Elements of Magic by Dawn Isidora

Author:Dawn Isidora
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: CVR12192017;elemental magic;magic with the elements;reclaiming the elements;elemental magick;elements of magick;working with the elements;elemental ritual;elemental rituals;pagan;paganism;witch;witchcraft
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2018-11-26T18:08:44+00:00

Sharing Power

Copper Persephone

Power. Just hearing the word can trigger a whole series of cascading feelings. I think of power as energy. With fire, for example, the energy is a neutral source that can be destructive or, properly channeled, a source of warmth and inspiration. Energy in witchcraft can be focused and built in many ways and with many outcomes. Energy and power are present in our rituals, in our relationships with each other and with the world, in our life force, our magic, and our sexuality. When examining power in Reclaiming, we often work with ecosystems, starting with the individual and then spiraling outwards. Every part of an ecosystem, as well as all of its interactions and impacts, are understood as a whole. Each individual connects to other individuals, other animals, plants, and Mysterious Ones. Each group is impacted by many dynamics. These include each person’s power and connections with other individuals, as well as leadership practices within groups, community, and larger ecosystems.

One way to frame thoughts on power and power balances is to think of different sorts of power that we experience. We adopt the model of examining three types of power: power-from-within, power-over, and power-with. Power-from-within is the intrinsic, inborn power that each one of us has just by existing. It can become the grounded sense of our abilities to take action in the world. Focusing on power-from-within can assist us to hold power in a balanced way that recognizes our own needs and desires, as well as the needs and desires of others. In this state we are able to recognize individual differences and respect others’ points of view, even when we disagree. We connect to energy sources and channel power in a way that works toward the well-being of ourselves and others. Ideally, this energy is not just our own but energy drawn from other sources; for example, grounding into the earth and becoming a conduit for that life force that comes up from the earth.

Power-over is imbedded in systems where specific people have the ability to make decisions that control others. Power-over can describe the misuse of power, channeling power for our own gain to manipulate or dominate others and to exploit resources in a way that harms other people and the environment and pulls systems out of balance. We see the impact of using power to dominate others in the state of our communities, in a patriarchal political system that favors the wealthy, and in the current exploitation of our environment. The Reclaiming Principles of Unity state: “We work for all forms of justice: environmental, social, political, racial, gender, and economic. Our feminism includes a radical analysis of power, seeing all systems of oppression as interrelated, rooted in structures of domination and control.” We are called on to change these systems by changing the way we hold power in the world.

One option is to begin to reframe how we connect to others. Power-with is a concept that holds shared power as a goal and ideal.

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