SCOTTISH WITCHCRAFT (PART V)

SCOTTISH WITCHCRAFT V. She, staring at her, in the crowd. Her eyes reflect satisfaction but also fear and regret. That woman who so often asked her for advice and help, who bought balms and herbs. She was the one who betrayed her, she was the one who lied. Her pale face stands out among the screaming crowd waiting for the great bonfire to be lit. That's the scene we imagine when we hear about the witch hunt. Death by burning at the stake was the most common method of executing people accused of witchcraft. We imagine the whole town gathered in the square, shouting and waiting for the fire to start. We see a tired, tortured, frightened and sad woman. Sad to see how those people she helped for so long with her knowledge, now have forgotten everything and ask for her death. That woman is sad, but also proud to be who she is, to be what she is. We imagine a woman tied up in the middle of the square, on a pile of dry firewood, where everyone can see her. But it wasn't always this way. Often the "witches" were locked in wooden barrels that were rolled down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, and when the barrel stopped, it was set on fire. Sometimes the executioners "took pity" on the accused, and suffocated them before burning them, "so that they wouldn't suffer so much". The popular belief was that witches never died unless they were burned. That was the only way they wouldn't come back to life, otherwise her body would be possessed by the devil and he would punish those who had harmed her. The fire was the purification...but perhaps that crowd screaming in rage only wanted to purify their own guilt, their fears, their envy, their betrayal. But what they didn't know is that the ashes are the best foundation to build on, from the ashes we are reborn even stronger. I can still hear the voices of those wise women, I can still hear them whispering to the forest, creating magic, chanting a recipe or a spell. That is making magic, putting intention into what you do. I can still hear their voices...To be continued

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