Witch derives from ‘Wicce’, meaning Wise Woman.
These Wise Women were typically the healers of the villages and the midwives. Intuitive wise women others would go to for advice. These women were greatly respected. They held knowledge and knowledge = power.
Over time, new systems of power took hold and there was a growing effort to suppress these practices and these women.
The wisdom of the Wise Woman became a threat to those who sought control, and practices were recast as dangerous, dark, or forbidden. Women were persecuted for their knowledge and the power it held.
The infamous witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries further cemented the idea that witches were dangerous. Thousands of women were executed on accusations of witchcraft - women who were healers but it further extended to women who simply did not conform, who were seen as a threat.
This negative image is still carried into modern culture today. Films and Halloween, portraying witches as evil.
As a result, many of us still carry the weight of that fear today, hesitant to speak out due to underlying fear of being shut down - persecuted.
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Today it’s amazing to see that certain practices within nature are coming back! More than that, women are reclaiming their voice again, simply by being themselves. By not being afraid to speak out for what they want, what they believe and who they are.
The balance isn’t fully restored yet, but it’s shifting.
And remember — if women weren’t so powerful, there would never have been such effort to silence them.
On 31st October, Halloween, or Samhain, women all over the world will be lighting candles in remembrance of those who came before us. The Witches. The Wise Women.
If you’d like to connect with the wisdom of your ancestors, I’m holding a live Zoom meditation on 30th October 2025 at 7:45pm, as part of the Samhain/Halloween Ancestral Pack.
You’ll receive a guided meditation and a beautifully crafted workbook.
If you can’t make it live, don’t worry, you’ll receive the pre-recorded meditation and workbook straight to your inbox upon purchase.
Madeleine x