The Path of the Witch: Rituals & Practices for Discovering Which Witch You Are

Elegantly designed and gorgeously illustrated, The Path of the Witch presents the key paths and practices of witchcraft.

Witchcraft is not one defined path—rather, it is a diversity of practices you can curate and align with based on your lifestyle and unique gifts. Which witch are you?
  Do you have an affinity for working with plants and herbs for magic and medicine? You may be a Green Witch.Is the kitchen and home space sacred to you? Are you able to tap into the sensory and healing properties of food for spellwork? Is cooking an intentional act for you? You may be a Kitchen Witch.Are you able to easily connect with the spirit world or the liminal realms? You may be a Hedge Witch.Can you do many practices with ease? You may be an Eclectic Witch.
The Path of the Witchdescribes the many different types of witches, their gifts and abilities, and their practices. Each path shows readers activities and rituals that they can use to discover and explore that type of witchcraft and discern which one is the fit for them.

From the Publisher

The Path of the Witch: Rituals & Practices for Discovering Which Witch You Are

Shared Magick for All Paths

There are many witchcraft paths in the world and many differences between witches, depending on the beliefs they follow. But they all share something in common: magick. Magick creates subtle changes in the energy around us to obtain a desired result. This is an ancient practice that goes back to the first pagan beliefs.

Witchcraft is a practice, and witches aren’t tied to any religion, ethics, or belief system. It’s also important to know that witchcraft and paganism aren’t the same, but they are often related and many witches adopt pagan and neopagan beliefs systems. Although each path specializes in a specific type of witchcraft, most traditions share some basic concepts and beliefs. This chapter introduces these to you and they will appear throughout the book as we explore different paths.

The Path of the Green Witch

When we think about a green witch, the image that usually comes to mind is a wise woman living on her own in a remote forest. But green witches are everywhere and it is their connection to Nature that draws them to this path. Green witches are naturalists, environmentalists, and natural healers.

All witches work with the energy of Mother Earth, but the relationship green witches have with her is special. This branch of the craft embraces all aspects of Nature, including herbs, other plants, crystals and stones, animals, and humans. Being a green witch centers on the knowledge that everything is interconnected: The source of your power lies in Mother Nature and your own body. You draw your strength from the Earth, so harming any part of the Earth is detrimental to Nature and weakens your power.

Green witches do focus on the outdoors, but houses and gardens are a big part of the craft.

The Path of the Kitchen Witch

Kitchen witches live their craft through the art of cooking, incorporating the energy and symbolism of each food into their recipes and charging them with their intention. Food is a way to feed and care for our body, and it is how our body replenishes its inner energy. By choosing the right ingredients, we can state intentions and fix imbalances.

Kitchen witches see food as a way to heal the body and nourish the spirit. They make the kitchen a sacred space and use it to strengthen their connection with Mother Earth and the seasons. Because of this, kitchen witches are usually well versed in seasonal foods, and it’s common for them to grow some of their own ingredients. They are also often attentive to the medicinal and magickal properties and the nutrients of each food.

Kitchen witchcraft is strongly related to green witchcraft and these paths frequently overlap; some even consider kitchen witchcraft a specialized type of green witchcraft.

The Path of the Wiccan Witch

Wicca is a neopagan religion that incorporates different ancient European traditions into one faith. It was developed in the twentieth century in England by Gerald Gardner through different investigations and interviews with witches from that time. It was introduced to the public in 1954 with his book Witchcraft Today.

His neopagan religion mixed pagan traditions with witchcraft and theological beliefs. It created its own two deities based on ancient pagan deities: The Triple Goddess and the Horned God. A lot has changed and the beliefs have evolved, and today there are many branches of Wicca.

Wicca encourages the individualism of each practitioner, with the firm belief that each path is different. Even if we share the same faith, none of us live it the same way.

The Path of the Cosmic Witch

Cosmic witches strongly connect with the celestial energy of the cosmos. They feel and use the energy that emanates from planets, stars, and other celestial bodies for their magickal workings. Cosmic witches use astrology and astronomy to understand and predict the movements and behaviors of the cosmos and to understand the energy that the universe projects.

Timing is very important for cosmic witches. As celestial bodies are in perpetual movement, it is necessary to wait for the right time to make sure that they are positioned in a way that is favorable for their purposes and intentions. This doesn’t mean that all their magick is passive. On the contrary, they actively tap into and channel the energy of celestial bodies.

