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What's this about being a "hereditary" witch?
Personally, I think that everyone is a hereditary witch because I feel that we all have the gentleness and the empowerment of this craft, innately, in all of us. {I know, I know, it's very optimistic of me.} I feel that we're all born with an attachment to the energy that connects ourselves with our planet, our Mother Earth. {But, that's not answering the question, you're really asking.}
Are there families of witches? Sure, there are. One reason is that anything is possible.
Another reason is that many families have traditions - like a family of police officers - the grandfather was a cop, the father is a cop, the uncle, cousin, and daughter are also cops. Same thing for witches. And can the "traditional occupation" skip generations? Sure, it can. We've all heard stories of grandchildren and great grandchildren choosing the occupation of a grandparent. Witchcraft is no different. So, if you feel that you're a hereditary witch, then you probably are {even if you've had 5 stodgy or Muggle generations - you know, like Hermione in the Harry Potter books}. {By the way, family hereditary in Wicca is usually called "famtrad". The most famous famtrad of all is Strega - hereditary Italian witchcraft.}
Even though I've said the above, it also needs to be noted that many witches and Wiccans have a very deep belief {or desire} about witchcraft being an unbroken line since prehistoric times. On the other hand, there are a number of people {usually non-witch and non-Wiccan} who say that this particular belief is wishful thinking and/or a desire to legitimize Wicca as a prehistoric, ancient, and/or very old religion. The reason they say this is there's no historical or written proof to back this belief up. Now, it's absolutely true that there is no definitive proof or concrete evidence that there is an unbroken line. BUT the opposite is also absolutely true. In other words, there is no proof either way. {And, in other words, again, you are entitled to your belief - as far as I know, this belief doesn't do any harm to anyone.}
How do you become a witch?
Are there schools for witchcraft? Is there certification for witches? Not that I'm aware of. But, there are courses all over the place - on wicca, paganism, parapsychology, New Age, etc - at universities, colleges, local schools, private schools, and on the internet. Plus there are numerous courses on herbs, herbal healing, astrology, any number of natural "healing" arts such as, shiatsu, reiki, ear candling, folk medicine, colour therapy, aromatherapy, light therapy, etc, etc. {And, yes, you've got it - New Age is another term for witchcraft. So, too, is geomancy [Chinese].}
In addition, there are many covens that provide internal training {vis-à-vis degrees of initiation} - usually long-term - and are quite strict about "students" adhering to their specific coven traditions. These Wiccan covens are considered to be "traditional" {albeit that Wicca is only "officially" half a century old} and can usually be traced back to the Gardnerian school of witchcraft. There are loads of books and loads of internet sites that you access on both traditional and modern Wicca.
Of course, none of the courses give you a university/college degree or certificate in witchcraft. So, that means witches are not an accepted profession. {And considering the reputation that witches have, are we surprised????}
{By the way, if anybody comes across a good educational site, please let me know. I'll add it to my links. One of my current goals is to "educate" as many people as sensibly and calmly as possible about witchcraft.}
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