The Once and Future Witches

“She said proper witching is just a conversation with that red heartbeat, which only ever takes three things: the will to listen to it, the words to speak with it, and the way to let it into the world.”

The sisters’ grandmother Mama Mags demystifies witchcraft in this quote. She lays out the ground rules that the Eastwood sisters will use to invoke magic throughout the rest of the book. Their quest for the Lost Way refers to the means by which they will reopen the conversation with that red heartbeat. 

“And even if Beatrice stumbled on an ancient spell, she lacks the witch-blood to wield it. Books and tales are as close as she can come to a place where magic is still real, where women and their words have power.”

Bella and her sisters initially proceed from the assumption that witch powers are transmitted through a bloodline. This suggests an exclusivity that proves to be untrue by the end of the novel. In this quote, Bella also emphasizes the magical power of words, foreshadowing how the Last Three have infused their magic into fairy tales and legends. 

“‘Witching and women’s rights. Suffrage and spells. They’re both…’ She gestures in midair again. ‘They’re both a kind of power, aren’t they? The kind we aren’t allowed to have.’ The kind I want, says the hungry shine of her eyes.”

Juniper gravitates to the suffragettes because they offer the promise of power. She is quick to see the similarity between magical power and political power. To the men of New Salem, the political kind isn’t quite as frightening, yet both kinds pose a threat to the status quo.