Hello, I am Auntie Anatieda, the Generous Muse.[i] I am starting my magical blog, filled with wisdom, humor, magical incantations, and progressive activism. May it become a spell cast on each of us, so that we grow into stronger, more authentic versions of ourselves. May these future selves then be inspired by that which we must protect, and that which we cannot abide, to become real-world activists in both the personal and public spheres.
Some Definitions
First, we must
begin with a few definitions. I am too
much of an academic not to lay out the root sources of my work.
· Witchcraft: Witchcraft is not the black eyeliner,
dark stuff of TV shows. [ii] Witchcraft is, quite
simply, the skills of crafting the witch herself. It includes all the techniques, prayers,
spells, exercises, blessed objects, and rituals that a witch engages in to
craft a stronger, happier, and more effective version of herself.
·
Magic: Dion Fortune,[iii] the great-grandmother of
modern witchcraft, wrote that “Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will.”
When one changes one’s consciousness,
one sees the world differently. And once
one sees the world differently, they begin to know, with certainty, that
another world than the one they live in currently is possible. Magic is a tool we use to craft ourselves as
witches and the world around us.
My Overall Thesis
Currently, many
people in my country, especially women, are living in a state of continuous,
low-level fear and dread. [iv] This sense of disquiet
often causes people to act in ways that are contrary to their own best
interests: [v]
- Fearful
people stay in bad jobs when a better job would ease financial and emotional
stress.
- Fearful
people stay in bad relationships when it is their own partner making their life
harder, and reinforcing tensions and anxiety.
- Fearful
people vote for conservative politicians, whose policies strip our rights and
decimate the social safety nets that they need to survive. [vi] [vii]
Given this irony — that fear makes humans act in ways that actually make their lives worse and discernibly scarier — I believe that we need to find a way to dissipate the overall sense of fear.
We need to find stability, heal
from past trauma, and build ourselves up to the point that we can move past fears. Only then can we make progressive, positive
changes in our lives that will better our personal lives and the world around
us.
Auntie Anatieda’s Answer
In this blog, I
will discuss how we can use magical tools to encourage our sense of personal
worth, competence, and self-love.
This blog will
serve as a gentle guide on how we, as humans, can enhance our personal lives, relationships,
and inner sense of joy and of justice.
Finally, and most importantly, this blog will serve as a manifesto towards
political and magical activism.
When we reconnect
with ourselves and reconstruct our inner conviction, we become better at all
aspects of our lives:
A better friend.
A better family
member.
A better
caregiver.
A better employee.
A better entrepreneur.
A better romantic
partner.
A better
activist.
Because when we
approach the world with gratitude and happiness, we will see the good within
ourselves. We will see improvements in both
our inner mental conversations and in our personal lives.
And through
this process of personal transformation, we begin to desire progress in the
world around us.
We step into
our role as co-creators of our world.
The Prayer for this Blog
This page will
be dedicated to sharing my ideas and those of other experts on magical transformation. We will share political theories, real-world
commentary, and rituals to help us construct ourselves as powerful witches and
activists.
I pray that my
muses will help me find words that are inspiring, lyrical, and SEO-compliant
enough to be found by people seeking to make positive, progressive life
changes.
If you like the idea of using magic to improve the world and yourself, follow me, and share this with your friends. In the comments, please share a few things you’d like to see change in your life and the world around you.
Let's get stronger and more courageous together.
Let's get happier.
Let's change the world for a more inclusive, safer, and more equitable vision. 0
Footnotes: [viii]
[i] In reality, I have met the other
Generous Muse on Instagram… she hosts theater events and amazing artistic
parties. I cannot say enough excellent
things about her.
I am
convinced that, in this world, there are at least seven other people ready to claim
their role as a Generous Muse to the masses.
[ii] Although the TV witchy aesthetic is
very cool. I, however, cannot wear
makeup. Every time I try, I feel like a dropout
from clown college.
Also, I
prefer pink over black.
And, well,
my ADHD home is too disorganized for that perfect cottagecore or gothy look:
with the dried herbs all in a row, thousands of tiny perfectly labeled bottles,
and the meticulously maintained Book of Shadows.
If you can
do this, good on you! Get down with your
bad self.
But, if
you can’t, so what? Only your roommates and the gods know the dust levels on your altar.
