This traditional festival was changed by Christianity into All Saints Day, honoring saints and martyrs and 31st October was changed into All Hallows Eve, which is now Halloween. The original purpose somewhat obscured. What I notice is how people often dress up as witches at this time and what their connection with that word might be.
The word witch is one that Immediately conjures up thoughts and images. What do you feel/ see I wonder? Do you think of a woman in black with warts and a pointy chin with hairs on and a pointy hat and a cackle and a broomstick with a black cat and a cauldron? All the nonsense we are often presented with. What would you think/ feel if I said that a couple of my ancestors with the surname Brugh, were accused of being a witch in Perthshire? Would you judge me I wonder? What if I said I am aware of past lives where I have been persecuted for healing arts? What if I revealed the earth healing arts I practice now – I wonder what you might think, would you label and persecute me?
There is a very good website created by Edinburgh University with a Lot of information and they also have a database. http://www.shca.ed.ac.uk/Research/witches/
Numbers are tricky to get accurate with the passage of time and records maybe being destroyed and not accurately kept but certainly Thousands of women in Scotland in the 17th century were formally accused of being witches and a Many souls were executed. This was happening all over Europe at that point but it was 5 times higher in Scotland.
Most of the accused in Scotland were women but they certainly weren't all old crones. Ages of the accused covered the full range from under 20 to above 70 and many being in the middle range. They weren't particularly poor in socioeconomic terms and most were married so they weren't this image of being spinsters or widows. They probably looked like everyone else, nothing particularly grotesque, not particularly any warts or hooked noses and such. Many were accused by their neighbours, if they had fallen out or perhaps they were accused through gossip. They were often tortured through sleep deprivation to extract false confessions.
A couple of years ago, I was invited to take part in a ceremony where we Remembered these women. We read out names of those who were murdered and lit candles for them, I was so grateful to be able to honour my ancestors. The names came from Aberdeen, Anstruther, North Berwick, Auldearn, Alloa, Culross, Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Perth, Orkney, Shetland and all places in between.
Many perished in the fires and were forgotten. I remember these women, the healers, the knowledge keepers, the midwives, the tradition bearers, the storytellers, the visionaries, the mothers, sisters and daughters. I remember them.
I have Always felt women who are persecuted. I feel the effects of the Patriarchy and the damage and misery this has often brought. I feel sisters around the world who are suffering right now, even as I write. How many souls are being abused, attacked, harmed in any way. I always feel the girls in Nigeria who are Still missing. I feel my “Relatives” in all places including those that peacefully protect the waters at Standing Rock. How I want to reach out and protect Every single soul everywhere and I know I can’t, I can only sit with and clear my own pain and suffering.
I remember.
(The image is a plaque at Edinburgh Castle Esplanade where Many women were executed as witches.)