I admit that this past few years, I have felt unmotivated to blog much. My life has seemed so much smaller and unimportant than what’s been happening in the world at large. In a way, it felt to me that I would take focus away from where it should be, or that my trying to share thoughts would not add anything of value to the conversations we desperately need to be having, the work that desperately needs doing.
I’ve also thought as my business has grown that it was inappropriate for me to speak about things other than, well, business things, and vaguely about my spiritual path. Even speaking about my spiritual path has fallen into “inappropriateness” because I don’t want to scare customers away.
I believe I am just done with that. The Forest Witch is, of course, the name of my business, but I am The Forest Witch. This blog started out as me sharing my thoughts and things I’ve learned on this path, then turned more towards the shop as that started up, but I am still me, my business is a part of me, my magick flows into everything that I make and offer to all who would buy my items, whether or not they believe in magick. I will not separate myself out of the ways I can communicate with you simply because I worry for my business.
I will not silence myself for the sake of making money, and I will not silence myself when I have a little soapbox to rave from when there is simply too much in the world that enrages. Perhaps my words will encourage you, and the more voices you hear with the encouragement to fight will provide you with the inspiration and strength to start and keep fighting.
Let’s do this.
I’m livid. I am raging on a daily basis, and just when I think I am on the tipping point of overwhelm, the next week brings even worse news of how the powerful enjoy fucking around with those unfortunate enough to be born anything other than wealthy, rich, white, and male. I know many of you, if not all of you, are feeling this too.
Though it’s obvious that the US is a great source of stress and rage for likely most of the world at the moment, Canadian politicians have clearly been encouraged by the rise of populism and Trumpian bullshit too. (Yes, I’m angry my province voted in Doug Ford, brother to yes, the Bob Ford who smoked crack whilst being mayor of Toronto). There has been so much horrendous denial of the condition of our planet’s (not just Canada’s) climate crisis, wasting billions of tax dollars on a fucking pipeline when the green energy industry is really gaining in leaps and bounds not only in renewable energy, but jobs (which our idiot of a Prime Minister, Trudeau, believes doesn’t stack up to oil jobs that are much fewer, and not as long lasting). Not to mention not properly consulting our Indigenous peoples, nor giving proper due course for investigating the environmental impacts of building such a thing. And, yes, completely ignoring the fact that a recently built pipeline on the West Coast burst 6 months, yes, 6 months after being built.
But those things are not what’s on my mind today, yesterday, this past few weeks, these last years after beginning to really see how fucking shitty our patriarchy is to women. They don’t give a single fuck. Not one. Yes, I’m talking Kavanaugh, that piece of excrement. The whole sham of a hearing and confirmation process has been such a fucking wake up call to those who have still been wearing their blinders up until this point. This is the point where the politicians, the senators of the loudest country on earth, have said that no matter how credible a woman is, no matter what the people they are supposed to represent want (look at the massive protests that happened across the country not only today, the day they voted to pass him through, but the entire process of this, and other heinous decisions by the government), they simply DON’T CARE. They don’t care to give due process to a proper investigation. And honestly, even if you didn’t believe Kavanaugh raped anyone, his behaviour in his hearing was completely inappropriate for someone being considered to gain a lifetime appointment as a supreme court judge (and don’t get me started on the fact that lifetime appointments should never be a thing).
Let’s change the perspective also to highlight that had Blasey Ford been anything other than a white woman, that hearing likely would never have happened. So while white women might be waking up to this enormous injustice now… women of colour, LGBTQ+ have been enduring this and much worse for the entire history of being around white people, even here in Canada.
This capitalist, corporate, money-owns-those-who-should-justly-represent-us culture is overdue for a thorough burning and cleansing. This time is truly The Tower in energy, we are slowly climbing it to all tumble down, the world turning upside down, and hopefully for the patriarchy and the rich to no longer have the power they have.
As much as I hate all this, as much as I rage, and I weep over all of the things we have to endure during each day’s revelations, I feel these are the things that are needed to incite the rage of the people to finally fucking change this bullshit. We’ve had so many revolutions, periods of when the Bourgeoisie would think they can do and get away with anything, only to find themselves and their kings decapitated. However, the power is never equally distributed, it simply goes to those next in power who had not offended the people overly much. Then their children gain power and forget that their parents’ generation endured a culling. The cycle continues.
We so long for peaceful times, but peacefulness, and the silence the desire for peace elicits leads to allowing those who wrong others to keep wronging others indefinitely. We come down on those who would break the peace to voice injustice.
Think of the way politicians have been saying things have been uncivil from non-politicians. “Civility”, or “peacefulness”, provides them the ability to quietly keep on gaining at the expense of others without much repercussion.
I believe true peace can only happen when we truly communicate with one another to understand each other, and yes, that will require breaking the peace. True peace can only happen when we respect each other as human beings, and understand that we all need to be taken care of in our very abundant society, we all need to be heard, that we need to resolve our problems with each other, and that ultimately, we need justice, reparations, and true accountability for violence of any kind committed against each other.
So here’s where we round the path back to our spheres of influence.
Our magick here rests largely in using our voices. In enacting our will for a more just world by actually taking action. This is powerful, strong magick that may not seem like magick, but you will feel the power coursing through you, I guarantee it.
Don’t be fooled, there is risk in using our voices, just as other magickal endeavours. There is possibility for backlash, for people thinking you only desire to cause trouble, to break the peace. Do not fall for it. Fight against it. When others who would remain silent see your courage, that magick will flow through to them and provide them with the strength to speak out as well. This magick is powerful.
Think about protests, of thousands of people lifting their voices together to fight against injustices. We would still be peasants under monarchies, though what we have now leaves MUCH room for improvement, had people not risked themselves to fight for what we all know is right. The powerful need to fall when their actions harm or do not protect those who have no power at all.
Use your voice magick by:
Voting
Signing petitions
Joining protests when possible
Donating to just causes that fight the capitalist-corporate patriarchy
Calling out abuse
Have those difficult conversations with loved ones who commit wrongs against you or others.
Call the police if need be
Shame those in power who blatantly abuse said power
MOST IMPORTANTLY
As a singer, I know that resting and taking care of myself is just as important as using my voice. So take care of yourself and those who cry out with you as you do this work, this magick. Take breaks when you need to. We need to keep our wells full and know what we’re fighting for if we’re going to take this all the way to the end of the powerful getting away with everything.
Live joyfully
Delight in all the beauty this world has to give
Love each other fiercely
And fight for everyone’s ability to do so
The Forest Witch 