This was breathtaking to read, and I know it will be breathtaking the second, third, and twelfth times I read it. I owe you a couple of emails, and within them I was going to tell you about a book I finished recently, Clarissa Pinkola Éstes’s “Women Who Run With the Wolves,” which is ALL about traditional stories from all over the world and their relationship with the wild woman archetype, and how woman need to reconnect with it within ourselves. It makes me shiver that you are writing about this at the same time I read that. There were so many times I thought of you while reading, and wished we could make tea together and talk about it.
I don’t understand why Substack locks everyone into a payment system that isn’t as accessible globally as some others might be, but your point about Substack Reads and whose voices are highlighted and promoted and uplifted is also key. It makes me determined to do better.
Thank you, as always, for your firefly light and your fierce heart, Swarna ❤️🔥🧚
Nia, are you kidding me? Women Who Run With the Wolves is my absolute favorite book on feminine archetypes! La Loba directly inspired the poem I shared here and even influenced my manuscript, which I’m still preparing to pitch. A thousand yeses to everything you said! We absolutely need to rediscover that wild, ecstatic intuition we are born with to truly embody our essence. Feminine archetypes and tea? That sounds like the perfect Christmas party to me!
Regarding Substack, you’re absolutely right—it’s extremely USA and UK-centric. I’ve seen countless African writers expressing frustration over the lack of equal opportunities to monetize their work. The tone-deafness of the platform’s tech team is heartbreaking. But, as you acknowledged, change begins with curation and visibility—providing space in popular Substack series for voices from these regions is essential.
You are already giving your all to everything you do, my friend. There couldn’t be a more empathetic and aware ally than you. I am so grateful for your firefly light 💜🧚🏽♀️
I did not know that but feel like I should have! Reading the Vasalisa/Baba Yaga story, I of course thought of you constantly and your incredible Baba Yaga essay and how much more there was in your writing of it.
Feminine archetypes and tea! We have so, so much work to do, but these stories ... they are breaking open the tarmac and rigid, suffocating structures that have tried to keep everything wild under control and domination for far too long. And I mean YOUR stories.
OUR stories, my sister. They are our stories - of fight and cracking open the rigid structures that we too have internalized in our personal narratives. But we have started to rewild the rigid and call the people we love and admire so much to come join us in extending this invitation to our planet and her wilderness, and most importantly to ourselves.
There is tons to do, and we are on our path. WE are! 💜🧚🏽♀️
Beautiful post, Swarnali. "Marginalization is often not an overt process of persecution but a subtler form of ostracization." It was hard to pick out a line to highlight with so many good ones. But this one stuck out for me. It expresses so well how the problem is multi-pronged and deep.
Thank you for the reminder that we all can, thus, also play a role in change. I can seek out, listen to, and promote voices that don't automatically rise to the top of whatever systems we're a part of.
Holly, first of all, thank you for showering me with so much thoughtful attention. I absolutely love your way with words and how you structure your life and express it in writing. Everything about you radiates authenticity, and I truly believe we might be kindred spirits.
The problem is indeed multifaceted and deeply entrenched. Any choice that deviates from the prescribed path—the one that benefits the system’s builders and gatekeepers—is perceived as defiant and threatening. As a result, those who choose to live outside the norm are quickly isolated and marginalized. This is a very old patriarchal strategy, and when combined with capitalism and extremism, it creates just the right mix of destructive to undo decades of hard-won progress in securing rights for vulnerable social groups.
Thank you, Holly, for your presence and perspective. Let’s keep listening to and singing aloud the magic that refuses to quieten in our heads! 💜
Yes, my friend, I think we’re kindred spirits too. I feel in you that same spirit of authenticity—of striving and curiosity and wonder.
May we keep stepping outside of the prescribed paths, keep moving toward what benefits the many, those who are neither system’s builders nor gatekeepers.
"I frequently question whether I have the agency to critique systems that do not directly affect my existence."
I'm here to confirm that you do. These systems, from the denigration of women and marginalization of groups of people, are universal and affect all our existences, although our oligarchical, patriarchal, would-be overlords would try to have us believe otherwise. They're busy here creating our own Dalit community of "illegals", so that those who would otherwise be at the bottom of the ladder have someone to look down on.
Thank you for working to uncover a different narrative. Looking forward to part two! 🕯️
“…so that those who would otherwise be at the bottom of the ladder have someone to look down on.” You put this so well, John. This is exactly the mechanism of separation, isn’t it? The crude divisions drawn between people using abstract constructs like nations, races, castes, and economic classes. People who should naturally stand together, unite, and rally for each other’s causes are instead kept apart. They fail to recognize one another through the light of their shared consciousness, distracted by ideas that serve no one but the political puppets and their crony capitalist masters.
