Witches Under Empire: What it Means to Be a Witch In "Trump's America"

Written By Jaliessa Sipress

Just the thought of merely existing  in “Trump’s America” may seem like some treacherous shadow-work; consistently being pushed to face our worst fears and darkest conceptions of this world while trying to maintain a sense of self and focus on the light.

Most likely, that is exactly what we are stepping into.

With the erasure of pages on the new government’s website that previously acknowledged issues of climate change, LGBT rights and Civil Rights, Trump’s confirmed misogynistic comments regarding sexual assault, and his right-wing stances on police terror, abortion rights and immigration issues, there is definitely cause for alarm.

However, working with shadows and lighting a candle in the dark is what we do best, and the postcolonial (or continuing colonial) world has never welcomed the hard and necessary work witches have engaged in for centuries, so what is new now? Despite the new US President’s nationalistic sentiment (or possibly in exact alignment with the era he is referring to within it) America has never been great. For those of us living on the margins of race, class, gender, spirituality, sexuality and disability, our precious work has historically been violently persecuted and left to the shadows.

So, do not fret my dear witches, a Trump-inauguration is a mere practice in veil-lifting, another opportunity to practice seeing in the dark, and revealing our political and social climate for what it really is only makes our work that much more important

Just as we would practice healthy boundaries with the powers we cannot see while spell-casting or engaging in spirit-communication, we must form a relationship with strict boundaries to this new force that is the Presidency of Donald Trump. To do this, it serves us to remember three things:

• The work we do at home in solitude must echo the work we do in the presence of others

• A witch’s power lies in being unafraid of the unknown

• A concentration on fear attracts things to be scared of

To begin, I must acknowledge that secrets made and secrets kept in personal ritual are of the utmost of importance, and their existence as secrets is sacred. Additionally, to keep the people and politics you protect when you step foot on the streets also within your private practices is crucial. Private here means altar space, home space, and sacred spaces you frequently inhabit for safety and light. To keep your politics here is to be conscientious of whose practices, rituals, symbols, words and imagery you use, to keep a candle burning for the people you cannot reach, and to center self-healing around the idea that the healing you do is not just for you, but for the people that need you and for the people who have come before you.

Second, the uncertainty and unpredictability of Trump and his cabinet that may feel daunting and scary for us is really his fall and not ours. Witches stay ready. A predominant part of witchcraft is completely based within “the unknown.” We communicate with things we cannot see or are told have no vocabulary. We know how to improvise, to work with flowers and weeds and how to heal ourselves and oftentimes others. The epitome of being a witch is the knowledge of the earth’s force, an awareness of the changing seasons, positions of the stars and the knowledge of our own and other witches’ power. There is a steadiness to knowing that you are learning to master a presence that lies beyond what we can see and touch, because a capitalist society can only touch the tangible, only mess with the material, and can never understand or consume the power of the witch.

And that is why we are feared.

Most people are terrified of what they cannot see, what is not “scientifically proven” and what they have never been told is okay to explore. Our defiance of letting fear immobilize us is a huge part of our job description. Our persecution is and was based on the fact that we mess with things that other humans are too scared to touch. So, what happens when the witches are scared? What happens when we use the same power we use to manifest, heal and conjure to fear what is to come? It becomes no different from calling on Aunt Milly from our salt circle; we invite the object of our focus into our space, into existence.

During this term of election, there must be an embracing of fear and willingness to carry on with our confidence, knowledge and strong sense of solidarity leading the way. We need each other now the way we have always needed one another, the way we have always needed care and attention and the way we have always needed to perfect what we do and know best. Every person has a place, and to investigate your larger contribution to the world at this time is crucial. I know herbalist witches, astrologer witches, sex witches, hood witches, good witches, bad witches, shadow workers, wortcunners, rune throwers, conjurers, psychics, angel beings, light-bearers, medicine people, community healers and everything in between. This diverse set of knowledge is priceless in the face of hegemonic structures that seek to bury us and our history. Whatever kind of witch, warlock, regular schmegular bitch or magical star being you are, you and your power matter and we have got to keep moving, shaking, laughing, whispering, conjuring, kicking, screaming, growing, learning and loving in the face of this age-old regime with a new face. We will always hold the power as long as we recognize what we all bring to the table and figure out how to use these powers to resist.

So, gather with your coven to bottle tinctures with intentions of sustaining the resistance through Reishi mushrooms, skullcap and yarrow. Host gatherings teaching the history of the crossover between radical witchcraft and community organizing. Continue to defend the Earth, question the government and fight like hell for causes of the living while keeping your fire lit with the rage of the dead. We are here on this earth, at this time for a reason. So, whether you were born into a coven or you just stumbled upon witchcraft, you have been given the task of protecting what is sacred.

To be a witch is to reclaim the power of connecting with our bodies, our spirit and the earth and  in ungovernable ways, to create paths towards a more regenerative, sustainable society through channeling our ancestors and wisdom from other realms. A man barking orders and spewing hate from a position of socially-constructed power is no match for the power of the people when guided by light, ancestral wisdom and unwavering solidarity. It is our job to carry the legacy, to stand amongst the crowds with rose quartz and motherwort tincture in our pockets, bundles of cedar burning in our hands, holding the match when it is time to burn it all down.

