So, I'm living in the current modern age but I feel like a stereotypical witch that tends to be best known, and most seen, around Hallowe'en - black hat, black cat, broomstick, stripy socks and living alone. Oh, and then there's the cauldron and spellbooks too, of course.
I have a black cat called Loki who is one of my familiars. He likes to be around when I do spellwork and has also helped me to do a cord-cutting ritual by lending me energy to finish it. (Familiars are quite a "controversial" topic that I think I'll cover in another post.) I do also have a grey tabby cat called Luna who is drawn to my divination work and particularly to my runes and Ogham staves, as well as when I'm learning while sitting at my desk.
I do have a black witch's hat that I love to wear in the summer when I sit on my balcony getting a bit of sun. One of my neighbours suggested that I wear it when I go shopping and both times I've worn it away from home, I received compliments about it - namely about how confident I am to put my witchiness on display for the whole world to see. I also have a purple witch's hat that resembles the Sorcerer's hat from Disney's Fantasia that was crocheted for me by one of those who complimented my black hat the first time I wore it out.
Although I don't have a full-sized broomstick, I do have a couple of miniature ones: one that sits on my altar space as a symbol of cleansing, and another two are on my magickal tree. I hope to have a full-size broomstick in the future but I don't feel like it's necessary to my Craft right now.
I have always loved stripy socks but especially ones that are black and purple - black is heavily associated with witches thanks to Hallowe'en and the whole "black magic" thing, but purple is my favourite colour. Partly due to the events of the last couple of years, I rarely wear my favourite long stripy socks because I don't leave my home very often (and I've lost them).
I do live alone (apart from the cats) but I quite like it. No one is judging me for what I practice, what I do or what I believe in. My home is my sacred space to just be me, my own self. I am open with my nearest and dearest about what I am and, so far, they have all been supportive. I am a self-proclaimed hermit which I love.
I do have a cauldron - well, technically, I have a lot of cauldrons. My saucepans are my modern version for kitchen witchery involving food, as well as teas (I have a mug shaped as a cauldron that is my favourite of my whole collection). I'm hoping to explore my own green witchery more this year as I feel more settled within my divinations.
I have another two cauldrons that I use to help my home smell nice - a cauldron-shaped wax-melt/oil burner that I got in a witchy subscription box in December, and a cauldron-shaped incense cone burner. The wax-melt/oil burner sits openly in my living room and, while I don't use it very often, I love to use it as it makes me feel incredibly witchy and my home then feels magical as well, just like when I use the incense burner which sits on top of my desk.
I have quite a collection of magickal books, including books on astrology, tarot, sigils, Wicca, water magic, recipe books, candle magic, Celtic mythology and legends, crystals, Druidism, and even on the Moon. I love books and feel at home surrounded by them. I've done some live classes with others and, while I don't think I have that many books, they cover a multitude of topics and I've been told that they would love to have my library - I did share a couple of books within my collection whose topics were mentioned within the class as I don't believe in keeping information to myself (plus I love to share what I learn with others). I'm always on the look-out for new books, even though I should probably read more of the ones I already have.
One of my favourite books so far within my Magickal Library is Lunar Living by Kirsty Gallagher. It has taught me a lot about my own Moon sign, as well as the phases of the moon and the New and Full Moons (and what it means for each sign the Moon falls in). This is one of the books I shared that I mentioned above and I love it.
Two of my other favourite books are Herbal Magic by Aurora Kane and The Little Book of Earth Magic by Sarah Bartlett. These two have been integral to my now prominent desire to learn about herbs and how I can use them in my own Craft, like as a tea or in cooking but also in spells.
As well as spellbooks, I also have a collection of scrolls (again, thanks to my witchy subscription boxes from Witch Casket) that cover a wide range of topics as well as practical ideas that can be used within daily life or specific rituals/spells that I might want to do.
I do have a growing collection of crystals that sit in various places within my home - some at my desk to help me focus and study (lapis lazuli and hematite), lots of amethyst for peace, rose quartz for self-love, and opalite for connection with the spirit world and psychic abilities, and apache tear for grief. I did purchase a couple of chests to put my crystals in.
I also have an amethyst pendant on my favourite necklace and the teardrop-shaped pendant has the Vegvisir (a Viking/Nordic compass for finding the way and also protection; Vegvisir means "way-finder" in the Icelandic language) on it. I rarely take this necklace off and I don't feel like my witchy self when I do take it off. Another necklace I wear is a tumbled Dragonstone for magic in a wire cage that has a small pentacle pendant on the chain as well.
I also have a moon phase ring that I wear as much as possible (but I take it off when I do housework and cleaning like washing up the dishes). I ordered it online and I wear it on my right hand which is dominant and more "powerful" for me. I don't wear most of my other jewellery as I don't like to wear too much at any one time. I do have astrology related pieces - earrings and a necklace, as well as a bracelet that I absolutely love. I won the bracelet in a competition and it has a quote from one of my favourite TV shows that I feel is relevant to how I practice my Craft - "All magic comes with a price".
I also have a growing collection of bottles that I can use to make tinctures, potions, and moon water in so I feel like I'm becoming a "Potions Mistress" from one of my favourite book series. They all currently sit at my kitchen altar with some herbs that I don't use for cooking as they are purely for my spellwork. This altar hasn't been used as much as I might have liked but I'm hoping this will change in the future as my herbal knowledge and Craft progresses.
All of these things make me feel like a stereotypical witch and I love this feeling. It actually came over me one day when I was tidying my desk area to make it more organised and my things more easily accessible. It's a strange feeling but I am embracing it as a part of my witchiness.
The only thing I feel like I'm missing from the stereotypical witch-feeling is living alone in the middle of a forest. While I don't live in the middle of nowhere, I do live on the edge of my town so I get to see and hear birds almost all year round - specifically, Red Kites. This was my favourite bird as a child so living in an area that they do too is amazing. I get to hear them all summer long and I even get to see them hunting, diving down suddenly behind buildings and then reappearing from a different point.
I hope my musings on being a Witch in modern society and the emotions that surround me have emboldened you to live authentically as your own magickal selves however that looks like.
Peace and love to all!!
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