To claim who we are we have to be who we are. It’s not either/or, good or bad, it’s both, always, all the time. Witch and virgin can bring up very opposite reactions that can make us question the stories we tell ourselves about who we think we are. Do we have to choose between what’s expected and what we long for, is it enough to just be who we are, is it possible to drop pretense, or how do we own the darkness as much as the light? Instead we feel like we have to pick a persona and stay there, never deviating, never stepping outside our self-imposed boundaries. Witch and virgin come to remind us we are far too hard on ourselves. In truth they describe the same reality that reminds us to ground into the wholeness of who we are, and both have had their power and deeper meaning taken from us. Now it’s time to take it all back.
Taking it back means integrating the power and wisdom these two archetypes offer and then living it in our own unique way. This will be a different journey for each of us but the end goal is the same — wholeness. Being a witch does not mean going into the forest to cast a spell just like virgin does not mean sexual naivete. The original meaning of virgin was, “a woman who is whole unto herself,” a woman who doesn’t need another to define her and witch means something quite similar, with an undertone of owning our personal power and being fearless in holding our ground.
These two feminine archetypes are meant to ask us to own all that we have previously given away, consciously or unconsciously. It means getting to the bottom of who we really are and accepting ourselves just as we are instead of trying to fit another’s description or desires. When we enter witch/virgin territory we’re interested in what our soul has to say, what ignites our creativity and sets our world on fire, and much less interested in what others think or say about us, whether they approve or disapprove. In the end we are the only ones to finally approve of ourselves and that will be decided from the inside out, not the outside in. The more we come into alignment with our sacred inner self the more we step into the real meaning of witch and virgin.
You might remember her, the one who wanted to join the baseball team, have an animal sanctuary in the backyard, or ran around in the rain singing. Witch and virgin are code words for our soul, the part of us that always speaks the truth, our truth. It’s not necessarily about bucking the system but it most certainly is about standing up to our inner censor, the places where we shut ourselves down and shrink to fit another’s standard.
If you want to moon-bathe naked in the backyard or skip through a field on a sunny day, found your own non-profit, or begin a new path later in life, then go for it! When it comes right down to it we are usually the only ones standing in our way. We are our own biggest obstacle. When we finally run out of reasons as to why we can’t we begin on the path of what matters most to us that’s the moment when everything becomes possible.
Owning our inner witch and virgin is just another way of accepting all of who we are, the familiar as well as the foreign. Being our authentic selves is the end goal for both. Don’t let the names fool you, at the bottom of your gut reaction to either or both of these words is the woman who’s been waiting for her chance.
Go ahead and take it.
Become who you’ve always been on the inside out there in the light of day for all to see. It’s time to take back every piece of ourselves and celebrate it with gusto.
kb
