A Time Before

I would like to begin today by asking you a question. Who was your first TV witch? Before you learned that there were real witches who used magick to cast real spells, who grabbed a hold of your imagination? My first TV witches were. Angelique from the mid gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, Witchy Poo from HR Puff ‘N Stuff and of course Samantha Stevens from Bewitched.

Witchy Poo was the first Halloween costume I chose for myself. I jumped at the chance to be her, even though I was scared of her. In the morning before elementary school, I would imagine I was a good witch so that I could tell Witchy Poo that her plan to steal Jimmy's magic flute was wrong!

After school when I would watch Dark Shadows with my father I knew that only a good witch could stop the evil witch Angelique from hurting Barnabas Collins. He was my first vampire But that’s a subject for another essay.

The witch that I wanted to be the most like was Mrs. Stevens. I admired her so much because she found ways to use her powers despite the oppression of her however well meaning husband. I believe he tried to restrict Samantha’s use of her powers out of concern for her safety. At best, their neighbors would think she was crazy for saying publicly that she is a witch. At worst, she could be captured for government sanctioned scientific experiments. Yikes! Bewitched is fictitious. Yet it illustrates quite well the genuine need for secrecy.

Witches in fiction can offer fledgling Wiccans a means to cultivate your own sense of personal power despite the rules of an oppressive society. From Bewitched to Charmed, let’s all keep walkin with The Goddess as we journey toward acceptance for all people of The Craft.