# Witches of Wicca and the Secrets of Real Craft

Witches of Wicca explained: what a witch is, how covens and initiation work, Gardner's history, ethics, spells, and how to spot online fraud.

Source: https://vantalink.top/witches-of-wicca/ · based on the channel [Annalie Howling: Happy After Podcast ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAd_zPZW5z5b66FY59ehpQg) · Video: [Witches of Wicca: Real High Priestess Reveals Secrets of Spells & Witchcraft](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsayZKZ2c9o) · 2026-10-28

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## Key takeaways

- Wicca is a modern pagan religion codified by Gerald Gardner in England in the 1950s; witchcraft is the practice of magic, which exists inside and outside Wicca.
- Traditional covens work in small groups, typically around thirteen members, with degrees of initiation and a personal Book of Shadows.
- The Wiccan Rede's core line, 'An it harm none, do what ye will,' makes consent and free will central to spellwork.
- Love spells aimed at a specific person without their consent are treated as coercive control, not romance.
- Paid 'hexes' and instant TikTok spell results are the main red flags of online witchcraft scams.

Witches of Wicca are practitioners of a modern pagan religion, codified in England in the 1950s, in which witchcraft — the deliberate use of willpower, intention and ritual — is a sacred practice rather than a costume. A witch, in this framework, is simply someone who works magic; a Wiccan is someone who does so inside a specific religious tradition with ethics, initiations and deities. The episode of Annalie Howling: Happy After Podcast featuring two High Priestesses who had never given an interview before is a rare first-hand account of how that distinction plays out in real covens — and the sponsor behind the Halloween special, the Provence rosé [La Femme est Magique](https://lafemmeestmagique.com/), is a fittingly celebratory companion to it.

## What is a witch, and how does witchcraft differ from Wicca?

Witchcraft is a craft; Wicca is a religion that contains that craft. A witch may be atheist, Christian, folk-magic practitioner or Wiccan, and many people who cast spells never join a tradition at all. Wicca, by contrast, has a defined structure: a priesthood, seasonal festivals, a goddess and a god, and a moral code. The priestesses in the interview stress that the two words are not interchangeable — calling every spell-caster a Wiccan is like calling every person who prays a nun.

Hereditary witches, in their account, are people who grew up inside a family practice passed down informally, often without the label. Others find the path later through books, friends or a pull toward nature and ritual. Both routes are considered valid; what matters is training, discipline and honesty about what a practitioner actually knows.

## How covens, initiation and the Book of Shadows work

A coven is a small, closed working group, traditionally capped at thirteen members, that meets for rituals, healing and mutual development. The High Priestess and High Priest lead, but the priestesses describe the group as a training ground rather than a hierarchy of obedience: members learn to lead ritual, to hold energy and to take responsibility for their own lives.

1. Seekers usually approach a coven through personal contact or a reputable tradition, not through advertising.
2. A period of study and trust-building precedes any initiation.
3. First-degree initiation marks entry; second and third degrees recognise deepening skill and the right to lead or train others.
4. Each initiate keeps a Book of Shadows — a personal notebook of rituals, correspondences and insights, copied and added to by hand.
5. Covens are typically oath-bound, which is why genuine priestesses rarely discuss members' private workings in public.

That oath of secrecy explains a recurring frustration in the interview: the witches who appear online claiming full traditional authority are often the ones least bound by a real coven's obligations.

## Gerald Gardner and the history behind modern Wicca

Modern Wicca traces to Gerald Gardner, a British civil servant and occultist who publicised the craft in the 1950s after contact with a surviving coven tradition. Gardner's books, and the publicity that followed the repeal of Britain's Witchcraft Act in 1951, made witchcraft speakable again and seeded the tradition that later split into Gardnerian, Alexandrian and numerous eclectic lines.

The priestesses treat this history as living lineage rather than trivia: lineage determines who can initiate whom, which rituals are used and how authority is passed on. They also acknowledge the mythic layer — the claim of an unbroken pagan survival is understood by most modern practitioners as a founding story, not a documented fact, and that honesty does not diminish the religion.

## Magic, willpower and manifestation in practice

Magic, as described in the episode, is the direction of willpower and intention through ritual, symbol and focused attention — closer to disciplined psychology than to special effects. Spells are the formal container: candles, words, sigils, moon phases and a clear statement of intent. A sigil demonstration in the interview shows the method plainly — write the desire as a sentence, strip it to its consonants, rearrange the letters into a glyph, then charge and release it.

