The term "Riding The Hedge"

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

from link:

http://www.angelfire.com/folk/greenwitch/sacred.html

A hedge witch is very much a free spirit
So they would have been taught ways to learn from nature such as listening to the winds or watching cloud formations. They would have celebrated the sabbats by the change of the seasons and not by a date on a calender. More than likely they would have other Holy days besides the sabbats.


Hedge craft is a very eceltic path. Mostly because it depends on each witch how it is practiced. Most hedge witches, my self included, are very ethical people. Most do not follow any one Rede as wiccans do. They susually have basic lines they, indavidually, will not cross.

Hedge witchery also has another commen thread; that magick isn't just about spells and potions, it is in your morning coffee, a genteal touch from your lover, the complex beauty of a leaf, and in hundreds of thousands of other seemingly "mundain" things.

Tp respressent this conspet i use they phrase "Life is magick, and magick is life"

Another commenly accepted theme is practicality and simplicity. Hedge witches are a very practical group of people, and from that practicality comes simplicity. I think in that simplicity, away from the athames, the penticals, and silver plated chalices; we are able to connect more fully to the natural forces. All to often people get lost in the symbols and forget their meanings.

Stang definitionSome of you may not know what a Stang is. A stang is a staff with a fork at the top. It usually is planted in the ground and is used as a vertical alter. It is commenly ised in traditional witchcraft, it repressents the Horned God and is used at the northern gate

From Link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedge_witch

Hedgewitches often practice herbalism, magic, wildcrafting, and many different forms of healing. Hedgewitches are generally unconcerned with overly formal magical workings, preferring more simple folk magic. It is an eclectic tradition, but just how much so depends on each individual practitioner.

Most Hedgewitches practice is solitary and private, based out of the home.

In physical terms, the hedge separated the town from the wilderness. Crossing the hedge was considered dangerous, because the forest was regarded as a locus of uncanny happenings, including witchcraft. To the hedgewitch and witches alike, the hedge was not thought to be a physical boundary, but a mental barrier to be crossed in trance work. It is the line drawn between this world and the next; between reality and dream. Shamanic practice is common, and is considered a hallmark of a Hedgewitch. From this perspective, if the hedge is the border between a village and the wilderness, the Hedgewitch walks the border with a foot in both worlds. The act of Shamanic Journey, Astral Travel, Soul Flight (and such) is often referred to as "Walking the Hedge, "Crossing the Hedge" or "Riding the Hedge" by Hedgewitches.

Spirituality in Hedgewitches varies and depends on the individual; usually they look to their own heritage and ancestry. Most commonly Hedgewitches practice some form of neopaganism. The daily spiritual practice of a Hedgewitch will be adapted to his or her individual abilities, interests and life style.



Question *** Can someone learn to be a hedgewitch without the family heritage or ancestry.



Rae Beth proposes that "The work of the hedge witch is to take the insights of the wildwood mystic and apply them in the service of life, through spells that help and heal the land, other people or creatures, or our own selves," and that the Hedgewitch is a solitary individual

However, the definition and practice of Hedgecraft as outlined by Rae Beth is controversial as it is very obviously Wicca based.



From link:
http://paganismwicca.suite101.com/artic ... edge_witch

by Rae Beth, a hedge witch is “…a lone priest or priestess of natural magic, open to requests for healing spells or for advice or divination from the people who live near them.” Other scholars argue that the path of a hedge witch is a nature based neo-pagan religion combining elements of divination, herbal healing and natural magic.

As pertains to shamanism this boundary also represents the border which exists between the world of the living and the under-world of spiritual beings. Hence practitioners of this type of magic were often referred to as hedge witches and were thought to be able to talk with spirits in addition to being experts in the use of natural magic and herbal remedies.


The majority of these natural healers were men and women living solitary lives at a distance from the rest of the village inhabitants. They collected and harvested a variety of plant materials from their personal gardens and the surrounding forests which they used to make a multitude of lotions, ointments and poultices which were used for their healing and magical abilities.

Hedge witches are practitioners of earth-based spirituality and don’t follow any particular path of witchcraft. They employ a variety of herbs and other natural objects in their magical and healing endeavors. They perform magic on an as needed basis and aren’t strict followers of the traditional witches holy days otherwise known as the sabbats.