I am deeply grateful for your presence and the affirmation you bring to my questions. It makes me feel seen and gives a voice to stories that might otherwise remain relegated to the shadows of history. Thank you, dear John.
Just going to add this, which I knew I'd come across somewhere when flipping back through Abdulah Ocalan's "The Sociology of Freedom" for something else: "Women are both the oldest and the most recent colonized nation in the overall history of civilization, and in capitalist modernity in particular. If there is an unsustainable crisis in all respects, the key reason is the colonization of women."
I got so many goosebumps reading that quote Nia. I need to read this book! A hundred yeses to this too - yes women are the most recent colonized nation, yes all that is broken in the world is directly or indirectly related to subjugation of the feminine, yes capitalism makes it even harder for a rise in sisterhood and belonging because it creates disproportionate privileges. This is so mind blowingly accurate.
And for too many who benefit from those privileges, the fear of losing them persuades them not to work for change, persuades them that they can keep their privileges safe by playing nice. But they will never be free.
They will never be free because one who understands freedom will want it for everyone. We only want to keep to ourselves the things we are most afraid of losing. And where there is fear love cannot thrive and without love’s steadfast presence there is no true freedom
Indeed. What the privileged don't realize is that the very system of kyriarchy that they seem to benefit from is actually a NEGATIVE-SUM game that ultimately backfires on them as well, per the law of karma. (As well as the law of ubuntu.)
Oh my goodness, you and your writing are a gift to this world. Your poem, your voice--it is everything! This was just breathtaking. Thank you for writing this and for sharing your words with the world.
You are priceless. You inspire me so much and I had long abandoned this project but then I see your work and it reignites my interest to keep perusing this rabbit hole of research to unearth archaic feminine customs from this side of the world. Thank you so much for what you do. 💜
Gosh, this means so very much to me and I am so grateful to be included within the sphere of influence. I feel much the same, especially with the way you are able to weave your heart into every piece. I can feel it in every word -- I am envious and also incredible joyful for my friend to have such a gift, such a talent!! I mean it deeply when I say I am looking forward to what you find. Please know my inbox is always open if you ever find anything you wish to share 💖💖💖💖
Aren’t you an embodiment of sisterhood and joy! I adore you so much. Thank you for extending yourself so freely to me and for always backing my voice in places where it might actually be heard. Thank you friend for seeing me. 💜💜💜
I have been fascinated recently by religious fear of witches and witchcraft. It is only within the last 5 years that I departed from a traditional Christianity, so I’ve been metabolizing this fear as I learn to encounter myself. I am leaning into witchy practices to fortify myself against the crushing weight of patriarchy, a weight that is more present in my immediate economic support system than I like to admit. And I am impressed by how many practices can fly under the radar of dominant society: I am brewing tea, I am visiting my garden and planting herbs, I am going for late night walks—and all of it is weaving a rich spiritual life that is subversive to patriarchy. But because it is bound up with mundane activities, I have complete agency when, if, and how I invite others in. But in my Christian memory, there was no activity more demonic, threatening, and feared than witchcraft. It is almost laughable, except so much is at stake. Even though witch hunts aren’t formally conducted in the US the fear that gives rise to them is still a very hot ember in the Christian nationalist psyche, and it feels like it wouldn’t take much at all for it to burst back into flame.
Thank you for your writing, research, and witness. I am eager to read part 2
The rituals you described as subtler forms of subversion are absolutely on point, Shaina. I’ve always found it so absurd how mainstream religion has consistently labeled women’s time spent away from traditional caregiving roles—especially when engaging creatively with nuanced fields like herbs and tea—as “witchy.” It’s a clear reflection of how fearful patriarchy is of women reclaiming agency, structuring their routines around self-care, and fostering spaces for re-creation.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t there a widely known event, the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts in the late 1600s, where hundreds of women and their allies were persecuted for alleged witchcraft practices? It’s chilling to think about, and even more unsettling to realize that, as you said, the flames of such persecution are still smoldering in various forms, often unnoticed. If we don’t remain vigilant against the rise of misogyny, we might find kindred sisters metaphorically—or even literally—burning at the stake once again.
Thank you, dear friend, for your presence, kindness, and attention. It truly means the world to me.
"Because you cannot burn away, what has always, been aflame"
Thank you Swarnali. I am so humbled to read your words, and humbled by the strength it takes to utter such truths in these insane times.
