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You might be wondering what the difference is between hedge witches and green witches. After all, they both sound rooted in nature. In this article, we’ll discuss both types of witches and their differences in practices, abilities, and philosophies.
Now, let’s get started exploring hedge witches and green witches!
Both types of witches are attuned to nature, work with herbs, and focus on environmentalism. However hedge witches traverse the spiritual and physical worlds using a practice called “hedge jumping.” Green witches in contrast focus more on the healing and medicinal powers of plants and crystals.
We’ll now dive into more of the details on differences between hedge witches and green witches.
What Are Hedge Witches?
Autumn Willow
, a practicing hedge witch, defines her kind as sole practitioners of hedge witchery, aka hedge craft.
Hedge witches aren’t members of covens. They don’t follow strict spiritual or religious rules and design their own magic instead. Their magic focuses on healing spiritual, physical, and psychological illnesses.
Plants are their allies, as these are the main ingredients of their medicinal concoctions. Some hedge witches are descendants of traditional witches, who passed on recipes, practices, and rituals. Most hedge witches, however, incorporate aspects from their personal experience into their healing ministry.
Their Brand of Witchcraft
Hedge witchcraft is an amalgamation of nature mysticism, energy healing, herbalism, and counseling. Followers are attuned to the four elements: earth, wind, fire, and water. They monitor the patterns of nature. They visit the spiritual realm in altered states of consciousness to gain insight, clarity, guidance, and power.
Many hedge witches are solitary practitioners. Hedge witches are more often introverts than the general witch population, so their magic is profoundly personal. So it is why it’s rare to find two hedge witches with uniform practices.
Their Unique Practices
- Hedge witches are famous for hedge jumping (aka hedge riding or spirit walking). This means crossing into and communicating with the spirit realm, also known as the Otherworld. (The broomstick-flying witch may be a misinterpretation of this practice.)
- Their brand of nature-based witchcraft incorporates elements of shamanism, divination magic, astral projection, and herbalism.
- They use herbs in spirit walking, potions, spells, and medicines.
- They work within the boundary of the “hedge,” the physical and metaphysical border separating spirits and people.
- They act as intermediaries between people and spirits because they can communicate with both.
- They work in the liminal plane. The Center for Transformational Presence defines this as the transitional space between “what has been and what will be.”
- They work at home yet participate in local community life.
- They are the last resort for the desperately ill who have exhausted all conventional treatment methods.
Characteristics of Hedge Witches
Witch Lola Pickett outlines their characteristics:
- They use songs, spells, and herbs as medicinal tools because they believe in their healing power.
- They like straightforward rituals, simple altars, and natural materials, like herbs, salt, wood, and stone.
- They are usually employed in the healing arts (herbalism, physical therapy, midwifery, energy healing) because they are inherently drawn to curing the sick.
- As natural healers, they are interested in shamanism.
What Are Green Witches?
More attuned to nature than their hedge-riding counterparts, green witches (aka forest or garden witches) use natural magic to harvest the curative properties of crystals and plants. They collaborate with nature spirits for divination, healing, and guidance. They see images and feel spirits in forests and water features.
Gonzo says green witches have a great affinity with Mother Earth and respectfully harness her energy to benefit others. They choose natural objects specifically for their internal energies in designing ritual instruments. They normally own gardens where they grow herbs, which they use in cooking, spells, and magic.
Green witches prefer practicing their magic outdoors for immediate access to their allies in nature. These include plant spirits and animal guides. Whenever they harvest plants, they ask these entities for permission to do so.
Their Brand of Witchcraft
Green witchcraft is a branch of mysticism that revolves around maintaining harmony, balance, and healing with Mother Earth, humanity, and the higher self. It also uses natural magic.
The practice embraces nature’s power, draws energy from both celestial and physical worlds, communes with the Earth for guidance, and uses natural material (wood, crystals, stones, flowers, herbs, essential oils) to cure the sick.
Characteristics of Green Witches
- They are herbalists, naturalists, counselors, and healers.
- They love lounging and meditating in gardens and other outdoor spaces.
- They revere nature and regard forests as places of worship.
- They monitor the cycles of nature.
- They find meaning in life within the realm of death and vice versa.
- They grow their own food, herbs, and flowers as much as possible.
- They often engage actively in environmental and animal rights activism.
- They respect all living creatures.
Additional Resources
Conclusion
Despite being able to cross both material and spiritual worlds, hedge witches choose their own path. Their best magic is what they create at home.
Green witches love to commune with nature and are happiest outdoors.
Which of these witches resonated with you? Witchcraft is an individual journey. Follow what feels right for you.
We hope that learning about the green and hedge witches will expand your hidden magical potential, so you can use it to help others.
Sources
- Lola Medicine Keeper: Do you have any resistance to the word “witch”?
- The Green Witch: Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More
- Rae Beth: The Green Hedge Witch
- The Green Witch: What Kind of Witch Are You?
- Center for Transformational Presence: The Liminal Space—Embracing the Mystery and Power of Transition from What Has Been to What Will Be
- Flying the Hedge: What Is a Hedge Witch?
- Etsy: Hedge Witch
- Etsy: Green Witch
- Wandeth Gonzo: The Different Types of Witches Creating Magic All Around You
