What is a Witch?

My 7 year old girl understands the difference between "movie" witches and Witches.
She knows that Harry Potter is a sorcerer, a wizard and Hermione is a "movie" witch. She knows that fiction means made up.
I love the Harry Potter books. They are wonderful tales. Magic is shown as a power that can be used for good or evil.
There are few similarities between "movie" witches and Witches.
In the movie "Practical Magic" there are some elements that are right on. When Sandra Bullock's character explains that there is no devil in the Craft I was overjoyed. She goes on to explain the power of symbolism. "Magic isn't just spells and potions. Your badge , it's just a star, Just another symbol. Your talisman. It can't stop criminals in their tracks, can it? It has power because you believe it does." There are bits from the movie that are right on target but whole chunks that were off the mark entirely. (Here is an interesting analysis of the movie: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usma&c=media&id=2213)
Most Witches accept the law of three. Do what you will as long as it harms none. Whatever you send out returns to you three fold. Does that mean if a person steals $5 then someone will steal $15 from them? No, it is not that tidy.
If a person steals $5 they might feel guilt inside. They might avoid the person they stole from and lose the friendship. They might have an unexpected cost come up. Any of these would be part of the law.
On the reverse, let's say that you put $5 in a donation jar. You might feel pride inside. You might inspire someone else to donate. You directly help another person. You might have a windfall of cash or have a debt forgiven.
This law of three inhibits a Witch from harming another person. In "Practical Magic" the aunties sell magical favors that are intended to control another person. To control or attempt to control another person is a mistake that an educated Witch would not make. I have to say that there are books that are written by people that call themselves Witches that include spells and stories of revenge through magic. Curses, hexes and anything to control another would just end up spilling all over you.
Talk about not worth it.
A Witch is first and foremost a person who believes that people create their worlds and their experiences. A Witch believes in the Goddess and God as faces of creation. A Witch has a reverence for Nature. A Witch celebrates the cycles of life, death and rebirth. A Witch understands and practices magic.
For me, Witchcraft also includes an emerging awareness of our past. Civilizations have risen and fallen over time. Much has been forgotten and rediscovered. Surely, there is much more left to be discovered. We are creative people descended from other creative people.