Types Of Witches & Witchcraft

If you find yourself being drawn to witchcraft, you probably feel something calling to you deep within. Some people believe this is from past life witchery. Others simply feel that each person finds it when their time is right. I believe, however, that it’s the wisdom of nature that draws us in overtime to come back home to our essential roots.

We are all magickal beings with something unique to share with the world, and it’s this belief that begins so many witches’ journeys across the world.

If you’re beginning this wonderful journey of witchcraft and you’re wondering what type of witch you might be, here are 16 different types that all have their own beliefs, skills, and practices.

There are many different types of witchcraft, and many more than this list includes. I encourage you to keep an open mind as you learn, practice and live.

The beautiful thing about witchcraft and the people that make up the community is that they are some of the most open-minded free spirits you’ll ever meet.

TRADITIONAL WITCH

Traditional witches focus on the old ways–the ways that came before witchcraft-based religion. Ancestral folklore and the historical accounts of witchcraft are important to traditional witches, as they want to honor the old ways of practicing their craft.

Traditional Witchcraft is a wonderful place to start your path from as it blends the many fragmented pieces of ancient craft into modern folk based beliefs and rituals. It is on these common threads and traditions that our current working definition is built on.

It’s important to realize that there isn’t one single tradition of Witchcraft, or that being a Traditional Witch is all about following a rulebook. If you’re attracted to ancestral tradition, and you feel a connection to the “old ways” of doing things, Traditional Witchcraft is a great place to start for any new witch.

A WITCHES HERITAGE & ANCESTRY

Traditional witchcraft is any type of witchcraft that has roots, traditions, and origins before what you’ll hear called by many terms–neo-paganism, Wicca, and any of the modern blends of ritual magic. Now, the definition has many gray areas, but in essence, it’s the old ways of magic as practiced before modernization took root. 

Traditional Witchcraft has deep roots is folklore, ancient culture, geographical location, and ancestry. This generally means that when you begin your Traditional Witchcraft journey, you’ll also become a seeker of history and tradition in a lineage of people groups that interest you the most.

Tradition is, of course, at the root of Traditional Witchcraft. This presents a wonderful starting place for you as a new Witch, because it means that you need not look any further than your own traditions and cultural heritage to begin your path. 

For instance, someone who can trace a majority of their genealogy back to Ireland, might find the Celtic traditions of magic appealing to them. As a result, they may eventually identify with the Celtic pantheon and associated deities as well as begin to work with their ancestor guides who came before.

CULTURAL INHERITANCE

Cultural inheritance is a fantastic place to start your research. You are connected by blood to an age-old tradition, and there is much power in this fact.

So, as you begin your Traditional Witchcraft journey, begin to find new practices by doing research on the traditions of people-groups that you most closely identify with. There is an abundance of information on the internet and within books that will get you started fast.

ECLECTIC  WITCH

The eclectic witch draws inspiration from the many different types and styles of witchcraft and infuses them into their craft in a wonderfully blended mixture. An eclectic witch tends to make their own path, and it varies depending on the individual witch.

Eclectic Witchcraft is a constantly evolving and divinely colorful path that incorporates many different traditions, cultures and influences into it. A Witch who follows this path is likely to begin to use the tools and traditions that feel most comfortable to them and then become immersed in research and discovery of why and how those particular tools fit into their craft in a magical context.

The Eclectic Witch goes to great lengths to ensure that all tools and traditions used in their workings fit together harmoniously to make sure the magic is sound, and by being open and accepting of many different cultures, discerning Eclectic Witches are constantly evolving and expanding witchcraft in new and exciting ways.

A BLEND OF WITCHY CUSTOMS

Eclectic witchcraft is a blend of many different paths. An Eclectic Witch will assess the many different paths over the course of their journey and blends them together into their own unique and highly personal craft. It’s an ongoing process of trying new traditions and learning about how they might fit into where you currently are in your Witchcraft journey.

As an example, some choose to use a blend of Celtic and Germanic traditions and research more about how they can work together to produce magical results.

As you study different paths, cultures and belief systems, you will find that certain traditions, tools and rituals will jump out at you. If you feel led to apply that to your form of Witchcraft, you may well be an Eclectic Witch!

