What is witchcraft? Are you curious about what witchcraft really means, but don’t know where to start?
Maybe you’ve seen witches on social media, heard friends talk about casting spells, or stumbled across mysterious rituals and wondered what it’s all about.
Today, I’m breaking down the witchcraft meaning in clear, simple terms so you can understand what this ancient practice is really about.
Whether you’re just curious or thinking about exploring witchcraft yourself, this complete explanation will answer all your questions about the craft and what it means to be a witch in the modern world.
What is witchcraft?
Witchcraft is the practice of using natural energy, intention, and ritual to create change in your life and the world around you.
At its core, the witchcraft meaning centers on working with unseen forces, energy, spirits, nature, and the elements—to manifest your desires, protect yourself, heal, and connect with something greater than yourself.
The word “witchcraft” comes from the Old English “wicce” (female witch) and “wicca” (male witch), which meant someone who practiced magic or divination.
Today, the meaning has evolved to encompass many practices and traditions, but the foundation remains the same: it’s about recognizing that everything in the universe is connected through energy and learning to work with that energy intentionally.
Is Witchcraft a Religion?
Witchcraft itself is not a religion; it’s a practice. Think of it like meditation or prayer: people from different faiths can meditate, and people from different backgrounds can practice witchcraft.
Some witches do follow religious paths that incorporate witchcraft. Wicca is the most well-known witchcraft religion, founded in the mid-1900s with specific beliefs about gods and goddesses, seasonal celebrations, and moral codes.
But plenty of witches aren’t Wiccan—some are Christian witches, Jewish witches, atheist witches, or follow their own spiritual path entirely.
The History of Witchcraft
Witchcraft has existed in some form across nearly every culture throughout human history.
Ancient Egyptians practiced magic, Greek and Roman societies had their wise women and cunning folk, and indigenous cultures worldwide have shamanic traditions that resemble what we call witchcraft today.
In medieval Europe, the witchcraft meaning became twisted during the witch trials of the 1400s-1700s.
Thousands of people (mostly women) were accused of witchcraft and killed, even though most weren’t actually practicing any magic.
Modern witchcraft reclaims the word and the practice, honoring the real traditions that survived persecution.
What Do Witches Actually Do?
Witches work with energy and intention to create change. The witchcraft meaning comes alive through various practices that focus on manipulating natural and spiritual forces.
Casting Spells: Spells are focused rituals where a witch sets a specific intention and uses tools, words, or actions to make it happen.
A spell might be as simple as lighting a candle while focusing on a goal, or as complex as a full moon ritual with herbs, crystals, and incantations.
Working With the Moon: The moon’s phases are incredibly important in witchcraft meaning.
Different moon phases carry different energies—new moons for new beginnings, full moons for manifestation and power, waning moons for releasing what no longer serves you.
Using Tools and Symbols: Witches use various tools to focus their energy and intentions. These include candles, crystals, herbs, tarot cards, cauldrons, athames (ritual knives), and wands.
You can learn more about the visual language witches use in my post about witchcraft symbols, which breaks down the meaning behind pentacles, triple moons, and other important symbols.
Connecting With Nature: Nature is central to witchcraft meaning. Witches recognize that everything in nature—plants, stones, water, fire—carries its own energy.
They collect herbs for spells, charge crystals under moonlight, work with the four elements (earth, air, fire, water), and celebrate seasonal changes through holidays like the solstices and equinoxes.
Divination: Divination means looking into the future or seeking guidance through various methods. Tarot cards are popular, but witches also use runes, pendulums, scrying (gazing into water or mirrors), tea leaf reading, and other techniques to access intuitive knowledge and spiritual guidance.
Energy Work: Many witches work directly with energy through practices like meditation, grounding, shielding, and chakra balancing. They learn to sense energy in people, places, and objects, and to manipulate that energy for healing, protection, or manifestation.
Types of Witchcraft
The witchcraft meaning varies depending on which tradition or path a witch follows. There’s no single “right” way to be a witch—different types focus on different aspects of the craft.
1. Traditional Witchcraft
Traditional witchcraft follows old European folk magic practices passed down through families or regions. These witches often work with local spirits, ancestors, and land-based magic. Their practices are rooted in historical traditions rather than modern inventions.
2. Wicca
Wicca is a modern pagan religion that includes witchcraft practices. Wiccans worship a God and Goddess, follow the Wiccan Rede (“An it harm none, do what ye will”), celebrate eight seasonal sabbats, and often work in covens. Not all witches are Wiccan, but Wicca is probably the most organized form of witchcraft.
3. Green Witchcraft
Green witches focus heavily on plants, herbs, and nature. They grow their own magical herbs, make natural remedies, work closely with plant spirits, and find their power in forests, gardens, and wild places.
The witchcraft meaning for green witches centers on harmony with the natural world.
4. Kitchen Witchcraft
Kitchen witches practice their magic through cooking, baking, and creating a magical home. They infuse their food with intentions, use spices and herbs magically, stir intentions into soups, and see their kitchen as their sacred space. Every meal becomes a spell, every recipe a ritual.
5. Hedge Witchcraft
Hedge witches walk between worlds—the physical and spiritual realms. They practice spirit work, astral travel, lucid dreaming, and working with the boundaries between life and death. The “hedge” refers to the boundary between the village (civilization) and the wild (spiritual realm).
