Rebecca was the last "witch" to be hung as a result of the infamous trials in Salem Village (now Danvers, Massachusetts). She was 71 years old, in ill-health and so hard of hearing that she could not respond correctly to the questions she was asked.
The evidence against her came in the form of "spectral evidence" or psychic "apparitions" perceivable only to her accusers. Such evidence was allowable under English law in the trial of accused witches only. Other special legal conditions granted in English witch trials included the testimony of children, statements of sworn enemies, and evidence presented by those who owed money to the accused.
After readings my great aunt's testimony and Shirley Jackson's wonderful book, The Witchcraft of Salem Village, I feel certain that Rebecca did not have malicious bone in her body and was absolutely innocent of the "spectral torture" of the young girls who testified against her. Instead, she was a gentle warm-hearted woman, loved by her family and community, less vulnerable to slander than many of the accused but a victim nonetheless.
She was not, of course, the only only one to suffer.
She was not, of course, the only only one to suffer.
Of the 200+ people (most of whom were women) accused at Salem, twenty were put to death. Nineteen of these twenty, including Rebecca and her sister Sarah, maintained their innocence right up to the time that they were hung. A single victim, Giles Corey, refused to speak throughout his trial (because a plea would lead to forfeiture his land) and was, for that crime, sentenced to be crushed to death by heavy stones.
Rebecca was remembered for her courage on the gallows. I like to think that, as a Christian, she held a strong conviction that she was going to a better place - and that this was a place her accusers were unlikely to see. Even so, the months of hardship and dread in a primitive prison and the ultimate terror of Gallows Hill must have been almost impossible to bear.
Seeing Rebecca's home and the beautiful farm she and her family carved from the wilderness was a moving experience. Just that morning we had been in Salem proper walking with the crowds, smiling at the costumes, and enjoying the many witch-themed shops. The night before, I had stood with an large, boisterous group of people, in the center of town, taking photos of the Samantha Stevens statue - enjoying the high spirits and outright celebration of all things witchy.
Walking the same path Rebecca walked so long ago, however, made me see all of that in a different, and unexpected, light.
The most conservative of estimates tell us that an estimated 100,000 people, and most likely more, were put to death as a result of the witch hunts that spread across Europe and the colonies in an approximate three hundred year period (1450 to 1750). While some of these people did practice some version of the Craft, all were innocent, in my opinion, of the curses and murders of which they were accused.
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| Bewitched |
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| The Nurse Homestead |
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| Grounds |
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| Folding Rope Bed - Note 14 Inch Floor Board from Virgin Forest |
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| Candle Making. Something still done in our family :) |
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| Kitchen Garden |
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| Rebecca's Memorial |
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| Rebecca's Likely Headstone |
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| Outside Author and Witch Christian Day's Salem Shop |
On Sunday I stopped at a convenience store so my son could use the ATM. After he got his cash he stood looking down at something on the sidewalk while the other shoppers rushed around him, some obviously annoyed.
When the coast was clear he came back to the car and said that there was a butterfly on the ground that seemed unable to fly.
Thinking that the butterfly was probably injured and that a convenience store sidewalk was a really awful place to die, I got out of the car to see what I could do.
The butterfly was big and beautiful and very yellow. He didn't seem to be injured or at least if he was we couldn't see how. But he there was no doubt that he was not about to fly. I watched him crawl around in circles for a moment, while the Sunday shoppers streamed back and forth, and then I put down my hand and let him crawl onto my palm. His little feet were gentle and soft.
Walking around to the side of the store we were surprised to see that someone had made a small landscaped garden in the area between the shop and the lot. So I put the butterfly down on a bush, even though he seemed as if he wanted to stay right there on my hand.
We drove the next few blocks to the 6th Street Flea Market wondering if the butterfly might have not been injured at all but simply new to life as a butterfly and not quite ready to take flight. I told my son about a cocoon I had kept as a child and how the moth emerged and sat for a long time on the edge of the open jar as if he didn't quite know what to do.
I had thought the moth was sick so I gave him bits of broken leaves to eat and a soda cap of water and laid down on the grass and waited. After what seemed like forever, he finally spread his wings and flew away, small and brown and sturdy against the bright blue summer sky.
