@jointhecovn its open (spooky) season, drop a comment for any witchy topics you would like us to cover! #halloween #daystillhalloween ♬ Images of witches, old churches, shrines, and magic(1379477) - fasorashi-do
For the first in our series of blog posts focusing on witchy topics in the run-up to Halloween: feminist witchcraft.
Feminist witchcraft developed in the late 1960s as a direct response to the life of women at the time. If a woman wasn't engaged or married by your graduation day, she would often be shamed by society.
Feminist activist Mary Dore says "women didn't go out unless they were on a date" and that's generally how women were expected to exist in society.
Feminist witchcraft believes in the goddess and the witch as one, contrasting the popular Wicca witchcraft at the time. This witchcraft believes in the Triple Goddess which consisted of the maiden, the mother, and the crone. These trio made up the circle of a woman's life. She starts as a young maiden, transitioning later to the mother, followed by the crone stage of life. This is where they become the source of wisdom used to reinvigorate the cycle in future generations. A woman's value here isn't defined by the age she is, but actually the opposite.
In the late 60s, the feminist witchcraft movement was brought nationwide by W.I.T.C.H (Woman International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell). Less of a coven and more of a leftist style activist group, they hosted demonstrations to bring attention to women's rights. Such demonstrations included casting evil spells on Wall Street to fight imperialistic phallic society. (A notion reborn during Trump's presidency).
The W.I.T.C.H's performances worked well, and witch covens began to pop up all over the U.S. They were not only spiritual but also political, bringing women together with the power of change.
Wendy Griffin, a writer on feminist witchcraft summarises the importance of the movement: "religion defines the deepest values of society and these women are redefining what society they want to live in by celebrating the role of women unabashedly".
Reading List
The Caliban of the Witch by Silvia Federici
https://indie-mag.com/2018/10/witchcraft-feminism/