I was thinking back about what my mother went through in her own self-discovery during her life when I was a little girl. In my family, there are beliefs and traditions that are often associated with witchcraft. We all go through a time in our life when we are trying to clearly identify who and what we are. Many of us come to question what does it mean to have a certain gift such as clairvoyance or empathy.

I am going to state a lot of my own opinion here because this is something that we all have to define for ourselves. This is how I define this answer considering Every Witch sees his/herself in his/her own way.

If my Nana reads Tarot does it make her a Witch? If my Aunt is Clairvoyant does this make her a Witch? If I am an Empath does it make me a Witch?

In my definition of the word Witch, To me, Witch is a Label that one can identify with. In general, it is what a person does that makes them a witch. It is a specific practice that makes someone a Witch. For others, it can be bloodline or gifts that bring them to want to wear the Label of Witch.

When I was a child, my mother did not want to be a Witch but she had certain gifts that she thought made her a Witch and she seemed to be concerned that she had no choice in the matter. Being born human we don’t have a choice in which species we are. Being born a human, We Can’t be a dog or a mouse but we can identify with other creatures characteristics but essentially we are still human. Just like the Empath and the Witch.

I can look back at my Great Grandmother and say, I think she was a Witch and I can glorify her memory by calling her a Witch because what she did fit my definition but to my Great Grandmother, was she a witch? Was it her religion? Was she a Witch in every way or did she just do some things that a Witch Does?

I don’t believe that is the case with Witchcraft. You can read cards or stones or have gifts and that doesn’t make you a Witch. Being an Empath doesn’t automatically make you a Witch. Just like loving music and having a natural affinity with music doesn’t mean you have to be a musician. Being able to draw naturally well doesn’t mean you have to identify as an artist and live an artist’s life. Just like an empath doesn’t have to be a Witch. Empathy is something that comes naturally to the individual and therefore many Empaths feel it is a gift from God and is not a Witch at all. There are many Witches who are also Empathic but simply being an Empath doesn’t mean someone is a Witch and being a Witch doesn’t automatically make someone an Empath.

I was answering a question the other day about a similar question. I honestly believe that if you are not drawn to witchcraft in all of its definitions under the label as you define it and you don’t wish to be labeled as a Witch, you are not a Witch. For a long time, I did not identify as a Witch at all. I was in fact, afraid of being a Witch just as my mother before me. I had misconceptions of the descriptions of that label and I didn’t want to be one as it was defined for me. But the more I was drawn to craft concepts and the more I learned about witchcraft itself, the more I identified with the label. I became a Witch when I defined it for myself.

In a previous article that I wrote about how to tell your family you are a witch, I gave my interpretation of what being a Witch means to me. It was not something I decided overnight. It is actually something that I came to realize as I learned about myself and what I do and how I define what a Witch is for myself. In fact, when I was young, I discovered that there are people who believe that there are angels on earth who look like people and I had someone ask me if I was an angel.

In the same concept of what defines a Witch, I answered much the same way. It depends on how you define angels. In my own definition of the perfection of an all powerful angel, I gave the answer of no. I asked them to define what an angel is and to that person, they believed I was an angel much for the same reasons I identify as a Witch today. To me, Angels and Faeries are very similar on the basis of lore about them. I also believe we all have a gift of some kind but we have to discover it.

Does it make you a Witch? Not really. Not unless you want to be a Witch. Then you will likely do all the things to become what you define as a Witch. Not all Witches are Psychic or talk to spirits but what seems to be a common theme among Witches is the feeling that each Witch is drawn to a magickal path and many of these Witches live magickal lives. Some are very connected in a spiritual way and some are connected differently. The one thing that is true for me, is I can tell a Witch (as I define it) when I see one but I don’t always know if they identify as a Witch. Maybe they identify as a Faery or an Angel. Only the individual can say. Maybe they identify as a prophet or a Master or some other label.

Just as an art teacher saw potential in the student, if the student doesn’t have the drive to be an artist and it doesn’t fill the soul, A witch who has the potential is not a Witch unless he/she has the drive to be one.  It is something that fills us up deep within the soul. It calls to a Witch and therefore this drive creates the Witch. Being an Empath is having a gift, being a Witch is a label with which you identify.

Being an Empath doesn’t make you a Witch and just because you are a Witch doesn’t make you an Empath although some Witches are Empathic. Does being an Empath mean you are a witch? I say no, it does not. Many people including me need to be given an identity at some time in their life. We stick labels on everything because that is what humans do.

If you want to compare your definition of Witch with others, ask around to Witches that you meet. There are plenty of blogs and Vlogs to view just like this one where you can gain some insight of how Witches see themselves. There are many definitions. I have been called a Natural Witch by a few people. If someone is telling you that you fit their label, ask them to define the label and decide for yourself if you identify with it. Don’t let others define you.

Before you are anything else, you can only be who you are today. Walk in love and peace with awareness of self because it is in the self that you will find your true power however you define it.

In Love and Light,

Summer Song