HOW TO FIND YOUR WITCH PATH

EXPERIMENT

As you come across different beliefs, traditions and types of Witchcraft, devote yourself to giving them a try for a time. Consciously engage in the tradition and look within to decide if it is something that you’d like to incorporate into your own path.

RESEARCH

After you’ve chosen a few different practices, do as much research as you can to learn the proper ways to honor that unique tradition. Don’t be a surface learner, dive deep into educating yourself before you decide if a particular practice is right for you. Knowledge is power!

VALIDATE

After you’ve learned the correct way to practice your chosen tradition or use a certain tool, give yourself time to validate that it is something that will work for you long term. Not all practices and beliefs will serve us, so keep a journal of how effective your workings are during your validation period.

BLEND

Once you’ve decided wholeheartedly that a certain tradition brings you deep connection to yourself and empowers your spell work, formally fold it into your path with a simple ritual or initiation ceremony. Mark the day and make this a meaningful time in your life in which you honor that tradition or tool and ask it to be. apart of your craft.

KITCHEN WITCH

Kitchen witches work much of their magick in the home or in the kitchen, and love to bake, cook and welcome new guests. The home is the focal point of their magick, and they offer a warm, nurturing and beneficial environment for anyone in it.

Kitchen Witchcraft takes place in the heart of the home and is a fun and loving path that anyone can use to integrate magic into their daily life. Cooking has long been the most important life giving activity within the home, so it’s no wonder that Kitchen Witchcraft is so impactful for so many Witches in the modern day. 

Whether you live alone or already cook for an entire family, this path is incredibly simple to get started with, and all that’s required are mindful intentions and a clean kitchen. 

ARE YOU A KITCHEN WITCH?

Kitchen Witchcraft is a very widely approachable path of Witchcraft because it doesn’t rely on elaborate rituals and can easily be practiced by solitary witches who may or may not be able to practice their craft publicly. 

We all need to eat to live, but the Kitchen Witch understands that there is so much more to it than that. A pot can simply be stirred, or it can be stirred to bring inward the healing energies into the food so that it might benefit those who eat it. This is a simple, yet clear example of the power that Kitchen Witches can infuse in their daily practice. 

You don’t need much to get started. Just a simple desire to learn and an intention to improve the lives of those who live in your home (including yourself!).

MAKE YOUR SPACE YOUR OWN

As the cook, it’s your job to clean, organize, and maintain a kitchen that is conducive to the magical work that you desire to do. It can be difficult to focus intention in a positive way when clutter and messes are all around.

Take time to remove any unnecessary items, make sure no stagnant dust or energies lurk in dark corners and give your kitchen a facelift that will make you proud to be there every day.

SETUP A KITCHEN ALTAR

A kitchen altar can be a simple space that holds your herbs, candles etc, or, it can even be your entire kitchen! In general, an altar should be energetically neutral until you invite your desired energies into it, and your kitchen should be no different.

Keep it clean, dust free, and without clutter or useless items. This space is both practical and useable, so make sure you consecrate it as such!

WRITE RECIPES

A fantastic way to begin your Kitchen Witchcraft path is to write your own recipes. These can be adaptions of existing recipes at first or remakes of recipes handed down to you through your family. Make sure to include magical aspects such as infusing intentions, casting circles, using sigils or whatever else you feel led to do in your craft.

GROW FOOD

Cultivating your own food is a deeply satisfying and enlightening experience. If you have the space, start a small garden outside to grow lettuce, herbs and flowers, or create a small window sill herb garden if space is limited. A Kitchen Witch must be patient, knowledgeable and trust their intuition, and growing your own food allows you to learn these traits in a hands on way.

CONNECT DEEPLY

What separates a Kitchen Witch from a common cook is the care and intention that is infused into the food. Along with that, a deep connection and reverence for each ingredient, plant and animal is shown. Give thanks for the ingredients, honor their path to your table, and bless them as they become blessings to yourself and others in your home.

GREEN WITCH

Green witches are drawn to the energy of earth more than most. They use plants, herbs and flowers in much of their magick and are often practicing their craft in gardens, wooded areas and anywhere that contains nature’s essential energies.

