Witch, Please: Potions and Politics

"You are a witch by being female, untamed, angry, joyous" 

It was February 2017. Lana Del Rey, via the medium of Twitter, sent out a call to her witchy following to hex Donald Trump. The ingredients were simple. A bowl of water, a bowl of salt, a tarot card, a stub of an orange candle and an unflattering photo of Trump (which was no doubt the easiest ingredient on the list to source). On mass, the spell was cast on a waning crescent moon. But it seems that the witches got their dates slightly confused. When the news broke of POTUS' contraction of Covid-19 on the 2nd of this month, many looked to the occult. 

In 2020, Witches are nothing new to us. They are a bewitching archetype of fantastical entertainment and continue to thrive in popular culture. Witches have turned children into mice, been flattened by houses, hailed Satan, cooked children in their ovens, battled family curses and put lyrical spells on a town's adults. As a child of the 90s, I grew up alongside the magical televised women in Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Charmed and The Worst Witch. Their looks might differ: from bald as a boiled egg, green, hag-like to extreme youthfulness and sex appeal, but their dependence on magic remains.  

We all know of the infamous persecution of 'Witches' in America, The Salem Witch Trials. 200 women were accused of Witchcraft and 20 were executed, despite the fact that the colonial officials did not actually believe in the practice... They became some of the first magical martyrs. Five of these women were exonerated on Halloween in 2001: Bridget Bishop, Susannah Martin, Alice Parker, Wilmot Redd and Margaret Scott. 300 years too late. Fuelled by militant religion, Witch-hunts were also widespread across Early Modern Europe. Some historians believe there may have been up to 60,000 executions and interestingly, not all of these were women, as one might expect. 

Today, however, you'll find the term is more often used in a political and public forum. Anti-Communist rhetoric fuelled the word's use in the sixties with Stalinist Witch-hunts or McCarthyite Witch-hunts becoming rife. Since Trump's inauguration, he has tweeted the word over 400 times. Ironic for the most powerful man in the land. The closest he has come to a stake is on his plate.

Unlike in the 17th century, where the title 'Witch' was used as a derogatory, many have sought in recent times, to reclaim the word. Dressed as Witches and murmuring hexes, Women's International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell, simply known as W.I.T.C.H, stormed Wall Street on Halloween in 1968. The next day the Dow reportedly went down 13 points. Their manifesto exulted "If you are a woman and dare to look within yourself, you are a Witch. You make your own rules. You are free and beautiful... You are a Witch by being female, untamed, angry, joyous, and immortal." Their matriarchal 'coven' acted as a definitive aggressor against patriarchal oppression. The Witch was their emblem for power rather than Witchcraft, a tool to achieve liberation and a cloak for their sisterhood. 

Similarly, those identifying as Witches today remain anti-establishment. The Witch has become synonymous with activism and empowerment in recent years. Before the 2017 Women's March, Andi Ziesler heralded that "We need to go full witch." Recently, Witches have stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. With their own history of oppression, (although acknowledged on a completely different scale), many feel that it is necessary to contribute to the discourse. Protesting against systemic racism, Witches stand proud with the community both in person, at demonstrations, and also on the social media site, Tiktok. Occupying an increasingly popular alternative side of the platform, with the aid of celebrity endorsement, known as WitchTok. Their most recognisable tag #WitchesForBLM emphasis is largely upon protection, with many Witches reciting spells of support for the cause. However, there are also some darker TikToks where hexes are recited towards the police. Yet, the intent behind all of these remain the same: any form of persecution is intolerable. 

As with most movements, there is a divide between more practiced Witches and those new to the craft, known in the community as 'baby Witches'. This divide was only strengthened recently, when a group of trending baby Witches came under fire for hexing first the fae and then the moon. The mythical fae are cunning and mischievous magical beings regaled in folklore across endless cultures. The moon is said to enhance a Witch's magic and acts as a basis for many incantations. Apparently, both do not conform to human rules, so neither were at serious risk of the babies' spells, but regardless the hexes were a definite no no.   

For some, calling a woman the title 'Witch' remains a misogynistic insult and is utilised especially in the political sphere. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) was accused by Conservative Christians of leading “a coven of witches that cast spells on President Trump 24 hours a day, seven days a week." The woman has no rest! In the run up to the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton was dubbed as the 'Wicked Witch of the Left' and Twitter was flooded with edited images of her riding a broom. Across the pond, in 2017, the same tactic was used at Westminster, with MPs sending out Christmas cards depicting Theresa May as the Wicked Witch, but this time, of Westminster. The connection between strong women and Witchcraft is not a new political tactic. Queen Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn, Joan of Arc and Cleopatra were all slandered with the title. It seems that powerful, intelligent women have always been threats and the only feasible way they have achieved their position is through sorcery not legitimate practice.  

In Hollywood, the Me-Too movement has brought to the forefront female equality, with a campaign waged against sexual harassment and the silencing of women. In some places of the world, however, the victimisation of women and real Witch-hunts are ongoing. In India, when landowning women are accused of Witchcraft, their lands are stolen. Only in July of this year, having been denounced a Witch, 90 year old Akua Denteh was beaten to death in Ghana's East Gonja District. This is not an isolated occurrence. 

 
2020 was predicted as the year of the Witch. A year which heralded the beginning of 'The Great Transformation', an astrological cycle where Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto came into conjunction and one which Hecate, the goddess of magic and Witchcraft, well and truly rules at a crossroads. In the age of Me-Too, female empowerment is at an all time high. Whether one believes in magic or not, as a feminist, any defence against injustice or discrimination is commendable. Witch please, sign me up.