Evil Witches in the Media

I watched 'The Seventh Son' the other day, and though I thought Julianne Moore was AMAZING, I was a bit disappointed that I was watching yet ANOTHER movie that portrays witches as evil, and needing to be killed. Jeff Bridges plays the witch slayer, a man that believes the inquisition was justified. In fact, the whole movie rests on the premise that witches are doomed to become evil, and everything in history that has sought to destroy witches has been justified. 

I know, I know, I know: It's just a movie. 

BUT movies carry ideas into the collective consciousness, and it is commonly thought that witches are evil, even today. 

Sometimes my students will say really offensive things to me when they find out I'm a witch because they assume that I am into evil stuff. I am not evil, I am empowered. I believe that I am not a victim to circumstance, but an agent in creating my own life. In my understanding a witch is someone who casts magick. Magick is the ability to manifest something physically from an ethereal energy put out into the world. Magick can be helpful, or harmful, and sometimes a mixture of both. It is the duty of the witch to be constantly evolving and ethically concerned in order to make sure they are not casting harmful magick. I also believe it is the duty of mundane human beings to also be checking in with their motivations, ethics, and evolution.

But, are witches inherently bad, and seduced by power?

No. Modern western society, that has been indoctrinated into Christianity (as interpreted by the people in power) have been taught to forgo their power. Witches will seek power, because accumulation of power transforms reality. Power does not equal power over others, simply the power to change one's own life. Those who do not seek out power are not a threat to the people in charge. This actively works against the best interest of the masses. Portraying witches as evil has nothing to do with witches actually, it seems to be more about keeping the majority disconnected from their own power. 

Think about it...
xoxo
Giana

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