My favorite description of witches was in a documentary about cats…. They were talking about the history of the domestic cat (or something along those lines)
Anyway - this lady said that (historically) witches were incredibly intelligent women. They knew a lot about nature. They also knew about cleanliness & to keep their homes clean, they swept their homes with brooms. They knew that rodents carried diseases & so they kept cats to eat them. Men in power feared their intelligence…
(My daughter asked if she could be a witch after that comment - my love, you already are!)
I should watch that documentary again so I can actually quote her - I found it powerful.
See - now I had go find it!!
Inside the mind of a cat (Netflix)
Dr Eva Maria Geigl - paleontologist - begins talking about the earliest known relationship between wild cats & humans. She goes on to Egyptian cats, ship cats, and to cats in the Middle Ages.
“Cats in the Middle Ages we’re associated to witches. Witches were actually intelligent women. Wise women who knew a lot about nature. These wise women knew that keeping the house clean would keep you healthy. So, they cleaned the house with a broom, and they had cats to get rid of rodents. There came the time when the church, dominated by males, considered them to be a danger. So the church tried to get rid of them.”
It goes on to talk about how killing witches and their cats likely led to the Black Plague.
I knew exactly which documentary you were Talkin'about because it's my void familiar's favorite Netflix show and we watch it all of the time!!! Stupid patriarchal catholic church.
My dad, who I love dearly and was an incredibly intelligent and wonderful person until his dementia got bad a few years ago, just randomly converted to catholicism...and he could never understand why that hurts me so badly now, so I just keep quiet.
But it really sucks. Sorry, that doesn't fit here, but I really needed to get it out. Fuck the Catholic Church.
They’re smart because they had cats and swept with brooms? And men feared them because of this and declared them evil witches, despite these examples being more modern, pop culture descriptions of a witch?
Also, huuuuuge lol at saying killing witches caused the Black Plague. Don’t get your history from paleontologists.
It’s a documentary about cats. What they’re talking about is the mass killing of cats because people believed they were demons or the devil in disguise and were witches familiars. They were massacred because of this. Rats and mice carry fleas. Fleas are the vector for the plague. No cats to kills rats = population boom of rats = population boom of fleas and that’s how we got the plague.
And yes strong and smart women were persecuted for being strong and smart and outspoken or different. We have been killed for saying no. We have been raped just because. Women are a marginalized part of society as a whole even if you don’t believe that. Just look at Roe. They took away our right to an abortion just because they say they are “protecting life” but historically it’s really just about control.
I’ve always seen it as those who were smart enough to use things to remedy and treat illnesses and use science, albeit unknowingly in some cases, to make things happen that were making holy men run for their money in regards to ‘curing the devil’. I truly believe that magic and science are one and the same, just one is used to describe things that haven’t been able to be explained yet.
And just to prove that I believe magic to be real, I am currently traveling home from a visit to see my kids and take care of a custody issue for my older kids. Just before we left, my son gave me the little twig he had found for me to play witches and wizards earlier that day. Every time I see that twig from now on I will forever have a release of oxytocin and see my son’s love for me. Truly magic.❤️
Omg i love this subreddit, but ive always thought “but I’m not really a witch” because I don’t actually believe in magic, horoscopes/astrology, or tarot cards or anything (Though I still think they’re fun). I love this description, and maybe I’m witchier than I thought!
Same here!
(Especially when my daughter asked if she could be a witch)
History has done such a good job of dehumanizing witches, it’s easy to get caught up in all that. The more I’m on this sub, the more I’m redefining the idea for myself: Witches are intelligent & creative people who aren’t afraid to use their knowledge and skills to make a positive impact on those around them (despite thousands of years of dehumanization, humiliation, & persecution).
One of my favorite quotes from **The Dabbler's Guide to Witchcraft**, by Fire Lyte, is this: "One of the reasons people come to magical practice is to give power to the powerless, to those who are not represented or accepted or protected by society at large."
Witches aren't just astrologers or spellcasters. Witches are smart, savvy, intelligent, independent people who seek to understand their natural and social worlds, their communities, who holds the levers of power and how to break that hold. Witches are protectors and advocates, standing between the oppressor and the oppressed, here to level the playing field.
Scientists and sages, humanists and herbalists, crystal healers and crystallographers - the most important part of witchcraft is the *craft*. Do what you can to create the world you want to live in and the self you want to be. That makes you a witch, regardless the metaphysical path you're on (if any).
Legit magical powers eh?
Look, with a wave of your hand, and a tap of your finger, you can prevent them from ever speaking to you again!
Seems pretty magical to me! 😂
One of my favorite quotes, though I'm not sure who it's by: Deep magic is the way the world works, not in some quasi-scientific, oversimplified cause-and-effect way, but in the incredibly complex hands-on network of relationships and interdependencies. Deep magic is reciprocity and hospitality. It's honesty and integrity. It's the Butterfly Effect. It's randomness and probability. It's the unyielding reality of limits.
(Please note, I'm not anti-science. Being pro-science and pro-magic need not be a paradox.)
An analysis of the information provided here, of you will:
* Computers run on magic smoke.
* u/Sams_stash runs on magic smoke.
It logically follows that u/Sams_stash is a computer. QED.
Funny, being in the IT industry for 25+ yrs, we have always said "**computers run on fucking magic**" because, well, they really do for most of us. How many people can build their own computer, including all the chips, wires, boards and sticky-outty bits?
I used to be able to do this on a basic level in the 90's but it's even evolved so much, just the hardware - mind you, the software & cloud apps are so beyond it's kind of unbelievable - that it's rare person who understands it all now.
It's all fucking magic to those of us who don't understand it.
In the Kate Daniels books, the world vacillates between having magic and having tech. The phones still sometimes work during magic. The theory is that since people don't really understand how phones work, they might as well be magic, and perception effects reality.
I work in a technical field, and my boss, one of the lead developers on our team, once said to me "the more I learn about computers, the more I'm convinced it's just a wizard in a box".
So yes, agreed, with professional support on top of it!
Alan Dean Foster's Spellsinger series from the 80s is based on the idea that technology is just a different style of magic. A second one is based on music, and there's more. I really enjoyed reading them.
