I grew up Mormon and although I still hold great respect for that faith, one of the issues I started having with the church around the time I hit puberty was this weird social pressure that somehow in order to be a real Mormon woman you must be into crafting, a whiz in the kitchen and want nothing more in life than to serve your family. The reason I’ve been thinking about this lately is that contemporary witchcraft is similar. There is a huge emphasis on real witches being crafty and herb-growing and cake-baking and barefoot-in-the-grass-loving. But what about those of us who couldn’t handcraft a decent wand if our magical abilities depended on it--whose cakes always fall--whose homes are rarely tidy--who connect being barefoot in the grass with a good way to get hookworm and not much else? How odd I should fall from one faith tradition demanding this kind of domesticity in order to be holy, to another that almost seems to demand this kind of domesticity in order to be spiritually potent.
Where is the Book of Shadows for the un-crafty witch?
Perhaps I should start one where I could say things like, “Drawing prosperity is just as easily achieved through writing your desire in green ink, inwardly spiraling, as it is through masticating homegrown patchouli with a mortar and pestle you sculpted and fired in your own kiln.”
Or, “Communion with nature can just as easily be achieved by sitting outside at night in a comfy chair on your patio, looking up, studying the constellations and talking to the Gods as it can by running naked through a meadow on Midsummer’s Day.”
Or, “Supporting your local growers by frequenting a farmer’s market honors the land just as growing your own produce would.”
Let me add here how deep my admiration is for those witches who are naturally crafty and connected with the outdoors. I can’t even begin to tell you how awed I am by their gifts. I just wish there were more celebration of and resources for those of us who possess altogether different gifts, yet are no less magical for it.
Or, “Communion with nature can just as easily be achieved by sitting outside at night in a comfy chair on your patio, looking up, studying the constellations and talking to the Gods as it can by running naked through a meadow on Midsummer’s Day.”
Or, “Supporting your local growers by frequenting a farmer’s market honors the land just as growing your own produce would.”
Let me add here how deep my admiration is for those witches who are naturally crafty and connected with the outdoors. I can’t even begin to tell you how awed I am by their gifts. I just wish there were more celebration of and resources for those of us who possess altogether different gifts, yet are no less magical for it.
Blessed by the Mystery,
-M. Ashley
