Persecution of Public Opinion
Being other than cis-white-hetero-normative-Christian is a greater challenge now than it has been in many years. Fears are mounting at break-neck speeds and throwing caution to the wind is no longer advisable or liberating.
A dear friend and student was discussing their trepidation with being seen and recognized in any public manner as both queer and a witch (amongst other things). The vitriol and threats are coming from both sides of the pond and it is impossible at this point to pretend as though a clear and present danger isn’t mounting. Although I am of strong opinion (and stronger hope) that we are not entering another Burning Time, I am not so naive or ignorantly sheltered as to believe that risks aren’t increasing rapidly. Astrologically, we are entering dark, tumultuous times.
They used the phrase “persecution of public opinion” in our conversation, and it has stuck with me for nearly two weeks now. Two weeks of sitting with those words, mulling them over and over, and finding deeper and deeper agreement; enough resonance that I am here, attempting to sort my thoughts out by committing them to proverbial paper.
”Everybody's so punk on the internet
Everyone's unbothered till they're not
Every joke's just trolling and memes
Sad as it seems, apathy is hot
Everybody's cutthroat in the comments
Every single hot take is cold as ice”
-T.S.
In these modern times where the answers to nearly any question are merely a click away—veracity be damned—ensconced in the inter-webs-that-never-forget, public opinion weighs far heavier than in the past. Scarlet Letters are no longer worn for your town’s eyes only, they’re broadcast across social media platforms to the tune of billions champing at the bit for their daily dose of schadenfreude and deflection from their own misgivings. With governments changing the clock on policies and laws and stances on inclusivity and acceptance and diversity back multiple decades, we’re all being faced with the looming question: when will it be me? When will I be cancelled?
For those of us who have always treaded the hedges and outskirts, we are sickeningly aware of how erosive the ground beneath our feet is—how it may give out from under us at any moment. I am not immune to these feelings, and I believe it is my duty to share when I am incapable of assuaging the perception of threat gawping before me. Not to further instill fear (in myself or others) but to share that this weight would bring Atlas to his knees—you are not alone in your experience. We are not alone. And, we must use discriminating awareness and discretion in how we present ourselves, where, and to whom.
Giulia Turolla wrote an article earlier this month about ”the four pillars of Witchcraft or, more recently, the Witches’ Pyramid: To Know, To Will, To Dare, To Be Silent.”, emphasizing the fourth: Silence. I keep circling back to her words, as I do with my student’s conversation. Although Turolla was speaking to the necessity for silence in regards to magical workings and spell weavings, her words ring true in regards to persecution of public opinion as well—we have become brazenly bold in our “outness”, in our “daring”. We have become loud and proud and forgotten our roots…not the roots of silence and unobtrusiveness because of fear of physical persecution…but because our work is meant to be secretive. This is a universal truth. Folk magic, indigenous localized/cult religions, there is always an understanding that spiritual workings are meant to be done privately and cloaked in secrecy. Not everything is meant to be public. I learned this first while studying Vajravanya (Tibetan Buddhism), that there were “outer, inner, and secret” teachings and practices. Attending a public class or ritual didn’t mean you were initiated to perform that working on your own accord. Yet so many only knew of the public teachings—or the instagram reel highlights—and believed they were the entirety of the dharma. The internet’s immediacy has caused so many to forget that those four pillars aren’t just a click or swipe away—they take time, years of study and humility, of practice and establishment, to fully comprehend exactly what it means “To Know”, let alone what it takes “To Will”, or how high the stakes are when one is finally ready “To Dare”…which is why “To Be Silent” is oft overlooked, misunderstood, or flat-out ignored. There is no hack. With so much cheap content out there, the price is shockingly high—know your worth and the value of your craft, and in these tryingest of times: keep some secrets to yourself.
