The Muse nº1 essay - whatever is a witch?

an excerpt from The Muse - edition nº1

Richard Avedon, Cher in a photoshoot for her 1974 album, “Dark Lady”

When we think of “witches,” most of us think of spell books, pointy black hats, and creepy old women. But what is witchcraft, really? 

The origin of the word “witch” is Germanic, and connected to root words meaning “sacred” and “to separate/divide,” possibly alluding to early Germanic practices of cleromancy (whereby people would cast lots, sort of like dice, to practice divination. The word “sorcière” in French also alludes to divination at its root. 

Divination, certainly, is a form of witchcraft, and occult practices have always fallen into the category of “witchcraft.” But what is a witch, really? 

image sourced via @cosmos // original source unknown

The European witch trials, which began in the 1400s and lasted into the 1700s, contributed to an expanding definition of witchcraft. According to The Library of Congress's Resource Guide on French Women and Feminists in History, “magic, sorcery, and the ideas of the supernatural had co-existed with Christianity — if somewhat uneasily — for centuries before witch hunts became so prevalent.” But in a time marked by sociopolitical pressures and preceding the Scientific Revolution, the church decided that it needed someone to blame for inexplicable and frightening medical phenomena like “paralysis, a sudden seizure, or a baby born ill or disfigured.” “Witches” became the scapegoat. Between 1400 and 1775, about 100,000 people were executed. The Church typically targeted marginalized women and people who had knowledge of healing practices (men included). “Witchcraft” came to encompass any knowledge of the healing arts – “if they had the power to help, then by extension, they had the power to harm.” “Witchcraft” also extended to any direct relationship to the divine (for how could anyone connect to the divine without the Church as interloper?).

Joan of Arc's signature at the bottom of a letter to Sully, March 16, 1430, France

Jeanne d’Arc is an example of a “witch” persecuted for her direct divine connection. Jeanne d’Arc heard divine voices instructing her to save France during the Hundred Years War, and found a way to convince the eldest son of the King to let her help. She led French forces to victory, paving the way for Charles VII to be crowned king. However, once her purpose had been served, she was captured, accused of heresy and witchcraft, and burned at the stake as a witch. The church and state have recognized their grave error, since - she was canonized as a saint in 1920, and Sainte Jeanne d’Arc is celebrated in cities across France as a symbol of female courage.

Though the practice of casting spells is what witches have been known for in popular culture, a witch, really, is anyone who understands the alchemy of heaven and earth - who knows to channel and combine these elements. By this definition, shamans across cultures are included; as are yogis, herbalists, midwives, priestesses, and artists. Some witches do cast spells, but anyone who can channel the divine and bring it down into physical reality is practicing magic (whatever word you want to give to it).

Georgia O'Keeffe with ‘Pelvis Series, Red with Yellow, 1960. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

Witches are making a comeback in modern society – for the first time in recent history, the healing arts are flourishing. Psychedelics are being openly talked about and sought out. Shamanism is a kitchen table term. Astrology is an everyday topic of conversation (at least in my circles). And herbal guidebooks (and spell books, and tarot decks, and crystals, too!) are in every bookstore. Ancient forms of magic and healing are rising to the surface, unafraid, for the first time in a long time, to be seen out in the open. 

How do you channel? What are your rituals? Is “witch” a word you would ever consider referring to yourself with? And where do you see folk healing traditions and spiritual connection, still, suppressed and silenced?

co-written by Eloise Crittenden + Olivia

source of all quotes: The Library of Congress's Resource Guide on French Women and Feminists in History