A Green Witch is much more than someone with an affinity for herbs and a green thumb. The natural world surrounds us every day and lends its abundance to us is ways that most people never even realize.

Everything from the food we eat to the air we breathe to the water we drink is a gift from the green earth, and Green Witches are moved so much by this process of daily renewal that they feel led to work with the energies of plants and spirits of the earth mother as their craft. 

Green Witchcraft is all about opening yourself up to the natural rhythms of nature and allowing those energies to permeate all that you do. If you love to be in nature, honor the forests, listen to the quiet streams and understand the energetic qualities of herbs, Green Witchcraft may be a natural choice for you.

ARE YOU A GREEN WITCH?

A Green Witch is someone who works with herbs, foods, elements, and earth spirits and has a deep love and learned to understand of the natural world. A green witch is not born with a gift, but rather dedicates time and energy to better understanding nature and how it can be used to improve their lives and the lives of their community as a whole.

Green Witches raise energy with the help of herbal allies such as plants, trees etc, and through connecting with the interconnected web of life as a whole to accomplish work that benefits them and others.

Begin to learn more about the common herbs available to you and connect with nature as you would a close friend to see how receptive you are to this path as a whole.

UNDERSTAND YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Green Witchcraft is all about the connection to earth and life itself. What better way to learn how things work together in your area than to go experience nature yourself? Go on a walk, take a trip to the mountains or simple choose a park to spend time in as you learn to feel your connection to the environment more deeply.

LEARN & WORK WITH HERBS & PLANTS

Herbs are often the best place to start, as there are many every day uses for them. You can use them in food to help with digestion, tea to improve the body, and as decoration and in your home as magical talismans. There are many books on the subject of magic and herbs. Go try it out!

GROW A GARDEN

Plant things and watch them grow! It’s okay if you don’t have room for a full garden, use the space you have to plant sunflowers, herbs, lettuce and even veggies that you buy from the store to see how they grow and flourish.

WE ARE ALL CONNECTED

We often can’t see how we’re all connected by a universal web of life. It’s easy to assume that one tree has one set of roots, but in fact, many trees produce many more trees from a single system of roots. The more you work with to understand and engage with this interconnected energy, the more power your Green Witchcraft will have.

SOLITARY WITCH

A solitary witch chooses to practice their craft alone. Where many witches will be drawn to gather in a coven. Generally, solitary witches choose to work their magick alone, because they feel a strong connection to their craft early on and have less of a need to work with others.

Solitary Witchcraft is a path that is practiced alone for the most part. There are many reasons to choose this path. Maybe you don’t have access to a group of Witches or Coven in your area. Or maybe you’re still building your confidence and would like to sort things out for yourself. Either way, Solitary Witchcraft is perfect for you.

You don’t need anything special to get started, but there are some key traits that Solitary Witches cultivate to be successful. Some of those traits are the organization, discipline, mental toughness, and good time management.

As a Solitary Witch, you’ll find it necessary to use your time wisely and make magic a daily or weekly occurrence for you, as it’s easy to let your days and weeks slip by without basic structure.

WAYS TO PRACTICE SOLITARY WITCHCRAFT

STUDY

Since the Solitary Witch doesn’t learn a singular structure of magic as in a traditional Wiccan coven, you’ll want to be constantly educating yourself on new ideas, current systems of magic, and the paths you’ve chosen to follow. Use books, audiobooks, forums and videos to accomplish this quickly.

SHARE

Just because you don’t work magic with others in a ceremonial setting doesn’t mean you need to isolate yourself from other Witches entirely. Find friends who also practice the craft and share your experiences and knowledge with them as they do the same with you. This builds everyone up within the community and minimizes divisive thoughts and behaviors.

BE VERY CLEAR

Intention is a key element of Witchcraft that is very important to be clear about. As a Solitary Witch, you need to be very, very clear about your own intentions for your magic and spellwork before you begin your workings.

In a group setting, this intention is often agreed upon as a group or premeditated by the leadership, but in your case, you need to be the leader of your craft’s intentions. Don’t forget this!