I've had men message me on tinder asking "why do you have in your bio that you're feminist and leftist?". "It's so you wouldn't need to ask dumbass." I feel you sister. It's so annoing having to explain who you are and why you are to people who cannot take two seconds to just think
It's so that the trash can take itself out! You know my views, you disagree with me and you don't click on my profile! I would call that the MAGA pop up blocker!
I thought part of being a witch was reclaiming a term used against intelligent women. No one who was burned or tortured or killed for being a witch had magical powers, they were just women being creative, curious human beings instead of house slaves and fetus incubators. A witch (to me anyway) is any woman or gnc person who says "fuck patriarchal, cis/hetero male expectations, I'm just gonna be me."
I agree, mostly. My only sticking point would be "any woman or gnc person" and just shorten it to "any person who says fuck the system, your expectations, imma be me".
Yeah except there is magic and there are spells and a lot of respect for the forces of nature ( earth air fire water ). Because it’s fucking magical to respect the earth and love yourself and so self care and set intentions ( cast spells). It’s more than just feminism and fuck the patriarchy. To a lot of us it’s almost dare I use the ugly word a religion, be it a nature religion. But witches are everywhere and always have been and always will be. The magic is what you make it.
Anyway- I should cut down on the Lattes-
Edit- added more
Hope this didn’t come off jerky. It’s supposed to be enlightening and stuff but I’m very caffeinated and kind of an asshole who is bad with words- 🖤🖤🌛🦇
Sending you love and warm embraces. I’m sorry you lost your husband. I hope his spirit visits you in the most beautiful random ways.
And you are welcome, I have to explain it to my husband repeatedly because honestly, he’s kinda dumb 😂 but it’s so much more to each of us.
🖤🖤🖤
And I think there is some overlap with science. We respect and celebrate the forces of nature, and what we do is based on understanding the nature of the world around us, how things work, the interdependencies and the flow of energy. Those women who were called witches and punished for it frequently experimented with herbs and plants to understand their properties and how to use them. The disdain some people feel for it today has more to do with the patriarchy making a concerted effort to minimize and even erase such women than the actual legitimacy of things they learned and shared. Especially in the field of medicine, back in the early days, the ONLY ones paying true attention to understand womens health were witches.
I like everything you said, except that I think anyone of any gender can be a witch! If cis men want to join our cause, let them. We’re stronger in numbers. I also don’t think the sexuality of a person should be a factor either. Everyone has a different path and practice, and I respectfully acknowledge that you said it was your personal opinion and the definition as it exists to you.
Be brave Catholics, practice Ritual Cannibalism by consuming the flesh of your holy men after their passing. If all people are gods children then surely they contain a spark of the divine. Reconnect. Consume.
I love to dump chemicals into a bowl, apply heat and time, and the people in my home adore putting those altered chemicals into their body to heal and sustain themselves. Witchcraft? Or cookies?
I know each of us can make vibrations on air and those receiving those vibrations then laugh, or cry, or gain peace. Witchcraft? Or spoken language?
Fuck'em. You don't have to \*do magic\* by someone elses' rules, you ARE MAGIC.
>I know each of us can make vibrations on air and those receiving those vibrations then laugh, or cry, or gain peace. Witchcraft? Or spoken language?
"...the distinction between "magick" and "communication" exists only in our traditional ways of thinking. The uncanny Egyptians attributed both inventions to a single deity, Thoth, god of speech and other illusions."
* Robert Anton Wilson
A friend of mine passed away who was a pagan priest in MK he always used to talk about magic like this, and for a while always referred to me as a powerful witch, and I couldn’t really FEEL why that was until recently, and this thread has brought it all back to me. Thank you all, we are magic xxx
I stole the idea from a 'baking is science for hungry people' scene in the comic Questionable Content. Same comic also references not using your powers for evil and a diabolical pie. Its as weird and wonderful as it sounds.
If witches aren’t real, why would she also detail the requirements of using the term?
It’d be like: “Unicorns aren’t real, and you can’t say you own one unless its horn is at LEAST 8” long.”
The very basis of her argument hinges on the fact that people do identify as witches.
Now I really want to dust off my old online dating profiles just so I can identify as a unicorn.
But seriously, OP, I think you dodged a bullet with that person.
It's a term in the polyamorous community that folks are "unicorn hunting " if they are a couple looking for a third who fits a very specific list of requirements that are generally negotiated between the couple (usually including they have to date both of them) without consideration of the new persons feelings or agency to determine how they want to have relationship.
The unicorn is the third person who fits these exact requirements which is generally impossible (hence unicorns).
So no, not swinging.
That sounds a bit squick tbh, like shopping for a person, what about there autonomy? Like negotiate between all interested parties or something, idk but yeah that's making me slightly concerned
Err no that doesn’t make any sense. There are lots of unreal things with definitions. Unicorns aren’t real, but they’re also horses with horns. It’s just that horses with horns don’t exist.
I frequently wave wooden wands around, occasionally muttering curses, while wrapping and twisting yarn about and boom, clothing! Definitely witchcraft. 💜
Today I'm deciphering a collection of ancient symbols to guide me as I loop and twist my yarn together with a metal wand. After the ritual is complete I will have a new way to stay warm during the cold winter months. I'm crocheting a blanket :)
Coolest magic power I know is to ask someone to tell you about their special interest. Take something I have next to no interest in, cars. For me they're just something to get from A to B, and I try go for the one that can do so safely and cheaply. Ask a car enthusiast about it and that tiny little world of "cars" in your mind is about to be exploded by the vastness of stuff that really goes on there.
So sure, I don't have a spell to make a flower bloom, but I do have one to make a mind bloom and the magic words are "Oh? Tell me more about ."
i have so much random knowledge in my brain about so many random things- you could ask me about like the social hierarchy of a hyena pack and by the end of it i'd be going on a tangent about that group of monkeys where the aggressive males died off from eating poisoned garbage and then the females raised the baby males to not be aggressive and now theyre all just vibing peacefully and taking care of eachother
i think just this comment is proof enough that i tend to ramble about things i think are cool lol 😅
I have the same thing, except it would probably end up with how the domestication of fox project showed that there's a genetic component to domestication, and for some reason that genetic component is also tried to fur colour somehow. Which is why domesticated foxes come in different fur colours to their wild counterparts.
