This won’t be a complete list of different types of witchcraft. I see a lot of questions regarding what type of witch someone is, what they should label their practice, how to label their practice, etc. While I personally believe you don’t have to label your practice, I understand that this can be important to others. So, I wanted to expand on some key things, so you have that steppingstone to move forward, in case you need it! You’ve probably already seen people label their witchcraft in different ways! When looking for books it’s very common to find books that are themed, maybe about herbs or so. Or books like this one, that cover a lot of different topics! You may even start to wonder… What type of witch are you then? Now, you don’t have to have a label unless you actually want it. Always remember that. Now, if you do want to label your witchcraft… How do you do so? There are some main branches that label broad concepts, which is a good place to start. The list below will be in no way complete or in-depth. This is a very broad look at these concepts, and if anything catches your interest, I do implore you to look further into it!
Examples of Types of Witchcraft
These are going to sound very broad, and very basic. But they are only meant to serve as examples and not a teaching point of what they are in full, nor a full list of the different types you may see.
Secular–Secular witches don’t use religion in their workings. They may have a religion, but it is separate from their magical workings.
Solitary–Solitary is just that! Someone who prefers to stay to themselves and not participate in anything like covens or group rituals/spells.
Green–Exactly as it sounds, Green Witches have a focus on using natural items in their craft. A few related things may be things like herbs, and natural medicines.
Kitchen–The use of food and flavor in their workings! Kitchen Witchery is focused on what goes down in the process of making food, and the work that goes into it! Also, most kitchen witches I know are amazing cooks, highly recommended!
Death–You’ll see terms like Death Doula, or Psychopomp here, as well as general necromancy and the like. (No-not that kind of necromancy.)
Chaos–We all know that Chaos is… well chaotic! Imagine a little bit of everything and nothing at the same time.
Traditional/Folk–Traditional and Folk practices heavily depend on location! Think of an old woman in the woods of Appalachia, vs a weathered man in the deserts of North America. They will have very different folk or traditional practices as it’s based on folk tales and tradition of the area. There are many types of folk practices out there,
Why Some People Use Titles/Labels and Others Do Not
You’ll see a lot of discourse on if you need a title or not. Oftentimes when someone asks where they’d fall in different subcategories, there’s at least one person to tell them that it does not matter. While to some it does not, I usually urge people to remember we don’t all share the same experiences, what feels like a prison to us may be freedom to others.
For someone like me, titles just don’t work outside to find resources. I’d argue the only real title that could apply would be closer to eclectic. But someone who is specifically in the Green Witch category may use that heavily, to find books that are made for them and their path, or others like them to form a sense of community! If you wanted to find more information on Death Doulas, that’s exactly what you’d look into. And if you wanted to find books on Demonolatry, you’d look up Demonolatry. So while you may not be able to fit into a label, they can be important for the information we seek.
I believe some people have an adverse reaction to labels because they believe that means they’re not allowed to stray away from it. If you say you’re a kitchen witch you’re not allowed to do anything outside of the kitchen. But myself and others don’t see it as more than the preferred method. If you say you are a kitchen witch I will not chide you for stepping out of the kitchen-what is this a COD lobby? No, I’ll just assume you prefer it, and if you mention doing other things I’ll just nod because we’re human, and not only are we multifaceted we grow over time.
Many people believe labels specifically bar people from growing or expanding, and encourage ‘in-the-box’ thinking. I think those people have the MOST in-the-box thinking as to hear one detail about someone and feel that’s all there is about them. If you cannot see humans outside labels they’ve used to describe specific points of themselves the labels aren’t the issue-it’s your thinking. I am not one that really uses labels myself, the ones I do are rather broad because my path has grown rather eclectic. I come from a family of witches, but I don’t follow the same religion or path a large portion of them has, so I’m not a ‘Hereditary Witch’ but I also wouldn’t just label myself a Demonolater as my path isn’t 100% based in my worship or the demonic. I would say something like Left-Hand but that can be so many things in itself-some that I am some that I am not.
So, in the end, labels are simply a tool to find information, and if you treat them that way, you’ll be good. You don’t truly need them, but they can help classify information. Use them in a way that is meaningful to you, and understand humans are much more than a few words. It can help you find resources, like-minded people, help you learn where to seek out information, and give you an idea of what someone’s path may look like. Treated in a broad manner like this, labels are in no way harmful and can be beneficial to those that need them.
Share your thoughts!