Books and Broomsticks by Erin Curley

  We’re all familiar with the stereotypical appearance of the witch: thin, old woman in a long dress and tall, pointy hat with a couple of warts and her broomstick and cat not far away.     This is how witches of all types are often portrayed in   film ,   books , and of course,   Halloween costumes , as I learned at a young age).       Halloween, 2003: Casting a spell in hopes of receiving lots of candy during Trick-or-Treating.    However, as we’ve learned in the course, this hasn’t always been the case. Like fashion today, a witch’s garb has been highly dependent on her time and place.  For example, the immortal women painted on the vase ( A History of Magic and the Occult , p. 51) shows women in traditional Chinese clothing.  Even the witches at the Salem trials, as shown in film clips in class and on p. 189 of  A History of Magic and the Occult  appear to be wearing typical clothing for the 17 th c...

Before taking this class, I was somewhat familiar with hypnosis and the power of mesmerism. Though I’ve never experienced this firsthand, I have seen others become hypnotized at parties or online, albeit with some skepticism as to the actual effect of the procedure.     However, my interest in this subject deepened when reading about mesmerism and hypnosis on p. 210 of   A History of Magic and the Occult.  In my casual experience with such subjects, I had never given much thought to the history behind such practices.     Though his work was discredited in 1785 (p. 211), it seemed to have a genuine effect on the folks he performed it on; his practice appeared to have been medically beneficial as well as a fashionable activity to partake in socially.  However, something else I recently read changed my perspective on mesmerism in particular and other occult practices in general.   Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to H...

Though we find the rituals and methods of witch trials disturbing, misogynistic, and reprehensible, they do make for a good discussion on something that has plagued human society since its inception: othering. According to Malcolm Gaskill, “the term ‘witch’ implies someone not like us, the opposite of an ideal,” (p. 1). However, this definition can also be applied to the many populations that have been cast aside and discriminated against, not solely to the poor, childless and single women who were persecuted as witches.       Skepticism and rejection of others differing from ourselves has an overwhelmingly negative impact in today’s global and civilized society, laying the foundation for bigots and xenophobes to attack those who they may differ from in race, religion, or belief.  The first examples that come to my mind are slavery and segregation, the internment of Japanese-Americans in WWII, the Holocaust, Islamophobia, and the escalation of anti-Asian rhetori...

When I share with people that I’m taking a course on witchcraft and witch-hunts this semester, many are surprised and intrigued. I have heard a couple of remarks on how others find it “ironic” that a Christian school, like TCU would even offer such a course.     (As an aside, I am taking another honors colloquia class this semester, entitled “Sex, Evolution, and the Brain”, and I applaud TCU and the Honors’ College for encouraging its students to branch out from their normal course of study and learn more about such fascinating aspects of life and history).     Growing up, I knew a couple of people whose parents wouldn’t allow them to trick or treat on Halloween or celebrate in any other manner, because (as very strong and religious Christians), they believed the holiday was “worshipping the devil”.  I also follow an Orthodox Jewish woman on TikTok who shared that  most members of her faith also do not celebrate Halloween because of its history as a Pa...