... For Women Everywhere & Grace Sherwood...

The USA Today post, “Witchy fashion is 2017's most exciting, subversive trend” has been going around social media. The article shares one of the fall trends with a focus on the “witch style” while noting that there are “many archetypes of the modern witch” which include "goth witches in black maxi dresses and capes”… yay! Capes are always good but they have been around in mainstream fashion for the last few years. 




The article pointed to a few other descriptions with one being the “mall witches in anime buns….” Are anime buns the same as Princess Leia buns? If so, I’ve been rocking them for weeks because it has been over 100 degrees every day in Virginia and because, up until yesterday when my Gremlin Spike finally scared me, I have been parting down the middle to try to distract folks from noticing my grey roots.

I don’t follow fashion trends so much but I do like being aware if this season I will be able to find lace and velvet in the mainstream shops. Recently, I bought a long, floor-length dress and a kimono-style garment, which isn’t something that I have ever wanted to wear before (mostly because they have little form and I’m a busty girl that needs some structure!).

And, as the article notes at the very end:

"…once you begin to awaken your inner witch, it also becomes clear that blindly following trends or copying what some celebrity is wearing is just another way of suppressing our own authentic self-expression."

*Witches* have been on my mind recently. Last week, my Babushka (my best friend/ more-like sister) and I had an excursion to Virginia Beach and then to Colonial Williamsburg to see the performance “Cry Witch.” We made a day of it by going to the Grace Sherwood statue and then attending the performance.

When you think witch trials in this country, you rarely think of the Commonwealth but it has its own history of witchcraft cases.

As I wrote in last year’s blog post about scapegoats:  

Although most conquer up the Salem Witch trials when they consider colonial witchcraft, in 1626, Virginia was the first of the colonies to see a formal accusation of witchcraft of Joan Wright out of Surry County; and, in 1641, Virginia held the first trial with Mrs. George Barker out of Norfolk.

Two cases, to me, are particularly interesting. The first is with Katherine Grady who is considered the only person who was ever executed for witchcraft in Virginia. Even with convictions, Virginia officials were always hesitant about executing anyone convicted of witchcraft (perhaps one tiny aspect of Virginia history that isn’t so problematic). Ms. Grady’s case is particularly troubling because she had never even set foot on Virginia soil. Instead, she was traveling on a ship headed for the new colony from England when a fierce storm had the passengers seeking a scapegoat. For whatever reason, the elderly Grady became that woman and she was hung at sea. Because Virginia was the ship’s destination, the murder was under the Virginia colony’s jurisdiction and the captain had to report this when the ship arrived in Jamestown.

 

The second case came in 1698 when Grace Sherwood, who was considered a bit eccentric for the times, had rumors spread that she practiced witchcraft. Sherwood was a healer, an herbalist and a midwife who allegedly “wore men’s trousers when planting crops” (Strock). Later, she was accused of bewitching pigs and destroying crops. She was also accused of “riding” a neighbor before escaping through a keyhole.

 

After several other allegations, Sherwood had formal charges against her in 1706. She was searched for the marks of the witch. Although none were found, she was ordered to a water ducking trial. Basically, if her body floated to the surface she was guilty; and, if her body sunk being accepted by nature, she was proven innocent. She survived and thus was proven guilty of witchcraft. She was imprisoned for 8 years and then released to live out the remainder of her life.

Just ten years ago, in 2006, former Governor Tim Kaine (who is now running for the office of Vice President for my international friends) exonerated Sherwood on the 300^th anniversary of her trial.

Colonial Williamsburg’s “Cry Witch” performance goes through the case of Grace Sherwood. During the trial, the Colonial lawyers point out what was acceptable in court trials of that time, including dreams as damning evidence. In the end, the audience gets to make the ruling. It was a close-call while we were there but the group still found Sherwood guilty of witchcraft.

I don’t believe that focusing on witches is a new trend. Last winter, I attended the performance “The Peculiar Case of Jane Wentworth: A Witch Trial Based on Historical Texts” at Agecroft Hall; and, then later my fella and I attended the Colonial Williamsburg for the “Curse of the Sea Witch” event. There is resonance in our political climate. In my course on vampires, I repeatedly say, “It’s never about the monster.” This emphasis on witches, eccentric or simply working women who spoke up for themselves, isn’t actually about witches. Let’s be honest; this is about women.

Selfie with the actress who played Grace Sherwood

Works Cited

"A Tale of Witchcraft at Hertford Theatre." Hertfordshire Mercury. Hertfordshire Mercury, 07 June 2012. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.

Bond, Edward L. "Source of Knowledge, Source of Power: The Supernatural World of English Virginia, 1607–1624." The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 108, no. 2 (2000): 105–138.

Burgess, Maureen Rush. The Cup of Ruin and Desolation: Seventeenth-century Witchcraft in the Chesapeake. Ph.D. Dissertation. U of Hawaii, 2004. Print.

