This post refers to the ongoing mass binding spells which have been organised in the USA since February 2017 aimed at Donald Trump and his administration. For the Pagan Awareness Network’s (PAN) statement on curses and hexes, please click here.

The Pagan Awareness Network does not advocate the use of spells, curses or hexes to invoke harm to others, and would like to demonstrate why, using this example.

A woman calling herself Siddhatha Ahimsa Ananda on Facebook has been calling for the general public to cast a binding spell on Donald trump, the current President of the United States, on every waning moon until he is no longer in office. You can read Ananda’s Facebook post here and the spell document here. Ananda claims that this is a binding spell and not a curse, and that the intention is not to cause harm. However, the opening line on her Facebook event reads ‘World Wide Action – Massive Mediation/Hex addressing Donald J. Trump’ (Ananda n.d.).

Whether you are outraged by Donald Trump or not, the spell holds the intention of ‘smashing [a Nazi’s] phone so he can’t tweet, tying him up, and throwing him in a dark basement where he can’t hurt anyone’. This is the magical equivalent of property damage, unlawful arrest, and kidnap which are not only harmful but also illegal in real life. Before performing a spell of this type, consider if you would perform these actions with your own hands. If you would not consider taking such action, then this spell should also not be considered.

This spell calls on ‘heavenly hosts’ and ‘infernal demons’ to ‘bind Donald J. Trump so that he may fail utterly’ and then asks the spell caster to imagine Trump ‘blowing apart to ash’ (Hughes 2017). Demons and heavenly creatures are generally considered mutually exclusive as they are opposing forces. Pagans and witches would not typically call on Christian entities, nor expect an angel and a demon to assist them simultaneously. Such magick is advanced and not without risks to the spell caster. This information is not addressed in the call to action and has the potential to create harm to participants. Ananda also claims casting the spell will not damage the caster’s karma but even at the basic level, spells affect the caster’s karma and there are consequences for every action. It is important to consider these before undertaking magical work.

When asked what kind of magical discipline this spell falls under, Ananda’s answer is ‘the kind that works’. Siddhatha Ahimsa Ananda is unlikely to be this Caucasian woman’s legal name, and a Google search yielded no results outside of her associated Facebook account. Many people use pseudonyms or magical names for their spiritual pathway in order to invoke the qualities of that name in their daily life, but it also enables people to hide behind the name. In this case, these are all names which refer to Buddhism and Hinduism. Siddhatha means ‘he who has attained his goal’ and is derived from Siddhartha Gautama – the name of the man who founded Buddism (Violetti 2013 and Dictionary 2018). Ahisma is a Sanskrit word which means ‘noninjury’ and refers to a ‘do no harm’ philosophy (Merriam-Webster 2018). Ananda is a state of divine bliss which can only be achieved through meditation, and also refers to a spiritual movement founded by Indian Yoga Master, Paramhansa Yogananda (Ananda 2018). It is somewhat contradictory for a person who adopts that name ‘noninjury’ to call on others to visualise Donald trump being blown apart. This indicates that Ananda may be borrowing from a range of cultures which she does not properly understand.

Magical practitioners need to think and research before they act. Your actions can have a ripple effect on the magical community. Nobody lives in a bubble: we all belong to several groups including our families, our workplaces, our sporting clubs, ethnic groups and religion affiliation. If you do something reckless or malicious in public, it not only has the potential to harm you, but can also reflect negatively on the groups your identity with. A prime example of this is how the wider Muslim population is vilified due to a minority of people who identify as Muslims engaging in acts of terror.

There are still misconceptions and negative stereotypes of witches in the world today. There are some countries where witchcraft is still illegal and practitioners can be put to death (Hoffman 2014). Calling on witches to hex Donald Trump damages the image of witches in the wider community, potentially making life harder for countless witches across the world.

 

Bibliography

Ahisma, 2018, Merriam-Webster, viewed 2 March 2018,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahimsa

Ananda, 2018, Ananda Sangha Worldwide, viewed 2 March 2018,  https://www.ananda.org/yogapedia/ananda/

Ananda, SA n.d, Mass spell to bind Donald Trump n.d, Facebook, viewed 2 March 2018, https://www.facebook.com/events/1231167157003280/

Hoffman, F 2014, 7 Countries that still kill “witches”, Care2, viewed 2 March 2017, https://www.care2.com/causes/7-countries-that-still-kill-witches.html

Hughes, M 2017, A spell to bind Donald Trump and all those who abet him: Mass Ritual Feb 24, Michelle Hughes, viewed 2 March 2018, < http://michaelmhughes.com/a-spell-to-bind-donald-trump-and-all-those-who-abet-him-feb-24-mass-ritual/>

Nash, C 2017, #magicresistance: The Rise of Feminist Witchcraft, Breitbart, viewed 2 March 2018, http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2017/12/17/rise-feminist-witches/

Siddhartra, 2018, Dictionary, viewed  http://www.dictionary.com/browse/siddhartha

Valens, A 2017, Breitbart: Feminists are becoming witches to hex Donald Trump, The Daily Dot, viewed 2 March 2018, https://www.dailydot.com/irl/breitbart-writer-witches-donald-trump/

Violatti, C 2013, Siddhartha Gautama, Ancient History Encyclopedia, viewed 2 March 2018,  https://www.ancient.eu/Siddhartha_Gautama/

Wiseman, E 2018, Witches Will Cast a spell on Donald trump Tonight, Grazia, viewed 2 March 2018, https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/real-life/witches-cast-spell-donald-trump/