FFW Halloween 2011-Witches

Flair For Writing Newsletter
Halloween 2011
Witches
Editor: Megan Princess Megan Snow Rose
Assistant Editor: Angel Angel



Hello Everyone. Happy Halloween! Wow! It is that time again. I am going to buy orange and white pumpkins tomorrow. I have my dancing black cat, fake white pumpkin, Halloween Carousel up and dancing Frankenstein on the table im my extra room. I also have stuffed black cats, Raggedy Ann and black cat figurines and my pumpkin and black cat tablecloth on the table. I am so ready for Halloween. The new Twilight Movie BREAKING DAWN PART ONE comes out next month and I am so ready. I have a tortoise shell live cat who is more black then mixed. I have my Halloween cat. Are you ready for Halloween? I love the autumn colors. I wish it could be autumn all year round. I will be baking a Halloween cat cake{not my kitty!} in a couple of weeks.

Angel has been working on graphics. She made the ones for this newsletter. She loves Halloween and she wanted us to write about witches for this issue. Sounds good to me. So, we will be writing about witches. We aren't witches but we thought it would be a fun subject to write about. We hope you will enjoy this issue. Let's get started.

Witchcraft is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practioner of witchcraft. In Europe, it was believed that witches are in league with the Devil. They use their powers to harm people and property. The concept of witchcraft was considered harmful. When misfortune happened long ago in Europe, it was considered witchcraft and someone was a witch and had to be sought out and destroyed.

Witchcraft was believed to be an act against Christianity. Witch hunters were called upon to find the witches. Witchcraft was pagan. Witches were believed to have used spells, rodents and poison plants to do their bidding to cause harm. If someone got sick and had, had a fight with someone that someone would be considered a witch. Unusual behavior was considered witchcraft. Some people who were born with birth marks were thought to be the mark of the devil. Women who healed the sick with herbs were considered witches. It was believed that witches could raise the dead or say chants that would bring harm to people.

A spell was believed to be done by witches which could carry out a magical action. A spell consisted of a fire, a potion and a few words that a witch could do to harm to enemies or anyone of hers or his choosing. A witch could use a molded image to represent a person that he or she wanted to do harm and stick pins in or tie a scarf around the neck.

European pagan belief in witchcraft was associated with Diana, the Goddess and dismissed as "diabolical fantasies" by medieval Christian authors. It was believed that witches rejected Jesus, and paid divine honor to the Prince of Darkness and the Devil gave them supernatural powers.It was believed that a witch would use her powers against a lover who rejected her.

Women accused of witches were burned at the stake. IF A WOMAN WAS REALLY A WITCH, SHE WOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING TO PUT THE FLAMES OUT OR HARM THE ONES WHO MADE THE FIRE. Witches were considered to be harmful to everyone. People thought witches flew on broomsticks, turned food poisonus, cursed people, made crops fail and created chaos.

The first accusations of witchcraft were Hugh and Mary Parsons. They accused each other of being witches in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1645. Parsons thought his wife had killed their child with witchcraft and she said he did. Mary Parsons died in prison. Hugh Parsons was found innocent.

There were the famous Salem Witch Trials in 1692. There were a series of hearings about people who were charged with witchcraft. Nineteen were hung out of 150 people. Five died in prison. One man was crushed to death under heavy stones. The rest were found innocent.

What gets me, when people moved to the new world, they took their beliefs of witchcraft with them. Same rules, just a new country.

Famous Witches:

Kassandra. Greek Priestess of Apollo who predicted the downfall of Troy. She used perfume and incense in her witchcraft as well as fire and flames. Troy was destroyed.

Morgan Le Fey.Painted evil by all historians. She was the Lady of the Lake, a priestess of the Triple Godeess and history painted her black. She is said to have given birth to her half brother Arthur's child, Gawain, under the Festival of the Horned God {not the devil but God of the hunt}. Christinanity entered Camelot and considered Gawain was a demented imp. It is said Morgan had the horned moon of the Triple Goddess tattooed between her brows and was a vegetarian for much of her life. I have always been a fan of Morgan's and I had never read this before.

Merlin. The highest of the Druid Seers, a powerful magician who put Authur on the throne, leaving Morgan to uphold Avalon. Merlin taught Arthur to be wise.

A. E. Waite The deviser of the Rider Waite deck of tarot, the deck used more then any other. Intuition and truth weren't his strong points. He tried to hide his powers from those who he was afraid couldn't handle his powers. Sounds like he was full of himself.


[c:brown} Angel has this to add.

In February, 1692, three accused women were examined by the Magistrates Jonathan Crowin and John Hathorne. Corwin's home known as THE WITCH HOUSE, still stands at the corner of North and Essex Streets in Salem.

By this time, the hysteria had spread itself, 24 people had died. Nineteen were hanged on Gallows Hill in Salem Town but some died in prison. {I talked about this above but Angel had more to add. I didn't find Gallows Hill in the item I got off Google}

It is remarkable 552 original documents pertaining to witchcraft trials have been preserved and are still stored by the PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM.

Eerie memorabilia associated with the trials, such as the "Witch Pins" used in the examination of witches and a small bottle supposed to contain the finger bones of the victim George Hacons can be found in the Clerk's Office in the Essex Superior House, Salem.

Is anybody in Salem, Massachusetts? I lived in Cambridge and Salem was very close to my home. Let me tell you something. The people in there were very strange. Nobody smiles at you. The people I saw had a very serious look on their faces. I thought it was weird, maybe they were just grumpy people and not too friendly. Ha! Ha! I remember waiting for a bus and in a distance you can see a very old cemetery. Enjoy your Halloween. BOOOOOOOOO. From Angel.

Angel and I hope you have enjoyed this issue. I like the TV Witches like Sabrina and her nice witch aunts Hilda and Zelda, Samantha, Endora, Tabatha, Angelique of DARK SHADOWS, PASSIONS TABATHA{A funny, not so evil witch}, CHARMED Witches, SECRET CIRCLE WITCHES and Bonnie of VAMPIRE DIARIES. Those are my kind of witches. We will be doing a Christmas Issue. If you any suggestions, let Angel and I know. HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Love: Megan

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