WARNING: I’m about to break my grandmother’s long-standing rule by discussing Politics, Sex and Religion all at the same time. If you notice a slight tremor, it’s just Ethel turning over in her grave.

Undoubtedly, politics are a hot topic right now. We’re all worried about getting screwed by the next group of elected officials. As people practicing a spiritual path that involves the option of working magick, most of us have probably considered putting a little mojo towards the election if we haven’t done it already (There is something tempting about seeing if Sarah Palin’s +7 Armor Class Anti-Witch Chainmail of Warding is worth its salt) . When you have a hot topic and a sticky situation and it looks like about half the country is going to feel royally screwed on November 5th, writing an article on pagan ethics during a pivotal election year is a delicate task. I hope this article will come off diplomatic and spiritual and not resemble ugly-bumping in the slightest.

In recent years, our candidates do seem a little like the “two-backed beast”. They’re too busy fooling around with their special interests to pay attention to the rest of us. While they suck up to us pretty well in an election year, the rest of the time they’re arguing over who gets to be on top and they’re making out like bandits. How they do this when a fair few of them are old enough to need Viagra is beyond my ability to comprehend and not high on the list of my things to imagine. What *is* high on my list of things to imagine is what I want my country to look like down the road for me, for my children, for the children who are yet to be.

So, what are we to do about it? Ethically, what can we do? One of my favorite tools to use in analyzing a situation from a Craft-standpoint is to apply The Witches’ Pyramid to the conundrum. I’ve done that below in regards to the upcoming election. Believe it or not, the results are nothing earth-shaking.

1. DARE To Vote

Pagans make up a small section of the population in this country. We don’t have a huge voice in who ends up in office if you count things one vote at a time. And I suppose that, proportionally, I hear about the same percentage of pagans say their vote doesn’t make a difference as I hear among the Joe Plumbers of America. Now, if pagans were just Joe Plumbers, it wouldn’t bother me. But these are magickal people saying their vote doesn’t matter. This absolutely boggles my mind.

Is this how you approach spellcasting? Do you stand before your altar, as you get ready to launch your Will into the world and say, “I’m just one person. I can’t make a difference.” Goddess, I hope not! If you don’t succumb to that kind of morose negativity with your magick, why would you do it with your vote? It might not go the way you want, but really – are you a Witch that only works magick if you get your way? Surely not.

Like any spell, your vote is a solid representation of your Will in the world. And yes, I know about the Electoral College and all the other things, both Constitutional and otherwise, that are trucked out in every PoliSci 101 class to shock and deflate idealistic young people. Forget all that. We are Witches. We can affect more than a lever in a ballot box.

2. Research So You’ll KNOW What You’re Getting With That Vote

It may seem like I have these two things out of order, but I don’t. Before you can research with any kind of efficiency, you have to actually decide that the effort’s going to mean something. A person who isn’t going to vote has nothing vested but an opinion and, sometimes, a big mouth. One thing I’ve noticed in common with ALL voters is the drive to make the right decision. Interesting that everyone who chooses to do it takes a thing that “doesn’t count” quite seriously, isn’t it?

That’s because voting is the way that the “Circle of America” expresses who we want to lead us for the next four rounds of annual death-and-rebirth. Hasn’t it ever struck you as interesting that Election Day falls right around astrological Samhaine? Interesting, too, that we don’t have an Inauguration Day until after the “dead time” between Samhaine and Yule. The coincidence makes you think.

With that seriousness in mind, we all need to really think about what we are trying to create in that “circle” on Election Day. What do we want to send into the world? What vision seems best to us? Which proposed candidate seems best fit to lead us and attain that vision?
Do they have the ability to unite the energies of everyone participating, even if they don’t agree? Do they have the skills to channel the power given to them and make it into something real and tangible and beneficial for all of us?

Research is vital to matching your Will with the best choice of person for seeing that Will become reality. And if there’s any group of people on this planet that are phenomenal at research as a part of their everyday path, it’s pagans. You’ve got the skills. Use them to apply your Will with Knowledge.

3. Remember that WILL Is Different From Want

One of the biggest mistakes I see humans make is letting the fire die before something gets accomplished. More good ideas and great starts go to total waste because we did all the mental work to prepare for a task and then failed to follow through. Voting is no different. You decided to have the guts to stand up and vote. You did your research and you can talk the issues and you know who is going to get your support. You want a certain person serving you in the government. That’s all great! Good job! Now, finish what you started!