Now, almost half a century later, my son and I couldn't help wondering if the big yellow butterfly might just have needed a bit of time to get his bearings. It was a breezy day and probably not the best time for a first attempt at flying. Or maybe he had been flying and got tossed about in the storm the night before.
Either way, we speculated, he might have remembered his old safe caterpillar life and decided to take a time out on the ground.
We arrived at our destination and got out of the car. At that very moment, a bright yellow butterfly came dipping and weaving across the windy parking lot. As he passed almost directly in front of us, I had the distinct impression that he was saying, "Look at me, I've got it."
My son and I exchanged a look. "I'd like to think that's our butterfly," he said.
"So would I," I said feeling surprisingly certain that it was. And I felt happy for the butterfly and happy for us.
Every year since I've began this blog on August 22nd 2010 I write a Happy Birthday Blog post.
Because the blog and I happen to share the same birthday this has always felt right.
For me, birthdays are meaningful occasions. They are a time to take stock, a time to think about where we are in life and where we have come from.
It makes sense to include the blog in this because, in many ways, the blog marks the true beginning of my spiritual journey. Not because I wasn't interested in spiritual things before but because there was nothing to keep me on track, pre-blog, nothing to keep me from drifting away and forgetting who I was and what I wanted to do.
So every birthday I think about how far I've come and then I think about what comes next. And it's occurred to me that what's next this year isn't really a new thing, just a better approach to the old things.
I'm especially interested, at this turn of the solar wheel, with hands on creativity and healing - though writing is still very much part of the mix.
The best example of this is my renewed commitment to my online shop. This is people centered because two of my boys are interested in participating - and even if they aren't as committed as I am, I can still do art and talk to people at the same time. It is people friendly because I can take my items to my tarot reading events and possibly do other events and interact with even more people.
The best example of this is my renewed commitment to my online shop. This is people centered because two of my boys are interested in participating - and even if they aren't as committed as I am, I can still do art and talk to people at the same time. It is people friendly because I can take my items to my tarot reading events and possibly do other events and interact with even more people.
I'm planning to make soaps, candles and clearing items and have been learning about aromatherapy and healing in hopes of adding that into the mix, I'd also like to do more jewelry and get back to sculpting.
And here is the big thing - I think that I can finally ignore my inner critic long enough to be productive!
And here is the big thing - I think that I can finally ignore my inner critic long enough to be productive!
Doing that with my writing is a little harder but I did post some of my work the week of the Wilkes Writer's Conference - which was a very big step for me. And I'm going to be posting a few excerpts here as well.
I'm zeroing in on what I want to write about which is another very important step because the critical me tends to shoot down ideas before they have a chance to mature - or even crawl.
And I owe a lot of this to the blog which really means that I owe it to the people who read it. Because without you it would have only been a matter of time until I forgot that there is more to life than what floats on the surface.
Thank you, for being there <3
I like science and don't spend nearly enough time thinking about it. It surprises me that so much of it is metaphysical in the popular sense of the word. Here are a few very basic facts on the frequency of color:
- Frequency refers to the number of times light passes a given point which can be thought of as vibration. Colors with long wavelengths have a low frequency. Colors with short wavelengths have a higher frequency.
- Red has the longest wavelength and lowest frequency of any color in the visible human spectrum. It has a low vibration or frequency and less energy than other light. Red represents earth and courage and the life-force. It is associated with the root chakra.
- Redder than red refers to a red whose wavelength is too long for us to see. Infrared light exists beyond the color we perceive as red.
- Violet has the shortest wavelength which translates into a very high frequency. This color contains the shortest waves we can see. It also contains the most energy. Ultra-violet is a very high vibration violet not visible to the naked eye.
- Color exists which has a higher frequency than violet. It is invisible to humans and known as bluer than blue. It interests me that blue corresponds to wisdom, spirituality and communication. Blue is significant to me personally, as is red so that made the outside the human spectrum stuff interesting to me. For more on my personal dream experience with color symbolism please see the following entry: The Spirit Dream
- There are many other wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum that which aren't visible to humans. The chart above illustrates this fact as well as all others mentioned.
