Definitions
„Witches are people who use their natural and learned abilities to work with magic in order to bring about changes in their own lives and the lives of others.“
— Ulrike Ascher
„Witches learn magic to heal where there are wounds, to bring love where there is hate, to offer compassion where there is cruelty, to answer what is wrong with what is right. And so we practice magic to restore balance, to transform negative energy into positive energy.“
— Phyllis Curott
„Witches are capable of consciously crossing the hedge—that threshold which simultaneously separates and connects the spiritual and material worlds. They are border-crossers, fence-riders, hedge-sitters, intermediaries between both planes.“
— Florian Schlie
The Word
Until not all that long ago, hardly anyone would have called themselves a witch, for doing so could be genuinely life-threatening.
The word itself only evolved into this form in the modern era. Previously, entirely different terms and descriptions were used to outline the mythology or the social role behind this phenomenon.
Being called a witch was something attributed to you by others, and many of the people accused during the witch trials had nothing to do with witchcraft whatsoever. Especially in times of religious and confessional conflict, people were accused of witchcraft by members of other denominations as well.
Most of the people who were condemned and burned during the witch-craze of the early modern period had nothing to do with actual magic. However, there were also individuals who genuinely practiced magic.
At first glance, this seems like a contradiction, which I would like to shed some light on here.
Before Christianization, magical practices were an integral part of everyday life. There were people who specialized in magic and performed it for others as well.
In every community, there were individuals who possessed knowledge of magic and engaged with spirits and gods. Some did this only occasionally, while others devoted themselves to these matters more intensively, becoming masters of their craft.
They were wise women and knowledgeable men—people whom others turned to for advice and help because of their expertise. They were comparable to the shamans or medicine men of other cultures, as they established a connection between human beings and the spiritual realm.
The roots of the German word Hexe lie in the Old High German Hagazussa, which described a being living in or at a hedge. The hedge was a natural threshold between the safety of the village and the untamed wilderness.
Whoever found themselves on this threshold had access to both sides and could mediate between them.
Thus, the hedge became a symbol for a boundary that simultaneously separates and connects: the world of humans and the realm of the unseen, civilization and nature, the underworld and the human world, as well as—in a modern sense—the subconscious and the conscious.
Christian Influences
Following Christianization, many magical practices did not simply vanish. They lived on in folk belief and customs, just like many pagan concepts.
Out of these remnants of pagan religion and magical traditions, witchcraft grew.
The wise women and knowledgeable men became the witches of the Christian era.
They were midwives, herbalists, diviners, death-companions, and healers. People sought them out when they needed help, advice, or magical support.
From the Christian perspective, however, the image changed drastically from the 15th and 16th centuries onward: the witch was now increasingly viewed as a man or woman who entered into a pact with the devil in order to inflict targeted harmful magic upon the community. At the same time, however, the older concepts of helpful wise women and knowledgeable men persisted in folk belief. Both perceptions thus existed parallel to one another for a long time.
Yet these actual practitioners of magic never called themselves witches. They concealed their magical practices, wisdom, and customs under the cloak of Christianity and secrecy.
For to be denounced as a witch meant death in earlier times.
As a result, folk magic survived in many regions of Europe in diverse and often only fragmentary forms.
Modern Usage
Today, the word “witch” is used by many people as a self-designation.
Many modern witches do so for religious reasons. For many, witchcraft is a religion. They believe in the Great Goddess and the Horned God, connect with nature and the seasons, and celebrate corresponding rituals.
Furthermore, many women see the witch as a symbol of female strength and self-determination.
Others see themselves more in the tradition of the wise women and knowledgeable men. For them, witchcraft is less a religion and much more a craft. They strive to further develop their natural magical abilities and apply them for themselves and their environment.
Some do this solely for themselves, others also for other people—much like the historical wise women and knowledgeable men, or like shamans in other cultures.
I personally view witchcraft more from this latter perspective: as a craft and as a spiritual path.
In modern witchcraft, the boundaries between religion, spirituality, and magical craft blur.
To me, witchcraft exists „between things.“
Between religion and magic, between spirituality and craft. A threshold that connects all these sides together.
Redefining Witchcraft
Historically, witchcraft carried a negative meaning for a long time. Yet the image of the witch is changing.
Alongside the wicked fairy-tale witch, a new image of the witch is emerging.
The witch is being liberated from her negative connotation and returning to another image: that of a person possessing magical knowledge and special abilities.
In modern novels, films, and series, witches are no longer portrayed solely as evil devil-worshippers, but frequently as magically gifted individuals who help others and use their abilities for something positive.
Modern fiction has thus frequently transformed the wicked witch into a heroine and a figure of identification.
And so the public image of the witch is shifting as well.
More and more people are stepping out of their broom closets and openly calling themselves witches.
Today, for many people, the word “witch” is no longer an insult or an accusation.
It is a self-designation, a craft, and for many, a spiritual path as well.
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