Link below
- personal hedge witch account
http://noncrazed.tripod.com/index.html


From link:

http://www.scottishpf.org/hedgewitch.html

Hedge witches are, as the name implies, frequently found in hedgerows, often because they are collecting or studying herbs, though occasionally because they've been to a Heathen moot the night before! They are often keen to learn all they can about plants, including their use for medicine, food and drink, crafts and dyeing. They will often have a good knowledge of where these grow locally. They may learn to observe the behaviour of animals in order to predict changes in the weather, and they may also be able to detect a coming rainstorm by scent - handy if you don't want to get wet! Some, though not all, will try to learn other skills historically possessed by the village wisewoman, such as midwifery or basic medical and healing skills. A good sense of humour is also useful.

They are probably, in modern times, the closest you'll get to the 'stereotypical' village witch, though this is unlikely to have been handed down directly - most have to learn it from scratch, but often start at a relatively early age. Their first words as young children tend to include 'what's that?', 'what's it for?' and 'how does that work?', and they may be very persistent. Though they may learn from others (and not always just other hedge witches), they often have to glean their knowledge from books of old lore, herbcraft, cooking and gardening, and also through the application of common sense and instinct. Though groups of hedgewitches will sometimes form, these tend to be short-lived due to their very independent nature and need to do things their own way.  

The above paragraph REALLY appealed to me and struck a cord, etc!


Hedge witches sometimes show a strong tendency towards animism (being aware of the sacredness in all things) and polytheism (belief in or a working relationship with multiple deities), but again, this varies between individuals

The essential tools for a hedge witch are very basic. The minimum requirement is one mind and a good memory (or a decent notebook), but if you wanted a few extras I would recommend a very sharp knife and a pan or kettle - also useful for a midwife as the men can then go and make the tea. Anything else you can usually find lying around, though you might prefer a pestle and mortar over a couple of smooth stones. Learning to make a cook-fire is also very useful, especially if you like to look for plants or go 'on retreat' some distance from civilisation, or if you live in a village that's all electric and the power goes off regularly!

Magical work can be done with or without tools, though it's often easier to learn the techniques using basic tools to begin with. These can be bought or hand-made, or just something you found lying around that happens to suit your needs. Because she usually works alone, learning magic from scratch can sometimes be a hazardous business for the hedge witch - magical accidents are common, especially in the early days. You can be fairly sure that if a hedge witch tells you a particular work of magic is a bad idea, it's not because she's jealous of your abilities or trying to stop you learning. She's probably had something similar rebound on her.

At root, anyone can learn hedge witchcraft, and it can be incorporated into any of the other paths. You never know when some of those skills might come in handy!

From link:

http://www.shadowdrake.com/hedgewitch.html

A bird of one kind or another is usually associated with the hedge path. Two of the most commonly associated birds are the raven and the goose.

Above highlight interesting since the name that came to me was Ravenness

In regards to the hedge path, the most important aspect is that of spirit-flight. In the twelfth century, a reference is made to a myrk-rida in the C. E. Law of Vastgotaland:

"Woman, I saw you riding on a fence switch with loose hair and belt, in the troll skin, at the time when day and night are equal."


This excerpt refers to a Hedgewitch. She is wearing a troll skin, or mask, as a part of a ritual so that the inhabitants of the Otherworld will recognize her as their own. The liminality of her position between the two worlds is further enhanced by the timing of the ritual being held on an equinox meaning that the day and night are equal in length.

Often, these Hedgewitches were seen as riding upon a broom or riding-pole and flying through the air. In Old German, one of the words for a witch was Gabelreiterinnen and meant pitchfork-rider.

The broomstick, or riding-pole, represented the phallus of the Horned God. According to some traditions, the ends of these poles were carved to represent the erect penis and were concealed by being bound in either birch twigs or straw. The tops of these riding-poles often ended in two forked tines which represented the horns of the Horned God. Later these riding poles developed into the more common wand.

To achieve the sensation of flying, poisonous compounds known as flying ointments were used. These ointments contained strong alkaloids such as aconite, belladonna, and hemlock. The result of such ointments produced physiological effects such as mental confusion, impaired mobility, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, and shortness of breath.

The purpose of achieving this spirit-flight ranged from speaking to the ancestors, to healing those who were near death and "calling them back."