HEDGE WITCH

Hedge witches practice astral projection and other forms of communication to “jump the hedge” between this world and the spirit world. They send and receive messages between both worlds more easily than other witches.

The Hedge Witch is a deeply individualistic and often solitary kind of Witch that honors nature and has a learned aptitude for spirit communication and travel through unseen realities.

There are actually many different descriptions of what a Hedge Witch is and does as a result of their individualistic nature, but a hedge witch generally incorporates elements of herbalism, healing and psychic awareness.

If you’re someone who has a connection to spirits or desires to lift the veil between worlds with a reverence for the natural world and the healing of others, Hedge Witchcraft just might be for you.

ARE YOU A HEDGE WITCH

To learn is to grow, and Hedge Witches are ALWAYS learning from the natural world around them to divine answers from animals, forecast changes in weather and on a more practical level, work with spirits of all kinds to get answers to questions. 

This sounds like a lot, but put simply, Hedge Witchcraft is a highly shamanic segment of Witchcraft that focuses on drawing spiritual insight from the natural world, learning from the knowledge of those that came before us, and communing with spirits by travelling into and through the non-ordinary reality, or “Over The Hedge”.

THE MAGIC OF NATURE

Nature holds within it many mysteries of this world. Hedge Witches know this, and are deeply focused on the natural world as a whole. Spend time in nature quietly listening to what it has to say. Lean into your interconnectedness within the web of life and remove your ego’s desire to see yourself as separate.

MEDITATION MAGIC

Learn to be at peace with yourself and everything around you through quiet contemplation and meditation. Hedge Witchcraft is most beneficial when paired with a well tempered mind that can easily cut through the noise of daily life and meditate on the unseen.

ALTERED CONSCIOUSNESS

One of the most traditionally shamanic practices of Hedge Witchcraft is the ability of the Witch to alter their consciousness to access non ordinary reality, or the “Jump The Hedge”. We spend most of our waking hours in a state of mind that only sees the world we live in on this plane of existence.

Altering one’s consciousness is the ability to lift the veil between our reality and the one that lies just beyond, and to ask questions of those who reside there–taking answers back with us to our ordinary reality.

HEALING MAGIC

To gain insight and not share it is a great disservice to humankind. The Hedge Witch learns insights through humility and practice, and shares what they learn to improve their community and relationships.

HERBAL WITCHCRAFT

Many people throw an understanding of herbs into the definition of Hedge Witchcraft, but it’s not a core competency. The Hedge Witch can use herbs and plants to enhance their psychic awareness and increase their ability to alter their consciousness, but it’s not a requirement to travel between the worlds psychically.

Rhythmic drumming is one of the most common ways to jump the hedge, while herbs like Mugwort and Yarrow flower can enhance vision quests as well.

ELEMENTAL WITCH

Elemental witches work their craft heavily based on the four elements of water, fire, earth and air. They call on the elements to bring about their magick and incorporate these elements with various items that represent each element respectively.

Elemental Witches feel a connection to the energies and structures of the classical elements of Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Spirit (sometimes referred to as Ether or Aether). By using these elements to draw power into magic, we can generate results by focusing on each element’s innate qualities and drawing them into our rituals and spells.

Elemental Witches are very sensitive to the feelings, energies and emotions that the elements bring to us on a daily basis, and they intentionally alter the experiences given from each of them to dictate the direction of their own energy and the course of their own daily lives.

WHAT IS ELEMENTAL WITCHCRAFT

Elemental Witches follow a path that allows them to work with energies based on the four elements of fire, water, earth and air, and much of their craft is based on ceremonially engaging with each element.

The Elemental Witch may find that one of the elements speaks to them more than others, and can invoke that element (along with the others) as they do spell and ritual work.

WAYS TO PRACTICE ELEMENTAL WITCHCRAFT

LEARN MAGIC

Learning the elements and their associated correspondences are the first step in bringing the elements into your craft. Study them and learn all you can about their unique power and how they relate to your daily life. 

EXPERIENCE THE ELEMENTS

Spend time with each element individually. Experience the emotions, feelings and insights that are brought to you. 

