How does witchcraft and witch culture empower women and how

does this impact society?

Cecilia Compton

Senior Project Advisor: Jessica McCallum

Abstract
Witches have existed in some form since humans first created cultures and societies. The
image of the witch has changed dramatically throughout time based on different cultural
environments. However, some form of witchcraft is practiced all around the world, in every
culture imaginable. Unfortunately, the practice is misunderstood and used to justify the
exclusion of women from society. How do witchcraft and the label “witch” empower and/or
deteriorate women and what are the variables that affect this? This essay will explore this
question through existing research about witches, feminism, and patriarchy. The
misconceptions of witchcraft have led to the reality that the label “witch” is used against
women who simply do not conform to patriarchal norms, as well as discounting the selfless
beliefs of women who do participate in witchcraft. Witchcraft is an empowering practice
and perceptions about it must be changed in order to further societies inclusion of women
as leaders.

12th Grade Humanities

Animas High School

11 March 2019
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Introduction

“Love for life in all its forms is the basic ethic of witchcraft” (Starhawk).

The Election of Donald Trump in 2016 created an intense ideological divide in our

nation. His controversial views and actions made people feel the need to act out and make

themselves heard. Protests and walkouts were held almost everywhere throughout the country.

Women specifically felt victimized by the fact that a man with questionable views of women,

specifically independent women, had become our commander in chief. While walkouts were a

common sight and something most people could participate in, there was another way some

women were taking action against this new president. Shortly after the election of Donald

Trump, witches from all over the country were asked to take part in a binding spell against him.

The goal of a binding spell is to prevent the person receiving the spell from inflicting harm on

other people. It is estimated that around 13,000 witches take part in this binding spell every

month, including famous singer Lana Del Rey (Burton).

While this movement made eye-catching headlines for a couple of weeks after the

election, it was dismissed as a bunch of crazy women who cooked up some bizarre spell out of

anger instead of actually doing something tangible against this new president. These women fit

the stereotype of witches in United States culture pretty well: outspoken, “out there”, and

independent or alone. However, this specific protest by self-identifying witches is part of a

greater movement of women who want to feel that they have some kind of power in a society

that typically restricts them. Religions that fall under the witchcraft and pagan category, voodoo,

Brujería commonly found in Central America, Mangkukulam common in the Philippines, and

other culturally specific practices have been growing at a rapid rate in the 21st century.
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Witchcraft as a religion is growing alongside many other statistics for women's equality, such as

equal pay, more women in political positions, reproductive rights, etc. There is strong evidence

to support a connection between more women practicing witchcraft and women taking more

power in patriarchal societies. This is not to say all women in powerful positions are witches, but

the more patriarchal societies accept women who subscribe to witchcraft the more these societies

can accept women as equals.

Witchcraft and the culture surrounding it empowers women and minorities through a

sense of power and the ability to help others. This empowerment benefits society because

empowered women have the ability to make the world a better place.

Background and History

There is no clear time when witches and witchcraft appeared in history. One of the

earliest accounts of a witch in history is in the Bible; specifically in The book of 1 Samuel

thought to be written between 931 B.C. and 721 B.C. The story is about a king who sought the

help of a witch to summon a dead prophet in order to help the King win a war. Another testament

states “thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” Exodus 22:18 (Editors). This simple statement

planted the seed for the historical contrast between The Bible and witchcraft to grow.

While this is one of the first written accounts of witches, it is almost certain that witches

in some form have existed since humans started banding together and creating culture. However,

they were likely not the witches we think of and see in pop-culture today. These women would

likely be considered healers, people —typically women— who used natural resources to heal

others. These people can be seen in all ancient cultures; indigenous tribes everywhere had some

kind of healer that used their natural surroundings to create medicines and remedies to ailments.
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These people were almost always widely respected amongst their tribes and communities: the

powers they possessed helped the people around them.

Witches first ran into documented trouble in the mid-1400s in Europe, where the first

widespread account of “witch hysteria” occurred. Witch hysteria occurs when one accusation of

a witch leads to witch hunts and executions. Witch hunts included accusation towards people

based on unexplainable situations that were deemed supernatural. During this time many women

accused of witchcraft faced religiously biased courts and were forced to confess through torture.

