NeoNotes — What witch?
❝The "Witch Winter Solstice Ritual" in Nylon is populist pap. It's a lot like having Easter using only Cadbury eggs and never once mentioning a resurrection or what it might mean.❞NeoNotes are the selected comments that I made on other boards, in email, or in response to articles where I could not respond directly.
So what exactly in this day and age makes a real witch? Some will tell you that real witchcraft doesn't exist because magick doesn't exist. And it doesn't, at least not in the popular culture version.
Someone pointed this one out around the beginning of May. You can read my opinion up above. The author is describing a party, not a solstice ritual. Where's the Deity? Where do you invite something greater than yourself into your life? What exactly are you celebrating?
Witchcraft isn't necessarily religious, but it does mean creating change. Not all pagans are witches, anymore than all Catholics are altar boys. I do not often write about witches and witchcraft much these days. That being said, some of us are and we take our charge and calling very seriously indeed.
And then the Unicorn Brigade strikes. You may have your own terms, but there is is. ❝Witchcraft is all Positive And Happiness And Light and you're not a True Witch™ unless You Put Only Good Things Back Into the World.❞ I'm actually surprised to see Buckland take this attitude. Sometimes you have to curse before you can heal. That's not a very pleasant fact, but it is a fact.
My maternal grandfather was a farmer before he came to Arizona. After he retired, he was the Gardener with a capital "G." He delighted in giving most of his crop away. He always made sure that those who needed help got his best stuff. But he couldn't do that garden without pulling weeds. He had to chase away the rabbits and the occasional coyote. His old shotgun was as big a tool as his shovel.
In case you hadn't noticed, Granpa's practical gardening advice became my practical magick advice. There's a long involved story why, but for now I'll just say that not all witches are pagan. Some don't even think of themselves as witches. There are knacks and gifts and touches all over the place if you look. Sometimes it manifests better in farming families.
Sometimes a witch has to help people deal with death and disease. It's still help and change, it's just focused on those who stay behind.
And sometimes an Authority Figure® has to be dealt with. And not just the Republican ones.
When someone comes to a witch, it's often a last resort. If it isn't, the witch should send them packing. Maybe with a kick up the backside to remind them some things shouldn't be played with. Magick is not something undertaken lightly. More times than not, it comes from the darker side of human nature.
This is truth. It is not something I give lightly. I am not a playgan who wears a costume only as long as it is fun.
We grow by overcoming adversity. Even the adversity that we introduce into our own lives. You must find your own balance to life so you can live.
