Witchy Women

Stirring the Cauldron of Destiny While Living in Roam

My mother used to tell me she was a witch with a purple power that spread positive energy over all those who behaved well and purposefully and punished those who did not. Goodness knows you wanted to be in her positively purple orb at all times. When my British ex-boyfriend who broke my heart by cheating on me was run over by a double decker bus in London, she told me she had put her purple curse on him. My mother would also casually mention this in conversation to any man I brought home thereafter. Don’t you dare cross The Purple Lady or break her daughter’s heart.

The concept of Good Witch-Bad Witch also fascinated me in “The Wizard of Oz,” a favorite movie of mine. I often quote what Glinda, the Good Witch told Dorothy Gale, “You've always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it yourself.” In her Good Witch moods, my mother would tell me that no matter where I intended to roam, “like Dorothy in Oz and the little bluebird of happiness, you’ll realize that there is no place like home.” Of course, in September 2020 we were houseless, so what defined “home” for us? For now, it was wherever we roamed.

So, we decided to visit Salem, Massachusetts one afternoon for a little witch history. Salem’s footnote in history is that it was the site of a mass prosecution occurring between n February 1692 and May 1693 known as the Salem Witch Trials. During that time more than 200 people- mainly women- were accused of wiccan practices. Dozens were found guilty. Some were publicly executed by hanging and others were tortured and died in jail. This dark episode is considered one of the most notorious cases of mass hysteria in colonial America.

I wondered why Salem, the picture postcard of New England charm, had fallen under the spell of wiccan fear. Why Salem and not Wellfleet, for example? The city usually offers many guided historical witch tours and even lessons on making a broomstick. There is also a Salem Witch Museum. Many of these special attractions were closed or had limited hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I did find this website How Salem, Massachusetts Became Famous: A Tale of Witches and History with some historical explanations. The website also states, “While Salem's notoriety is rooted in the witch trials, it has also embraced modern witchcraft and Wicca (a modern-day religion for modern day witches). The town is home to a thriving community of practitioners and shops offering witchcraft supplies, and it has become a welcoming place for those interested in the contemporary witchcraft movement.”

Despite some attractions being closed, stalwart restaurants and souvenir shops were open for business. I purchased a bright pink T-Shirt with the silhouette of a witch on broomstick and a quote that reads, “Women Who Behave Rarely Make History.”

We visited with a friend of David’s family named Sue and took a walk along Salem Harbor. Then we all had lunch at Ledger, a restaurant in downtown Salem housed in the former Salem Savings Bank building built circa 1818. The cocktails and contemporary American dishes were very good and made our short sojourn in Salem worth the detour. I read that the Ledger’s Chef Daniel Gursha was nominated in 2022 for “Best Chef Northeast” by the James Beard Foundation.

I still have my mother’s purple wiccan broomstick adorned with purple feathers. She displayed it by the front door in her home in Chattanooga to protect our family and ward off negative energy and unwelcome visitors. We now have propped it by our front door in New Orleans. Hopefully this broom can also ward off major hurricanes.

Thinking about the journey, then and now, and all the miles we have covered and memories we’ve collected, I draw upon the words of a wiccan named Mystic Maven, “In the cauldron of life, stir the potent brew of your destiny with the wand of your will.”