Peaceful life and modern potions : who are these witches ?

One of the joys of travelling is to meet different people ; on my recent trip to the UK I met a lady who told me she was a white witch, not someone you meet every day! She seemed a very pleasant person and said she was there just to help others.

Meeting this lady made me think about the history of witches. Unfortunately the images of witches presented to us over the centuries is not of a pleasant person but of someone evil, often wearing a pointed hat, flying around on a broomstick, practicing black magic and putting unpleasant spells onto others.

In fact these ‘witches’ were often simply women, usually women, who were natural healers and wise people and were completely misunderstood. Many were tortured, hunted, executed and were often single women living on the edge of society. In the 1600s up to 80.000 suspected witches were put to death in Europe, the most in Germany, the least in Ireland.

Witch hunts were very often linked to social and economical tensions, people were looking for a scapegoat on whom they could put the blame of their troubles. It was also believed that they used black magic and were certainly enemies of the church. There was a kind of witch hysteria which saw many so called witches put to death, one remembers reading of the Salem Witch Trials in the USA and the Pendle Witch Trials in the UK all taking place during the 17th century. It was much later that the witch hysteria finally calmed down.

Witches seem to have existed forever, most societies feared the supernatural power of certain individuals, but possibly used this to simply explain misfortunes, deaths, illness and problems with their animals and farms. There are places around the world where witches are still persecuted. One of France’s famous heroines, Joan of Arc, was an example of someone who defied society and was burned for it as a heretic and charged with using witchcraft and going against the law by dressing as a man – a courageous woman.

The lady in the UK told me that witchcraft is still practiced but they often choose not to use the name witchcraft because of its negative image, the word wicca is now often used which includes ceremonial mystical practices emphasizing a connection to nature and personal growth. They are looking for a peaceful life and the modern potions used are usually herbal remedies against illnesses. She tells me they can create helpful magic, with healing and love, being close to Mother Earth and helping people find answers.