“To attain to Sanctum Regnum, in other words, the knowledge and power of the magi, there are four indispensable conditions—an intelligence illuminated by study, an intrepidity which nothing can check, a will which cannot be broken, and a prudence which nothing can corrupt and nothing intoxicate. TO KNOW, TO DARE, TO WILL, TO KEEP SILENCE—such are the four words of the magus, inscribed upon the four symbolical forms of the sphinx.”
These are the words of Eliphas Levi, French occultist, ceremonial magician and author who lived from 1810 to 1875.
In modern witchcraft, To Know, To Dare, To Will and To Keep Silence are known as the Witches’ Pyramid or the Four Pillars of Witchcraft. Some include a fifth direction, To Go. The fourth pillar has been interpreted in many ways including quiet observation, personal reserve and humility. However, in times of persecution, To Keep Silence meant donning a veil of secrecy.
I’m seeing a lot of chatter going around the witch socials these days about our duty to resist political leadership moving toward Christian nationalist authoritarianism. Many are advocating for loud and proud visibility in their practice. I have to ask, why should witches be at the front line more than any others? Of course the fight for democracy, religious freedom and equity in government is everybody’s concern, but I would argue that certain groups of resisters have more at stake than others, and witches are among them.
I think as helpers and healers, as medicine women and men, as wisdom leaders, visionaries, and protectors we perhaps see ourselves as agents of change. Still, we don’t have to fly our witch flag at protests, or even attend protests for that matter. Visible activism (witch or not) comes with risk, and we all have to assess that risk in consideration of our circumstances—not only ourselves, but those close to us.
You might think it’s worth being tear gassed, assaulted, arrested, jailed, charged with, and possibly convicted of a crime, but the mother with young children probably feels differently. The teacher in a conservative district might want to keep her job. The grandparent with limited financial resources might not want the costly burden of mounting a legal defense. And the out of the broom closet witch might not want the scrutiny.
Burning Times
There is no one, simple answer to what spurred the witch hunts that swept through Europe and the U.S. Colonies between the 15th and 18th Centuries. Rather there was a perfect storm of circumstances contributing to the maelstrom—one modern witches would do well to take note of now.
The period of time we recognize as the Middle Ages was marked by numerous, challenging conditions including poverty, pestilence, plagues and widespread famine. Interestingly, all of these events were preceded by a century long climate fluctuation (known as The Little Ice Age). Religious zeal and superstitious fears of the time contributed to the singling out of certain groups of people to blame, including pagans or those of religious faiths outside the dominant church.
Further, a shift from the land-based economy of feudalism, to market-based capitalism widened the wealth gap between the ruling class and the masses, fostering discontent among the lower classes. Economic struggle, fear, superstition and a growing suspicion of those who didn’t conform to the ideology of the ruling class, sowed the seeds of unrest.
In the New World, witch hysteria took hold in the wake of British and French troops clashing over land acquisition in North America. A smallpox outbreak, the fear of attacks from Indigenous tribes, and the struggle just to survive the stark realities of Puritan life, created a tense atmosphere ripe for pointing the finger at scapegoats.
It may seem that we are living in more enlightened times, when those practicing witchcraft have the freedom to do so out of the shadows with little or no fear of persecution—but are we really, when so many of the catalysts on the era of witch hunts are repeating themselves?
Eighty-percent of those historically accused of being witches practiced midwifery, providing reproductive care in their communities. Right now, in the United States, women’s reproductive rights are being challenged and rescinded every day. Bodies are being legislated. Doctors are withholding necessary treatment and procedures for pregnant women out of fear of being prosecuted. The air is crackling with uncertainty and suspicion.
In the first year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that reversed Roe v. Wade, at least 210 people faced criminal charges associated with pregnancy, pregnancy loss or still birth—the highest number documented in a single year according to this report. Women in as many as seven states have faced criminal charges after a miscarriage or stillbirth. In Texas a woman was incarcerated for five months before charges were dropped.
Legislators may not be calling these women witches, but they have reverted to accusing women of murdering babies, along with proposing voting laws and ideologies that place women and their bodies fully under the control of men. There is even greater threat to witches practicing herbal self-care for moon cycles—with remedies as simple as raspberry leaf, black cohosh, yarrow and chasteberry. I have no doubt we will come under suspicion of trying to induce abortion, either for ourselves or for others if we share the information.
Right now we are faced with unchecked capitalism creating a wide wealth gap, and shrinking the middle class in developed nations around the world. Climate change and the resulting catastrophic weather patterns are threatening crops. Christian nationalism in the U.S. is taking hold in the streets and the halls of government. Covid remains a health concern, bird flu has crossed the animal-human barrier and is not being tracked in the current administration. Once eradicated childhood diseases like measles, mumps and whooping cough are making a return. Meanwhile, a vaccine denier is leading the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
History is repeating itself and I see a storm on the horizon.
When I say witchcraft is political, I’m talking about more than protests and policies. I’m talking about the everyday choices we make to live intentionally, to disrupt oppression, to care for ourselves and our communities in ways that defy systems of harm. Witchcraft is resistance—against social conventionality, against limitation, and against the injustices of the ruling class.
