Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Claim Your Power: Time To Witch Up

Claim Your Power: Time To Witch Up

Last updated on: January 21, 2017 at 10:12 am by Laura Tempest Zakroff

Claim Your Power: Time To Witch Up 2017-01-21T10:12:48-08:00 Laura Tempest Zakroff

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

It’s been a bit of a rough week, mainly of my own doing. You see, it seems no matter how much I try to get a book done a little each day, there’s a point close to the deadline when it starts “downloading” en masse. Where ideas I didn’t even think to include in my original outline start pouring forth constantly, my sleep schedule shifts completely, and I’m writing for hours upon hours nonstop. I even start dreaming about the concepts in the book. Which is fantastic for the book – but leaves me feeling completely exhausted – physically, mentally, and emotionally at the end of it.

So in that state, it wasn’t exactly easy to deal with the Theater of the Absurd that is happening right now. I had a shred of hope lodged in the back of my teeth, but I knew it would happen anyway. Of course the most unqualified, the most unfit, the best displays of cronyism are taking the stage. It makes absolutely no sense, but yet of course it does. That little morsel of hope that things would get better, somehow get changed – just a bit of wishful thinking, because it’s be made known: these are the times we were made for.

Orpheus by Michel-Martin Drölling

To give you a sense of where my head was yesterday, this comparative myth formulated in my brain:
“We are Orpheus, exiting the Underworld with hard-won Eurydice just behind us. We reach the sunlight and excitedly turn back to Eurydice, not realizing she wasn’t immediately behind us, she was still in the shadows. Hades grabs her and whisks her away.

Eurydice was all the progress and change we’ve been working for, the sunlight gave us hope that we were already completely past the darkness. But we weren’t there yet, not for all. Hades is all those in power slowly watching their empires collapse, fighting unfairly.

Watch out for drunken Maenads.”

I’ve revisited the myth of Orpheus several times in my life, and not because I find it appealing. I’m a sucker for happy endings, and this one is definitely the antithesis of all of those. Yet it keeps surfacing. It roots at the unfairness of life, the machinations of other people and beings throwing everything off balance.

But it’s not a reason to give up, give in, step aside, or stand down. My goal in this blog post isn’t to revel in despair, but to remind you that this all is a call to action. It might feel futile as you watch and read about the Theater of the Absurd, high above us.

Power Sigil - full color

Power Sigil – full color

But real change, real witchery happens down at the roots. The reason you are called to witchcraft is not to gain power through others, but to call upon the power residing within yourself. To grow it, use it to manifest change with our will. We don’t make prayers, asking our deities to grant us boons and give us things, to use their power instead of our own. We stand up and take responsibility for our own actions, we make change happen through us. We may ask for their assistance and guidance, but we’re the ones in the driver’s seat, we’re the ones flying the broom. It’s up to us.

And it’s a scary thing – another one of those dangerous things about witchcraft. It means you take responsibility, it acknowledges that you do have the power.

I’m not just talking about metaphysics here either. Down here in the roots, we need to take care of ourselves, and we need to take care of and watch over each other. We need to reach down and secure our position – with determination, compassion, and love – all fiercely and strongly. As Witches we must embolden our spirits and minds. We need to reach out to those next to us who are struggling and give them hope and guidance. And then together we all grow upward and outward.

It’s not the time to be paralyzed by fear, it’s time to think about transformation, change, and taking care of business.

And I was inspired last night to revisit the Power Sigil and give it some color. The rainbow stands for so many things: diversity, LGBTQ, a promise of tomorrow. And as someone who as a child ran through quite a few 8-tracks of the soundtrack to the Muppet Movie, it makes me think of Kermit and The Rainbow Connection:

Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we’ve been told and some choose to believe it.
I know they’re wrong wait and see.
Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that wishes would be heard and answered when wished on the morningstar?
Someone thought of that and someone believed it.
Look what it’s done so far.
What’s so amazing that keeps us stargazing and what do we think we might see?
Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

All of us under its spell.
We know that it’s probably magic.

Yes, I just referenced The Muppets in a blog on witchcraft. Because that’s how I roll. Go forth and claim that power, let’s get up to some serious witchcraft.

Previous Post

January 17, 2017

Harm None?

Next Post

January 24, 2017 We Are Aradia

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Art Books cats cauldron month community contest Events home Metaphysics Modern Practice Movement Myth & Folklore satire sigils Tradition travel Uncategorized video

Select a Month May 2026 March 2026 January 2026 September 2025 August 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 August 2024 June 2024 May 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 February 2023 December 2022 November 2022 September 2022 July 2022 May 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz