“Are you a witch?”
“I am.”
I was raised as a Quaker, to believe that there is divinity in everyone. As a witch, I take it a step further and believe that there is divinity in everything as well. The witches’ Goddess is not transcendent; she is in the world: immanent.
As a witch, I find sacred meaning in the cycles of life and death and the seasons and life and the body. I believe that all nature, including humanity, is holy and interconnected. I don’t find a separation between the sacred and the mundane. At my deliciously witchiest times, I live every moment, do every task, in a way that opens me to its spiritual nature.
I think of witchcraft as a folk religion, a grassroots path in which each person can craft a spiritual life, creatively, out of the materials at hand. I express witchy spirituality through dancing, singing, connecting with nature, and enacting spells, rituals, and ceremonies, some learned and some spontaneous, that shape my own growth and support those I love. I gather in circles or covens to feel the power of witches together and perform rituals that help us to connect with the spirit in ourselves, each other, and nature. I do my best to follow the Witches’ Creed: “If it harms no-one, do what you will.”
I haven’t always led such a fulfilled life. Like many women today, for decades I was tormented by loneliness and self-hate, struggling to find a way to belong in the world. The path of the witch, based in the insights and rhythms of ancient female-centered cultures, helped me to create my life as a strong, joyful, healthy contemporary woman. Now I’m ready to share what I have learned.
W.I.T.C.H., in my personal lexicon, stands for “Women in Touch, Coming Home.” Today’s witchcraft helps bring us home, no matter what our gender, to honor the Divine Feminine inside and around us. What could our wounded world need more than that? Everywhere I go, I meet wonderful people who are ready for lives of power, community, and joy and yet are not quite sure where to turn next. Maybe you are one of them.
My mission as a poet and witch is to celebrate the witch in all of us and to support your journey towards the true essence of witchcraft: your own beautiful, loving inner powers. As you move forward in your journey, you may enjoy hearing, reciting, and sharing the AnnieSpells, watching the Emerging Women talk and ritual, joining Poetry Witch Community, or taking advantage of the other witchy resources on this site.
When you’re done, if you’d like to stay in touch, the first step would be to sign up for Annie’s Spellsletter, where you’ll receive spells and poems and learn news of books and activities. I would also love connecting with you via my Poetry Witchery Substack, on Facebook or Instagram, or maybe meeting in person someday at an event. Blessed be!