Strategy Is Everything
Witchcraft claims autonomy in a world that often seeks to silence, punish, or erase those who live outside the boundary of conformity. Historically, witches have existed in the margins and safely navigating marginalization requires a strategic mindset. We learn how to read systems, temper expectations, and reclaim power in ways that don’t always look like open defiance—but absolutely are. Whether we’re decolonizing our practices, refusing capitalist culture through our purchasing power, or casting spells of protection and protest, we are engaging in resistance. All of this takes careful strategy in these potentially dangerous times.
As deeply intentional beings, strategic thinking is baked into our bones—we don’t just believe in magic, we plan for it. Spellcrafting takes clear intention, aligned action, gathering of information, knowing how and when to use that information, and projecting possible outcomes. Every candle lit, every word spoken, every moment of stillness is chosen with knowledge and forethought. That level of intention is inherently cunning and the more we engage with our practice, the more naturally we develop those core strategic skills.
More than that, witches are keenly attuned to human nature, we read the room when we walk into it, we feel the hum of any unrest in the air. We are empathic antennas, especially in times of collective grief and rage.
Magic Is Energy
At its core, magic is about directing energy toward a specific outcome—witches don’t wait for change, we manifest it. As a planet and a society we are experiencing a dramatic transformation, the death of old ways, the uncertainty of a changing world order, suspicion of new regimes. We are poised at a crossroad in time not so different from the Medieval period. Whether the world will change for better or worse we can’t yet know.
“We, as a planet and a society are experiencing the dying off of old ways. We are at a pivotal stage, an epochal moment in time. We are entering the nexus, or as I like to say, we are birthing the next us.”
Simple Witchery: At The Crossroads of Time
Into the Shadows
Practicing in the shadows is stealth work, a time honored form of resistance. Witches know how to exist in the shadows. We might be the friendly librarian checking out books, the manager at the fitness center, or the owner of the coffee shop serving up everybody’s favorite brew—with folx none the wiser that we are witches.
History has shown us that during reactionary times, anyone seen as different can be viewed as dangerous or subversive. Now we have a front row seat, seeing the accusations play out in real time as verbal grooming —the enemy from within, vermin, criminals, thugs, anti-fa terrorists, and labeling gender affirming choices as mental illness.
Far from hiding in fear, keeping a low profile is a powerful way to control the narrative—it means being intentional about when, where and with whom you share your knowledge and power. It does not dim your light, and it may just save your neck if things get worse. Admit it, you’ve clicked like on the meme declaring We are the granddaughters of the witches you didn’t burn. Ask yourself how they survived.
If Christian nationalism succeeds in creating a theocracy, the protection of religious freedom will fly out the window. But the new witch hunts won’t be about flames and nooses; there are better ways to vanquish a modern witch. Persecution will look like doxing, boycotting businesses, slander, harassment, frivolous lawsuits, vandalism, and physical violence—including death at the hands of zealots, because there is always somebody with a gun, or a knife, or club who believes killing a witch is their god-given mission.
There are many good reasons why keeping your witchcraft on the down low in these times is the wise choice. Or if you’ve made no secret of your practice, taking care in how you engage in public resistance.
Try this invisibility spell to help you cloak your presence when working from the shadows, and to protect your energy.
Spell for the Cloak of Shadows
Intention: To protect your energy and allow you to go unseen, unfollowed, and untouched by those who would misjudge you or cause you harm.
You will need:
A black or dark gray candle
A small mirror or obsidian stone
A pinch of dried poppy, mugwort, or basil (optional, for energetic cloaking)
A black cloth or scarf
Timing:
Ideal waning moon phase or especially the dark moon, at dusk or twilight hours. But it may be cast whenever you feel the need to become less visible—energetically or socially.
Ritual:
Prepare Your Space
Sit in a quiet, dim place. Light your black candle. Set the mirror or obsidian in front of it so that the flame reflects dimly. Let your breath slow and your awareness sharpen.
Hold the Herbs or Cloth
If using herbs, hold them in your hands and breathe over them. If not, hold the black cloth like a veil between yourself and the world.
Chant the Spell:
“By root and stone, by mist and night,
I slip between the edge of sight.
Let eyes glance past, let tongues forget,
Let no ill will upon me set.
Shadow soft and silence wide,
Let me walk where I may hide.
No harm may cling, no fear may find,
My power veiled, my soul aligned.
As I will, so mote it be— “
Visualize
Picture yourself becoming dimmer, not erased but cloaked—like moonlight behind cloud. You’re there, just not seen. Let the feeling settle into your skin like a second layer.
Close the Spell: Snuff the candle. Wrap the mirror or stone in the black cloth and keep it on your altar, in your bag, or under your pillow as a charm. If using herbs, scatter them outside at night with a whispered “Thank you.”
Whether you’ve chosen to remain in the broom closet, or you wear your witch identity on your sleeve, keeping a low profile in perilous times is wise self-care. Your witchcraft does not require visibility to make an impact.
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