Sandrine Rousseau prefers witches to engineers: the scam of ecofeminism

How to spot activism fraud? Perhaps when, thinking of defending his cause, the fraudster perpetuates the worst clichés? Asked by Charlie Hebdo about the "ecofeminist" movement, the candidate for the environmentalist primary Sandrine Rousseau had the audacity to make this declaration: "The world is dying of too much rationality (...), I prefer women who cast spells rather than men building EPRs. To anyone who thinks Sandrine Rousseau is referring to Harry Potter, think again. The candidate who aspires to take the Elysée is actually promoting a New Age spirituality which has developed an entire esoteric market by offering a so-called magical approach to well-being.

At once naturopaths, taromancers, clairvoyants, shamans, pseudo-therapists and occultists, the witches meet in private groups on social networks and are quick to post their latest ritual on their Instagram page. The most gifted of them - or the smartest - even manage to make a real business out of it, like a Facebook account that offers “energy care” for 50 euros and training for 99 euros. Nothing is free, not even magic.

This situation caught the attention of Mathieu Repiquet of the No Fake Med collective, which monitors pseudo-medicine. “I do not believe that we are in a situation of sectarian drift or in the presence of gourelles. For many of them, it is a real belief, a mix between shamanism and occult practices. We find all the folklore there: tarot, oracle readings, astrology... We can say that it is a syncretism that often refers to intuition as being the most reliable source of knowledge in the world, at the expense of a analytical reasoning, more reliable”, explains the zetetician (supporter of rational explanations).

At the origins of this belief is the idea that the first societies were matriarchal, that women have long had the power to heal, a power confiscated by men, especially during witch hunts. Seductive theories with feminist trappings that have no scientific or historical basis. Never mind the historical reality: this witch empowerment nevertheless makes it possible to create a strong, unifying and… lucrative marker of identity.

Becoming a druid

“For me it’s a bit like the long tail of the tupperware meeting or the sleepover. We are among friends, we do stupid things, at the limit it could be harmless. But here, we color it with a feminist and emancipatory varnish when it's quite the opposite. This New Age current says to women: "You are too stupid to do mathematics or biology, so you are going to draw pentagrams, it is at your level." We can hardly do more retrograde, ”says the essayist and philosopher Peggy Sastre. A vision reinforced by the theory of the "sacred feminine" at the center of the cult of many witches, according to which the woman would carry powers specific to her status as a woman. A “deeply essentializing and anti-feminist vision of women”, criticizes Peggy Sastre, which does not seem to bother Sandrine Rousseau. For the green candidate, the men, carriers of rationality, build EPRs and the women, made of intuition and the sacred, cast spells.

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A position shared by Mathieu Repiquet, for whom, this "movement does not want to establish equal rights but considers women as a totally different divine creation, which does not have the same essence as humans at all male ". A human-man singled out as an oppressor of women but also as a destroyer of the environment and Mother Earth. “These witches are very close to pseudo-ecological movements, it is a grouping between alternative and alternative medicine, animist or totemic movements on ecology” continues Mathieu Repiquet. Some witches therefore claim to belong to this "ecofeminism": a current of thought according to which women and the environment are both victims of patriarchy, that is to say of the desire for domination by men, misogynists and capitalists.< blockquote class="twitter-tweet">

Looks like i have to get a Diploma on how to transfer photos from my PC to Iphone. This was very easy with nokia ph… https://t.co/jthaaczuDn

More and more followers

The syncretism of witches is also expressed in increasingly widespread female speaking circles, inspired by an American bestseller released in 1997 and sold over 3 million copies: “La Tente rouge”, by Anita Diamant (Charleston editions, 2016). “We see a lot of women doing a professional retraining at the moment and moving towards training in hypnosis, naturopathy… They become healers, druids, naturopaths. They organize shamanic courses or spiritual retreats… Like all unconventional healing practices, it proliferates a lot on a feeling of mistrust, even defiance, towards modern medicine. From my observations, I think that many of them sincerely believe in it,” explains Mathieu Repiquet.

And as proof, according to an Ifop poll for Current Woman, “The French and parasciences”, 28% of French people today believe in witchcraft or bewitchment. An increase of 7 points since 2001. Contrary to the popular idea according to which belief is on the decline in the West, this opinion poll clearly shows that marginal spiritualities and parasciences enjoy real popular enthusiasm. Of those surveyed, 58% said they believe in at least one of the parascience disciplines - namely: astrology (41%), lines of the palm (29%), clairvoyance (26%), numerology ( 26%) and cartomancy (23%). And this recourse to parasciences has not been slowed down by the health crisis, quite the contrary, since 20% of followers have seen a specialist this year about Covid-19.

Allies of choice

Progress accelerated by public declarations or rather surprising moral endorsements. Marlène Schiappa, the Minister Delegate for Citizenship, who recently affirmed her firm intention to fight against sectarian aberrations by reforming the Interministerial Mission to Combat Sectarian Aberrations, declared in 2019: "I have friends who draw the cards or text me before important moments: "I told you a protection formula." It's like the feather of Dumbo the elephant: it gives confidence. In 2020, it was the Interministerial Delegation of French Overseas, a department of the Overseas Ministry responsible for promoting and enhancing the overseas territories, which rolled out the red carpet to an "Ayurvedic practitioner".

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Sponsored publications have flourished on social networks, coming from the delegation's account and promoting a live with Gwenaëlle Batard, to help "recover your inner well-being". All this in the midst of a health crisis. “His practice consists of linking personal development, yoga, Ayurveda, positive thinking, spirituality and phytotherapy, analyzes Mathieu Repiquet, who spotted the operation on social networks. She produces podcasts on soul therapies, healing through sacred vibratory sound, astrology, spiritual healing, soft "medicines"... She organizes "women's circles" workshops allowing to connect with divinities and cosmic energies to work on oneself and one's sacred feminine. It also invites us to reveal our inner divinity, improve the circulation of our vital energy and to connect "with the magnetic forces of nature and the cosmos by paying homage to the Moon".

Farewell, feminism

The invasion of witches in the field of well-being and feminism is not about to stop, however. Especially since the shelves of bookstores abound with works that mix, without any shame, all these concepts. Publishers are, of course, looking to replicate the success of Mona Chollet and her book “Witch: The Undefeated Power of Women,” which has sold hundreds of thousands of copies. According to the statistical analysis of Livres Hebdo published this year, production devoted to women increased by 15% between 2017 and 2020 for non-fiction and nearly 72% increase for esotericism. A passion that saddens Peggy Sastre. “Frankly, if we are drawing pentagrams and burning incense, it is really that we no longer need feminism. It's time to close the door. »

Less provocative, Mathieu Repiquet reminds us that these practices can involve risks. “Some people, especially young people or people weakened by life events, adhere radically to this and incur risks to their health due to the lack of appropriate care or a break with the outside world, he warns. The feminist cause still deserves better than esoteric delusions that do not serve their cause. As is often the case with all these esoteric and pseudo-medical practices, critical thinking is a good way to avoid being rolled in the flour…”

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