witch types
Solitary - a solitary witch is someone who performs spellwork and rituals alone and without a coven. this may be by choice, or perhaps they just haven’t yet found a group of fellow witches they would like to work with. a solitary witch can incorporate various different paths based on their interest and may or may not use witchcraft as part of a wider spiritual path or religion.

Eclectic - an eclectic witch is someone who pulls from various witchcraft traditions for their spellwork and rituals. they rely on a variety of different cultures, beliefs, and systems to formulate their own personal witchcraft practice which may change and evolve over time.

Traditional - a traditional witch is someone who takes a historical approach to witchcraft. they look at old grimoires, witch trials, various witch lore, and historical accounts to lay the foundation for their own spells and rituals. often traditional witches focus on working with the nature and history of the place they live and may work with the genius loci, or the local spirits.

Hedge - a hedge witch works with the liminal spaces and the spirit realm. in the past a ‘hedge’ would mark a boundary of a village or settlement and thus represents the boundary between our physical reality and the spirit world. a hedge witch may be skilled at crossing that boundary through practices like astral travel

Kitchen - a kitchen witch enjoys making their home and surroundings a sacred space. they often like to incorporate witchcraft with their cooking and put their energy and focus into to the food and the meals they create. they care deeply about the ingredients, and may have their own herb and vegetable garden.

Cosmic - a cosmic witch incorporates astrology and astronomy into their witchcraft. they most likely closely follow the alignment of the planets and they will often will coordinate their spells and rituals based on the location of the planets and the moon.

Green - green witches are extremely nature based. they are likely to be in-tune with the seasons and often use natural materials to create their own magical tools. they most likely try to perform all their spellwork and rituals outside in nature when possible. also very intune and companions/work with the fae.
Cultural Witchcraft
Gardnerian - a gardnerian witch is someone who follows the belief system of gardnerian wicca, which was created by gerald garner in the 1950s. gardnerian wicca is hierarchical system that consists of a high priest and priestess as well as various initiations. so, one is not a gardnerian witch until they have learned their specific traditions and have gone through proper initiation.

gardnerian wiccans organise into covens, that traditionally, though not always, are limited to thirteen members. covens are led by a high priestess and the high priest of her choice, and celebrate both a goddess and a god.

gardnerian wicca and other forms of british traditional wicca operate as an initiatory mystery cult; membership is gained only through initiation by a wiccan high priestess or high priest. any valid line of initiatory descent can be traced all the way back to gerald gardner, and through him back to the new forest coven.

rituals and coven practices are kept secret from non-initiates, and many wiccans maintain secrecy regarding their membership in the religion. whether any individual wiccan chooses secrecy or openness often depends on their location, career, and life circumstances. in all cases, gardnerian wicca absolutely forbids any member to share the name, personal information, fact of membership, and so on without advanced individual consent of that member for that specific instance of sharing. (in this regard, secrecy is specifically for reasons of safety.

in gardnerian wicca, there are three grades of initiation. ronald hutton suggests that they appear to be based upon the three grades of freemasonry. the two principal deities are the horned god and the mother goddess.

Alexandrian - alexandrian witchcraft is like guardian wicca in that it is a formalized belief system which contains it’s own traditions and initiations. alexandrian witches follow some of the similar traditions in guardian wicca, but also incorporate ceremonial magic as well as the qabalah.

alexandrian wicca, in similarity with other traditional wiccan practices, emphasizes gender polarity. this emphasis can be seen in the sabbat rituals, which focus on the relationship between the wiccan goddess and god.

as compared to gardnerian wicca, alexandrian wicca is "somewhat more eclectic", according to the encyclopedia of modern witchcraft and neo-paganism.maxine sanders notes that alexandrians take the attitude "if it works use it". tool use and deity and elemental names also differ from the gardnerian tradition. skyclad practice, or ritual nudity, is optional within the tradition, training is emphasized, and ceremonial magic practices, such as those derived from hermetic qabalah and enochian magic may be part of ritual. alex's work on his book of shadows continued up until his death resulting, like the gardnerian in several different versions. some of these derived from his teaching notes that his students received in the late 1960s and early 1970s. it is not unusual to find that earlier initiates did not receive the same books as later ones although they obtained all the information in dictated form, sander's preferred mode of teaching.

alexandrian covens meet on new moons, full moons and during sabbat festivals.

alexandrian wicca shares with other traditional wicca systems the belief that "only a witch can make another witch". the process through which an individual is made a witch is called "initiation". as in gardnerian wicca, there are three levels, or "degrees", of initiation, commonly referred to as "first", "second", and "third" degree. only a second or third degree witch can initiate another into witchcraft, and only a third degree witch can initiate another to third degree. a third degree initiate is referred to as a "high priestess" or "high priest". the farrars published the rituals for the three ceremonies of initiation in eight sabbats for witches.

some alexandrians have instituted a preliminary rank called "neophyte" or "dedicant." in these alexandrian covens, a neophyte is not bound by the oaths taken by initiates, and thus has an opportunity to examine the tradition before committing to it. neophytes are not, however, considered to have actually joined the tradition until they do take first degree. as such they would not experience certain aspects of rituals that were considered oathbound.

