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| History of Witches and Witch CraftNeo-PaganismThe return to pre-Christian Western nature religions & return to the worship of the divine female figurehead. Neo-Pagans, (some call themselves simply pagans), are both independent & autonomous. Some belong to groups and organizations, while others practice as solitaries. "They believe in choosing their own paths and beliefs"> Like the term "witch", and "pagan" came to have unsavory connotations in history. When the Christian Church worked to eradicate heretics & dissenters in Middle Age Europe, "pagan" became a derogatory term. Neo-pagan practices are designed to bring worshipers closer to the Divine Force of nature. They view the Christian God as remote, because he is inaccessible and intangible. Pagans seek harmony with the spiritual rhythms of nature. Witches are those who follow the Wiccan Religion. The Burning TimesThe historical era of intense witch-hunting and executions lasting from the mid-15th to mid-18th centuries.The witch-hunting mass hysteria can be attributed to Saint Augustine, who said that pagans, Jews, and heretics would forever burn in hell unless saved by the Catholic church. Burning was not the only means for purification. In England & America, witches were hung and drowned. In France, Scotland & Germany, they were pressed to death or strangled. The Salem Witch Trials1692-1693141 : people accused of practicing witchcraft 19 : hung 1 : pressed to death HysteriaIn 1692, Reverend Samuel Parris, minister of the Puritan town of Salem Village, Mass., began the hysteria.Parris hired a slave couple from Barbados, John & Tituba, to care for his niece Abigail Williams and his daughter Betty. Soon many of the village girls became fascinated with voodoo magic. Then strange things began to happen. The girls suffered fits of hysteria, they made strange noises, contorted their bodies & crawled into holes. "Crying out against the witches"The girls were said to be "afflicted," or possessed.In their fits of hysteria, they "cried out" the names of the witches who were supposedly tormenting them. Those who were "cried out against" were then accused of practicing witchcraft and consorting with the devil. Hallucinations affiliated with the afflicted can be traced to "ergot poisoning," found in the bacteria of contaminated flour used to bake bread. Salem Witchcraft PapersThe Salem Witchcraft papers were a collection of warrants for the arrest of the accused.They were put on trial, murdered, and buried at Gallows Hill, in Salem, Mass. There is documented proof that witchcraft mass-hysteria continued long after the Salem Witch Trials ended in 1693.
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