Semester Reflection

 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 could create trauma in their lives. This led to some interesting research about generational trauma as well as the impacts of incarceration. However, my favorite part of the semester has been looking into witchcraft in children's literature. I adore reading, especially children's literature (in another life, I would definitely be a librarian). By sorting through the books about witches, I found where the "stereotypical" witch image comes from and how it continues to be spread in exposure to books beginning as young as one year old. Witchcraft is only increasing in popularity and relevance but as long as witches are portrayed as old, ugly, and evil in children's media like books and movies, acceptance in mainstream society will be difficult. Socialization starts when a baby is born and once those early connections are formed, it can be difficult to rewire them which makes how we display the occult to youth so important. 

As I graduate and enter the next chapter of my life, I will take with me all of the wonderful lessons I learned in this course about what it means to be a woman and the idea of othering and apply them to my personal and professional life. I also plan on making sure I have media with accurate and positive portrayals of those whom I am different from (whether that be witchcraft, race, ethnicity religion) to expose my children to with the goal of raising empathetic and thoughtful people. 

Thank you so much for a wonderful semester. This class has been eye-opening and given me a chance to express my views and opinions in a way I haven't experienced in the rest of college. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Anne Boleyn & Witchcraft

Image
While conducting research for Melina and I's presentation on Harry Potter , I stumbled across a video on WitchTok about how a portrait of Anne Boleyn can be seen hanging in the hallway of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , the first book in the series. The TikTok user, historywithhenrietta, says that her portrait is included because she was accused of witchcraft and that is what led to her execution. My interest was peaked and I began research into why she was accused and if this was even true.  Anne Boleyn was born in Kent to one of the most powerful men in England, Sir Thomas Boleyn, and entered the Court of Queen Claude of France in 1515. At that time, it was well known that Anne's sister Mary was involved in an affair with King Henry VIII but that ended when Anne's quick wit, unusual beauty, and intelligence caught the attention of the King.  Anne was labeled a witch who seduced the King and was later executed on charges of adultery. Anne Boleyn  Like with the ...
Read more

Generational Trauma in Witch Trials

Image
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. ...
Read more

Where is the Line Drawn between Occult Beliefs and a Cult?

Image
When reading about many of the secret societies that practiced witchcraft and held other occult beliefs throughout history, I began to wonder where the differences lie between these societies and cults. My curiosity began when reading about Guido Von List and Wotanism. Guido Von List was a charismatic leader who created his own set of teachings about reinstating the "pre-Christian German values" and he was able to convince others to follow him. Charisma is a common trait in many cult leaders, allowing them to control their followers. Jim Jones is considered one of the most charismatic cult leaders because of his public speaking ability, sexual appeal, and total participation in every group aspect of his cult (Dittman, 2003). Jim Jones' followers were so devoted to him, that eventually many of them followed him to the end, resulting in the Jonestown Massacre.  Image: GuidoVon List  Are these secret societies only a tragedy from being defined as cults in the court of public...
Read more