Over 70 percent of the accused were women, specifically widows and elder women who

practiced natural healing remedies, but no one was truly safe from the accusations. People could

be accused of witchcraft for any reason; if they were caring for a homestead and an animal died,

or if they were caring for a sick child and the child died. If a woman could not get pregnant she

could be a witch, or if she were having an affair. Once a person was accused, they were often

tortured into admitting they were a witch through extremely medieval methods. There were

many bizarre ways accused witches would be confirmed, one way to confirm a person was a

witch would be to bind them and place them into a “blessed” body of water. If they drowned

they were innocent —and dead— and if they lived they were a witch and would usually be

executed right then and there. Another way would be the search for a devil's mark, this was

thought to be a spot the devil left to show his contact with the person. The accused would be

stripped in public and the marks on their body would be stabbed with a needle; if it did not bleed

the person was a witch. These spots were often birthmarks or scars.

When the witch hysteria died down in Europe it found a new home in the New World,

this is when the infamous Salem witch trials occurred. There are many parallels between the
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witch hunts that occurred in Europe and the ones in New England in the late 1600s. In New

England between 1647-1663, around 80 people were accused of witchcraft; 13 women and two

men were executed. These executions actually happened before and separately from the Salem

witch trials which occurred from 1692-93. In Salem, it is thought that 200 people were accused

of witchcraft resulting in the death of 20 people, one of them refused to even go to trial and was

pressed to death with rocks.

The hysteria in Salem started when the Reverend Parris' daughter Elizabeth, age 9, and

niece Abigail Williams, age 11, started having fits. They screamed, threw things, uttered peculiar

sounds and contorted themselves into strange positions. A local doctor blamed witchcraft. The

girls were pressured to give names of the witches that cursed them, they gave the names of three

women: Tituba, the Parris' Caribbean slave; Sarah Good, a homeless beggar; and Sarah Osborne,

an elderly impoverished woman (A Brief).

Tituba is arguably the most interesting of these women. While her race is disputed, it is

clear she was not European and was from a culture other than Puritan. Tituba is possibly the

source of our modern idea of witches and witchcraft. In the article “The ‘Black’ Witch of

Salem,” the author and Harvard professor, Henry Louis Gates. Jr. writes about how Tituba

actually escaped execution. When Tituba was pressed for more information about her alleged

involvement with the devil she did something unexpected:

“... perhaps to regain control over a rapidly deteriorating situation, Tituba flipped and told

her judges a series of fabulous and ever-creepier stories filled with witch covens and evil

spirits. One such spirit, she claimed, belonged to Sarah Osborne, who Tituba said had a

way of transforming into a winged creature and then back into a woman. Tituba then
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spoke of a “tall man” and a “thing with a head like a woman and two legs and wings”

who told her to “hurt the [Parris] children,” even to “kill the children,” before a black dog

appeared and ordered her to “serve me,” to which she replied, “I am afraid.” (All of these

statements can be found in Breslaw’s masterful study.)” (Gates Jr. par 2).

This was one of the first times a woman accused of witchcraft gave information about her

practice and it was documented. It is thought that Tituba, having traveled through the slave trade,

knew a fair bit about the healing practices in many cultures and used this knowledge to weave

together an elaborate story that her accusers believed:

“To pull this off, Breslaw posits that Tituba wove her story together with a mix of

European, Indian and perhaps even West African folklore that she had absorbed. It was

what we call improvising or, as I’ve said the black tradition goes, “She wasn’t lying; she

was signifying!” (Gates Jr. The Confession).

This story has likely lived on and manifested itself into our perception of modern witchcraft

today.

The history of witchcraft and witch hunts is extremely extensive and the details are often

disputed, but there is a common theme amongst societies that have hunted and executed people

for suspected witchcraft: cultures controlled by religions and patriarchies that place women in a

specific social position that they are not to leave. The initial fear of witches came from the Bible,

as previously mentioned, and got pinned on women through a few circumstantial misfortunes.

Eve, the first woman, and in some people's eyes the first human to work with the devil makes

women the prime suspects of contact with the devil. While both Adam and Eve were guilty of
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contact with the devil this fact is used against ​Eve​ and therefore all women. In an article titled “A

Feminist Perspective on the History of Women as Witches,” the author writes:

“The treatment of Puritan women (and women today) is rooted in biblical times. Richard

Godbeer (2011), author and professor with a special interest in Early American

witchcraft, explains, Eve’s legacy as the female prototype was double-edged: on the one

hand, she served as a successful helpmeet in the Garden of Eden; on the other, she was

Satan’s first human ally. Eve was worthy of honor as Adam’s companion prior to their

fall from grace, but her disobedience to God at the Devil’s bidding made her the first

witch” (Rosen 13).