"History." Agecroft Hall. Agecroft Hall, n.d. www.agecrofthall.com/ Web. 06 Oct. 2016.

Klein, Christopher. "Before Salem, the First American Witch Hunt." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2012. www.history.com. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.

Miller, Kate. The Last Witch. directed by Richard Syms; produced by Pins & Feathers Productions; performed at Hertford Theatre and at Walkern Hall, Herts. 2012.

Ross, Jessica, and Jessica Hann. "Behind the Scenes: The Making of a Sea Witch." Making History: Inspiration for the Modern Revolutionary. Colonial Williamsburg, 22 Sept. 2016. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.

Strock, Anna. "These 14 Real Life Witches Show the 'Wicked' Side of Virginia's History." Only In Virginia. OnlyInYourState, 13 Dec. 2015. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.

Witkowski, Monica C. "Witchcraft in Colonial Virginia." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, 30 May. 2014. Web. 4 Oct. 2016.

Woodall, Janet. "Jane Wenham: The Witch of Walkern." Walkern History Society. N.p., 24 Nov. 2011. www.walkernhistorysociety.co.uk/. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.

...shiny souvenirs from my life & National Jewelry Day...

Let us not be too particular.

It is better to have

old, second hand diamonds

than none at all.

~Mark Twain

 If it seems particularly quiet over here, it’s because *shocker* I’ve been sick. I hate February and February hates me. I came down with the flu the Tuesday after my last post and pretty much slept for the next seven days. The next three weeks have been a rally for me to get up when I’ve needed to and then back to bed the rest of the time. Even yesterday I watched four movies straight. I don’t recall the last time, if ever, that I watched four movies straight.

So we pretty much canceled my birthday plans. Oh, yeah, I’m 43 now. (Shrug) I had to save my energy for  the Wicked Women of Richmond panel on February 26 in connection with Women in Horror Month. I was so heavily medicated in order to make it there, and then I drank cider while medicated (Kids, don’t try that at home) that I fear how I will sound (or what I even said) when the podcast comes out tomorrow. My fella has been the best possible nurse/ driver/ doctor/ everything. If I don’t say that I adore him to pieces enough… well, I adore him to pieces.

 

This weekend, he even attended the RVA Horror Book Club with me. We met at the oldest pet cemetery in the area since we read Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, and I had planned to take a picture of the grave and write about Richmond’s Lady Wonder, a psychic horse. But there was poorly scribbled signage “No Trespassing: Violators will be prosecuted” so the book club moved our location because we’re all pretty much rule-following weirdos.

But today is National Jewelry Day and since I love jewelry, I thought I would take a moment from hacking (well, I’m still coughing but still) to talk about how much I love jewelry.

From antiques to contemporary collections, from junk to rare stones, I pretty much love it all. I believe that its worth comes from the sentimental value of the pieces. I have jewelry boxes, a jewelry armoire, and I display jewelry throughout my bedroom. When it’s not decorating me, it can still be décor!

I’ve written about my love for the sentimental before, but today I am going to share one of my oldest pieces that I purchased (not necessarily the oldest made but the one that I bought for myself when I was a teen) and some of my recent bracelet beads because I also like tiny things!

It was probably in 1989 when I bought this amethyst attached to the Eye of Horus. The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection and good health. The amethyst is my birthstone and as it is known as the “all-healer” it is another piece of protection especially against psychic attack. I went through a phase where I wore numerous protection stones. At the time, I thought I needed them, and because I thought they looked cool. I remember that I was going out with a guy (Joel for those of you who have known me long enough) and we were in Newport News, Virginia. There was a store called The Pyramid and I’m pretty sure that I purchased this pendant there. Through the years it has been one of my most cherished pieces and it has witnessed so many life events and met so many of my friends, the late ones and the ones I loved who are no longer in my life. I remember certain loved ones handling the stone, mixing up their energy with mine. Now I'm much more protective of such things.

 

Moving along, my most recent jewelry purchase is a bead that I purchased from W. Hamond in Whitby. It’s the silver and jet fang charm that is now on my Trollbeads bracelet. I have a Pandora and a Trollbeads bracelet but I’m really not loyal to any of the companies since I have Pandora, Chamilia and OHM beads on the Pandora bracelet, and Trollbeads and the new Hamond piece on the Trollbeads bracelet. I’ve wanted the little fang charm for a while now and since I have been sick and stuck at home, in my weakened state I bought myself a gift. Well, that's the excuse that I'm using. 

I started collecting the beads for the bracelets years ago and I think that they’re now complete. If I add any more beads, they’ll just be too heavy or bulky. I remember an associate in Pandora stating that each of our bracelets tell a story about us and then after asking to see my beads seeming a bit flabbergasted when she wasn’t quite sure what my spooky story could be. Oh, they do all have their own stories.

On National Jewelry Day, I hope that you're wearing or at least thinking about some of your favorite pieces. Perhaps you might consider sharing their stories.