It is believed that on the Cross Quarter-Days (commonly known as: Samhain, Imbolc, Beltaine, and Lughnasdah), the ancestral spirits traveled on invisible lines that linked together burial places, graveyards, and mounds. Each culture had its own name for these lines:


Celtic - faery-roads
Dutch - death-roads
English - church-ways
English - coffin-paths
English - corpse-roads
German - geisterweige
Holland - dood wegan
Saxon - daeda-waeg
During these times the boundaries between the two worlds are thought to be lessened, and so communication is easier. At Samhain, however, the boundaries between the two worlds are believed to be at their thinnest point, making interaction between them much easier.



From Link:
http://hedgewitchhollow.blogspot.com/20 ... h-faq.html

4) What do Hedgewitches do?

Hedgewitches practice wortcunning, herbalism, wildcrafting, kitchen witchery, folk magic, healing, cursing, trance states, poppet magic, and much more. Each Hedgewitch is unique in their methods of practice, often inspired by other Shamanic-like traditions, from the Norse Haegtessa, to the Cornish Pellorys. Most Hedgewitches work with Otherking (viewed as Shadow People, Totem or Spirit Guides, or various forms of Faery Folk). Many also work with spirits and ancestors, and perform divination.


5) What do Hedgewitches believe?

Hedgewitches generally practice some form of neo-paganism. Each Hedgewitch is unique, and may be polytheistic (hard and soft), monistic, or even monotheistic. Generally Hedgewitches are not Wiccan, as Hedgewitchery has no credo as "An' ye harm none do as ye will." Creeds often come from various folk magic traditions, and many Hedgewitches believe in the phrase "A witch who cannot curse cannot cure."

^{Los Caprichos by Goya}

What is hedge-riding?

Hedge-riding is when one's spirit takes flight into one of the Otherworlds (either the Upperworld or the Underworld) in search of wisdom, speaking with the dead and ancestors, etc.

What is the symbolism of the hedge?

The hedge was a boundary between worlds and separated outside life with inside life. "Riding" the hedge is crossing into that outdoor world, the "wild" world. The hedge is a symbol of Midgard (or middle earth; physical realm), in between the Upperworld and the Underworld.

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Hedge-rider, according to Eric de Vries, can be translated from many languages: Middle Dutch: Haghetesse, German: Hagazussa, Old Norse: Hagzissa, Old English: Haegtesse. Hedge-riding is shamanic in origin.

Hedge-riders usually go down into the Underworld in search of unseen wisdom or to talk to the spirits of the dead, which dwell in the Underworld (some may see it as a river). The Underworld is a place of wisdom, as seen by the Norse belief in the Well of Wisdom, which is guarded by Mimir, a giant who is sometimes called a water demon and who is also the god of prophecy and wisdom, ponds, and waters. Odin, the main father figure of the Germanic pantheon, went down to Mimir's well to drink to gain wisdom; he was searching for wisdom. Death can be seen in Greek mythology: Hades was the god of the Underworld, the keeper of souls.

The Upperworld is the home of the divine (for example, in the Greek pantheon Zeus rules); it's where our teachers, guides, spiritual masters, etc. are found. We travel here for answers to our questions from our guides and such.
---

How does one hedge-ride?

Trance and altered consciousness is essential! One must be aware of all their senses and be able to see, hear, feel, etc. things that are not there. One must have an altered state of consciousness in order for the spirit to take flight. There are stories of hedge-riders/journeyers who ride easily while in a state of utter confusion and illness. For example, some Native American shaman tribes use peyote, a psychoactive plant, that makes one's stomach purge because it is intoxicating. Peyote is an entheogen; an entheogen is a "vision-producing drug that figure in shamanic or religious rites" (Ruck et al. 1979). Entheogens are used to aid in inducing trance, to alter consciousness.

Flying ointments are often seen referenced in many areas as well. These ointments were said to, when applied on the broomstick/stang or the body of the witch, enable the witch to fly. Flying ointments often contain hallucinogenic compounds in order to alter the witch's consciousness. Traditional flying ointments were said to have contained fat of an unbaptized baby, which gave the ointment it's solubility. But in reality, this was lard. Aconite was said to have been included in many ointments, which affects the heart and aids in a feeling of flying. Belladonna produces delirium, hemlock produces excitement and later sends the body into paralysis; sweet flag, mugwort, and cinquefoil are also traditional in flying ointments. There are "traditional" flying ointment materials and compounds. These hallucinogenic drugs are NOT used like today's people would use them. They were used in proper dosages so one would not be poisoned or become ill.

