Burning witches ('wise ones') in Salem

What really happened during the Salem Witch Trials | Brian A. Pavlac

I'm a sexy beer brewing witch

(TED-Ed) Dig into how the infamous Salem Witch Trials began and why they remain a cautionary tale of the dangers of groupthink and scapegoating.

You’ve been accused of a crime you did not commit. It’s impossible to prove your innocence. If you insist that you’re innocent anyway, you’ll likely be found guilty and executed. But if you confess, apologize, and implicate (accuse) others, you’ll be set free and they will be arrested. Hmm, what to do?

This was the choice facing those accused by killer Christians of "witchcraft" in Salem, Massachusetts in the 17th century. How did it happen? Brian A. Pavlac investigates.

Tech support for witches

Historian answers witchcraft questions | Tech Support | (WIRED)

The "Craft"?

Wisdom Quarterly COMMENTARY

Why, yes, I can drive stick

Hollywood giveth, and Hollywood taketh away. Movie makers and TV show runners create our image of "witches," warts and all. Thanks, Disney! *Sarcasm* But there's a serious his-story of oppression being promoted behind the scenes. No cat ladies allowed, no herbalists, healers, doulas, or "warlocks."

Fine and proper Christians go on rampages they say are ordered by the genocidal tribal god they worship and praise. Why do the war-god's bidding? It's very sad. Living in Judeo-Christian culture, it's difficult to recover what it meant to be "pagan."

What accoutrements do I need to get started?

Those Old Ways, which served us for many pre-Christian centuries, deserve to be preserved. The Wisdom of the East contributed to that wisdom.

It seems "Christians" (Cretins, Yahoos), imperial Romans promoting Ceasar's Messiah, just could not stand any competition of ideas, even if the main character in their narrative traveled to the mystic East to gain his realization and bring his healing gifts to the surface. All this to ask, sexy sponge cake The Craft, helpful or harmful?

• Lesson by Brian A. Pavlac, directed by Lucy Animation Studio (silviaprietov.com); Eds., Wisdom Quarterly COMMENTARY