What's In a Word
My friend and I were having lunch recently and we started talking about the Pagan wheel of the year and its celebrations, and how wonderful it is that there are more and more women’s circles cropping up that celebrate these ancient folk traditions. She mentioned that she has a little trouble exploring these practices because they are often associated with the word WITCH.
I imagine that even though Paganism is seeing a significant increase in those practicing this religion, there are many who still have trepidations simply because of the cultural programming that we have around witches and our collective beliefs of who and what they are. A simple google search brings up the following definition:
noun
a person thought to have magic powers, especially evil ones, popularly depicted as a woman wearing a black cloak and pointed hat and flying on a broomstick.
Hmmm. I think I see the problem here.
Doing a bit more research we find that the word “witch” is derived from the words wicce and wicca, meaning “to bend or turn”. The words were used to denote MEN and women, respectively, who practice “witchcraft” - the turning and bending of energy, the seasons, etc. - but later wicca became the common term, removing the notation of gender. The word Pagan actually translates to “country dweller” and typically referred to those who were the last to be Christianized (or converted against their will) and still practiced folkloric medicine, midwifery, and healing. Some sources say that the origin word wicca translates into “wise one” or “wise folk”, so it’s not hard to conclude that the word “witch” was repurposed to mean someone who practiced evil magic simply because the new order did not understand (or wanted to control) the powerful spiritual practice of living in harmony and healing with nature and it’s seasons.
On top of this, women not only had particular skill in living in harmony with nature and its cycles, but they also had the power to bring a human life into this world, as well as innate psychic sensitivity (where do you think the phrase “woman’s intuition comes from?). A mystery to others, particularly men, that was terrifying, so of course, it must be controlled, suppressed, eradicated.
I’ll spare you the gory details of what happens next in history, but let’s just say that the word “witch” became the all-powerful weapon that, when spoken, conjured immense and widespread persecution of innocent women across the globe.
It’s no surprise then that women may have a difficult time reclaiming this title. I mean, I don’t even like the hot summers in Iowa, let alone the idea of burning at the stake.
And yet, we are seeing a resurgence of the practices, the women’s circles, the return to living in harmony with nature, the moon, and all of the creatures on this planet. Why?
Because women are ready to rise into the fullness of their being. And Mother Earth needs us.
We were all once wild and deeply connected to Mother Earth and the spirit of nature. We knew how to heal and connect, and harness the elements to make our lives magical - is there anything more magical than seeing a seed sprout, the migration of birds, the holy hush of winter inviting us to deeper spiritual reflection? Sadly, the slow creep of industry, technology, and urban sprawl have pushed back and crowded out the old ways, and it is making us sick.
But there is hope.
Hope is found every time I gather with wise women to explore these traditions, stories, and mythologies of the goddess, the priestess, the medicine woman…the witch. We gather to begin the healing and reclaiming of all the words that were ours to begin with and restore them to their rightful meaning. We connect to weave together the wildness that we have been and always will be so that we can restore the very landscape of our hearts and lives, just like we work to restore the native prairies with their original wildflowers, grasses, pollinators, and wildlife.
Most recently, one of my women’s circles found us exploring the story of the Baltic goddess, Ragana. Interestingly, the word “ragana” derived from the word “regeti” which means “to know, see, and forsee” - often used to describe powerful women of healing, known as “raganas” or witches. So, no matter what language, country, or tradition you explore, there you will find her - the powerful wise woman that became suppressed and oppressed with the power of one word:
WITCH.
I have hope that we can return to the original and proper meaning that this title conveys, because we are wise, we do “know, see, and forsee” and that is what makes us powerful and formidable healers in this Universe. Let us heed the call and return to our sacred wildness. Let them call us a witch.
Ragana
out of the chaos
that seems to be scattered
and in disarray
we find nature’s deepest wisdom -
that the breaking and destruction
of matter, structures,
cells,
and imaginary walls,
beyond the storm of beliefs
and thoughts lies
the center of the Universe
the wisdom from which
all things are born and nourished
the celestial garden
holds the seeds of light
our light
but it is only in embracing
dancing
becoming
one with the wildness of all things
that a witch reclaims
her power
as the true alchemist
bringing forth gold
from the fire
diamonds
from the intensity of life’s forces
upon her
She is the queen bejeweled
by her own design
Ragana
shall meet me
on the mountaintop
and invite me
invoke me
to leap into the dark unknown
embodying the fire
of all creation