Welcome to the Witching Hour Part 8: The Power of the Witch

"Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?"

This quote comes from the movie The Witch: A New England Folk Tale when the devil, disguised as the goat Black Phillip, offers to make a pack with the eldest daughter, and only survivor to the end of the movie, Thomasin for her to become a witch.

Thomasin as the beginning of the movie (left) and when she becomes a witch at the end (right)

One would think selling her soul at the end of the movie would equal a bad ending for this movie, but I don't think it does. For most of the movie, Thomasin has been bullied, blamed for things beyond her control, and alienated from the rest of her family. Her brother begins to lust after her feminine form. Her father allows her to take the blame for a theft he committed. She is constantly facing her mother's wrath for things she couldn't control.

When Thomasin joins the witches, whom we've seen commit terrible crimes like murdering a baby, she's smiling and excited. It's the first time in the movie she looks truly happy instead of board, angry, or scared. It's as though Thomasin has found herself as a witch.

Thomasin gains freedom by becoming a witch. There are a few draw backs, like her soul is damned to hell and she has to murder babies in order to fly, but for the first time in her Puritan life she is allowed to make decisions for herself.

Maybe The Witch isn't the best example for this post, but it is a powerful scene. If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it. It's a slow burn horror movie with minimum jump scares and a lot of psychological mind twists. It's on Netflix for the 2018 October season.

Witches are feared. They can curse you to fall ill, hex your farm so that you have a lousy crop, and maybe they'll even turn you into a newt (don't worry, you'll get better eventually). Witches have powers that aren't very well understood. You definitely don't want to anger a witch.

Witches have power.

They're often thought of as independent and self-sufficient, especially when they live far from the village. Witches can heal you with the right potion or poison your worst enemy - for a price. They're knowledgeable and wise.

People don't want to mess with a witch.

So is it any wonder that some people, especially those who don't feel powerful, might find the art of witchcraft appealing?

Modern witchcraft focuses a lot on finding harmony with the world and self-empowerment. It's not derived from the forces of evil or the devil. It's tapping into the natural energy that makes up the universe to do magick.

For women in particular, it's a type of empowerment that doesn't derive from a relationship to a man.

As progressive as the American culture appears to be, there are still a lot of carryovers from bygone eras. One particularly tough cultural paradigm that girls can't seem to shake is how much our society hates anything preteen and teenage girls love. Yeah, a lot of what they obsess over is stupid, but is it really worth the levels of hate the Internet has come up with. I've been a witness and occasional participant in the hate: "Twilight, the worst thing ever", "why does anyone like Justin Bieber", "Brittany Spears isn't even that good of a singer".

Society hates that preteen and teenage girls where clothes that aren't "appropriate", except that's all the stores offer. We hate that they wear makeup, even if grown women are pretty much expected to wear it all the time. We're constantly telling them they are a distraction to boys, despite the fact that boys should have self-control.

It's not like preteen and teenage boys don't have questionable taste in media or dress. Society just doesn't fixate on it quite as much.

Women and girls are still talked about being "someone's ______" when rape is discussed. They're blamed for being in a situation, instead of  supported. Most big budget movies (even if they aren't romance) still have a guy and a girl getting together at the end - the girl's personality and story line need not be included.

So is it any wonder that the idea of becoming a witch is appealing to girls in particular. That little boom in the 90s and (hopeful) resurgence now of powerful women as witches isn't coming from no-where. There's a hunger for powerful women roles that aren't connected to anyone else.

Shared by Chaos Witch on Facebook originally posted by penfairy.

"Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?"

Yeah, I kind of do. Having some illusion of power over my life would be nice. Feeling that I have everything together and knowing things will turn out alright would be great.

Because right now I'm angry, scared, anxious, depressed, confused, and hurt.

My interest in witchcraft originally stemmed from my interest in the unknown. It has since grown for many different reasons. I like a lot of the philosophy, learning about herbal remedies is interesting, and the connection with nature.

Feeling empowered is a nice bonus.

I'm not saying I'm a witch, that's still very much up for debate, and not everything in this series of posts applies to all witches (Wiccans and other witches might not agree with a lot of what I've written). I've been on a journey for spiritual enlightenment and tranquility for a while. This has been a stop on a very long journey that is still in progress.

And part of me still feels like a six year old child reading Harry Potter for the first time and hoping I get a letter to Hogwarts. Part of me still believes in fairy tales, magick, ghosts, and monsters that live under the bed. It's my way of dealing with the real world and everything it has to throw at me.

If you or anyone you know is interested in witchcraft, Wicca, or magick, I have a few books that I recommend checking out. I've already mentioned The Modern Guide to Witchcraft by Sky Alexander, but other books you might want to check out include:

• The Green Witch - You're Complete Guide to The Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More by Arin Murphy-Hiscock
• Wiccapedia - A Modern-Day White Witch's Guide by Shawn Robbins and Leanna Greenaway
• Magical Herbalism - The Secret Craft of the Wise by Scott Cunningham

And for anyone who's interested in the less religious and spiritual side of witchcraft please check out: 

• Basic Witches - How to Summon Success, Banish Drama, and Raise Hell with your Coven by Jaya Saxena and Jess Zimmerman

Thank you for joining me on this series. I do hope to one day write a novel or novella (series?) involving modern witches, but until then I'll keep reading and researching everything I can find.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.