The Witch Favorites

 On the edge of October, I'm thinking about witches.

I knew a woman who came from a very dark, "Christian" cult background, and, after a while, she started to tell me what that was like. She came out of the deepest, actually craziest kind of Right Wing conglomeration you can imagine. Within this universe, propped up by "biblical teachings," women were essentially subjugated in every way, Handmaid's Tale style. Also, their sexuality was severely circumscribed, and they were blamed for "causing" sexual feelings in men. The basics are not extraordinary. In fact, the basics are just the way things are under the patriarchy. But the subsequent behaviors and beliefs might go a little deeper.

Her mother "caused" just such sexual feelings in a few different men in their "local church," a.k.a. cult, and they secretly got together and decided that, since they were all desiring her and fantasizing about her, well, obviously, she must be possessed by a demon, and she must be a witch. The other women in the cult were, of course, all too ready to support this theory as well. To her father's credit, although he initially joined with these men and women and agreed to a grueling, intimidating panel confrontation of her mother to try to determine how bad her possession was and to what degree she was actively practicing "sexual black magic," he then rejected the entire enterprise, called the men idiots and insane, and supported his wife.

Of course, they were ostracized from the cult, as a result, and got death threats, and threats of abduction and even rape, etc. You know, good Christian things. My friend was so terrified of all these goings on (she was just going through puberty, an only child), that she spent most of her time alone (she was home schooled, of course), in an attic, hiding out, not eating, and reading books. Of course, the local "Christian" community started to think maybe *she* was the "real witch" in the family and the source of the trouble. So a round of harassment and gossip and intimidation followed her through her early years of puberty. There was even a young man who agreed to be a "spy" and try to woo her and see if he developed "sinful desires" as a result of being near her. She thought he was just a kind, book-loving kid, but it turned out that he did develop "sinful desires" toward her, and he outed her to the "Christian" community as definitely a witch, and it broke her heart.

This is America, in the 1980's. Not Salem, in the late 17th Century.

So this story contributes to my desire to smash the patriarchy, and is illustrative of why I am sickened by patriarchal "Christianity." This was a very intelligent, gentle, talented, beautiful person, raised in a thoroughly spiritually abusive rape culture environment, and she struggled with crushing shame, depression, suicidality, PTSD, night terrors, etc., into her adult life. So I saw up close the terrible damage this culture can do. And for a long time, it was easy to compartmentalize it as, well, that's Texas, and that's the way cults work. But it has gradually become apparent to me that, as I said above, the basics in the patriarchy are the same everywhere.

I recently had this vision of all of the weird and weirdling women throughout history, shy, quiet, withdrawn and "strange," or bold, rebellious, vibrant and fiercely alive, either way inscrutable to cowardly men and co-opted women, suddenly identified, suddenly singled out, and then caught, ensnared, and, one way or the other, imprisoned, isolated, tortured and murdered. Most of the women I've been with could easily have been scapegoated in this way. All the qualities that I most value in women are pretty much the ones that the patriarchy wants to burn at the stake. Is it any wonder that the resulting desire to dismantle the patriarchy is so strong, even in people who can't quite figure out what it is that is the problem or what needs dismantling? And why the "good guy" myth is part of what has to go, since it's often the "good guy" who turns witch-burner?

Anyway, look around, get to know your witches, and either love them or get out of their way. This is a great time of year to support your local witches.