Emma's Blog

 Coming into this class, I found it hard to believe that we would have a semesters-worth of material to cover about witchcraft. I was pleasantly surprised by just how relevant conversations about witchcraft were to our society. The themes of the Salem Witch Trial, sexism, ageism, and Othering, are still prevalent in all different avenues of the world from social media and pop culture to politics and beyond. As the semester ends, I find myself connecting events in my life with witchcraft. For example, when I shop at the grocery store and look at the herbs and see "rosemary", I unconsciously think about how witches used rosemary in their spells and potions. This continues to freak my roommate out but she's learning to appreciate my vast knowledge of the occult and witchcraft.  My goal with my blog posts has always been to research connections between witchcraft and the things I love. As a child development major, I wanted to see how witchcraft impacted children and if it co...

While browsing through Amazon, a daily occurrence personally, I saw a recommendation that piqued my interest. It was for a book entitled Weed Witch: The Essential Guide to Cannabis for Magic and Wellness . When considering ingredients for spells and potions, I typically think about rosemary and other household herbs but never cannabis. The preview for the book showed pages explaining the different ways cannabis can be consumed including bongs, joints, and edibles. It also explains how your reaction to cannabis can be different based on your astrological sign. I am a Leo which the book explains means I have a big personality so calming cannabis would be the best. An example of a spell featured in the book is called "Pesto Chango" which uses basil leaves and cannabis-infused olive oil to bring money and good fortune to the caster.  What is the connection between witchcraft and cannabis? I set out to find out just that.  One of the goals of witchcraft is being able to enter a tr...

As a Child Development major, I frequently discuss the concept of generational trauma concerning childhood experiences. Adverse Childhood Experiences, commonly known as ACES are instances of trauma, abuse, or neglect in childhood that create toxic stress in the brains of children. These experiences typically happen at the hands of parents or caregivers. ACES become generational trauma when parents treat their children the same way their parents treated them or people fall into cyclical patterns of addiction and neglect as past family members. ACES are incredibly common with half of all children in the United States having at least one and 91% of the foster care system having one by the age of 6 (Indiana Univeristy Health, 2020). The only way to break out of generational trauma is to identify traumas and treat them as early as possible.   Graphic Depictions of Different ACES Today This made me think of Dorothy Good and the many other children impacted by the Salem Witch Trial. ...

Since we began discussing the Salem Witch Trials after spring break, I have been interested in the most recent happens around Salem and how the women are being memorialized. I stumbled upon an article about how in 2022, the very last woman accused in Salem, Elizabeth Johnson Jr., was officially pardoned. Why did it take 329 years for Elizabeth to be pardoned after being wrongly accused?  Tour Group in Salem, MA Elizabeth Johnson Jr. was convinced and sentenced to death but was never executed before the hysteria ended. Governor William Phips threw out her punishment as the magnitude of the misjustices in Salem were revealed. It has been more than three centuries since the Salem Witch Trials and every suspect, including Johnson's mother, was cleared. Because Johnson never had children, she had no ancestors to act on her behalf and push the government to pardon her so her case still stood. That is until an 8th-grade class petitioned for her pardon.        ...