Post by Lady Anastasia on Jan 27, 2007 1:01:22 GMT -5
I came across this question today...
Can anyone tell me the differences between a kitchen witch, a hedge witch and a green witch?
Thanks in advance
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This is the answer that I came up with, I'd be interested if any one else here had anything else to add...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok... this is what I could find... Please Continue to look as I am not an expert in this area...
Kitchen Witch-
Kitchen witchery is based on folk magick, blending together components found in, and around, the sacred space of home for spellcraft. For Kitchen Witches particularly, cookery, brewing and herbalism remain well-loved arts because of their familiarity and ease of integration into daily practices. For examples, stitching love into a child's coat when mending it, biding the magick with a knot and so on.
Who would have thought 50 years ago that thousands of American homes would be graced with images of flying Witches. Or that such Witches would be considered to be the bearers of good luck? Within recent times, these images of elderly women astride a broom have become fixtures in many kitchens. The popularity of such figures does indeed seem surprising, given the 'wicked' image that Witches have suffered for centuries.
Wise woman, who were often midwives, healers, herbalists, psychics and folk magickians were an established part of European culture for centuries. Most of these women knew spells of love, protection and health, and were frequently called upon for their magickal assistance.
In the olden days, the elderly were held in high esteem for their wisdom and experience. Older wise women were naturally thought to possess more knowledge and have access to greater power.
For hundreds of years, wise women were allowed to openly practice their 'arts'. Some called these women Witches, but at the time this was no crime. Female Witches were akin to fairy godmothers: they were respected, not feared.
Soon the great persecution of the heretics began. Wise women were suddenly labeled as enemies of the dominant religion. Many were falsely accused of worshipping the devil and were executed.
And so, the wise women, who were healers and helpers; who cured with spells and herbs; who birthed babies; counselled the depressed and blessed the fields came to be hated and feared through no fault of their own.
Since the Witch wasn't originally seen as evil, it seems likely that the modern day popularity of the Kitchen Witch is based upon the growing knowledge of the true nature of Witches, past and present. Kitchen Witches are depicted as flying as a sigh of their magickal ability. The advanced age of most Kitchen Witches may indicate respect for the accumulated wisdom of the wise woman.
Kitchen Witches seem to be an apology to the wise woman falsely accused of devil-worship. It also may be a yearning for a return to the past, when magick was an accepted practice and when the wise woman helped those who came to her.
includes excerpts from: The Magical Almanac, 1993, Scott Cunningham
www.wyldwytch.com/weavings/articles/pagan_path/pages/kitchen_witch.htm
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Green Witch-What is a Green Witch?" Ask a handful of Green Witches what a Green Witch is, and you very well may get a handful of different answers." ~ unknown~
What I wish to portray is my version of Green Witchcraft and my theories as such. Here,as in the other pages I have laid out hearthside for you, what I write is merely my thoughts, theories and beliefs.
Before I begin I want to stress to anyone exploring their path that for one to become truly adept one should read everything you can get your hands on, good, bad and mediocre alike and decide your own truths. Look at everything with a skeptical eye for you are the only one who can decide what is truely right for you.
That said, here we go.A Green Witch is very similar to a Kitchen/Cottage Witch by all intents and purposes. There are ,however, distinct differences in that the Green Witch is rarely found bound by four walls when working their craft.
As I mentioned in my page on Kitchen Witchery, Green Witchcraft can be practiced solely on its own or in conjunction with another path as is all of the paths I have laid out for you to see.
The Green Witch is often found in the feilds and forest where she (or by all means he) is closest to the Divine. An Urban Green Witch will take that extra long drive to the country or find a secluded patch of woods in a nearby park if need be.The tools of the Green Witch are most often home-made from the elements that are most accessable to the witch. Wands and staffs made of indigenous wood, brooms made of local brush and such are often put to use.
I will delve further into the tools of the Green Witch later in this page, however. Herbs for spellwork and recipies are rarely purchased, rather a Green Witch has the knowledge and herb cunning to grow her own, or better yet knows where to find them in the wild. Granted there are times that dried herbs are a necessity- winter comes and plants wither, or a recipie may simply call for an herb not geographically inclined to the witch's area.
For the most part, though, a witch uses that what mother earth has already provided for her in her own "backyard" so to speak. Where the Dieties of the Kitchen Witch generally center on hearth and home, the Dieties of the Green Witch are those of the woodlands and forests.
