Witches

[Carmen Elsa Irarragorri Wyland]

Witches

Before I dig in, it’s important to note that for many witches these “different” kinds of witchcraft overlap. Don’t stress, don’t limit yourself. Focus is good, but don’t feel like you have to exclude things from your craft just because others do. Conversely, don’t feel like you have to include things in your craft because others do. Explore whatever feels right to you. It’s also important to note that there can be no definitive list about witches and this post is only one witch’s best effort.

Secular Witch: a witch who is non-religious, though most likely spiritual with their craft

Polytheistic Witch: a witch who believes in more than one god, includes Wiccans, Hellenists

Monotheistic Witch: a witch who believes in one god; includes Abrahamic Witches

Atheistic Witch: a witch who does not believe in god, though is most likely spiritual with their craft

Spell caster - a witch who casts spells. Individual spell theories vary.

Nature Witch/Green Witch - A witch whose craft centers around the natural world and its cycles.

Hedge Witch: a witch whose craft centers around other worlds or realms and their exploration. The term “hedge” signified the boundary of the village and represents the boundary that exists between this world and the spiritual realm.

Kitchen Witch: a witch whose craft centers around cooking, baking, etc.

Cottage Witch: a witch whose craft centers around the home/hearth. May include Kitchen Witch components, as well as any endeavors to make the home a secure, sacred space.
Storm Witch: a witch whose craft centers around storm cycles.

Sea Witch: a witch whose craft centers around the ocean and the shore.(This is the part of the list where you can sub in any kind of nature word before witch — Forest Witch, Desert Witch, etc.)

Ceremonial Witch: One who combines both the practices of witchcraft and ceremonial magic. They may use a combination of disciplines drawn from tradition, but will often employ more scientific precision's such as sacred mathematics and quantum mysticism as well. They will also call upon an eclectic blend of spiritual entities, leaning towards archetypal figures representative of the energies they wish to manifest.

Eclectic Witch: An individual approach in which the witch picks and chooses from many different traditions and creates a personalized form of witchcraft that meets their individual needs and abilities. They do not follow a particular religion or tradition, but study and learn from many different systems and use what works best for them.

Faery Witch: A witch who seeks to commune with faery folk and nature spirits in their magick workings.

Hereditary Witch: Also known as a Family Tradition Witch, it is someone who has been taught a tradition passed down through the generations of their family.

Solitary Witch (Solitaire): This is one who practices alone, without a coven and without following any particular tradition.

Urban Witch: This kind of witch is one that works well in a city setting. The supplies this witch uses may differ from the ‘traditional’ tools, replacing them with more easily accessible, store-bought things. (No need for bones here.)
Pop-Culture Witch: Pop-Culture witches use pop culture imagery in their craft. This may include the worship or veneration of celebrities, comic book characters, writers, etc.

 

• Augurer - Someone who receives and interprets omens.
• Seer - A person who can see things that others can’t. This can refer to the future, spirits, yadda yadda. It’s specifically to do with visions.
• Clair(…) - Clairvoyant, clairaudient, clairsentient, and so on. Someone who can see, hear, know, feel, taste, smell things not of this world, usually spirit-related. Less a diviner than a psychic.
• Soothsayer - A truth teller. The common belief is that a soothsayer tells you the inevitable truth, not the changeable truth. Sort of an “This is what’s going to happen, regardless of what you do about it” thing.
• Fortune Teller - This is applied to basically anyone who divines (usually for money). regardless of the tools they use.
• Prognosticator - Someone who divines based on omens and signs, without tools.

There are other things too that are not strictly divination that fall more into communication. Like:

• Necromancer - Medium. Spirit worker. Spirit whisperer. This can refer to someone who communicates with spirits as a form of divination, but they can also be used for other practices.
• Prophet - This is someone who speaks with a god or gods and delivers messages. The messages come from the god. They’re delivered strictly and exactly. Usually this is done on a public basis.
• Oracle - Someone who communicates with the divine or otherworldly and delivers messages, however the methods are different from prophets in that an oracle will likely reword or interpret the message themselves. They are also considered very wise on their own and are known to give their advice alongside their messages. The oracle speaks for themselves and chooses their own words under the advise of another source (not necessarily a god always), whereas the prophet speaks delivers messages that they believe to come specifically from one god or groups of gods.

And there are also witches who base their craft off their heritage if it is one which includes its own system of magic. Depending on the culture, it may or may not be closed to outsiders.