[Protection] In the Days of Trump and Pence: A Real Witch’s Guide to Protection under Christian Fascism
I’ve been a practicing witch for 25 years now. I was 13 when I first discovered Laurie Cabot’s book, The Power of the Witch: The Earth, the Moon, and the Magical Path to Enlightenment after we learned a very warped history of the Salem witch trials in school. I went to the library wanting to know more about witches, and that book was the only one they had on modern-day witchcraft. It was right next to a book called Fortune Telling by Playing Cards. I checked both out, hid them under my bed, and read them cover to cover multiple times during the three weeks that I had them.
As a young witch, there was a bit of a cool factor to it. But this was in the early 90s, long before the popularity of the internet and the current mainstreaming of the goddess movement made being a witch more acceptable. Even in the early 2000s, when I was raising a son, my mother was convinced I was sacrificing babies and drinking blood in naked rituals under the Full Moon.
Witch history is long and tumultuous. During those times when cultures are shifting towards equality, witches become a bit more acceptable — though even during those times, we exist on the fringes of society. During times of struggle and strife, when equality is often a vilified concept, witches are downright persecuted. The witch trials were famous not so much because of their targeting of actual witches, but instead, they’re usage as a way to oppress and control a religious population. Anyone outside the norm was a witch. Anyone that had land that the church wanted was a witch. Anyone who opposed the oppression was a witch. The vast majority of witchcraft accusations were likely made up and either motivated by politics or greed.
While we’re unlikely to see a repeat of the witch trials and other persecutions of the Dark Ages, life as a witch under Trump and Pence could get very, very uncomfortable. Trump is an opportunist who goes along with whatever he thinks will benefit him. He has already started to radically shift world politics, and is promising to revoke LGBTQ+ protections. His administration is also target Planned Parenthood and has started asking for lists of the names of government employees who have worked for women’s equality. Mike Pence is a Christian Supremacist who believes the United States is a Christian Nation and that we should be governed as such. As the governor of Indiana, his defunding of AIDS research and prevention led to an outbreak of HIV/AIDS and he believes in Gay Conversion Therapy, a horrific practice of torturing gay people until they’re straight or dead. Trump is surrounding himself with white supremacists and billionaires; none of them will protect us and many of them will actively work against us.
This means it’s time for us to step up and protect ourselves and others. But one thing I’ve learned in my 25 years of practicing witchcraft is that practical, physical, real world action is far more effective than spells, though spells do have their place. So to be a safe witch:
- Take a self-defense course.
Hate crimes have risen dramatically since Trump’s election, and while they have mostly been targeting POCs and Muslims, do not be surprised if the hate spreads to anyone professing anything other than Christian faith. Trump won on a wave of renewed white Christian supremacy. Wearing a pentagram in public could again become a dangerous thing. Taking a self-defense course can help you to gain body control as well as gain the confidence to defend yourself against bullies and other attackers, and to stand up for others that are being attacked. There are many forms of self-defense available, so it’s important to find the one that resonates with you. Karate, Judo, and other eastern martial arts are widely available in the U.S., as are krav maga classes. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) training can also increase your ability to defend yourself and others. - Create multiple streams of income and protect your assets.
In Margaret Atwood’s seminal book, The Handmaid’s Tale, one of the first things to happen to women under the new theocratic laws is a removal of financial independence. Women’s bank accounts were closed, and all financial power was given to their husbands, fathers, brothers, or other men in their lives. While we’re probably a long way from that happening here in the U.S., being financially secure is one of the best ways you can protect yourself. Initially, we may experience an economic boom under Trump as he and his administration seek business deregulation, but understand that this will not likely last. Deregulation is only good for those at the top, and most of us aren’t there. Recall the disaster of the 2008 crash, which was caused by deregulation. Begin preparing now for a future economic disaster by diversifying your sources of income, learning new skills that can be monetized, and protecting your assets in any way that you can. - Know the laws of your state.
Knowing the laws of your state is absolutely essential, not just so you can follow them, but so that you can fight unjust laws and protect yourself from prosecution and persecution. Knowing your state’s specific laws in regards to your fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution is essential. - Know your rights.
Carry a copy of the Constitution AND a copy of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Install the ACLU Mobile Justice apps for your state and any states your regularly visit. These apps allow you to record events of police aggression and brutality, lock your phone to protect it from the police deleting your recordings, and send them directly to the state ACLU chapter. - Seek therapy if you need it.
