We know the stories, Salem witch trials and King James I and his hunt across Europe in the 1500’s. Multitudes of woman, and men tortured and killed under the guise and heading of ‘Witchcraft’. For years I believed the story too, as it was told. But as with everything these days, I began to give it a rethink having picked up more information along the way.
My first inkling, other than the systematic system of lies woven into our taught and learned history, was a small fact about alcohol. I’m interested in social history and how we got to these systems, procedures and regulations we see today, so randomly looked this up. I wanted to know when we started licensing alcohol and regulating it and learnt that women headed the trade originally, then came upon this article last year which renewed my interest in the subject – Women used to dominate beer industry.
Showing how women dominated the trade, wore black pointy hats, and had big cauldrons to ‘brew’ the beer. Sounds like an easy leap doesn’t it. Especially when you realise after the ‘witch’ clearances, it appeared it was an industry and land grab as with many other incidents throughout history. People got rid of their competition or problem by shouting ‘Witch’ – even on their own family sometimes. Stupidly simple, swift and effective. They say that men took over after that and women lost their place within that particular industry, and possibly others, I will have to delve further.
But it made me wonder, as I have done previously, about what other gifts and skills may have been targeted by jealous or fearful people. I’ve long thought that natural healers and seers used to exist (and possibly still do today), and that many would have seen them as a threat. It’s also not helpful to some if people can ‘read you’ or know what you intend if you are of a devious nature. That’s why intuition these days is encouraged but used against you as soon as you display it or people catch on you have it. They want you to reveal it, so they can make you mistrust it. They wouldn’t want people knowing what they could really do and are actually capable of.
To be able to remove your business or personal rival must have been an advantage for many. As we see today, once you have something in place to ‘deal with’ those labelled, many terrible things can happen. I believe that’s why they killed some, people with powers were a threat to them. And the rest, people who just knew too much? Well, I think asylums probably helped a bit there. You could just lock someone away forever if they wanted them out of the way. They were also used to get rid of people who were just a mere inconvenience to some, in the way or selfishness or inheritance. Don’t misunderstand me though, these are not just tools of the past, they continue to this day. Just with different names, labels, methods and gains.
Many people didn’t fall for the ruse though, and were unwittingly then caught up in it themselves, because those who perpetrate the atrocities will do all they can to keep them either hidden or make them acceptable. And there will always be people who are thrown to the wolves as they say. Nuremberg being an example of that, and quite possibly we will see another one of those types of trials in the very near future over the latest scandal upon the masses. October I am told it will happen, but as with everything we are given a ‘heads up’ for, only time will tell…
