I’m reading a book right now called Craft of the Wild Witch by Poppy Palin (Amazon Link) and I came across a quote that really spoke to me. So, I wanted to share it with you and give my thoughts!
Image is my own. And since I know some will ask, the coffee mug was purchased at Long Beach Aquarium when we went for my daughter’s 4th birthday
Wildness has scant regard for petty snobberies and the cultivated social expectations of others; by its very nature it is without artifice. We can learn to express the untamed aspects of our being by looking at the lifestyle of others around us. For example, the fox has little need to try and be anything other than a fox. The thought of a fox dying his fur or behaving in a deferential manner for the sake of conforming to some social norm or to be impressive is ludicrous and rather distressing. It would be the very antithesis of his wild nature.
This quote is deep for me, even if it might be a bit odd. For the longest time, I have always been one to want to do certain things to fit in or conform . And I think it might just be in our human nature to want this. Historically speaking, we mammals have an instinct to be one with the pack because to do otherwise is considered dangerous. I think it’s high time that this is removed from our instinctual brain.
Now, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t dye your hair or behave a certain way if that’s what you want to do. If you want to have purple hair and pretend to be a unicorn, I don’t care. The only thing that matters is that you want to do it. You shouldn’t be made to feel like you have to do something because that’s what society is telling you.
We need to accept differences and grow accustomed to diversity among our species. We’re a long way off, but this quote serves as a reminder to me that we don’t need to try so hard to conform to some asinine expectations of what society thinks we should be. I see this in the mundane world and the witch world alike. Some witches are always wanting better tools, better altars, better paintings, etc.
Instead, we just need to accept what is best for ourselves and be true to our own nature.