RANTINGS OF A MAD WITCH: TikTok Witches & Gatekeeping

July 21, 2020

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I have not written in a while. I guess, like the rest of the world I am observing, and trying to figure out what is happening, what is being revealed, what is falling away, what is resisting imminent death.

Systems are crumbling, rebellions are rising, and a virus has held us hostage for months now.

While I have a list of topics to write about, political, mundane, and obviously Magickal, this is the one that seems most pressing today.

First let me say, loudly:

BLACK LIVES MATTER

ARREST BREONNA TAYLOR’S MURDERERS

AND

WEAR A MASK

If you have a problem with these messages, unfollow the blog because I have news for you:

WITCRAFT IS POLITICAL

Now, carrying on…

I really tried to stay out of this TikTok/Witchtok bullshit, but it’s literally everywhere, and people are asking my opinion; instead of replying to 50 messages, and risk getting myself wrapped up in a conversation *nervous introvert laugh*—I decided writing a blog was the best way to address my opinion, and hit on some points I don’t think folks are understanding or willing to see.

I have watched many videos, read article after article, consulted with folks on all sides and here are the facts as we know them.

A few days ago, a group of “baby Witches” on TikTok decided that they were going to “hex the Fae”.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Okay, sidebar before we get into the juicy parts of this I gotta say:

Can we stop using the term Baby Witch? I know that it seems innocent enough, but not only is it patronizing as fuck, it’s being used as an insult and a way to further close off our community to new blood.

Why do new Witches bother established, practicing Witches so much?

You were not new before?

How about you just stay in your lane, and let the new Witches create theirs.

What is the issue?

Personally? I like waves being created, I mean, HELLO, have you read my work?

Also, we are not giving these young Adults and Adults enough credit.

These are not children we are speaking of, and in the case of children and Witchcraft, that is an entirely different topic.

“Baby Witches” are often given a free pass, and nah.

Nah.

Nope.

Not happening.

Discernment is key when dealing with all Magickal and Occult Traditions.

Whether you are 18, or 42, in most cases you are of sound mind and able to make educated decisions for yourself.

If you, as an adult, choose to make a poor decision, that is on you.

Those consequences are yours, and nobody else’s.

Is it someone’s job to step in and say, “you might not want to do that?”

Nope.

That’s gatekeeping.
My number one rule in life: you can’t tell people about themselves.
These are Adults.

Back to my point:

Obviously, hexing the Fae is ridiculous to even think about.

Why would you attack a group of Spirits for no reason? It doesn’t affect me, and so I am able to shrug it off, roll my eyes, and keep it moving.

But, seriously, do you not know who the Fae are and what they are capable of? Seelie, Unseelie or otherwise? Like….why?

We, as experienced Witches, must allow the new ones to fuck up and make mistakes.

We all have made mistakes, we still (hopefully) make mistakes because that is how we LEARN; that is how we continue to evolve on our path and as people.

Getting mad and making fun of these “TikTok Witches” is yet another form of gatekeeping.

I want to give Jason Miller a shoutout for his initial post that inspired me and gave me the courage to write this. His post stated:

“Dear TikTok Witches: Hex, the moon, the fae, or whatever the hell you want. Don’t let anyone police your practice. However it shakes out, and make no mistake some of it will end badly: learn from it.

I have no idea what you are doing or even trying to do, but am excited that young people are doing stuff that makes us roll our eyes. I think its dumb as heck, but that’s half that fun.”

There were rumors that these same Witches were going to hex the Moon and Sun as well.

I have since learned that it was initially started by a TikTok troll, see video below:

You hexed the Fae, the Moon, the Sun and angered Ancient Ones?

Weird flex, but okay.

I am not here to tell anyone how to practice, unless they are coming to me directly for advice and even then, there are so many variables that determine the kind of help they receive.

Here are two key points in all of my rambling that I really want to get out into the world:

Everyone and anyone CAN practice Magick, but often SHOULD is overlooked.

There is no wrong way to do a hex, but there is a right way.

Allow me to elaborate, as I can hear the collective gasp even before this is published.

I don’t care what kind of Witch you are, your initiations or titles (though I will always congratulate and applaud)—the fact remains, everyone and anyone CAN practice Magick.

I said what I said.

There are a lot of Witches who do not agree with this statement, “Well I am a third generation Witch, High Priestess, Initiate and I am telling you that real Witches….”

Everyone gets tuned out as soon as they say, “real Witch”.

