A real-life witch is fighting against stereotypes saying "it's not just for Halloween".
Melanie Clowes has been practising witchcraft for more than 30 years and has called out the cliché that all witches are "evil, cackling and green-faced".
The mum-of-three is known on social media at The Celtic Witch and began reading tarot cars at 14.
At age 17, she was casting spells for protection and luck using salt, incense and essential oils, StokeOnTrentLive reports.
The 46-year-old says she was introduced to paganism at a young age by her father, who also practised the faith.
Melanie, from Endon, said: “It’s a pagan path and I do take it very seriously. I believe in God and the Goddess. What I do is honour the season when it changes.
“I practise rituals on the full moon. I practise regarding what herbs I can grow in my garden, which would be completely different to a witch who lives in Spain, so to speak.
“I like to help other people and educate them about witchcraft. I like people to know we are not just a witch for Halloween, we are a witch all the time. Everything is for the greater good.
“My dad taught me the paganism side of things, which was learning about the trees and going to the local ponds and woods. I learnt about the different plants and birds as soon as I could walk.
“I was always fascinated by witches. I had my first set of tarot cards when I was 14 and it went from there. I started doing little spells.
“It’s using nature and honouring nature. My church is nature. I enjoy the connection I have to the land. It’s the beauty of nature which is my favourite thing that goes on par with helping people.”
The Celtic Witch has more than 866,000 followers on social media.
She used to work at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) as a nurse and support worker up until she turned 30. She was based in the leukaemia and maternity wards.
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Melanie said: “The concept of a witch being evil, cackling and green-faced is a cliché. It isn’t true. I have friends all over the world, from Tobago to Germany to Spain, that is witches. Their path is different to mine.
“I like to educate people that we are not something to laugh at anymore. We are something to be taken seriously.
“We are not devil-worshipping and we wouldn’t hurt anybody. We ask for permission to take a flower from the ground, so we would never hurt anybody or anything.
“The cliché really upsets me. I know innocent people who have been burnt or hung. You wouldn’t be able to say that about any other religion, so why do you say it about mine? It’s upsetting.
“So many men and women are witches. It’s gender-neutral. Anyone can follow the path. People like to conceive us as some sort of evil entity or something you see out of a horror film. It really isn’t like that.”
She added: “Always do your research on people because there's a lot of predators out there. Read as much information as you can. I would always say go to a trustworthy organisation. I am with the Children of Artemis. They educate people on witchcraft.
“If somebody wanted to follow my path, I’d say reach out to somebody who fits you and do your research because there’s a lot of people in it for the wrong reasons.
“Witchcraft to me is what I am. It’s my soul and my entire being. It’s as important to me as a vicar is to a church. It’s my life.
“It doesn’t matter what you look like or anything like that. I want people to know we are good and decent people, who are trying to do the best for our planet and for the people and animals on it.”