To clarify there ​is​ a difference between modern witchcraft —Wiccan religion or other—

and the practice of satanism or worshiping the devil. They do share some symbols, like the

pentagram, and a strong emphasis on magical ceremonies but that's about as far as the

similarities go. The definition of witchcraft varies dramatically throughout the world but there

are a few overarching beliefs that bring the differing cultural practices together under the

umbrella of witchcraft. An underlying similarity in all witchcraft is the practice of animism, this

is the belief that the world is a living organism and all witches see the world as divine

(Satanism). Witches also believe in and worship a number or multitude of gods ​and​ goddesses,

as well as acknowledging an infinite number of realities. Witches attempt to achieve harmony

with the natural world and believe this harmony gives them their powers, magical or mental. The

goal of witchcraft is not to harm anyone.

Despite the fact there is a distinct difference between Satanism and Witchcraft the story

of Eve has been projected onto women living in Puritan societies for ages, witches are seen as
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the opposite of the perfect Puritan woman. Women were “worthy of honor” for being wives but

deemed witches if they disrupted their functionality in society,” (Rosen 23). Women have a strict

mold to fit into in religions, they needed to be married, fertile, and attentive wives and when they

do not fit into these roles the easiest solution is to call them a witch instead of attempting to see

them as simply different. Women have also historically always handled more of the tasks that

witchcraft was connected to; caring for children, housework, cooking, etc. Consequently when

something unexplainable happened in one of these female roles and supernatural powers were

blamed the women involved were the easiest and most defenseless suspects. The unfortunate

historical connection women and witchcraft has set the stage for continued misconceptions about

the purpose of witchcraft to this day.

Research and Analysis

A patriarchal society is defined as “a system of society or government in which men hold

the power and women are largely excluded from it” (Google). Just as women who are seen a

witches are excluded from their societies. Men in these societies control positions of power both

politically and socially and women are actively not included in decision making. Examples of

patriarchal societies and governments include many modern day countries Russia, India, USA,

Nepal, Peru, and Turkey, to name a few. Patriarchy also exists in many major religions,

specifically ones that only worship male gods. These religions tend to have a stricter mold for

women to conform to, making women who do not fit these roles less desirable and lesser

members of the religion. One example of a patriarchal religion is Catholicism, A religion that

places great power in its pope, there has never been a female pope. Religions, societies, and
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countries with a history of strong and unshakable patriarchy also tend to have a history with

witch hunts, this was demonstrated in the now extremely Infamous Salem witch trials.

Salem is by far one of the most infamous witch hunts in history, mostly for the

unfortunate amount of people who were executed because of it. The United States has always

been a patriarchal society in terms of the government and at the time of the Salem witch trials

settlements in The New World were strongly Christian. Christianity is a patriarchal religion for a

few reasons. In Christianity God is indisputably a man, God, and the Bible outline distinct

gender roles, and the father is always the head of the household. This created a culture in Salem,

and all of The New World, where women had no voice and men always got the last word. As

mentioned earlier the hysteria started when two young girls started having fits. The girls gave the

names of three other women Tituba, Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne. Both of the women named

Sarah were executed, but Tituba convinced her accusers she deserved to live. This snowballed

into more and more accusations as the accusers would offer the imprisoned people plea deals for

more names. The accusing of other women is, in itself, part of the patriarchal structure in Salem

at the time, “Women disparaging other women [is] common in patriarchal societies. The cry of

misogyny is challenged when women accuse other women, but the reasoning to do so is because

they have been indoctrinated with patriarchal beliefs,” (Rosen 24). There are many other aspects

of patriarchy that contributed to the fear and accusation of female witches in Salem. As

previously stated Salem was an extremely religious town and at the time the witch hysteria and

trails started the settlement was considering making the religious requirements for the

townspeople more liberal. This was a very controversial decision and the religious tension

between the townspeople was likely the kindling that sparked the wildfire of witch hunts.
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Witchcraft is often used against women, as was the case in Salem, and as a tool to

degrade them. However, witchcraft can and often is, empowering for women. Women can use

the practice to create power for themselves in societies that exclude them, as we see in

modern-day Romania. While many of the country’s politicians are still male, witches may just

be the most powerful people in this society. It is important to note that culture in Romania

acknowledges the supernatural and many citizens believe magical forces. A 2014 survey showed

that two-thirds of people in Romania believed in demons, curses, enchantment, and spirits,

(NPR). Witches in Romania are seen as life coaches, therapists, and many people believe they

can help solve their problems. In an NPR interview, a powerful Romanian witch named Mihaela

Minca explains what she does as a professional witch in Romania, making a living off her

magical practices. She explains how she begins with any client, "It's not up to me to convince

people to believe in magic," she says. "My tarot cards tell me when I can help someone and

when I can't. Sometimes people need to go to a doctor or a priest. Some people aren't affected by

magic at all" (Kakissis). In a video by the online source Broadly the interviewer follows the

family of Mihaela Minca and her family to understand what life is like for arguably the most

well-known witch in Romania. In this video the journalist meets one of Mihaela’s clients, she is

seeking her help because she says “I dream very nasty things. Stuff you see in horror films”.

