Six Signs You Might Be a Hedge Witch

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Joann van der Hoeven, author of The Book of Hedge Druidry and the new Path of the Hedge Witch.

Hedge Witchcraft is gaining in popularity, as more people are learning about the practice, and how it differs from other traditions of the Craft. Hedge Witches are mostly defined by the practice of hedge riding, a trance technique that enables the practitioner to walk between the worlds. But what are some of the signs that you might wish to explore the tradition of the hedge witch? Here are six, just to get you started:

1. You have a strong connection to the Otherworld or a fey nature
   Often people who have had experience with faery, the Fair Folk, or other people from the Otherworld are well-suited to hedge witchcraft. Those who have seen faeries or spirits of nature, who have worked with the energies of the natural world, who know deep in their bones that there is more to this world that what the eye can see, may indeed become powerful hedge witches.
2. You enjoy a solitary practice
   Most hedge witches work alone, and they prefer it that way. There is time and space to truly hear and connect with your local environment, without interference. This is not to say that hedge witches are hermits—far from it. They simply prefer to do their work in their own, guided by their own studies and the experiences of those they have met in the Otherworld.
3. You are interested in how your local ecosystem works
   To be a hedge witch, you have got to know your local environment. It is what informs you and your everyday practice. Establishing a good connection and deep relationship with your local patch fills the cup, so to speak.
4. You prefer your practice to be simple and practical
   Hedge witches are practical by nature, and prefer to create simple rituals with minimal tools and fuss. They often use what they have around the house, and have only a few special items that they have usually created themselves, or have been gifted by others. If it works, use it!
5. You enjoy using trance techniques
   Hedge riding is often done by using trance techniques in order to enable one to “ride the hedge” into the Otherworld. This can be done in myriad ways: through sensory deprivation, rocking and movement, drumming, singing, chanting, and more.
6. You are always willing to explore and learn something new
   This is essential, as you have no one else to push you into learning new things and trying out new experiences. Your study and your practice are entirely self-directed, and so alongside the desire to try new things, a little discipline also comes in handy.

These are just a few things that most hedge witches seem to have in common. The practice of hedge witchcraft is available to all who desire to walk betwixt and between, to cross over the boundaries of this world and the next and bring the wisdom that can be found there back into their everyday life for the benefit of all.

Our thanks to Joanna for her guest post! For more from Joanna van der Hoeven, read her article, “How I Became a Hedge Witch.”