Want is a wimpy little thing compared to Will. I can want something all day long and at the end of the day still be wanting. Want is a state that leaves you with nothing if you don’t act on the Want. You’ve decided whom you want in the White House. All the wanting in the world is going to amount to nothing if you don’t go to your voting precinct and part the Veil and cast your vote. It takes ACTION to catalyze Wanting a thing into Willing a thing. Don’t believe me? There’s been many a broken heart because of the three Almost-Fate Sisters: Shoulda, Coulda, and Woulda. Don’t let the Almost-Fate Sisters eat your Willpower up. Make sure you’re registered, put it on your calendar, locate your precinct, find childcare, do whatever it takes to follow-through.

4. Keep SILENT About Your Vote… It’s No One Else’s Business

This is the one people hate to hear. I find it strange because, in my grandparents’ generation, talking about whom you voted for was a big no-no. Even asking someone else about it was considered rude. Part of the reason we have a three-ring spectacle around Election Day is because we talk about things we shouldn’t.

Those polls that say who’s up by how many percentage points? Totally driven by people talking about their votes before they’re cast. Why take polls? Well, if a candidate is down, they spend more money. If a candidate is down, more people volunteer. If a candidate is down, more people either choose to vote or, conversely, give up. If it looks like a close race, more people pay attention. It’s a manipulation based on our voyeuristic need to watch a battle between opposing forces. It’s semi-sane and publically approved war in a political arena and one of the candidates is going down. Kinda hard not to watch.

How do you react when you hear about someone voting for “the other guy”? Are you completely supportive or neutral of their choice, or do you instantly start wondering what the hell they’re thinking? Are you capable of hearing that someone is going to vote for your candidate’s opponent and not have an emotional reaction? If you can be 100% totally neutral and applaud every person’s choice as the best one for them, then you’re far better than I am.

The privacy of voting is similar to hermetically sealing your Will from contamination from other forces. Just like it’s unwise to tell everyone about your spell before it’s made manifest (if you tell them at all) , it’s not the best idea to run around and tell everyone who you’ve voted for before the votes are counted. Anytime you have a highly charged political election, it sets us on the brink of civil unrest. It creates an us-versus-them, a Blue-versus-Red situation. Voicing something as intimate as your vote labels you instantly. You become an Us or a Them just based on that one choice. Most people never stop to realize that when you get “labeled”, the label actually goes over your mouth like a gag; not a word you try to say afterwards gets heard without some kind of prejudice – good or bad – on the part of the person listening and interpreting.

It takes real strength to keep your silence and hold your own counsel, especially in a tight election year or when there’s a lot on the line. Some people – mundane folk as well as pagans – will actually get angry with you for not telling them who you voted for, or they might try and shame you by calling you a coward, or manipulate you in other ways to give up the goods. Recognize this for what it is: fear. Without your help, they can’t label you. They can’t put you on a team. They can’t suck you into any kind of Us-versus-Them situation.

You become a wild card, a mystery, a person who is in complete control of himself/herself. This is why Silence, perhaps more than any other trait of the Pyramid, really sets a Witch apart. When you prove you can keep your own counsel, you show you don’t need their approval of your choices. You show that you can act on your Will without needing a team to back you up. You allow yourself to simply be who you are, without the censoring label of outside judgment, and so your words can still be heard. By keeping your Silence, you maintain your Voice.

Remember, as you go to the polls, that regardless of the outcome of the Election, this is not a time to be afraid. As I tell my daughter when she gets panicked, “What’s that fear doing for you?” Fear immobilizes and keeps us from being able to respond swiftly and appropriately. No matter who is elected, you still have power over YOU. We can elect men and women to lead us, to help guide the country’s destiny, but even that control is illusory. What we try to prevent today might come about tomorrow, and in the end, you can only rely on yourself. That is the interface where we hold the most power – over the sphere of the Self. Don’t let the election or its outcome scare you. Choose to meet the future as an empowered individual regardless of what occurs around you and things will go well for you. After all, it is far easier to trim the sails than it is to calm a storm-tossed ocean.

Well, the pictures are still on the wall here, so I think Ma-maw will forgive me with the proper application of pintos-and-cornbread at the Ancestral Feast next week. I can only hope that you, dear reader, will do the same (minus the pintos-and-cornbread, as that would be messy to ship) . I urge you to cast your votes and release the outcome. Sometimes our prayers are answered, and sometimes the Gods say no. But regardless of their answer, how you meet the next four years and its challenges is in your hands.

Cast your vote and keep the faith in America, the Gods, and Yourself.

Published 10/26/08, Witchvox Feature Article