INFAMOUS SALEM WITCH TRIALS~

INFAMOUS SALEM WITCH TRIALS~

Witches just want to live a happy
life just like you and me 

Well, I Welcome you once again to another strong topic that I have been wanting to cover by just having had the time. But I have always felt it has needed my attention. I have had many of dearest friends, and supporters that follow the pagan ways and are wonderful people that are witches of good healing herbs and white magick. Also, since I have had migraines most of my life they have the most wonderful ways of using herbs to help my migraines too. My dearest friend Gail who is now my spiritsister angle studied the art of the pagan ways and I have nothing but love and light in my heart for all---.

Women that life by the code of the land
witches are a gentle folk

So I feel I need to write about the horror that was done to many of the ancestors of these witches grandmothers, Aunty's and mothers, sisters and so many more.  So in honor of my sisters who ancestors that went through the horror of the Salem witch trials this is for you all! 
Well, the infamous Salem Witch Trials all started during the spring of 1692. This was after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, had claimed to be possessed by the devil. From that, these young girls accused several local women of witchcraft. Apparently the young girls thought the local women had possessed them with the devil by their witchcraft. After that, a huge wave of hysteria spread throughout the colonies of Massachusetts. Even a special court was made called the 'Convened' in Salem to hear such cases. So the hysteria began to an enormous rate. Sadly no one at the time had any idea to the extent of the hysteria and the lives that would be affected. Also, the extent of how many woman, men, and children were murdered by either hanging or burned to the stake. Of course being burned to the stake was the worst and most painful of all these courts could have done to the incident women, children and some men.

woman being hung
for witchcraft 

The first to be accused of being a witch was Bridget Bishop. She was convicted in June and hanged. There were eighteen other that followed Bridget to the Salem Gallows Hill---while some 150 more men, women, and children were accused over the next several month in the 'Convened' special court to hear all such cases. By September of 1692, the hysteria had begun to abate an public opinion to turn against the witch trials. Throughout the Massachusetts area, the General Court later annulled the guilty verdicts against the accused witches and granted them all indemnities to their families. However there was enormous bitterness that lingered within the communities and the painful legacy of the Salem witch trials would still endure for many more centuries sadly.

In January of 1692, the rage started once again with a young girl of only 9-years old. Her name Elizabeth[Betty], Parris an eleven-year-old and Abigail Williams. All the daughters and niece of Samuel Parris an minister of Salem Village. All of the girls began to having fits, including violent contortions and uncontrollable outbursts of screaming. After their local doctor William Griggs, diagnosed them with being bewitchment, other young girls in the community began to exhibit similar symptoms, including Ann Putnam Jr, Mercy Lewis, Elizabeth Hubbard, Mary Walcott and Mary Warren too.

From all of this it came about in late February of 1692, the arrests came sadly once again the Salem witch trials were ON! They were issued for the Parris Caribbean slave, Tituba, along with two other women these were Sarah Good an homeless beggar and the poor elderly Sarah Osborn whom the girls,[Elizabeth,Parris and Abigail Williams they are in the photo above] 

accused of bewitching them.  

All three girls Tituba, Sarah Good and poor elderly Sarah Osborn were accused of being witches and were brought before the magistrates---Jonathan Corwin and John Hawthorne. Who in those days were the ones that condemned so many young, old and children to death with no proof of any kind to convinced the jury that these women were witches. Then with no real proof but his own, he would murder them either by hanging or burning them at the stake which was the most inhuman way. One day he will answer to his crimes. This is my opinion of course. 

So these two men would question, and even as

their accusers appeared in the courtroom in a grand display of spasms, contortions, screaming and writhing. Though Sarah Good and Sarah Osborn denied their guilt, Sadly Tituba confessed. Likely seeking to save herself from certain conviction by acting as an informer she claimed. Tituba even went on to say there were other witches acting alongside her in service of the devil against the puritans. As hysteria spread through the community and beyond into the rest of Massachusetts a number of other were being accused of being witches including Martha Corey and Rebbecca Nurse---both were regarded as upstanding members of the Church and the community too.  Plus they one of them was the four-year-old daughter of Sarah Good....Hummmm

So what did happen to Tituba who confessed to witchcraft and said there were many others? And to Poor Sarah Good & Sarah Osborn?

