Witch is NOT an evil word.

As I prepare for a trip to Salem, Massachusetts with my best friend of 20+ years, I’ve been reflecting on the culture we grew up in — the stereotypes we were fed, the history we were taught, and the things we were told to fear.

So much of what we’ve been conditioned to fear is simply a tool of control. Over the past decade, my mindset has shifted profoundly. I’ve come to see that many of the things society deems “acceptable” are actually the true harms in this world — and the things we were warned about? Often the most liberating, healing, and true.

Why I Say “Witch”

Reclaiming an Earth-Honoring Word

The word “witch” stirs something deep — mystery, fear, power, curiosity. For some, it brings images of broomsticks and bubbling cauldrons. For others, it's a painful echo of persecution. And yet for many today, witch is a word I am reclaiming — not as something scary, but as something sacred.

At Whimsical Forest Adventures, we use the term with love, reverence, and deep intention.

🌿 A Witch is a Woman in Her Power

The root of the word witch comes from old terms meaning “wise one” or “seer.” Witches were once the village midwives, herbalists, dreamers, and healers — those who worked closely with the land, the moon, and the body’s natural rhythms. They knew the plants, they read the skies, they honored the cycles. But history hasn’t been kind to these wise ones.

🔥 They Burned Women — Not Witches

During the centuries of witch trials across Europe and North America, thousands of women were accused of witchcraft and murdered. But they weren’t summoning demons or casting curses. They were often just women who were independent, intuitive, or inconvenient. Widows, herbalists, midwives, spiritual seekers — or simply women who spoke too freely.

Let me be clear: they burned women, not witches. And that wound is still with us. When we say “witch,” we say it for them — and for all who have been silenced or shamed for walking a natural path.

🌍 Nature Is Not Evil

At the heart of witchcraft — at least as we define it — is a reverence for Earth. Working with the elements, honoring the moon phases, creating rituals around the seasons — these are not dark or dangerous practices. They are the ancient ways of living in relationship with nature. To light a candle with intention, to plant a seed and say a prayer, to steep herbs with care — this is the magic I believe in. It’s not evil. It’s ancestral. It’s healing.

✨ You Don’t Have to Call Yourself a Witch

You’re welcome here whether that word resonates with you or not. Our workshops and retreats are open to the curious, the seekers, the wild ones, and the quiet ones alike. You don’t need a label to sit by the fire, sip tea, and listen to the wind move through the trees.

But if the word witch calls to something deep inside you —something ancient, something brave, something free —know this: You’re not alone. And you are absolutely welcome.

🕊️ A Return to Wholeness

Calling ourselves witches is a way of remembering:🕯️

That the Earth is sacred🌱

That intuition is wisdom🌑

That women’s voices matter🔥

That our spiritual practices don’t need permission

When we gather under the solstice sun or beside the fire at Samhain, we are not performing theatrics — we are practicing presence. We are reclaiming a relationship with nature that has been suppressed for far too long.

I’m not saying this to criticize men — this isn’t about that. I’m speaking about an energy that exists in the world, one that resists the balance of the feminine and masculine. This imbalance isn’t new; for hundreds of years, fear and the pursuit of control have tried to suppress our natural, intuitive way of living.

I’m in the process of reclaiming my powerful feminine energy — and learning to honor the gifts that have been given to me by God, the Universe, Source (or as I lovingly say, GUS — whatever name you use). I believe they are all one.

My hope is that by stepping into my own power, I can help inspire you to reclaim yours too — not to overpower, but to restore balance. To return to wholeness.

With magic,

🌙 Whimsical Forest Adventures