Native American Shaman - a shaman is a spiritual leader of a group or tribe who adhere to the belief in shamanism. the belief and practice of shamanism incorporates a range of beliefs, customs, ceremonies and rituals regarding communication with the spiritual world in which their religious leader, the shaman, enters supernatural realms particularly when the tribe is facing adversity or need to obtain solutions to problems afflicting the community including sickness.

shamanism is not a specific religion but a doctrine based on a belief that physical nature might be brought under the control of man, in the person of a shaman. the shaman is believed to have a spiritual connection with animals, supernatural creatures and all elements of nature. the shaman helps members of the tribe to identify personal animal totems that are spirit guides who walk through life with them and sometimes appear in dreams or vision quests or on a spiritual journey in the form of an animal. shamanism is mixed with other beliefs such as animism, totemism, ritualism, and fetishism and these beliefs, taken as a whole, have strong religious connotations.

the shaman used appropriate words, objects and rituals to protect men from evil spirits - his role is that of opponent to the bad spirits and of guardian to the ordinary man. the role of the shaman differs from tribe to tribe as there are some regional and tribal variations to their beliefs in shamanism. there are, however, several common roles that are shared by every shaman. a shaman was a healer, communicator, educator, prophet and mystic:

communicator: the shaman provided help and advice to members of the tribe
educator: the shaman was the keeper of myth, tradition and tribal wisdom
healer: the shaman had spiritual healing powers and the ability to treat sickness caused by evil spirits - hence the westernised name 'medicine man'.
prophet: the shaman had the ability to perform various forms of prophecy
mystic: the shaman possessed the ability to communicate with the spirit world, leave the body and enter the supernatural world to search for answers

in many tribes, including the cheyenne and the sioux, the shaman also had the role of the head warrior or war chief which made him the most powerful and influential man of the tribe.

Voodoo - vodun cosmology centers around the vodun spirits and other elements of divine essence that govern the earth, a hierarchy that range in power from major deities governing the forces of nature and human society to the spirits of individual streams, trees, and rocks, as well as dozens of ethnic vodun, defenders of a certain clan, tribe, or nation. the vodun are the center of religious life. (perceived similarities with roman catholic doctrines such as the intercession of saints and angels allowed vodun to appear compatible with catholicism, and helped produce syncretic religions such as haitian vodou.) adherents also emphasize ancestor worship and hold that the spirits of the dead live side by side with the world of the living, each family of spirits having its own female priesthood, sometimes hereditary when it's from mother to blood daughter.

all creation is considered divine and therefore contains the power of the divine. this is how medicines such as herbal remedies are understood, and explains the ubiquitous use of mundane objects in religious ritual. vodun talismans, called "fetishes", are objects such as statues or dried animal or human parts that are sold for their healing and spiritually rejuvenating properties. specifically, they are objects inhabited by spirits. the entities that inhabit a fetish are able to perform different tasks according to their stage of development. fetish objects are often combined together in the construction of "shrines", used to call forth specific vodun and their associated powers.

the queen mother is the first daughter of a matriarchal lineage of a family collective. she holds the right to lead the ceremonies incumbent to the clan: marriages, baptisms and funerals. she is one of the most important members of community. she will lead the women of a village when her family collective is the ruling one. they take part in the organisation and the running of markets and are also responsible for their upkeep, which is vitally important because marketplaces are the focal points for gatherings and social centres in their communities. in the past when the men of the villages would go to war, the queen mothers would lead prayer ceremonies in which all the women attended every morning to ensure the safe return of their menfolk.

the high priestess is the woman chosen by the oracle to care for the convent. priestesses, like priests, receive a calling from an oracle, which may come at any moment during their lives. they will then join their clan's convent to pursue spiritual instruction. it is also an oracle that will designate the future high priest and high priestess among the new recruits, establishing an order of succession within the convent. only blood relatives were allowed in the family convent; strangers are forbidden. in modern days, however, some of the rules have been changed, enabling non family members to enter what is described as the first circle of worship. strangers are allowed to worship only the spirits of the standard pantheon.

louisiana voodoo, also known as new orleans voodoo, describes a set of spiritual folkways developed from the traditions of the african diaspora. it is a cultural form of the afro-american religions developed by the west and central african populations of the u.s. state of louisiana, though its practitioners are not exclusively of african-american descent. voodoo is one of many incarnations of african-based spiritual folkways, rooted in west african dahomeyan vodun. its liturgical language is louisiana creole french, the language of the louisiana creole people.