I want to apologise and I want to cry. I have been horrified and embarrassed by class and power and gendering my whole life. By the vicious disregard for each life that is demeaned and cast aside for whatever spurious reason is dreamt up, be it gender or race, or sexual inclination or whatever other false division is used to place the boot upon another soul.
Everything you write is true. If I ever display some "collective ancestral psyche", ever, in anything I say, please tell me (this phrase brilliantly encapsulates the Fire And Smoke I wrote about recently). I would not be ashamed. I would be grateful.
These are terrible times, made worse by the dangerous and ignorant values of capitalism and power and nationalism and inequality, and the unforgivable way the womanhood is being used to undermine potential solidarity.
"She, who breathes into me the strength to bear this dubious world. I bow to thee"
Thank you for writing this piece. It is a Panacea. I bow to thee. 🙏🏽
Jonathan, thank you for always seeing me and holding my words with the light of your awareness and compassion.
Please don’t apologize, my friend. While it may feel like yours to bear, the burden is not yours alone. We all share responsibility for the subtle internalization and generalization of stringent gender, class, and racial discrimination. We’ve allowed it to grow so rampant that we now find ourselves in a world seemingly regressing in progress.
You humble me, my friend. It is a privilege to know a genuine and kind man like you. I am grateful to know that I will never need to point out the fragments of the collective ancestral psyche to you because you already observe them with such clarity.
I am deeply worried for our children. Though I am not a mother, I have several nephews and nieces, and I cannot look at their perfect, adorable faces without grieving the potential tragedy their lives could face if we fail to do everything within our power to create a safer world for them.
Blessings to you, my friend. May the Mother Goddess keep a watchful eye over you.
I agree with you about the coming generations Swarnali. There can be no good brought about by this rampant inequality and increasing power held in the hands of such a vacuous and morally defunct group as today's super-rich.
But for now I try to spread a little love in the places I can, amongst the people I can influence, And I try not to be frustrated by the burdensome concerns I have for the direction of our travel.
But anyway, thank you for such a generous and uplifting reply. I'll happily take Mother Goddesses watchful eye on the condition she keeps you in plain view too :)
I read your extraordinary piece, Swarnali, and I just had to subscribe (after coming across one of Kate 15th Century Feminist's restacks). As others have said, it is breathtaking. Thank you.
Two books came to mind as I read and re-read it – Burning Woman, by Lucy Pearce, and God is a Black Woman, by Christena Cleveland. The lines "She is a fierce mother, with a death snare for anything that threatens her sanctity. She is a caregiver, not a privileged, bejewelled goddess sitting in heaven. She has labored, covered in blood and sweat, birthing this universe as a whole" in your incredible poem/spell/incantation felt like you described this divine black feminine.
I am so excited about your arrival Annette. I have come across your comments in many of my favourite stacks, including Kate’s. Thank you for sharing your attention and presence here.
I have definitely heard of God is a black woman but haven’t read it, I am adding both these books to my to-read list. What an extraordinary comment section full with recommendations! The divine black feminine reminds me of Kaali - the devouring mother archetype. I have yet another essay published a few months ago about her.
I greatly appreciated all of this, especially ending on such a powerful poem ❤️🔥 Thank you this.
I had no idea that so many marginalized women in India are murdered for witchcraft. Men who commit femicide will use any excuse and all of their excuses are all based in fantasy.
It’s a Euro-centric book, but have you read Caliban and The Witch by Silvia Federici? She’s an Italian historian in the U.S. and connects the European witch trials to capitalist accumulation. She talks about how women in medieval Europe were not allowed to make money after the commons were dissolved. It’s a chilling and brilliant book, and I think it connects to your mother’s observation that women really have no caste of their own.
Sarah, thank you so much for taking the time to read this essay. 💜
Witch branding and hunting is yet another horrific method of femicide in India. This country carries a history—and ongoing practices—of misogyny that would make your skin crawl. Did you know that marital rape is still protected by law here? There was some discussion about legislation to criminalize it a couple of years ago, but nothing substantial ever came of it.
The book you mentioned sounds wonderful, Sarah—I’m adding it to my to-read list. You’re absolutely right: the movement to bar women from earning a living was the beginning of a deliberate economic isolation, one that makes practices like witch branding and hunting all the more feasible. It’s critical that we remember these histories and retell them—again and again and again.
I did not know, but that is horrifying. And it’s exactly what the right wing in the U.S. would like to see happen here.
If you read Caliban… let me know what you think! I also just discovered Antonia Malchik’s work on the commons and am looking forward to learning more about how all this history is connected to our present crisis. Thanks so much for writing this piece and engaging with this conversation 🩵
I hate what is happening in America because it will echo in the rest of the world more adverse events and more shrinkage of women’s bodily autonomy. It’s all so crooked and heartbreaking.
