Good evening everyone. I figured the best way to begin is with some general history. Witchcraft has a very long and complicated history, but here I will only be focusing on the history that I have learned so far. Please keep in mind for young readers that there might be some disturbing, and graphic topics discussed.
Some sources say that witchcraft is the original religion. Yes, that's right, I said religion. Keep in mind not everyone sees witchcraft as a religion, given it's considered to be more of a spiritual path that you take on your own. Also there are a lot of us in which we don't actually worship a deity.
There are many different aspects of witchcraft, and many different ways in which you can practice.
Let's take a look at some of the big ways in which the craft used to be practiced in history. One of the big ways people used to practice the craft, was simply by doing things like sympathetic magick.
Sympathetic magick is basically acting out what you hope to see in the future. As an example people would jump to show how high they wanted the crops to grow, or act out how they want their hunting trip to go.
Don't get me wrong sympathetic magick is still being used today. Just not nearly as often, and not for the same reasons, as we don't need to hunt for food anymore.
There is also documentation of the use of poppets. Poppets can be used for many things but in a lot of cases they are used for protection spells. You can use it to protect yourself, family, or even your home. This is also considered to be a type of sympathetic magick. One particular piece of documentation, that I remember from my research years ago, was of someone putting the poppet into the walls of their home. They did this specifically to protect their home.
As using a poppet can still be very useful today, I don't suggest putting it into the walls of your home. Especially since there are a lot more wires and such in our walls then there used to be and it could potentially start a fire.
One of the major ways in which we have carried on magickal traditions is in regards to herbs. Herbs are fantastic, and can be used for many things. Before modern day medicine, herbs we're used to help anyone suffering from illness. There is a lot of lore and symbolism connected to herbs as well.
A great example of this is passion flower. Passion flower is said to bring passion back into a "stale" relationship. It is also wonderful in helping to aid in sleep. Especially if you add it with other sleepy time herbs, such as lavender and chamomile. (Please don't use herbs before you do your own research on them as some can potentially be dangerous)
Enough about different types of workings. Let's get into the more sad part of history. A lot of people associate witchcraft with the well know witch trials, and most automatically think of the Salem MA. witch trials specifically.
For the sake of this post I'll focus mostly on the Salem witch trials. With that being said Salem MA. was far from being the only place in the world that had these trials, this also included parts of Europe, and other places as well.
Another thing most people associate the witch trials with is, witches being burned at the stake. As this is true, it wasn't the only form of torcher, nor the only way, people who were accused of being witches, were sentenced to death. In Salem MA. being stoned to death or even hanged was more likely to be the case.
There was many things going on at the time that could have contributed. These are some of the speculations, and documented cases that could have been the reason for why these events had occurred.
Please keep in mind I am not saying that anyones personal beliefs are wrong. I am simply just stating what was going on at the time of the trials, and what documented history has brought to light.
One of the big things happening at the time was the government being influenced by the church, and the church growing in popularity. Now, a big part of what the church believed was that witchcraft was people worshipping the devil. We don't worship the devil and in many cases we don't even worship a deity of any kind.
Ergot poisoning was another thing that was going on, specifically in Salem MA. Ergot poisoning can cause such things as hallucinations, vomiting, and convulsions. So, I'm sure you can see why people were concerned.
Greed was another big issue as well. If someone had a bigger property that someone else wanted, or if a woman was widowed and left with a great amount of land. It wasn't uncommon for those to be the people targeted, and accused of witchcraft.
There was also a book called The Malleus Maleficarum. This book started to grow very popular. The purpose of this book was to teach people not only how to figure out who the witches were, but also the many ways to torcher and exterminate witches.
Last but not least the cold weather they were experiencing was also thought to be the workings of witchcraft, as the crops didn't grow.
I would now like to take a moment and talk about Canada and their aspect of witchcraft history. I want to specifically talk about the Canadian history because that is where I live, and I feel as though it's important to learn about the history around your area to help gain a connection and understanding of our past.
New France:
The laws were a lot different in New France compared to what they were in Salem MA. and other parts of the world. People were actually alowed to appeal to the provincial government if they were sentenced to death. In most cases the government decided to save money instead of going through a lengthy trial, and would then sentence them to banishment instead.
In other places around the world you could identify a witch by doing or witnessing many things. Including something as simple as finding a mole ("witches mark"). In New France however this was not deemed proper evidence and therefore not used during the trials.
Nova Scotia Lore:
Essentially the story goes that there were two neighboring caps that were in war with each other. What would happen is one camp would put a spell on the other and the other camp would the retaliate with their own spell.
Ontario:
Witch of Plum Hallow. She was also known as mother Barnes. She was known for telling fortunes and many people would travel very far to ask for guidance.
With all of that being this is only a very small piece of witchcraft history. I am still researching Canadian Witchcraft History, and when I learn more I will be sure to post more about it. I highly encourage you to do your own research.
Do you know any lore or history I might have missed??
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