Nobody speaks for all Witches because WITCHES ARE SOVEREIGN BEINGS.

And all Witches are real Witches.

So, miss me with that bullshit.

What is this should I refer to, you ask?

Well folks, should is discernment.

Just because you can do something does not mean you should, or even have to.

There is no manual or advice that can truly be given regarding “should they practice” because that is a decision only the Practitioner can make, and if they hurt themselves then that is on them.

We cannot be both savior and gatekeeper.

Read it again, put it on a t-shirt, write it on your mirror.

We can’t be both.

My second point, you are probably thinking I am off my rocker, but I assure I am not.

There is no wrong way to hex.

I have seen some of the most non-Magickal folks EVERRR throw the nastiest Evil Eye.

I have seen non-Magick folk channel their emotion with enough power and intent that they threw Malefica towards another.

Hexes do not all look like ceremonial glitz, candle Magick, or blood and bone in the woods.

Hexes can be as simple as a look, a whisper in the wind, or a thought.

In fact, that’s often-what hexes were throughout history.

But you are not ready for that conversation.

Now, there is a right way to do a hex, and what I mean by this is: there is a formula for all Magickal workings to allow their outcomes to serve us best.

It is for this reason that many of us pay attention to not only the Moon but Astrological forecasts, days of the week and correspondences and the potential kick back of the Magick we are about to throw; a well thought out hex can produce little kick back if done properly. I am being vague on purpose as I believe Malefica to be a topic that deserves respect and can’t be summarized in a paragraph, or two.

Allow new Witches to make mistakes, allow them to make us uncomfortable.

Roll your eyes and laugh it off!

We were young and dumb once too, and I know this may hit some of you hard but, we might be able to learn a thing or two from fresh eyes.

Witchcraft is a tradition, a path that has been walked by the marginalized, the downtrodden, the misfits, the outcasts since the beginning of time and we have the audacity to continue gatekeeping?

Witchcraft is also a tradition, a path of powerful individuals who are living and seeking their truth in a world who tells them not to and we have the audacity to box them in and kill their fire?

We are healers. We are teachers. We are students. We are Keepers of the Old Ways.

It is okay to spice Sacred up with a little modern fun, I promise.

Witchcraft can evolve, and should, as all things from nature must grow.

Blessed Are The Witches.

LESSONS IN MAGICK: INITIATIONS & WITCH BLOOD

September 10, 2019

“We take spiritual initiation when we become conscious of the Divine within us, and thereby contact the Divine without us.”

Dion Fortune

This topic has been on my mind for a super long time, but I was taking a hiatus from writing and I wasn’t sure how to appropriately discuss this.

Here goes nothing.

I do not want to come off pretentious, elitist, or as a gatekeeper; I want to smash those ideologies, in fact.

I DO want to speak some personal truths and share observations in hopes that we as a community can grow, discussions can start, and we can change some of our negative patterns (both action and thought).

So, I might say things in here that are going to offend you, or annoy you, and make you roll your eyes, depending on your journey and path—I implore you to please read my points, and this piece in its entirety before forming an opinion.

There’s this large group within the greater Witch community who wants to see the Craft become accepted, mainstream (as far as not being considered completely taboo and Satanic) and open.

Then there is another group who wants the Craft to stay underground, to remain Occult (hidden) and let the muggles think what they want about us.

There is a final group forming of people who fall somewhere in between.

I have always been the latter.

The fear a lot of folks have with the Craft becoming mainstream is that it will lose its Mysticism, it will lose its Saredness, it will lose all that it means to be a Witch; to walk among the unseen and exist in Liminal Spaces.

What these folks fail to realize is that no matter how mainstream we become, there WILL ALWAYS be secrets to the Craft, there will always be things that can only be understood if they are truly experienced.

The Witch must experience their Craft subjectively and, on their terms, in their time.

The Craft is a consciousness of its own, dare I say Spirit—far beyond an Egregore at this point.

The Craft will weed out those who are not worthy of all it has to teach, if they prove their Will is not true.

That is not for any person to judge; that is for the Craft, the Spirits, and the Ancestors to judge.

We are not gatekeepers, and I appreciate some of the sentiment behind this; the Craft is Sacred to me, too.

But it is not our job to be Keepers of this Gate.

The Craft keeps and tends to its own Gate.

We each hold keys that we earned to access the Spirit World; my experience will be vastly different from yours, as will all the newer Witches coming up. We must make space for them, and allow them to earn their keys, too.