The Horned God, God of the Wild Hunt and the Green Man are commonly known Gods as well as Cerridwen or Gaia. In the Italian traditions the woodland dieties are Fauna and Faunus and of course Pan.
www.angelfire.com/realm2/amethystbt/kitgreenwitch.html
(this also looks like a really awesome site... )
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hedge Witch-What is a Hedge Witch?
In the past three years or so there has been a huge surge of interest in in Hedge Witchery. Alot of this I accredit to Ann Moure's Green Witchcraft series. I will say her books are good,however they do not reflect the path of a hedge witch, in my opinion.
However, it can be said that if you ask five different hedge witches what a hedge witch is, you may get a dozen different answers (maybe even a dozen per witch!)So what fallows is this little witches humble opinion of a hedge witch.
What fallows is a "working" definition, meaning it is not static. Each turn of the Wheel I learn and change and as I do so my definition changes. So what follows is the definition I am currently working with.
A hedge witch is very much a free spirit. Hedge witches are also related to the village witches of old. The term, hedge witch, comes from the fact that your average European village, in time gone by, was surrounded by a hedge or woods. Beyond that hedge was unknown land, beyond their known perseption... i.e. the Other World. The village witches of this era usually lived just beyond or just befor this hedge. The hedge was a metiphore for some one who practiced shamanic arts, a walker between the worlds.
This term didn't mean just that though. It also denoted that said witch was an herb worker, a healer,because they spent much time in the hedge looking for the herbs nessesary to heal or enchant. So now you know where the term came from, but what dose a hedge witch do?
A hedge witch would have learned their traid or craft by word of mouth. More than likeyl they would have learned it from a family member or the former village witch. Once the person left, they would be on their own. So they would have been taught ways to learn from nature such as listening to the winds or watching cloud formations. They would have celebrated the sabbats by the change of the seasons and not by a date on a calender. More than likely they would have other Holy days besides the sabbats.
They may or may not have worshipped gods.But I digress, this is a definition not a history lesson. Hedge witches all view the divin differently. Personally I worship a God and a Goddess. I feel they are the parents of all life.
Hedge witches are shamans, charmers, healers, and, priest/esses, Rea Beth coined a great erm Hedge Mystic. A person who studies and practices the Great Mysteries of Naure.
Hedge craft is a very eceltic path. Mostly because it depends on each witch how it is practiced. Most hedge witches, my self included, are very ethical people. Most do not follow any one Rede as wiccans do. They susually have basic lines they, indavidually, will not cross. For most, such things are very privet, I am no exeption.
Hedge witchery also has another commen thread; that magick isn't just about spells and potions, it is in your morning coffee, a genteal touch from your lover, the complex beauty of a leaf, and in hundreds of thousands of other seemingly "mundain" things.
Tp respressent this conspet i use they phrase "Life is magick, and magick is life"
Another commenly accepted theme is practicality and simplicity. Hedge witches are a very practical group of people, and from that practicality comes simplicity. I think in that simplicity, away from the athames, the penticals, and silver plated chalices; we are able to connect more fully to the natural forces. All to often people get lost in the symbols and forget their meanings.
I know alot of pagans, when investigating a new path, want to know what toys..errr.. tools a tradition usues. In keeping with the hedge witch way, hedge witches use a variety of tools, most of them baises in practicality and usefulness.
My personal tool set consistes of: a humble clay chalice,a sharp knife,a walking stick, and a stone. These tools i consecrafted by earth(I burried each tool for a day), air(I left themout above ground, hung in a tree),fire (I held each in a flame....for as long as the materials aloud), water(I submerged each in a creek) and for spirit i asked the blessings of the Gods and Faeries upon them.
Some of you may not know what a Stang is. A stang is a staff with a fork at the top. It usually is planted in the ground and is used as a vertical alter. It is commenly ised in traditional witchcraft, it repressents the Horned God and is used at the northern gate.
Personaly I didn't like the vertical format of the stang (yes,I did try it before making this decition) so I don't use one.
So now you know my definition of a hedge witch. Fo further reading pick up the fallowing books or go to the other hedge witch sites I used for research:
A witch Alone by Marion Green
Wild witchcraft by Marion Green
Natural witchcraft by marion green
Hedge witch by Rea Beth
Hedge Witch's Way by Rea Beth
Natural magick by Doreen Valiente
A Floral Grimoire by Patricia Telesco
Green Witchcraft I,II,II by Ann Moure
The Rebirth of Witchcraft by Doreen Valiente and John Evan
also visit the fallowing sites: Rea Beth's website
Realm of the Hedgewitch
if you live in the UK here are some hedge witch courses
House Shadowdrakes definition
www.angelfire.com/folk/greenwitch/sacred.html
Can anyone tell me the differences between a kitchen witch, a hedge witch and a green witch?
