Books and Broomsticks by Erin Curley

Going into this semester, I expected to learn in depth about the Salem Witch Trials, in more of a history-class context than an overall approach to witchcraft and its roots. However, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the origins of witchcraft and mystical practices in many cultures, the portrayal of witches and witchcraft in modern media, and the causes behind the mass hysteria that brought on the Salem witch trials and similar persecutions. Below are some of the five biggest takeaways that I will carry with me after the semester ends.     1.         Witchcraft occurred long before the Salem witch trials.  Learning about the ancient roots of witchcraft in the first text,  A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult  was eye-opening because it went into detail regarding mystical and occult practices that long predated Colonial America and Salem, which is what I typically associate with witchcraft. It was remarkable to read about...

    It was interesting to see the portrayal of the evil eye portrayed in the various mystical practices of many cultures. I have seen some friends of mine wear an evil eye, often in a religious context, like a hamsa, but it is also becoming stylized as a part of secular culture. I’ve seen phone cases, nail designs, and t-shirts featuring a stylized version of the evil eye. Greek, Roman, Christianity in the Byzantine era, Islam, all portrayed the evil eye to fend off any unsavory spirits.    According to the  BBC , Greek philosophers believed that blue-eyes were the most likely to deliver curses, which could be emitted through “invisible rays of energy” that could harm children and animals. Therefore, the invisible eye symbol came to adorn any person or thing that was thought to need to repel magic. Some of these charms have been found in the tombs of ancient Mesopotamia. Today, we still use the same symbol for the same goal. The article mentioned some painting e...

  This semester, it was interesting to learn about the many practices of witchcraft that ended in the suffix -mancy. I’d never heard that term before, but learned that it has to do with a related type of magic. For example, necromancy means magic of the dead.     Crystallomancy means the practice of looking into a crystal to seek divine knowledge. Below are a list and description of some other types of magic, some of which we’ve learned about through our readings and in class, and others which I found through my own research.     Cleromancy: I remember reading about this one in class. It is a practice of using yarrow stalks that can be arranged into different shapes to answer a question, or ascertain an answer to something. This was also “linked to astrology,” (p. 52), which as I learned throughout the semester played a large role in the magical practices of cultures all over the world. Yarrow stalks, often read and interpreted like tea leaves and palm lines in ...