With all of this said, I want to discuss two specific aspects of gatekeeping that have become huge pet peeves of mine.

Myth: You must be initiated to be a Witch.

Fact: No, the fuck you do not.

The other day I was reading a thread of comments and it was kinda heated, and as I read one person was being ganged up on, so of course I clicked to read more and see what all the fuss was about.

The topic doesn’t matter, but what really bothered me was that people (more than 10) were hounding this person:

“Are you initiated? What titles do you hold? What Coven do you belong to? None? That’s what I thought.”

“You are not a real Witch if you have not been initiated, therefore your opinion doesn’t matter.”

And so on, and so on.

I was dumbfounded.

When did this become who we are?

I am not initiated by any group or person: THE GODS INITIATED ME.

Covens, Temples, Sects and Organizations have their place and for so many people they are a cornerstone of their practice.

But, for a lot of Witches, Solitary Practice is the only way, and, of course, there are a plethora of reasons as to why this might be.

Maybe they can’t practice in the open; maybe they live in a highly religious area; maybe they don’t play well with others; maybe they just prefer to Practice alone.

I think we should all read the works of those who came before us, listen when our Elders speak (that DOES NOT MEAN blindly follow, it just means listen as a form of respect) and accept Mentors if they cross our path or the opportunity presents itself and feels right.

However, I do not think initiation is the end goal, or at least, it doesn’t have to be.

Personally, your titles don’t mean shit to me or my Gods; we only care if your heart and your Will are true, and that you are living your authentic truth.

I am proud of every single friend of mine who has been initiated and holds titles, and props to building some amazing communities but please for the love of all that is holy and unholy, stop telling people that they must be initiated to be a Witch.

It simply isn’t true.

Myth: Witch Blood makes you more powerful.

Fact: No. Just no.

When titles and initiations don’t make someone feel special enough, they must pull the Witch Blood card, and it makes me fucking cringe.

C R I N G E

If you don’t know what Witch Blood is, it means just what you think: a Hereditary Witch, or someone who was born and raised in the Craft or a specific Tradition.

I come from a line of Witches, Eastern Stars & Masons, and was raised by a Pagan Mother and Aunts in the Granny Tradition. My other Grandparents taught me Slavic Traditions.

None of that makes me any better than anyone else.

None of it.

We all have access to the same Power Source.

Read that again, let it burn, let it sink in, let it burn some more and accept it.

Your titles, secret books, pacts and oral traditions do not divide off a part of the Universal Source of Magick.

WE ALL HAVE ACCESS BECAUSE WE ARE ALL THE SOURCE.

After all, we are what we come from.

I certainly believe that some folks are predisposed to excel in certain areas of the Craft, and there are *soooo* many factors that play a role in that.

I equally believe that we are all Magickal beings trying to remember who we are in a world that is forcing us into cages and prisons of definitions and divisions.

The Witch and Pagan communities are supposed to be the one place where the weirdos, the outcasts, the shunned, the misfits are welcome and are free to be whomever they want to be.

Let’s not take that from them because the Egos of a few have poisoned minds.

Be the cure.

Be the balm that combats the poison.

Be the voice that raises other voices.

Blessed Are The Witches.

RANTINGS OF A MAD WITCH: Gatekeepers Be Gone!

April 10, 2019

GK1 I urge anyone reading this to read the piece in its entirety before commenting or passing judgment.

I write this knowing full well the backlash that I will face, but at this point it’s go hard or go home, and what I am about to say is going to be hard for many to swallow.

The inspiration for this blog is this delightful gatekeeping bullshit meme that has been making the rounds:

I want to make a few points and cause a few waves.

I am the first person to admit that humor is a key to life, and the Craft.

We must be able to laugh at ourselves, otherwise, the world will laugh at our expense.

Does that make sense?

The more you learn to have a thick skin and laugh at your own mistakes and the fuckery of life, the more you will be able to handle the world’s criticism.

And, trust me, the world always something to say.

Especially when it comes to someone else’s opinion or way of life.

Ah, the fucking irony.

I don’t think the above meme is funny though, I think it only further divides us and makes our community look completely uninviting.

It was for me—uninviting, I mean.

The community DID NOT accept me, and I was forced to create my own space.

Covens can be intimidating to Witches that are inherently Solitary; not everyone wants to be part of a Coven, or group.

So, the division this meme creates is issue number one.

Again, I am in favor of making fun of ourselves but this is gatekeeping.

