Well, now I have to talk about Tik-Tok kids hexing the moon. Here we go:

Firstly, what I keep hearing is that,

• this generation of witches is ruined,

• that they have no respect,

• that they are only in it if their egos are stroked,

• and can they even call themselves witches?

Lot to unpack in just those four statements, so I am going to NOT list the umpteen other diminutive statements that I have run across and work today with these.

Respectfully: None of us gets to say if someone is a witch that says they are one. This gatekeeping is what is keeping people on the outskirts with no training. We don’t get to say:

" They aren ’ t a witch ! "

If you call yourself a witch, you are one. I have just revealed to you one of the great secrets that people gate keeping are hiding form you: "You am, whatever you say you am, if you wasn’t, then why would you say you am?"

Ruined? This generation is ruined? They aren’t ruined. This generation has some huge challenges to overcome and you sound completely out of touch when you say they are “ruined”. They said the same thing about you when you were a kid, and if this generation is ruined, it is because your parents were right, and you were ruined first. We are responsible for training our replacements in life. Have you done that? Have you worked to replace yourself or is that too much work for you?

And lastly, who is really unwilling to participate with others unless their egos are stroked? Is it the kids publicly looking for training and needing a teacher, or is it those purists barring the gate to those that don’t produce their version of the secret handshake, and refusing to participate with the rest of organized and unorganized witchcraft?

Is it not ego driven to refuse people entry to a club, tell them that they arent legit, then sit in a secret meeting, and hold the gate closed? If these new witches are ruined, it is the fault of the Elder, not the student.

I am Archpriest of one of the most legally recognized houses in all of Witchcraft. I am lineaged through Edward Fitch, Pete Pathfinder, Amy Ravish, Paul DiMartin, Janet Farrar (frickin’ Janet Farrar!), Gerald Gardner, Alex Sanders, Talyn Songdog which means my line technically runs through Oberon Zell, not to mention Belladonna LaVeau. I have changed the very face of Witchcraft in my lifetime, and I am STILL not considered "legitimate" in the eyes of some of those that hold themselves up as the gatekeepers of our faith

The New Guard of Witches isn't ruined, they didn’t ruin, nor are they ruining anything. It is the Old Guard of witches who have steadily done their best to thwart the chances of the witches coming behind them, by raising the bar and making it harder and harder for them to participate. In our own church we have standards that guard against making it more difficult for those students coming behind the current one.

If you want a strong new generation of witches, you have to let them play ball in an environment that is safe to fail, or else watch them teach each other. It was easy to play Secret Club before the internet, but we must change to be more accessible in the information age. Because these witches, and they are witches; you can tell because they are seeking out the craft without your help, are the next generation of practitioners no matter if you want it to be or not, and they deserve our support so they can grow up to become powerful and productive members of our world.

I was once in a conversation with an abusive parent that said their kid deserved to be abused because they were a “bad kid”. Any sociologist will tell you that it is never the child’s fault. It is always the parent that is responsible for the development of the child. It is never the child’s responsibility to ensure adequate care.

So what are you doing? Are you working to make the world a better, more inclusive, more educated, developed world for witches? The world is evolving. Our practices must change with it. We all deserve to be taught.

Are there going to be brats?

Yes.

I am a brat.

I am a celebrated brat, as a matter of fact. A loud and gregarious weirdo who never stays quiet. And since someone took the time to make sure I was raised right, I am now a champion of the underdogs who gets to fight the good fight on the Government level. Today’s moon hexxer is tomorrows civil rights activist and teacher. But how good they become is our responsibility to cultivate, 100%