It isn't really clear what happened to the three of them, but what I can tell you is this; 
Sarah Good--- was condemned to hang but was pardoned until the birth of her child. Her daughter Dorcas was accused of witchery and was also imprisoned for over seven months. Although the child of six years was eventually released on bond, she was psychologically damaged for the rest of her life. Good's infant died in prison with her before Good was hanged. Her execution occurred on Tuesday, July 19, 1692. According to local tradition, when Good stood at the gallows prepared to die she was asked once more time by Rev. Nicholas Noyes, assistant minister in the Salem church to confess and thus save her immortal soul. Far from confessing, Sarah Good is said to have screamed, "You're a liar! I'm no more a witch than your are a wizard! If you take my life away. God will give you blood to drink! It was this constant refusal to confess that Bernard Rosenthal Believes led Sarah Good to the Gallows, even more so than all of the accusations against her. Sarah Osborn---
was accused by Thomas and Edward Putnam. Joseph Hutchinson, Thomas Preston for afflicting Ann Putman Jr. Betty Parris. Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Hubbard. Unlike the other two women accused with her. Tituba and Sarah Good, Osborne never confessed to witchcraft not attempted to accuse anyone else. In her own defense, she was the first defendant to assert in her defense the theological claim that the devil could take the shape of another person without their compliance---a view that eventually prevailed and brought the Salem trials to a halt. Nonetheless. Sarah Osborne never came to trial because she died. shackled in prison on May 10, 1692, at the age of 49. 
Tituba--- had nothing to lose by confessing to

the crime and probably knew that a confession could save her life. It is not known what religion Tituba practiced, but if she was not a Christian she had not fear of going to hell for confessing to being a witch, as the other accused witches did. That is at least what they say in those times. I don't know if I truly believe that because all witches to me aren't evil. Since Tituba confessed, her case never went to trial and she was spared the gallows. According to the book; [yes I guess there was a book on all three woman] 'Tituba; The Reluctant Witch of Salem' is what it is called. Tituba remained in jail but as the witch trials continued she retracted her confession; 
'Quote this is what she said,'
At the end Tituba recanted her confession, admitting that 
she had lied to protect herself. That action had little effect on
the subsequent events and was almost lost in the rush by other confessors, in fear of damnation, to admit their terrible sin. Tituba's attempt to retract her confession received scant 
attention at the time and was ignored in the written reports of 
most observers. Only Robert Calef made note of it; 
'The account she [Tituba] since gives of it is, that her Master did beat her and other ways abuse her, make her confess and accuse such as he call'd her Sister-Witches and that whatsoever she said by way of confession or accusing others was the effect of such usage,' Hers was not the first retraction of a reluctant confession. The others had already received a great deal of attention.'
In the end on May 9, 1692, a grand jury in Ipswich declined to 
indict Tituba, writing 'ignoramus' on her paperwork, indicating she was found not guilty due to the lack of evidence. 
Despite this Tituba remained in Jail in Boston because Parris refused to pay her jail fees, for reasons unknown. It was possible he wanted to be rid of her because she served as a reminder of the witch trials or because he was angry at her for  recanting  her confession. Sadly in April of 1693 Tituba was sold once again into slavery to an unknown person for the price of just her jail fees. It is also assumed her husband, John was also sold along with her. To this date no one knows what happened to Tituba or her husband John after they were taken from the jail to their new slave owners.
Like Tituba, several accused witches confessed and named many others and the trials soon began to overwhelming rate. The local justice system at the time in 1692 became soon too overwhelm with all the trials of the women they accused as witches. So in some ways the plan of the ladies of the time worked whatever it was it seemed to work; because on May of 1692 there was a newly appointed governor of Massachusetts.His name 'William Philips, which he ordered the establishment of an special court of 'Oyer to hear & Terminer to decide on witchcraft cases for Suffolk, Essex & Middlesex counties. This new special court would preside over by the judges Judge Hawthorne, Samuel Sewall and William Stoughton.

Sadly this new court wasn't what women of healing and believers of the earth thought it would be because the new court would hand down its first conviction against Bridget Bishop on June 2, 1692, she was hanged eight days later on what would become known as Gallows Hill in Salem Town. Five more people were hanged that July; Five more in August & eight more in September. In addition, there were seven others that were accused as witches that died in jail while the elderly Giles

Corey Martha's Husband was pressed to death by stones after he refused to enter a plea at his arraignment. Sadly the trials continued with dwindling intensity until early 1693. Then by that time May Phips had pardoned and released all those who were in prison on witchcraft charges. Then in January of 1697,

The Massachusetts General Court declared a day of fasting for the tragedy of the Salem witch Trials; The court later deemed the trials unlawful and the leading justice Samuel Sewall publicly apologized for his role in the process. It seems the town of Salem is trying very hard to make right what they did wrong. However, the damage to the community and to the world as a people is already done.

And to be honest, I don't know if it can be fixed. In Salem, it lingers even after Massachusetts colony passed an legislation to restored the good names of the condemned and providing financial restitution to their heirs in 1711.

