The Great Rebalancing Series—Phase 2: The Great Disruption—Post 4: The Burning Times
- The Mindful Balance
- May 14
- 12 min read
Updated: May 15
The Silencing of the Feminine & The Fall of Spiritual Leaders
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I watched, fascinated and horrified. How had I not heard of this? How was this not taught to me? And if it wasn’t taught to me, why did I feel such a deep ache in my stomach. A knowing.
When I first watched the PBS documentary, The Burning Times, (a Canadian documentary of the Early Modern European witchcraft trials, made in 1990, directed by Donna Read and written by Erna Buffie), it lit a fire in me.
I felt so many things at the same time while watching, thrilled that this knowledge wasn’t lost, and appalled by how many women were executed. These women were healers, wisdom holders, midwives, gardeners, or simply female. Women, children and even men were accused and most suffered torture so horrific, anyone would plead guilty.
I know my current lineage goes back to these small towns in 15th-18th century Europe. This felt like losing family, matriarchs that should have been celebrated instead of hidden. I speak to honor what was destroyed and begin reclaiming what was stolen.
After watching the documentary for the first time, I had to step outside and weep under my sacred tree. I felt it in my body—a visceral, ancient ache that rose in waves. I gagged on the sorrow. I apologized to the women who came before, to the sacred knowledge lost, to the Earth, and to the divine feminine silenced by centuries of fear and violence. That moment became a doorway into something deeper: a reckoning, a remembering.
Returning with New Eyes: A Rewatch and Reclaiming of The Burning Times
I felt called to rewatch The Burning Times before writing this post—this time not just as a witness, but as an investigator, a descendant, a healer. After rewatching, I whispered a poem of remembrance to their souls and offered a broken-stemmed rose to my sacred tree, a gesture of reverence. I felt a line of connection stretching across time, through soil and blood and breath.
The names of the women featured—Margo Adler, Rebecca Roberts, Starhawk (who I proudly follow on Instagram), and Thea Jensen—struck a chord. These weren’t just voices; they were keepers of memory, of resistance, of legacy.
Writing this post, I smelled sage—unlit in my physical space, but undeniably present. Herbalism and spirituality were once inseparable. Before modern medicine, herbs weren’t “alternative”—they were care. And that care was spiritual, intimate, and relational. To be tended to by someone you trusted was healing in itself. The human spirit, when met with love, becomes medicine.
The Original Healers: Redefining the Witch
Before there was "modern" medicine, there were women: midwives, herbalists, gardeners, dreamers, and wisdom keepers. They were the original healers, tending to body, mind, and spirit through sacred knowledge passed down in whispers and wild gardens. Healing didn’t happen in a vacuum—it happened through relationship, trust, and spirit.
Herbs were not just remedies; they were allies. Each leaf, root, and flower was chosen with intention, prayer, and deep listening. These women understood the rhythms of the moon, the language of the body, and the cycles of the earth. Their work was spiritual as much as medicinal.
A witch, in her true form, is not the grotesque caricature portrayed in fear-driven myths. She is a guardian of ancestral memory, of intuitive knowing, of the sacred interconnectedness between all living things. The healing power of the human spirit cannot be extracted from nature or nurturance. And that is precisely why it was feared—and why it still matters.
A Fire That Consumed Millions
The Burning Times—also called the European Witch Craze—spanned roughly from the 15th to the 18th century, though the persecution of “heretics” began even earlier. Estimates vary, but it’s believed that anywhere from 50,000 to several million people were executed, the vast majority of them women. Entire villages lost their female elders, herbalists, midwives, and spiritual leaders. Accusations were often arbitrary, fueled by fear, greed, or religious control. Anyone could be accused. Groups of local citizens eager to better their status or a secular court taking the opportunity to upend social power structures to it’s own advantage.
It wasn’t just the executions that were horrific—it was the systematic erasure of feminine wisdom, the severing of community bonds, and the transformation of spirituality into something to be feared rather than embodied. Women were taught to fear their own power. Men were taught to dominate or suppress women. Nature-based practices, once sacred and woven into daily life, were demonized.
This wasn’t just a war on witches. It was a war on the feminine, on sovereignty, and on ancient, embodied knowledge passed down through generations.
Control, Power & Profit
Witch trials were not just about fear—they were about money, power, resentment, and envy. Churches were erected over sacred pagan sites to dominate and replace earth-based spirituality with patriarchal control. This wasn’t just symbolic—it was deeply political. It was about controlling women’s bodies, their sexuality, their land rights, and their healing knowledge.
Europe’s years of crop failure and illness, caused in part by climate cooling, were blamed on witches as a “simpler” explanation. The trials themselves became major business ventures. Accused women were denounced and arrested, their bodies searched for the "devil’s mark," all their hair shaved off, tortured, and forced to denounce other women.
They were also charged money for their own imprisonment: for transport, meals (if any were given), medical assessments by male doctors, wine served at gatherings, and legal proceedings. This profited vintners, commissioners, scribes, executioners, and legal professionals—turning persecution into a profitable industry.
