Be Witched, Part Two
Assen, September 2023
If you're not a Witch with a capital "W" you can still discover and deploy the magic of your 'inner witch'
Last month I went to my friend Maria’s 40th birthday party in the north part of The Netherlands. She billed the occasion as a heksenfeestje, or ‘witch party,’ in which she would let her inner witch come out – and invited us to do same and to bring our own magic to the celebration.
Which got me to wondering … what is my ‘inner witch?’ I pondered. I googled. I re-read parts of books that had delved into the topic of witches in history. I thought about how witches have shown up in more modern times, like in TV series and films. I consulted with Maria and her party guests, including males, some of whom had quite amazing witchy attributes, like the ability to ‘read’ energy in a person or object, or to sense things about the world or about individuals that elude others, or who feel an uncommonly strong connection with nature, a special bond with animals, a spiritual relationship with the moon, an uncanny way with optical illusions and sleight-of-hand tricks. These witchy traits are innate. Witches who possess them may develop them further, and then put them to use in benevolent or ‘dark’ ways: as energy healers, herbalists, fortune tellers, magicians, casters-of-spells (see this fascinating article on the witches credited with helping the Argentine soccer team win the World Cup.)
nd of course I got to wondering why the male version of witch is ‘wizard,’ which connotes the conjuring of magic in positive ways (think Merlin, Gandalf, Dumbledore, the Wizard of Oz), while ‘witch’ connotes more troubling, sinister ‘hocus pocus.’ Hmmm. Grrrr.
Here’s what I’m realizing: there truly are some amongst us on this earth who are ‘Witches’ (and ‘Wizards’) with a capital ‘W.’ You might be one yourself, whether you know it or not. You might know some Witches, even if you don’t know they are Witches. Even if they don’t know they are Witches.
And then there are the rest of us. We may not be Witches with a capital ‘W,’ but that doesn’t mean we don’t have an ‘inner witch.’ In fact, I believe all of us do. In her compelling book Cassandra Speaks, Elizabeth Lesser speaks of “an inner place where a wiser, stronger, more essential version of yourself dwells.” I believe that is our witchy-ness. Women over the course of history have had ready access to our witchy-ness because we’ve not had ready access to other realms of power. Being left out has had that advantage: we’ve had to rely on our powers of observation, our own intuition, and, frankly, some ‘hocus pocus’ to operate in spaces not created with our input or expectations of our active involvement in them. We’ve gotten close to nature because it has been relegated to us as our realm; we’re the ‘gatherers’ after all (actually, recent research suggests we’ve also been the hunters). We’ve spent more time cultivating the ‘essential version of ourselves’ because until quite recently we’ve not been allowed space in organizational structures, which asks adherents to conform to specific standards that constitute ‘success.’ And now that we have more access to these structures, we’re torn between conforming (the seduction of ‘success,’ at last!) and paying heed to our essential nature, which might mean acknowledging alternative beliefs and behaving in ways that allow us and others to thrive, though may upset the status quo.
If you are OK with the current status quo – in your school or workplace, your significant relationships, your country, the world -- then you can just keep your witchy-ness deep in its inner place. If, on the other hand, you feel your nose twitching or your skin hairs rising or your hackles popping, all indications that something is off, my friend, it is time to call on your inner witch. She knows you, because she is you. The ‘essential’ you. And she is the best person from whom to seek advice, and who can unleash the witchy attributes that are the core of who you are and whose deployment may unleash some measure of magic.
How to do so? Well, it starts with stillness. Something in short supply for most women leaders, who keep themselves busy attending to the needs and demands of their constituents. Carving out the space for stillness is no small feat! Still, you can find an hour here, or an afternoon there, or … you can register for a Sidecar Summit (a couple of places still left for Portugal!) or another multi-day opportunity to spend some time on personal reflection and inner-witch-finding.
I would be honored to guide you through ‘discovering your witchy-ness and learning to use it’ in a guided coaching session (or several). It may or may not involve incantations, secret potions, or sparkly wands. And no pointy hats necessary. Contact me and let’s get the magic going.
Yours in hocus pocus,
Bridget
