Bewitched

Bewitched

A twitch of the nose by Elizabeth Montgomery portraying a friendly witch on her successful television sitcom was the sole requirement to accomplish the impossible.

If only life were that simple.

Maybe that is part of the allure of witches who can instantaneously take flight on broomsticks, fire up cauldrons of assorted toe-curling potions and elixirs, and ensnare with their secretive spells and incantations to purportedly harm or to bring immediate relief to maladies or aches.

These diverse specific attributes have defined a questionable character who harbors a significant range of prowess that stretches from benevolent to diabolical.

They have been labeled, demonized, and smeared as sorceresses and enchantresses and associated with heretical hijinks of the night.

Undoubtedly, possessing superhuman powers is extremely enticing.

Who couldn't use some of those today?

Fuse these tall tales with Halloween's night of mischief and spirited archetypes and it homogenizes into a frolicking fright fest.

Centuries ago, many of these accused witches were healers, wise women, and esteemed matriarchs who people continuously sought for cures.

They were recognized, respected, and highly regarded for their expertise.

Although these exceptionally skilled herbalists were originally praised and honored for their efforts, by the end of the 1600's greed and jealousy proved to be far more dangerous than any supposed witch or her alleged witchcraft.

A retrospective overview of the Salem witch trials unmistakably concluded that the most treacherous individuals were indeed those condemning and persecuting.

It was an outrageous calculated sham to falsely and unjustly obtain innocent neighbor's homes and possessions.

And what about those ghastly ingredients that constituted the witches' brew?

At face value they sound like components of a torture chamber, but investigative research has declared that erroneous presumptions aided in perpetuating maleficence of these forbidden and disquieting items and activities.

It turns out that 'eye of newt' referred to the beloved mustard seed that symbolizes faith and spiritual growth proclaimed by Jesus in the Holy Bible.

Another folk name used in antiquity is 'dog's tongue' which is synonymous with gypsy flowers also known as the adored baby’s breath flower and represents everlasting love, purity, and innocence.

Not to be left out of the faux animal assemblage is 'toe of frog' and is unoffensively cited as the foliage of the cheerful buttercup species.

No harm, only healing plants.

These medicinal herbs, verified as such yet still obscured from colloquial knowledge, are perfectly content to play second fiddle with their infamously gruesome titles continuing to titillate and spook with persevering stereotypes and macabre insinuations.

Most of the accused in Europe centuries ago were soothsayers, healers, and midwives who came from a long lineage of the same and practiced their craft for the betterment of the village, laboring without suspicion or reprisal for millennia.

The destruction of Rome escalated fears and left a major power grab that the monks quickly usurped while simultaneously seizing all the women healers' herbs and remedies, and cleverly eliminated any rivalry by denigrating and decommissioning these women with deceptive fabrications of evildoing.

Not to mention those who were hanged, drowned, or burned at the stake for being witches, but unsurprisingly were unable to save themselves, despite brandings as powerful and adroit. It turns out that we may have all been bewitched. Happy Halloween!

~ "For Isaiah said, 'let them take a lump of figs, and apply it to the boil, and he shall recover,"' Isaiah 38:21.~

HEaling Link® will meet Tuesday, October 17, 2023 @ 7:30pm via Zoom. For more information, please contact Jackie: [email protected] Isn't it time to get Linked?