Today there are various ways to induce trance. Many start off meditating or listening to drumming, rattling, etc. and then slowly go deeper into trance, getting rid of all physical feeling and moving toward creating that feeling of flight with one's spirit; usually at the beginning, some may start off listening and focusing on their breathing or heartbeat. Visualization usually comes after the beginning, but if one is still in their mind, they are not hedge-riding. Visualization helps aid the hedge-rider into being at the realm they would like to go. Once the visualization becomes more and more clear and real, you know you have crossed; when one has crossed one doesn't have to think about what is there, it just is. The "new age" term for hedge-riding could be considered astral travel because the goal of astral travel is to release your spirit in order to travel to other realms.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

What is a Hedgewitch?

Written by Juniper

Pathways & Traditions - Hedge Witchcraft

 

Hedgewitchery, or Hedgecraft, is a kind of combination of Witchcraft and Shamanism. This Path is based on the Traditional An inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior A belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable Handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction Cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions Characteristic manner, method, or style Witchcraft and Cunning Folk In English history, the cunning man or cunning woman is a professional or semi-professional folk magic user up until the 20th century and, to a lesser degree, to the present day. Such people were also frequently known as wizards, wise men, wise women, witch doctors or conjurers. The term white witch was infrequently used for cunning folk until recent times, except in the county of Devon. traditions of Europe from ancient to modern times. It is an something of an “eclectic” tradition, but just how much so depends on each individual practitioner.

The shamanic aspect being the most important, in fact to callTo verbally invite forces or entities. oneself a Hedgewitch A witch who combines many elements of Witchcraft with Shamanism and healing, a witch who bases her practice on the Cunning Arts. A hedgewitch studies herbalism, nature, shamanism, healing lore, hearthcraft, nature oriented magick and anything else she may find useful. She will study both magickal and medicinal herbalism. Hedgewitches study and practice their rituals and magick anywhere they may, but often prefer to in rural or wild areas when not practicing at home. They also tend to live in more rural places, but may not always be able to do so. She will have a garden if she can, but prefers to gather plants and magickal materials from the wild. She may know a lot about what grows in the wild, as well as about wildlife and livestock. Her tools will be a mix of different useful items, as well as natural items and shamanic tools. Such as walking sticks and staffs, wands, rattles, a medicine bag, pruning shears, cooking pots, besoms, and the tools of herbalism such as a mortar and pestle. Her shrine/altar can be placed anywhere in her home, garden or yard, and she may have special places set up in her favorite wild places, or a corner of a farmer’s field. Her patrons will be deities of nature, the wild, and agriculture, healing, the harvest and the Underworld. is to call oneself a shaman, with out having to steal a word from another culture (should you be a white-skin not from Siberia like me). With herbalism, healing, and a deep love for, and understanding of Nature added to the mix.

Hedgecraft is loosely based on the old wise women (and men), cunning folk, herbalists, faith healers and actual witches throughout history.
If you think “Hedgewitch” and picture the strange old lady who sold herbs and magickal charms, acted as midwife and healer in the ancient times, you are not far off. Nor are you far off if you picture the wise sage who would cast bones to divine the future or journey in the Otherworld to heal members of his community.

Throughout history “medicine man” or “wise woman” type traditions have risen and fallen all over the world. These kinds of traditions never truly died out, and in recent years, more and more modern people in the Western world are turning to them and adapting them to modern times. Modern Hedgecraft is the study, adaptation and practice of these ancient nature-based, spiritual and healing traditions in our modern lives.

Most Hedgewitches look to their own heritage to find inspiration, lore and knowledge. Hedgewitches can come from any background, but the majority of Hedgewitches seem to come from a European ancestry. Meaning that most Hedgewitches will practice based on the folklore and traditions of the ancient Celts, Vikings, Roman, Greeks and such.
While most study the traditions of their own ancestry, some may be drawn to the traditions of other cultures. Or they may seek to learn from other cultures to gain a better understanding of their own heritage, as well as a greater respect for others.
Hedgewitches are not opposed to the study of modern tradition as well, for they strive to bridge the gap between old and new. To blend old traditions with a modern lifestyle in a workable and practical manner is a hallmark of Hedgecraft.