Mihaela says this woman is possessed with the devil. The woman has gone to a doctor and

psychologist for help but had no luck, when asked if Mihaela's spells are helping the client says

“Yes, yes absolutely” (Casting). Mihaela did not give too many specifics about the price clients

pay or how many she has in a day, but her services are expensive. The journalist shares that
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Romania's witch economy is worth around 1 million Euros —about 1.1 million dollars— this

just goes to show how accepted this practice is in Romania's culture.

The witches in Romania do not only possess magical power in their society, their power

has also manifested itself into a seat at the table in a patriarchal society and government. An

example of this happening happened when a law was presented to tax witches who made money

off of their practice, the law was never passed. The politician who proposed the tax, Alin

Popoviciu, spoke to the journalist from the Broadly video and discussed why the law was not

passed. He said some of his colleagues received threats from witches and these colleagues

believed these witches could actually harm them through spells and hexes. Popoviciu said he

wanted to pass the law because many people get tricked by people who claim to be witches or

fortune tellers but are not, and they can not be held accountable. One of the witches that

threatened to curse the politicians was Mihaela’s mother, Bratara. When asked why she was

against the tax she said “Did I learn my craft with help from the government? Was there a school

to attend? A university degree in witchcraft?... Paying taxes serves no purpose” (Casting). While

there is controversy surrounding this specific aspect of witchcraft, this is an example of how

witches used their power to dictate what happens in their society, a society where they would

otherwise not have a say in these laws.

Unfortunately, not all modern day witches are seen as valid and powerful members of

society. The term "witch" is still used against women, even women who do not identify as

witches, and unfortunately, women are still killed for witchcraft. In the continent of Africa witch

hunts still happen today, often with fatal results. In Zimbabwe and South Africa laws still exist

that support the belief that witchcraft is unreasonable and evil. It is only fair to acknowledge that
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both of these countries, and many others in Africa, have a history of colonization and this has

manifested itself in the countries cultures to this day. However, in an article by Kugara Stewart

Lee they write:

“In Africa, the belief in witchcraft is strong, common and widespread. It is deeply

entrenched in the psyche and consciousness of many African people. This belief has been

in existence before the advent of colonialism on the continent. In African countries, this

belief is cemented in popular mentality and informs and underscores social, political and

cultural practices (South Africa Pagan Alliance, 2010). These beliefs distinctively depict

the opinion that witchcraft is evil and that alleged ‘witches’ are to blame for misfortune,

disease, accidents, natural disasters and death (Aguilar, 2006),” (Lee 2).

While the reasons for witch hunting in Africa are the same as the reasons for witch

hunting in Salem hundreds of years ago, the true terror is the fact that this is happening today. In

Cameroon women accused of witchcraft must drink a purifying potion that forces them to vomit.

In Gambia, in March 2009 roughly 1,000 people were taken to detention centers under charges

of witchcraft and were forced to drink poisonous concoctions, this was due to a witch hunt

campaign sparked by the president, Yahya Jammeh. In Kenya, on the 21st of 2008, a mob burned

at least 11 people to death under accusations of witchcraft. Tanzania poses one of the worst

records for killing witches, it is estimated that around 20,000 people have been killed for

witchcraft in the past 20 years. (Modern). These are just a few of the reported witch hunts and

killings, these numbers are also likely larger, especially in rural areas where there is no one to

report them. Many of the women killed in these hunts were women who stood out in their

societies and communities or women who practiced ancient healing methods. This goes along
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with the ancient and disturbing theme of people crying “witch!” anytime a woman does not fall

into line with societal, religious, or social norms.

This continued hatred towards women who possess power goes to show that in societies

where males hold all the power there is an unrealistic expectation that women will simply be

obedient followers. Women ​should​ be able to have power without being persecuted or even

killed for it, as seen through the practice of witch hunts in every patriarchal society and religion.