Thanks in advance
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the answer that I came up with, I'd be interested if any one else here had anything else to add...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok... this is what I could find... Please Continue to look as I am not an expert in this area...
Kitchen Witch-
Kitchen witchery is based on folk magick, blending together components found in, and around, the sacred space of home for spellcraft. For Kitchen Witches particularly, cookery, brewing and herbalism remain well-loved arts because of their familiarity and ease of integration into daily practices. For examples, stitching love into a child's coat when mending it, biding the magick with a knot and so on.
Who would have thought 50 years ago that thousands of American homes would be graced with images of flying Witches. Or that such Witches would be considered to be the bearers of good luck? Within recent times, these images of elderly women astride a broom have become fixtures in many kitchens. The popularity of such figures does indeed seem surprising, given the 'wicked' image that Witches have suffered for centuries.
Wise woman, who were often midwives, healers, herbalists, psychics and folk magickians were an established part of European culture for centuries. Most of these women knew spells of love, protection and health, and were frequently called upon for their magickal assistance.
In the olden days, the elderly were held in high esteem for their wisdom and experience. Older wise women were naturally thought to possess more knowledge and have access to greater power.
For hundreds of years, wise women were allowed to openly practice their 'arts'. Some called these women Witches, but at the time this was no crime. Female Witches were akin to fairy godmothers: they were respected, not feared.
Soon the great persecution of the heretics began. Wise women were suddenly labeled as enemies of the dominant religion. Many were falsely accused of worshipping the devil and were executed.
And so, the wise women, who were healers and helpers; who cured with spells and herbs; who birthed babies; counselled the depressed and blessed the fields came to be hated and feared through no fault of their own.
Since the Witch wasn't originally seen as evil, it seems likely that the modern day popularity of the Kitchen Witch is based upon the growing knowledge of the true nature of Witches, past and present. Kitchen Witches are depicted as flying as a sigh of their magickal ability. The advanced age of most Kitchen Witches may indicate respect for the accumulated wisdom of the wise woman.
Kitchen Witches seem to be an apology to the wise woman falsely accused of devil-worship. It also may be a yearning for a return to the past, when magick was an accepted practice and when the wise woman helped those who came to her.
includes excerpts from: The Magical Almanac, 1993, Scott Cunningham
www.wyldwytch.com/weavings/articles/pagan_path/pages/kitchen_witch.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Green Witch-What is a Green Witch?" Ask a handful of Green Witches what a Green Witch is, and you very well may get a handful of different answers." ~ unknown~
What I wish to portray is my version of Green Witchcraft and my theories as such. Here,as in the other pages I have laid out hearthside for you, what I write is merely my thoughts, theories and beliefs.
Before I begin I want to stress to anyone exploring their path that for one to become truly adept one should read everything you can get your hands on, good, bad and mediocre alike and decide your own truths. Look at everything with a skeptical eye for you are the only one who can decide what is truely right for you.
That said, here we go.A Green Witch is very similar to a Kitchen/Cottage Witch by all intents and purposes. There are ,however, distinct differences in that the Green Witch is rarely found bound by four walls when working their craft.
As I mentioned in my page on Kitchen Witchery, Green Witchcraft can be practiced solely on its own or in conjunction with another path as is all of the paths I have laid out for you to see.
The Green Witch is often found in the feilds and forest where she (or by all means he) is closest to the Divine. An Urban Green Witch will take that extra long drive to the country or find a secluded patch of woods in a nearby park if need be.The tools of the Green Witch are most often home-made from the elements that are most accessable to the witch. Wands and staffs made of indigenous wood, brooms made of local brush and such are often put to use.
I will delve further into the tools of the Green Witch later in this page, however. Herbs for spellwork and recipies are rarely purchased, rather a Green Witch has the knowledge and herb cunning to grow her own, or better yet knows where to find them in the wild. Granted there are times that dried herbs are a necessity- winter comes and plants wither, or a recipie may simply call for an herb not geographically inclined to the witch's area.
For the most part, though, a witch uses that what mother earth has already provided for her in her own "backyard" so to speak. Where the Dieties of the Kitchen Witch generally center on hearth and home, the Dieties of the Green Witch are those of the woodlands and forests.
The Horned God, God of the Wild Hunt and the Green Man are commonly known Gods as well as Cerridwen or Gaia. In the Italian traditions the woodland dieties are Fauna and Faunus and of course Pan.
www.angelfire.com/realm2/amethystbt/kitgreenwitch.html
(this also looks like a really awesome site... )
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hedge Witch-What is a Hedge Witch?