[iv] In my professional life, I am a trained Social Scientist; there are literally mountains of research about fear and anxiety in women, and how it affects us. Maybe one
day I will write a Blog about this.
Today is not that day. Below are
a few articles:
·
University
of Cambridge, “Opinion: Women Are Far More Anxious than Men – Here’s the
Science,” https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/opinion-women-are-far-more-anxious-than-men-heres-the-science
·
American
Institute of Stress, “Why Women are more Stressed than Ever, And How to Address It,”
https://www.stress.org/news/why-women-are-more-stressed-than-ever-and-how-to-address-it/
·
Psychology
Today, “America the Anxious,” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-mood-lab/202509/america-the-anxiou
·
Priory,
“Why Are Stress Levels Among Women 50% Higher than Among Men,” https://www.priorygroup.com/blog/why-are-stress-levels-among-women-50-higher-than-men
- · American Psychological Association, “Women Say They’re Stressed, Misunderstood, and Alone.”
https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/women-stress
[v] Once again, this is a well-researched and well-proven topic. Below are a few
articles:
·
University
of Bath, “New Research Reveals How Dread Shapes Decision-Making,” https://www.scitechnol.com/peer-review/fear-and-decision-making-how-fear-affects-risk-assessment-and-behavioral-choices
·
UC Berkley
News, Anxious People More Apt to Make Bad Decisions Amid Uncertainty,” https://news.berkeley.edu/2015/03/02/anxious-people-decisions/
·
Frontiers
in Behavioral Science, “Effect of Real-World Fear on Risky Decision-Making in
Medical School-Based Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study,” https://www.priorygroup.com/blog/why-are-stress-levels-among-women-50-higher-than-men
·
Journal
of Traumatic Stress Disorders and Treatment, “Fear and Decision Making: How Fear
Affects Risk Assessment and Behavioral Choices, https://www.scitechnol.com/peer-review/fear-and-decision-making-how-fear-affects-risk-assessment-and-behavioral-choices
·
National
Library of Medicine, “The Influence of Fear on Risk Taking: A Meta Analysis,” https://www.scitechnol.com/peer-review/fear-and-decision-making-how-fear-affects-risk-assessment-and-behavioral-choices
·
ScholarWorks@UARK,
“Impact of Fear on Interpersonal Economic Decision-Making,” https://www.scitechnol.com/peer-review/fear-and-decision-making-how-fear-affects-risk-assessment-and-behavioral-choices
[vi] This is another well-researched
subject. Below are a few articles:
·
National
Library of Medicine, “Fight, Flight, Or Vote Right? A Systemic Review of Threat
Sensitivity in Political Conservatism,” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12651488/
·
American
Psychological Association, “Fear: A Powerful Motivator In Elections,” https://www.apa.org/news/apa/2020/fear-motivator-elections
·
Brown
University, “Tendency to Fear is Strong Political Influence,” https://archive2.news.brown.edu/2007-2015/articles/2013/02/fear.html
·
Psychology
Today, “Fear and Anxiety Drive Conservatives’’ Political Attitudes,” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-in-the-machine/201612/fear-and-anxiety-drive-conservatives-political-attitudes
·
UCLA
Institute For Society and Genetics, “Study Links Genetics of Fear and
Conservative Politics,” https://socgen.ucla.edu/2013/02/08/genetics-of-fear/
·
The
Loop, “The Anxious Voter: Linking Fears to Right-Wing Populist Voting,” https://theloop.ecpr.eu/the-anxious-voter-linking-fears-to-right-wing-populist-voting/
[vii] Interestingly enough, some articles published after the rise of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement are finding that Anger is an even stronger drive towards conservatism. I would argue anger often masks fear. Additionally, women are often afraid of the angry
men in their lives. Below are two articles:
·
WashU,
“Research Shows Anger, Not Fear, Shifts Political Beliefs,” https://source.washu.edu/2025/10/research-shows-anger-not-fear-shifts-political-beliefs/
·
Society
for Personal Psychology, “What Drives People Right or Left During Threats –
Anger or Fear?” https://spsp.org/news/character-and-context-blog/lambert-eadeh-anger-not-fear-political-shifts
[viii] Yes, I do realize that my footnotes are
longer than the article. I am, as I
wrote, at heart an academic.
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