The author Kugara Stewart Lee also writes:

“The pursuit of witches could be seen as an action against the emergence of women as

independent adults. Many women who were accused of witchcraft were those who

challenged the patriarchal view of the ideal woman, Ruether (1980:842-7). They were

accused not only by men but also by other women because women who conformed to the

male image of them felt threatened by any identification of themselves with those who

did not,” (Lee 5).

Women who identify as witches or simply remind people of a witch are viewed as

women who want to harm people. This is how the killing and shunning of witches is justified, an

eye for an eye mentality. However, women who have power and practice genuine witchcraft

almost always seek to make the world a better place. The comment by Kugara Stewart Lee on

the discomfort men and women both feel when a woman breaks the patriarchal mold and creates

her own identity highlights what needs to be changed in society to include these “different”

women. Societies must change the way they view witchcraft ​and p​ owerful women so they are

not seen as evil outsiders.

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Genuine witchcraft, as previously discussed, is usually not what is shown in the media

and pop-culture. Witchcraft is portrayed in the media as a practice designed to harm people and

focuses on the untrue connection to the devil. In almost every Disney movie with a witch—as a

villain—she is actually the only woman with power. In Snow White the queen, a leader, is evil

and wants to harm the damsel for vain reasons. In The Little Mermaid, Ursula has magical

abilities but only uses them to trap and manipulate people. In 101 Dalmatians Cruella De Vil

says she does not need a man to be happy, this is an empowering message, but the woman saying

it is literally wearing a coat made of puppies; no one wants to be the woman wearing a coat of

puppies and therefore a woman without a man. This is also a theme amongst witches in

pop-culture, they are alone with no man to support them. This sends the message that in order to

be accepted and find a significant other a woman must not be powerful or a leader. All of these,

not so subtle, characters influence the way to see powerful women and how we feel when we

hear “witch”.

Even in possibly the most modern portrayal of witchcraft, Netflix’s “The Chilling

Adventures of Sabrina”, witches are portrayed as they were in Salem; learning magic to harm

others. The show is overall very dark and also continues the misconception that witchcraft is

directly linked to Satanism. While the show does attempt to make its main character a modern

feminist it uses witchcraft as something she must fight against to become an empowered and

independent woman. The show's storyline follows the main character as she struggles to decide

whether or not to sign her name in “The Book of The Beast”, this basically means she is signing

her name away to a male god who can call on her whenever he pleases to do his bidding. This

could not be a less truthful representation of witchcraft. To clarify Witchcraft typically believes
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in at least one female and one male god, and sometimes does not subscribe to a higher god or

goddess at all. The true belief of witchcraft is that the world is a living breathing organism that

we have to respect and care for.

Witchcraft is also referred to as goddess religion by some followers considering it is one

of the only religions that ​does​ have a powerful female goddess that followers can worship.

However, the true goal of joining a religion that falls under the Umbrella of witchcraft is

self-empowerment, this is where the “magic” comes in. In most other religions followers must

ask a god for favors and help through prayer. In witchcraft, followers are given the tools to help

themselves and others through spells and other ceremonies, all forms of magic. This sense of

independence, self-worth, and inner power is what draws many women to witchcraft and how the

practice tends to empower them to make the world a better place.

One of the best examples of a woman who self identifies with pagan and goddess religion, and

who has dedicated her life to making the world a better place is a woman who goes by the name

Starhawk. The biography on her website reads:

“Starhawk is an author, activist, permaculture designer and teacher, and a prominent

voice in modern earth-based spirituality and ecofeminism. She is the author or co-author

of thirteen books, including The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the

Great Goddess and the ecotopian novel The Fifth Sacred Thing, and its sequel City of

Refuge… Starhawk founded Earth Activist Training, teaching permaculture design

grounded in spirituality and with a focus on activism. She travels internationally,

lecturing and teaching on earth-based spirituality, the tools of ritual, and the skills of

activism,” (Stella).
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Starhawk is one of the most highly regarded women in the pagan and even feminist

community. She holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from The University of California Los Angeles. In

1973, as a graduate student in Film at UCLA, Starhawk won the prestigious Samuel Goldwyn

Creative Writing Award. She also received an M.A. in Psychology with a concentration in

Feminist Therapy from Antioch University West in 1982. She has written 13 books about pagan

and goddess religion, ecofeminism, and empowerment. One of her books is titled Dreaming the

Dark and the description on Amazon reads, “Featuring narrative, chants, songs, and rituals,

Dreaming the Dark has helped many thousands of women use magic, spirituality, and

community to bring about political and social change”. The goal of many of her books and

writings are to show how goddess and pagan spirituality is incredibly empowering. In an easy,

she wrote in the book​ The Politics of Women's Spirituality​ she writes:

“The image of the Goddess inspires women to see ourselves as divine, our bodies as

sacred, the changing phases of our lives as holy, our aggression as healthy, our anger as

purifying, and our power to nurture and create, but also to limit and destroy when

necessary, as the very force that sustains all life. Through the Goddess, we can discover

our strength, enlighten our minds, own our bodies, and celebrate our emotions. We can

move beyond narrow, constructing roles and become whole,” (Starhawk 51).