6. Cosmic Witchcraft
Cosmic witches work with astrology, planets, stars, and celestial energy. They time their spells according to planetary alignments, work with zodiac energies, and see themselves as part of the larger cosmos. The witchcraft meaning here extends beyond Earth to the entire universe.
7. Eclectic Witchcraft
Eclectic witches don’t follow one specific tradition—they pull practices from different paths that resonate with them. Most modern witches are eclectic, creating a personalized practice that works for their individual needs and beliefs.
Core Beliefs in Witchcraft
While the witchcraft meaning varies between individuals, most witches share certain core beliefs that shape their practice.
Everything Is Energy: Witches believe that everything—people, plants, stones, thoughts, emotions—is made of energy vibrating at different frequencies. By learning to work with and manipulate this energy, you can create change in your life and the world around you.
Intention Matters: Your thoughts and intentions are powerful. The witchcraft meaning emphasizes that focused intention is what makes magic work. A spell without intention is just going through motions—real magic happens when you put your will and energy behind your actions.
As Above, So Below: This principle means that what happens in the spiritual realm affects the physical realm, and vice versa. By working with symbols, rituals, and energy on a small scale, witches create change on a larger scale.
We Are Connected to Nature: The cycles of nature—seasons, moon phases, day and night—affect us deeply. Witches honor these cycles and work with them rather than against them. The witchcraft meaning includes recognizing that humans are part of nature, not separate from it.
Personal Responsibility: Most witches believe in some form of “what you send out comes back to you,” whether that’s the Wiccan Threefold Law (what you do returns three times) or simply karma. This means taking responsibility for your magical actions and their consequences.
How to Start Practicing Witchcraft
If the witchcraft meaning resonates with you and you want to start your own practice, here’s how to begin your journey into the craft.
Learn the Basics: Start by reading and researching. Learn about different witchcraft traditions, magical tools, herbs, crystals, moon phases, and basic spells.
Get a solid foundation before jumping into practice—it makes your magic more effective.
Start Simple: You don’t need fancy tools or expensive supplies to start practicing witchcraft.
Begin with simple practices like lighting a candle with intention, keeping a moon journal, meditating, or working with herbs from your kitchen.
Connect With Nature: Spend time outside observing the seasons, collecting natural items like stones or leaves, watching the moon, and feeling the elements. Nature connection is fundamental to witchcraft on a deeper level.
Keep a Book of Shadows: A Book of Shadows is your personal magical journal where you record spells, experiences, dreams, research, and observations. Writing things down helps you learn what works for you and track your magical growth over time.
Trust Your Intuition: Witchcraft is a personal practice. What works for one witch might not work for you. Pay attention to what resonates with you, what feels right, and what gets results.
Practice Regularly: Magic is a skill that improves with practice. Start incorporating small magical acts into your daily routine—stirring your coffee with intention, blessing your food, setting up a small altar, or doing a quick grounding meditation.
What Witches Believe About Magic
The witchcraft meaning includes specific beliefs about how magic actually works and what makes it effective.
Magic Takes Time: Unlike in movies, you can’t wiggle your nose and instantly manifest things. Real witchcraft works with natural energies and takes time.
Spells work by shifting energy and probabilities, opening doors for change to happen, not by defying the laws of physics.
You Don’t Need Special Powers: Anyone can learn witchcraft. You don’t need to be born with psychic abilities or come from a witch bloodline.
While some people may be naturally more intuitive, the skills of witchcraft—energy work, herbalism, divination—can all be learned through study and practice.
It’s Not Devil Worship: Most witches don’t even believe in the Christian devil. The concept of Satan is specific to Christianity, and most witchcraft traditions predate Christianity or come from completely different spiritual frameworks.
Free Will Matters: Most witches consider it wrong to do magic that interferes with someone else’s free will.
Love spells that target specific people, manipulation magic, or spells that force outcomes fall into this category. The witchcraft meaning emphasizes personal empowerment, not controlling others.
Witchcraft in the Modern World
The witchcraft meaning continues to evolve as new generations discover and adapt the practice. Today’s witches blend ancient wisdom with modern life in ways that work for contemporary reality.
Social Media Witches: WitchTok, Instagram witches, and YouTube practitioners have made witchcraft more accessible than ever.
While this has helped many people discover the craft, real witchcraft meaning comes from your personal experience, not from viral videos.
Witchcraft and Activism: Many modern witches combine their practice with social justice work.
They do protection spells for protestors, hexes on oppressive systems, healing work for marginalized communities, and use their magic as a tool for creating positive social change.
Science-Minded Witches: You don’t have to abandon logic or science to practice witchcraft.
Many witches see their practice as working with psychology, energy, and natural laws we don’t fully grasp yet. They approach witchcraft from a perspective that values both mystical experience and rational thought.
Solitary Practice: While historical witchcraft often involved covens and communities, most modern witches practice alone.
The internet has created virtual communities where solitary witches can connect, share knowledge, and support each other without needing to meet in person.
Final Thoughts
The witchcraft meaning is about personal power, connection, and intentional living.
It’s about recognizing that you can shape your reality through focused intention, that nature holds wisdom and energy you can learn to work with.
Whether you choose to explore witchcraft as a spiritual practice, a tool for self-improvement, or simply as an interesting topic to learn about, I hope this explanation has cleared up what witchcraft really means.
If you’re interested in diving deeper into the visual language of the craft, check out my post on witchcraft symbols to learn about the pentagram, triple moon, and other powerful symbols witches use in their practice.