Indeed, the vivid pain & suffering that the people of Salem have endured over the many centuries and the legacy of their ancestors has gone well into the 21th century. There are still witch hunts to this day. The past is still haunting the gentle people who love to live by the land. I just wish that more could understand what they went through is just as bad and horrible as other horrors or war. And they need to be protected too because they the ladies of the earth protect our earth. I hope that I have done

a good job in writing about my 

friends of the earth the witch's 

the kind woman of herbs and other

things of out earth .You all are dear woman 

 Blessed be to you all

  

PELE'S CURSE

Pele's Curse

Good evening my dearest Friends, Supporters, Followers and Readers to my humble blog, I thought I would bring you to the Islands of Hawaii one more time for another Urban legend. As I was telling in my last post I would try to find different urban legends/folktales of different countries. Since Hawaii is close to my heart being that my family on my husband side lives there it is fun to do. This one has some truth to the legend & many stories too. Pele is very ancient when it comes to the Hawaiian islands. They say that she is the one that created the islands with her lava. This is another tale that I will look in my archives to see if I have written about the

Goddess Pele for you. Now  from what Hawaiian legend says and anyone who is born an raised on the island of Hawaii knows the tale like my husband when I first meet his family in 1990 and then when we went there on our honeymoon to never pick up any of the lava rock or sands to bring home which I have never done. There are other superpositions that you should be aware of too. but I will put that in another post. So in the Hawaiian legend; anyone that removes a piece of lava rock  from the Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park will incur the wrath of The Goddess Pele. Supposedly she will cause terrible curses upon you following those that do prompt them to soon abandon the rock or rocks that they had taken from her volcano as a self-preservation.

So can a souvenir  that is casually pocketed on a Hawaiian beach bring such misfortune to one person? Though the more skeptical person, they may scoffingly dismiss the notion off as pure hooey, However, there are thousands that have come to believe that by taking the Goddess Pele's volcanic rocks they will fetch with them a curse of impressive proportions. The only way to undo the jinx or curse is to return the purloined items whence they came. It is said that in the legend that the Goddess Pele of Fire & Volcanoes is so angered when her rocks --- which she sees as her children --- are taken from her that she exacts a terrible revenge on the thief or thieves.

So she is especially protective of the volcanic rocks and the sand, items that the tourists almost think nothing about when the mindlessly pocket as mementos of  their vacations. After all, who would miss a little old rock?

So the Goddess Pele who lives not far from the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park & not far from all the many hotels that receive a never -ending stream of packages containing sand, shells and most important of all lava rock Pele's children from the guilty-minded vacationers who are intent upon reversing they're sudden downpours of terrible bad luck.  Many of these were returned with notes begging forgiveness by the Goddess Pele herself.

So have said please take this sand and put it back somewhere on your island. I have had very bad luck since it came into my life and I am very sorry I took it Please forgive me and I pray that once I send it back where it comes from my bad luck will go away. It seems that thousands of pounds of stolen lava rock have been returned to Hawaiian islands by mail each year because fo former tourist fear that the Goddess Pele will change their lives by here wrath.

So apparently many folks and I believe this too. Not that I have taken any lava rocks but by removing one of the cool looking black lava rocks from Hawaii can really piss off Pele, the

Hawaiian Goddess of fire and volcanoes. It would seem that people from all over the world have pocketed rocks either by accident or on purpose and then blamed their life going to sh*t on the lava stones because of the ancient Hawaiian Goddess Pele who believes that they are all her children and will curse anyone who takes them from her. My advice is  to all

Volcanic Gold not
 worth your life

those couple on their honeymoons just like my -self in 1996 you might want to think twice before getting your hands on those lava rocks or lava black sand. It could really bring you bad luck. So please return the soil or lava rocks if you have been having bad luck. For a few examples from folks that have had Pele's wrath; I will put a few stories for you;

This is one tale of an couple bad luck with the Goddess Pele~

It seems that ever since they took a few items from the land of Hawaii they have nothing but bad luck and lots of medical problems. They want to apologize for taking the items and they are returning them to Hawaii.

What they had done with the lava rock last fall was but the lava rocks on the cast iron chair in their garden, Then in the spring one of  the chairs's, mind you that they were cast iron chair's. And in the spring, one of the cast iron chair's leg had just fallen off. That just doesn't happen that often. Apparently that was the least of they problems they had since they had taken the lava rock from Pele. These curses from Pele's are not mild-mannered at all, from the one's who have gone through her curse. Those who have been afflicted by it have felt the pain of her wrath. There is another tale of Pele's wrath's, this one was reported in the Los Angeles Times. It was a sad case of

Timothy Murray. Timothy 32 years old who scooped some of the unusual black sand from the Hawaii Volcanoes in the National Park into a bottle and brought it back with him to his home Florida. Well, from that day everything in his life immediately went into a nosedive; his pet died, his five-year relationship  with a girl he was to marry ended and the FBI arrested him in a computer copyright infringement case.