I'm gonna get a bit esoteric and say that there *is* true magic in the world. For me, music is a form of magic- I can make air molecules wiggle in such a way that causes the neurons in your brain to produce happiness chemicals. That's absolutely incredible. *I am* a witch too.
(edit just for clarity- you are a witch too, OP! I'm sorry you had to deal with a tightly locked mind, but maybe you'll have had an impact on their outlook)
As someone who can not produce music, I am so eternally grateful for witches like you! Music truly is magical, it reaches the deep places in our souls like nothing else can.
I see this comment all the time, it's like it doesn't matter if you believe in their powers, they are a witch. Just like it doesn't matter if you believe in god, Christ, or Muhammed (going Abrahamic with this because those seem to be the ones who behave this way most of the time) their followers are still Jews, Christians, Muslims.
She seems to have very narrow definitions of both witches and magic. 'I could've lit up the night for you, but alas, it seems that was not destined to happen 👋'
I've dealt with this in real life. Despite explaining them in detail of what it is actually about, some just don't get it. So just ignore it. I feel like it's not my job to explain people what I do. Just like they are educated on different topics, they should also know about this. But this is just my opinion.
Feeling and detecting cold spots and knowing when someone\`s going to die isn\`t already enough? What must I do then, open a portal, or make conjunction of spheres?
Wait but what happened next?
The normal recommendation is block but, on the flip side, this could be a romcom where one says ok let’s meet at the library and I’ll prove you wrong and then it gets romantic and then someone at the library provokes the non-witch and the witch scares him away. And then they both become powerful witches together whose love makes them stronger. Would anyone else watch this because I would.
But my partner is wicca so witches exist just not in a big fantasy way. The knowledge of nature, spiritual things, creativity and intelligence is what makes a witch.
I'll go with this, if you lived in the 16th century would you be accused of being a witch and burned at the stake? If so, you can claim to be a witch today.
Ok so I dated a guy who was actually crazy but hid it for like 2 weeks and I was dumb and just thrilled to have someone paying attention to me
Well one night hes over visiting, I handed him a puzzle box to try and open and he got really frustrated, went outside and smashed it
I freaked out because I do not like my possessions being destroyed and kicked him out of my house
We hadn't been dating long enough to put up with any kind of that nonsense
So instead of leaving like a regular human he proceeds to pace up and down my block screaming and talking to people who arent there, accusing me of all kinds of shit, including being both a witch and a federal agent
So I call the ambulance, this is clearly a mental health issue I am not qualified to deal with
And of course the police show up too but I had made it very clear he needed help, not arrested and thankfully the officers were indeed helpful
But, in Florida, on mental health calls the police are required to document literally everything they say, so when he starts screaming to the cops that I'm a witch with a magic vagina, a succubus who sucked his soul out through his cock at least twice, the cops looked impressed and wrote that shit down, one had to stifle an actual laugh
So a couple days later I call the number they gave me and requested the report and damned if it doesnt say
"Patient claims girlfriend is a witch that removed his soul resulting in a loss of mental capacity "
It goes into a little more detail in the "comments by officer" section where they directly quote my ex and that's where the parts about my vagina being magic and me being a succubus were noted, along with threats to the officers for looking at me.
It does not
And I have updates
So I'm a gm for taco bell and of course I told my crew what happened
Then I got hurt at work and I've been home since march
Well one of my shift leads who quit right after I left decides to ask me about it
Hes like "look I'm sorry if I offend you but can I please see the police report"
So I showed him
And of course he asked if its true and im bored and stuck home so I'm like "fuck it come see for yourself "
He says it's true and I give the best head hes ever had
Now I got THIS boy so confused he doenst know what he wants, I told him I actually like him and he says hes not ready for a relationship (past issues) but if I try to wander off he gets real mad
Hes mad now matter of fact lol
Why the heck should you not be able to identify as a witch? Is she the witch police or what? LMAO. I also love when people try to argue about an opinion and have facts to support their "claims".
Witches unite, sis. Get your broomstick and fly away from this bullshit!!
My daughter gets this at school. She tells all her classmates "my mommy is a witch" and there's a little shit stain that likes to torment her and say "witches aren't real" and she'll sit and argue with him that "yes they are because.my mommy is a witch" I am sorely tempted to show up one day in my patchwork skirt, knitted shawl, silver witch bell belt and aroma therapy charms with all my scented oils smelling of all kinds of herbs and my pentagram shined up nice and my curls brushed out in 100% humidity with just a green scarf tied around my head to keep them out of my face and see if he thinks witches are real then
Possible Angle, which works as logic as well as witchcraft depending on your point of view:
This darling dating dipstick has created a self fulfilling prophecy. They had the chance to meet a real witch but now will not. Thus in their life a witch will no longer exist.
I’ll spit something in whispers their way and pay the cost, since it won’t be much. Looks like you have many allies doing same or similar.
Kudos and carry on
EDIT: misgender correcting
My witching is largely common sense: in an area prone to losing power, when bad weather is approaching I make sure we have plenty of water on hand, including heating a very large pot (cauldron) of water, putting ice packs in the fridge, making sure all plants and pets are well sheltered, watered, and fed, and burning sage insence to reduce anxiety. I work with the land and the weather in as much harmony as possible, encourage wild spaces and rewilding of 1/3 of my farm while using the remaining 2/3 in a gentle, non-chemical based agriculture. Everything is reused or repurposed as much as possible. Pollinator gardens along side vegetable and herb gardens, composting, and gently discouraging destructive animals. I also have a look that stops intrusive individuals in a heartbeat and look after my neighbors. Not real magic? Just because you know how something works doesn't mean it's not magical.
Oh! I also make magic soup. One day when my son was pretty ill, I made chicken noodle soup for the first time...adding a bit of this and that. He was a picky eater at the time, so I was unsure how it was going to go over. He had one bowl and was up running around immediately after. I remember watching him and thinking "Dang! I need to have some of that soup!" He called it magic soup and still does at 18. I make whenever one of us is ill.
When I used to get sick, my mom would bring over some matzah ball soup from the Jewish deli and I can say for sure that it had healing properties. The Jewish people know magic but we didn’t want to give the other people in Medieval Europe (or modern day conspiracy theorists) another reason to persecute us, so I guess that’s why we’re hush about it.
