I’ve often wondered, “at what point does one decide they were or wanted to be a witch”?
As a very little girl, Mom would dress me up like, Shirley Temple, curls and all. At the time I was in heaven. Thank heaven, like gas, it passed.
Then came the Disney years. We’d dress up in Mom’s 1940’s shoes and dresses, steal her bright red lipstick slap powder on our faces and run around the lawn like over painted dolls. Of course we couldn’t afford wands, but decided that Bubble wands would work and as we ran, it left a magic bubble trail behind us.
Who we became or wanted to be was hindered only by our imagination.
Then we were inundated with “Someday my prince will come”.
I want to be married and have babies. …EEK!
I wanted to be like Beaver Cleavers mom, pearls and perfect hair
Then Came superman
I was about five when I went through that phase and it lasted until I tied a towel around my neck like a cape and jumped off the chicken coop roof. You know what? I dropped like a rock. I also didn’t sit down for a week when mom picked me up, made sure I was ok, then blistered my bum.
Yep, I was gonna be a witch. It was safer.
Garnet (Ya just had to do it the hard way…)
When I was very young I had red hair, green eyes and very white skin. My family had darker skin, dark eyes and could be in the sun all day. My light skin keeped me in the house a lot.
One day at my grandmother’s house. Alone in the house. So I did what a little kid would do. I plundered through everybody’s stuff as they were outside. I found a box full of crazy stuff. At first I thought it was for Halloween But it wasn’t.
Gi found it in her box, and told me it was for her younger day. She told me about the days before when our people moved from Hungary to Germany and to America in the 1800s.
It was her teaching that gave me Inside to Appalachian Conjuring and folk magick of her people. sadly I lost her when I was 16th I have spent the last 20 years learning on my own. The other half of me is English and Irish traveller.
So interesting @Garnet I was very young, so it was before I went to school, I think 4 or 5. I dressed as a princess once and I hated it! So, from then on I pretended to be a witch and dressed as one whenever I got a chance.
The witch was my go-to Halloween costume for like, four years in a row. I even had a realistic rubber snake I called Halitosis to freak people out with. I wonder what I did with him? LOL! I called him Halitosis because the rubber stank to high heaven.
About 10 or 11 months ago, through contact with someone who already identified as a witch/pagan, I began to explore my beliefs. I did some reading in which it described some of the things that witches use, and I started pulling many of those things off shelves and out of boxes. I realized I had a lot of those things already, some for decades, because I thought they were “cool.” And being curious about most things, I had already done some reading. It started to come to me that maybe I’ve been a witch all along, but didn’t know it.
Hi all I can’t actually pin point when I wanted to be a witch I was just drawn to it and don’t know why.
Maybe it’s my calling or it may not but when you tell people that your a witch you get that look of devil worshipper and when you try and explain its more about nurturing the planet I get yeah of course it is. I found at one stage I would hide my pentacle necklace incase I offended anyone or another religion now I’ve adapted to the attitude why should I hide my pentacle when you’ve got your crucifix hanging out.
I think I’ve been a witch my whole life, but only realized it a few years ago. I’ve always loved nature and felt a strong connection to it, and lost myself staring at dancing flames, deep waters or the moon. I’ve felt it deeply that we’re all one.
It was only after realizing the power in belief, and through that the power of intention, that I started to realize what we have here. What the true meaning of ritual is.
Through my years in therapy I had been doing shadow work all that time, and becoming a student of the human mind. I had been interpreting my dreams and doing guided meditations already. I knew that the subconscious worked not through words, but through associations. Correspondences were a good place to start my witchy studies, then I realized how tarot cards work. Crystals looked pretty and had their own energy I could sense. By then I could no longer deny it
I was young, my step-mother is actually the one who started getting me crystals & talking to me about Wicca & my cousin & I would practice divination. Though, at the time we didn’t know that’s what we were doing. My cousin is a witch & I actually was at his handfasting ceremony to his husband with my 1-year-old & family at the time.
It wasn’t until 2020 that I really came back to it & now in some way I practice every day. I have learned a lot & it started a long process of healing for me. I’ll get there, but it’s going to take time.
I couldn’t help but laugh at this- Garnet, you always make me smile with your writing!