The word “hedgewitch” is, as far as we can tell, a fairly modern term. Though its true origin may never be known, it likely comes from Great Britain and may have started to be used in its English form only within the last 100 to 50 years. It is, as far as we can tell a “modern Anglo-Saxon” word.
“Hedgewitch” most likely comes from the Saxon word haegtessa, which translates to “hedge A row of closely planted shrubs or low-growing trees forming a fence or boundary. originally any fence, living or artificial A line of people or objects forming a barrier. A barrier or protection against something, esp. against the risk of loss on an investment An intentionally noncommittal or ambiguous statement. A Threshold A metaphor for the Veil, or the border between planes of existence. A magickal, spiritual or energetic barrier. -rider”. The Old Norse lay Havamal refers to “hedge-riders, witching aloft”.
Although Hedgewitch is a modern word, that does not make it illegitimate, just a modern word, for a word does not have to be old to be legitimate. English is still a young language; it is changing and growing all the time. Our ancestors Those who we can trace our bloodline and/or cultural heritage back to; our forebears. Heroes and other well known people in history, mythology and folklore. Also refers to the long dead witches, druids, cunning folk (etc) of old who now act as teachers and guides to the living. Our spiritual ancestors. had their own names, in their own languages, for such traditions. Hedgewitch is for our culture, in our language.

The basic modern definition of Hedgewitch would be comparable to another ancient culture’s definition of wisewoman, cunning man, medicine man, shaman, herb A plant whose stem does not produce woody, persistent tissue and generally dies back at the end of each growing season. Any plant used especially in medicine or as seasoning. or faith healer etc.
There is a fair bit of variation in spelling, such as “hedgewytch”. A few other names often used for this Craft: Hedge-Rider, Night Travelers, Myrk-Riders, Gandreidh (wand-rider), Cunning Folk, and Walkers on the Wind.

 

 

For the Hedgewitch, “the Hedge” is a metaphor for the line drawn between this world and the next; between reality and dream, between the Upper, Middle, and Lower Worlds. In short, the Hedge is what many Pagans refer to as the Veil.
It is also simply the boundary between civilization and the wild.

This concept of a boundary hedge in a spiritual and magickal sense is from the European (especially British) tradition of hedgelaying. Going back even to the Iron Age, the European landscape has been crisscrossed by hedgerows. Hedgerows are carefully grown and landscaped intricate layers of plant-life. These often-large rows of shrub, bush and tree were boundaries for farmsteads, pastures, villages, ditches and such. Often times, at the very edge of a human settlement was a sturdy hedgerow keeping the wilderness and wildlife out of field, pasture and garden.

Crossing a hedge often meant crossing a boundary of some sort, such as walking into the wild, going from wheat field to cow pasture, or entering another person’s property. A hedgerow is not just a boundary but is also a protective home and shelter to all kinds of wildlife, such as rabbits and birds, as well as providing shade and acting as a windbreak. Hedgerows were also very important in keeping the herds in and the predators out, as well as marking the territorial boundaries of human settlements. Often berry and fruit bearing trees and shrubs are grown in hedgerows, making them a source of edible and healing plants for both animal and human alike.
The more one learns of the tradition of laying hedgerows and the tradition of Hedgecraft, the more the use of “hedge” for this Craft becomes clearly appropriate.

Throughout history and in many cultures the “Hedgewitch” (wisewoman, cunning man, shaman etc) lived at the edge of the community, often amongst the outlying hedgerows. They scratched out a living through herbalism, understanding nature, prophecy and divination The art of foretelling future events or revealing occult knowledge. as well as magick and healing. They served the community in many ways including but not only; midwifery, healing, protection spells, house blessings, crop and livestock blessings, through the selling of magickal charms and even curses.
A “Hedgewitch” might sell one member of her community a small curse or ill-wish one day, and then charge its victim a fee to break the curse the next. Therefore, people who followed such traditions were respected, and likely a little feared, because of these abilities, and because they had such a close relationship with nature and the spiritual world.

In modern times, a Hedgewitch is usually (but not always) found outside the city, perhaps on an acreage or farm, often practicing by her self or within the family. They work much as the Cunning Folk of old, helping neighbours, friends and family with ailments, shamanic healing and even blessing the odd field. Hedgewitches will work a lot in cultivated fields, gardens and farmsteads, but often prefers time spent in the woods and other wild areas.