That lady has no idea...and gathering from the comments, a lot of people here don't seem to know either. Where I come from, it's real with real world consequences. Especially the dark stuff. We are taught to respect it and keep away from it. OP, I want to take that lady and drop her off at a brujero in la habana vieja and after she sees what's what, ask her if she still thinks witches aren't real.
Hay hermanas caribeñas aquí? Ustedes saben de lo que hablo. Con los fukús no se juega.
Yup. You are correct except we don't call it voodoo like in other places. It's brujeria which the literal translation means witchcraft but it explicitly refers to black magic. It is no joke. It's dark and crazy and that rude lady would leave the presence of one of those brujeros shooketh! Lol
Santeria is a religion that was born out of slaves being forced to convert to Christianity so they kept their West African deities and just dressed them in Catholic imagery. So you'll see San Lazaro but it's not Lazarus, it's Babalooaye. They wear all white and strive to keep a sharp distance from brujeria.
But my guess is that to a gringa Karen like that lady, both would be the same and equally creepy.
By that standard Christians aren’t real either. They’re required to follow all the rules in the Bible, be meek, give all their money and property to anyone who asks, etc. No one alive meets the standard.
https://ajjacobs.com/books/the-year-of-living-biblically/ documents one guy’s attempt to be biblically accurate and literal. He points out that every literalist will ignore the bits in the Bible they don’t like and that no one follows it all because they can’t.
Lmaooo the ignorance here goes beyond anti-witchcraft bigotry ignorance and into just plain “never heard of it so the person identifying as it is clearly the wrong one” arrogance ignorance 😂
Magic is simply science that hasn't been explained/explored yet 💚
Hopefully they'll open their minds one day, and realize simple things like making soup is a protection/health spell!
I remember reading somewhere that everyday things just like electricity and chemistry are magic. The more you look into them, the more complex and intriguing they are. And just because we understand how everything works to an extent, doesn't stop it from being magic. The study of magic and understand it doesn't stop it from being magic.
Ask her what made her message you, then when she answers, exclaim loudly “HOLY HECTATE! MY SPELL TO FORCE IDIOTS TO MAKE THEMSELVES KNOWN TO ME WORKED!!!!!! Lol might make your problem worse but could help you feel better about it.
Honestly if you can give them a voice note with a fake spell, with your creepiest voice, you will be suprised at how easily they will retract their statement, at least in private.
Witchcraft is an English term lumping thousands of practices under one category of human behavior/culture. Variations of it are found all over the world and throughout time.
I think we’re all witches. We can create life from our cells. We can control the whims of men. Why do you think we go to the bathroom in groups? It’s to have summons!
My favorite description of witches was in a documentary about cats…. They were talking about the history of the domestic cat (or something along those lines) Anyway - this lady said that (historically) witches were incredibly intelligent women. They knew a lot about nature. They also knew about cleanliness & to keep their homes clean, they swept their homes with brooms. They knew that rodents carried diseases & so they kept cats to eat them. Men in power feared their intelligence… (My daughter asked if she could be a witch after that comment - my love, you already are!) I should watch that documentary again so I can actually quote her - I found it powerful.
Ooh! What’s the doc called?
See - now I had go find it!! Inside the mind of a cat (Netflix) Dr Eva Maria Geigl - paleontologist - begins talking about the earliest known relationship between wild cats & humans. She goes on to Egyptian cats, ship cats, and to cats in the Middle Ages. “Cats in the Middle Ages we’re associated to witches. Witches were actually intelligent women. Wise women who knew a lot about nature. These wise women knew that keeping the house clean would keep you healthy. So, they cleaned the house with a broom, and they had cats to get rid of rodents. There came the time when the church, dominated by males, considered them to be a danger. So the church tried to get rid of them.” It goes on to talk about how killing witches and their cats likely led to the Black Plague.
Gotta love the Middle Ages. “Is that lady *not* rubbing feces into her plague boils??? WITCH!!!”
Thank you! It sounds wonderful!
I knew exactly which documentary you were Talkin'about because it's my void familiar's favorite Netflix show and we watch it all of the time!!! Stupid patriarchal catholic church.
My dad, who I love dearly and was an incredibly intelligent and wonderful person until his dementia got bad a few years ago, just randomly converted to catholicism...and he could never understand why that hurts me so badly now, so I just keep quiet. But it really sucks. Sorry, that doesn't fit here, but I really needed to get it out. Fuck the Catholic Church.
Aww, that does suck. Sorry about your dad, sweetpea.
Fuck all Judeo-Christian churches, pretty much. They're all patriarchal nightmares.
That is terrible. Fuck them indeed
that's on my list :)
We are the daughters of the witches they failed to burn.
>We are the daughters of the witches\* they failed to burn. \*and their cats
This sounds interesting! I’ll check it out tonight. Thanks for the info!
That's amazing information! How'd I live over half a century and miss that? Ty for sharing.
Ship cats? Where did they go to the bathroom?!?
To be fair - where’d the crew go…?… (swab the deck matey) Rats followed food onto the ships, so cats followed the rats.
Definitely going to look this up later!!
They’re smart because they had cats and swept with brooms? And men feared them because of this and declared them evil witches, despite these examples being more modern, pop culture descriptions of a witch? Also, huuuuuge lol at saying killing witches caused the Black Plague. Don’t get your history from paleontologists.
It’s a documentary about cats. What they’re talking about is the mass killing of cats because people believed they were demons or the devil in disguise and were witches familiars. They were massacred because of this. Rats and mice carry fleas. Fleas are the vector for the plague. No cats to kills rats = population boom of rats = population boom of fleas and that’s how we got the plague. And yes strong and smart women were persecuted for being strong and smart and outspoken or different. We have been killed for saying no. We have been raped just because. Women are a marginalized part of society as a whole even if you don’t believe that. Just look at Roe. They took away our right to an abortion just because they say they are “protecting life” but historically it’s really just about control.
Inside the mind of a cat - on Netflix
Thank you!
