Like so many GOOD things that have been twisted, misinterpreted, and manipulated, the conclusion that I am coming to about the word “WITCH” is that it needs to be shed of its nasty connotations (at least in my own mind), and that the word needs to be reclaimed.
In the spirit of reclaiming, I invite you to play with me and create an acronym from the word “witch”…several of you have already offered some:
- Wisdom Intuition Transformation Compassion Healing -Peter
- Woman’s Intuition Touching Communal Heart –Liza
- Women Inspiring Truth Change + Harmony –Peter
- Wisdom Interconnected Terra Caring Hope –Licia
- Wonderful Intuitive Teacher Called Healer –M.
Let’s hear some more!
I dont have an acronym, but I want to add that many witches already are trying to reclaim that word. Usually you can find them more at Halloween time. A famous one is Laurie Cabot in Salem, Mass. She is on facebook and has some videos on YouTube too. Many more are on WitchVox (The Witches Voice).
Thank you for seeing the truth and for being strong enough to go public. I think that for every witch you find who is open, there are untold numbers who are still hiding. Too many people still live in fear of those who will not understand and who will say (or even do) hurtful things.
Womenkind
i Illuminating
t Timeless
c Consciousness
H Honorably
Keep all the nasty associations. Don’t waste our energy or power shedding them, fighting them, or opposing them. Milk them. Those associations are ties to ancient power, and to irrational fears of our ancient power, and therefore gates to that power. There is energy in fear; we can unlock it and repurpose the energy, but only if we accept it and embrace it alongside all our other feelings, our ‘positive’ associations. If we ourselves fear being called “bad girl”, then we would stay nice girls, demure and obedient; if instead we proudly embrace our naughty, angry, refusing-to-self-sacrifice, rule-breaking, demanding, sexy, rebellious, badass, wisdom-is-within-bodies-NOT-hierarchies, cackling sides, what full women we become! It can be a winning strategy if we choose to allow or inspire fear in patriarchs and the ones still in their sway – and i do mean INSPIRE, hya hyah hee hee. They will fear us anyway, so we may as well become worthy of it, respected for our vigor. There is wisdom deeper than any mere thought in the irrational, in the fertile bloody, in the fiesty animalistic, in our liberation from the dry egoic forebrain and its power-over schemes. As we reclaim our heritage, as we reclaim our birthright, as we reclaim our connections to this Earth and Her vast power, as we reclaim this word, let’s really reclaim it, let’s take it back, all of it, all the darkness, all the shadows, all ours, all. Say YES. YES to the Herstory that comes with the word, YES to a present where we own ourselves and our lives, and YES to a future that includes all that PLUS our dreams and their luscious fruits. We gain power when folks see us with all those old dark associations attached, and we may use that power as we will. KEEP them!
Wonder In Thea’s Creation Home.
Willingness Is The Cure Here.
Wild Intrinsic Thealogy Creates Harmony.
Not original to me or to here:
Woman In Total Control of Herself
IF mixing is OK here:
Wisdom Interconnected Terra Compassion Heart
Wise Intuition Transforming Communal Hope
I’m in LOVE, Zot!
There is no problem with all the “negative” connotations of the word “witch”. Consider – whenever someone tries to use it as an insult, it is because he is afraid of what the so-called “witch” is doing (using it here with quotation marks since most of the women insulted as “witches” are not one of the crazy family). It’s because she won’t do as she is expected (or told), because she resists something or stands up for herself.
(To me it’s just the same with the word “bitch” – I created a “Happy Bitchday” shirt for the “Don’t mess with me or else” days, and I love wearing it, I fought hard to get this title.)
SO, if someone calls you a witch, they are afraid of all the things you are capable of doing… (^v^)
From ’69-70, there were feminist “bad girls” who reclaimed the word (in a way which would be very frowned upon today, I think): Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell.
Of course, it’s not appropriate that a neopagan would consider herself from Hell, nor does anyone want to self-identify as a terrorist–but I still think there’s power in this very in-your-face reinterpretation. More about this group is available on Wikipedia and I believe they get mentioned in either Spiral Dance or Drawing Down the Moon.