Dear Silver RavenWolf: A Charm School Exercise

 Dear Silver,

As I begin this journey through your book To Ride a Silver Broomstick, you have asked me to write you a letter before proceeding. I have read this book once before, but I did not do this exercise. To Ride a Silver Broomstick was written thirty years ago, and in this first chapter, you tell the reader to define "witch."

To me, a witch is one who does witchcraft. "Witch" is a weaver of spells and rituals. We think of witches as women in our ancestral imagination, but they are not necessarily so--any of the many genders on Earth can do witchcraft and magic. You do not need to take any initiation to do witchcraft or call yourself a witch, but there is something to be said for actually doing the work, not just reading books and saying "I'm a witch!" Witches aren't necessarily Pagan, but many are. Not all witches are Wiccan, but many witches have practices influenced by Wicca, whether they know to it or not.

So if a witch does witchcraft, what is "witchcraft?" I have a pet definition of magic--the art of changing consciousness at will. (Thanks, Dion Fortune.) Witchcraft is murkier. Over twenty years have passed since I started doing witchcraft. I have initiated into multiple magical traditions, written zine articles, and recorded podcast episodes. But when I am asked the simple question, what is witchcraft? I find myself overcomplicating it. Witchcraft is magic, and magic is the art of changing consciousness at will. Witchcraft is taking action with symbols and thoughts, often manifest in natural objects. That action can be a million things, from potions to prayers to dances to petitions to lighting candles. 

You also ask the reader to reflect on how society in general accepts witchcraft and why. Had I written this letter years ago, I would talk of fear and persecution, but the more I live an openly witchy life, the less I find that to be the case. I think people tend to be more surprised than horrified, and more ignorant than truly bigoted. I think that "real" witches stay so quiet that only media portrayals and guesses pervade the zeitgeist and reflect in the average person. While media portrayals, the Satanic Panic, and the Inquisition do scare people, the overall acceptance of witchcraft--or lack thereof--is rooted more in truly not knowing much than in persecution.

Finally, you ask me to set a goal to complete before I finish this book. My goal is to read this book with fresh eyes; without the common, pedestrian, shrill anti-Silver attitude that pervaded the witchy discourse of the 2010s. I am going to experience this book, take it as seriously as I can, and avoid rolling my eyes. I enjoy To Stir a Magick Cauldron and To Light a Sacred Flame, and I enjoyed listening to The Witching Hour recently. I don't love this book at the outset, but I am asking myself to set aside my criticism and judgement and give you generosity and grace.

Thanks for your work, Silver. It meant a lot to me in the 90s, and as I work through the requirements of To Stir a Magick Cauldron for a first degree in the Mist Tradition with a witchy friend for their YouTube, my podcast, and both of our Patreons, I am struck by the magic of the passage of time and the luck I have had in finding witchy friends. Thank you, Silver.

Yours under the stars,

Stella

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