Living under an oppressive White Christian Supremacist regime will be trying on your mental health. If you have insurance, it will cover therapy (this may change if Obamacare is repealed, so be aware of that). If you don’t have insurance and can’t afford therapy out of pocket, 7 Cups of Tea is an excellent source to speak with trained listeners who can help you through tough situations. - Do daily rituals.
Daily rituals don’t have to be complicated, but they can help ground and anchor you into your spirituality and into your day. If you’re not grounded and anchored, it will be easier for the oppressors to win. Your daily ritual can be done any time of the day, but it should be done every day. Ideally, this should be done sitting at your altar. Also, your altar doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t even have to be permanent. Dating back to the days of hiding my witchiness from a mother who thought I was worshiping Satan, one of my most potent altar set ups is a set of crystals and a small wooden skull bead that all fit into a tin the size of a box of cigarettes. Consistency is what’s important here, so even if your ritual is sitting quietly and chanting for five minutes, if you do it every day, you’re doing it right. - Meditate.
Every single day. Even if it’s for only 10 minutes. If you struggle to meditate on your own, get an app. Calm.com is amazing, and you can access them on the web or on the smartphone app. Headspace is another good one, as is Omvana, but Calm is my daily go to for meditation. - Support local and state politicians who oppose Trump and Pence.
Trump and Pence MUST be resisted. Any compromise will be seen by them as a victory, and every victory will be used to bolster their support. Also, remember that just because something doesn’t affect you directly doesn’t mean it’s okay to let it slide. Trump is a narcissist, and narcissists are notorious boundary pushers. They constantly push to find out what they can get away with, and you must stand firm in opposition to stop him. - Seek guidance from our activist elders.
But don’t rely on only them. Look to the civil rights era for what witches were doing in activism, but also remember that they were not as progressive as we are. The history of witchcraft is murky, and while we want to learn from the past, romanticizing the past is a foolish pursuit. Many witches in the civil rights era were homophobic, and many feminist witches were anti-men. Breaking the patriarchy is essential, but replacing it with a matriarchy will cause just as much imbalance. However, our activist elders DO know techniques and tools for making shit happen. They know how hard activism can be, and they understand the burdens of living under oppression, something we need to rapidly familiarize ourselves with. - Find a spiritual mentor.
Your spiritual mentor is not a therapist, nor are they exactly a teacher. Instead, they’re someone who’s been through shit and seen their way to the other side, and can help guide you and answer any questions you might have. A good mentor will help you find your own path, not send you careening down theirs. If you can pay a spiritual mentor, do so — they have to make a living, too, and the more payments they receive for spiritual work, the more spiritual work they can do. If you can’t afford to pay a spiritual mentor, that’s okay, too. You can find spiritual mentors online and at local pagan groups and gatherings. But don’t idolize them. While a good spiritual mentor will push you out of your comfort zone, if they make you uncomfortable in a creepy or sexual sort of way, it’s a big red flag. - Cast protection spells.
Google “protection spell.” There’s more of them than you can imagine. Create your own. Do them daily or whenever you feel like. Do them on yourself and willing loved ones. But understand if the only thing you ever do is a spell, it’s probably going to fail. That’s the thing about magic; it only works if you are working with it. - Pursue religious and interfaith studies.
If you want others to take the time to understand you, you must take the time to understand them. It will be especially important under Pence to understand Evangelical Christians, Dominionists, and Christian Supremacists, so don’t shy away from studying Christianity and even attending churches. This doesn’t mean go to church with a protest sign or instantly become an adversary. The Christian tradition has a lot to teach us. As do other religious traditions. Non-Christians, especially Muslims and non-Christian POCs, will be (and already are) under direct attack. Freedom of religion means freedom of ALL religions, so be ready to defend that. - Invoke Goddesses.
The Goddesses are rising, and they want to assist you. You just have to call on them.
Gwynne is a Mad Mystic, Contemplative Sorceress, Joyful Existentialist and non-religious Spiritual Hermit who spends most of her time studying the world and herself. Her passions are social justice, magic, her Goddess, and office supplies. You can find her at The Bitchy Psychic, where you can book a Bitchslap and Detox from your Bullshit.
