Should I only call myself Witch if I have had a tradition passed on to me, or if I have been initiated by someone in the traditional craft?
I can't claim this. But 'Witch' is a state of being for me. It's a name that seems to have attached itself to me rather than one I have chosen. Following the path is something I know I have to do, as if I have no choice.
That's how I feel about it. It has nothing directly to do with specific rituals (though I'm not averse to learning them) or knowing any particular formulas. But although no-one has passed on any hidden secrets to me, I do have an experience of absorbing what feels like secret lore from my meditations and visionary journeys, and I have learnt something in getting advice about ways of doing this. But most of all I feel a personal and instinctive connection with things that are DEEP, something within me rather than something learnt or passed on.
For a long time 'Witch' was a title I aspired to but did not feel I could claim. But experience and practise in communion with spirits and also learning things about herbs and other lore has made me feel I can own the title.
But I'd love to know what any traditional practitioners out there think.
