A group of witches in Brooklyn, New York, plan on gathering to place hexes on recently appointed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday, October 20, 2018.
The planned event has already received quite a bit of publicity. The Guardian and Newsweek, Time Magazine and other publications have run articles on it.
The event is being hosted by Catland Books, “Brooklyn’s premiere occult bookshop & spiritual community space” (according to their website). Tickets are being sold for $10, with 50 percent of the proceeds going to support Planned Parenthood and the Ali Forney Center, which is an LGBT community center that focuses on helping homeless LGBT youth. As the Guardian points out, the event is not atypical of Catland Book’s event schedule. Previously, the store has hosted events to hex President Trump.
Organizers Hope the Occult Event Will Galvanize Left, Intimidate Right
While it’s doubtful the majority of left-leaning voters would support such an event, co-owner of Catland Books, Dakota Bracciale, hopes the event will galvanize the left. “The whole thing is going to be really cathartic, whether you believe it or not. The right has churches but the left is scattershot. The left is where you’re going to find atheists, secularists, humanists, people who follow non-traditional religions. So how are you going to get all of us together in times of trouble? That’s what we’ve been doing,” Bracciale told the Guardian.
Bracciale went on to explain the bookshop hosts less occult-focused events such as traditional protests and voter registration drives, but they have found putting an occult emphasis on events has been effective for them. “It strikes fear into the heart of Christian fundamentalists,” she says.
On the event registration page, the organizers describe their aim for the event:
Please join us for a public hex on Brett Kavanaugh and upon all rapists and the patriarchy which emboldens, rewards and protects them. We will be embracing witchcraft’s true roots as the magik of the poor, the downtrodden and disenfranchised and it’s [sic] history as often the only weapon, the only means of exacting justice available to those of us who have been wronged by men just like him.
He will be the focal point, but by no means the only target, so bring your rage and and [sic] all of the axes you’ve got to grind. There will also be a second ritual afterward – “The Rites of the Scorned One” which seeks to validate, affirm, uphold and support those of us who have been wronged and who refuse to be silent any longer.
50% of the event proceeds will be donated to charity:
25% to the Ali Forney Center and 25% to Planned Parenthood.
Please note that no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
On Saturday, organizers plan to engage in two rituals. The first ritual is intended to place a hex on Kavanaugh. While candles burn, attendees of the event will focus on an image of Kavanaugh while passages are recited. Graveyard dirt, coffin nails and effigies will also be featured. The second ritual is the rite of the scorned one, which was created by Bracciale and is an exercise designed to welcome rage. “It’s saying that constant, absolute pacifism only leads to you getting harmed more. Sometimes there has to be an allowance for rage as your ally,” Bracciale explains.
This event comes to the public’s attention shortly after an article highlighting the rise of the use of witchcraft—particularly among Millennials—has been circulated widely.
