I voted today! I guess it’s time to speak on a topic I feel is often looked over. Witchcraft to ME is political — with each ballot we can choose those who wouldn’t actively push against our practices…. why is this valid? Witchcraft in many places was illegal & could be prosecuted, often times resulting in deaths. 🏛️
Witchcraft is political because it deals with power, self-governance, and resistance against social and religious norms. While Witchcraft itself is inherently non-political (in spite of what fear-based tropes might have you believe), witches themselves ARE political.
You cannot separate a practice with such a long history of persecution, suppression, and reclaiming personal autonomy from the political world we live in.
Historically, those targeted during witch hunts weren't simply people accused of practicing magic. They were often people who existed outside of what society considered acceptable. The poor, healers, women who didn't conform to expectations of marriage and motherhood, people who challenged religious authority, and those who lived on the outskirts of their communities. These accusations were often a way to police behavior, reinforce social hierarchies, and silence people who didn't fit into the world someone else wanted them to live in.
And while our understanding and practice of witchcraft have evolved, that history hasn't lost its relevance. Witchcraft is about autonomy, self-expression, knowledge, and the freedom to explore a life outside of someone else's expectations. It's about questioning systems that demand conformity, recognizing the harm those systems have caused, and understanding that our personal freedoms don't exist in a vacuum.
For me, being a witch doesn't mean turning a blind eye to what's happening around me because I've found my own spiritual path. If anything, it means the opposite. It means recognizing when people are being marginalized, when autonomy is being stripped away, and when certain groups are being made into convenient targets for society's problems.
the people who were persecuted centuries ago for being different, difficult, knowledgeable, outspoken, or simply unwilling to fit into the mold weren't so different from the people whose rights and freedoms are being challenged today.
You cannot celebrate the history of witchcraft, reclaim the word witch, and honor those who came before us while remaining indifferent to the struggles of people happening right now.
Witchcraft is political. Our autonomy is political. And sometimes, showing up, speaking out, and casting a vote is just as much an act of resistance as anything we do at our altars. — love, Autumn
to add — I didn’t just vote in favor of witches. I voted in favor of human rights. I am an aunty, a woman, apart of the LGBTQIA community, disabled, and a humanist. I have such a diverse and wonderful community… I have a group of friends that are my family. I vote to protect the vulnerable, the sick, the poor, and those that are considered a “minority” by humans who fear anything that doesn’t look or act like what they face in the mirror everyday. The midterms are IMPORTANT. This country has fallen to a tyrant, fascist regime and we suffer at the hands of late stage capitalism & white & evangelical supremacy. I am not the only one who is tired.
Go vote today! 🫂
