Which Witch Are You?

Feature Image:
The Crystal Ball, Restored Version (1902), by John William Waterhouse

The label “witch” is one that more and more people are getting comfortable with. Others—undeniably powerful and gifted—remain uncomfortable with it. For some, the word (and practice) of witchcraft is a fad. For us, however, it is a declaration of power, strength, and sovereignty.

On your witch journey, you may discover the many ways you can reclaim your power and practice your personal brand of witchery. Between Wiccan, Pagan, Lucumi, Santeria, Norse, Hoodoo, and other traditions, it is easy to get confused when starting out.

Many folks are happy to tell you how it’s done, but to me being a witch means considering all information presented to you and determining the best fit for yourself. There are many witch basics, but your opportunity is to personalize even the basics and create your own practical path.

One common practice witches around the world honor is to follow the cycle of seasons for energetic clues as to how to honor ourselves. Spring is all about renewal and rebirth. I invite you to discover and explore the many ways you can renew your practice or discover your brand of personal witchery without the confines of dogma. Did you plant any seeds of intention last fall that are ready to sprout?

At my store, Curio, Craft & Conjure, we honor magical traditions from around the world. I am partial to Hoodoo, but I label myself as an Intuition Witch, and as such, I honor my guidance above all resources. My guidance leads me to have certain practices and work with entities from around the world.

An Intuition Witch follows no one. She discovers and embraces her personalized practices without the need for rules or other people’s practices. She creates her own relationships with the entities, energies, seasons, and spirits she chooses to support her. When you discover or create your own brand of magic, you will begin to define and create rituals that are most effective for you.

Which leads us to the elephant in the room: How do you discover your brand of magic? While many assume that your astrological chart can give you a clue, there is more to it than that. As a double Scorpio with a Pisces moon (and a natal chart with five planets in Scorpio), it would be easy to assume that I would create my magic with water, yet my favorite elements to create with are fire and earth. (Think candle magic and crystal grids.)

Creating, also known as manifesting, is an everyday occurrence. Manifesting was a buzzword for a while, but now it almost feels slimy. Many people offered ways to manifest that didn’t work. Why? Because no one thing works for everyone, not medicine, standards of beauty, weight-loss methods, health recipes, manifesting methods, healing methods—or magic.

So while people think that magic is something you have to learn how to do, the fact is that we all do it all the time.

Let’s go deeper. Manifesting, to me, is creating something out of nothing. Healing (to me) is turning something into nothing. Manifesting is magic. Healing is magic. Magic can help create something you desire (or not) out of nothing or turn something you don’t want (like a tumor) into nothing.

We are always creating. The real question is: Are we always creating what we desire? The real answer? No.

That said, in terms of healing or banishing, my personal favorite magical elements are water and air. (Think spiritual baths and smudging.) Our opportunity is to recognize that we are always creating and, from there, to understand how we create (whether we like what we have created or not).

To determine which kind of witch you are, ask yourself the two questions below, and use the list as a reference for your answers:

Which of these practices do you lean into most?
Which do you use to heal, and which do you use to manifest?

RITUAL AND ELEMENT

• Crystal Gridding: Earth
• Mojo Bags and Spell Bottles: Earth
• Candle Magic: Fire
• Burning bowls: Fire
• Incense: Air
• Mantras, Incantations, Affirmations, and Prayer: Air
• Lake, Ocean, or River Clearing: Water
• Smudging: Air and Earth
• Spiritual Baths: Water and Earth

If you find that you lean into a specific element, congratulations—you have discovered your element! If you find that you use a combination of elements, determine if you lean into certain energies for manifesting and others for clearing. Experiment with the elements by creating your own practices or trying rituals you find intriguing.

One of the best ways to track which elements work for you is by journaling your results in your grimoire and revisiting it so you can re-create your most successful rituals.

And keep in mind that, as children of Gaia, we are all earth witches.

Ritual

It’s never too late to plant your seeds of intention. This spring, what would you like to give birth to? Spring Ritual Lean into spring and borrow from all the elements to manifest your desires:

• Set your intentions.
• Write them on bay leaves.
• Take a spiritual bath with Epsom salts and Florida Water to release what holds you back.
• Light a white seven-day candle.
• Burn the bay leaves with the flame, allowing the smoke to carry your prayers to the spirit world.
• Do something practical that moves you in the direction of your dreams.