By Gwen Frost
Witchcraft is broadly defined as the practice of magical skills practiced by certain individuals or groups. Witches have believed to be able cast spells, as well as facilitate necromancy (the conjuring of one from the dead).
In response to the religious rhetoric that witches were evil because they forced people to do things against their will, the surgence of the concept of “white witches” emerged to distinguish practicers of benevolent magic from those who practice black magic (let it be noted that there is an obviously racially-discriminatory undertone to these definitions).
Though many view witchcraft as a myth or ancient practice, witchcraft is still alive and practiced today.
Student Anna Hart said she began to feel a connection to witchcraft because of her deep connection to the Earth.
“Witchcraft, for me, is a way to go back to my roots of experiencing the world the same way many people did for centuries,” said Hart. She associates practices such as harnessing the power offered with lunar cycles, using herbs and flowers as remedies and to influence spells, or using the natural magic our world provides to make things happen.
The craft itself as anti-capitalist because of its rejection of materialism, and it works toward restoring the power in individuals to threaten contemporary socio-political systems.
“Witchcraft itself is inherently political,” explained Hart.
Western culture often teaches us to devalue naturopathic medicine, and prioritizes Western medicine as the way to accurately treat illness.
“[We also] treat people who believe in those things (women in particular) as ‘crazy,’” said Hart. “Witchcraft is empowering for people of all genders, especially those who have been historically oppressed, and can be practiced by anyone.”
An event for February 24, 2017 was planned to hex Donald Trump. Over 300 people committed to being at Trump Tower at 11:59 pm for the #magicresistance.
In 2016 Melanie Hexen of Iowa organized a hexxing of Brock Turner, who was convicted of sexual assault but given a pathetically small sentence. The virtual hexing event was done through Facebook: “Brock Allen Turner we hex you. You will be impotent. You will know constant pain of pine needles in your guts. Food will bring you no sustenance. In water, your lungs will fail you. Sleep will only bring nightmares. Shame will be your mantle. You will meet justice.”
No information has yet attributed Turner’s suffering to this spell, but no information has denied that the hex worked.
In California, student of Elegance International School of Professional Makeup Lauren Balfour said they had avoided magic and being called a witch for a really long time, until they honed in on their own values.
Balfour says they do “none of the usual traditional clothing and (are) not at all Wiccan,” but rather a pantheist mixed with selective ideals and practices. Balfour practices magic through work with candles, herbs, parchment and meditation. Mindfulness and manifestation help Balfour in grounding themselves in their body, and imagining light helps them breathe easier.
Balfour explained that the Halloween stereotype of what a witch “is” (black hat, broomstick, cats, wand) doesn’t really detract from the legitimacy of witchcraft for them.
“There are witches who do actually use wands & have cat familiars, so it’s not like the stereotype is a total stretch by any means,” Balfour explained.
A student living in New Jersey named Sapphire believes that being a witch is more of an internal trait rather than a religious belief, but also acknowledges that it can depend on the person. Witchcraft has been in Sapphire’s families blood for centuries. They described “pagan” as a blanket term covering thousands of beliefs, encompassing many different religious beliefs and lifestyle decisions/outlooks.
“For me it’s a more of an internal trait which shapes my beliefs,” they said. “I can be myself in witchcraft and paganism; we are a no-judgment, generally apathetic group of people.”
They say pagan organizations are all very close knit and supportive of each other.
“In my pagan beliefs I worship the natural world, so it has natural applications. I am inclined to take care of animals and plants and whatnot and do my part to help the environment.”
A spell often used by Sapphire is a versatile dead-calming spell used to calm spirits who have been spooked or are scared. The spell involves burning sage, tobacco, and stones. In a formal setting involving a circle and protection spells, the spell is “very powerful and can quell even the angstiest of spirits” said Sapphire.
Sage and tobacco are both necromantic herbs (necromancy is the magic involved communicated with the dead), which is said to have a very strong on spirits. The tobacco allows one to communicate more effectively and the sage is used as an offering. The stones used are generally amethyst, or whatever a witch is comfortable with.
“You burn the sage and tobacco and channel your energy through the stones,” they said. “I use the quartz as an amplifier for my energy.”
Some traditions observed by Sapphire include Winter Solstice/Yule. Celebrated generally on December 21, events often include large feasts and lots of beer.
Large pagan presences are generally most accessible in any college or large city, where a multitude of covens and other pagan organizations often manage to find a foothold. Sapphire emphasized the range of tradition in witchcraft; “a pagan congregation differs vastly from group to group; some will just have a party and get drunk, some will do some rituals and hang out, some will go all out with their rituals… unless you follow a specific religion, there are no ‘canon’ rules, so it’s up to the group’s discretion.”
If looking to get involved, some events that could be of interest annually would be the September Esoteric Book Conference, in Seattle, which includes discussion of a range of books about magic, polytheism and more. The Dandelion seed conference happens every October in Olympia, where magic workers can be found teaching and vending.
This Saturday, November 4 a Rock n’ Roll Witches Ball organized by Whatcom Pagans will be held at the Center for Spiritual Living Bellingham. Ritual begins at 5 pm PST (Pagan Standard Time), where Ra and Isis are set to bring guests on a guided tour to visit Osiris in the underworld, and Nuit up in the heavens (event can be found on facebook).
Webster’s dictionary defines “witch” firstly as “one that is credited with usually malignant supernatural powers; especially a woman practicing usually black witchcraft often with the aid of a devil or familiar,” and secondly as “an ugly old woman.” The general confusion of what Witches actually do or who they are is only as accurate as they are very diverse in beliefs and practice.