The Craft is striking back at Donald Trump. Tonight, at midnight, New Pagans and witches everywhere will cast a “binding spell” against Trump and “all those who abet him.” FYI, a binding spell does not intend harm (contemporary witchcraft has “Do no harm” as the first rule), but just aims to stop the target of the spell from doing harm to others. Seems very appropriate under the circumstances, right? The spell will be cast tonight because it is the last night of the waning moon, but the community intends to continue casting it each month, at the same time and on the same day, “until Trump is removed from office.”
The organizers say that this collective spell-binding can be viewed as a mass consciousness-raising or performance art or simply a way to relieve tension. It’s also just an appropriate gesture of protest. In other words, you don’t have to buy in to witchcraft to participate. Such spells can be a lot of fun and there is a weird sense of power and sometimes calming afterward that comes from it, even if you don’t believe in magic at all. So, I thought some of you might think this is a neat idea and thus I am passing along the instructions.
In any case, I thought the Double X audience would be interested (and perhaps charmed) to know that yet another group of women have found their own unique way to protest. You can knit pussyhats or show up on your Senator’s doorstep or march or write blogs or cast a spell. We each have our own ways.
There is something about putting together and performing a magical ritual that calms the nerves and steels the resolve. The organizers invite you to participate as a protest, as consciousness-raising, as art form, or just to give yourself a break from freaking out. In any case, I think it is a cool gesture and wanted to pass it along.
The hashtag is #magicresistance. The Facebook page is here. You can follow along on Facebook, do it by yourself or with friends. Up to you. Magic recognizes no technological barriers.
As is always the case with magical rituals, however, there are few material props that you will need to put together. Even so, the organizers say this is an “open source ritual,” so you are free to make substitutions, leave things out, or add stuff. My daughter Liza, who sent me this info first, says she bets a lot of people will substitute a Cheeto for the orange candle/baby carrot. You may not have a Tarot deck, but there are lots and lots of images of the Tarot online, so you can just print a card out if you wish. Here is the list of what you will need:
Unflattering photo of Trump
Tower Tarot Card (signifies a fall from power)
A small orange candle or baby carrot
Pin or small nail
White candle, any size
Small bowl of water
Small bowl of salt
Feather (or anything that can stand for “air”–a balloon, a toy airplane, etc.)
Matches or a lighter
Ashtray or dish of sand
If you choose to do the traditional binding variant, you will need thread, preferably black. Full instructions and text for spell are here.
Some of the suggested substitutions to the ritual language are pretty good. Instead of the usual “so mote it be,” for instance, you can chant “You’re fired!” with ever-increasing intensity. For disposal, you can bury the materials at the end–or drop them in front of a Trump hotel.
I am aware that this will be late notice for many people, especially readers in Europe and the UK. If you can’t get ready in time, but would like to participate, there will be another group ritual on March 26.
BTW, the best thing about witchcraft is that it scares the daylights out of the religious right. That’s because you may not believe in this kind of stuff, but they do.
