Which Witch is Which?
The term “witch” can carry some pretty heavy connotations these days. Words are powerful; they have always been so — but from a mundane perspective, we do not always see the importance of our words. When I left Christianity, I also left religion — both the concept of it as well as the word itself. I began to see myself as spiritual, and I received a lot of judgment for this, as the primary comment was usually, “What’s the difference? They’re the same!” Well — no, actually they’re not.
In simplified form, religion from my perspective is something that is practiced as a part of a larger group of people who hold similar values and is based on a specific set of rules and customs common to the group, often focusing on the belief of deity based on traditions utilizing specific texts designed to teach highlighted concepts. Spirituality on the other hand, is something that can be practiced individually without having to conform to a specific set of rules and often places more emphasis on a personal journey to discover a meaningful life that may or may not include deity worship.
My personal practice has at times included deity, and at other times it has not. This does not mean I was religious during these times; only that I happened to have included deity worship in my practice. I have been religious during two points in my life — when I was Christian, and when I was Kemetic. Oddly though, during these times as well as other points in my life, I have also been spiritual — so, I think it is possible to be religious and spiritual at the same time, but also not necessarily — hence the confusion between the two.
In reflecting on myself, my belief systems, and my experiences throughout my life, I now know that I have also been a witch whether I was religious, spiritual, or both. Growing up Italian, I can now recognize this in myself from what I know of my grandfather and that side of the family. In recent years, learning about Italian witchcraft specifically, I can see how everything was both in the open and hidden in plain sight at the same time.
The Italian word for witch was strega and witchcraft streghoneria; but the folk magic practitioners of Italy would never have called themselves this; in fact, they would have been horrified at the thought of it. The word ‘strega’ carried a negative connotation that was reserved for those practicing evil, dark things, not the traditional folk healing and such that was typical in Italy. Rather than identifying as witches, it was usually just called “the things that we do”. This included ancestor, saint, and Madonna veneration, superstition, diagnosing and curing the evil eye, utilizing herbs and (later) candle magic, and yes, spellwork and personal ritual. While some may have incorporated religion, many did not; instead, they hid behind the illusion of religion through the saints, Madonnas, and may or may not have actually gone to church — for many, if they did, it was not regularly.
I remember the ancestor and saint veneration. My grandparents kept several disguised altars throughout their home, most of them included photos of family members, saint icons and various statues, doilies, and things that would probably not have meant much to those visiting their home. And honestly, it didn’t even occur to me to question it either, until much later. I also remember the focus on superstition, particularly my grandfather’s aversion to accepting compliments or talk about himself in any boastful kind of way. In fact, he would sometimes go to the opposite end of the spectrum and talk about how bad things were for him — I understand much better lately, what he was doing — it was to avoid Il Malocchio, the Evil Eye. He never called himself a witch, or strega, or anything else; I don’t even remember him identifying as Catholic. In fact, he never called himself anything at all, he just simply avoided the topic altogether.
Practically speaking, I do many of the same things as the folk magic practitioners would have done in old-world Italy. I focus on the ancestors and saints, I incorporate some of the superstitions and focus on learning about how and why they came to be, and I try to align myself with the ones that do make sense in the modern world. I do spellwork and a few personal rituals — more so the spellwork, because I am pretty informal for the most part. I manipulate the energy around me outside of spellwork, and I commune with many different types of spirits including the beloved dead. What I do not do is deity worship; I do not work with any deities at all anymore, and it is possible that I never will. It may be partly the religious trauma from my time as a Christian, but it is also that I do not feel connected to any of them right now, so I have decided I am not going to force a relationship that isn’t there. I also do not have a Madonna. I think there is still some discomfort in this, definitely due to the religious trauma; it’s a little too close to Christianity for me.
I do call myself a witch — but then again, I am kind of a rebel. The term “witch” had negative connotations in more cultures than just the Italian, and there is an effort by many witches to take back the term and turn it into a positive word. This is partly my reason for using it as well. While initially I did call myself strega, this is not a familiar word to most people, so for simplicity’s sake I do generally use the term witch in public circles. Privately, though, I am a strega both in terminology and culture. And while this would not be a source of pride for the majority of my family, it is to me — and I am not going to deny myself for the comfort of others. I am me, whether anyone else likes it or not, and I will continue to be me.
