Link for More Info on Types of Witches

[NightOwl]

http://witch-sway.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-kind-of-witch-are-you.html?spref=fb&m=1

In case anyone is interested, or in case anyone (who responded to my post on paganism) is curious, I'm a green solitary.

[BumbleBee]

Thank you for sharing. I find any kind of new to me groups/traditions/etc absolutely facinating.

[NightOwl]

Welcome! Everyone here has been so open minded and supportive, which inclines me to be more open and provide more info, if it's desired that is.

[debbiedoeszip]

I'm a cottage solitary, it seems. Slightly green, though, too.

[NightOwl]

Merry meet, Debbie!

[Blackcat31]

Wednesday...

Can I ask you a serious question. I am really not trying to be insulting so forgive me if I am but I am really curious...

How come people who practice wicca or are pagan, are called witches?

Why adopt a name that is connected to thoughts/ideas that represent evil or bad or negative things...kwim?

For example, when I looked the word "witch" up it says:

Witch:
noun
1. a person, now especially a woman, who professes or is supposed to practice magic, especially black magic or the black art; sorceress. Compare warlock.

2. an ugly or mean old woman; hag: the old witch who used to own this building.

3. a person who uses a divining rod; dowser.

I mean those are all kind of negative and not-so-nice descriptions of something that so far from what I've read is a peaceful religion based on beauty and nature.

The dictionary definition just seems to be feeding those that dont know and I am not understanding why people who practice your religion/beliefs don't want to maybe choose or adopt a different term instead of witch so that you aren't constantly having to "educate" people.

Does that make sense?

[NightOwl]

It does. I think there's an attachment to the word, at least for me, because it's the traditional word used for millennia and I don't feel like I should have to give it up in order to please the whole of society, kwim?

The definitions you listed are ones that were written by the uneducated who are taking their info from mainstream ideas. But that's just what they are: ideas. For those who don't bother to learn more, they remain ignorant to what a modern day witch is and continue to take such definitions literally.

And concerning wicca, I am not wiccan. Think of paganism as an umbrella and under the umbrella, there are many different paths. Wicca, witches, druids, some include Buddhism, healers, and on and on. We're all pagans on different paths. Wiccans follow the teachings of Gerald Garner. He sort of "invented" wicca back in the 40s and 50s as a revival of witchcraft. But we don't all share the same views as his. So a witch has to choose to follow his teachings in order to be considered a wiccan, but a LOT of us don't. So we just stuck with "witch" or "pagan".

[NightOwl]

And I use the word pagan way more often than witch. But I'm a witch at heart.

[KiddieCahoots]

Very interesting, feel your opening a door for me that I have to explore more. Especially after reading your other post, and now while I read this post to my daughter, she wants to learn more as well.
Never categorized my daughters, mom, sister, and myself, or practiced, but we have always referred to what we do, or what naturally occurs with us, (that can sometimes freak people out), as the "mojo". Especially my daughters and myself. I believe because we are mentally more open to it.
But we can sometimes have unpredictable, strong insights, that just come on like a light, that later occur. Some of the insights we've had....my sister who was having trouble for years getting pregnant, and we believe'd it just wasn't going to happen The insight or "mojo" occurred, and I predicted her pregnancy, told her that very day, the same day she herself found out from her doctor. When I was pregnant with my 4th baby, my oldest predicted the sex of the baby, and continued to tell me that I would have a 5th and the sex of that baby as well. I know....that's not really saying much, but....She's been predicting the sex of babies for mom's to be, for 13 years now, and has yet to be wrong. She'll even be able to tell them if they will be having a next baby and that baby's sex, and so on. Some of the insights are like de ja vu, only stronger, where we can tell people personal things about them, to them. This doesn't always go over too well.
I know my daughters and I are not the only one's out there that can do this sort of thing, and I'm willing to bet most people that can do this probably keep quiet, and pass it off as coincidence. I know someone who is stronger than we are, and she baffles my mind. I'd even categorize her to be more of a medium.

-And no...I'm not crazy, or jumping in on the post, just to get attention.-
Thought I'd mention that, just because of some of the looks people will sometimes give us, if me and my daughters talk about our recent experiences aloud.

[NightOwl]

I always know the sex of babies too!! I once had a "dry spell" where I got 3 in a row wrong and said I was quitting! But after a few months, I was asked to predict for someone and I was right. So I did it again and again and haven't been wrong since the "dry spell". Lol.

