“It was not witches who burned. It was women.
Women who were seen as
Too beautiful
Too outspoken
Had too much water in the well
Who had a birthmark
Women who were too skilled with herbal medicine
Too loud
Too quiet
Too much red in her hair
Women who had a strong nature connection
Women who danced
Women who sung
or anything else, really.
Sisters testified and turned on each other when their babies were held under ice.
Children were tortured to confess their experiences with “witches” by being fake executed in ovens.
Women were held underwater and if they float, they were guilty and executed.
If they sunk and drowned they were innocent.
Women were thrown off cliffs.
Women were put in deep holes in the ground.
The start of this madness was years of famine, the war between religions, and lots of fear.
The churches said that witches, demons and the devil did exist and women were nothing but trouble.
As we see even today, there is often a scapegoat created.
Everything connected to a woman became feared, especially her sexuality.
It became labeled as dark and dangerous and was the core of the witch trials throughout the world.
Why has this been written?
Because the usage of words are important, especially when we are doing the work to pull these murky, repressed, and forgotten stories to the surface.
Because knowing our history is important when we are building a new world.
When we are doing the healing work of our lineages and as women.
To give the women who have slaughtered a voice, to give them redress and a chance of peace.
It was not witches who burned.
It was women.”
