discrimination

Have you recently felt the pain of oppression in your life? We, witches, often see how other people’s intolerance results in unfairness and worse toward Pagans.

When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, this you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know, the end result is tyranny and oppression no matter how holy the motives.
– Robert A. Heinlein

With today’s political and religious climate, oppression seems to be the norm. Racism, sexism, and religious prejudice apparently surround us.

Have you noticed any intolerance in our own community of witches?

Racism

One year, at a certain Pagan festival, I heard someone express racist comments in the hallway of the host hotel. This made me feel truly uncomfortable. I even felt anger rising up.

I can’t even imagine being someone of color hearing such garbage! My own husband is a person of color, and we have had discussions about this topic.

What is going on here? We, witches, already know oppression. Why would any of us feel okay about expressing oppression within our own ranks?

As witches, we understand being oppressed. We remember the Burning Times. With the atrocities, the Church drove the Craft underground.

With our community still bleeding from such oppression, why would any of us be okay with oppressing another person? If I could talk to the person who expressed these racist comments I would say, “We are all children of the God and Goddess. They love us all, that’s right, all! Remember, we are all part of the Gods, and, the Gods are part of us. There is no color in the God’s and Goddess’s eyes. We are one!”

Sexism

The overwhelming misogyny of the Burning Times is plain to see.

However, misogyny continues today. It’s reported that women only earn $0.79 to every dollar that men earn. Why is this tolerated?

While I was reflecting on this, I realized something startling. In modern witchcraft, it appears that men are being marginalized. Many of us realize that “witch” is a term for both men and women. However, many people have the mistaken notion that a male witch is a “warlock” (wrong!). The word “warlock” is only used for people who break their oaths. And many male witches consider it a derogatory term, which it is. So, please don’t call someone a warlock.

Think about it. It’s October, and you go into your favorite costume shop and look for a witch costume. Have you ever seen a male witch costume? I know I haven’t.

Keep in mind that a male witch is just as important as female witches. Remember that the Goddess gets all Her power from the God. The God lays all His power at the feet of the Goddess because He knows She is just and fair.

Religious Prejudice

In the Burning Times, not only did our community face misogyny, anyone who thought differently than the Church was in jeopardy. This meant you could be charged for heresy if anyone heard your opinion and reported it.

Mostly women were affected, but men were also accused and killed (hanged/burned). Whole towns were wiped off the map during the Burning Times. Some have reported that leaders during the Burning Times used the accusations of heresy as a pretext to fulfill their political aims.

Even now, many of us stay in the broom closet. Why? Hatred toward witches persists to this day.

Many of us stay hidden because we don’t want to be targeted by others’ hatred.

There are forms of oppression and domination which become invisible—the new normal. – Michel Foucault

This isn’t just the witch thing either. It’s also a race thing, and a sexism thing. It’s oppression in its many forms.

As Witches, what do we do when oppression is expressed in our own community?

As witches, we need to reach out with understanding in our hearts.

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding. – Albert Einstein

Compassion is more important than intellect in calling forth the love that the work of peace needs, and intuition can often be a far more powerful searchlight than cold reason. – Betty Williams

So how do we reach understanding and compassion? With the God and Goddess, that’s how.

Through meditation and ritual, the Gods can help us look within and discover the truth.

That truth is that we are all connected, both to the Gods and to each other. We are all equal in the light of the Gods. We may look different, have different abilities, and have different personalities; but we all are one.

Even though, in many ways, we cannot control our world leaders and the destructive cultural pressures around us, we can hold our own culture to a higher standard.

Lead with love and compassion towards others.

So, when you look into the eyes of a stranger, see yourself, see the God, and see the Goddess.

Blessed Be,
Moonwater

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MCU

Recently, I was called to give a speech.
Here is the text of that speech:

“She’s eight years old and she’s drowning, held underwater in a swimming pool.

Yesterday, she loved running on a hilltop in Redwood City. The grass feeling cool between her toes. Yesterday, she climbed a tree.

But today, her brother holds her down, underwater. She is drowning. And he is waiting. Waiting for her to stop moving.

What does this do to a little girl?

I can tell you. My brother finally stepped away.

But the tough times didn’t end there. My brother kept up his torture of me until I couldn’t take it anymore.

So at 8 years old, I stepped to the edge of my bunk bed. I wrapped some yarn around my neck again and again. I stepped off my bunk bed – And I hung there for a moment—until the yarn broke.

My story is about stepping OUT of the darkness.

Sure, I’ve experienced dark times, but I’ve also experienced other things.

I once turned to a friend and said, “How many depressed people does it take to change a light bulb? None. They just sit there in the dark.” [audience laughter]

I’m glad to be speaking with you today about stepping OUT of the darkness.

Along that line, I’m going to share with you the 3 Steps of Empowerment.

The First Step is Diagnosis. When I was 11, I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder – another term for this is clinical depression. Clinical Depression is not just feeling the blues. It isn’t just sometimes feeling sad. It doesn’t just go away like Seasonal Affect Disorder.

Clinical Depression is like having tinnitus. That’s the condition where you have constant ringing in your ears. Except this situation is a horrible feeling of pain, sadness, and hopelessness. It can get so bad that death seems like the only way out. A friend of mine killed himself. He had clinical depression.

So Diagnosis is the First Step.

The Second Step is: The person must say, “I want help.”

I’m using the word “say” – but the situation is really about taking action. The depressed person needs to take action.

You and I cannot help a depressed person if they don’t want help. If they won’t take their meds, and if they won’t show up for therapy – there’s not much we can do.

I know that I have family members who want to find a “Happy button” on me. Well—I don’t have a Happy button on me.

Can I borrow yours? [I address an extrovert in the audience. The audience laughs.]

As I mentioned: the Second Step is when the person says, “I want help.” The depressed person has to choose it.

I wanted help. So I worked with psychiatrists and therapists. And I take appropriate medication.

The Third Step is: Maintenance.

Sometimes, I think of maintenance of my well-being as a daily fight. I have certain “weapons” to use to hold my ground against clinical depression.

First, I have a therapy animal, a cat I named Magick. I called him Magick because he makes food disappear! [audience laughter]

I love him and petting him helps me to feel better. He helps me switch to happier thoughts. I feel he takes away some of the pain.

Second, I stay active. I go out with friends when possible. I enjoy laughing with friends. I also stay active by taking daily walks with my sweetheart.

Third, I have things that I do for myself when I’m alone. Knitting and writing are great ways to help me cope.

I have shared with you 3 Steps of Empowerment that mean a lot to me.
1) Diagnosis
2) The person must say “I want help.”
3) Maintenance

And finally about that eight-year-old girl who felt no one cared … She is still inside me, but now I am a full grown woman.
I am here.
I care.
I will protect her.”

People have told me that the above is a powerful speech.

As a Wiccan, I still feel, at times, that I must protect myself.

Do you feel the same?

How can you protect yourself from those who do not care or do not understand our Pagan path?

I’ve learned that I need to face reality. To this day, my parents still do not respect my Wiccan path. They never ask me questions nor hear me out.

Part of taking care of myself is to gather with like-minded people who love me.

May you find your tribe.

Blessed Be,

Moonwater

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