Starhawk is not just an advocate for female empowerment through goddess religion, she is also

an advocate for the environmentally restorative practice of permaculture. Permaculture is the

development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient. This is an

increasingly popular idea and more and more people are trying to learn about permaculture.

Starhawk’s involvement with this stems from her deep connection to the earth because of her
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religion. In her words “The Goddess does not rule the world; she is the world. Manifest in each

of use, She can be known internally by every individual, in all Her magnificent,” (Starhawk 51).

This belief that we are connected to the world, and the world is connected to us, encourages

followers of witchcraft to protect our natural world. Starhawk has dedicated her life to

empowering women and creating a more sustainable future because her belief system empowers

her to do so.

Starhawk is a great example of a woman who identifies as a witch and is working to

improve the world. There are many women who have this same goal but do not identify as

witches. Ideally this is why women, and men, get into politics, to improve people's lives. The

interesting connection between women who seek power to improve the world and witches is that

many female politicians have been called witches in patriarchal societies because of their power.

This has been the case for Hillary Clinton throughout her career, there are countless images on

the internet depicting her as a wrinkled old demanding witch. This was also the case for Julia

Gillard, who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia. During her campaign, she was met

with signs accusing her of witchcraft, with statements like “Ditch the Witch”. 2014 Delaware

Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell actually released a video announcement explaining that

she was not a witch, after accusations started affecting her polling numbers. There are actually

articles on the internet questioning whether or not she weighs more than a duck.

All these women were, and are, threatening the patriarchal stereotype that men hold all

the position of power in a society. They are called witches because the rest of society fears this

challenging of stereotypes. The only reason the word witch is considered negative is due to the

fact that many societies have been perpetrating the misconception that witchcraft is meant to hurt
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people, as previously mentioned. While the title of witch is meant hurt these female politicians

careers there is an interesting comparison between Starhawk, who clearly wants to make the

world a better place and calls herself a witch, and the female politicians who also want to make

the world a better place but are deemed witches by the patriarchy because of their power. The

title of witch should be a title women can be proud of and not a word used to demonize string

women.

Conclusion

In patriarchal societies and religions, women are stripped of their power and men are

assumed to be the leaders and decision makers. This manifests itself in politics, laws, and social

scenes. This creates strict social roles for women to fit into and when women challenge these

roles they are punished. Witch hunts and the prosecution of witches are directly related to

outdated patriarchal views. In religion, women are seen as the fall of man and the handmaids of

the devil. Witchcraft has been misunderstood as the support of Satan and therefore been directly

related to women in patriarchal religions. This has lead to the mistreatment and justification of

harming women who do not fit into the strict religious roles set out for them. In patriarchal social

and political climates women are not seen as worthy of having power and making decisions.

Similar to religion women who do not fit into the strict social norms created for them and

attempt to put themselves in positions of power are called witches and many people see that as

evil.

The reality is witches simply want to empower themselves through the craft and have no

goal or intention of harming others. The practice of witchcraft through different cultures

empowers women by giving them personal power they would otherwise not have. Witchcraft
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also pushes its followers to use their power to help others and the world. Self-identifying witches

should not be shunned for their practice if it truly follows the selfless beliefs of witchcraft.

Societies must change their preconceptions of witches to understand the fact the goal of the

practice is not evil. Societies also must get over the incredibly outdated belief that women should

not be powerful and independent, because when they are they make the world exponentially

better. All women who seek to improve the world, whether it be through political power, or any

other movement, should not be labeled as a witch to turn people against them. Women deserve to

have equal power because they can create great change and deserve to have a voice, a woman

should not have to be a witch to do this, and if they are it should be seen as normal.
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Works Cited

“A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials.” ​Smithsonian.com​, Smithsonian Institution, 23 Oct.

2007,

www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/​.

Brandt, Anthony. “An Unholy Mess.” ​American History,​ Vol. 49 Issue 5, Academic Search

Premier, Dec. 2014, p34-43. 10p.

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