Good Evening My Witchy Readers,
I have to discuss with you a very serious situation happening in our country today. A little over a year ago there was this woman, who was raped while unconscious by a Stanford University Freshman by the name of Brock Turner, 20 years old. He was caught in the act by two good Samaritans who stopped him and held him until police could get there. That entire situation is bad enough, but unfortunately it gets worse.
He was found guilty of the crimes he was accused of, and instead of receiving up to 6 years in prison, that the prosecutors asked for, the judge, for whatever reason, sentenced him to 6 months in prison, to be released after 3 months. The judge was quoted as saying "A prison sentence will have a severe impact on him. I think he will not be a danger to others." The rapist's father also spoke to the court and dismissed his son's actions as "20 minutes of action". Ridiculous? of course! Outrageous? Absolutely! There are times when our justice system does not deliver justice, as in this case. But for witches, Pagans and magickal people this story continues to get worse.
In just the last few days some misguided women, I believe in Iowa, have decided to conduct a mass hexing on the rapist and the judge. The woman who arranged it calls herself a 'traditional hereditary witch'. As well as "very powerful and her hexes and spells absolutely work".
Well, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride! Without getting too deep into the science of witchcraft, and it's a science more than an art, just think about it, just for a moment. If we could hex anyone we felt entitled to, that we disagreed with, that had offended us, hurt us, or wronged us in some way. If we could really harm them in return, well . . . considering the nature of humans, it would be like the end scenes of the Harry Potter books and movies where everyone was slamming curses at everyone else and all hell was breaking loose. Stone buildings were exploding, flashes of lighting was killing people left and right, I mean . . . really??!! Alright now, I am now seriously ticked off! And that takes a lot for this witch!
This foolish, inexperienced, emotionally wrought woman (who I am hesitant to even call a witch), has absolutely no idea of what she is talking about. None! And I am confident in saying that. Because I know how the science of witchcraft goes, and it doesn't do a damn thing to light a black candle and incant a hex three times on someone. What WILL happen? Nothing to the intended target. But it will come back on her and her silly coven. And she put it on social media! Oh goodie! And over 1,000 other people who may or may not be magickal people but wanted to play at being a witch for a moment also jumped on the band wagon and at the same time, a day or so ago, all lit black candles and said a few words. Am I making light of this 'evil' spell? You bet your cauldrons I am! Now, there are ways to do spell work to right wrongs. To bring justice about in an unjust situation. Absolutely. But this isn't the way to do it. Also, a witch truly worth her magick? Well, she certainly wouldn't put it all over social media. That simply strokes her ego and gives her her 15 minutes of fame. And it makes her spell far less effective.
But, please hear me out. She did succeed in doing extreme damage . . . ah, but not to the rapist. No, but to all of the real witches in this world who have worked tirelessly over decades to bring respectability, reason, understanding and credibility to what we do in the eyes of our communities. We have worked to help the environment, our Blessed Mother Earth, to help the animals, to help the unfortunates, to help those with serious issues in their lives and to show people how they can work a little magick in their lives and create needed change, for the better. We have worked to teach those who are not of our ways that we are not evil, we do not hex or curse others, we do not seek to harm others. We simply wish to go about bringing beauty, love and a better world to others and ourselves.
She, and I will not mention her name, because she has enjoyed enough notoriety on the backs of real witches, that she doesn't deserve to have her name mentioned ever again. But she has hurt the craft, in many ways. she mentioned she wanted to give women, who felt helpless in this situation, regarding the judges decision, some power. She wanted to send love and kindness to the victim. But what she did was take the entire focus away from the victim and focused it on her and her evil coven of childish, inexperienced women. And most importantly, did she receive permission from the victim to do any magick on her behalf? That is first and foremost the most necessary requirement. I can tell you she did not, because the victim's name was not released. So her little revenge spell also violated the victim in yet another way, she wasn't given the opportunity to say whether she wished for this to happen on her behalf. As witches, WE DO NOT get to decide for another if we can do a spell for them, no matter how much WE think it's for their best interest. The power trip this woman and her merry band of women is frightening.
Powerless? When a witch works with her Goddess she never feels powerless. Oh, there are ways to work with Her and make this situation more just and to balance the scales. But not how this woman attempted to do it. It simply demonstrated how very un-knowledgeable and ignorant of magickal ways that she is. It does scare me to think she does have a coven of women she might be teaching these non-magickal methods to.
All this woman succeeded in doing, is to prove to those in our community, that are scared of us, that feel that we do evil and hex and curse others and that we are harmful . . . that they are right. She has made a mockery out of real witchcraft and Wicca the religion of the Witches. There have been so many wonderful, magickal and knowledgeable women and men over the past 5 decades that have worked tirelessly teaching, educating, conducting workshops and lectures, spreading the word of our spirituality and goodness, our desires to heal the world and not to bring harm and they have done an excellent job. I myself have been accepted and respected n my community in Southern New England by most of the people I encounter.
I have lectured at various universities, civic organizations and groups as well as churches and women's spirituality groups. I teach at my own school, men and women who are interested in learning the real practice of the magickal practitioner and learning to create needed change in their lives, gently, with flow and grace. The true path of the witch is to bring awareness not harm, understanding not hexes or curses, a willingness to work within our community and with our natural world not to punish and act like a petulant child when a decision made does not please us.
The witch, at the very least is practical, resourceful, innovative and clever. We have ways of making our magick work without needing to curse or hex others. This woman and her coven and their actions have done nothing but hurt themselves along with all of us. I have contacted the the media, television and newspapers alike, but I do not think I am a sensational and outrageous as they like. I am simply a natural witch doing what comes naturally and always following the Rede "An it harm none, do what ye will."
I find it interesting how many 'witches' nowadays choose to set aside the Rede and regardless of harm caused or intended, do what they will anyways. But what they do not understand, the Rede is not a suggestion to be followed or not. It is the very definition of Karma. Oh and some young witches do not wish to believe in Karma either. But those that truly understand, know that karma is like gravity, there is no way around it. It simply is.
I am saddened by the media's jump on this sensational, totally erroneous fantasy, this woman has perpetrated and indeed, she probably truly believes she has the power to harm others, but it simply demonstrates what happens when you get all of your training from Hollywood movies, some sensational websites and do not bother to read or learn from any magickal master with years of experience and training.
If this discussion does anything, I want it to tell people who read this, that the woman from Iowa and her coven do NOT represent Wicca, Witches and magickal people, at all. She is doing what she wants to do without regard of how her actions affect others. Our actions do affect others, in many ways and as a part of a community, where ever we find ourselves, we must be cognizant of this. We do not live isolated on a desert island, and we have to take responsibility for our words, our actions and for witches, most especially for our magick that we send out into the world.
May you find peace and Happiness this day, Ms. Faith
© 2010-2016 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.
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