I’m not a big fan of social media, but I understand that I need to post on my business accounts regularly to appease the algorithm gods. And so I do, begrudgingly. My follower counts are not impressive, and my views typically stay under 1,000 per post.

Imagine my surprise when a recent post shot up to over 20,000 views on both Instagram and TikTok.

But then imagine my even greater surprise when that same post became the target of so much vitriol that I eventually had to turn off the comments. Yes, I also received plenty of supportive comments and likes. But the nasty ones were coming in hot.

The post? A 30-second video of me saying to my father: “Dad, you raised a Freemason son and a witch daughter. Explain yourself.”

My father’s response was…well, peep it yourself on the Village Witch Haven TikTok or Instagram, or on my personal page if we’re Facebook friends.

It wasn’t inappropriate. It wasn’t outrageous. And it certainly wasn’t something I ever anticipated would attract anything more than the usual likes, views, and comments.

I post witchcraft content multiple times a week, so I don’t know why this particular post got some people so angry. But angry they were.

Lots of horrible comments were directed at me, my father, and my brother. I deleted all of them and blocked every grammatically incorrect POS who took time out of their sad little lives to be rude. (And also, thank you, trolls! You boosted my post in the algorithm. 😂)

But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t impact me.

I’m no expert on Freemasonry, but I can tell you this: my brother is one of the best people on this planet. He’s incredibly intelligent, generous, kind, and funny. He’s a fantastic father, spouse, son, sibling, and friend. He’s done more volunteer work in his 20-ish years as a Mason than most people have done in their entire lives.

He is, quite frankly, a better human than most people could even dream about being. And if him being a Freemason makes you think otherwise…you’re wrong.

Until that post, I had no idea there were so many people who hated Freemasons. The ignorance is almost astounding. (Almost.)

While I know very little about the Masons, I know a good deal about witchcraft. Unfortunately, many people don’t. They form opinions about witches based on what Hollywood, religious institutions, folklore, and fairytales have told them about us.

So let’s get a few things straight, shall we?

Witches Aren’t Evil

The idea that witches are inherently evil has a long and complicated history, but religion, gender, and power absolutely played roles in how people who practiced magick or lived outside accepted social norms were viewed and persecuted.

Women who stepped outside the expected roles of wife, mother, and devout worshipper could be viewed with suspicion. Midwives, healers, herbalists, cunning folk, and other people who possessed knowledge that wasn’t widely understood or accessible could be accused of witchcraft.

And some people who were accused of being witches were arrested, tortured, or killed.

The historical reality of witch trials is complicated, and it wasn’t simply a matter of people hunting down actual practitioners of witchcraft. Religious belief, superstition, social tensions, misogyny, political power, and often property and financial disputes all played a role.

But somehow, that complexity got lost along the way, and “witch” became synonymous with “evil.” Convenient.

Your great-great-great-great-grandmother likely used a midwife to deliver her children. That midwife might very well have been an herbalist, healer, or someone who possessed traditional knowledge about the human body and childbirth.

There have almost certainly been people in your bloodline who, at some point, consulted a cunning woman, medicine woman, herbalist, healer, or other practitioner and benefited from it. In fact, you might not be here today if they hadn’t.

And yet some of those same women were called witches, vilified, and persecuted.

The majority of witches--both historically and today--aren’t running around trying to ruin people’s lives. Most practice witchcraft to help themselves or others, often with some version of “harm none” as a guiding principle.

Some witches practice baneful magick, which is intended to cause harm. I’m personally not a practitioner of baneful magick, but if I hear about a witch doing a baneful working against someone who attacked her child, I’m not exactly clutching my pearls. (In fact, some witches call baneful magick "justice magick," and as a longtime fan of an-eye-for-an-eye, I see their point.)

Are there witches who do baneful workings simply because they enjoy hurting people? I’m sure there are.

But there are also teachers, religious leaders, coaches, financial advisors, attorneys, doctors, athletes, and people in virtually every other profession who do things we’d consider bad or evil. (And I’ve linked to articles about some particularly shitty examples from other professions, in case you need a memory refresh.)

If you think witches are evil, kindly educate yourself a bit. Look around at other professions and other groups of people. You’re probably going to find some evil non-witches there, too. If you’re willing to judge an entire group based on the actions of a few individuals, you might want to reconsider where you’re drawing the line.

Witches Aren’t Scammers

For as long as there have been professions, there have been scammers, swindlers, and snake-oil salesmen. Some people don’t have the talent, skills, intelligence, or desire to put in the work to become good at something, so they lie, steal, and cheat their way through life instead.

Witches--as well as healers, psychics, and mediums--have a reputation for being scammers. Are there fakes out there who claim to be legitimate readers, spellworkers, or healers when they’re really just trying to get people’s money? Without a doubt.

But do deceptive people exist in every industry? I think you know the answer. #ponzischeme #theranos #worldcom

Those fraudsters you hear about in the spiritual and metaphysical space aren’t witches, psychics, or healers. They’re scammers pretending to be witches, psychics, or healers. There’s a big difference.

And by the way, you can’t say witches are evil and you think they’re fake. If you think we’re evil, that means we’re doing something that has an impact. If you think we’re all scammers, that means we’re not doing anything effective. So pick a lane, Jack.

Maybe my subject line isn’t entirely accurate. Maybe I haven't told you anything new about witchcraft. In that case, my apologies.

But if any of this was new for you, and you’re experiencing a little neural-pathway rebuilding in your brain right now, wonderful! That’s kind of the point.

You don’t have to practice witchcraft. You don’t have to believe in it. You don’t even have to like it.

But before you decide that witches are evil, fraudulent, or inherently dangerous, it might be worth learning what the hell we’re actually talking about.

Thanks for being here at The Village Grimoire.

--Allie

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