It's popular belief that witches have power that has been bestowed upon them. Usually, it's in the family linage (e.g.: the "good girl" Sarah from The Craft, Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches, the sisters in Charmed), and sometimes, it's given to them by a spirit (e.g.: the "bad girl" from The Craft, the teenaged girl in one of the episodes of Charmed). But as far as I know, this isn't true.

The power and energy that witches work with exist around us nuterally. It is neither good nor bad, and is available to all. Witches simply know or have learned how to harness that power.

To be a witch, you don't need some supernatural powers (e.g. telekinesis, telepathy, the ability to levitate, etc.) that you have recieved in some mysterious manner. In fact, that rarely happens. You don't need to own a Book of Shadows that you don't understand, that you have stumbled across. Although it's nice to have tried-and-tested spells, potions, etc. at your disposal, many of us do not have access to such a collection. You do not need to dress in all black and whites, and decorate your room/house that way unless it has symbolic meaning to you and you've always wanted to. You do not need to invoke an entity that you don't understand so that they can give you supernatural powers. You need not (and should not) have evil and selfish intentions.

So what is the power of a witch?
It is the power to change him or her -self for the better. It is the power to collect some of the energies around us, give it an intention, and re-direct it to create change. It is the power to live according to the Wiccan Rede, or at least the last two lines. It is the power to be aware of one's own actions. It is the power to change one's life by changing oneself. It is the power to heal. It is the power to destroy what is no longer needed, and to release oneself from it. It is the power to create. It is the power to love and accept what cannot, will not, or should not be changed. It is the power to respect, love, nurish, and enjoy nature.

A witch's power exists in us all. It is simply a matter of whether or not we want to or can unleash her power.

Copyright © Beyond The Looking Glass, 1998, 1999.