DIANIC  WITCH

Dianic witches worship the Goddess Diana through three aspects of the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. Typical Dianic witches have heavily feminist values and infuse their craft with these values as well.

Dianic Witchcraft is a segment of Witchcraft that celebrates the divine feminine and acknowledges it in every aspect of nature and beyond. This movement of Witchcraft was founded by Zsuzsanna Budapest.

Dianic Witches practice many of the same rituals and rites as traditional Wicca but is not expressly considered a Wiccan tradition. 

WHAT IS DIANIC WITCHCRAFT

Dianic Witchcraft is at its core a deeply feminist path that puts an emphasis on honoring the Goddess in its tradition to the near exclusion of the concept of her male counterpart, the God.

Dianic Witches celebrate the divine feminine in all they do, and seek to empower women by asserting that, as the physical embodiment of the Goddess, women are sacred.

WAYS TO PRACTICE DIANIC WITCHCRAFT

The Dianic tradition is organized commonly into “groves”, which is similar to the coven of Wicca and other paths of witchcraft. The best way to learn and experience Dianic Witchcraft is to learn directly from the source!

SEA WITCH

A sea witch practices their magick as they draw power and inspiration from the ocean and the moon. It’s the deep mystery and steadfast energy that draws many sea witches to this type of witchcraft and they often use elements of the ocean as tools in their practice.

The Sea Witch is often a solitary Witch that honors a deep connection to the interplay between the land and the sea. Coastlines are a place of dynamic weather, shifting tides caused by the moon, and highly energetic elements at work.

The Sea Witch works with the elements as they relate to one another in areas where land meets sea, and it’s no surprise that the element of water plays a big role in their practice.

WHAT IS SEA WITCHCRAFT

Sea Witches are very in tune with the magic of the moon since it has a dynamic relationship with the tides of the ocean and large bodies of water. This is where the Sea Witch draws much of her ritual inspiration from.

Sea Witchcraft is based on raising energy from the already powerful forces of nature all around, but that specifically is heightened by coastlines. This means that rituals and spells honoring thunder, lightning, storms, the power of the sea and the roots of the land are all practiced regularly.

WAYS TO PRACTICE SEA WITCHCRAFT

MEDITATE ON THE WATER

Water speaks in its own language. To meditate near your chosen water source is a powerful way to begin to discover its essence and learn its mysteries. Spend time in silence and listen to all you can.

UNDERSTAND THE WEATHER

Weather affects us all in ways we may not always notice. Everything from the atmospheric pressure, to the development of storms and weather fronts, changes the way we go through our days. Begin to learn the patterns of nature as displayed by the weather!

STUDY THE LORE

The sea is deep and full of mysteries, and it holds a pantheon unique to itself. Creatures like mermaids and nymphs and gods like Poseidon are all available as symbols of your Sea Witchcraft. Learn their stories and draw power from their symbolism.

DO STORM MAGIC

Chances are, if you live by the sea you commonly bump into squalls, storms and other heightened weather related events. Use these events to bring power into your magic and rituals.

CEREMONIAL WITCH

Many witches prefer the aspect of ritual more than others. These witches are often referred to as ceremonial witches, and they invoke many different spiritual aspects in their ceremonial magick to assist them in their practice and spellwork.

Ceremonial Magic is a very structured approach to attaining enlightenment that uses many long, complex and elaborate rituals to bring about desired outcomes. The practice of this form of magic is often called “High Magic”, and it is highly ritualistic, drawing it’s ritual from writings dating far back in history.

The rituals are performed to call on and invoke spirits of the other planes of existence to assist in desired outcomes here in ours. This path may be right for you if you’re very traditional in nature, and you would like to learn how to manipulate your physical world through the use of the structured, age-old ritualistic practice.

WHAT IS CEREMONIAL WITCHCRAFT

Ceremonial Magic is not considered to be a form of Witchcraft, but many Witches learn and practice it as such. 

Ceremonial Magic takes its structure and ritual from traditions like Enochian magic, Thelema, Hermetic Qabalah and more. It is also paired with the study of the Occult and the supernatural.

