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Setting Your Inner Bruja Free

As a child of the early to mid 60's I had become familiar with the association between the female gender and witches. Some of my favorite television shows and cartoons had witches as their main characters, many movies had witches as villains, songs were even made about witches. There was a lot of light hearted portrayal of witches so why was being called a witch meant as an insult. I guess it had to do with a deeper wickedness than I wish to delve into at the moment. I just remember hitting the point where I refused to wear a witch costume ever again. It was after an annual halloween costume parade at Rosewood Park in City of Commerce we attended as a family. I have a vague memory of myself and other children walking around home, first, second and third base in an array of store bought and homemade costumes as parents cheered us on. In the center of the field was an effigy of a witch tied to a post in a bonfire pile which was lit once our costume parade was over. I suppose watching the lit torch tossed onto the bonfire pile and hearing the crowd applauding was a bit much for me.
The last time I participated in any sort of Halloween celebration was in 2006 at Stella Esparza's annual Bruja Party in East LA. It was a fun night of mixing up spirits and casting spells of laughter. There's something bonding about setting your inner bruja free in a room filled with other locas setting their own inner bruja free. I'm sure each and every one at that party had been called a witch or bruja at some point in her life. I am also sure each and every one of at that party had set a spell or two and had at least one of them stick. So yes, setting your inner bruja free now and then is a good thing.
Of course, you have to know what you're doing before actually practicing any real form of witchcraft or brujeria and try not disrespecting those whose craft has been mastered. Wishing on falling stars or making a wish by blowing out birthday candles is fine and all but a little help from your local botanica now and then never hurt anyone, did it? Or you can reclaim the misogonistic bruja mislabeling by turning it into something wicked in a good sense like Las Brujas of the Bronx did or even how bruja is being branded in cooking rather than being branded on the forehead of a suspected bruja. Academia is recently addressing the feminist uprising of bruja culture as a form of empowerment and reconnection to indigenous roots. Long gone will be the stigma attached to brujerias of huevos and lettuce being placed upon your ailing stomach by an abuela, tia or mom. It made you feel better, didn't it.

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