A Cottage/Hearthwitch A witch who practices his magick and rituals in the home, with the household hearth and the family unit as a focal point. His home may host various household guardians and spirits. He is often a source of hearth, home and fireside folklore, customs and traditions, even adding such elements as smithing to his practice. A hearthwitch is a witch who works closely with the elements, especially fire and who may add some shamanic techniques to his practice. He knows spells for the home, such as protection or purification spells, and perhaps kitchen magick as well. He studies how to make a magickal home, a witch who practices domestic magick. His tools will often revolve around household chores such as besoms, a garden trowel, smudge sticks, a wooden spoon, and fireplace tools. He will have a shrine/altar set up in his home, probably on the fireplace mantle or by the stove, but may also have one set up in the kitchen and/or garden. His patrons, if any, will likely be deities of the hearth, home, family, fire, agriculture and harvest. , Greenwitch A Witch whose practice is based on nature, especially plants, but may also focus on animals or minerals and such as well. He studies trees, herbs, wildflowers, wildlife & animals, and the cycle of the seasons. He will probably know what kinds of trees grow in the different parks in his area for example. He will study both magickal and medicinal herbalism. He may also study the care of, and working with animals as well. A greenwitch practices most of his rituals and magick in natural settings, in the wild, in farmlands, in parks and his own yard. A greenwitch will have a garden of some sort, if at all possible. He will also go in to the wild to gather plants and practice his ritual and magick. The tools he uses are going to mostly be natural, practical tools he has crafted himself, such as wooden wands and staffs, besoms (brooms) made from local bushes, perhaps dishes made from clay. As well as the tools of herbalism, pruning shears, and maybe even a shovel or digging stick. His shrine/altar may be in his home, yard or garden, as well as in a secluded area in a nearby forest or field. * His patrons will likely be deities of nature, the wild, animals, healing, agriculture, and the harvest. or Kitchenwitch A witch who focuses her Craft on the kitchen and the culinary arts. This “label” has become increasingly popular and is often used synonymous with either Cottagewitch or Hearthwitch. works mostly in her garden and in her home. Hedgewitch will practice largely in the home as well, but will likely spend more of her time gathering her herbs and practicing her craft in rural or wild places than many other Witches. A Cottage/Hearthwitch, Greenwitch or Kitchenwitch may use some trance or shamanic techniques in her practise, but has probably not have received the call from her spirits to Shamanize. A Hedgewitch has “fire in the head” also commonly known in this Path as the Cunning Fire.

Although many of the traditions that a Hedgewitch draws from have changed, after all lore is lost and knowledge changes over the centuries, you will find most Hedgewitches prefer to practice as close to traditionally as possible but still in a manner practical for these modern times. Hedgewitches are very adaptable. You may find a Hedgewitch casting an old-fashioned prosperity or fertility spell on a modern tractor as a favour to a neighbour, for example.

Hedgewitches use herbs and herbal concoctions known as flying ointments, as well as shamanic techniques such as drumming and meditation, to induce altered states of consciousness. They work with familiar spirits, their ancestral dead, plant and animal Totems and the like, to assist in their Otherworld work.

Hedgewitches often refer to shamanic journeys as “Walking the Hedge”, “Riding the Hedge”, “Oot and Aboot” or “Crossing/Jumping the Hedge”. They also have a tendency to spend much of their lives with one foot on either side of the Hedge, which makes them eccentric to say the least.
A Hedgewitch walks freely into caol ait (Gaelic), the “thin places” between one world and another. More experienced Hedgewitches learn not only to find such places, but how to use them effectively and how to open them even when the Hedge, or Veil, is at its thickest between the high days.

Spirituality in Hedgewitches varies and depends on the individual; usually they look to their own heritage and ancestry. The only tradition Hedgewitches typically follow is a reverence for Nature, though some may come from a more formal Pagan path originally.
Some Hedgewitches will also practice a form of Traditional Witchcraft, such as those based on the work of Robert Cochrane, while more and more Wiccans are also taking up the work of a Hedgewitch.   Hedgewitches commonly do practice some form of Paganism, but many make no claim to any practice but that of Hedgecraft or Hedgeriding.