SECULAR WITCH

Witchcraft doesn’t ask for any specific belief system to be followed, and that goes for witches who are secular by their nature as well. Secular witches don’t attach spirituality to their craft or worship spiritual aspects to gain power from them.

Secular Witchcraft is a wonderful path of Witchcraft that takes a non-theistic approach to magic. If you’ve come from a deeply rigid religious structure, or you are wanting to start your spiritual journey over with a clean slate, a secular approach to Witchcraft is a great place to begin anew.

The Secular Witch leaves room in their practice for new ideas, new ways of thinking and aims to come to their own conclusions about their personal power, possibly distancing themselves from some of the more commonly cited dogmas of spirituality.

But this doesn’t mean that Secular Witches are completely non-spiritual. You create your own path in Witchcraft, so trust your heart and do what feels right to you!

WHAT IS SECULAR WITCHCRAFT

Secular Witchcraft is the philosophy of magic that tends to remove the reverence of gods and goddesses from its practice.

There are many Witches who are secular or atheist, and Secular Witchcraft is essentially their iteration of the traditional form of ritual magick and spellwork. 

There is no religious dogma that governs witchcraft and magic, and that fact lends itself to an open-door policy to Witchcraft regarding spiritual beliefs.

WAYS TO PRACTICE SECULAR WITCHCRAFT

BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS

Secular witchcraft allows you to believe whatever you want, so you’ll want to have a broad understanding of the practical application of magic so you can draw your own conclusions. Study books, learn from others etc.

MAKE YOUR OWN PATH

Many religious traditions that practice witchcraft plot a path for you to follow. As a Secular Witch, you’ll have to borrow ideas and traditions from the distant past and even those religious traditions to make your own path means to you. Be bold and do what feels good to you!

KNOW YOUR ENERGIES

Religious paths of Witchcraft often invoke deities to assist them in raising and working with energy in their spellwork. As a Secular Witch, you’ll need to find other forms of energy manipulation to accomplish this. Often these take the form of universal energy, a natural phenomenon like storms, and even the Witch themselves.

HEREDITARY WITCH

The hereditary witch is one that is born into witchcraft is one way or another. They are part of a lineage of witches and the craft has been passed down and accepted by them.

The Hereditary Witch is a Witch that practices folk magic or witchcraft traditions that have been passed down between generations within their family. Often, Hereditary Witchcraft is practiced as a cultural expression as well, celebrating familial roots and following the traditions and rituals of that cultures pantheon.

If you’ve heard someone referring to themselves as a Hereditary Witch, it most likely means that their mother or father taught them the craft at a very young age, and the lineage possibly even goes back farther generation by generation.

WHAT IS HEREDITARY WITCHCRAFT

It’s hard to start Hereditary Witchcraft, well, because it has to be taught to you from a young age by your mom, dad, grandma or someone in your direct family line.

If you’re curious, and the conversation won’t cause any hard feelings, talk to your parent about your new path of Witchcraft to see if there are any connections in your distant past.

COSMIC WITCH

Cosmic witches use the stars, cosmos astrology and astronomy to work their craft and look to celestial energy to bring power and purpose to their work. Cosmic witches are generally infatuated with cosmic events.

The Cosmic Witch is a Witch that uses the planets and celestial movements and their associated energies in their craft. They have a special connection to the cosmos and feel their energy heightened when working with the planets.

Many Witches practice elements of Cosmic Witchcraft already as they revere the moon and follow her cycles, or how star signs are analyzed and applied to spellwork to amplify the power and speed of those spells.

The Cosmic Witch differs in that, they devote their time and intention to understanding the cosmos and working with the planets, stars, celestial events and even celestial deities on a regular basis.

WHAT IS COSMIC WITCHCRAFT

Cosmic Witchcraft is the study of astronomy, astrology, the cosmos and the practical application of correspondences between the celestial bodies to raise energy and work magic. 

It takes into account the location of the planets and stars and allows context for which to work spells within. For example, a classical planetary correspondence is the position and phase of the moon. Each month, new moon magic can be worked when the moon is dark to begin new projects and manifestations.