I surely shall look forward to discuss with you Sarah! Also if you are new to Antonia’s work please keep an eye on her newsletter. I have never met a more informed person on the subject of the commons than her. She also writes about walking and everything related to nuanced topics related to colonial history, and land theft and how trespassing is like reclaiming the wild. Nia is simply the best when it comes to subjects of land and our relationship to it.
I am grateful to you for showering me with attention and this thoughtful conversation. Thank you Sarah. It is such a pleasure to have you here.
Sylvia Federici is indeed a very wise woman. She points put that many of those women branded as "witches", at least those in medieval and early modern Europe (and probably universally as well), were in fact REVOLUTIONARIES to one degree or another. And the gynocidal Burning Times was in fact a patriarchal counterrevolution, which (combined with the enclosures of the commons) ultimately paved the way for the patriarchy's favorite brainchild of all, capitalism. And as I like to say, the only difference between capitalism and cannibalism is the spelling.
I love this take. The connection between all these mechanisms of oppression is ultimately not coincidental. We need to remember where we come from and what went wrong in order to go in the right direction. This is the only way forward if any.
Thank you for offering us this historical and cultural record of patriarchal domination and oppression, Swarnali. It's striking to me that this is such a universal phenomenon, at least at this point in history. I learned a lot reading this essay and look forward to the second part.
I do wonder if one of the pivot points that shifts a people/culture from matriarchal to patriarchal is drifting away from a relationship with the land -- something that may happen on its own but more frequently is forced through colonization. Perhaps an over generalization, but it seems most land-based peoples honor the Earth Mother and the divine feminine. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on this.
Also are you familiar with Marija Gimbutas? It's been a long time since I've read her but she was a Lithuanian archaeologist who studied goddess- and woman-centered cultures in Neolithic Europe. Her last book was "The Civilization of the Goddess" (1991).
Maia, thank you for investing your time in this conversation—it’s clear how deeply you’ve thought about these themes, and your insights are truly moving. Your observation about the lost connection to the land being a direct consequence of colonial invasion and patriarchy is so on point. It feels as though these twin forces didn’t just disrupt ecosystems but also dismantled the spiritual and cultural bridges that once bound people to the earth. How many civilizations, I wonder, have vanished beneath this tide of disconnection, their wisdom buried under the sands of time?
I’m particularly struck by the thread you drew to feminine wisdom. I’ve often thought that ancient, land-rooted societies weren’t built on the premise of women ruling but rather on a profound egalitarianism—one that deeply respected the feminine as an essential, balancing force. These were communities where wisdom wasn’t confined to gender but flowed freely, like rivers nourishing the land, shaping a way of life that was both resilient and harmonious. It’s a vision that feels so distant now, yet so essential to rediscover.
Thank you, too, for the book recommendation and introducing me to the writer’s work. Somehow, this had escaped my radar, but now I can’t wait to dive into it. I’m adding it to my ever-growing reading list, and I’m sure it will deepen my understanding of these themes even further.
Marija Gimbutas was another very wise woman, a true genius indeed. She was a major influence on figures like Riane Eisler, as well as the legendary Guru Rasa Von Werder and William Bond too.
This was breathtaking to read, and I know it will be breathtaking the second, third, and twelfth times I read it. I owe you a couple of emails, and within them I was going to tell you about a book I finished recently, Clarissa Pinkola Éstes’s “Women Who Run With the Wolves,” which is ALL about traditional stories from all over the world and their relationship with the wild woman archetype, and how woman need to reconnect with it within ourselves. It makes me shiver that you are writing about this at the same time I read that. There were so many times I thought of you while reading, and wished we could make tea together and talk about it.
I don’t understand why Substack locks everyone into a payment system that isn’t as accessible globally as some others might be, but your point about Substack Reads and whose voices are highlighted and promoted and uplifted is also key. It makes me determined to do better.
Thank you, as always, for your firefly light and your fierce heart, Swarna ❤️🔥🧚
Nia, are you kidding me? Women Who Run With the Wolves is my absolute favorite book on feminine archetypes! La Loba directly inspired the poem I shared here and even influenced my manuscript, which I’m still preparing to pitch. A thousand yeses to everything you said! We absolutely need to rediscover that wild, ecstatic intuition we are born with to truly embody our essence. Feminine archetypes and tea? That sounds like the perfect Christmas party to me!
Regarding Substack, you’re absolutely right—it’s extremely USA and UK-centric. I’ve seen countless African writers expressing frustration over the lack of equal opportunities to monetize their work. The tone-deafness of the platform’s tech team is heartbreaking. But, as you acknowledged, change begins with curation and visibility—providing space in popular Substack series for voices from these regions is essential.
