IheartTarot
I also don't like things that divide people and put them in boxes
That is the flip side of labels, there are pros and cons.
I also don't like things that divide people and put them in boxes
Despite a very liberal constitution (including freedom of religion), certain "witchcraft" practices including divination are illegal where I live.
In order to have some legal protection should someone decide to prosecute me for reading cards I will at least have a constitutional argument. Paganism is a recognized religion here, BTW the way that happens is when the government approves people representing a certain religion to act as marriage officers.
An occultist searches for spiritual truths by study and learning. Occultism is probably not a recognized religion, not in my country anyway. You need a critical mass for these things.
Then everyone on this board is an 'occultist' - you learn a new thing every day
...Then everyone on this board is an 'occultist' - you learn a new thing every day
I'm me. I see no need for labels.
I thought hedge witchery was to do with journeying to the otherworlds not herb-craft? It's called hedge crossing or hedge riding, because the hedge is the boundary between the worlds.
I thought hedge witchery was to do with journeying to the otherworlds not herb-craft? It's called hedge crossing or hedge riding, because the hedge is the boundary between the worlds.
As far as I am aware, a hedge witch is so called because she lived on the boundaries of a village beside the hedge. At the crossing between what was known ie the village and what was unknown ie outside the village.
Hedge witches also worked with the hedge for berries, leaves and herbs. They are very early doctors helping with simple ailments and making ointments and lotions. They would help with birthing babies and probably made simple spells.
Hedge witches work with plants and are in all senses botanists. They would know plant names and their uses. They would be able to mix herbs and plants into medicine.
The term Hedgewitch comes from the Saxon word haegtessa meaning 'hedge-rider'. Some believe that the Hedgewitch is akin to a village shaman who crosses over the hedge into the unknown ie outside the village in order to bring back knowledge from spirits through the use of hallucinogens.
So the hedge was both a physical as well as mental boundary. The hedge marked what was known from what was unknown and the hedgewitch would cross the hedge in order to gather herbs and berries and plants for her medicine.
Hedgewitches learned their lore from a relative or another hedgewitch so it was an apprenticeship that was continued forward through lore rather than the written word.
They are solitary which means they do not belong to a coven of witches. Traditionally Hedgewitches practice wortcunning (skills with herbs/knowledge of herbs), herbalism, wildcrafting(harvesting uncultivated plants for their medicinal purposes), kitchen witchery, folk magic, healing, cursing, trance states, poppet magic (doll used to cast spells) and more but they are each unique in what they practice so it could be a mixture of all or one of two of these things.