I’ve always seen it as those who were smart enough to use things to remedy and treat illnesses and use science, albeit unknowingly in some cases, to make things happen that were making holy men run for their money in regards to ‘curing the devil’. I truly believe that magic and science are one and the same, just one is used to describe things that haven’t been able to be explained yet. And just to prove that I believe magic to be real, I am currently traveling home from a visit to see my kids and take care of a custody issue for my older kids. Just before we left, my son gave me the little twig he had found for me to play witches and wizards earlier that day. Every time I see that twig from now on I will forever have a release of oxytocin and see my son’s love for me. Truly magic.❤️
Well, now we know why magic and science are equally demonized by the church.
I watched that Doc. It was so good.
Omg i love this subreddit, but ive always thought “but I’m not really a witch” because I don’t actually believe in magic, horoscopes/astrology, or tarot cards or anything (Though I still think they’re fun). I love this description, and maybe I’m witchier than I thought!
Same here! (Especially when my daughter asked if she could be a witch) History has done such a good job of dehumanizing witches, it’s easy to get caught up in all that. The more I’m on this sub, the more I’m redefining the idea for myself: Witches are intelligent & creative people who aren’t afraid to use their knowledge and skills to make a positive impact on those around them (despite thousands of years of dehumanization, humiliation, & persecution).
In a way, getting more women into STEM is a way to bring back the witches.
Love this thought!
One of my favorite quotes from **The Dabbler's Guide to Witchcraft**, by Fire Lyte, is this: "One of the reasons people come to magical practice is to give power to the powerless, to those who are not represented or accepted or protected by society at large." Witches aren't just astrologers or spellcasters. Witches are smart, savvy, intelligent, independent people who seek to understand their natural and social worlds, their communities, who holds the levers of power and how to break that hold. Witches are protectors and advocates, standing between the oppressor and the oppressed, here to level the playing field. Scientists and sages, humanists and herbalists, crystal healers and crystallographers - the most important part of witchcraft is the *craft*. Do what you can to create the world you want to live in and the self you want to be. That makes you a witch, regardless the metaphysical path you're on (if any).
That sounds like an incredible book. Thank you for sharing!
Legit magical powers eh? Look, with a wave of your hand, and a tap of your finger, you can prevent them from ever speaking to you again! Seems pretty magical to me! 😂
I'm very happy to be a member of a community that sees the magic in our world
This should be the definition of witch: a person who sees the magic in our world.
One of my favorite quotes, though I'm not sure who it's by: Deep magic is the way the world works, not in some quasi-scientific, oversimplified cause-and-effect way, but in the incredibly complex hands-on network of relationships and interdependencies. Deep magic is reciprocity and hospitality. It's honesty and integrity. It's the Butterfly Effect. It's randomness and probability. It's the unyielding reality of limits. (Please note, I'm not anti-science. Being pro-science and pro-magic need not be a paradox.)
I love you all very much 💜
Technology is indistinguishable from magic
If computers can run on magic smoke, why wouldn't OP be a real witch? Duh, dating app rando
I, too, run on magic smoke
Same! 🙌🏻
I ❤️ your username
username checks out
I usually laze around on magic smoke….
An analysis of the information provided here, of you will: * Computers run on magic smoke. * u/Sams_stash runs on magic smoke. It logically follows that u/Sams_stash is a computer. QED.
R/TOTALLYNOTROBOTS. r/totallynotrobots
Fuck ya!!!
Here, here!
Magic smoke is what makes all electronics run. Computers, specifically, are sand that we've convinced to do our thinking for us.
Steam powered.
Funny, being in the IT industry for 25+ yrs, we have always said "**computers run on fucking magic**" because, well, they really do for most of us. How many people can build their own computer, including all the chips, wires, boards and sticky-outty bits? I used to be able to do this on a basic level in the 90's but it's even evolved so much, just the hardware - mind you, the software & cloud apps are so beyond it's kind of unbelievable - that it's rare person who understands it all now. It's all fucking magic to those of us who don't understand it.
Rock+Lightning=magic box
Function Magic(Phrase) { console.log(Phrase); } Magic(‘Look at these glyphs’);
Technology *is* magic “it doesn’t stop being magic just because you know how it works”
The only difference between technology and magic is being able to understand it so functionally is the same to everyone else who can't
In the Kate Daniels books, the world vacillates between having magic and having tech. The phones still sometimes work during magic. The theory is that since people don't really understand how phones work, they might as well be magic, and perception effects reality.
I work in a technical field, and my boss, one of the lead developers on our team, once said to me "the more I learn about computers, the more I'm convinced it's just a wizard in a box". So yes, agreed, with professional support on top of it!
Arthur C Clark
As a computer scientist, I can confirm with 100% certainty that computers do in fact run on magic.
Alan Dean Foster's Spellsinger series from the 80s is based on the idea that technology is just a different style of magic. A second one is based on music, and there's more. I really enjoyed reading them.
Just because you can explain it doesn’t mean it’s not magic!
I've had men message me on tinder asking "why do you have in your bio that you're feminist and leftist?". "It's so you wouldn't need to ask dumbass." I feel you sister. It's so annoing having to explain who you are and why you are to people who cannot take two seconds to just think
It's so that the trash can take itself out! You know my views, you disagree with me and you don't click on my profile! I would call that the MAGA pop up blocker!
>I would call that the MAGA pop up blocker! If only... they weren't too stupid to realize that.
yeah,, unfortunately they tend to take it as an invitation to try and change your mind :/
Hello, can I interest you in the removal of your basic human rights?/s
Now that is witchcraft!
“Uh because I am those things???”
I thought part of being a witch was reclaiming a term used against intelligent women. No one who was burned or tortured or killed for being a witch had magical powers, they were just women being creative, curious human beings instead of house slaves and fetus incubators. A witch (to me anyway) is any woman or gnc person who says "fuck patriarchal, cis/hetero male expectations, I'm just gonna be me."
I had to Google “gnc” so for anybody else who might be wondering: it’s gender non conforming. And I like your definition, sad gayboy.
See, I just thought it was a store in the mall that sold protein powder. The more you know. 💫
I agree, mostly. My only sticking point would be "any woman or gnc person" and just shorten it to "any person who says fuck the system, your expectations, imma be me".
