Witches?

[jolenegreen]

Just out of curiosity...have any waldorf mommys here introduced witches to their children? Do u talk about them? I was just wondering for my own curiosity...do waldorfs believe in wicthes?

[zoebird]

i do believe in witches and witchcraft. it is more akin to paganism than witches are these evil women who cause problems. it's more like Baba Yaga (wise woman/witch) than "wicked witch of the west" portrayals.

[Tashakittie]

i am a pagan, and we don't necessarily talk about witches or witchcraft b/c i've not seen it as relevant yet. we sometimes go to the sabbat celebrations at the local pagan church, which are lovely, and they place such a joyful emphasis on the seasons. i plan on raising my kids very non-denominationally, but with a respect to nature and paganism- as it relates to most cultures in the world. we don't do fairytales yet; ds isn't interested in them. when we get to those witches, we will probably talk about different types of witches, i think- so good witches don't get a bad rap.
i can't speak on behalf of other Waldorfers, as we are mostly inspired and not hardcore.

[organic.mama]

We have not introduced witches yet because DS is so young. But I do suspect that there will be story telling and play based on witches at some point (Im thinking around age 6ish?). I do not believe in witchcraft, but I also dont believe in fairies either. Both are welcomed "pretend play" at our house.

[melamama]

I don't know that there is a blanket statement that Waldorf believes in witches or not. I don't think of them having an "official" place like gnomes. There definitely are witches in folk tales and fables, so I guess that would be a yes.

Our W. school has pretty clear guidelines around Halloween costume dress up, and witches are always ok for the grades. There was a book series that my dd was reading in 3rd g (and I think it was on the bookshelf in the classroom) that had a young girl witch as the main character.

In our home we tend toward pagan, so my kids have always known about witches. Plus in our town we often see a green witch around and she's always friendly so they have that influence.

[TulsiLeaf]

Originally Posted by melamama

I don't know that there is a blanket statement that Waldorf believes in witches or not. I don't think of them having an "official" place like gnomes. There definitely are witches in folk tales and fables, so I guess that would be a yes.

Our W. school has pretty clear guidelines around Halloween costume dress up, and witches are always ok for the grades. There was a book series that my dd was reading in 3rd g (and I think it was on the bookshelf in the classroom) that had a young girl witch as the main character.

In our home we tend toward pagan, so my kids have always known about witches. Plus in our town we often see a green witch around and she's always friendly so they have that influence.

A green witch?

[kittywitty]

Don't believe in witches? It's a religion. That's like saying you don't believe in Buddhists. If you mean the green faced, pointy nose cackling kind of witch, no.

I am pagan and was raised Jewish and we are Waldorf inspired. Other than Baba Yaga stories, we haven't come across many traditional "Waldorf" stories with witches, but yes this Waldorf family believes in them.

[organic.mama]

Originally Posted by kittywitty

Don't believe in witches? It's a religion. That's like saying you don't believe in Buddhists.

My previous statement was referring to witches only, not any religion pertaining to witchcraft. By definition, "witch" has nothing to do with any religion (as it stands in the dictionary, I am aware that there are religious followers that call themselves witches). So to be a bit more clear I guess I should say that I don't believe in people who posses magical powers.


witch
   
/wɪtʃ/ Show Spelled[wich] Show IPA
–noun
1.
a person, now esp. a woman, who professes or is supposed to practice magic, esp. black magic or the black art; sorceress. Compare warlock.
2.
an ugly or mean old woman; hag: the old witch who used to own this building.
3.
a person who uses a divining rod; dowser.

[sofysmommy]

witch - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

Wicca \Wic"ca\ (w[i^]k"k[.a]), prop. n. [OE. wicche wizard, AS.
wicce, fem., wicca, masc.; see also witch and wicked.]
1. A religion derived from pre-Christian times, also called
Witchcraft[4], which practices a benevolent reverence
for nature, and recognizes two deities, variously viewed
as Mother & Father, Goddess & God, Female & Male, etc.;
its practitioners are called Wiccans, Wiccas, or witches.
Since there is no central authority to propagate dogma,
the beliefs and practices of Wiccans vary significantly.
[PJC]

witch (wch)
n.
1. A woman claiming or popularly believed to possess magical powers and practice sorcery.
2. A believer or follower of Wicca; a Wiccan.
3. A hag.
4. A woman considered to be spiteful or overbearing.
5. Informal A woman or girl considered bewitching.
6. One particularly skilled or competent at one's craft:

[kittywitty]

Thank you, Sofysmommy. I know many people who are pagan and refer to themselves as Witches. I don't follow Wicca, myself, but I am pagan. I know I'm not just making it up.

[melamama]

Originally Posted by TulsiLeaf

A green witch?

As in definitions above, a wiccan practitioner but "green" as in the current definition--Green Witchery

[sofysmommy]

Originally Posted by kittywitty

Thank you, Sofysmommy. I know many people who are pagan and refer to themselves as Witches. I don't follow Wicca, myself, but I am pagan. I know I'm not just making it up.