Witchy Woman

Since Halloween in upon us I thought it would only be necessary to discuss witches, a powerful representation of women. The connotation of the word "witch" can divert into more categories, like an intricate spider's web.
Perhaps the reason I have always loved witches since I was a girl is due to The Wizard of OZ. I never had an affiliation with Glinda or Dorothy; they were both so quiet, and compliant and they never stood out to me. The Wicked Witch on the other hand, she had power; she worked alone (okay, she had the flying monkeys to help) but she went after what she wanted and she put her plans into motion. Granted, she didn't use her power for "good" but unlike Dorothy she was not looking for a man to come and save her i.e. the wizard. The Wicked Witch was never frightened to walk the streets alone, never worried she wouldn't find "prince charming," didn't need anyone to save her. She was completely unlike any of the female characters directed at young girls and I loved her!
Hence began my obsession with witches and perhaps why Halloween is my favorite time of the year. As I got older and began to learn about witches and how their power has marred history forever it is no wonder that these women were feared for the intellect and power they possessed. The fear of powerful women caused the deaths of hundreds of innocent people in Europe and the U.S.
Can you believe that the thought of women being able to cast spells and take control of their own lives scared the shit out of men to that extent??!! If that doesn't display the power women have then I don't know what does!
So if you are not normally a strong and confident woman perhaps you can tap into your inner witch this sunday and do something to exercise some power, even if it's teaching your dog a new trick. (And no, I wasn't referring to your boyfriend).

Happy Halloween!

Good Witch Bad Witch?

I found myself in Salem, Massachusettes, absolutely in love with colonial history and the insanity that accompanied the Salem Witch Trials. Boy was I in my glory here, everything in Salem exhuded colonial history and everyone seemed as weird and artsy as I am. I had never fit in with my own family thanks to this weird trait, still not sure which gene pool I have swam in to obtain that. But anyway, I only ended up being there for several glorious hours and dreaded my departure. In the museum I was given a taste of Pagan and Wiccan culture which opened my eyes to a new and exciting way of living. What does this have to do with feminism? I know it does not seem to come together yet but please, be patient.

I have always grown up around Catholicism, a religion I learned to despise thanks to its hypocritical and sexists ideas and let me not forget its mostly judgemental participants, at least from my experience. How can I find solace and faith in a religion who tells homosexuals their way of life is wrong when they harbor pedophiles who rape and molest innocent children? Well, upon hearing the Wiccan crede, "Do what ye will if it harm none," I was immediately transformed. I know other people think that Wicca is weird and even evil and that witches come together under the full moon and summon the devil to get even with their earthly rivals. Well let me tell you that that is completely WRONG. Do not misunderstand me, I by no means am saying that Catholicism is wrong or bad. I know the church gives hope and comfort to many people

All I am saying is that there is a belief system out there that has restored MY faith in organized religion, I found a place where the way I think about the world actually exhists. Where power and creativity do not lie in the hands of a male god but a Goddess and a God. Both cannot exhist without the other. No where is there a story that says the first ancestor of my sex destroyed the the plan that god created for his human beings. I am not to be looked upon as the beginning of the fall of man kind nor the naive, easily seducted seductress.

As I have come to learn and respect Wiccan religion, I have also adopted it into my everyday life. Each day I hope to learn more and become a better participant in the ideas of respecting nature and my other fellow human beings. I can be proud to pass this on to my children, my daughter. She will know that she has importance in the world that being a woman is also as powerful as being a man. Like the sun and the moon, life could not exists with just the male or the female. No one is judgemental, no one is pushed away, there are no evil chants or devil worshipping. There is not even the existence of hell. I am sorry that the pentagram has such a negative connotation, just as being a woman does. Anyway, until next time...Blessed Be