The Hoodwitch: Weekly Horoscopes 1/25-31-2017

Illustration by Molly Bounds

Horoscopes Written by Jessica Lanyadoo

Witch Tips:

Just when you thought things were ready to calm down: supriiiiise, they’re not! This week there’s a New Moon in heady Aquarius. New Moons are usually a wonderful time to open up to possibility and mark the start of a new cycle. This one, not so much. Tenderhearted Venus will take a swift kick in the gut from hardheaded Saturn, and it’s likely to make for some defensive and sad feels all around. This is a great time to get clear about what you are and what you ain’t, because gurl, if you’ve been letting someone else define you, it’s gonna hurt. By the time Mercury catches up with Pluto on the 28th, you’ll have plenty to obsess over, but whatever you do, don’t pick fights. The energy from the 27th-1st is going to be too wild to tame, so investigate, gestate, and meditate for best results. Ask yourself if the reason you’re pressing for answers is because you want to avoid the stress of sitting with things as they are rn or if you actually think you can change things up. When in doubt, wait 72hrs before saying your piece because this week, motive means everything. Keep yours squeaky clean, bbs.

ARIES

March 21-April 19

There’s no value in trying to push past obstacles this week, Aries. Allowing yourself to react on impulse is going to make you feel all kinds of ways, but none of them will be terribly comfortable. The forces in motion in your life are powerful, and the best approach is to cultivate a big-picture plan. Getting caught up in the details will be satisfying, like picking off a scab, but it won’t help you to heal. Pace yourself, and when you can’t do that, at least don’t let your fears guide you.

­TAURUS

April 20-May 20

This week’s New Moon is a solid time to up your professional game, Taurus. Carve out time to do the things that require either concentration or innovation, whichever feels more important for the tasks at hand. If you follow through with your goals, you can make meaningful headway that will breathe fresh life into your projects, so don’t waste this opportunity. If you are suffering from the doldrums, don’t worry about it too much; let work serve as a distraction for a few days, and your heartaches should ease.

GEMINI

May 21-June 21

It’s easy to connect with people when your role is clear but what about in emotionally intimate situations or when you don’t know if the other person likes you? This is when you have a tendency to escape into the fun house of your head and stop actually connecting. Closeness and connection happen when you show up, Twin Star. The only way to get intimate this week is by stomaching the discomfort of the unknown. There’s nothing to figure out; just show up.

CANCER

June 22-July 22

This week may bring up some seriously obsessive thoughts and the bad vibes that come up with them. The truth is complicated and messy, but it’s still true. Don’t act like you are blameless when you know you had a role to play in your broken situations. Be humble and own your part, even if the other person is more wrong. There’s a serious risk of confrontation, especially later in the week, so be prepared to show up instead of just defend your position, Moonchild.

LEO

July 23-Aug. 22

What do you want for yourself, Leo? Do you want to be at the job you have? Do you want to keep spending time with your same group of people? You have choice, even though it’s easy to fall into a lifestyle that perpetuates itself. Use this New Moon energy to get clear about what partnerships and collaborations you’re aligning yourself with. If you don’t like your options, it’s time to seek out new ones. You can’t get what you want if you don’t make a beeline for it.

VIRGO

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

Love is so complicated; you think that things are going one way, and then people go and do something that take them in a whole different direction. The problem is that relationships involve people – pesky, unpredictable, nonsensical humans. Gah! They go left when you think they ought to go right, and it’s a huge mess. So let it be, Virgo. Accept what others are showing you of themselves because that’s the truth. If you can’t accept the truth, that might mean you’re the nonsensical one. It’s time to get real, my love.

LIBRA

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

It’s hard to be direct about what you’re feeling all the time; sometimes you don’t know for sure what’s going on inside of you (indecision), and other times it feels too risky to rock the boat. This week brings with it some choppy waters, and trying avoid that will be ill-fated. Confront the uncomfortable, Libra. Go for authenticity over accommodation. When it’s tempting to be fake, you always have a choice to placate or show up. Choose wisely.

SCORPIO

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

When you're in a state of anxiety, you can’t hear the voice of your inner wisdom over all that mind chatter. Your top priority this week should be to get some calm. You’re unable to see all of your choices from a panicked place, so bring it down a notch, Scorpio. For support, lean on the people and resources that you have access to. How you take care of yourself is an important part of your long-term wellness; commit to the highest quality of life that you can create this week.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

You don’t need to convince anyone else of your perspective in order to substantiate it. It may feel that if you explain it correctly, people will have to see it your way and agree with you, but it’s not so, ‘Tarius. Your feels and perspective are valid because they’re yours – not because they’re ‘right’. Don’t get into power struggles as a result of not being able to accept the very real differences between yourself and others, no matter how tempting you may find it this week.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

You are likely too find yourself preoccupied by intense thoughts and ghosts from your past. The worst things you can do is to either indulge obsessive thinking or pretend it isn’t happening at all. Try and understand what’s going on for your heart underneath all that stressing, Cappy. It’s possible that someone will come your way with a truckload of drama, and there’s not much you can do about that beyond how you respond. Be the bigger person this week.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

It’s super vulnerable to not know where you’re at. This week you’re likely to feel all over the place and long for a clearer sense of purpose. Instead of forcing an answer that you just don’t have, be open to seeing new sides of your problems. The New Moon in your sign on the 27th may shed light on stuff, but it’s not likely to be a spotlight. Allow space for your instincts to fill in the blanks by creating downtime to retrospect in, Aquarius.

PISCES

Feb. 19-March 20

It’s not mean to say no to someone, Pisces. You’re going through a crash course in boundaries, and you need to experiment with what your limits are and how to express them. Through this process you may step on toes or cross your boundaries, but don’t worry – it’s OK to make mistakes! If you allow your fear of being wrong to stop you from finding new and better ways to be right, you’re limiting yourself unnecessarily. Be brave in the name of self-love.