Woman, Reclaim Your Power

I heard the news that the Supreme Court had overturned Roe vs. Wade Friday morning, directly after stepping into my friend Katlyn’s shop. She was sitting in her office chair and stood up to hug me hello before telling me the news. I was in denial at first. It was hard to believe that the reproductive rights hard won in my mother’s generation could be taken away with such ease. My mind flashed to my mother telling me about the hospital requiring my father’s permission for her to have a tubal ligation after giving birth to me in 1989.

Katlyn and I sat down to catch up. We had received the news about our autonomy rights being revoked on a federal level, and there were all kinds of emotions around it, yet we were calm. It was as if we could feel within our souls the collective, wearied sigh of all our female ancestors in that moment. Like this was yet another blip in an ongoing battle that preceded us and would very likely outlive us, and in that moment a timeless expanse of feminine struggle opened up.

Another friend joined us and we did what women have always done. We conversed. We held our heads high. We carried on being ourselves, standing in our power under the weight of the boot on our necks. We sat in supportive community. We discussed our sacred nature, and the fear men have of women, and how much better the world would be if societies valued the sacred feminine.

The people making decisions to oppress women and take away our rights are clowns in the court of the universe. It’s a jester’s act, because truly they have no legitimate power. Women and our bodies will always be beyond their control.. Just like it will always be beyond their control for the LGBTQIA community to exist, to form relationships, to love, to create their own families.  No matter how it looks on the outside, the truth is, they have not won.

It doesn’t matter what laws they pass, not really. We’ve been down this road before. This isn’t the last word. I pity these false justices (there is nothing truly just about them). We all know that this decision won’t actually end abortions. Abortions happened before it was legal, while it was legal, and will continue to happen now that it is no longer a federally protected right.

It’s unfortunate that they want to wage war on us. But they are not the higher power. They are not initiated into our mysteries. We will resist. We will prevail. The tide will turn again.

Disclaimer: I don’t make this post to be glib. This post is meant to serve as a reminder that you as a woman are powerful, that women are community builders, and that we are not alone. I know that this horrid Supreme Court decision will affect many of us negatively. I just don’t want you to forget that no matter the law, it IS your body, and it is your divine right to do what you feel is best for yourself. ​

About the Author

Jessica Jascha is a Clinical Herbalist, Intuitive Consultant and writer in Minnesota. She also writes for Witch Way Magazine. She owns Jascha Botanicals and Owl in the Oak Tarot where she gives readings, teaches ritual, and provides holistic consultations. You can find her on Facebook.

featured image via pixabay