On the Nature of Power

I've written a little about what Starhawk describes as a "grounding practice." It's a technique whereby one summons power in order to cast magic. I've come across similar techniques from other sources in witch and Wicca practices, and while there is some variation, they all primarily deal with the same focusing, breathing, and visualization techniques as a means of summoning that power.

But what do I mean by power?

In previous posts, I essentially used "power" as another word for inspiration. Consider: I was taught various techniques by various mentors that can be used to get myself in a headspace (aka "changing consciousness at will") that is conducive to create art, whether a character on stage, or a story for a book. We could say that I utilize these techniques to summon "power", then use my chosen writing tools to channel that power into the creation of imaginary worlds. But I could just as easily say that that I summon this "power," then use my chosen witchcraft tools to channel that power into the creation or revelation of a working.

I'll talk more specifically about witchcraft tools and workings another time. For now I want to stay with the idea of power. As I said before, we know little about where inspiration actually comes from. Neuroscientists have been puzzling over it for decades, and while there are many interesting hypotheses, and some potentially helpful patterns have been discerned, the actual source of the creative well remains a mystery.

Most creative folk would also agree (in our infuriatingly vague, vibes-based way) that inspiration feels like it just kind of comes from...everywhere? Both from ourself, and from everything around us. This type of power is what Starhawk refers to as power-within, which she differentiates from power-over. I suspect that when we hear the word "power," most people, sadly, think of power-over—the ability to force or otherwise inflict one's will on another. Presidents, police, and priests all use this power-over to enforce their ideas of morality and order on others. This concept of power has been glorified by most societies for centuries or even millennia. It is so ingrained that it's often simply taken as a matter of course.

But it doesn't have to be. There are other ways for societies and institutions to organize themselves. We know this, of course. The trick is getting there. After all, even if we, those who lack power-over, wrest that power from those who have it, we then wield that power and run the risk of become that which we've fought against. We become the power-over, and we're right back where we started (see French Revolution, etc). So instead of "fighting fire with fire", we need to enact an entirely different method.

I'm not going to proscribe what that method or alternate structure might be. Sorry! Macro thinking beyond the confines of the novels I write has never been my strong suit, and even within my novels I prefer to focus on people rather than structures. What Starhawk calls power-within, and what I sometimes find helpful to think of as intrinsic power, which exists in everything. Women, men, animals, plants, rocks, etc. It binds us, surrounds us...

No wait, that's the Force from Star Wars!

Ok, yes, I am a big Star Wars nerd who would absolutely drop everything if Disney ever asked me to write an Asajj Ventress story (just puttin' that out into the world...). But George Lucas wasn't pulling the idea of the Force from nowhere. The initial franchise was based heavily on samurai and wuxia films and stories, which were in turn based heavily on the cultures of Japan and China that gave birth to them. And specifically the aspects of those cultures that were largely remnants of pre-Christian and pre-Buddhist eras. Shamanistic, nature-focused belief systems like Shinto, which you can still see showing up in mainstream art like Miyazaki films.

Similar to Shinto, Wicca and witchcraft come from a pre-Christian, nature-focused shamanistic belief structure where concepts of power were both more diffuse, and more holistic. That last bit is really important because if everything is connected, then when I harm someone else, I also harm myself. The argument for maintaining power-over structures is often "Well, we need rules, and enforcement of rules, to stop crime! To protect people!" But that's only true in a society like ours that prioritizes power-over. In a society that valued power-within, people wouldn't intentionally commit crimes because they'd be inflicting the crime not only on something or someone else, but also upon themselves. If I pollute, it causes the world around me to sicken. If I hurt someone, I am hurting others, and the social structure that also supports me as well.

It all sounds a bit hippy-dippy of course. And we're still left with the question of how to get to a structure like that. If the answer were easy, we'd probably already be there. All I can do it is my part. And what part is that?

Why making art, of course! If art taps into the same well as power-within. If I can open more channels for more people to reach that power-within, to discover its value, and their own intrinsic power in the process, then maybe I've moved the needle ever so slightly. And if a bunch of artists were to do that, if we reached some sort of power-within tipping point, perhaps there would be a shift in what power means.

I've always felt deep in my bones that making and engaging with art is an act of resistance. Witchcraft provides me with both context, and a frankly welcome affirmation during these very tumultuous times.