WAYS TO PRACTICE COSMIC WITCHCRAFT

MOON MAGIC

Moon magic is a great place to start with Cosmic Witchcraft. The moon has many phases during the course of a month. Choose the phases that speak most to you and become curious about their seen and unseen powers and how they can affect your spellwork and life.

BIRTH CHARTS

If you want to begin to gain technical knowledge of the cosmos and apply it into a practical context, create your birth chart. A birth chart is a written picture of the sky at the moment of your birth. It reveals the precise location of each of the planets and which constellation they occupied.

MEDITATE

Choose a planet, constellation or celestial deity that you feel drawn to and begin to meditate with that object in mind. Learn more about it through contemplation and study.

GARDNERIAN WITCH

Gardnerian witchcraft is a Wicca school of witchcraft that became known in the 1950s when Gerald Gardner began teaching what he had learned in his own journey. Gardnerian witches generally have strong ties to nature and are strongly ritual based.

Gardnerian Witches are proud to trace their lineage of teaching back to Gerald Gardner, who popularized what is commonly referred to as British Traditional Witchcraft. The Wiccan Rede came from this illustrious path pf magic and many Gardnerian Witches base much of their practice on the rede, which states, “An it harm none, do as thou wilt.”

The Gardnerian Witch honors the concept of placing thought before action in their magic, and this is the essence of having a focused intention before any ritual work is performed. If you’re someone who would enjoy a nondogmatic approach to Witchcraft, Gardnerian Wicca is a great place to start. 

WHAT IS GARDNERIAN WITCHCRAFT

Gardnerian Wicca was founded by Gerald Gardner around 1954 and was formed under the Bricket Wood Coven under Gardner’s guidance.  Gerald Gardner is largely the reason Wicca was popularized, as at the time being an open Wiccan was seen as radical. There were even laws against this kind of religious radicalism. 

Gardnerian Witchcraft is all about raising energy with the body and allowing that energy to be focused into intention through the use of spellwork, and it’s a very structured and initiatory approach to Witchcraft.

WAYS TO PRACTICE GARDNERIAN WITCHCRAFT

THE RULE OF THREE

If you’d like to get started with Gardnerian Wicca concepts, find out more about the rule of three and how it might work into your current practice.

THE WICCAN REDE

The Wiccan Rede is a concept that all Gardnerian Wiccans subject themselves to in varying degrees. Find out more by doing some research to find out if this form of Witchcraft is for you.

JOIN A COVEN

The best way to find out about this tradition of Witchcraft is simply to get involved in your local community. Do a search and speak to someone to find out more about what that process is like. Stay humble, listen to what the leadership has to say, and keep an open mind!

ALEXANDRIAN WITCH

Alexandrian witchcraft is a Wiccan tradition that was founded by Alex and Maxine Sanders in the 1960s. Alexandrian Wicca is similar in many ways to Gardnerian Wicca and receives regular mention in books on Wicca as one of the religion’s most widely recognized traditions.

The Alexandrian Witch is someone who reveres the presence and powers of both masculine and feminine energies and works with both equally during ritual to a large extent. It’s in this dynamic between God and Goddess where we find much of the ritual focus in this wonderfully eclectic form of Witchcraft.

Alexandrian covens meet on new moons, full moons and during Sabbat festivals, so if you’re someone who enjoys the social aspect of your craft, then Alexandrian Wicca might be a good choice for you. 

WAYS TO PRACTICE ALEXANDRIAN WITCHCRAFT

The ritual and traditional nature of Alexandrian Wicca lends itself to a group setting. Find a local coven and get more information from them to find out if this path is right for you!

What Kind of Witch Am I?

By now, you’re probably feeling a bit of information overload.

If this is you, take a deep breath, trust your intuition and allow time for your journey to unfold.

You’ll find yourself being drawn toward elements and tools from each type of witchcraft above, and maybe even elements that aren’t included!

The beauty is in the process, and you’re in the right spot if you’ve opened your mind to the possibility that there’s something more for you in this world and that you can make a bigger impact with your craft.

Experiment, learn, grow and use your heart to guide you over the next several months. And as you do these things, keep your mind open to these different types of witchcraft to cultivate a new level of respect for yourself, the earth, and the power that you have inside you.

Good luck!