Blog Post #1 - Curse or Cure, Scholars and Sabats

As I walked through “Curse or Cure” (400-1500) and “Scholars and Sabats” (1500-1700) in A History of Magic, Witchcraft & the Occult, I was intrigued by the remarkably blurry boundary between the magical and the scientific – astrology versus astronomy; medicine; natural magic versus ceremonial magic; alchemy versus chemistry. At their core, both of these practices were aimed at the discovery of truth and meaning woven throughout an intricate, interconnected, and confusing world. Interestingly, many of the tactics used by both practices were experimental in nature. Also, thinking more deeply through how this blurry boundary was drawn between the magical and the scientific, I stumbled upon the challenging quote by the free-thinking Italian philosopher and occultist Giordano Bruno (1548-1600): “Magicians can do more by means of faith than physicians by the truth” (pg. 134). Bruno’s quote made me think more critically about how the immense emotion, belief, and faith surrounding “what could be” could oftentimes be more intriguing, captivating, and intoxicating than the plainly seen “what is.” In a period of great discovery and overwhelming chaos and pain – in a period where one could easily feel small, powerless, and out of control in relation to the world and the people around them – it certainly makes sense that the practice of magic would fit well with people clinging tightly to their faith in something more. Another quote that seems to fit, here, is one by Henry Miller that I noticed on the website for the Rosicrucian Order: “The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” Again, I’m reminded of the desperation for understanding and meaning, the clamor for control and comfort, and the expansion of the bounds of imagination that we see over the centuries and across a range of different civilizations.

Switching gears to something else I found interesting, I spent time thinking about the idea and etymology of using the word “scapegoat” when referring to witches and witch hunts. At first glance, I found it interesting (and sad) to think about how those who were labeled as witches were more often than not the outliers of society, the easy targets upon which their neighbors and superiors could cast blame and feel a sense of control. Looking into the etymology of the word “scapegoat,” I found that they are blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others – and that the word has Biblical origins around a goat being sent into the wilderness after the Jewish chief priest symbolically laid the sins of the people upon it. Something interesting to me, here, was how we also saw in the textbook an image of a witch riding backward atop a goat (a prominent symbol of satanism). Building upon my research into scapegoats and witch hunts, I was reminded of the lyrics of a song, Mad Woman, by Taylor Swift: “And women like hunting witches too, doing your dirtiest work for you; It’s obvious that wanting me dead has really brought you two together… No one likes a mad woman, you made her like that; And you’ll poke that bear till her claws come out, and you find something to wrap your noose around.”