Also of interest: Because the alewives were storing grain, they were also susceptible to ergot poisoning, which caused hallucinations; ergot being the fungus that inspired Dr. Hoffmann to create LSD in his search for the compound that created said hallucinations.
It was the perfect storm of the Burning Times, the Reformation, and the Age of "Enlightenment" that got us to where we are today. A certain type of masculinity was centered in the collective consciousness at that time and everything else was judged to be "inferior," to be appropriated, erased, or destroyed.
I see I wasn't the only one who heard "childless cat lady" and thought "witch." Feeds into the whole Crusade vibe that's stirring just under the surface...
You said everything I've been ruminating about for the last decade, watching the gathering force of white, evangelical men and their loathing of woman who own their power and control their own lives. I keep telling my followers, if you're going to call yourself a witch, you best know the history that goes along with it. I'll be directing them to this post.
Wow, I didn’t know any of this history! But this childless cat lady aunt took her childless cat lady oldest niece to Salem for her 30th birthday some years ago, and now I’m feeling like we were cosmically meant to go there 🔥
This whole piece made me think of Irene Olmos (author of I DON'T WANT TO BE A MOM, which I just read and loved) and of Granny Weatherwax (GNU Terry Pratchett). Hear, hear.
I just read this and your alewives post and i said the same thing there: Everything makes so much more sense now. How feminist or independent women are vilified and even why so many people still don’t like cats! I didn’t believe you at first when you said childless cat lady is always short for witch but it all makes sense! *Sigh* Yay, way more institutionalized misogyny than I realized.. /s
Also of interest: Because the alewives were storing grain, they were also susceptible to ergot poisoning, which caused hallucinations; ergot being the fungus that inspired Dr. Hoffmann to create LSD in his search for the compound that created said hallucinations.
It was the perfect storm of the Burning Times, the Reformation, and the Age of "Enlightenment" that got us to where we are today. A certain type of masculinity was centered in the collective consciousness at that time and everything else was judged to be "inferior," to be appropriated, erased, or destroyed.
I see I wasn't the only one who heard "childless cat lady" and thought "witch." Feeds into the whole Crusade vibe that's stirring just under the surface...
So much this. We are always one breath away from the next witch hunts.
You said everything I've been ruminating about for the last decade, watching the gathering force of white, evangelical men and their loathing of woman who own their power and control their own lives. I keep telling my followers, if you're going to call yourself a witch, you best know the history that goes along with it. I'll be directing them to this post.
Well said! Now only if I could cast a spell to alleviate my cat allergy I could have a cat again. 😂
Wow, I didn’t know any of this history! But this childless cat lady aunt took her childless cat lady oldest niece to Salem for her 30th birthday some years ago, and now I’m feeling like we were cosmically meant to go there 🔥
This whole piece made me think of Irene Olmos (author of I DON'T WANT TO BE A MOM, which I just read and loved) and of Granny Weatherwax (GNU Terry Pratchett). Hear, hear.
Heather I loved this.
I just read this and your alewives post and i said the same thing there: Everything makes so much more sense now. How feminist or independent women are vilified and even why so many people still don’t like cats! I didn’t believe you at first when you said childless cat lady is always short for witch but it all makes sense! *Sigh* Yay, way more institutionalized misogyny than I realized.. /s
Brilliant! Thank you.
Childless cat ladies are the best ones ;)
It should come as no surprise that I loved this so much. I need to get that book!!