Time for the Hedgewitch

Back in the dark ages, the Hedgewitch (normally but not necessarily a woman) lived on the edge of the village. She occupied the space between the known and the unknown, and was revered and feared because of her understanding of both sides of the hedge -and in particular the natural world beyond it. The space she occupied was deemed “magic” because those in the village, inside the hedge, did not understand how she did what she did. Witchcraft, of course, did not go down well with the establishment.

I think that today, we are perhaps seeing the emergence of the contemporary hedgewitch. Multi skilled people of independent mind and who understand how systems work and are not in thrall to positions in hierarchies. Often as skilled in coding as they are steeped in philosophy, they have the mindset of a hacker. Craftspeople whose commitment is to their craft and clients more than their employer, and whose motivation is to make what they produce more effective in the long term rather than to m…