What Kind of Witch Are You?
Witchcraft is simultaneously in love with and directly opposed to labels. I don’t like them, but it is good to know what path you may be on.
Like I said in the excerpt, I don’t enjoy assigning labels. But, when starting out, the knowledge of what you may be pursuing can be helpful. For example, when I began my practice, I was a ceremonial Witch. I took everything very seriously. And I learned a lot from it. These days, I’m more of an Alexandrian Witch. Which is basically doing whatever works.
And that’s exactly it. Do what works for you. If you want to perform long hours of ritual work, do that! You do not have to practice like me or anyone else. Have your personal practice. So, here are five types of Witches that may help identify which path you should take.
And this is not an exhaustive list. These are only the 5 most common types of Witches I have encountered in my work.
NUMBER 5: Ceremonial Witch
Ceremonial Witches, or those that perform ceremonial Magick, generally consist of those who spend long hours (sometimes days) performing Magick. Sometimes it may even be called “Ritual Magick,” but that naming can be confusing since all forms of Witchcraft use rituals.
This form of Magick gained popularity when the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn came to power in the late 19th century.
You do not meet many Ceremonial Witches. This is because they tend to rank high in conscientiousness on the Big 5 Personality Scale. I talk about this a lot, but most Witches rank high in openness, which means they tend to eschew structure and tradition. The crazy traditions of our cultures are what drive most of us to Witchcraft in the first place.
As a Ceremonial Witch, you may expect years of performing a single ritual. Take the Moon Child ritual first written about by Aleister Crowley in his novel, Moon Child. This occult ritual takes years of practice, withdrawal from society, and self-flagellation. And, it is not something I’d recommend anyone to mess with. It may have opened some doors that can no longer be closed. L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, performed this ritual and may have messed with existence as we know it.
NUMBER 4: Alexandrian Witch
Alexandrian Witchcraft first began in the 1960s. The name was taken both from its founder, Alex Sanders, and from the Library of Alexandria. The main tenet of this form of Witchcraft is that all information should be available to everyone.
This is why I call myself an Alexandrian Witch, although I’m not actually one. It is a term of convenience for me, rather than a label.
This kind of Witchcraft believes that everyone should have their say when it comes to Magick ritual and spellcraft. It appeals to the openness of most Witches, which is why it became popular in the 1960s. The ‘60s were a time of great awakening in the population. People were beginning to shed their traditional culture of Abrahamic religion and found something that was less about control and more about sharing a relationship with the universe.
Alexandrian Witches tend to be drawn toward all sorts of Magick. Crystals, Energy Healing, Sigil Magick—anything considered New Age is where Alexandrian Witches call home.
NUMBER 3: Kitchen (Green) Witch
Kitchen Witches are the kind of Witches that generally work with poultices and potions. Herbs and alchemy. And hearth Magick. They tend to practice solo, although, when enough of them find common ground they do form covens.
I grew up with Kitchen Witches, which is probably why I am not one. I was quite rebellious as a child, so I went on my own journey. I have a story about a Kitchen Witch that will illustrate who they are and what they do better than any vague description could:
When I was 8, my hands became covered in warts. To this day, I have no idea what caused them. So, my mom took me to one of her friends who lived deep in a hollow. She was a large woman who lived in something of a shack. There were bones and jars and feathers hanging from every inch of the shack’s walls.
We walked inside, my mother requested a solution to my wart problem, and she handed me a small jar of a brownish liquid. I was told to rub the liquid on my hands, then bury the jar where no one would find. I obeyed. The next morning I woke up with no warts.
If you tend to practice alone, do a lot of baking or cooking, then you may be a Kitchen Witch.
NUMBER 2: Cosmic Witch
Cosmic Witches are concerned with Magickal practices like Astral Travel, Divination, and Astrology. There are many names for this type of Witch: Energy Witch, Astrological Witch, Fortune Tellers—either way, I like the name Cosmic because… well, I think it sounds cool 😉
Most Witches dabble in these sorts of practices, but Cosmic Witches make it their focus. Most of the time, Cosmic Witches are born with gifts others cannot access. This is sometimes thought of as “supernatural,” but with enough practice you will learn that it is COMPLETELY natural.
They use the errant energy of the Universe to fuel their spells and rituals. They keep star charts. They make decisions based on Astrology. They see visions, do palm readings, and enter other dimensions with Astral Travel. Like I said, other kinds of Witches do these things regularly, but being a Cosmic Witch makes this their life.
I have noticed that many Native Peoples tend to be drawn to this sort of Magick, so if that is in your blood, you are probably drawn toward this path somewhat.
NUMBER 1: Occult Witch
An Occult Witch is someone who amasses ancient knowledge to use in their practice. And they tend to perform Magick that is very old. This is similar to the Ceremonial Witch, but Occult Witches tend to have a harder “edge” to them. And I’ll explain what I mean:
Occult Witches tend to practice dark Magick exclusively. And they tend to be very secretive about their work. If you are at all interested in Secret Societies, then you know what I am talking about. These Witches are mostly concerned with gaining power through MASSIVE rituals that sometimes use thousands, or millions, of unwitting people for their work.
They use symbolism, like many corporate logos. They use sigils. They use anything to hijack the human mind for their own gain. And they avoid Karmic backlash by designing their rituals in a way so that they are telling the unwitting participant what will happen beforehand.
Out of all the Witches, this is likely the most powerful. So, if you are concerned with having power over others, this may be the path for you.
Love + Blessings
Laci
If you are practicing alone, I urge you to look into the Mysticmagicks Facebook Group. It is full of practicing witches and spirit keepers looking to help others.
If you would like to try working with a spirit companion, you should look at my stores. I have everything you need to begin.
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