Thomas Aquinas claimed, “The world was full of evil demons,” and accused women of being “practitioners of malevolent sorcery” who were “lining up to have sex with the devil.” He was backed by Pope John XXII in 1326, who declared that “any act of witchcraft [was] an act of heresy.”
Interrogators were armed with the first mass-produced manual on how to "extract" confessions—often supplying the exact words the accused were forced to repeat. This is why testimonies across regions sounded eerily alike. These women were made to speak the words of their oppressors—not their own truth.
Ironically, the invention of property insurance meant that in some places, people were less likely to lose their homes and land—so fewer accusations were made. It was never just about belief. It was about what could be taken.
What We Were Not Taught: Global Timeline of Witchcraft Laws, Trials & Persecutions
This movement to erase the sacred feminine happened over centuries and across continents. Each region, each decade, adds weight to the collective wound. To name a few:
Ancient Mesopotamia (Babylon, Middle East) – c. 1750 BCE
The Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest legal codes, included laws against sorcery and spells, reflecting societal fears of supernatural harm.
Ancient Hebrew (Israel/Palestine, Western Asia) – c. 1400 BCE
Biblical texts, such as Exodus 22:18, command, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,” indicating early prohibitions against witchcraft.
Classical Greece & Rome (Europe) – c. 500 BCE–400 CE
Accusations against magicians and sorcerers were present, though large-scale witch hunts were not yet common.
Medieval Europe – c. 800–1300 CE
The Church began defining heresy and witchcraft, setting the stage for future persecutions.
Toulouse, France – 1275 CE
One of the earliest recorded European witch trials occurred, resulting in executions.
Switzerland (Valais) – 1428–1430 CE
The Valais witch trials marked the first large-scale witch hunts in Europe, with hundreds executed.
Germany (Würzburg & Bamberg) – 1625–1632 CE
Among the largest mass trials in Europe; approximately 900 people were executed in Bamberg alone.
Scotland – 1563–1736 CE
Under the Witchcraft Act, over 3,200 individuals were accused, with many executed.
France – 1550–1700 CE
Widespread witch hunts occurred, particularly in rural areas, leading to numerous executions.
England – 1542–1736 CE
The Witchcraft Act of 1542 initiated legal persecution; notable trials included those led by Matthew Hopkins in the 1640s.
Finland, Norway, Sweden – 17th Century
Significant witch trials, such as the Vardø trials in Norway (1662–1663), led to numerous executions.
Ireland & England – 16th–17th Centuries
Witch hunts were intertwined with colonialist violence, often targeting women and marginalized groups.
China – Ming Dynasty - 1368–1644 CE
Shamanistic practices were suppressed, with accusations of witchcraft leading to persecution.
Salem, Massachusetts, USA – 1692–1693 CE
The infamous Salem witch trials resulted in 20 executions and over 150 accusations.
Colonial Latin America – 17th–18th Centuries
The Spanish Inquisition conducted witch trials in regions like Cartagena (Colombia), often targeting women and indigenous practices.
Sub-Saharan Africa – 18th Century–Present
Belief in witchcraft remains widespread, with accusations often leading to violence—especially against women. In countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Nigeria, and Ghana, an estimated 30,000–40,000 people have been killed or banished to "witch camps," which are destitute and overcrowded—again, primarily affecting vulnerable women.
India – 18th Century–Present
Witch hunts, particularly against women labeled as dayans, continue in several regions. In Jharkhand, neighbors accuse neighbors—often targeting single or widowed women. Village elders may force the accused to eat feces or subject them to brutal beatings until they are presumed dead.
Nepal – 18th Century–Present
Accusations of witchcraft persist, especially against marginalized women in rural and underserved communities. Abuse, ostracization, and public humiliation remain common.
Papua New Guinea – 20th Century–Present
Belief in sanguma (sorcery) has fueled ongoing modern witch hunts, with women frequently targeted. These attacks are on the rise, with approximately 200 people killed per year. The violence is so widespread that it has an official acronym: SARV (Sorcery Accusation Related Violence).
Saudi Arabia – 21st Century (Current)
Recent reports indicate that individuals accused of witchcraft have faced execution under strict interpretations of Islamic law.
The Witch Hunts Never Ended
What many don’t realize is that the witch hunts are not a closed chapter in history—they are still happening. In the powerful documentary A Witch in the Family by Arts Unveiled DW, journalist Karin Helmstaedt tells the story of a small German village’s witch hunt. Scholar Wolfgang Behringer states that more people have been murdered due to witchcraft accusations in the 20th century alone than during all of Europe’s witch trial frenzy.
These aren’t just relics of medieval cruelty—they’re modern atrocities. In parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and even within migrant communities across the world, women—especially widows, the elderly, and those considered “different”—are still being persecuted, attacked, and killed.
Leo Igwe, a Nigerian human rights advocate, is fighting to protect these women through education and advocacy, calling out the deep injustice hidden behind tradition and fear. These contemporary witch hunts reflect the same oppressive systems we've seen throughout history—systems that attempt to silence, control, and scapegoat the feminine, the spiritual, the intuitive, the wise.
We cannot speak of healing the witch wound without acknowledging that the wound is still being inflicted.
