Magic has always been about power. People who have interest in magic seek to obtain more agency in their lives. That being said, we have to understand that with all power structures, there are going to be those who abuse this or seek to gain a monopoly on it.

This is why institutions of religion have made magic illegal in various cultures: to limit the access to power. This is a why a Catholic priest and a witch can both mumble magic words at a cup of water, but only one has been historically burned at the stake by the hundreds.

Much of it is rooted in patriarchy. The upper-class ceremonial magic lead by powerful men in gov’t and religion have always framed smaller pagan practices as “witchcraft,” which is seen as cultish and evil, as those practitioners were predominantly more female and lower-class.

If we as practitioners in the modern context are to practice magic in a centered way, we need to recognize the years of oppression the feminine principle has experienced. Many major magical texts frame the feminine as a source of chaos, destruction, and evil.

It’s about time we embrace the feminine in magic more widely and speak up for female practitioners if we witness power imbalance from men in the occult, to ensure women have an equal place at the figurative altar table.