A lot of people that just started to discover the world of magick always wonder what they should call themselves. Pagan? Wiccan? Shaman? Priest? or even Witch? It is always hard for them to understand what to call themselves without a little knowledge about them. Of course there are people that do not want titles or be called anything at all. You are free to do the same if that is what you want. But for others having the right title gives them a good feeling of what they are trying to learn. Some titles are easy to understand by the area you study in like Pagan, Wiccan, Shaman, and ect. Which others gives you a little question on what they mean like Priest, Witch, Warlock, ect. Pagans (depending if you are old pagan style or new pagan style) follow nature and give worship to Mother nature, Gaia, and other Goddesses that helps with their harvest. Now days we don't grow our own crops or any of that stuff, but we can still give blessings and our respect to them for what we do have and what has already been grown (bread, peas, beans, fruit, ect). Wiccans are a bit odd, to me, because there are different ways to be a Wiccan. When I think I have their way figured out another Wiccan would tell me otherwise. Some of them cast spells while others just mediate. If you are curious about being a Wiccan I suggest looking into the Wiccan Riddle (sorry for misspell or put the wrong name).
Anyways back to the main topic, being called a witch? A lot of people don't like calling themselves a witch or others calling them that. It all depends on how you look at it and everyone looks at it differently. For example Bob may think a witch is someone that does spell casting while Bill thinks a witch is someone that does devil worshiping. Because of the slander certain people and groups given Pagans, Witch is commonly known as an evil old hag that can do great harm with a little look that does devil worshiping. Some people believe in this so much, no matter how much you explain or show them they will consider you part of Satan will. I am not saying everyone sees this or anything, just getting you ready to face those kinds of people if you do go around calling yourself a witch. It can cause you some trouble you don't want or cannot handle. Pagan has the same effect but some people don't know that term. Wiccan, sadly thanks to TV shows (King of the Hill, Simpsons,ect) , teenagers (I have seen a lot of cases of Teenagers thinking they are Vampires and killed a few people in their rite. Now lets this be clear that these are back in 1980-1998), role players (people that think they can be Harry Potter in real life), and people that are just a loser looking to escape reality. Because of all of those, the title Wiccan (unless you are in the right area) is look as a joke. In the right community, like this one, it isn't a joke and needs to be respected.
Back to the title Witch, should you call yourself that? It all depends on you and how you see it. If you do, reminder, a lot of people is going to disagree with your reason, even on this site, and look down on you. Some people think having a title is below them, that they are too great for one and anyone that has one is a loser (I meant three or four on here like that). Heck, you don't even have to read this, not sure why I wrote it.
I'm not rightly sure why you put this up, however, I think it is a nice rant on labels.
To me, I cannot find a perfect label for myself, so I simply call myself a practitioner. Until I come to a point where I can call myself something else, that is what I shall do. :)
Re: Being Called a Witch? By: WhiteRav3n / Knowledgeable
Post # 3 May 19, 2013
I used to be self conscious about what I labeled myself or what others labeled me. I came to become comfortable with being called (and calling myself) a witch when I lost all insecurities about "what others may think".
Wicca is a religion, not a label, so that doesn't count. A witch is not a Wiccan. A Wiccan can be a witch if he/she chooses.
I do not like the term shaman, however, because I feel too many people use it too easily. The path of a shaman is a very serious one, and one that held/holds quite a lot of status and responsibility within it's community. So when someone calls themselves a shaman, I automatically consider them a joke unless they demonstrate to me that they are truly that experienced.
Again, priest and priestess titles should be earned, not self-given
Magician, Conjurer, Rootworker, Witch, Sorceror, or simply "Magic(k) Practitioner" are some of the better labels.
(By the way, I am what is considered a "Hedge Witch" because my practise combines Witchcraft with a shamanic approach--in my case Cherokee medicine). I usually say nothing at all unless someone asks because it's easier not to have to explain!
I used to be more self-concious. You should embrace who you have become. I would caution there are places in the world where being a Witch can still get you into serious trouble.
I like this rant as well. When I first started, I didnt know what I was either except "different". Once I built up some knowledge and confidence, I didn't care what people thought about my choices. They were mine to make. I have called myself a witch and practitionar, but use pagan the most because it is kinda like an umbrella term used for a lot of different paths. That way when people ask me what that is I simply tell them I'm part of a nature based religion. They may not understand completely, but i've recievedbetter responces than coming out and saying witch. Either way nobody has to like what title you give yourself as long as you are being true to yourself and your path. :)
Awesome rant! One objection. Myself and many others I communicated with don't have labels for themselves, not because they think they are too great to have a label, but because their practices and beliefs don't completely fit with someone elses label or definition of that label, so why bother wasting our time with a proper label that makes everyone else happy. We secretly have labels for ourselves over time, but to keep from arguing with others, we keep them to ourselves. What would you call me? Native American Indian practices mixed with some Christian practices and of course the Wiccan 'or Pagen or whatever' practices. I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to what is Wiccan. I always thought the law of 3 was strictly Wiccan but have found some Wiccans don't believe in it and some non-Wiccans do... so yeah. A label is a label.