You can have that.

The second thing is that this meme doesn’t consider accessibility.

This issue came up when the whole Sephora Witch Kit shit show went down, and people were up in arms.

Not everyone has access to buying things on the internet.

Maybe they don’t have a bank account yet, or they live with parents/family and can’t have packages sent to their house because their mail is opened (illegal or not, shit happens).

Then there are the people who are hearing the collective call to wake up, but they don’t quite know what that means yet, what it looks like, or how it will manifest.

A Sage bundle at Whole Foods, a crystal at TJ MAXX, or a tapestry at Pier 1 might help them on their journey—might trigger something in their memory.

The Witch IS the tool, I know that, many of you know that, but that knowing comes with time and practice.

Heck, even after all my years of practice, I still like using tools; ambiance, and focus and all.

Overharvesting of herbs, and ethical sourcing of minerals is a concern, and a valid one; not only the effects it has on Earth, but HOW the crystals are mined.

You would be surprised to hear that many of the big chain stores do ethically source their products; other’s do not.

You must research anything you buy, that’s your responsibility as a consumer regardless if we are talking Witch tools, or food you feed your family.

Obviously, in an ideal world we would be able to trust all sellers, but that simply isn’t the case.

Do your research.

The next point is something that so many Magickians are missing.

The use of herbs/botanicals, gemstones, Sacred Geometry and the like are all forms of Low Magick—not everyone aspires to be a High Magickian, not everyone is about ceremonial Magick; some are about dirt and bone, blood and earth.

Some are all of these and more.

Magick, and the Craft—how we experience them and how we practice is so vast, so unique that it almost cannot be quantified or individualized.

We all have our own experiences, our own reality and we all found our way to this path some way, somehow.

I think the further we go into the Abyss, and the longer we walk our path, we forget how we started.

We forget where we started and how we stumbled.

I was raised with my Mother teaching me the Old Ways to wash out the Catholicism my Father was attempting to teach me.

But it wasn’t until I was 12 and watched The Craft that I willingly approached my Mom with real interest, and at that point was gifted my first Tarot Deck, and my whole world changed.

As they say, the rest is history.

Not everyone has supportive parents, and with the boom Witchcraft is experiencing in Hollywood, you can expect a lot of young Witches to start waking up.

Also, the collective is breeding rebels.

That’s another post entirely though.

These baby Witches could benefit from having tools accessible in big chain stores.

Another point, someone commented on this meme saying that “having the girls who bullied, tormented and threatened to burn them alive in high school now call themselves Witches is a slap in the face”.

That is a valid point, and a valid wound.

High School fucking sucks.

It has sucked for everyone since the beginning of time.

And, yes, it is super irritating to see the people who taunted you for being authentic back then, claim to be a Witch now.

I get it.

Maybe we should approach with a bit of compassion though, instead of pain.

Maybe they grew as a person and they really are a Witch.

Maybe they are using the aesthetic as if it’s a trend.

That’s not for you to judge nor is it your weight to carry and it’s only a slap in the face if you give that hand power.

Witchcraft, and Spirituality in general have become trends, they are commodities for sale; they have been for decades now.

Read it again, and let it fucking burn because it DOES BURN.

It fucking sucks to see our Craft become watered down and commercialized to make it more palatable for the masses.

But, on the flip side, it’s empowering to see it become mainstream and hopefully, slowly, breakthrough the lies and stigmas told about us.

I see a new wave of Witches waking up, and I embrace them with open arms.

We all must start somewhere, and who cares where that starting point is?

When did we become so rigid about who we allow in our ranks?

Last time I checked Witchcraft is a personal practice.

And, an individual’s personal practice is not open to public interpretation, or prosecution.

Live and let live.

And for those who want to proclaim that their path is Sacred, so is mine.

I have put blood, sweat and tears into my Craft and it’s my lifeline; I don’t think it is something that is free for the taking, and that’s the beauty of the Craft.

Yes, people may find it buying Sage at Whole Foods, but the Craft itself, the Magick and egregore that Witchcraft carries, will weed out the real over the fake, you needn’t worry.

There will always be parts of the Craft that will remain hidden, and known only to those who truly walk the path of the Old Ways.

We cannot bring down this patriarchal system, these misogynistic religions unless we are unified, and we cannot be unified if we are distracted gossiping and judging each other and where we buy our tools.

We’re better than this.

Blessed Are the Witches.

The Nephilim Rising™

Posts tagged with Gatekeeping