The native Hawaiian view of taking such souvenirs is that it's tantamount to stealing from their Goddess Pele while visiting her home. And the only way to appease her wrath is to return the stolen items.  

I HOPE THAT YOU ALL
ENJOYED THE LEGEND 
OF THE GODDESS PELE
YOUR FRIEND ALWAYS
WENDY

THE GREEN LADY OF WAHIAWA

The Green Lady of Wahiawa Hawaii~

THE LADY GREEN

Good evening my dearest Friends, Supporters, Followers and Readers of my humble blog, I thought I would bring you to the Islands of Hawaii for my next Urban legend. As I was telling in my last post I would try to find different urban legends/folktales of different countries. Since Hawaii is close to my heart being that my family on my husband side lives there it is fun to do. I have found two different version of the tale. So it really depends on which legend you believe. The first tale is said to be of a woman who would visit, the gulch of Wahiawa, which also contains the botanical gardens of Wahiawa with her only child. However, one day while visiting her only child became lost in the botanical gardens of Wahiawa and sadly never to be found again. How how the tale goes as the Green lady is this; To this day, the mother of this child still wonders in the gulch looking for her child & will take any child that she comes across into the gulch. 

Green Lady

Over the years, there have been several reports of seeing the green woman that has been said to be covered in moss or mold wandering in the gulch. Others have said that the Green Woman closely resembles that of the Japanese Mythological creature called the Kappa. If you are curious about the Japanese Mythological creature Kappa I looked on my blog and I found that I did a small post on the creature. at the link below you can read about it and others...hag-fairies.html 
This creature is said to resemble a turtle-like humanoid that steals children to feast upon. They say the last known sighting was to have been in the mid to late 1980's.
Today in modern times, children and even teenagers dare each other to cross the bridge that runs over the gulch at night. So if you are very brave at night- between 9am-4pm at the old Botanical Gardens you might see The Green Lady.

Ghosts of the Noble Lady's'
of Scotland were much less creepy

Then there is the second version; In this version of the Green Lady, she is more of a ghost an is very specific specter from Hawaii. Now there are other Green Lady Ghost that are usually from Scotland that inhabit castles and are called the Green Ladies, However, these Ladies of the Castles of Scotland  are truly White Ladies despite the color differecne.---plus their spirits are of noble womanhood that haunt the castles they once inhabited. Noted too, there is no real difference other than the color to the apparition of this woman too.

However, the Hawaiian Green lady is quite a differnt  and is very chilling compared to the noble woman of Scotland.  The legend goes as this which is a bit different than the first version. She, of course, was a normal mother who enjoyed taking her children [no one knows how many she had]to the Wahiawa Botanical Garden in Honolulu. She  & her children would cross the gulch in Wahiawa instead of taking the  bridge, for reasons that the mother was afraid the cars would strike and kill her children.[Never knowing her doom would be by taking her cross the gulch would cause her great pain and suffering.] Well, one night it happened, on their way back home the children became separated /lost from their mum. The mother could not find them in the gulch, no matter how hard she tried.

After searching and searching, the mother went looking for help. Sadly no one would help her look for her beloved children. One could only image how it felt when no one would help her find her children. What was going through her mind?

So the mother went back into the gulch alone never to be seen again along with her children. Ever since that faithful day, there were sightings of a ghostly Green woman haunting the gulch. She wasn't just green, it was covered in vines & grass, which resembled a shambling marsh monster more that a green woman ghost. This spirit which looked more like that of mucky plant life than that of a ghost of the mother, still looking for her children lost forever in the gulch.

The grief that she held to her heart all those years of losing her beloved children & not getting any help at the time when there might have been a chance to find them runs deep in her soul with the locals. So to help with that grief, she would steal away any child who come within reach of the gulch. And that child is never seen again.

Crazy, as it is Children and teens in the area of Wahiawa, will sometimes dare one another to run across the bridge to see if they get a glimpse of the Green Lady. However, they say the Green Lady will never come up on the bridge to take children so they think it is safe. Is the question it?

Some have said the Green Lady has been seen on the outskirts of Wahiawa Elementary School, which is located on the edge of the Gulch----So are the children Safe?

Another very important characteristic of the Green Lady that will come in handy if you are alone and you feel an odd energy in the air and a really bad smell of decaying plant matter, beware! This could mean that most likely She is very close. Her body is covered in decaying plant matter and it covers her entire body. So it often easy to tell if she is around by the horrible odor. She also has scaly skin and sharp claws. So I hope that you all

Enjoyed finding out about another legend in

Hawaii of the Green Lady of Wahiawa.

It's kinda sad one by alot of these Urban legends

and folklores are. However I thing they quite 

interesting myself 

Much Love 

WENDY