"I'm Not a Witch--I'm Your Wife!"

I was watching The Wizard of Oz on Saturday morning with my two witches in training (6 and 3 years old), and was struck by the idea that the whole concept of a witch has been around forever, yet there's still an enormous stigma attached to saying out loud that you believe in them. We seem to inundate our children with fairies and witches and princesses, convince them that these things are the magical parts of life, and then when they're old enough to know better, we tell them all of that stuff was just make believe and to get on board with what real life is all about. It's a strange cycle. They have to unlearn to live with a sense of magic and wonder in life to cope as adults, yet it seems to me that a little magic is exactly what we could all stand to have a little more of.

(Note: My little brother/Witchy mentor who is an official Wiccan leader has told me that when we say magick, we need to misspell it. Good to know.)

I spent some of my teen years and early 20s re-watching The Princess Bride, a movie about true love, honor, and yes, a bit of magick. My favorite character is played by Carol Kane. She is married to Miracle Max, the dishonored medicine man who the king's son banished from the kingdom. The main characters end up at Max's house when they need a miracle. Billy Crystal plays this shlumpy character with perfection, and Carol Kane plays his crone wife with great hilarity. Here's a photo of her:

At one point, Mad Max tells the main characters that he can't create magick anymore, and Kane comes screeching onto the screen screaming, "Liar! Liar!" Mad Max says, "Go away, Witch!" and she retorts, "I'm not a witch! I'm your wife!"

This scene always knocks me out. I throw around this line from time to time when Cute Husband comments on my time with my two favorite witches, Gypsy Girl and Elfin One. It takes us back to when we were dating and would loaf around watching movies together on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

It's hard to incorporate a sense of magick into your life if you don't acknowledge that it's floating all around us anyway, despite what we're taught to believe. I'm working hard at staying plugged in. Some days it's easier than others.