Witches: A Compendium

Introduction

Witches call to us from thresholds, crossroads, seashores, swamps, and mountaintops. Fairy-tale witches beckon from within wild forests. Urban witches mingle in stores stocked with candles, crystals, statues, and mysterious books. Witches fly through the air and dig twisted roots from the ground.

Beautiful witches dance beneath the stars. Robed magicians chant in arcane tongues. Alluring witches ensorcell with the power of potions. Cadaverous hags stir steaming cauldrons. Flower and pentacle bedecked witches celebrate the seasons. Hideous witches lurk in horror films, working their wiles and definitely up to no good.

Witches peep out of greeting cards. They appear in advertising for hosiery, alcoholic beverages, and sandwich meat. They commandeer the pages of comic books, appearing in the guise of both villain and heroine. Witches consistently steal the show in movies and television, whether live-action or animated.

The obviously witchy dress in black and wear peaked hats. Other witches remain resolutely discreet, appearing totally ordinary and nondescript: nothing about their appearance reveals that they are witches. Witches gather herbs, draw down the moon, roll in morning dew, commune with animal familiars, perform magical feats and miracles of healing, live harmoniously with nature, and impose their will upon others. Witches hex, bless, curse, and remove curses cast by others.

So, what exactly is a witch? How can you recognize one? Is it possible that you are one?

Witches defy simple classification.

Since the earliest days of humanity, witches have been admired, adored, loved, feared, trusted, mistrusted, loathed, persecuted, killed, lusted after, and worshipped. Every culture around the world acknowledges the existence of witches, or at the very least recognizes some kind of witch. Witches inspire, in one form or another, every creative art: theater, music, paintings, dance, cinema, television, literature, and so forth. Witches appear in the most ancient myths and folklore. As new forms of entertainment, such as video games, emerge, witches continue to make their presence felt.

As time marches on, witches are more prevalent, not less. Even so, attempts to define exactly who—or what—witches are consistently leads to confusion and impassioned argument. Although very many are convinced that they know the true definition of witch, their many definitions contradict each others’. Part of the problem is that one little word—witch—has evolved into an umbrella term encompassing many different concepts.

A witch is commonly defined as someone who practices magical arts, a spell-caster, or occultist. Many understand witch to be a synonym for magic user. Other synonyms include enchantress, sorcerer and sorceress, wizard, magician, mage, magus, and its feminine counterpart, maga. A host of comparable words exist in multitudes of languages.

The magical arts are a broad field, not restricted to the casting of spells. Historically, at one time or another, alchemists, astrologers, mediums, seers, and fortune-tellers have all been classified as witches, although some would object to this classification. Some people do not differentiate between shamans and witches; others do. Over the centuries, the term witch has also encompassed midwives, herbalists, and other traditional healers. Healing and midwifery were once perceived as magical professions even though they may not be perceived that way today.

Some consider devotees of the Wiccan religion to be witches, regardless of whether or not a particular individual casts spells. Some perceive witches as those who live harmoniously with Earth’s natural rhythms and resent the automatic association of witches with the occult.

Yet according to still others, magic isn’t what witches do; it’s what they are. Some define witches as members of a special magical race living amongst humans. Witches may look like people, but that resemblance is only superficial—they have superpowers that are innate or inherited. These witches are commonly found in popular culture; the TV shows Bewitched and Charmed and the Harry Potter series spring to mind. Although some people consider this type of witch sheer fantasy, others sincerely believe that they exist.

East Asian lore takes this concept one step further: just as some people possess superpowers, so do some animals. Certain animal species, especially cats, foxes, and snakes, are closely associated with witchcraft. While most members of these species are just regular animals, lurking among them are a few possessing superpowers. The animals are witches.

The most powerful of these are shape-shifters who can convincingly assume human form. In other words, while Hungarian witch-trial testimony accuses women of transforming themselves into black cats, in these Chinese and Japanese tales, it’s the cat who convincingly masquerades as a person, although typically there will be some telltales signs of its true identity.

These animal witches tend to be female, which underscores another common perception about witches. Many consider witches and women to be intrinsically linked, although whether positively or negatively so is in the eye of the beholder. As the old saying goes, Every woman a witch.

Some perceive any sexy woman to be a witch; she’s literally bewitching. This might be meant as a compliment, but it could also be construed as a warning. At times when women’s beauty was perceived as dangerous—and still in some places today—alluring women have sometimes been accused of being witches. The roots of the practice of veiling women may lie in attempts to protect vulnerable men from witches’ wicked wiles.

To some, the word witch is a compliment, a badge of honor. Witches are emblematic of a certain kind of innate female power. A witchy woman is a creative, confident, resilient, indefatigable woman, walking her own path, comfortable in her own skin, in control of her own sexuality, beholden to no one.

