Reclaiming the Witch: Coming Home to My Authentic Self

7 days ago

6 min read

On unlearning shame, reconnecting with my intuition, and finally embracing the woman I've always been.

When I was a little girl, I was fascinated by the mystical.

I wanted to learn everything I could about Wicca, witchcraft, spirituality, crystals, and the unseen world that seemed to exist just beyond what I could explain. I would save my money and sneak behind the Book Trader, where there was this little, almost-secret witchy shop filled with candles, incense, crystals, and books on all things New Age. I would buy whatever I could afford and bring my treasures home to fill my bedroom.

I was drawn to it all. The mystery, the magic, the connection to nature. It was all so familiar to me.

I was also the little girl who would take her parents' camera into the forest and photograph everything. The light filtering through the trees. The mushrooms growing beneath fallen leaves. The plants, the animals, the tiny details that most people might walk right past.

I could spend hours out there, completely absorbed in the natural world.

Of course, I was scolded for using up all the film. Oops. 😂

Looking back, I can see that my connection to the natural world and my fascination with the mystical were always a part of me. But as I grew up, I also learned that some of the things I felt drawn to weren't necessarily accepted in the environment around me.

I grew up in the church and in a religious environment where questioning certain beliefs could bring shame, humiliation, and punishment. I learned that some things were considered wrong, and that certain parts of myself were not to be trusted. I learned to hide pieces of myself.

And somewhere along the way, the things that had once brought me wonder became things I felt I needed to be careful about.

But here's what I've come to realize: I don't want fear to decide which parts of myself I'm allowed to embrace anymore.

And that brings me to a word I've been thinking about a lot lately.

Witch.

Reclaiming the Witch 🌙

So, what is a witch?

For centuries, the word witch has been surrounded by fear, shame, and misunderstanding. It has been used to frighten people, to shame women for their knowledge and power, and to make us believe that our connection to nature, our intuition, and the unseen world is something to be feared.

But what if we looked beyond the stories we were told? What if we reclaimed that word and remembered the beauty in what it means to be a witch?

A witch is a woman who knows her power.

She is deeply connected to Mother Earth, the spirits of the land, the changing seasons, and the cycles of the moon. She finds magic in the turning of the leaves, the wildflowers, the forest and the quiet wisdom of the trees.

A witch trusts her intuition. She listens to the whispers of her soul, honours what she feels, and isn't afraid to explore the mysteries of the unseen. She works with intention, understands the significance of her energy, and uses divination as a way to seek insight and guidance.

A witch is a lifelong student of the mystical. She gathers knowledge, explores ancient wisdom, practices ritual, and finds meaning in the things that connect her to something greater than herself. She understands that healing is a journey, that nature has so much to teach us, and that there is beauty in learning to care for ourselves and others.

A witch does not force her beliefs upon anyone. She does not use fear to control, manipulate, or demand that others follow her path. She understands that power comes with responsibility and that the energy and intentions we put into the world matter. It means striving to live with awareness, compassion, and integrity, and honouring the rule of three.

There is no single way to be a witch. We each have our own practices, beliefs, traditions, and ways of connecting with the world. Some work with herbs and plants, others with crystals, tarot, oracle cards, energy, the elements, or the cycles of nature. Some follow established spiritual traditions, while others create practices that feel deeply personal to them.

There is room for exploration, for learning, and for finding your own way.

Being a witch is not something to be ashamed of. It is something beautiful to embrace.

I am reclaiming the word witch, and I invite you to reclaim it, too, if you feel drawn to it, or if you don’t like labels, that’s pretty bad ass too!

There was a time when I actually named my page The Prana Witch.

And then I changed it.

Why?

Fear.

I was afraid of being judged, misunderstood, or perhaps even pushed away by parts of my family.

So I made myself a little smaller. I softened something that felt meaningful to me because I worried about how other people might react.

And I understand why I did that. When you've spent your life learning that acceptance can be conditional, protecting yourself can feel easier than risking rejection.

BUT… I can respect another person's beliefs without surrendering my right to have my own. I can love people who see the world differently from me. We can have different spiritual paths and still treat one another with kindness and respect.

The Little Girl Is Still Here

This isn't about suddenly becoming someone new.

It feels more like finding my way back to someone I've known for a very long time.

The little girl who collected crystals and filled her room with books.

The little girl who wanted to understand the mystical.

The little girl who could spend hours in the forest, noticing the details of a world that felt alive and full of wonder.

She was curious. She was searching for meaning. She was drawn to things that made her feel connected to something bigger than herself.

She was never someone who needed to be fixed.

I see glimpses of these sensitivities in my boys, too. Samuel had a deep feeling that he shouldn't go to football the night he broke his arm, and felt really off right before the play that injured him. Max is incredibly empathetic and feels other people's emotions deeply. I believe these sensitivities deserve to be honoured, not dismissed or shamed.

But one thing I will never do is tell my children what they must believe.

Samuel is an atheist (despite wearing his big diamond cross because his favourite football player wears one 😂), while Max believes in the universe and the law of attraction. I support both of them with all my heart.

After growing up having beliefs imposed on me, I want my boys to be free to explore, question, and choose their own paths without fear.

My job isn't to tell them what to believe, but to make sure they always feel safe discovering who they are.

I want them to know that they can ask questions. They can be curious. They can change their minds. They can believe something different from me and still know they are loved and accepted.

And I want to give myself that same freedom.

I can read the books. Explore the practices that interest me. Spend time in the forest, learn from nature, pull my oracle cards, meditate, and continue discovering what spirituality means to me.

I can write about it here.

I can call myself a witch if that is the word that feels right to me.

I can stop treating a part of myself that has been with me since childhood as something I need to hide.

At forty, I am finally giving that little girl permission to come out of hiding.

An Invitation to Reclaim Your Own Magic

Perhaps you've always felt connected to the moon, found peace in the forest, trusted your intuition, or felt a pull toward the mystical that you couldn't quite explain.

Perhaps you've hidden that part of yourself because you were afraid of what other people might think.

Maybe the word witch makes you uncomfortable. Maybe you were taught that it represents something frightening, dangerous, or evil.

I'm not asking you to change your beliefs to match mine. I'm simply inviting you to get curious, to question what you've been taught, and to consider that someone whose spiritual beliefs differ from yours can still be a good, kind, thoughtful person.

And perhaps there's a bigger question worth asking, whether or not the word witch resonates with you.

What parts of yourself have you learned to hide because you were afraid of being judged?

Maybe it isn't spirituality for you. Maybe it's your creativity, your beliefs, your voice, your dreams, or the person you've always wanted to become.

You're allowed to question expectations. You're allowed to grow, to change your mind, and to explore the parts of yourself you were once afraid to acknowledge.

You're allowed to become more fully yourself, even if some people don't understand.

For me, reclaiming the witch is about reclaiming curiosity, intuition, my relationship with nature, and the right to decide what I believe and how I want to live.

It's about laying down the shame I was taught to carry and making room for something more honest.

It's about honouring the woman I've always been beneath the fear.

I am reclaiming my magic. I am reclaiming my power. I am reclaiming the witch.