DAY 9 — WITCHES
The witch may be Halloween’s greatest shape-shifter.
She can be a feared outsider, a healer, a villain, a wise woman, a fairy-tale monster, a historical accusation, a religious symbol or a green-faced lady selling breakfast cereal. Humanity has gotten a tremendous amount of mileage out of the pointy hat.
And that’s exactly why the subject interests me. When we say “witch,” we’re rarely talking about one thing. We’re mixing folklore, actual people and practices, centuries of fear, persecution, entertainment and a healthy dose of Hollywood into one bubbling cultural cauldron.
The responsible thing is to know the difference. Historical witch trials involved real people and real suffering. Modern spiritual practices aren’t interchangeable with movie monsters. And the Halloween witch—with broom, black cat and suspiciously aerodynamic hat—is its own wonderful creature of popular culture.
We can respect the history without giving up the fun. In fact, knowing where the imagery came from makes the old cardboard witch in the decoration box considerably more interesting.
NEXT TRANSMISSION — DAY 10: VAMPIRES