#WANAFriday Witches

It’s that time of year. Overcast. Forty-five degrees. Fall colors muted by the gray.

Samhain.

All Souls.

Halloween.

And in honor of the season, this week’s WANAFriday prompt is, “What image does the word ‘witch’ conjure up for you?”

Now, a quick check with Uncle Google shows you as many different witches as there are women out there portraying them. They come in swirling gowns and bustiers and cone hats. They have warts on their noses and deep cleavage and gnarled fingers and perfect manicures. They share in the Wiccan or the Stregha or the Feri traditions.

And however you slice and dice it, any character with so much baggage has to be pretty powerful.

Regardless of their heritage, witches attempt to manipulate the power of the earth. Historically they were viewed as a threat; in fact, in his writing, Jung describes the archetype of The Witch as a woman with special connection to the earth who uses her power for evil. I wonder how much of a witch’s “evil” is really independence. Witches didn’t operate from a place of political power. They didn’t come from the mainstream. They still don’t, for that matter, and anything that can’t be understood and controlled is a threat.

What better way to minimize a threat than by making it look ridiculous?

Which is why I chose photos of Victorian-era witches, to illustrate some of the image’s heritage. These women look proud and strong…and a little unexpected. I want to hang out with these girls, you know?

What image does the term “witch” bring up for you? Is it positive or negative or something else entirely?

Peace,

Liv

Make sure you check out these other WANAFriday posts…

Kim Griffin – The Many Faces of Witches

Dianna Bell – On The Virtues of Buggering Hedgehogs

 

And no, Rhay, I didn’t manage to work wabi-sabi in. Maybe next week…