How does that make you feel?
I knew instinctively that I was a witch. I began really delving into spirituality in 2018 and one day I just said to myself, "I am a witch." I was nervous to tell anyone else. I selectively chose a few people to tell and I did not get burned at the stake.
I could not have told you why I was a witch other than that it felt right.
For the past 4 years or so I have learned more about it through youtube, an online coven that I joined and exploring pagan practices.
It reminded me of a time when my kids were in high school. This was around 2007 in Minnesota. My daughter had shared some teen fiction about witches and it resonated with me so much that I wanted to join a coven. I tried. I really tried. I contacted someone and drove over an hour to meet them in a small town. I sat there and they never showed up. I was so disappointed. That was the end of my venture into witchcraft for then.
In 2018 I started my own facebook group and gingerly put out there to a small group of friends, my witchy ways and beliefs.
In 2019 I left Mormonism for good. That is the religion I was raised in. The reason I think that is an important part of the story is because in 2007 when I looked into it, I was an active mormon mom with 2 teenagers at home, 2 at college, and my niece and nephew living with me. Witchcraft is not a religion so I didn't see any contradiction in being Mormon while being a witch.
Why did I leave the church then? Simple. I have my own morals and values and many parts of the church violate my morals. I am living a more authentic life now. That means that I don't follow any rules or belong to any organization that violates my morals.
I often have to think about being American. I don't agree with the government all the time. They regularly violate my morals. However, we don't choose where we were born. And as much as some people like to say, "If you don't like it here, leave." It is not that simple either. So, I am still here and I will remain here.
What is a witch?
Prepare yourself for a long answer because this is not a simple question.
It is important to note that I am of European descent. So is my country. The English got dibs on this land and kept it until the people that settled here decided they didn't want to be English anymore. The majority of American immigrants are from Europe. Or at least they were. I am not really sure if that is true anymore. I feel like I should add that this country was founded by white European MEN of wealth. From what I understand they didn't want anyone who was not white, male, or wealthy to have any power. Anyone that didn't fit that description was not worthy of respect or to be treated with kindness. Maybe I am wrong but that is what I understand of American history. A lot of people have suffered in the past and continue to suffer today.
The witch craze really started in Germany. I am going to mention a YouTube video as a source on parts of this. I really enjoyed it. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/6Da0pwR-woE I am not entirely sure how it started but I know that it is rooted in misogyny. That is a weird word for the belief that men are better than women. Here is the google definition:
dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women.
"she felt she was struggling against thinly disguised misogyny"
The foundations are also in antisemitism. That is a big word for the belief that Jewish people are bad. So according to the above referenced YouTube video some people think that the witches hat came from a hat that the Jewish people wore in Germany. That hat was turned from a mark of distinction to a mark of shame by the people who didn't like Jewish people in Germany.
What really came from Germany was the Malleus Maleficarum. This was written by a Catholic Clergyman as a guide to locate witches, prove they are witches and prosecute them. I really think he just didn't like women and wanted to torture them.
There are so many things wrong with the Malleus Maleficarum. I will save that for another post.
In England witchcraft was used to persecute a lot of people but the ones I am going to talk about are the Quakers. I am actually descended from them. They immigrated to Pennsylvania to escape religious persecution. They preached against taxation. That was very upsetting to the monarchy. They also had women preachers. That was against the church of England who didn't begin ordaining women until the 1990s. That sounds really bad but in Mormonism women are still not allowed to be ordained.
The Quakers gave us the appearance of the modern witch. The conical wide brimmed hat.
Another thing I learned recently but I cannot give you a source for is the reason that witches are portrayed as being hideous. After being arrested, they were put in dungeons where they were tortured and starved and would often get sick. By the time they were marched through town to be burned or executed, they looked hideous indeed. They would have cuts and bruises and messy hair and possible be naked or have filthy clothing.
In my group I have often struggled with sharing religion or politics. Most groups I am in avoid those things. I realized that I cannot avoid them. You see, I am a witch because I stand against them. I am a witch because of religion, politics and misogyny.
What is a witch really?
Before Christianity, before the roman empire spread across Europe, my people were people of the Earth. They were tribal people. They were pagan people. They loved the Earth and all of her seasons. They had many different Gods who helped them with their daily survival. Their concerns were staying alive, having food and shelter, having community and love. I am not saying they were perfect but they did not go around wiping out entire cultures. I am descended from mostly simple people. Simple is not a bad thing. It does not mean stupid. It means that they did not strive to conquer the world. They strived to live in it. They gathered from what nature provided them.
There is a myth that witches are bound to Satan. Satan is a Christian creation. Before Christianity my people did not know of Satan.
To me a witch is a person who celebrates nature and their connection to the Earth and the senses.
To be a witch is to be feminist. You cannot be a witch and not be feminist. To be a witch is to stand against the patriarchy and misogyny. To be a witch is to use all of the power at your disposal to bring the highest good to yourself and those around you.
That includes discussions of religion and politics.
I am a witch.
I am not sorry. I will not apologize.
I have a distinct problem with WICCA. Why? Because it was started by men. It looks to me like the perpetuation of men taking over what a woman has and making theirs. Historically if women were independent, found a way to make money or were old. Men would call them a witch and have them persecuted if they could. If they saw a woman making money and doing it well they would drive her out of business so they could claim that income as their own. Old women were a threat because they no longer wanted to tolerate being mistreated by men.
That is why in 2022 we are still fighting for equality in the United States of America. That is why in 2022 the supreme court overturned Roe v Wade and essentially said that a woman does not have the right to choose what happens to her own body. That was a case that in 1973 won women the right to legally have an abortion.
I am a witch because I believe that women have a right to choose what happens to their own bodies.
I used 3 wikipedia articles for reference on this post.
Check out the new theme song for us that was just released:
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