Witchcraft has a long and complicated history, deeply interwoven with intersections of marginalized identity and feminine empowerment.

The term “witch”, throughout periods in history and across geographical regions globally, has been a word used to identify, target and prosecute women, folks with disabilities, and people of color – anyone perceived as a threat to the status quo of the dominant society.

Many have reclaimed this word, using it to identify themselves, announcing loudly and proudly that they exist to disrupt the comfortable norms in favor of free expression and belief.

Whether self-identified witches believe and engage as spiritual practitioners is inconsequential. That’s the connotation of the term, yes, but to be a witch is simply to be a change-maker. Change can come about through a variety of means, with spiritual engagement being one small possibility. As many experienced practitioners will remind, mundane over magical. Magic without mundane action, you may discover, is rather ineffective.

Witches are keepers of history and knowledge, preserving access to information, tools and resources crucial to the wellbeing of themselves and others in their local communities. Herbalism is a fine example of this, closely connected to reproductive healthcare. Witches observe, track and note the cycles of historical precedence, and use that knowledge to educate and prepare the future.

Additionally, across the multitudes of cultural subsets of spiritual practice, there are many spells and rituals rooted in protection and justice. A glamour to encourage invisibility to stay under-the-radar, or to generate attraction in order to lure and sweeten the attentions of hazardous agents. Spells of justice and punishment to right wrongs and empower survivors – crucial when a society’s systems protect the dangerous and permit victimization unchecked.

Finding faith in collective power offers a source of comfort and hope as well, serving as a well of strength when oppression threatens the spirit.

So, witchcraft is activism. We often see surges of interest during periods of social unrest, when trust in the protections of government to preserve space and access for marginalized communities wanes. As fascism continues to gain energy in the United States and across the world, we are likely to see waves of curiosity and enthusiasm for witchy rebellion.

Protect yourselves, and protect each other.

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