The main distinction between Hedgewitchery and other forms of Witchcraft is that Hedgewitches often have less interest in the religious/ceremonial aspects of coven or group Witchcraft, having an individual and often unique way of relating to life, spirituality, magick and Creation.
A Hedgewitch is less likely to perform scripted magickal workings, preferring the freedom and joyfulness of spontaneous workings that come from the heart. For the Hedgewitch there is no separation between normal life and their magickal one, for their normal life is magickal.
They avoid complicated, ceremonial, scripted and formulated ritual, practicing an earthy and simple form of ritual and magick. Some Hedgewitches do not cast Circles in a Wiccan sense, and may either have other methods to mark sacred space, or not bother at all. Hedgewitches believe that all space is sacred.
Hedgewitches do what ever comes natural to them; they follow their instincts, and their heart.

They do not typically follow one particular moral code, but rather their own personal ethics and often some version of the credo to “do only what is needed” and/or “Know Thyself”.

Hedgewitches walk the Crooked Path, the Path that winds and twists its way between the right-hand and left-hand Paths. Hedgewitches walk all borders, and prefer the grey areas, having little interest in all black, or all white, magick or spiritual workings.

Most use few synthetic objects in their spells and rituals. Their tools are typically very practical, such as a walking stick, often they will use a stang, or even pruning shears, and their tools are hand made by them as much as possible. Most Hedgewitches use only what is needed, meaning they do not clutter an altar A small table or surface on which working ritual tools are placed and used. A ritual or magickal working surface. Opposed to a shrine which is not a working surface but only a devotional one. (if they should use an altar at all) with items that will not be actively used during a working or rite.

Hedgewitches usually study herbalism, wildcrafting The art of gathering and collecting herbs, seeds and such from the wild. and wortcunning The art of working with plants and plant material for ritual and magickal purposes. with gusto, as well as seeking knowledge and understanding of the ways of Nature. Such as the cycle of the seasons and the wildlife and plant-life in their area.
Hedgewitches may know how to grow herbs in a garden, but are more likely to study where and how they grow in the wild and how to gather them. They usually have a great deal of lore on trees and plant life, animals and the wilderness in general.
Healing, divination, the use of trance inducing herbs and all manner of fertility and shamanic rites are also a part of this Path.

Hedgewitches tailor their Path to suit themselves, some may focus on herbalism, others study midwifery, some may practice something like reiki, they may focus on animal husbandry, and others may be well versed in healing with crystals. Many Hedgewitches may choose to be a jack of all trades, but a master of none.

While Hedgewitchery is typically a solitary path, this is not always so. Even the most hermit-like Hedgewitch can still be found at the odd local Pagan event. While others may even belong to a Coven, Kindred or Grove.
Hedgewitches are unlikely to become involved with Witch Wars within the community, and depending on the individual’s personality are more likely to prefer maintaining friendly relations with the majority of the Pagan community. Some may have friends or domestic partners who follow another Pagan or Heathen path, and they will often happily join in any ritual or activity if invited.
Also, some of their practices, especially the shamanic ones, require a trusted friend or group to watch over their body while their soul is elsewhere.
While most Hedgewitches may just be plain old rebels and rabble-rousers, this is after all, an Outsider Path.

The daily spiritual practice of a Hedgewitch will be adapted to her individual abilities, interests and life style. One Hedgewitch may start his mornings offering Something offered, a gift A sacrificial gift ceremonially offered as a part of worship or ritual up prayers of thanksgiving to his gods as he collects eggs from the chicken coop. Another Hedgewitch may spend her mornings in quiet meditation on her patio; sipping tea and watching the deer graze in her lawn. A third Hedgewitch may say a quick prayer at the household shrine before racing off to work. The forth Hedgewitch spends his day fasting and preparing for a rite and a trip across the hedge that night.

So what the heck IS a Hedgewitch anyways?

Some people may prefer rural and/or wild settings and be a little wild themselves. They may be looking for a tradition that is adaptable and practical, one that combines “old school” Witchcraft and a modern life, a tradition that adds a focus on European-based Shamanism and the practical application of folklore to the mix.
They may be looking for a tradition that leans heavily on natural magic, understanding the Land and the practice of healing lore. They may want a tradition that focuses on personal experience, experimentation and doing-it-yourself. They may wish to blaze their own Path, like the Cunning Folk of old. They may have that Cunning Fire burning in their head, heart and soul.

They may just be ‘Hedgewitches’.