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Chart created by Carl Fredrick. Creative Commons License.
Don't get me wrong, I do a lot of outside work. We've erected fences and a metal and canvass gazebo and raised beds on our modest small town lot. We have even planted apple trees and blueberry bushes and laid out a medicine wheel herb garden. But a true sacred space is lacking.
Maybe it's the traffic that whizzes back and forth on our very busy street or the many things I have to do both inside and out - but I don't spend much time in my own outdoor space. The space that I've been given. And this is something I can fix.
So in the spirit of doing I made a list of things that most of us can do to create sacred outdoor space. Some of them are things I'm already doing. Others are things I'm going to plan for. Most can be done on a small city lot, on a balcony or even in a window box or public park.
- Provide Food and Water for Our Wild Friends.Something like providing water might not seem like a big thing - until you're thirsty! Over the last few days, with temps in NE PA in the mid 90s or higher, we've seen a record number of birds and bees at our little birdbath, including 2 Cardinals and a group of 4 Sparrows (at one time). We share our medicine wheel herb garden with a family of bunnies and I like thinking that the little ones were raised on lemon balm and parsley. We also have birdbath and are planning on getting a bird feeder.
- Create a Meditation Space and / or Go Outside and Ground. A few weeks ago I went to an estate sale and the property I saw made a big impression on me. Walking out to check out the patio furniture, I saw that someone had turned a the space between the garage and the back fence of a small yard into something special. There was a small flagstone path flanked by greenery and flowers. At the end were more flagstones and a vine covered arbor and a spot, a neighbor told me, where a fountain had once stood It occurred to me that almost anyone could do this All it takes is a few plants or even seeds and the commitment to create a sacred space for meditation, reflection or clearing. And if all that hard work is too much, just take off your shoes and stan barefoot upon the Earth Doing this will help you ground and clear toxicity or blockages.
- Create a Sanctuary for Plants and Wildlife. Plant a few heirloom or endangered plants, a bee or butterfly plant or any of the many flowers, plants and trees attractive to wildlife. These include (but aren't limited to) sunflower, honeysuckle, yarrow, lilac, daisies, lemon balm, rosemary, thyme, purple cone flower, heliotrope. pansies, hawthorn, peonies, holly, apple, fern, or thyme.
- Make a Space for Sacred Gatherings Set aside a space can be used as a ritual space (our women's circle met in my yard on the Solstice and gathered around the chimnea), a group meditation space, a labyrinth (made from a simple stone pathway) or a gathering space for family. Last year we discovered a discarded metal and canvas gazebo on the street and set it up this summer. It's the perfect place for family to gather and while I haven't gotten everyone together for an outdoor game night yet I know that when I do, the laughter and comrade of that kind get-together is truly sacred space. This can work on a balcony or porch or if you don't have your own space, find a spot in state or community park that calls to you.
- Grow and Gather Healing Herbs. This was the point of my medicine wheel garden before I deeded it to the bunnies and I am still working on creating my own medicinal garden but it something I know I will do eventually. Try common remedies like lemon balm for anxiety or parsley for fluid retention or get a book on herbal and learn by doing. Herbs are very easy to grow and can even be kept in a window box or indoors in any sunny location. For reference consider Your Backyard Herb Garden or Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs to start.
- Make a Direct (Not Book) Connection with the Elements. This is an activity open to anyone who can get outside and is really just an exercise in awareness. Go outside and enjoy the element - in your own yard, on a walk or in any public space. Take a journal if you'd like and write about the warmth of summer fire or the clarity of the winter wind. You may even want to carry a sketch book and draw your own version of Earth, Fire, Air or Water Fairies!
- Practice Sustainability. This something that many of us can do in big ways or small. Ideas include having a garden or patio plants or hanging tomatoes or strawberries, planting a garden or making a rain barrel to water outside plants but there are many many more things being done. This a wonderful way to honor the Earth, save money, secure your future and reducing the heavy heavy load our species has placed upon the planet. For more ideas check out one of my favorite books on this topic: The Backyard Homestead.