The Spiritual Cost of Silencing the Feminine
What was lost cannot be measured only in lives. The Burning Times marked a rupture in our collective psyche—a tear in the web of connection between the spiritual and physical, the masculine and feminine, the human and Earth.
The feminine isn’t just about gender—it’s an archetypal energy we all carry. It is the receptive, intuitive, nurturing, and cyclical force of life. When it was silenced, so too were the sacred ways of listening, healing, and our relationship with the unseen.
Many of us today feel the echoes of that trauma in our bodies and spirits. Some of us carry a soul memory—an ache, a fear of speaking out, a hesitation to reclaim spiritual gifts. We may not know why, but the fear of being seen, heard, or too much runs deep.
But remembering is an act of resistance. Honoring what was lost is part of the healing. And reclaiming our spiritual power—our intuition, our voice, our connection to the Earth—is part of the great rebalancing.
The Witch Wound Today
The “witch wound” is the inherited trauma—emotional, spiritual, ancestral, and cellular—carried by those whose lineages were impacted by the Burning Times and other patriarchal purges of feminine wisdom. Whether or not your ancestors were directly persecuted, this wound can show up in your life as:
Fear of speaking your truth or being seen
Suppressing your intuition or spiritual gifts
Deep anxiety around leadership or being “too much”
Feeling unsafe in your body or your feminine energy
Distrust of your own inner knowing
A longing for spiritual connection but fear of judgment
This wound often lives beneath the surface, whispering “stay small” or “don’t rock the boat.” It can stop us from claiming our wholeness. But once we name it, we begin to reclaim our sacred power.
A Ritual of Remembrance & Reclamation
This simple but potent ritual is an invitation to remember, to honor, and to begin reweaving what was broken.
You’ll need:
A quiet space
A candle (preferably white, red, or black)
A bowl of water or a small stone
Optional: a journal
1. Create Sacred Space
Sit comfortably. Light your candle and take three deep breaths, imagining white light pouring over and around you.
2. Acknowledge the Loss
Place your hand on your heart and say aloud or silently:
"I honor the women and wisdom keepers who came before me. I remember their names, even if I never knew them. I feel their sorrow, and I speak their truth."
3. Reclaim Your Power
Place your hand on your belly or womb area. Repeat:
"I release the fear of being seen. I reclaim my voice, my body, and my gifts. I am safe to be who I truly am."
4. Offer to the Waters or Earth
If using water, dip your fingers in and anoint your forehead, heart, and hands. If using a stone, hold it to your heart. Whisper a prayer or intention:
"May what was broken be healed. May what was silenced now sing. May I walk in truth and wholeness."
5. Close with Gratitude
Blow out the candle and thank your guides, ancestors, or spirit. Take a few moments to journal anything that arose.
This work is powerful. Even reading about it can stir emotions or memories. Be gentle with yourself as you walk through the flames of remembrance—and know you are not alone. Many of us are waking up, remembering, and rising.
Reclaiming What Was Stolen
We must speak of these stories—not to dwell in the pain, but to prevent history from repeating in silence. The Burning Times were not just history, they are current events—they leave a scar on the collective soul. By unearthing these truths, we break the chains of fear and shame still carried by many today. When we speak, remember, and reclaim what was stolen—our voices, our knowing, our sacred power—we not only heal ourselves, but help others find their way home too.
Share this truth. Talk about it. Let it ripple. This is how we reclaim the medicine that has always been ours.
A Poem For the Women Who Were Lost
To the wise women burned at the stake,
To the midwives and mystics, the healers and herbalists,
To the mothers and daughters silenced by fear—
We see you now.
We remember.
Your names may be lost to time,
But your wisdom is rising again through our bones.
May your souls find peace.
May your light never be extinguished.
And may your stories echo in every heart that dares to reclaim the sacred feminine.
You did not die in vain.
Sources:
Britannica.com – General historical entries (e.g., Code of Hammurabi, Salem trials)
Wikipedia.org – Various articles on specific witch trials, regions, and timelines
RCN.org.uk – Royal College of Nursing, list of accused witches in Scotland
HistoryToday.com – Witch trials in colonial Latin America
AWID.org – Witchcraft and women’s oppression in Sub-Saharan Africa
Encyclopedia.com – Historical context for ancient laws and beliefs
Scholarly articles (varied, academic consensus on Ming Dynasty persecution, etc.)
Witch-hunt database references – Cumulative data on executions and legal history (Germany, Switzerland, etc.)
https://karinhelmstaedt.com/dw-arts-unveiled-vindicating-the-witch
Up Next: The Journey Continues
The next post in this series will continue Phase 2: The Great Disruption in The Great Rebalancing, exploring Women Were Once Spiritual Leaders: What We Lost & What We Must Reclaim.
If any part of this series resonates with you, I invite you to walk this path with me.
If you missed the earlier posts in this series, you can find them below. Drop a comment, share your experiences, or simply sit with this knowing: You are not alone. 🌙📖
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Blessed Be,
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"May your souls find peace.
May your light never be extinguished.
And may your stories echo in every heart that dares to reclaim the sacred feminine.
You did not die in vain."
Amen