Yet to others, witch is a potent insult. The word is frequently used to describe a defiant woman, one who doesn’t know her place, as well as any mean-spirited, nasty woman, regardless of magical skill or power. Many perceive witch as but a rhyming synonym for bitch. In the 1939 MGM movie musical The Wizard of Oz, actress Margaret Hamilton portrays two characters: the green-skinned, black-hatted, magical practitioner called the Wicked Witch of the West, and the despised spinster neighbor, Miss Gulch. Both characters are referred to as witches.

Although historically many have been falsely accused of being witches, in fact, witches do exist: many different kinds of witches. Yes, of course, there are folktale witches and fairy-tale witches, literary witches and Hollywood witches. But most especially, there are countless living, breathing witches who bear that title with pride.

That doesn’t mean that witches are easily pigeonholed. Witches come in all shapes, sizes, ages, colors, ethnicities, and genders. Witches live in every community and around the world. Some follow ancient paths; others forge and pioneer brand-new ways.

There are Luddite witches and techno-witches, witches who have emerged from the secrecy of the broom closet and witches who fiercely guard their privacy. Witches belong to every political party and subscribe to many political creeds, from the most liberal to the archconservative. Historically, there have been fascist witches, anarchist witches, and monarchist witches.

Witches observe many religions and walk many spiritual paths. Although many modern witches are Wiccans, others have no religious affiliation, considering themselves atheists or agnostics. Still others identify themselves as Pagans, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and virtually any other religion that can be named. Although many find the concept of Christian witches contradictory, others do not. Regardless of any other religious or spiritual affiliation, a high percentage of witches are animists.

Witches cannot be identified solely by appearance. A witch costume (black dress, peaked hat, and often a broom) has been among the most popular Halloween costumes for generations, yet many who don the garb of the witch on that holiday would laugh if it were suggested that they were witches.

What then, do witches have in common? Is there a common denominator that unites these diverse people? Is there something that is intrinsic to being a witch?

In fact, there is. Witches of all kinds certainly do share something in common. The clue to what they share is hidden in the word witch itself. Rather than by apparel or appearance, a witch’s identity is defined by something within.

The English word witch derives from an Anglo-Saxon root word, wicce (feminine form) or wicca (masculine form), meaning wise one. (The word Wicca derives from the same source.) Witchcraft is the craft of the wise. Witches are the wise ones; the ones who know. Witches are knowledge seekers.

To know is not the same as being smart or educated. What witches possess or strive to attain is deep spiritual knowledge, the wisdom of Earth, sea, and stars. Witches are privy to Earth’s secrets. They possess knowledge of traditional lore whose roots first emerged in the depths of time.

Words in many languages acknowledge this concept of the witch as someone who possesses deep knowledge. For example, ved’ma, a Russian word for witch, translates as one who knows. The Congolese word nganga is translated as witch, although a more accurate translation might be medium: someone who serves as a bridge to the spirit world. This word derives from a Kikongo language root word meaning knowledge or skill but with the specific implication of spiritual and magical knowledge.

Basic, universal magical theory suggests that everything that exists exerts and radiates some type of magic power. Different species, individuals, things, colors, numbers, fragrances, and objects all radiate their own unique powers. (No, this has not been scientifically proven, but bear in mind that until the very end of the 19th century the existence of radioactivity was unproven and was, in fact, pooh-poohed by very many distinguished and educated scientists. Absence of proof is not proof of absence.) Although these powers may not be visible, physically tangible, or measurable by current scientific means, still they exist and may be manipulated for good or ill by those who know how. Witches are the ones who know how or who have the potential, capacity, or desire to learn.

Of course, this knowledge also explains the mistrust that so many bear toward witches. People are often uncomfortable with those who know more than they do, especially if that knowledge is powerful and difficult to access. Witches are repositories and guardians of occult knowledge. The word occult means secret or hidden. Occult knowledge is buried treasure, humanity’s secret heritage. For millennia, during certain historical periods and in many locales, those in positions of authority have attempted to control access to knowledge. Attempts were made to destroy or censor information, especially that of a spiritual or magical nature that was deemed inconvenient or that contradicted official teachings. These attempts were often successful: very little documented evidence now survives regarding the spiritual traditions of pre-Christian Europe or pre-Islamic Arabia, for instance.

One quality witches often share is a tendency to resent and resist any attempt to limit access to knowledge. Witches are the ones determined to know, regardless of rules or regulations. Despite centuries of terrible persecution, witches have preserved and transmitted sacred information, often orally to one another and often at great personal risk.

Another characteristic many witches share is comfort with the liminal. The word liminal derives from the Latin limen, or threshold. Liminal indicates the in-between: states that are simultaneously neither and both. Liminal space simultaneously divides and bridges two realities. Thus the shore divides land from sea and simultaneously connects them. The two liminal times of day, twilight and dawn, are neither night nor day and yet merge the energies of both. The standard opening line of central European fairy tales—the equivalent of Once upon a time—is Once there was and once there wasn’t . . . indicating that the story about to be told exists in a liminal region. When you are kind of awake yet still partially asleep, you are in a liminal state. If you stand with one foot in water and one on dry land, you are standing in the liminal.

