A Natural Witch Moment: What is the difference between the Hedgewitch, Kitchen Witch, & Green Witch?

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Amythyst Raine

The Hummingbird:

Energies: peace, joy, love
Element: Water
Planet: Venus
Colors: pink, green,
Herbs: lavender, primrose, fern, lotus
Stones: rose quartz, jade

Hummingbird is a free spirit of the forest. It follows the wind from blossom to blossom without leaving a trail of its existence. It is the spirit of the seeker, forever searching for that which will fulfill it. It is the embodiment of wistful love; the harbinger of good omens; a creature of the wind, carrying messages to and fro through the twisted limbs of trees and shades of ever-changing sky. Hummingbird is the favored steed of fairy folk; the messenger of dreams; and handmaiden to the green witch.

Skullcap:

Energies: love, fidelity, peace
Element: Water
Planet: Saturn
Gender: Feminine (receptive)

Skullcap is used in spells to promote peace and harmony; to ease transitions of any kind; to enhance mental clarity and peace of mind; to help heal the soul from a loss; and to enhance meditation. It’s said that if a woman wears skullcap, her husband will be so strongly drawn to her as to be oblivious to the charms of other women. Skullcap is also used in spells of reconciliation, to heal rifts in friendships, and to cleanse a space of disruptive or frenetic energies.

What is the difference between the Hedgewitch, Kitchen Witch, & Green Witch?

A lot of people view these three aspects of the witch as one in the same thing, with a few minor differences, and I believe this to be true, especially when you look at the similarities between the Hedge, Kitchen, and Green witch: all three of these practices involve using natural things of the world, those things found around you, to create magic– herbs and stones; energies of the animal world; folk magic; personal spells; and informal spell casting, rather than heavy-duty ritual. Most of these practices involve a solitary practitioner, and this practitioner tends to be very independent and imaginative in their magickal endeavors. Simplicity is the bottom line, inter-laced with old world charm.

The Green Witch…connects with the power and magickal energy found within herbs. Her magic is natural and is often attuned to healing– healing of the body, mind, and soul through the world of herbs and the abundant magickal power found there. This witch tends to be a solitary practitioner, often tending her gardens, perhaps even growing many of the herbs she uses in her practice. She has a unique connection to nature and to the seasons, particularly in the aspect of growing and harvesting.

Kitchen Witch…her magick lay in the heart of the home, at the hearthfire itself. Her practices will also include using those items around her that are a natural part of her world. The Kitchen Witch has the ability to tap into herbs, stones, as well as other mundane items found in her home, and unleash the magickal energy from within. This witch incorporates this magick in her daily life– in the meals she prepares for her family, the way in which she cleanses and cares for her home, through magickal potions from her own unique recipes, and in her private and simple rituals and spells.

Hedgewitch…this witch prefers to live close to nature and is strongly connected to the natural world, often enjoying a relationship with the wild things that mundane people may find strange or unusual. The Hedgewitch is grounded, close to the earth and all its elements. She is the most elusive of the natural witches, often secretive about her practices and her magick, protective of that which she holds sacred. Her magick transcends the more common use of herbs and potions, candles and such, and originates strongly from her natural connections to all things in nature and the fundamental energy found there.

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The Cottage Witch/Kitchen Wytch/Hedge Wytch

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Amythyst Raine

The cottage witch/kitchen wytch/hedge wytch– she’s one and the same, and for me, this is the epitome of what I have always viewed witches as being ever since I was a child. It is that unobtrusive and eccentric woman who grows herbs in her gardens and about her house, who has developed a unique and unusual relationship with the wild things that visit her yard and inhabit her grounds. It is the woman who has the ancient knowledge and wisdom to incorporate the magickal use of herbs into her everyday life—in the food she prepares, in the water and solutions that she uses to clean her home, in the incense she burns to smudge her living quarters.

It’s not the flashy publicity oriented media image of a witch that people seek out…it is the quiet Wise Woman in the unusual house down the road; the woman people whisper about curiously amongst themselves, the woman cocooned in ancient mysteries and magickal ways.

This is the Kitchen Witch– resplendent in her simple life-style that centers around hearth and home; the Cottage Wytch…immeshed in centuries of tradition and mystery; the Hedge Wytch…creating natural magick in the wild woods using the magick of the green, the magick of the stones, the magick of the Goddess.

*Note: I’ll be adding more thoughts and insights to this subject, as they come to me and as I have the time. I love this aspect of the witch, and it’s this image that is most familiar and most attractive to me. I have to shake my head and wonder when I hear people referring to witches in negative and ugly terms. I think…Apparently they have never met a hedge wytch! The green witch is well-rooted in all three aspects of the world encompassed by these witches, and although some people may point out slight differences in a practice here or there amongst the kitchen/cottage/hedge witch, these simple and natural witches are much more connected and united than they are distinctive to each other.

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How Does the Green Witch Incorporate Her Practice Day to Day

Posted on April 24, 2010 by Amythyst Raine

There was a question posted today at Pagan Mystics, a Ning network, wanting to know just exactly how a Green Witch incorporates her practice in her day to day life. Just what would a day in the life of a Green Witch entail, the author wanted to know. Below you will find my reply:

The Green Witch may begin her day with a pot of tea or coffee, each being laced with an herb or herbs appropriate for her intentions…You’re afraid your husband’s eye is straying, if not your husband himself? A pinch of nutmeg in his morning brew will do well to keep infidelity at bay. You’re going to be doing tarot readings on this morning and want to pump up your intuitive energies? A pinch of crushed bay leaves or a bit of ground anise to your tea or java will do just that.

When you cook up wonderful tasty dishes for your family, you keep this kind of herbal magick in mind. Does your family seem a little chaotic, disconnected, or argumentative today? Drop a pinch of rosemary or sage in the stew or mashed potatoes. The general public uses herbs every day in all kinds of mundane ways when they cook, never realizing the magickal potential contained within them. Oh, and be sure to stir your cooking pots full of food deosil only to instill positive energy.

The Green Witch will use herbs when cleaning her house, or scrubbing her floors…a little rosemary wash will clear your living space in a magickal way as you clean away the mundane dirt and grime. Are you having a little problem with mischievous spirits and it’s time for them to go? Light a white candle and a stick of sage or some sandalwood incense; walk deosil around each room, smudging the area.

Are you a busy soccer mom chauffeuring kids from school to various events and practices?The Green Witch will have within her vehicle a mojo bag for safe travel, within it will be plantain, calamus root, and a stone of tiger eye. If she’s like me, she’ll also have a special stone talisman created specifically to keep her passengers safe, tucked discreetly beneath the seat.

Your child awakens you during the night with bad dreams or fears of shadows and boogie men? Give her a small saucer of salt on her bedside stand and instruct her to take a pinch and toss it at the shadows that frighten her. Not only will this clear away unwanted entities, you have just taught your daughter that she has nothing to fear and that she is the one in control of her living space.

Having trouble winding down at the end of the day to get much needed sleep? Tie a bundle of lavender together and drop it into your bath water. Light a white candle and soak, grounding yourself, clearing your mind and relaxing your body. Finish up the day with a hot cup of chamomile tea just before turning out the lights.

The idea here is that the Green Witch incorporates herbs into her every day activities and chores and uses them with magickal intention.

I suggest Scott Cunningham’s book,“Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs”, for an extremely comprehensive list of herbs, their correspondences, and magickal uses.

(Reposted from my Myspace blog, February 2009)