As for me, well- I couldn’t pick a distinct moment, and I actually didn’t even start using the label “witch” until just a few years ago, but looking back, I suppose it was always there. As a kid, I used to play “apothecary” in the back yard (and rubbed a healing herb poison ivy on my sister’s arm one time- oops! ) and make “potions” out of mud and sticks. I tried to study to get ready to go to Hogwarts and I had this Dragonology book that was my favorite thing. The rock collection and little flasks of rooting herbs were probably telltales as well
It wasn’t until I came across things on the internet (thanks, Spells8 ) that opened my eyes and I realized that wow- you can actually be a real witch? Now there’s no going back!
You are a legend, Amethyst- that is so funny
I’m sure Halitosis is still out there somewhere, freaking people out and being stinky
I remember making potions when I was small too, with watercolor! Role playing games taught me the elements, mythological names I loved to look up and so many fun visuals!
And love snakes! A stinky rubber one might see the inside of a washing machine with me though!
Labyrinth! Loved the movie, that swamp was truly disgusting!
To avoid going permanently and irrevocably off topic, I think the biggest obstacle for me was also not knowing witch was an option! Here I am now, making plans to actually make a living by being one!
I remember i was in high school, my bestfriend was fully into witchcraft.
i would off been about 12-13, i was more the quite shy type and kept it to myself.
(still am) we use to try and practice move from the movie the craft (it was very popular back in the day lol)
All my life I have felt different. Can I explain that “different” in words? Not really lol. When I was very young, I had what my mom called imaginary friends. To me, they were as real as you and me. We played, we had long conversations, some even went everywhere with me.
I never felt comfortable in any church setting or religion. It didn’t feel right to me. For the longest time, I thought it was because I had sinned and didn’t always make the right choices. I thought God hated me. I actually did look into Wicca and started practicing but I always had to hide it and be secretive so I stopped. All I ever heard was to be a witch was to be evil.
As I became an adult, I realized that I could sense energy, feel the emotions of others. I had to learn real quick how to shield myself. Negative energy makes me anxious and I’m left feeling very drained. I love solitude. Always have.
I started getting into crystals and meditation. Candles became another favorite. I love nature and mythology. The moon and the sun fascinate me to no end.
But I felt lost and disconnected. When my mom died, I lost all sense of self and identity. For the last three years I have been on a journey to discover who I really am and to let go of the past.
All this has lead me to Spells8 and to all of you! And I am so very grateful! You truly are like family! And I am proud to call myself a witch!
Hmm. Hard to say. I’ve been fascinated since I could read. I loved books about witches who were my age, and of course, Bewitched. I had a kitchen witch doll I loved and dressed as a witch for Halloween usually. I was really into werewolves and werewolf lore, vampire movies, Halloween when I was still a young child. I didn’t really get into witchcraft until a friend told me she was a witch, though. She gave me a baby witch kit, a Romany spell book and did my first Tarot card reading - I guess that was 15 years ago. But I wasn’t serious about any of it even then, just fascinated. Then, a therapist recommended I start a hobby about 3 or 4 years ago, so I started collecting rocks, which turned into a crystal collection, and I got back into the craft through that, because one of the places I bought crystals was a witchcraft supply shop. I had a lot of downtime during the pandemic and Spells8 really was, for me, so accessible in its format and the lessons and all. I think I joined as a member a year or so ago
I was born this way. From the time I can remember sitting with my Grand Mother then my Aunt. They knew who I was and they cultivated in me what they knew I would be.
My precious Stephanie, Never be ashamed of the truth. It is we who are blessed with you and your new and interesting ideas and questions.
Thank you for joining our family.
Blessed be, Be safe, spread your magical wings and fly!
Garnet
When I found out someone was using black magick on me so I said this is interesting let me send that shit back and read all about it and been glued to it ever since, except I don’t believe in doing dark spells on ppl I just want to help myself out and see a different world that others don’t see and I’m gonna keep my faith in the universe and see what happens for me
…EEK!
) and make “potions” out of mud and sticks. I tried to study to get ready to go to Hogwarts and I had this Dragonology book that was my favorite thing. The rock collection and little flasks of rooting herbs were probably telltales as well 
Role playing games taught me the elements, mythological names I loved to look up and so many fun visuals! 
)