[KiddieCahoots]

Ok, you can relate to what I'm talking about? In your opinion, what would you categorize this to be? Strong intuition......? I don't know what else to call it.

Except for my daughter predicting pregnancies, or at the time that someone is calling or texting me, I can predict who it is before answering, if I have a strong emotional connection with that person. On rare occasions, I can predict who will be connecting my daughters, without even knowing the person. Other than instances like this its usually pretty unpredictable, with random insights, that if we're comfortable with that person, we'll then share.

People that are close to the family know this about us, even the skeptical become believers. They don't consider us weird, freaks, ghetto, or outspoken. We're very normal people, except for this trait. And even though I'm sharing here, we normally don't broadcast it to the public, because some that don't know us on a more personal level, tend to treat us differently after discovering such a thing.

[debbiedoeszip]

<<< It does. I think there's an attachment to the word, at least for me, because it's the traditional word used for millennia and I don't feel like I should have to give it up in order to please the whole of society, kwim?>>>

Exactly. For a long time, in the past, identifying as a Jew was not an easy thing. There were a lot of negative connotations associated with that word. Should they have changed the name of who they were?

And not that long ago, to be gay or called gay meant nothing positive.

I'm glad that people didn't cave to societal pressure and negativity.

[Blackcat31]

It does. I think there's an attachment to the word, at least for me, because it's the traditional word used for millennia and I don't feel like I should have to give it up in order to please the whole of society, kwim?

The definitions you listed are ones that were written by the uneducated who are taking their info from mainstream ideas. But that's just what they are: ideas. For those who don't bother to learn more, they remain ignorant to what a modern day witch is and continue to take such definitions literally.

And concerning wicca, I am not wiccan. Think of paganism as an umbrella and under the umbrella, there are many different paths. Wicca, witches, druids, some include Buddhism, healers, and on and on. We're all pagans on different paths. Wiccans follow the teachings of Gerald Garner. He sort of "invented" wicca back in the 40s and 50s as a revival of witchcraft. But we don't all share the same views as his. So a witch has to choose to follow his teachings in order to be considered a wiccan, but a LOT of us don't. So we just stuck with "witch" or "pagan".

<<< It does. I think there's an attachment to the word, at least for me, because it's the traditional word used for millennia and I don't feel like I should have to give it up in order to please the whole of society, kwim?>>>

Exactly. For a long time, in the past, identifying as a Jew was not an easy thing. There were a lot of negative connotations associated with that word. Should they have changed the name of who they were?

And not that long ago, to be gay or called gay meant nothing positive.

I'm glad that people didn't cave to societal pressure and negativity.

Totally understand but still, that means you will forever have to be educating people.

Also the definition I found wasn't the only one and wasn't necessarily written by "the uneducated who are taking their info from mainstream ideas". kwim?

I just think that if people were more accepting and understanding, you (general you) would be more accepted and understood verses having to continually explain/elaborate.

I "get" the feeling about not changing to please a few but if I could change a word or change one thing to help a group of people be more understanding and more accepting, I would do it in a red hot minute because it isn't about principal or refusal to change, it's about the overall message and the over all attitude of others.

That positive change would be MORE than enough for me.

[Childminder]

Mmmmm…my mother was what we called intuitive.

She always knew the sex of a child in womb and this was long before ultrasounds were invented, in fact, my son was the only child she was ever wrong about in her 85 years.

Her step-father was a well digger and would take her with to have her use a divining rod to discover water.

Never to my knowledge was she considered a witch. Though if crossed I'm sure some called her one.

[NightOwl]

Totally understand but still, that means you will forever have to be educating people.

Also the definition I found wasn't the only one and wasn't necessarily written by "the uneducated who are taking their info from mainstream ideas". kwim?

I just think that if people were more accepting and understanding, you (general you) would be more accepted and understood verses having to continually explain/elaborate.

I "get" the feeling about not changing to please a few but if I could change a word or change one thing to help a group of people be more understanding and more accepting, I would do it in a red hot minute because it isn't about principal or refusal to change, it's about the overall message and the over all attitude of others.

That positive change would be MORE than enough for me.

This is why I lean toward the word pagan in general conversation. But even that has its negative connotations.