Santaria - sometimes called regla de ocha, it's a religion that millions of people living in mexico, panama, the united states, cuba, and throughout the caribbean practice. it combines elements of roman catholicism with african yoruba mythology and indigenous american traditions, and grew out of the slave trade during the spanish empire.

practitioners of santeria believe in one supreme god named olodumare, who created the natural world, as well as a variety of ancestral spirits or divinities called orichas through the power of life-energy or ache. in cuba, these west african spirits or demigods became paired with catholic saints because they were not allowed to openly worship their pagan gods without being persecuted.

the yoruba god of lightning, shango (chango in spanish), became paired with st. barbara; babalu aye with st. lazarus, and so on. an altar of a santero or santera, therefore, might include pictures or idols of both the yoruba demigods or catholic saints, depending upon what sort of assistance the devotee requires.

santeria communities are loosely organized around a priest (babalocha) or priestess (iyalocha), who is responsible for bringing initiates into the community or "house." once initiated, devotees are considered the "godchildren" of the priest or priestess. after the sacred ceremony, they are now considered in direct communication with an oricha. the initiate allows their body to be used by the demigod to communicate with the rest of the community, though they typically have no memory of the experience themselves.

Mangkukulam - in the islands of the philippines, belief in magic is very much alive. kulam is a form of filipino witchcraft, with practitioners called mangkukulam. these sorceresses are believed to perform black magic. using practices similar to voodoo, the mangkukulam cast spells and incantations intended to bring harm to others. however, the mangkukulam (which can be either men or women) aren’t only self-serving: they oftentimes sell love potions and services to help patrons exact revenge on those who have wronged them.

kulam puts emphasis on the innate power of the self and a secret knowledge of magica baja or low magic. earth (soil), fire, herbs, spices, candles, oils and kitchenwares and utensils are often used for rituals, charms, spells and potions.

the primary methods employed by a mangkukulam are candle lighting rituals, scrying or tawas, recitation of spells, and concocting potions. modern popular culture also depicts the mangkukulam as using either photographs or the equivalent of a voodoo doll. modern popular culture also depicts mangkukulam as mainly doing only love potions and malicious curses, but more extreme depictions claim they can summon ghosts to haunt dolls, raise the dead (or at least control dead bodies), and other things related to necromancy.

a typical belief of mangkukulam is that curses are mitigated by finding the caster and bribing him or her to lift the curse. superstitious people still attribute certain illnesses or diseases to kulam. this most often happens in rural areas, where an herbal doctor called an albularyo, diagnoses a victim using a divination method called pagtatawas and helps the victim cure his or her malady.

darker forms of remedies to kulam include albularyos whipping the bewitched person with a buntot pagi (stingray's tail) until the afflicted is forced to divulge the witch's name and confronting him or her. this is done in the belief that the one who is getting hurt is the witch and not the bewitched

Obeah - the dark magic uses spells to make predictions, gain knowledge, or obtain assistance for any task. while obeah isn’t a religion in the sense that there is any sort of established church or ceremonies, female and male practitioners are seen as spiritual guides that can help with any number of problems. the magic, believed to have originated in west africa, is found across the caribbean in multiple forms. for example, in haiti, the practice is known most specifically as voodoo. like most forms of witchcraft, this form of magic is believed to have some sinister potential, yet it is also used for personal benefit through purchased charms.

accordingly, different afro-caribbean communities use their own terminology to describe the practice, such as "science", among the jamaican windward maroons. obeah is similar to other afro-american religions such as palo, haitian vodou, and hoodoo in that it includes communication with ancestors and spirits and healing rituals. nevertheless, it differs from religions like vodou and santeria in that there is no explicit canon of gods or deities that is worshipped, and the practice is generally an individual action rather than part of a collective ceremony or offering. it differs from myal in that myal focuses more on the connection of humans and spirits. by some early colonial authorities they differed in that obeah was viewed as nefarious while myal was a more positive influence.

Inyanga/Sangoma - the zulu people do not believe in fate and every event occurs for a reason. bad events are certainly the doings of witches, which have to be exposed and suffer an agonizing death for the good of the clan. those accused rarely object as it is thought that their spirit can be taken over without their knowledge.

not only them but also their families were put to death, their belongings passing to the chief. excessive wealth resulted in a person being high on the 'hit list' for the next exposure, therefore poverty ensured a longer life. isangomas are spiritual healers and are often women

inyanga
the inyanga incorrectly thought of as the witch doctor, the inyanga is the doctor of the tribe - more correctly, the naturopath. each inyanga trains his son and the information is thus passed on from generation to generation.

both plant and animal parts are used in the remedies and zulu people will travel long distance to see an inyanga - in fact 80% of the zulu population still consult inyangas. remedies for unsatisfactory love lives and such things as protection against lightning are also dispensed.

sangoma
whereas the inyanga treats physical disease, the sangoma is concerned with the psychic world but may use similar media. the sangoma is charged with ascertaining the cause of bad events, of protecting the clan against evil spirits and of exposing antisocial individuals.

in former times the training took approximately twenty five years. today, as a rule, the training period covers a span of five to seven years - in cities, frequently only several months. the sangoma may otherwise lead a normal life and perhaps have a second 'job'.