{"id":10556,"date":"2015-11-03T08:00:49","date_gmt":"2015-11-03T08:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/agora\/?p=10556"},"modified":"2015-11-03T16:30:17","modified_gmt":"2015-11-03T16:30:17","slug":"irish-american-witchcraft-not-that-kind-of-witch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/agora\/2015\/11\/irish-american-witchcraft-not-that-kind-of-witch\/","title":{"rendered":"Irish-American Witchcraft: Not That Kind Of Witch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

It\u2019s been an interesting few weeks on social media during this year\u2019s lead up to Samhain\/Halloween.<\/p>\n

One thing that I particularly noticed this year, and then increasingly grated on my nerves, was the proliferation of memes and posts defining what witches are. Usually above an image of a willowy, young, attractive woman there would be some text along the lines of \u201cAll witches are gentle and kind\u201d or \u201cNo real witch would ever hex or hurt anyone.\u201d Sometimes it would be a more blunt \u201cReal witches follow the Rede\u201d or \u201cReal witches let karma handle it.\u201d. And, these invariably are enormously popular and get spread around like free candy.<\/p>\n

A candle in a cauldron with burning incense between the words \"Unappologetic Practitioner of Traditional Witchcraft\"
Courtesy of Morgan Daimler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here\u2019s the thing though, although I do understand the urge to make this solidarity statement about how all witches are harmless and good \u2014 don\u2019t be scared of us we\u2019re nice! \u2014\u00a0 it\u2019s almost impossible to make definite statements about witches because witch is such a broad term. I see these things floating around proclaiming that no real witch ever hexes and my first thought is, well, we have a problem then because I am certainly a \u201creal\u201d witch and I do hex. I see the ones saying all witches follow the Rede and think, well not this witch. In trying to put something out there that defends witchcraft as something non-witches shouldn\u2019t be afraid of, in trying to make something that says \u201cdon\u2019t judge us we\u2019re not bad people\u201d what\u2019s really happening is that witches who don\u2019t fit that particular approach are being excluded and judged. Which is ironic since some of those same memes and posts include explicit claims of tolerance and criticism of judging others.<\/p>\n

\"A
Ritual for Badb at the Morrigan\u2019s Call Retreat 2015 \/ Morgan Daimler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I understand, I really do, the way some people just assume that the way they do things is the way everyone does things, or should do things. I see it in the different communities all the time, and I know I do it myself sometimes too. But we aren\u2019t really doing ourselves any favors with this.<\/p>\n

Witches use magic \u2014 except the ones who don\u2019t. Witches don\u2019t hex \u2014 except the ones who do.<\/p>\n

Witchcraft is a religion \u2014 except when it isn\u2019t. Witches are polytheists \u2014 except when they are monotheists. Or atheists. Or agnostics.<\/p>\n

This can all be avoided of course by simply not saying \u201call.\u201d Some witches follow the Rede. Some witches refuse to hex. Or, put the emphasis on your own choices: I<\/em> would never hex or hurt anybody; I<\/em> am a witch who is gentle and kind. See? That\u2019s not hard.<\/p>\n

Since I first got into witchcraft, in the early \u201990\u2019s, there has always been a strong drive in the wider community to present ourselves as safe. To convince the public that witches, et al<\/em>, aren\u2019t scary or dangerous, but just peaceful people with a different spiritual path. And there\u2019s nothing necessarily wrong with that, because there are witches who are entirely focused on compassion and forgiveness, and there are witches who would never hex and who would never do anything to influence another person.<\/p>\n

I am not that kind of witch.<\/p>\n

Which isn\u2019t to say that there is anything wrong with witches who just want peace and harmony \u2013 its just that there isn\u2019t anything wrong with my way either. I\u2019m more the pragmatic-if-it-works-use-it sort, and the if-it-needs-doing-do-it sort. I don\u2019t have to agree with how you do things, or have any interest in doing things that way myself to respect your right to your own path, just like you don\u2019t have to believe what I believe or do things my way to agree that I have a right to my own path. We really gain nothing as a community, even a very loosely based and held together community, by judging and excluding each other for our differences. Our diversity should be a strength, not a weakness.<\/p>\n

Like Nietzsche said\u00a0\u201cYou have your way<\/span>. I have my way<\/span>. As for the right way<\/span>, the correct way<\/span>, and the only way<\/span>, it does not exist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Morrigan
Morrigan statue from Dryad Design<\/a> with fox bone charm necklace and painted ram skull \/ Morgan Daimler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Irish-American Witchcraft<\/em> is published bi-monthly on Tuesdays here on the Agora<\/em>.\u00a0 Subscribe via\u00a0RSS<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0e-mail<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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We really gain nothing as a community, even a very loosely based and held together community, by judging and excluding each other for our differences. Our diversity should be a strength, not a weakness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2287,"featured_media":10570,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[330,606,1550,1],"tags":[69,25,26,1744,175],"class_list":["post-10556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columns","category-pagan-community","category-irish-american-witchcraft","category-politics","tag-diversity","tag-pagan","tag-paganism","tag-traditional-witchcraft","tag-witchcraft"],"yoast_head":"\nIrish-American Witchcraft: Not That Kind Of Witch<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We really gain nothing as a community, even a very loosely based and held together community, by judging and excluding each other for our differences. 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