Witch Hunts in America: America's Time of Darkness

As most everyone knows today, during the three centuries of witch hunts in Salem and in many other parts of the American colonies, hundreds of innocent men, women, and even children, were put to death.  According to official documents available to the public, once the accusation of "witch" was made, a process began during which the accused was confined and tortured, and it was only a matter of time before they were ultimately strangled, drown, or burned to death.  Once branded a "witch," tests were administered to prove guilt and allow the accused the opportunity to confess.  Among these tests were swimming, strappado, thumbscrews, the boot, and the Black Virgin.  These methods represent by far the more humane tactics used to extract confession, the more severe involving the tearing off of women's breasts, penetration of women's anal cavities, and spreading of the vagina using metal torture devices designed especially for this purpose.  Read more . . .

Witches and Witchcraft: So, You Think You Know What Witchcraft is?

Whenever the word “witch” is used in everyday conversation, any number of images may come to mind.  Some may relate the word to the “Wicked Witch of the West,” while others to the modern Wiccan image associated with the likes of Sybil Leek.  Some may harken the image long held of the Salem witches, while still others may imagine a curandera, the wise woman found in Hispanic communities throughout North, Central, and South America (and Europe as well).  In fact, depending on one’s place of origin, age, sex, spiritual persuasion, life experience, education, and worldview, any number of archetypes are possible.  Read more . . .