I’ve been called a freak and spat on
TEACHER Elisa Gray said she faced childhood bullying for her belief in witchcraft.
The 54-year-old first realised she was “channeling natural magic” when she was eight and sees herself “connected to the wind”.
She says: “If we were planning to go somewhere I would worry it was going to rain and then it would rain.
“As I got older I worked it out. I would play with the weather… I had a lot of fun doing that.”
While her Romany gypsy father was understanding, Elisa admits that it wasn’t easy growing up in the 80s when witchcraft and paganism became associated with devil worship.
Elisa says: “I still think there’s people out there who really think that’s the case. When I was a teenager I was bullied by kids who would wait outside the only shop in my area where you could buy crystals.
“More often than not, I’d get pushed around and called a freak – I’ve also been spat on.”
Despite going on to qualify as a teacher, Elisa sometimes found herself shunned because of her passion for witchcraft. She says: “There were the looks, the faces, the heads going down as
Some still believe witchcraft is linked to devil
worship
you walk in the staff room, the whispers…” Elisa, who lives in Glastonbury, Somerset, believes there’s a big difference between “bored housewives with a manifestation jar” and real witches, who she has seen do “incredible things”.
She adds: “Witches don’t need to wear cloaks and pointy hats; they don’t curse or hex people. We’re all pretty mature.
“There’s Tiktok witches and younger people, but most of the people I know are in our 40s and 50s. We don’t need to be running around cursing people – that’s all a bit playground.”