The Woman In The Mirror

Shabbat HaGadol

I'm a few years shy of fifty, but the following excerpt from Sage Weston's The Wonder Of Witchcraft speaks to me similarly as did the poem Warning, When I Am An Old Woman (Jenny Joseph) when I was a younger woman.

A face is a face is a face. The witch of old was reputed to have a hooked nose that met her pointed chin, a sprinkling of unsightly warts, an occasional wicked grin and eyes that would wither anyone at ten paces. No doubt many of them were sour, no doubt there were many who were downright wicked, equally there were many who were simply psychic and quite innocent of evil, struggling to survive against impossible odds, quite possibly suffering from one chronic complaint or another and worn down by poverty and persecution. Today, in more enlightened times, the white witch strives for tranquility and wisdom - in consequence her expression will mirror this. It is said that 'we all get the face we deserve over fifty' and it is as well to bear this in mind as the years clock up and we continue to embrace resentment, frustration and self-pity, not fully appreciating that these burdens are difficult to shed as middle age approaches. At fifty, with youth's bloom well and truly faded and perhaps a certain amount of hardship both behind and ahead of us, which of us can look ourselves in the eye and see not a trace of bitterness? This is the acid test, and the modern witch, who does not flinch from her own shadow, must be able to face her mirror image, to see a mellow and mature reflection from which all early struggles have been erased. Here we differ considerably from our ancient sisters; we have learned that natural beauty comes from within and is in no way dependent upon circumstances or family genes - whether pointed or rounded, a witch's face should tell many profound tales. The look in the eye speaks of other worlds, dreams and visions and an unshakable faith in the future.