Maria, a healer and a visionary, from "Women of Power" series. Courtesy of the artist and Porter Contemporary Gallery
What images comes to mind when you hear the word "witch"?
For photographer Katarzyna Majak, who was raised in predominately Catholic Poland, her vision involved a deformed creature with a black hat and broomstick -- like the representations that often populate fairy tales and mainstream movies. This was, of course, before Majak embarked on a mission to seek out spiritually empowered women, be they witches, healers, druids or whisperers.
Majak was inspired to begin her journey after growing frustrated with the monoreligious culture she was brought up in, specifically with the established roles available to women. "I had realized there was something amiss around," Majak explained to The Huffington Post. "I intuitively felt what the mainstream offers to women does not satisfy their deeper search." The photographer set out to document the bold women who stray from the traditional archetype of the "Polish mother," one who cares for her family at the expense of her own freedom and growth.
"When I started working on the project I felt some kind of attraction or 'calling,' to get deeper and stay open," she explained. "This must have been the witch calling me, and I followed my instinct."
Katarzyna, an herbal healer, from "Women of Power" series. Courtesy of the artist and Porter Contemporary Gallery
Her resulting series, titled "Women of Power," features photographs and interviews of feminine liberation in its many enchanting forms. From spiritual leaders to herbal healers, Majak's subjects reject norms for women in Poland, who choose instead to forge paths of their own.
"I show women live examples of empowerment, women who live their own lives and follow their own paths, and are courageous enough to show their faces, with the hope that this will empower others. These are women who know who they are: they are their own queens."
The first heroine of Majak's project is a woman named Tanna, who helped devise a "farewell ritual" for a wedding dress left over from a wedding that never happened. Tanna then introduced Majak to her next subject, who then introduced her to another, leading her on an abundant path of spiritual possibilities. Also incorporating women she discovered through independent research, Majak's project ended up including 29 portraits of truly empowered women, one for each of the days in the Moon calendar.
Natalia LL, an artist, from "Women of Power" series. Courtesy of the artist and Porter Contemporary Gallery
Most of Majak's portraits are captured against a standard grey backdrop, allowing the women's colorful ensembles and ritual implements to stand out. Through the images, Majak hopes to express her conception of a witch -- not a woman who believes in magical powers, per se, but a woman who believes in herself. "I talk about the witch archetype present in all women, if only they open up to it. The witch is a woman who knows, trusts her intuition, is connected to the birth-death-rebirth nature, and cherishes her strength. I hope to help women reconnect with their female lines, other women, to be daring. To grow."
In an introduction to the "Women of Power" book, Polish novelist Olga Tokarczuk aligns the ways of the witch with an attempt to take back what has been deprived of women, from sexuality to personal agency. "The women speak of their efforts to take back that which they have lost: the power of matriarchal cults, access to the sources of power, their sexuality, and also their right to natural birth, dignity, strength, female art, contact with nature and finally many female traditions that were mostly forgotten and suppressed."
Majak's portraits capture the contemporary faces of the occult, be they whisperers, healers, enchantresses, artists, feminists or simply women devoted to personal and spiritual growth. Pretty magical, don't you think?
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.