“Double, double toil and trouble: Fire burn, and cauldron bubble..” quoted the ‘weird witches’ from Shakespeare’s infamous tragedy, ‘Macbeth.’ Though Woodstock is historically famous for being a Christian school, the culture of this prestigious academy extends far beyond that of religion. Be it manifestation before exams or sacrifices by the fire, Woodstock has it all.

The night before exams involves many rituals within the Woodstock School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. One of these midnight practices includes an exotic combination of manifestation and journaling. Using the ‘369′ method, believers write their hoped outcomes three, six and nine times to manifest their end goals. This method is used by one who should not be named (yes, Harry Potter fans, I know you get the pun) to get into the school and the sports teams here. The mythical image of a witch rubbing a glass ball can be seen in our school where many people charge their ‘crystals’ with the sacred rays of moonlight. This is followed by spiritual chants of manifestation to, for example, gain good grades (specifically in IBDP chemistry)  in summatives or formatives.

 Another common practice in Indian society is predicting the future. Whether it be a guru tracing lines on your palm, or a parrot picking your cards, this pseudoscience is one embedded into many different cultures. Hence, in various dorms, members gather in a circle under an eerie night to predict and understand love, work and future through the eyes of the tarot cards. Questions often get personal, “Does he really love me?”  “Am I going to get married to her?” “Did he cheat on me?” are just a few examples. The result of this prediction seems to be “quite accurate” (Let’s hope to see them married soon!) The questions combined with aspects of astrology give believers quite an astonishing result on whether or not they should do something. She’s a Gemini and I’m an Aquarius – that definitely won’t work out! Dressing in Woodstock is also influenced by star signs. Charts featuring ‘suggestions’ for each sign guide individuals on what to wear today. One can say that a lot of Woodstock’s browser history is filled with astrology.  If my stars do not align today, I definitely cannot wear black.  

However, the reasoning behind manifestation and all this magic stuff extends far beyond the spiritual realm. It helps people believe in themselves. Manifestation exists as a reassurance point because sooner rather than later everyone has those moments where they lose hope in themselves. “If nothing works out it’s always there” quoted a member of this group. In the end, we are in IB, so anything for a little reassurance can go a long way. 

Manav is a staff reporter.

Edited by Aryaman