- Make a Place to Observe the Stars and Moon. Any window or balcony will do! Attune to the cycles of the heavens by becoming aware of and observing astronomical events - like Moon phases, eclipses and the special appearances of planets and stars. I use Llewellyn's Astrological Calendar to keep track!
I have been seeing angels everywhere - in rock, and paint and plastic - and last weekend I saw such an angel in jumble of holiday decorations on a flea market table, holding a tin horn and looking like he didn't belong.
"It's Gabriel," I said as if I had run into an old friend unexpectedly and I suppose that the truth is, I had.
Only a few minutes before, I had told my family that I was looking for an angel, for my online shop or for myself. That Gabriel would be that angel was a happy surprise. I knew he was a keeper.
Gabriel was the first angel who caught my interest. The messenger who came to Mary and to Zacharias. The warrior of Daniel.
Among my books, I have an orthodox Jewish prayer book. Toward the end of the bedtime prayer, the text asks God to protect and guard our souls through His holy watchers, the angels, who walk through the night. It goes on to call "Michael to my right side, Gabriel to my left, Uriel before me, and Raphael to my back."
Among my books, I have an orthodox Jewish prayer book. Toward the end of the bedtime prayer, the text asks God to protect and guard our souls through His holy watchers, the angels, who walk through the night. It goes on to call "Michael to my right side, Gabriel to my left, Uriel before me, and Raphael to my back."
Of these four, it is Gabriel who appears most often in the Hebrew bible and biblical commentary. He
is first mentioned by name in the Book of Daniel. After Daniel experiences a vision, Gabriel comes to him and tells him what it means (8:16). A year later, Gabriel appears again telling Daniel that He has "been at war, and going to fight those who remain" (9:27). No further details of this war are given and Gabriel's name is not mentioned again in the Hebrew bible. But he is referenced repeatedly in the rabbinical literature as a warrior and a holy protector.
In the Book of Enoch, Gabriel is an avenging angel, sent to provoke sinners to war. In the Talmud, God sends him to smite the Assyrians, and Gabriel answers God by saying that him sword "has been sharpened since the six days of Creation." Which is to say that he was born to fight.
Consistent with this declaration, most traditional Jewish sources describe Gabriel as the emissary of God's power. And the Hebrew name Gavriel, or Gavar El, means "God's might." He is represented by the element of fire in some Talmudic references and in others by water. In all instances, he is among the strongest of the seven archangels and a force to be reckoned with.
Be that as it may, it important to remember that when we first meet Gabriel in the book of Daniel he appears as a messenger and a translator of visions. And this is fitting. Communication being the divine purpose of angels.
When I first met Gabriel in Scripture, he served in this capacity. I was lonely and discouraged and the idea that angels existed filled me with hope. And, in some ways, that feeling has never entirely left me.
Even so, I've been feeling lonely these last few weeks and in the midst of this sense of separation from others, I am seeing angels of almost every description. Some are innocent children and others are beautiful women but few resembled the angels of Scripture.
This weekend's flea market angel was different. His wings were battered and his garments were faded but his face was beautiful and strong and really, surprisingly, just as I imagined it. I count his unexpected appearance a message and a reminder: Angels are emissaries and we are never really alone.
This weekend's flea market angel was different. His wings were battered and his garments were faded but his face was beautiful and strong and really, surprisingly, just as I imagined it. I count his unexpected appearance a message and a reminder: Angels are emissaries and we are never really alone.
My son Josh has done a lot of work on our family tree. He's found out all kinds of interesting people. Kings, queens, saints, women hung for witchcraft, Ray Bradbury and more.
This interests me, especially as I become more and more convinced that the tree in the Spirit Dream is our family tree. Though I am still unsure just what it means.
I got my Ancestry DNA done recently, as well. A lot of stuff washes out (like Swedish and French). Other comes through—like Scottish, Native American and Irish, which was told was there but didn't know about for sure.
I'm happy about this because I have an interest in Native and Celtic culture. I understand, of course, that culture is something handed down and I know that the genetic part doesn't really matter, but I still like the idea that there is a connection.
I also find it interesting that some of the historical figures that have interested me the most over the years, have popped in my family tree (and the family trees of millions of other people, I'm sure).
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