An Ode to Witches
Just a quick note before we get started, please read this blog post with an open mind. In no way am I trying to influence others to do what I'm writing about, and please don't throw shade at me for opening up about a seriously misunderstood practice. I am not a Satanist or a Devil worshipper, nor am I abandoning my own faith. This blog is purely for my own pleasure and I hope you will enjoy what I've written. Thank you for supporting my blog!
💜
Ever since I was a little girl, I have been terrified and fascinated by witches. The first witch I can ever remember being exposed to was the Wicked Witch of the West. She scared me to f***ing death. I would have nightmares about her face, cackling and hovering outside my window on her broomstick. I don't think I've met anyone who didn't agree that she was absolutely terrifying. Even writing about her gives me the chills.
Then when I was around 6, I watched Hocus Pocus for the first time. I became obsessed and to this day have probably watched it about 100 times 💁. In primary school, me and my friend would march around the playground pretending to be Winnie and Sarah, chanting and mimicking the spells they cast in the movie. And of course whenever Halloween came round, I would always be a witch.
A few years after that, a friend of mine got her hands on the VHS copy of The Craft. If you've seen the movie then you'll know about the scene where they attempt to make their friend levitate using only their two fingers and chanting. Of course we had to try it, and of course nothing happened (Although we liked to think that it did 😏)
As I got older, I became more exposed to the witches that actually existed. Growing up in Lancashire made it almost impossible for me to avoid hearing about the infamous Pendle Witches. And it just so happened that my mother and grandmother both had a copy of the book, "Mist over Pendle", a fictional account on the trials of the Pendle Witches back in 1612. I would stare at the cover, marvelling at the creepy illustrations of Pendle Hill, looming over a witch's cottage, surrounded by dark clouds. You'll know by now how much my imagination ran away with me as a kid, and although I didn't really know anything about them or what happened to them, they were always in the back of my mind.
I'm aware that many of you constant readers probably don't have a clue who I'm talking about. So instead of me babbling on for another 3 or 4 paragraphs, I've quoted a quick summary from wiki about the witches. (Bit of a cop out I know, but if you let me I would waffle on forever with these posts!)
"The trials of the Pendle witches in 1612 are among the most famous witch trials in English history, and some of the best recorded of the 17th century. The twelve accused lived in the area surrounding Pendle Hill in Lancashire, and were charged with the murders of ten people by the use of witchcraft. All but two were tried at Lancaster Assizes on 18–19 August 1612, along with the Samlesbury witches and others, in a series of trials that have become known as the Lancashire witch trials."
Moving back to Lancashire two years ago prompted my re-fascination with the witches again. And this time, I wanted to know everything. I bought my own copy of Mist Over Pendle and devoured it within a week. (I highly recommend this book by the way, it's so beautifully written). I watched the BBC documentary "The Pendle Witch Child", presented by poet Simon Armitage.* For the first time, I could really delve into the real story of it all, looking at beautiful footage of Pendle that I'd never seen before, and even having a look inside Lancaster Castle where the witches were tried. But of course, it wasn't enough. I had to go and see it for myself. So my partner and I hopped into the car that weekend, and drove to Lancaster Castle. We bought the full guided tour tickets and made a long day of it. Our tour guide was fantastic, telling us the history of the place, taking us to see the dingy prison cells where dozens of people would be locked in waiting for trials, and he even showed us where the witches were hung.
Just over a month ago, I spotted someone at my college wearing a pair of Triquetra knot earrings and a matching necklace. I was sure that the Triquetra was a symbol for Wicca, so once I got home I researched it. After doing some snooping on Wikipedia (ah, what would I do without it?!) I found out that it's actually an old symbol that has also been used in Christianity and Germanic Paganism. Somewhere down the line, I found myself on YouTube looking up what the difference was between being a Wiccan and being a witch. For those of you that don't know, Wicca is a religion that has Deities, and Witchcraft is actually just a practice. You can be a Wiccan without being a witch. And you can be a witch that is also a Christian. Confused yet?
This is how I came to find a Wiccan YouTuber named Harmony Nice. Her videos were a mixture of her real life paranormal stories, her make-up routines and her life as a Wiccan. I was hooked, and binge watched almost all of her videos over the space of a week.
 |
| Harmony, via her instagram @peachycinnamon |
The more I learned about Wicca, the more information I wanted. Soon enough I was researching into crystal healing, Tarot cards, the Wiccan holidays and I even stumbled across a shop in my town that sold most of the things I wanted to get my hands on. I was spoiled for choice. I was surrounded by crystal balls, pentacles, incense, crystals, jewellery and even Tasseography teacups. I was enamoured by all of it, and couldn't possibly have gone home empty handed so I ended up purchasing a couple of candles. Later in the week I found myself drawn to the shop on Halloween. This time I went home with a beautiful pink crystal ball. Soon enough my little collection started to grow, and just the other day I came home with more candles and an amethyst necklace. For now, all I have been doing is meditation. Something that I've tried many times in my life but could never quite grasp. Now though, I am finding it so much more enlightening. For some strange reason I am much more clear minded and calm.
 |
| By the wonderfully talented Robin Eisenberg |
Skeptics will be thinking that I'm talking crap, and that it has nothing to do with the things I've bought. A lot of you may be thinking that I'm just gullible, and am throwing my money away at useless trinkets. That I actually think staring at a crystal ball will have some sort of effect on my future. But it's not that at all. I'm not actively seeking life's big questions through Witchcraft. In fact, the opposite. I'm looking inwards. I'm doing this to learn more about myself as a person. And since I've started doing these little rituals and forms of meditation, I already feel more content with things. Instead of focusing on how angry I am, I'm surrounding myself with candles and positive energies. I'm feeling more connected to Earth and nature. I just feel...better. And that's not really harming anyone, is it?
I was really reluctant to write about this today. Witchcraft may be more accepted in today's society than it was 100 years ago, but there's still a lot of taboo about its practices. A lot of people are ignorant and misguided and think that practising Witchcraft has a direct link to Satanism. But it doesn't. At all. It's unique to every one, and I implore you to do your research and actually read about it before you judge it, or judge me for that matter.
For those of you who are always here reading my posts once they're up, I just want to say a huge thank you! Every time I log into my account I find that I've had more and more views on my blogs. I can't explain how good that feels. Sending you all lots of good vibes and positive energy, and I will see you next week 🔮
Violet x
Follow me on instagram if you like! @VioletKingWrites
*Here is the video for The Pendle Witch Child documentary in case you wanted to watch!
Comments
Post a Comment