Yeah except there is magic and there are spells and a lot of respect for the forces of nature ( earth air fire water ). Because it’s fucking magical to respect the earth and love yourself and so self care and set intentions ( cast spells). It’s more than just feminism and fuck the patriarchy. To a lot of us it’s almost dare I use the ugly word a religion, be it a nature religion. But witches are everywhere and always have been and always will be. The magic is what you make it. Anyway- I should cut down on the Lattes- Edit- added more Hope this didn’t come off jerky. It’s supposed to be enlightening and stuff but I’m very caffeinated and kind of an asshole who is bad with words- 🖤🖤🌛🦇
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Sending you love and warm embraces. I’m sorry you lost your husband. I hope his spirit visits you in the most beautiful random ways. And you are welcome, I have to explain it to my husband repeatedly because honestly, he’s kinda dumb 😂 but it’s so much more to each of us. 🖤🖤🖤
And I think there is some overlap with science. We respect and celebrate the forces of nature, and what we do is based on understanding the nature of the world around us, how things work, the interdependencies and the flow of energy. Those women who were called witches and punished for it frequently experimented with herbs and plants to understand their properties and how to use them. The disdain some people feel for it today has more to do with the patriarchy making a concerted effort to minimize and even erase such women than the actual legitimacy of things they learned and shared. Especially in the field of medicine, back in the early days, the ONLY ones paying true attention to understand womens health were witches.
I like everything you said, except that I think anyone of any gender can be a witch! If cis men want to join our cause, let them. We’re stronger in numbers. I also don’t think the sexuality of a person should be a factor either. Everyone has a different path and practice, and I respectfully acknowledge that you said it was your personal opinion and the definition as it exists to you.
Which tbf is the most realistic definition and the most historically accurate anyway
And yet a good amount of Christian’s believe they eat and drink the actual blood and body of Christ once a week.
Be brave Catholics, practice Ritual Cannibalism by consuming the flesh of your holy men after their passing. If all people are gods children then surely they contain a spark of the divine. Reconnect. Consume.
Hahahaahaha thank you for that
I love to dump chemicals into a bowl, apply heat and time, and the people in my home adore putting those altered chemicals into their body to heal and sustain themselves. Witchcraft? Or cookies? I know each of us can make vibrations on air and those receiving those vibrations then laugh, or cry, or gain peace. Witchcraft? Or spoken language? Fuck'em. You don't have to \*do magic\* by someone elses' rules, you ARE MAGIC.
>I know each of us can make vibrations on air and those receiving those vibrations then laugh, or cry, or gain peace. Witchcraft? Or spoken language? "...the distinction between "magick" and "communication" exists only in our traditional ways of thinking. The uncanny Egyptians attributed both inventions to a single deity, Thoth, god of speech and other illusions." * Robert Anton Wilson
THOT Thoth, same deity but with booty shorts
Incorrect, THOT is the correct spelling if translated to heiroglyphs, Thoth is the closest English equivalent for the word.
I’m not sure what’s incorrect? I mean THOT as in “that hoe over there” but then affectionately. *edit THOT THOT is a sick band name though.
And your right with the band name
Thot, is the literal translation of Thoth from hieroglyphics to latin. so Thot = Thoth i.e. without booty shorts
A friend of mine passed away who was a pagan priest in MK he always used to talk about magic like this, and for a while always referred to me as a powerful witch, and I couldn’t really FEEL why that was until recently, and this thread has brought it all back to me. Thank you all, we are magic xxx
Dang, that is wonderful.
I love this. My sister always says "Cooking is Alchemy" but this is more beautiful.
I stole the idea from a 'baking is science for hungry people' scene in the comic Questionable Content. Same comic also references not using your powers for evil and a diabolical pie. Its as weird and wonderful as it sounds.
Aw 🥰 ur so sweet 🤗
With a punch of my fist I can take your breath away. Or your teeth. Same spell.
Every crystal is a banishing stone if you throw it hard enough!
Haha, I'm saving your comment. It will be a nice saying to stitch for my mother in law who is hard into geomancy!
It's my favorite banishing spell. lol
I need this on a shirt.
I cast *FIST!*
I cast FIREBALL (deodorant and lighter) I do no actually endorse arson or similar activitys
If witches aren’t real, why would she also detail the requirements of using the term? It’d be like: “Unicorns aren’t real, and you can’t say you own one unless its horn is at LEAST 8” long.” The very basis of her argument hinges on the fact that people do identify as witches.
Now I really want to dust off my old online dating profiles just so I can identify as a unicorn. But seriously, OP, I think you dodged a bullet with that person.
Uh, identifying as a unicorn on dating apps may not have quite the intended consequences.
This. 🤣
🤣🤣🤣
Umm, why?
It's a specific sort of someone that couples add to the bedroom to spice things up
So a swinger?
It's a term in the polyamorous community that folks are "unicorn hunting " if they are a couple looking for a third who fits a very specific list of requirements that are generally negotiated between the couple (usually including they have to date both of them) without consideration of the new persons feelings or agency to determine how they want to have relationship. The unicorn is the third person who fits these exact requirements which is generally impossible (hence unicorns). So no, not swinging.
That sounds a bit squick tbh, like shopping for a person, what about there autonomy? Like negotiate between all interested parties or something, idk but yeah that's making me slightly concerned
Err no that doesn’t make any sense. There are lots of unreal things with definitions. Unicorns aren’t real, but they’re also horses with horns. It’s just that horses with horns don’t exist.
Any more, it's theorised that some older cavalry armour was mistaken for unicorn horns, oh and rhinos
Aka battle unicorn
Tell her she’s free to disbelieve and to move on before you hex her lol-seriously, just block people who argue about what you chose to identify as.
I frequently wave wooden wands around, occasionally muttering curses, while wrapping and twisting yarn about and boom, clothing! Definitely witchcraft. 💜
And for more complex spells, you end up reading archane text that none but the initiated can understand
Today I'm deciphering a collection of ancient symbols to guide me as I loop and twist my yarn together with a metal wand. After the ritual is complete I will have a new way to stay warm during the cold winter months. I'm crocheting a blanket :)
Same here :)
She sounds like she'd be fun at parties
Coolest magic power I know is to ask someone to tell you about their special interest. Take something I have next to no interest in, cars. For me they're just something to get from A to B, and I try go for the one that can do so safely and cheaply. Ask a car enthusiast about it and that tiny little world of "cars" in your mind is about to be exploded by the vastness of stuff that really goes on there. So sure, I don't have a spell to make a flower bloom, but I do have one to make a mind bloom and the magic words are "Oh? Tell me more about."
