o c c u lt u s
the occult has never been silenced. There has always been a thread of public interest in the workings of the mythic. Young ones and adults alike are fascinated with the worlds of Harry Potter, Twilight, Teen Wolf, True Blood, Supernatural, and American Horror Story. In the past, young ones and adults alike were executed for the practices of paganism. But public opinion on these topics have changed. Since the beginnings of religion, there has been an element of the satanic in global culture. Concerns of damnation and Satan have long plagued those who prescribe to a life of piety and religion. These are the same people broke into hysterics at Salem in 1692 and put 14 women and 6 men to death. But in today’s world of dissenters and non-believers, these concerns and hysterics have vanished. What has replaced these fears is more than acceptance, its a sense of empowerment. Dissemination of equality among different levels of society: women, the elderly, children, etc. is what has given this new sense of empowerment to such practices. When women could not vote, when children were ignored, when blacks and other minorities had little to no influence in the larger machinations of society, witchcraft and the occult gave them access to knowledge, medicine, and power that had previously been barred from them. Figures like Marie Laveau and Tituba serve as iconic role models, as both were women of meagre societal stature, yet proved to be pivotal and influential in their own right. Much mystery surrounds Marie Laveau - a voodoo queen who lived in New Orleans in the 1800s.
She worked as a hairdresser to the prominent white households of the area, and used her connections in the wealthy homes to craft a network of informants, which she used to build clout among the citizens of the French Quarter and surrounding areas. Tituba was a slave brought to Salem and was one of the first accused and tried for the practices of witchcraft. She confessed, yet was not executed. Rather, she used her status as a “witch” to protect herself and others. Women needed to be able to fend for themselves in a world that was much crueller than today. Witchcraft served to protect as well as intimidate. But things have changed. Today, witchcraft has become an aesthetic, an image, and has been highly romanticised. Performers like Florence Welch and Stevie Nicks - known for wearing flowing gowns and their ethereal appearance - are commonly referenced as being witches, gypsies, or priestesses. Although these references are based solely on appearance, the connotations related to such comparisons are what give them their power. These women are held at such a standard due to their appearance that they become icons, role models, and heroes, all for being in the public eye.
7 elements
Appearance is not all that has come of the witch. More recently, the witch has again become a figure of raw mythic power. The third season of FX’s hit television show American Horror Story features a coven of young women, possessed of the craft. These young women are necromancers, telekinetic, psychic, human voodoo dolls, heirs of tituba, immortal. They are powerful, forces not to be trifled with. They present a new, dark brand of feminism. In today’s culture of “blurred lines” and slut shaming, young girls need to be more prepared and aggressive than ever in order to fight for equal treatment. These young girls provide a touchstone of sorts. Perhaps even a glimpse into what will become of the fight for feminism - an introduction to a more ferocious, more aggressive, more wickedly cunning form of feminism. The fingers of witchcraft have had their grasp on popular culture for centuries. Recently their influence and presence has become more visible, and has not yet been met with sizeable opposition. It seems the more the shroud of mystery lifts itself from the face of the occult, the more the public seems to enjoy itself. The future is, for some, uncertain. But for this new brand of witch, it is clear as crystal.