A dark night in the forest … a cauldron brewing next to a spell book … a sacrificial offering … the stereotypical Hollywood version of a long-nosed, hat-wearing woman flashes through your mind as soon as you hear the word “witch.” Or at least it does for most people.

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But for three women identifying as witches, it is a lifestyle and a religion to live by every day. Lauren, 24, of Edinboro University has been practicing paganism and witchcraft for the past 5 years, beginning to show a lot of interest 5 years prior to that. Growing up in a Methodist household, she did not feel fulfilled by her family’s practice – that is, until she stumbled upon a book in Barnes & Noble.

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        On the other hand, Nicole, 42 of Edinboro University has been a practicing pagan/witch since she was 17 years old. Growing up in a Catholic household, she received all of the sacraments through Confirmation. At this time, however, her parents let her choose what religion she wanted to follow as an adult.

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Meanwhile, Torie, 22, also of Edinboro University, has been a practicing witch for over a decade. “I would love to say that I always knew I’d be a witch or that there was some great magical calling but that would be a lie,” she confesses. She did, however, grow up with a strong interest in fairy stories, mythology, and folklore – but she always knew that the version of magic she often saw on TV wasn’t real. Growing up next to a witchcraft store was actually the turning point in her journey.

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“It was there I realized there was more to witchcraft than Harry Potter and Hocus Pocus,” she explains. Now she understands the concept more in-depth as about 70% of her practice involves reading and researching old folklore and mythos that apply to her craft.

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This isn’t to say that any of these women had an easy transition. With the stereotypical idea of evil witches and followers of the devil, those who identify as practicing witches have faced hardships for hundreds of years from people all around the world – especially with covens. A coven is a group of witches, often of similar paths or religious beliefs, that gather together to practice. It is an intimate partnership with a group of people whom you must trust if you are involved. It is important to note that witches can still practice on their own outside of the coven since groups typically only gather on high holidays or other occasions.

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But publicly noticed covens often face the risk of finding themselves under fire by outsiders. In fact, a local coven was chased off of Edinboro’s campus altogether because of common misconceptions surrounding witchcraft. This coven, formed by Torie in her sophomore year, involved multiple newbie witches who decided to tell everyone that they were practicing. This coven was essentially formed with the intention of teaching them to remain quiet about their practice, while also reiterating the idea of safety in numbers. But this news only caused people to lash out with threats and violence just as their ancestors did at the mention of a witch. While freedom of religion is regularly celebrated in America, this is one of many of the examples as to where this proves false.

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But, as a religion or lifestyle, this isn’t like any other (Pagan, wicca, and witch are not synonymous, but can be practiced together by one individual). In fact, it is a self-guided and customizable practice in which you can move at your own pace and practice what feels right for you as an individual. ­When Lauren discovered a starter book in the new age spiritual section, she picked it up and from there on out was able to mold a way of practice for herself.

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“When I looked at those books everything that they were saying kind of fit with what I thought about the world,” she explains. Today, her focus is on elements and energy in the earth. In terms of practicing rituals, Lauren follows what many other witches typically would do. She prefers to be outside in a peaceful wooded area where she feels safe. If she were to practice in a public area, it is likely that she would be chased away by police or others who believe common misconceptions about practicing witchcraft. She then lights white candles which she places in all four cardinal directions with another in the center, which represents spirit. She either asks for energy,gives energy, or asks to connect with ancestors. Then she reverses all of these steps to close the circle and let spirit go.

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In today’s modernized world, it is much easier to be a practicing witch or pagan than it was even 10 years ago. Online communities and popular Youtubers are devoted to helping those within the pagan and witch community.

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Nicole, on the other hand, was faced with diving much deeper to discover the history and practices in the 1990s. She also started to begin practicing from a book that she came across, but it was much more difficult during this time to conduct more research.

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“The things that you did find, you had to be a little cautious about,” she states. While she found some good information, much of what she discovered was fantasy and stereotypical things such as devil worship. “That’s not something that wicca or even paganism is for that matter,” she explains.

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With Halloween quickly approaching, this time actually ties in a lot with the lifestyle of practicing witches – better known as the Celtic celebration of Samhain. This is seen as their New Year when everything from summer is dying off and preparing to go through a new cycle as all of the light times come to a close bringing on the colder, darker days. This is also a time for earthly beings and spiritual sides to mesh together. This is essentially the idea of where the spookiness of Halloween comes from. They celebrate through rituals and food offerings.

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But with all of this information, it is important to highlight that what practicing witches do is never to hurt other people. In fact, they are very big on wanting to love all of the other creatures that they share this earth with.

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“What we do is never to hurt any living being. It gets associated with witchcraft that we’re out to put curses on people and hurt them and sacrifice their pets,” Nicole explains. She goes on to emphasize that there is no devil in their practice at all. While it is a common misconception, much of what they do is tied to changing this stigma.

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Torie adds, “Witchcraft is just that – a craft. It’s an art form and lifestyle that is developed and defined over the years.” Throughout the past decade, she has been hated and hurt over her choices even when she has never harmed others. She encourages anyone interested in looking into this craft lifestyle to do so with respect.

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While witchcraft has been around for ages, it is important to see how it ties into the changing world and honor it as both a religion and a way of life for many people, just as other lifestyles that are celebrated in society.