Disability Pride month is a call to honour and celebrate our bodyminds as they are. It is also a call to honour and celebrate our rich disabled ancestry, ways of knowing, feeling, and existing - and to understand that disability is a neutral experience, as valuable a part of our identities as our race, gender, sexuality, culture, etc, etc, etc.
Disability is not a bad word. It is a word that sheds light on the violence and systemic nature of ableism and reminds us that the responsibility for accessibility and inclusion lies not with the individual but with the collective.
When I opened our circle during ritual, I chose not to call the corners (North, South, East, West), but to call the aspects of my bodymind - to remind myself that I am valuable, I am beloved, and I am whole, no missing pieces.
During Disability Pride Month, I honour the disabled ancestors and deities. Those who came before, and who have always been here. Disabled people aren’t going anywhere. Disability Pride is for everyone, everywhere, all of the time.
Happy Disability Pride, Witches.
xoJ
Circle Opening
We are a Coven that strives to create a space that is as loving, accepting, and honouring of each other's access needs as possible. When we gather, our magic radiates outward, and little by little, the world becomes more loving, accepting, and nurturing as well. So mote it be.
As you read this, please feel free to invite your own deities, guides, guardians, and ancestors. The beings named here are not the only ones; there are many more. All are welcome.
We call upon the Deities and Guardians of Disability
Of neurodivergence, of neuroqueer brilliance and passion,
Of chronic illness and the many ways of being,
Be with us tonight. Welcome.
Welcome, Deities of the Senses
The blind gods, the one-eyed seers, the shapeshifters
Wotan/Odin, Hodr, Tyr, and Loki.
Those who perceive the world as diversely as the beings who live within it, welcome.
Welcome, Deities of the Body
Hephaestion, the Graeae, Bes
The gods whose bodies are shared, unique, and sacred.
Those who remind us that all bodies are good bodies, blessed bodies.
Those who work with what they have, welcome.
Welcome, Deities of the Mind
Oizys, Saint Hildegard, Dionysius, Hecate
You who move between states: in bliss, in strife,
Connecting to the universe in mysterious and luminous ways.
Those who diverge toward truth, justice, rage, and joy, welcome.
Welcome, Deities of Health and Healing
Eir, Apollo, Isis, Epione
We hope, pray, and acknowledge healing through you.
And we honour the truth that disability pride belongs to all
Including those who wish to not be disabled anymore.
Disability is not brokenness. It is a neutral, whole experience. Welcome.
To all spirits, ancestors, guardians, and guides who are part of the disability community
Welcome to our circle.
We hold space for one another, as we are.
We have no missing pieces.
Help us release pain, shame, worry, and internalized ableism.
Lend us strength to cast into the fire what no longer serves us,
And to water the seeds we wish to grow.
So it is.
Like us, disabled people - so it has always been.
We are here. We will be here.
Our history is deep, and our sense of justice is fierce.
As disabled witches, we create this cauldron-space
To flourish in pride, and to rest in each other’s loving embrace.
Blessed fucking be.
Reference: https://disabilityaccesscollective.blog/2024/03/04/disability-in-mythology/
Jasmin (she/her/they/them) is a disabled settler, educator, activist, and community member based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A PhD candidate at St. Francis Xavier University, their research explores anti-ableist pedagogy, disability justice, and teacher education. Jasmin is a co-founder of the Disabled Educators' Curriculum Collective (DECC) and is a member of several disability activist groups in her community. Their evolving witchcraft practice draws on pre-Christian European (Dutch, Bavarian, Hungarian) roots. Find their reflections on life, public education, ableism, and advocacy on social media.
Bluesky - jastoffer.bsky.social
Instagram: @jaurora8
Local causes that Jasmin supports:
Halifax Mutual Aid: https://www.halifaxmutualaid.com/#donate
Disability Rights Coalition of Nova Scotia: https://www.disabilityrightscoalitionns.ca/
Gender affirming Care Nova Scotia: https://sites.google.com/view/gacinnovascotia/home?pli=1
