Interview with a Witch [event review]
One of my favorite instagram witches was in town this week to speak at the Goodship Higher Education Series. Bri Luna, aka The Hoodwitch, has created quite the name for herself. Although the event was posed as a lecture series for people to learn about witchcraft, I just wanted to hear what she had to say and support a black latinx witch.
I was not disappointed, and came home with a decent amount of notes in the Goodship branded notebook they had available for free. I wanted to share a little bit of the good stuff Bri shared with us.
Good Witch // Bad Witch
When asked if there were good witches or bad witches, Bri Luna had the exact same reaction that me and many of my friends have when asked this question: Boisterous laughter. 😂😂😂
“Good” and “Bad” are human concepts that are really too small for magic to fit within. Y’all remember the line in The Craft where the shopkeeper says “Magic is neither black nor white. It just is…”? Well, at least that damned movie got one thing right.
While many witches of the Wiccan variety attempt to follow the rede, “Harm none,” witches of all flavors have historically been the people to go to if you seek justice, and “harm” has been the subject of many debates and has proven itself as subjective a concept as “good” or “evil.”
When the justice system fails someone (which happens a lot more than we care to admit), when someone can’t afford a lawyer, when you are denied justice when you were wronged, you go to the witch. The witch helps you get that justice. It’s been that way for centuries, and it’s that way still; in some parts of the world more openly than others. When people try to throw the concept of karma in my face, my famous line is, “Sometimes, witches ARE the karma.”
The Witch Trend
The subject on many people’s minds is how trendy witchcraft has become. It’s all over social media, on the fashion models, on tv, and in Urban Outfitters. I know that even I personally have been guilty of bemoaning how Urban Outfitters now sells not only crystals, spellbooks, and tarot cards, but also Florida Water, which is normally used in African diaspora magical traditions.
When asked about this exact thing, Bri had an answer that actually made me think differently. Although appropriation of people’s spirituality, particularly minorities’ spirituality, is wrong… the trendiness of witchcraft right now is allowing for a certain amount of accessibility that witches from my generation were not able to enjoy.
Accessibility is extremely important for all minorities, whether it be race, class, disability, sex, religion, status, et cetera. I know that personally, I had a difficult time finding like-minded people as a leftist in the Deep South. Poverty and location meant it was rare to have internet, and I had to order any books or ritual supplies I needed by mail-order catalogs. I can’t deny that if a witch gains access to this information or these tools earlier because of things like Urban Outfitters, that their way of entering into their craft is still valid.
Digital Magic
The moderator asked Bri if she believed magic could be conveyed by text message, or digitally. Her answer was a resounding, “Yes!” I’m not only in agreement, but I have felt very strongly about this lately.
Her example was the text message that you may get that fucks up your whole day. That is the power of words at work, and words are some of the most powerful magic we have.
I’ve had many witches in my life, past and present, decry the use of technology in magical practice. I think that technology has its own place in witchcraft. There are those who believe witchcraft is relegated to the “natural” world, but I would argue that there is nothing unnatural in this realm. Everything created is created from something that either existed on this planet already, came via the solar system, or grew/was born here. I have full faith that our magic can adapt to whatever it is we create.
The witch has always survived through adaptation. Have fun with the digital world, and think of new ways to use it to work your magic. Are there any magical ways that you use technology?
Intentional Magical Living
Lastly, Bri touched on living with magical intention mutliple times throughout her lecture.
You are important, and you are valuable, and you are valid. Take care of yourself first, always. Then, spend your remaining energy on enacting positive change. Positive change for yourself, for your friends, and for the world. Use your magic to fight colonialism and white supremacy, to fight the patriarchy and class disparity.
Start every day with intention, which is your magic. Doing so not only helps the world, but it helps you to get through every day, even if you are in pain. It’s how I got through my worst depressive episodes.
“The core practice of magic is: The execution of a willed intent to create change in the material world, which either defies, hastens, or purifies the consequences of natural cause and effect.”
-Unknown
That’s the run down! Hope that the summary gave you some food for thought. I know I’ll be chewing on these topics for a while yet. Now… go make some magic. 🔮✨🌑
