The Rule of Five

I truly am so glad that I had the opportunity to participate in this class this semester. I remember looking at the course descriptions late last fall and being over the moon that it was still being offered, and I haven’t been disappointed, that’s for sure. I’ve learned more than I could ever imagine about the occult, magic, and witchcraft, especially facets of these phenomena that I had never paused to consider or was unaware that they pertained to the topic. Despite this being a class assignment, I sincerely see no better way to tie up this semester than to discuss the 5 most valuable “things” I have learned, a feat I have decided to call The Rule of Five in the hopes that 5 times as much knowledge will return to me. 

1.  The most intriguing part of this class came with our thorough analysis of the social tension plaguing Salem Village just prior to the start of the witch trails in 1692. From other learning experiences, it was my assumption that the girls who began accusing other villagers of witchcraft did so in an attempt to act out, and once things became so grave, they felt they couldn’t turn on their previous claims. While this is still a plausible explanation, Richard Godbeer in his book The Salem Witch Trials: A Brief History gave such in depth thought and consideration to other factors that could have contributed to the start and perpetuation of the hysteria. One such explanation was the religious radicalism that pulsed through Puritanism as a whole but especially in Salem Village. The past 100 years had been tension-filled in the Christian faith as the Protestant Reformation rocked the Catholic Church but also as Protestants branched off further and further. The Puritans were no exception to the desire to reform, and they actually left England majorly because they couldn’t handle the corruption and beliefs that didn’t align with theirs. The religious superiority played its role on the large scale, but the effect it had on individual relationships can’t be ignored either. Additionally, members of Salem Village saw themselves as mightier-than-thou compared to the inhabitants of Salem Town who were giving into the vices of greed, lust, and sacrilege. I couldn’t see it as a coincidence that residents living closer to Salem Town were often targets of accusation. Another explanation detailed how there was a sensation of fear and apprehension as colonial towns waited for the imminent attacks of Native Americans. Several of the young afflicted girls had moved to Salem Village to live with extended family or work because they were orphaned in some of these raids. Many of these occurrences led to the strong and unquestioned belief that the Devil was present in their midst and God was punishing them for some unforgiving sin. This knowledge gave me a broader background and understanding of the society and culture of Salem, aspects that are incredibly important in analyzing the witch trial hysteria. It helps us avoid the pitfall of writing these people off as crazy, delusional, or ignorant because of their firm belief that witches could be attacking their livelihoods. These sociological understandings can help us identify similar situations in the present and hopefully circumvent disastrous results.   

2. Another aspect that fascinated me was learning about the solid history that the Harry Potter series was built upon. I’m an HP fanatic and was excited and enthralled to see so many connections to historical truths and accounts of magical practice. JK Rowling obviously did extensive research so as to include details such as mandrakes, the Philosopher’s Stone, goblins, devil’s snare, and runes. They even had a course titled “The History of Magic” and it makes me wonder if we learned similar things. Beyond this, Rowling created many spells in the fantastical world based on Latin which had prominent magical significance in the practices of the ancient Romans. Overall, it was cool to see the details connect so apparently, but my main takeaway was that such magical studies and practices are rooted in history and truth. As I did above, often we describe such stories as fantastical: something created from the depths of a person’s imagination with little to no connection to reality. Whether or not some aspects truly exist (unicorns, dragons, time travel, etc.) is no matter because the belief shapes what is perceived to be reality by an individual. Our learning of magic, witchcraft, and the occult throughout history has allowed me to ground these stories in my mind and see them for the expression of a widely true human experience rather than fiction stemming from an excellent creative. 

3. As a STEM major and hopeful future physician, the connection between magical practices and the birth of scientific topics was enthralling. While I had heard of some beliefs beforehand, I feel like a more well-rounded understanding and background was provided as we delved into our first textbook. With the origins of chemistry lying in alchemy, aspects of psychology in hypnosis, and pharmacology in herbal healing, it was so apparent that our knowledge today wouldn’t be what it is without the foundation of occult and magical wisdom through the centuries. There was deep understanding of the physical effects of plants such as sage, eucalyptus, and lavender which have perpetuated to today, but these remedies also carried spiritual healing features. Included in this consideration are the crystals, amulets, and talismans that populated religious beliefs. Because of these realizations, I also learned how to better accept other beliefs (outside of Western, biomedical, reason-based knowledge) and avoid discrediting their validity. Even if the claimed effects of hundreds of years ago cannot or will not be proven by scientific technologies of today, it does not mean that they are inherently incorrect or helped people any less. We as Americans have majorly grown up in the belief that our ways and knowledge are the tip of the hierarchical arrangement of the world, but seeing the success, thoroughness, and popularity of magical practices in history and today confirmed for me that we must also consider other perspectives. 

4. While discussing the phenomenon of witch hunts in general, I loved our discourse on the pervading issue of misogyny and sexism. I certainly don’t love that these social problems have been so prevalent, but I did think it was important to incorporate them into our considerations of the atrocities. Records will show that women were historically more likely to be accused of witchcraft and malevolence in their communities. This didn’t completely exclude or provide immunity to men, however the statistical difference is staggering. As was the case with Salem, witch hunts overall had more facets than just a simple bias against women, and it’s not incredibly likely that they were an attempt to simply rid the community of the members of the lowest social importance. Religion again intermingled with sexist beliefs to encourage and confirm the theory that women were inherently weaker of will power than men, leaving them much more susceptible to temptations by the Devil and subsequent malice against their fellow man. There was thus little to no questioning that the most likely culprit to afflict people spiritually was a woman. Often there was even further discrimination because of her lifestyle or personal affect; promiscuous, lustful women or those who challenged the patriarchy and other powers were prime targets, perhaps because they wanted their society rid of its blemishes but also because no upstanding, holy woman would challenge authority so blatantly. 

5. Finally, I so loved getting to see how our perception of witchcraft as a society has been portrayed through artistic outlets such as film and television. When we were brainstorming other title options to be included in the popular media presentations, it seemed like there was a never-ending supply, and I couldn’t get over our fascination with magic. I suspect this stems from the Westernized notion that it is make-believe and exotic therefore it is enjoyable to consume for the escape factor. Beyond this, however, Hollywood production is an outlet for expression whether of creative instincts or societal messages. With the basis of the history and social context of magic, it was fun and thought-provoking to analyze the depiction of the magical and its participants through our personal popular media choices. In the beginning, I think many of us were expecting to see repetition of the stereotypical witch represented by the classic Halloween costumes, but we were surprised and elated to be witness to the variety of portrayals. It seems that as our society matures and evolves, we are continuing to push the boundaries of the definition of a witch and the purposes of magic, and I am excited to implement a similar critical point of view in future consumption of entertainment. 

Again, I cannot sing my praises enough for this course and the joy it brought me. I thank everyone for contributing to this exceptional learning experience and hope that we can all take this knowledge into the future!