How Witches Fight the Abortion Ban

It’s 2019, our rights to bodily autonomy have been restricted or taken away in over five states, and YES, we have every right to be enraged.

This month, Alabama’s governor signed the strictest abortion law to exist in the country, which would make it illegal for women to have an abortion at any stage of their pregnancy without any exceptions for incest or rape.

Over 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation. The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally. When women’s rights are being stripped from them (or never even granted to begin with), how can practicing magic actually make a difference? Well, first let’s establish what magic or witchcraft is.

Magic is a change that occurs when an intention is declared and action follows.

In magic, we always declare our will or intention and accompany it with action. To cleanse our homes from negative energy, we burn cleansing herbs. To bring in change, we write petitions and light oil and herb-dressed candles. We call in elements, deities, and spirits to aid us and guide us on our paths. While these practices may help us to manifest the change we need in our personal lives, it is paramount to scale that magic so it can have a more extensive and effective reach. It’s time to put down the tarot cards and think bigger.

Let’s say we are faced with a large-scale problem similar to that of the current abortion ban…like world hunger, for example. Planting a single seed to grow one vegetable in my personal garden will not be enough. I cannot expect my seed to grow on pure will alone. The seed must be tended after it is planted. Even if it does flourish, I cannot expect to feed the world from one plant. But let’s say I scale this intention and help create a community garden.

Perhaps the neighborhood can survive off of it. In order for this to happen, however, there need to be a few practices at play:

  1. The garden needs regular care over a long period of time.
  2. The garden needs regular sunlight, water, and nutrients.
  3. The community must invest in tending to it.
  4. We need to be patient.

With these necessary actions, complementing our intention, natural growth and pollination occur. Slowly but surely, more neighbors will come to plant food, and our plants will start to reappear with the changing of the seasons. We will have a much larger bounty.

Magic is what happens when you combine intention with action and you continue to nurture your intention over time. Magic becomes more powerful with group action. Larger issues require larger magic, which means larger action must take place.

How can we scale that magic to affect a huge population of lives around us when it comes to women’s rights and the abortion ban?

Tap into your community.

Are you part of a coven? An order? A meditation group?

Maybe you are part of a weekly yoga class, a book club, or even a gym.

Consider reaching out to the groups you are part of and share your desire to help create change. Often, these groups have a huge network of individuals that may also want to be involved.

Your local group may have access to venues to host fundraisers. They may have a marketing or fundraising budget available to them or a social media presence that could prove helpful for a campaign to raise dollars, awareness, and resources. The community you are already part of may simply have a reach that you would otherwise not have access to. It’s time to team up with them. If the first group leader you speak to isn’t into helping out, don’t lose faith. Just speak to participants, one on one, moving on to the next potential organization until someone is on board.

Groups that pride themselves on being safe spaces for minorities are great connections.

If you participate in a magic community, consider incorporating a fundraiser into an upcoming magical ritual.

If you have ever been to a fundraising event or been part of a “bidding war” you probably know that putting money on the table always takes the group energy up a notch. No, we aren’t trying to harness aggression here, but encouraging others to give more energy, time, and money to a worthy cause is never a bad thing.

Since offerings are often an integral part of many rituals, it may make sense for your group to make an offering to a powerful goddess figure—Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft; Lilith, the goddess of feminine power; the dark mother, Kali; or the “warrior maid,” Scáthach. The offering can then be donated to a previously agreed-upon nonprofit organization.

Here are some organizations you or your group can donate to:

  1. Access Reproductive Care (ARC) is an already-established organization put in place to assist those affected by the abortion ban.
  2. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is “to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties [guaranteed to] everyone in this country.”
  3. The National Network of Abortion Funds is an amazing organization that helps remove logistical and financial barriers to abortion. Read more at https://abortionfunds.org/.
  4. All* Above All “unites organizations and individuals to build support for lifting the bans that deny abortion coverage.”

If you can’t donate money, donate your time.

There is no better way to declare your intention than to put your time and effort into it. If you belong to a coven, lodge, or practicing spiritual group, organize a weekend dedicated to hands-on time with a nonprofit organization, like your local planned parenthood chapter.

Time is so valuable. Almost everyone has time, at least to some extent. Most of us are going to have even more time tomorrow. If you can give your time, many nonprofits will value that immensely. They need people to answer phones and file paperwork. They need people writing articles about their organizations to help raise funds. If you can’t help monetarily, simply give the organization a call to see how you can get hands-on with the cause.

Join the “Auntie Network.”

The Auntie Network is a new group that arose as a response to the latest abortion ban. Circulating over Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, individuals from all over the world are stepping up to volunteer as an “Auntie.”  If you are a witch, you should absolutely become an auntie too. Part of being a witch is standing up for those who are in a position of less power, and that is exactly what an auntie does. They might help someone from a restricted state get the help they need by helping them set up appointments, providing a safe space to sleep, and even supplying medications that are not readily available for some folks.

If your state is considering a restrictive law on abortion, call your representatives immediately. You can find your representatives here.

Other organizations you may want to check out:

Stay tuned for a spell that you can cast to help to empower women all over the world…

We’re here for you,

Self Love Magic

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Stevie Rose is a witch, writer, and lifestyle faerie located in the heart of Los Angeles. She came upon the concept of Self Love Magic during a Virgo moon when her creativity just could not rest! Stevie has experience working as a business consultant for technology companies, plus as a marketing strategist for authors, musicians, and agencies in Hollywood. When she isn't working on Self Love Magic, she is practicing it or writing and workshopping her novel with the help of award-winning author (and her personal guru) Francesca Lia Block. She can also be found inside a hula hoop, practicing acrobatic yoga, or fire dancing for a crowd.

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