The societal aspect of the witch wound is what society pushes as what is acceptable and what the masses tend to view as acceptable so that people in with everyone else. Being different from others, standing out in an unacceptable way such as not following the same spiritual paths as the “majority” or behaving or dressing in ways that don’t conform to the “norm” can be actual pressure someone has encountered that caused a witch wound or it can be something internalized where you don’t want to step out of what you imagine others find tolerable.
One way people have broken away from the wounds society attempts to (or people follow without the direct influence) is by rebelling — choosing to be different to claim some independence from any hold society might have on the person.
While rebellion has frequently been something that starts to come out in people while young (such as the rebellion that rock and roll embraced in the 50s and 60s, the hippies and their counter culture, the punks of the late 70s and 80s, the androgynous new wave music of the 80s and 90s), that was a safer form of rebellion since you could more easily find others who loved the same music or had the same interests for a while.
Nowadays with the internet being as accessible as it is, it is easier to find your tribe and others who you fit in with.
Witches and those interested in a magical life even stood out in rebellious cultures like those music scenes which still made it awkward and made people face a fear to step up and embrace being a witch or other magical paths.
The goth scene and heavy metal scenes embraced magic and Satanism as part of their rebellion which made those scenes a safer place to be openly a witch, a druid, or other magical path.
I know, for myself, I kept myself as a Wiccan (when I studied with a coven), and more recently a druid on the down low in my community and even amongst my friends for fear of judgement. It was pointed out to me that if I want to live an authentic life and be true to myself, I need to be open, not necessarily broadcast my paganism to the world, but just not hide it.
Choosing to be yourself can be a scary proposition for many out of fear of being judged which is the invisible hand that guides many — I know I’ve had to confront my fear of being judged and I still struggle with dealing with it from time to time.
What I found helps me is that most people who you think might be judging you are wrapped up in their own life, their own traumas, and their own struggles that many people aren’t thinking about you as you might fear. While there might be some people who judge you (we’ll look at projection when I get to shadow work in more detail), many are worrying that they’ll be judged or are otherwise preoccupied.