Witches thrive in the liminal zone. An old northern European nickname for witches is hedge riders. Once upon a time, massive hedgerows divided villages from forests. Witches were believed to perch on these hedgerows, thus living simultaneously in the civilized world and in wild nature.

An American folk name for witch is two-headed, as in a two-headed woman, a two-headed man, or a two-headed doctor (as in witch doctor or fairy doctor). The witch possesses two metaphorical heads because the witch lives in two worlds simultaneously: the mundane world and the magical world; the world of people and the world of spirits; the world of the living and the world of the dead.

Witches possess the skill, knowledge, and instincts to safely navigate these worlds. They serve as bridges and mediums. An individual witch may or may not possess this knowledge, but possesses the power to access and assimilate it, if needed or desired. Witches know the secrets of plants, animals, rocks, and other people. They understand the power projected by colors, numbers, and words. Witches can banish ghosts and welcome kind spirits. They can see the future in cards and see your past reflected in the palm of your hand.

The world of witches is filled with passion, magic, high spirits, and joy. It is a world where the sacred is ever-present, a world in which even the most mundane objects possess deep spiritual significance. The world of witches is a world of wonder in which every color, incident, creature, sight, or sound has some sort of magical import.

Although the history of witches is punctuated with tragedy, witches famously love to revel and have fun. So welcome to the world of witches—let’s explore! Let’s meet some of the world’s most fascinating witches.

This book embraces a broad definition of witches with a primary focus on witches as practitioners of magic.

Just so that we are on the same page, in this book:

  Witch refers to any type of witch, regardless of spiritual or religious affiliation.

  Wicca refers to the modern religion first formalized by Gerald Gardner in the 1950s.

  Wiccan refers to devotees of Wicca.

  Vodou refers to the African diaspora spiritual tradition that arose in Haiti.

  Voodoo refers to Vodou-related magical traditions specific to New Orleans.

CHAPTER 1

Types of Witches

What does a witch believe? What does a witch do? The answers to those questions are extremely complex. There are many ways to be a witch. Witches ply their craft in many ways. There are many witchcraft traditions. It is virtually impossible to condense complex belief systems into a few sentences, and so what follows is but a brief sampling and should not be considered definitive. Witchcraft is a fluid, vital art. Perhaps you, too, possess a unique perspective on how to practice witchcraft and will pioneer new ways and crafts.

Many people are perplexed by the differences between Wicca and witchcraft. Witchcraft is a broad term that encompasses many styles, perspectives, and practices. Wicca refers to a specific spiritual tradition. One person may be both Wiccan and a witch, but not all witches are Wiccans and perhaps vice versa.

Among the crucial differences between Wicca and witchcraft is that most Wiccan traditions require initiation and thus direct transmission from one member to another. Self-initiation is a controversial topic within the Wiccan community. There is no concept of initiation in many witchcraft paths. It’s not that it’s not required; it doesn’t exist. There is no hierarchy. Each witch is an independent practitioner on their own path.

Alexandrian Wicca

This tradition’s name pays tribute to its founder, Alex Sanders, and also to the ancient library of Alexandria, Egypt, once the largest library in the world and a repository of sacred, mystical wisdom. Alexandrian Wicca was established in the United Kingdom in the 1960s.

Atheist Witches

As atheists, these witches do not acknowledge a Supreme Creator or the Wiccan conception of a Lord and Lady, but work their magic using Earth’s natural powers and energies. Some may work with elemental spirits, land spirits, or fairies.

Cabot Tradition of Witchcraft

This tradition, based on the teachings of Salem witch Laurie Cabot, emphasizes that witchcraft is a science, art, and religion. The Cabot Tradition also emphasizes psychic development. More about the Cabot Tradition—its lore, history, and rituals—may be found in the book Laurie Cabot’s Book of Shadows by Laurie Cabot with Penny Cabot and Christopher Penczak (Copper Cauldron, 2015).

Chaos Magic

There is no one specific school of Chaos Magic, also spelled Chaos Magick, nor do its practitioners adhere to one specific philosophy or spiritual tradition. Instead, those who define themselves as chaos magicians share a certain attitude toward magic. Chaos Magic is defined as the primal creative force in the universe.

Chaos magicians learn and experiment with various magical techniques in order to tap into this underlying, primal, creative force in whatever ways work best and most effectively for them. Chaos Magic is influenced by the work of visionary artist and magician Austin Osman Spare, who wrote, What is there to believe, but in Self?

The Clan of Tubal Cain

This tradition, founded by English