On why I don't call myself a witch

Recently, there was a thread in the Tarot Forum asking about people who consider themselves "witches". If we think of "witchcraft" as a certain practices based on supernatural beliefs, I think I could be considered one. But me, I have become weary of the word.

Below is my personal response to the topic. I am sharing it here because I believe I have managed to explain why I think the world "witch" has lost its strength, to become just another empty word (together with "empathy" and "gratitude") in the hands of an esoteric trend that has a lot more to do with consumerism than anything else.

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I don't call myself a witch.

I have nothing against the nomeclature itself. But, at least in my country, I feel that capitalism has taken over the word... Being "witchy" and "mystical" is something that sells a lot right now. I don't think spirituality should be reduced to products, aesthetics, empowerment and social media persona. And I also don't think the religious experience - regardless of how you experience it or how you call it - is mainly about being empowered. In fact, in my experience, it is often a profoundly humbling thing. So the world "witch" has become loaded with a type of mentality that I disagree with.

I call myself a Pagan, period. It gives a good idea of how I commune with the divine that I see in the world.

Whether I do magic or not, it's another matter entirely, and it is not even the most essential part of my practice anyway...