I, on some occasions, told myself that, yes, males can be referred to as witches. For some reasons, males prefer terms such as mage, magician, wizard etc., and that’s okay! I use such terms too. I’m just saying there is nothing wrong or so girlie in the term “witch”, even though mostly used as a reference to female practitioners of magick.
And E.A. just posted a video in which he refers to a witch hunt, and then refers to himself as the witch in question. And that term did not sound so out of place or girlie, in my opinion. I’m a mage, a wizard, a magician, a practitioner of magick, and a witch, yeah! A male witch. What do you think?
I have no problem being called a Witch as a man, because I am both. In the Alexandrian and Gardnarian Initiatory Traditions a male is called a Witch and this title, and another, is bestowed at the first degree initiation.
It is only girlie to those who are ignorant or are too macho or insecure in their sexuality or base their knowledge of Witchcraft on movies, TV and fiction.
I’ve come to understand witchcraft as being a specific type of phenomenon with its own ways I’d manifesting on different cultures. So I see that’s it’s more people are misusing the term period. I don’t see it as a general name for magic.
The Craft of the Untamed by Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold is a pretty freaking awesome work that identifies central archetypes and motifs found throughout witchcraft traditions in Africa, Latin America, and Europe. I think the chapter on witch blood to shed a lot of light on the common question, “are witches born or made?”.
“Witch” to me sounds somehow sexy for a guy, I have NO idea why; “Wizard” I just see a rather stuck up middle class person in the 1930’s or 1980’s calling something good “absolutely wizard” - and then I see Harry Potter, or Elton John singing “Pinball Wizard”; “Warlock” just sounds cool; “Sorceror” gives me an image of someone stirring a big cauldron, and “Magician” makes me think of people on forums, possibly wearing embroidered robes, and trying to come up with some term we can all agree on!
(And then arguing whether or not it should have a “k” in it…)
Hmm, i don’t know its okay i guess- but i’m not native english speaker.
I’d prefer occultist thought, or something like that … wizard or sorcerer sounds even sillier thought -like straight out some game or movie. So sounds “doing magic” too thought - i prefer performing occultism/rituals/shamanism / witchcraft.
I have to agree with Eva, wizard just sounds pretentious, witch for a man has that slight “wtf” effect that makes people pause and think about it
Sorcerer to me has a specific load because of my intrigue with Castenada’s books, for me it tends to refer to dreaming and reality bending. Too bad sorcerer witch sounds retarded
I read somewhere from another occultic site that in olden days people who weren’t aware of the craft would call guys wizards and only people who knew it would call themselves witches but the authenticity of this claim is unknown to me.
I was initiated a Witch and ordained as Priest. In “MY” trad a warlock is an oath breaker and not a term you want associated with your name, male or female. Sorcery is what I do not who I am. I am a Witch.
It depends on the context. Generally, witch means wiccan these days, which is something I very specifically am not. Also, personally, witch has a feminine feel to me. But I wouldn’t be offended at being called one.
I also like sorcerer. I can’t recall where I read it now, but somewhere along the line I got it into my head that a sorcerer is, by definition, someone who interacts with spirits, especially those antagonistic to the Church, to do his bidding. Since that is a pretty good definition of what I do (even my use of the runes fits in that paradigm), it seems like a fitting term.
EDIT: I should add that this is all theoretical, since I am ultra low-key about my occult studies in real life.
I don’t really care what anyone calls me and tend to avoid labels anyway, but I suppose “witch” is most appropriate since I heal with herbs, diet and Shamanic energy work, tell the future with the planets and other forms of divination and have the dead and other spirits do my bidding for me and change my life through magick. It always seemed a bit silly to call myself that because it evokes images of hags in pointed hats putting toads into cauldrons, but I’ve become more comfortable with it recently.
If you trace witch back as a word, Old English Wicca is actually the masculine form. Other English and German words related to it have masculine and feminine versions and have to do with necromancy and sorcery. Warlock, is supposedly a Scottish term for a male sorcer that is in leauge with the Devil, which is why he is an oath breaker, but this reminds me of the Norse title for Odhinn as Bolverker (Oath-Breaker, Evil Doer). I wouldn’t care either way, give me the power of witch blood and witch flame.
[quote=“Lady Eva, post:7, topic:4423”]“Witch” to me sounds somehow sexy for a guy, I have NO idea why; “Wizard” I just see a rather stuck up middle class person in the 1930’s or 1980’s calling something good “absolutely wizard” - and then I see Harry Potter, or Elton John singing “Pinball Wizard”; “Warlock” just sounds cool; “Sorceror” gives me an image of someone stirring a big cauldron, and “Magician” makes me think of people on forums, possibly wearing embroidered robes, and trying to come up with some term we can all agree on!
(And then arguing whether or not it should have a “k” in it…)[/quote]
totally agree!
Witch put a sexy butterfly on the ass
Is this something people actually worry about? I’ve never had anyone from a non-spiritual community ask me about it, I keep my practice private enough that unless someone wanted to go snooping they’d never know what I do.
Personally it doesn’t matter to me witch, sorcerer, magician etc., wizard sounds too Harry Potter for my tastes but that’s about it.