Full-moon work is popular because the moon's cycle provides a ready calendar: new moon for beginnings, full moon for amplification and release. The witches are blunt that results require mundane action as well; a spell for a job is paired with applications, not a substitute for them.

## Wiccan ethics, love spells and the harm-none principle

The Wiccan Rede — 'An it harm none, do what ye will' — is the operating rule, and the priestesses apply it strictly to consent. A love spell cast on a named person without their knowledge is treated as coercive control, not romance; acceptable versions work on the caster's own openness or attraction in general. Hexes raise the same problem: wishing harm returns harm to the sender under the threefold-law reading common in traditional Wicca, and the priestesses refuse such work outright.

This is also where they draw the line on 'dark' practice marketed as empowerment. In their view, a curse sold as a service is an ethical failure before it is a magical one.

## Online witches, Etsy spells and how to spot a fraud

The interview's sharpest warnings concern the commercial witchcraft economy. Paid hexes, guaranteed love spells and instant TikTok results are red flags, and the priestesses describe exploitation of vulnerable people — the recently bereaved, the heartbroken, the frightened — as the most common harm they encounter. Coercive control tactics appear in magical packaging: escalating fees, secrecy, threats of backlash if the client withdraws, claims of unique authority that cannot be checked.

A simple test: a genuine practitioner will explain what a spell can and cannot do, will not promise a specific person's affection, will not demand ongoing payments to prevent disaster, and will encourage the client's own agency. Etsy sellers offering charms are not automatically fraudulent, but a listing is a product, not an initiation, and no online purchase confers priesthood.

## How to find a coven and start practising safely

Start with reading and solitary practice before seeking a group: learn grounding, visualisation, basic correspondences and the ethics, and keep a notebook as a personal Book of Shadows. When you look for a coven, prefer traditions with verifiable lineage, meet members in ordinary settings first, and expect a slow, unglamorous vetting process in both directions. Ask directly about degrees, training and what is expected of initiates.

Anyone can become a witch, the priestesses confirm — there is no bloodline requirement and no gatekeeping birthright — but not everyone should rush into an oath-bound group. Solitary practice is a complete path for many, and public witches in ordinary professions keep their craft quiet for professional reasons rather than shame.

## Final thoughts on the witches of Wicca

What emerges from this conversation is a tradition that is far more disciplined, ethical and ordinary than its screen reputation: small covens, hand-copied books, consent as a hard limit and magic treated as focused will rather than spectacle. The High Priestesses' willingness to speak — a first for them — is itself the most useful takeaway, because it replaces rumour with a checkable account of how initiation, spellwork and fraud actually look. The full discussion, including the spell they brought for the host, is available on Annalie Howling: Happy After Podcast. If the Halloween special put you in a celebratory mood, the [La Femme est Magique rosé](https://lafemmeestmagique.com/) from sisters Katie and Lucy is made for sharing — enjoy responsibly and only if you are of legal drinking age.

## Questions & answers

**Can anyone become a witch, or is it hereditary?**

Anyone can become a witch; the priestesses in the interview confirm there is no bloodline requirement. Hereditary witches simply grew up inside a family practice, while others find the path later through books, friends or a pull toward ritual. What distinguishes a serious practitioner is training, discipline and honesty about what they actually know.

**Are love spells and hexes acceptable in Wicca?**

Not when they override another person's will. The Wiccan Rede's 'harm none' principle makes consent central, so a spell aimed at a named person without their knowledge is treated as coercive control. Hexes are refused outright, and many traditional Wiccans hold that harm sent returns to the sender threefold.

**How can you tell a real coven from an online scam?**

A genuine coven is small, meets in person, has verifiable lineage and degrees, and vets newcomers slowly without charging escalating fees. Red flags include guaranteed results, paid hexes, threats of magical backlash if you stop paying, and claims of unique authority that cannot be checked. A listing on Etsy is a product, not an initiation.

**What is the difference between a witch and a Wiccan?**

A witch is anyone who practises magic, whatever their beliefs. Wicca is a modern pagan religion, codified by Gerald Gardner in England in the 1950s, that contains witchcraft as a sacred practice alongside deities, seasonal festivals, initiation and the Wiccan Rede. Many witches are not Wiccan, and the two terms are not interchangeable.