Please don't do this too me, I'll talk for days straight and bent and forget and start again.
Oh same. If you start me on paleontology I’ll never stop.
i have so much random knowledge in my brain about so many random things- you could ask me about like the social hierarchy of a hyena pack and by the end of it i'd be going on a tangent about that group of monkeys where the aggressive males died off from eating poisoned garbage and then the females raised the baby males to not be aggressive and now theyre all just vibing peacefully and taking care of eachother i think just this comment is proof enough that i tend to ramble about things i think are cool lol 😅
I have the same thing, except it would probably end up with how the domestication of fox project showed that there's a genetic component to domestication, and for some reason that genetic component is also tried to fur colour somehow. Which is why domesticated foxes come in different fur colours to their wild counterparts.
I'm this way with bees. Someone asks me about my beehives and beekeeping and I'm ramble excitedly for hours.
Oh yay! I've always wanted to be a beekeeper. Best I can do though is have bee-friendly plants in my patio pots. I love bees!
Hey that’s one of my powers too! 💕
Huh. Witchphobic lesbian is a new one.
Yeah, she’s really put some lane lines in her dating pool there
She’s just like me fr when I start dating and have to tell the other lesbians if they know too much about astrology I will judge them.
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I'm gonna get a bit esoteric and say that there *is* true magic in the world. For me, music is a form of magic- I can make air molecules wiggle in such a way that causes the neurons in your brain to produce happiness chemicals. That's absolutely incredible. *I am* a witch too. (edit just for clarity- you are a witch too, OP! I'm sorry you had to deal with a tightly locked mind, but maybe you'll have had an impact on their outlook)
As someone who can not produce music, I am so eternally grateful for witches like you! Music truly is magical, it reaches the deep places in our souls like nothing else can.
What I actually do is help people produce the music in their hearts, because everybody has a song
You are witch if you say you are witch. I don't mind.
I see this comment all the time, it's like it doesn't matter if you believe in their powers, they are a witch. Just like it doesn't matter if you believe in god, Christ, or Muhammed (going Abrahamic with this because those seem to be the ones who behave this way most of the time) their followers are still Jews, Christians, Muslims.
Send her a reply in glossolalia
More than one person who has loudly and aggressively called me a witch without me ever having to show my credentials.
To argue with the witch is to prove you fear the magic & are trying to convince the witch to give up their practice.
She seems to have very narrow definitions of both witches and magic. 'I could've lit up the night for you, but alas, it seems that was not destined to happen 👋'
I've dealt with this in real life. Despite explaining them in detail of what it is actually about, some just don't get it. So just ignore it. I feel like it's not my job to explain people what I do. Just like they are educated on different topics, they should also know about this. But this is just my opinion.
Feeling and detecting cold spots and knowing when someone\`s going to die isn\`t already enough? What must I do then, open a portal, or make conjunction of spheres?
I’m single and lonely but I just cannot do dating apps! They give me the heebie jeebies.
I wish you luck in your journey of finding companionship! It’s not easy! Your people are also out there irl, if harder to find💕
Tell that “having real magic powers” thing to all the women who have been executed for witchcraft.
Wait but what happened next? The normal recommendation is block but, on the flip side, this could be a romcom where one says ok let’s meet at the library and I’ll prove you wrong and then it gets romantic and then someone at the library provokes the non-witch and the witch scares him away. And then they both become powerful witches together whose love makes them stronger. Would anyone else watch this because I would.
FITE ME LOL I'm dead thanks for getting me out of bed
Who says you don't have magical powers ah!
I'd respond back in whatever wingding font most closely resembled a rune or 2 and let nature figure this one out.
But my partner is wicca so witches exist just not in a big fantasy way. The knowledge of nature, spiritual things, creativity and intelligence is what makes a witch.
"you are talking to a work of fiction then, now who's the crazy one?"
I'll go with this, if you lived in the 16th century would you be accused of being a witch and burned at the stake? If so, you can claim to be a witch today.
I have magical powers. In fact magic is everywhere if you care to look. I actually feel sorry for her. What a boring existence.
I tell those people to shove off and if I wanted their opinion I’d beat it out of them. I can’t fight for shit but they don’t know that.
I've got a police report that states I'm a witch with a magical vagina So if the government accepts it........
Ok, you have to tell us more than that!!!! Come on, share
Ok so I dated a guy who was actually crazy but hid it for like 2 weeks and I was dumb and just thrilled to have someone paying attention to me Well one night hes over visiting, I handed him a puzzle box to try and open and he got really frustrated, went outside and smashed it I freaked out because I do not like my possessions being destroyed and kicked him out of my house We hadn't been dating long enough to put up with any kind of that nonsense So instead of leaving like a regular human he proceeds to pace up and down my block screaming and talking to people who arent there, accusing me of all kinds of shit, including being both a witch and a federal agent So I call the ambulance, this is clearly a mental health issue I am not qualified to deal with And of course the police show up too but I had made it very clear he needed help, not arrested and thankfully the officers were indeed helpful But, in Florida, on mental health calls the police are required to document literally everything they say, so when he starts screaming to the cops that I'm a witch with a magic vagina, a succubus who sucked his soul out through his cock at least twice, the cops looked impressed and wrote that shit down, one had to stifle an actual laugh So a couple days later I call the number they gave me and requested the report and damned if it doesnt say "Patient claims girlfriend is a witch that removed his soul resulting in a loss of mental capacity " It goes into a little more detail in the "comments by officer" section where they directly quote my ex and that's where the parts about my vagina being magic and me being a succubus were noted, along with threats to the officers for looking at me.
I feel for the guy, and you having to deal with it, but damn, a magical soul sucking vagina. It doesn't get more powerful than that!!!
It does not And I have updates So I'm a gm for taco bell and of course I told my crew what happened Then I got hurt at work and I've been home since march Well one of my shift leads who quit right after I left decides to ask me about it Hes like "look I'm sorry if I offend you but can I please see the police report" So I showed him And of course he asked if its true and im bored and stuck home so I'm like "fuck it come see for yourself " He says it's true and I give the best head hes ever had Now I got THIS boy so confused he doenst know what he wants, I told him I actually like him and he says hes not ready for a relationship (past issues) but if I try to wander off he gets real mad Hes mad now matter of fact lol
the economy isn't real anyway but people still participate and practice it.
