On the day America inaugurated a convicted rapist and insurrectionist for president, the day a South African immigrant who lived in the United States illegally while burning through billions of his family's emerald mine money from apartheid times did the hated-filled, racist af nazi salute not once but twice on national tv, I sat down with poet and memoirist Jarod K Anderson to talk about mental illness, depression, and where we find magic in dark times.
You can listen to the episode now, but for the missing witch prescription today, I want to offer two insights from Jarod's book, Something In The Woods Loves You.
The first is a message about how we accept and work with change:
change is always on the way to meet us, with or without our participation, but there is magic in intentional change, in the audacious act of inviting change and walking to meet it.
The second is a message about the seduction of hopelessness and the furious defiance of hope:
We seldom admit the seductive comfort of hopelessness. It saves us
from ambiguity. It has an answer for every question: “There’s just no
point. It’s just not worth the effort.” Hope, on the other hand, is messy. If a good outcome is possible, then we have things to do. We must weather the possibility of happiness. We must hush shame and doubt and participate in the art of living because we are needed to usher good into the world, for others and ourselves.
Witches, we have things to do.
Resources for Resistance
The Missing Witches coven has been gathering resources and gathering ourselves and gathering our power, here are some of the projects they've surfaced to support:
Immigrant Defence Project
The Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) was founded over 20 years ago to combat an emerging human rights crisis: the targeting of immigrants for mass imprisonment and deportation.
Reproductive Rights Dot Gov
The day after President Donald Trump began his second term, people noticed that they could no longer access a .gov web page outlining women's rights to abortion and contraception under US law. The Biden administration created the web page, reproductiverights.gov, after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending the federal right to abortion.
In the wake of its disappearance, theSkimm is publishing the content of reproductiverights.gov to ensure that the critical information and resources it outlined remain available to women and families.
How to Access Abortion and Legal Aid for Abortion
Questions about legal risk, call If/When/How's free Repro Hotline: 884- 868- 2812
Need medical advice, contact the Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline: 833- 246- 2632
Find Your People
We want to make it easier for you to find and connect with other people in the Missing Witches Coven so we can defeat loneliness and hopelessness and amplify our magic. So we've created a new space for members to introduce themselves, and a new tagging system. Find us HERE.
Invitations
Tonight! Saturday, Jan 25, 8:00 PM EST A Pleasing Midwinter Terror
During the dark of Winter, let's share some ghost stories and talk about the genre! Hosted by Tess V.
Weekdays 7AM and 10AM EST Weekday Body Doubling Circles
Every weekday coven members come together to work quietly, in community. These sessions allow us the space to focus, with timed 5-minute breaks every 25 minutes to move or tend to our bodies. Hosted by Reed.
Jan 27, 12pm EST Weavers Cauldron
A casual space and time for Weavers to get feedback on our projects, bounce ideas, work, or just chat. Hosted by Amy and Risa.
Jan 28, 6:30PM EST Business Mastermind
Offering our shared support + spells to help create our dream businesses. Hosted by Holly R.
Feb 1, 2:00 PM EST The Hermit Hour
Grab your lantern and cloak and let's talk all things the Hermit of the Tarot. Bring your favorite deck/excerpt/art piece/thoughts/experiences. Hosted by Melissa.
Feb 1, 3:30 PM EST The Magic & Wisdom of 40
This is inspired by Julie's upcoming 40th birthday, but this is not explicitly a birthday party. This is for anyone who wants to explore and share about 40 - the number, the age, and more. All are welcome! Hosted by Julie N.
Feb 2, 2:00 PM EST New Moon in Aquarius - The Word
Terry Tempest Williams wrote: a pencil is a wand and a weapon. For the Aquarius New Moon, let's gather to talk about the power and magic of the written word. Come armed with a pen or pencil and together we'll write a spell - a wand and a weapon - of resistance and re-enchantment. Also bring your favourite poet, author, essayist, lyricist and we'll talk about how their words affected us and changed our lives. Hosted by Amy and Risa.
