from it. I'm also somewhat good with the cards, but I'm working on strengthen it.

[mortalez]

 I find divorce usually turns someone into a witch ...... errrrr sorry wrong spelling I thought you said bitc...........

"Witch" is such a tricky word, isn't it? I find that it, like "pagan" is so widely used with so many variants on the meaning that it almost means nothing to me. So I figured I'd pick TC brains and see what you all think.

So what makes someone a witch, in your opinion? (And I think we can probably skip the "well, if they self-identify as a witch..." part, because that's pretty obvious.) Is it a mindset, or a type of practice, or a method of belief, or some combination of the above, or something else entirely?

[meown]

"Witch" is such a tricky word, isn't it? I find that it, like "pagan" is so widely used with so many variants on the meaning that it almost means nothing to me. So I figured I'd pick TC brains and see what you all think.

So what makes someone a witch, in your opinion? (And I think we can probably skip the "well, if they self-identify as a witch..." part, because that's pretty obvious.) Is it a mindset, or a type of practice, or a method of belief, or some combination of the above, or something else entirely?

Well, it is a tricky word...I was talking about witches with a friend, and another girl was sitting at our table. She was like, they are old ladies with big nose and a warts on her face. I was like, those are fairytale, I mean the modern witches. Me an my friend completely had to explain what we meant, and yeah it was hard to explain.

[Mata]

I share some of the sentiments expressed - being a witch is usually more connected with herblore, sympathetic magic etc.
I think that witch is generally a more feminine title, although it can be unisex, I suppose, but witch has always been more womanish to me (thank you Hollywood  ). One can be a religious witch, but one doesn't have to be religious in order to be a witch. It's a really arbitrary title, but the big definer is someone who uses magic, and it proficient in it. I don't think that the person who's read a book about general witchcraft can be called one. You have to have the skill and knowledge to back it up.

That's just my blabbering $0.02  

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