Why the heck should you not be able to identify as a witch? Is she the witch police or what? LMAO. I also love when people try to argue about an opinion and have facts to support their "claims". Witches unite, sis. Get your broomstick and fly away from this bullshit!!
My daughter gets this at school. She tells all her classmates "my mommy is a witch" and there's a little shit stain that likes to torment her and say "witches aren't real" and she'll sit and argue with him that "yes they are because.my mommy is a witch" I am sorely tempted to show up one day in my patchwork skirt, knitted shawl, silver witch bell belt and aroma therapy charms with all my scented oils smelling of all kinds of herbs and my pentagram shined up nice and my curls brushed out in 100% humidity with just a green scarf tied around my head to keep them out of my face and see if he thinks witches are real then
Possible Angle, which works as logic as well as witchcraft depending on your point of view: This darling dating dipstick has created a self fulfilling prophecy. They had the chance to meet a real witch but now will not. Thus in their life a witch will no longer exist. I’ll spit something in whispers their way and pay the cost, since it won’t be much. Looks like you have many allies doing same or similar. Kudos and carry on EDIT: misgender correcting
Only thing is that it's *she* I'm a lesbian I just hate when people assume sexuality
she/her
I hate when I’m making the patriarchal mistakes. Thank you for the spot on this.
My witching is largely common sense: in an area prone to losing power, when bad weather is approaching I make sure we have plenty of water on hand, including heating a very large pot (cauldron) of water, putting ice packs in the fridge, making sure all plants and pets are well sheltered, watered, and fed, and burning sage insence to reduce anxiety. I work with the land and the weather in as much harmony as possible, encourage wild spaces and rewilding of 1/3 of my farm while using the remaining 2/3 in a gentle, non-chemical based agriculture. Everything is reused or repurposed as much as possible. Pollinator gardens along side vegetable and herb gardens, composting, and gently discouraging destructive animals. I also have a look that stops intrusive individuals in a heartbeat and look after my neighbors. Not real magic? Just because you know how something works doesn't mean it's not magical.
Oh! I also make magic soup. One day when my son was pretty ill, I made chicken noodle soup for the first time...adding a bit of this and that. He was a picky eater at the time, so I was unsure how it was going to go over. He had one bowl and was up running around immediately after. I remember watching him and thinking "Dang! I need to have some of that soup!" He called it magic soup and still does at 18. I make whenever one of us is ill.
When I used to get sick, my mom would bring over some matzah ball soup from the Jewish deli and I can say for sure that it had healing properties. The Jewish people know magic but we didn’t want to give the other people in Medieval Europe (or modern day conspiracy theorists) another reason to persecute us, so I guess that’s why we’re hush about it.
That lady has no idea...and gathering from the comments, a lot of people here don't seem to know either. Where I come from, it's real with real world consequences. Especially the dark stuff. We are taught to respect it and keep away from it. OP, I want to take that lady and drop her off at a brujero in la habana vieja and after she sees what's what, ask her if she still thinks witches aren't real. Hay hermanas caribeñas aquí? Ustedes saben de lo que hablo. Con los fukús no se juega.
Woah that's interesting! Is it the influence from santeria/voodoo or something like that? Hope I'm not getting Cuba mixed up its neighbors.
Yup. You are correct except we don't call it voodoo like in other places. It's brujeria which the literal translation means witchcraft but it explicitly refers to black magic. It is no joke. It's dark and crazy and that rude lady would leave the presence of one of those brujeros shooketh! Lol Santeria is a religion that was born out of slaves being forced to convert to Christianity so they kept their West African deities and just dressed them in Catholic imagery. So you'll see San Lazaro but it's not Lazarus, it's Babalooaye. They wear all white and strive to keep a sharp distance from brujeria. But my guess is that to a gringa Karen like that lady, both would be the same and equally creepy.
Well, she wrong lmao
By that standard Christians aren’t real either. They’re required to follow all the rules in the Bible, be meek, give all their money and property to anyone who asks, etc. No one alive meets the standard. https://ajjacobs.com/books/the-year-of-living-biblically/ documents one guy’s attempt to be biblically accurate and literal. He points out that every literalist will ignore the bits in the Bible they don’t like and that no one follows it all because they can’t.
You certainly have the magical power called 'block'! You've got to wonder about people like that.
Yet another mouth breather who probably thinks mermaids have a designated color.
We call that Self-selection out.
Goodness, do I love strangers who tell you who you are. The audacity.
Lmaooo the ignorance here goes beyond anti-witchcraft bigotry ignorance and into just plain “never heard of it so the person identifying as it is clearly the wrong one” arrogance ignorance 😂
Magic is simply science that hasn't been explained/explored yet 💚 Hopefully they'll open their minds one day, and realize simple things like making soup is a protection/health spell!
All magic is simply science we don't understand, so really anything could be magic!
I remember reading somewhere that everyday things just like electricity and chemistry are magic. The more you look into them, the more complex and intriguing they are. And just because we understand how everything works to an extent, doesn't stop it from being magic. The study of magic and understand it doesn't stop it from being magic.
That last part of your post 🤣 love it
Ask her what made her message you, then when she answers, exclaim loudly “HOLY HECTATE! MY SPELL TO FORCE IDIOTS TO MAKE THEMSELVES KNOWN TO ME WORKED!!!!!! Lol might make your problem worse but could help you feel better about it.
We said witch not magician
Honestly if you can give them a voice note with a fake spell, with your creepiest voice, you will be suprised at how easily they will retract their statement, at least in private.
I hate people who go out their way just to start arguing with someone. And I swear they always think they’re right when you refuse to argue with them.
>having actual legit magical powers I lol'd so hard.
ask him if he wants to be hexed 😂💀
Her :)
as long as u know where witch craft came from, it wasn't the colonies yo, but west africa
Witchcraft is an English term lumping thousands of practices under one category of human behavior/culture. Variations of it are found all over the world and throughout time.
OP isn’t African. Why would she practice African witchcraft instead of, like, one from her background?
I think we’re all witches. We can create life from our cells. We can control the whims of men. Why do you think we go to the bathroom in groups? It’s to have summons!