Understanding The Grey Witch Archetype

Touching on the nuances in the duality that embodies the grey path in magic and those who choose to walk along it.

Adhering to neither complete light nor full shadow, the Gray Witch graces the in-between.

Equipped with a natural duality detector, the path of the Gray Witch is deeply rooted in discernment and personal experience. Rather than following all-encompassing guidelines like “do no harm”, the Gray Witch ponders context, consequence, and intentions that underlie situations before deciding how to move.

About the Gray Witch

This archetype typically aligns with personalities that understand the cost that sometimes comes with seeing justice brought to light. Not all magic is shiny and pure. Sometimes, there needs to be someone who isn’t afraid to work the spells that protect, even if they simultaneously harm those with ill intent. Yet, this is not to say these actions are taken without cause. Grey witches act with baneful magic when there is a profound imbalance.

While the grey witch understands the severity of baneful magic, they also balance the scales in their own lives with benign magic. This is the theme of duality that is so obvious in the grey archetype. They heal just as well as they can hurt. With expert precision, the grey witch knows how to choose the right tool for the job. The grey witch heals through their environment. Creating a calming and inviting atmosphere, they utilize mood-elevating natural food and drink to bring harmony back into their sacred space.

Deities Associated with Gray Witchcraft

Some of the more common gods and goddesses aligned with the path of the grey witch are Pan, Odin, Lucifer, Lilith, The Morrigan, Medusa, Tiamat, and Persephone. All of these examples are deities with terrible, sometimes violent sides balanced with caring and nurturing sides. The Hindu gods are also common among those who walk in the murky depths of magic, treading both ends of the path. The gods in the Hindu pantheon have a beautiful balance between darker, more terrible natures and their benevolent and lighter sides. Grey witches are the ones who are not content with half the truth and must know all that there is—the beautiful and the ugly.

The Gray Witch & Shadow Work

Because the Gray Witch is innately attuned to the nature of duality, shadow work is an essential part of their craft. Shadow work, a term popularized in recent years, speaks to the fearlessness of the gray witch - not only facing their own darkness, but dancing with it, learning its names, and welcoming their shadows into the light.

Shadow work practices for the Gray Witch often include:

• Journaling to uncover patterns and confront uncomfortable truths

• Mirror Work to invite what is hidden forward

• Banishing & Boundary Rituals to release what no longer serves

• Moon Work to allow the cycle of rest, reflection and renewal

These practices and magical workings help the grey witch compile and understand the ways of the metaphysical world in a deeply connected way. Shadow work is essential in understanding our destructive or rejected pieces. The Grey witch must understand themselves fully and completely, for they reject typical magical boxes and they carve their own path through the middle ground. They work with all forces and know that one can only defend oneself from the less pure forces when one knows oneself completely. The grey witch does not often deal with identity crises; this archetype is not afraid to stare into the abyss of the soul or the other side and confront what slithers from the depths of the unknown. Whether that comes from within themselves or the vast world we live in.

Ethics of the Misunderstood Middle Ground

Those who practice magick in this way are gatekeepers, watching and righting the mistakes of those who are naive and create messes—the ones wielding blades in the shadows without asking for thanks or praise. You may notice them moving through the mystical world. Corralling and shepherding the wayward and lost souls and entities left to drift. Because it is so easy to be ALL good or ALL bad. To fully subscribe to one side of the aisle and close yourself off from all other ways of doing magic. Yet it becomes a lot more challenging to hold firm on beliefs that aren’t so flexible when learning magic that exists outside of cookie-cutter lines. The grey archetype excels where the others fail. They hold onto themselves while navigating extremely complex waters with a moral and ethical compass that weighs all factors before taking action.

Without fitting into a neat way of practicing magic, the grey witch still follows the ceremonies as they are meant to be practiced. Grey magic can be mistaken for chaos magic, but the difference is in the execution of the spells and rituals. Chaos magic is usually done with whatever tools are on hand, with minimal planning, and is done quickly or on the fly. Grey magic is still planned and prepared for, thought out, and given sacred time and space to be completed.

Rituals of the Gray Witch

Mirror Gazing

• Find a quiet space and a mirror. A handheld mirror or a full-length mirror with minimal distractions work well.

• Ground yourself in self-love and the present moment with a few deep, intentional breaths.

• Meet your eyes in the mirror. Allow your gaze to soften as your thoughts come to surface

• Notice the emotions that arise along with words or phrases that seem to “stand out”. Remain open to what comes through, even if it feels uncomfortable.

• Journal your discoveries. Whether grand or small, these messages from intuition will come in handy.

• Close the ritual with acknowledgement and self-care. This is weighty work, hydrate and honor yourself before returning to daily life.

Banishing Ritual

Banishing rituals may seem a bit advanced for the early practitioner, but at its core, this practice is nothing more than affirming the boundaries that emerged during mirror work.

Where mirror gazing allows us to name the shadows that came forth, the banishing spell works to clear them.

To perform a banishing spell, you will need:

• 1 piece of paper (to write down what you are banishing)

• 1 black candle (black can represent the negative things or unwanted energy you want to banish)

• Salt (salt helps to keep the space pure and protect you from taking what you banish back in)

• Rosemary oil (this helps bind intentions to the candle and keep the intention pure, cleansing the rite, neutralizing the negative energy)

• A mirror (This reflects what is being banished back to where it came from)- This item is optional. It can be great to send back ill intent from others, but it could also be counterintuitive if you are banishing from within yourself.

Start this ritual by taking deep, intentional breaths to ground yourself in the moment. Think about what you are banishing and why you want to banish it, and allow those thoughts to form fully in the front of your mind.

If you are calling on outside help to perform the banishment, invite any energy or deities into the room at this time.

Anoint the candle with rosemary oil to help form a purified barrier between you and the things you are banishing. Once the candle is anointed, place the candle within a circle of salt on the altar.

Light the candle to attract the energy and things you are banishing into the candle and flame. (If you are using a mirror, place the candle in front of the mirror.) State what you are banishing one by one with a firm voice. This sets the intention firmly within you and the sacred space.

Once the intentions are stated and the candle is burning, burn the paper in the candle flame and allow it to burn to ash in a fire-safe container or bowl. Then, allow the candle to burn itself out. Please make sure it is left in a safe space. You can snuff the candle flame after 15 to 20 minutes and keep this designated candle for the next time you perform a banishing ritual.

Make sure to ground yourself again after the ritual and grab a small snack and drink. Any time we perform magic, we tax the system and expend considerable energy. This is work, even if it doesn't feel like work, and taking care of yourself is crucial. Reward yourself! You did an amazing thing for yourself and your future endeavors, clearing the way for better and brighter things.

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If you find yourself called towards the practice of shadow work, Soft Girl Era: Mindmaps to the Heart is a gentle guide that acknowledges the shadow self and works step-by-step to invite our inner light forward. Written by Emily, co-author of this series, this book is an offering to anyone who knows their own darkness but is ready to stand in their light.

Soft Girl Era, a look into The Process