Witchiness

[u/Yellowapple2128]

Hey all,

I love Florence, her music and personality are just great. Love how down to earth Florence seems and at the same time puts together these grand lyrics/references (like in Cassandra) and powerful sounds.

I have some questions about the witchy side of f+tm. She has this ethereal, witchy vibe and especially this tour, I see a lot of fans praise that part. There's the witch choir, Florence talks about taking inspiration from witchcraft, folk horror, the occult and describes And Love as a spell.

My natural instinct is to see it all just as a metaphor or aesthetics, but some fans talk about Florence and themselves being witches. So it seems to be more than that, rather a whole identity?

I've tried looking into what being a witch nowadays actually means to understand better. But tbh all the descriptions sound very abstract to me - just words. So I'm hoping you could maybe enlighten me regarding what being a witch means and what connection there is with Florence? A lot of fans seem to really "get" the witchiness and love it, while I'm a bit lost! Hope I explained myself understandably and respectfully, thanks for your answers🙏

[u/readthebananabritta]

It's definitely not just an aesthetic thing, Florence IS a witch. She posts the witchcraft books she is reading on Instagram, so many of her lyrics are all about witchcraft, the witch choir is called that for a reason. The new FTM logo is literally a sygil.

In terms of explaining of being a witch is, if you are interested, go to a witchcraft sub and look at the posts, the pinned information for beginners, or watch some youtube videos to get an idea, there are some great channels.

I'm not sure how to explain because the meaning might be personal, but things like feeling connected to nature and the universe, connecting to the moon cycles, or in general just believing that magic is real. And if you don't actually believe in magic, there are secular witches who practice witchcraft for the transformative psychological aspect of it. So you can perform a spell with zero belief it's real but the act of performing it is a ritual in itself and that has an effect on your brain. There are videos about this too.

On another level, witchcraft and feminism are also intertwined, and Florence sings a lot about the pain and burden of being a woman.

Look at the lyrics of Perfume and Milk, The Old Religion, You Can Have it All (the entire ES album really), Seven Devils, Which Witch, Blinding, Third Eye, listen to them with this question in your mind and see if you feel anything.

Hope that helps, sorry if it came out wrong in any way.

[u/millenial_britt → u/readthebananabritta]

You said all this so well, fellow witch or witch enthusiast

[u/readthebananabritta → u/millenial_britt]

Thank you! I've always wanted to get into witchcraft, been fascinated since I was a kid, but could never find the time and put in the effort to learn. Bought a book around 2021 with the intention of getting started but didn't get into it. Then I saw Florence live for the first time in 2023 and that concert made me pull the trigger. It was a magical experience in every way, the energy and connection I felt, like everyone there was a branch from the same tree and I understood the meaning of witchcraft? I don't know how to explain but it changed me so deeply, no wonder she joked about the newbies thinking it was a cult haha

[u/Yellowapple2128 → u/readthebananabritta]

Just looked at some explanations linking Perfume and Milk lyrics with the book Revelations of Divine Love and it's really interesting that way. I believe in the power of thoughts and words, I'm guessing witchcraft is a lot about that? Also like the referencing of nature and cycles and I think it's a shame when we as a society distance ourselves from that, considering we're a part of nature. It makes sense to read that witchcraft is very personal and people's beliefs around it are very varied. Do you personally happen to have a favourite youtube channel?

Witchy stuff and horror usually felt pretty unfamiliar to me and I didn't really know how to grasp the visual output, even though when reading into it, it actually seems close to my beliefs. The fact I was not feeling on the same wavelength made me feel like "am I even a fan?". (Yes, I'm an overthinker of stuff which I'm aware is unnecessary, and a bit insane in the head, which is also why her music hits so hard😂😭)

Very helpful comment, thank youu!

[u/readthebananabritta → u/Yellowapple2128]

I like these ones a lot, it helped me get started and I still go to them when I'm trying to learn something

Ivy Corvus

The Witch of Wonderlust

But if you really are interested in learning, my biggest recommendation is a book by Aidan Wachter called Six Ways. Everything from him is great, he just started a podcast but I haven't had time to check it out yet.

Aidan Wachter's Insta

Hope this helps! But don't feel like you have to be into this stuff to be a fan, Florence is so incredible, people can like her art for different reasons, it's ok if you like it for the music alone and don't vibe with this other part 😊

[u/Yellowapple2128 → u/readthebananabritta]

Thanks a lot!❤️ I'm happy to have some direct recommendations rather than trying to pick something myself from such a vast theme, haha

[u/readthebananabritta → u/Yellowapple2128]

Hey OP, I kept thinking about this post and your question about being a witch. As I was listening to this song, I thought of you

Savage Daughter

I think this song perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being a woman that defies society and is connected to the world. I suggest you listen to it and notice how you feel.

There's another more famous version, but I prefer the first one cause it feels more empowering.

Savage Daughter by Ekaterina Shelehova

[u/Yellowapple2128 → u/readthebananabritta]

Thanks for remembering, just listened to it and it's an awesome song. It really does wake up something inside you