Most witches include the five elements in one way or another in their craft. The elements are the basic building blocks of everything in the universe: Everything comes from them and their interrelationships. Elemental witches focus on the elements—by combining them or using them individually—to “build” desirable energy for their magickal workings.

Elemental witches feel a strong connection with Mother Nature. Through her, they can connect with the elemental energies. With knowledge and practice, these witches can identify the optimal elements needed for a particular situation and can mix the energy of the elements to create balance and achieve their goals. Some elemental witches focus on working with a particular element they feel more drawn to; they may still consider themselves elemental witches or prefer to label their craft with that element.

The Path of the Sea Witch

Sea witchcraft is a very specific but very popular path. Sometimes it is considered a part of water witchcraft or elemental witchcraft. However, its history and popularity have allowed it to create its own customs and traditions, so it can be considered a distinct path. Sea witchcraft is also much more than just water magick. The beach is a place where you can easily find the five elements: Water in the sea, Earth in the sand, Air in the wind, Fire in the sun, and Spirit in what likens everything together.

It’s also important to know that not all sea witches live near the ocean, and some can only visit the shore occasionally. What makes a sea witch is their connection with the energy of the sea, not their physical proximity. As Sandra Kynes, a pagan author, describes it, “The real beauty of Sea Magic is that you do not need to be near the ocean. . . water is the element related to the inner self. The energy of magic emanates from the depths of our being.”

The Path of the Eclectic Witch

Although eclectic witchcraft has been present throughout history, it has become increasingly popular with the rise of solitary witchcraft. Eclectic witchcraft allows us to create our own path with the belief system and customs that best fit us and our personal situation. Eclectic is sometimes used to define a path that doesn’t fit in any other description.

Due to eclectic witchcraft’s increasing popularity, you can find many books about it. Many explore the personal beliefs of the author, which can be helpful for your research in finding your own path. Maybe one of them resonates completely with you, but for the most part they aren’t guides to the whole eclectic path.

This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones because there aren’t any common beliefs or practices for all eclectic witches. What you will find in this chapter are questions to ask yourself as guidance to create your own craft.

Other Paths and Some Advice

The paths in this book are some of the most popular ones among witches all around the world, but they aren’t the only ones available. As we deepen our knowledge of the craft, many other paths appear, based on different traditions and beliefs.

There is no path that is better than the others. The best path for you is the one that adapts to your needs. At the end of this chapter you will find tips regarding how to choose a path and a label for your craft that can be applied to any witchcraft.

I also want to use this last chapter to encourage you to keep researching other paths and trying new things. Learning opens the mind and the spirit. It is important to be respectful when doing this: Witchcraft has been persecuted and used as an excuse to oppress for centuries. We have to stay together and support each other.

The Wheel of the Year

The Wiccan Wheel of the Year consists of eight festivals called sabbats. Each one is based on a different European pagan festivity. Their celebrations are in tune with the sun cycle and follow the changes in Nature throughout the year. Wicca is an open religion, and these festivals are incorporated by many witches into their craft.

The sabbats are divided into four greater sabbats and four lesser sabbats. These names may be misleading because the sabbats are all equally important. The main difference is their origin: The greater sabbats celebrate the four Celtic fire festivals on fixed dates. The lesser sabbats celebrate the equinoxes and solstices; dates may vary because of the movement of the Earth. To match the seasons, the sabbats have different dates in the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere.

Houses

The houses are the twelve static divisions of the sky from a geocentric viewpoint. Planets and zodiac signs move through them as the Earth rotates. Because their position doesn’t change, they are also the twelve divisions of the birth chart.

Each house represents an area of your life and, depending on the planet that is in them at the moment of your birth, your attitude toward them will change. If one house is empty, it doesn’t mean that that aspect isn’t present in your life, it just means that your attention isn’t focused on it.

The houses are also divided into four quadrants or angles, with four lines named cusps. There are different house systems, but one of the most common representations shows the left side of the birth chart as where the sun rises, known as the Ascendant, and is the cusp of the first house. The numbering of the houses starts from there in counterclockwise order.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fair Winds Press (April 27, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1589239830
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1589239838
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.02 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.7 x 0.6 x 8.8 inches