This article in Time Magazine by Jennifer Latson called "Why Witches on TV Spell Trouble In Real Life" (link to the article located at the end of post) talks about the Witch as a figure in pop culture. It has gotten a lot of heat from the Pagan community. Latson does say:
"The difference, of course, is that terrorists are real, while witches are not."Many have have been upset with being compared to terrorists and with being told that we don't exist. If that's true then I must have missed the memo. You know what though, she's right! I'll explain why.
When I first read the article I'll admit I had a reaction. My first thought was humor and "how can anyone be ignorant?" But the more I read through it my thoughts changed to "OK let me go back and reread and research and see what is actually said."
I am a practicing Witch. I have been since I was sixteen years old and got Silver Ravenwolf's Teen Witch book. I read through all of the chapters and worked with the rituals and guidelines she had written down. Something about it resonated within me and I wanted to learn and experience more. I got any and all books that jumped out at me. From D.J. Conway's Dancing With Dragons to Christopher Penczak's Gay Witchcraft I read and worked with them all. While I didn't always agree with the author I stayed open enough to listen and take in what they had to say. I was a solitary practitioner until I was 22. By then I felt I had gone as far as I could with books and was eager to find a teacher. I went to a local metaphysical store I frequented and asked the owner if she knew of anyone who would be willing to teach me. She took me by my hand and lead me to a man standing in the crystal section of the store. After a couple of other meetings he and his wife took me into their Coven and I found my spiritual home. So I know in my heart and in my soul that I am a Witch, and I know that I exist. But Latson is still right when she says that Witches don't exist.
With all of the movies and TV shows the Witch has become a pop culture icon. The main theme that you see often is someone from ordinary, underprivileged, or abused backgrounds that finds out they have this extraordinary supernatural power. It opens up a whole new world to them and gives them new opportunities that they couldn't even conceive of before. But the fact still remains they don't exist! It's Television, it's fantasy, it's Hollywood and the entertainment industry creating a story that draws people in and gets them hooked. I'll admit I've watched Practical Magic, The Craft, Charmed and American Horror Story: Coven and I've really enjoyed them, but for the characters not for the magic. (Although I do wish that flying broomsticks were real. It would save me LOTS of money on travel expenses.)
The spells they do are not real, the witchcraft they practice is not real. That doesn't mean that the Witch can't be a powerful figure though. When you watch a show or film the Craft of the character is different. True there are similarities, but each character has talents and knowledge that differs from the other. This is true in modern day witchcraft. While there maybe some core elements that are the same from practitioner to practitioner each person brings an individual spice. It is one of the things that I love about witchcraft because it changes depending on who you talk too. The important thing is that the character can teach the viewer to embrace themselves because that is where true power comes from: when you allow yourself to Be-Who-You-Are in times of famine or feast you can accomplish things you didn't think you could before.
Now being compared to terrorists is not something new to me. Pat Robertson called gay activists terrorists not too long ago. As a gay man I chuckled a little bit. I don't usually take someone seriously when they say something like this because they are speaking from a place of fear and even anger at the thought of their way of life being threatened. But wait...isn't that what Emerson Baker was quoted in this article.
"Witches, like terrorists, 'threaten to wipe out everything you believe in. If they could, they would overthrow your government, overturn your faith, and destroy your society,” Baker writes."I don't believe that Baker was referring to modern day witches as terrorists, but in reference to the days of the Salem Witch Trials when Puritans believed that people accused of being witches really did worship Satan and could do all the fantastical things that pop culture says we can do. So in that regard he is correct.
The Compact Edition of the Oxford Dictionary defines terrorist as "One who entertains, professes, or tries to awaken or spread a feeling of terror or alarm." To the Puritans this holds true. Witches did threaten their way of life and challenged every belief that they held dear because it was different from what they considered to be "normal". Yes in some cases it was thought that jealous neighbors simply wanted an accused persons land, but that is a debate for another time. Fear, like faith, can be a powerful motivator and a catalyst for change. Be it good or bad, a singular person or a whole community, unchecked fear can run rampant and cause horrors that we see in the news and history. But even that can inspire people to stand up for what is right despite the odds. Latson mentions how protest began to shift public opinion and that lead to end of the trials.
It is still true, however, that witches in media and modern day have been feared for the wrong reasons. I have had experiences where I have been I was going to go to hell because of my beliefs or been told that I am delusional. But I keep my head held high because as a Witch I believe that I am an agent of change. I create change within myself that causes change in the rest of the world. I embrace my power and continue to discover Who-I-Really-Am so that I can be a better person and role model for others.
Now do I believe that this article is an outright attack on paganism and witches? No. But let's face it magickal folks: we are trouble! Because we are mirrors for others and often they may not like what they see.
Time Magazine Article:
http://time.com/3532279/witches-halloween-salem/
Interview with Professor Emerson Baker author of A Storm of Witchcraft:
http://www.philipvickersfithian.com/2014/10/the-authors-corner-with-emerson-baker.html