In the past three years or so there has been a huge surge of interest in in Hedge Witchery. Alot of this I accredit to Ann Moure's Green Witchcraft series. I will say her books are good,however they do not reflect the path of a hedge witch, in my opinion.
However, it can be said that if you ask five different hedge witches what a hedge witch is, you may get a dozen different answers (maybe even a dozen per witch!)So what fallows is this little witches humble opinion of a hedge witch.
What fallows is a "working" definition, meaning it is not static. Each turn of the Wheel I learn and change and as I do so my definition changes. So what follows is the definition I am currently working with.
A hedge witch is very much a free spirit. Hedge witches are also related to the village witches of old. The term, hedge witch, comes from the fact that your average European village, in time gone by, was surrounded by a hedge or woods. Beyond that hedge was unknown land, beyond their known perseption... i.e. the Other World. The village witches of this era usually lived just beyond or just befor this hedge. The hedge was a metiphore for some one who practiced shamanic arts, a walker between the worlds.
This term didn't mean just that though. It also denoted that said witch was an herb worker, a healer,because they spent much time in the hedge looking for the herbs nessesary to heal or enchant. So now you know where the term came from, but what dose a hedge witch do?
A hedge witch would have learned their traid or craft by word of mouth. More than likeyl they would have learned it from a family member or the former village witch. Once the person left, they would be on their own. So they would have been taught ways to learn from nature such as listening to the winds or watching cloud formations. They would have celebrated the sabbats by the change of the seasons and not by a date on a calender. More than likely they would have other Holy days besides the sabbats.
They may or may not have worshipped gods.But I digress, this is a definition not a history lesson. Hedge witches all view the divin differently. Personally I worship a God and a Goddess. I feel they are the parents of all life.
Hedge witches are shamans, charmers, healers, and, priest/esses, Rea Beth coined a great erm Hedge Mystic. A person who studies and practices the Great Mysteries of Naure.
Hedge craft is a very eceltic path. Mostly because it depends on each witch how it is practiced. Most hedge witches, my self included, are very ethical people. Most do not follow any one Rede as wiccans do. They susually have basic lines they, indavidually, will not cross. For most, such things are very privet, I am no exeption.
Hedge witchery also has another commen thread; that magick isn't just about spells and potions, it is in your morning coffee, a genteal touch from your lover, the complex beauty of a leaf, and in hundreds of thousands of other seemingly "mundain" things.
Tp respressent this conspet i use they phrase "Life is magick, and magick is life"
Another commenly accepted theme is practicality and simplicity. Hedge witches are a very practical group of people, and from that practicality comes simplicity. I think in that simplicity, away from the athames, the penticals, and silver plated chalices; we are able to connect more fully to the natural forces. All to often people get lost in the symbols and forget their meanings.
I know alot of pagans, when investigating a new path, want to know what toys..errr.. tools a tradition usues. In keeping with the hedge witch way, hedge witches use a variety of tools, most of them baises in practicality and usefulness.
My personal tool set consistes of: a humble clay chalice,a sharp knife,a walking stick, and a stone. These tools i consecrafted by earth(I burried each tool for a day), air(I left themout above ground, hung in a tree),fire (I held each in a flame....for as long as the materials aloud), water(I submerged each in a creek) and for spirit i asked the blessings of the Gods and Faeries upon them.
Some of you may not know what a Stang is. A stang is a staff with a fork at the top. It usually is planted in the ground and is used as a vertical alter. It is commenly ised in traditional witchcraft, it repressents the Horned God and is used at the northern gate.
Personaly I didn't like the vertical format of the stang (yes,I did try it before making this decition) so I don't use one.
So now you know my definition of a hedge witch. Fo further reading pick up the fallowing books or go to the other hedge witch sites I used for research:
A witch Alone by Marion Green
Wild witchcraft by Marion Green
Natural witchcraft by marion green
Hedge witch by Rea Beth
Hedge Witch's Way by Rea Beth
Natural magick by Doreen Valiente
A Floral Grimoire by Patricia Telesco
Green Witchcraft I,II,II by Ann Moure
The Rebirth of Witchcraft by Doreen Valiente and John Evan
also visit the fallowing sites: Rea Beth's website
Realm of the Hedgewitch
if you live in the UK here are some hedge witch courses
House Shadowdrakes definition
www.angelfire.com/folk/greenwitch/sacred.html
