What is Witchcraft?

Written By authenticteachingsolutions .

March 29 2026

Jinx

What is witchcraft?

No. Really, what the hell are people talking about when they say witchcraft?

When people say witchcraft, what do they actually mean?

Because most of us (yeah, me included—I’m still learning too) hear that word and think:

  • spells

  • something “magical”

  • maybe talking to trees

  • maybe evil

  • maybe spiritual awakening

  • maybe hot goth girls with incredible eyeliner and zero interest in deodorant

So which one is it?

Witchcraft is a broad term for spiritual and material practices used to create change in your life and environment.
It includes rituals, tools, and belief systems from cultures around the world.

So let’s break it down. Not in the wiki, “witchcraft is a spirituality based in animism,” and now you have to go down a rabbit hole because what the fuck is animism? sort of way. Let’s look at it in elements, in honest experience, in truthful perspective.

Now, I don’t think I can capture the experience or meaning in a single-page blog post, seeing as I wrote a 254-page book on the subject and still could have added many more. So just know this will be a very simple starting point.

The origin of witchcraft

Witchcraft is an umbrella term.

It covers a wide range of practices, belief systems, and rituals from cultures around the world.

These witchcraft practices:

  • developed independently

  • overlapped over time

  • were suppressed, rewritten, and mislabeled (especially under Christian influence)

  • and eventually blended into what we now call “witchcraft.”

So when someone says “witchcraft,” they might not be talking about the same thing at all.

Examples of witchcraft practices

Just to give you a sense of how broad witchcraft is:

  • Hoodoo

  • Voodoo

  • Brujería

  • Curanderismo

  • Celtic practices

  • Wicca

  • Neo-pagan paths

And then there’s what I call “pop magic”—a modern, mixed, accessible version of witchcraft pulled from multiple traditions.

Is witchcraft a religion?

Sometimes.

Wicca is a religion. Some witchcraft traditions are structured and come with rules, lineage, and belief systems.

But a lot of witchcraft?

It’s a personal spiritual practice—built through experience, not assigned through doctrine.

Which sounds freeing—until you realize it also means:

 You’re responsible for what you’re doing.

Do witches worship the Devil?


 Hell no. Well, some people say they do.

Satan, or the Devil, is a figure rooted in Abrahamic-based religions. The origins of this figure predate medieval Europe, but most modern imagery and interpretations of Satan stem from that period.

Witchcraft draws from traditions that are much older than this concept of Satan.

Some occult practitioners do incorporate Abrahamic figures and lore into their practice, though they don’t identify as part of those religions. Figures like Satan, Lilith, Eve, and Archangels are embedded in Abrahamic traditions.

Many witches do not work within the Abrahamic mythos at all.

Is witchcraft spell work?

Yes, to some extent. That is part of it.

Like prayer is part of other spiritual practices, spell work is part of witchcraft.

How do I learn witchcraft and spells?

Read—mostly.

Then do them.

Do witchcraft spells really work?

In my experience, yes—very effectively.

Do you need to have a connection to do effective witchcraft spell work? Also yes.

It’s a pretty complicated explanation, and I share many personal stories in my book, Imperfect Witch, about how my spells revealed their power to me.

Can anyone practice witchcraft?

Yes.

Some witchcraft traditions are cultural or closed.
Some require lineage or permission.
Some shouldn’t be touched casually.

But pop magic is absolutely for everyone, and one of the cool things about learning witchcraft is discovering your own ancestral magic.

Do you need tools for witchcraft?

Yes.

Witchcraft is a material practice.

You work with:

  • fire

  • herbs

  • objects

  • space

  • your own body

Now, do you need to go buy a bunch of aesthetic tools right away?

No.

So what is witchcraft, really?

Witchcraft is not just an intention.
It’s not just tools.
It’s not just belief.

Witchcraft is a practice of engaging with the world: materially, spiritually, and psychologically, to create change.

authenticteachingsolutions .