The Power of a Chant

We are the weavers, We are the web

We are the bakers, We are the bread

We are the needle, We are the thread

We are the witches, back from the dead

That is my all-time favorite Pagan chant.  No surprise, every group I work with ends up loving this chant as much as I do.  As a result, I incorporate it in almost every ritual.

The funny thing is, I can remember exactly where and when I learned each and every chant I know, except this one, my favorite.

I remember some references to it in Starhawk’s The Spiral Dance.  I remember doing it with the Moonflower Coven. In sacred silliness, we made up other verses, like “we are the Flintstones, we are the Fred,” and, of course, “We are the Grateful, we are the Dead.”

Sometimes, after the last couplet, “We are the witches back from the dead,” I like to encourage people to yell out the phrase “Can’t keep us down”.

Why is this particular chant so appealing?  First, it doesn’t reference a particular deity.  However we see and name Higher Power, we can enjoy the power of these words. 

It is all about empowerment, and our power to creatively create the world around us.  It reminds us that we, and Spirit, are entwined in everything.

It claims the righteous use of the “W” word, and claims our power as magickal beings.

I am a strong advocate of the “W” word.  It makes me angry when people think it’s a nicer way of saying the “B” word.  It makes me sad that evensome magickal people associate words like “witch” and “witchcraft” with something negative.

This chant acknowledges witchcraft’s difficult history.  For centuries, we have suffered at the hands of the ignorant.

Finally, this chant celebrates our ability to survive, and to thrive.

As Litha, the summer solstice approaches, let us celebrate our community, our creativity, our magick, our history and our survival, as individuals, as families, and as a spiritual community.