You are already giving your all to everything you do, my friend. There couldn’t be a more empathetic and aware ally than you. I am so grateful for your firefly light 💜🧚🏽♀️
I did not know that but feel like I should have! Reading the Vasalisa/Baba Yaga story, I of course thought of you constantly and your incredible Baba Yaga essay and how much more there was in your writing of it.
Feminine archetypes and tea! We have so, so much work to do, but these stories ... they are breaking open the tarmac and rigid, suffocating structures that have tried to keep everything wild under control and domination for far too long. And I mean YOUR stories.
OUR stories, my sister. They are our stories - of fight and cracking open the rigid structures that we too have internalized in our personal narratives. But we have started to rewild the rigid and call the people we love and admire so much to come join us in extending this invitation to our planet and her wilderness, and most importantly to ourselves.
There is tons to do, and we are on our path. WE are! 💜🧚🏽♀️
“We have started to rewild the rigid” — that gives me chills in the best way, chills of possibility ✨
💜💜
Beautiful post, Swarnali. "Marginalization is often not an overt process of persecution but a subtler form of ostracization." It was hard to pick out a line to highlight with so many good ones. But this one stuck out for me. It expresses so well how the problem is multi-pronged and deep.
Thank you for the reminder that we all can, thus, also play a role in change. I can seek out, listen to, and promote voices that don't automatically rise to the top of whatever systems we're a part of.
To the magic still singing inside our heads. ♥️
Holly, first of all, thank you for showering me with so much thoughtful attention. I absolutely love your way with words and how you structure your life and express it in writing. Everything about you radiates authenticity, and I truly believe we might be kindred spirits.
The problem is indeed multifaceted and deeply entrenched. Any choice that deviates from the prescribed path—the one that benefits the system’s builders and gatekeepers—is perceived as defiant and threatening. As a result, those who choose to live outside the norm are quickly isolated and marginalized. This is a very old patriarchal strategy, and when combined with capitalism and extremism, it creates just the right mix of destructive to undo decades of hard-won progress in securing rights for vulnerable social groups.
Thank you, Holly, for your presence and perspective. Let’s keep listening to and singing aloud the magic that refuses to quieten in our heads! 💜
Yes, my friend, I think we’re kindred spirits too. I feel in you that same spirit of authenticity—of striving and curiosity and wonder.
May we keep stepping outside of the prescribed paths, keep moving toward what benefits the many, those who are neither system’s builders nor gatekeepers.
Yes yes yes 🙌 💜
Seconding right back, Holly.
"I frequently question whether I have the agency to critique systems that do not directly affect my existence."
I'm here to confirm that you do. These systems, from the denigration of women and marginalization of groups of people, are universal and affect all our existences, although our oligarchical, patriarchal, would-be overlords would try to have us believe otherwise. They're busy here creating our own Dalit community of "illegals", so that those who would otherwise be at the bottom of the ladder have someone to look down on.
Thank you for working to uncover a different narrative. Looking forward to part two! 🕯️
“…so that those who would otherwise be at the bottom of the ladder have someone to look down on.” You put this so well, John. This is exactly the mechanism of separation, isn’t it? The crude divisions drawn between people using abstract constructs like nations, races, castes, and economic classes. People who should naturally stand together, unite, and rally for each other’s causes are instead kept apart. They fail to recognize one another through the light of their shared consciousness, distracted by ideas that serve no one but the political puppets and their crony capitalist masters.
I am deeply grateful for your presence and the affirmation you bring to my questions. It makes me feel seen and gives a voice to stories that might otherwise remain relegated to the shadows of history. Thank you, dear John.
Hear hear! I want to second John in this confirmation, Swarnali. And I, too, am looking forward to part two.
💜
Thirding!
💜
Just going to add this, which I knew I'd come across somewhere when flipping back through Abdulah Ocalan's "The Sociology of Freedom" for something else: "Women are both the oldest and the most recent colonized nation in the overall history of civilization, and in capitalist modernity in particular. If there is an unsustainable crisis in all respects, the key reason is the colonization of women."
I got so many goosebumps reading that quote Nia. I need to read this book! A hundred yeses to this too - yes women are the most recent colonized nation, yes all that is broken in the world is directly or indirectly related to subjugation of the feminine, yes capitalism makes it even harder for a rise in sisterhood and belonging because it creates disproportionate privileges. This is so mind blowingly accurate.
And for too many who benefit from those privileges, the fear of losing them persuades them not to work for change, persuades them that they can keep their privileges safe by playing nice. But they will never be free.
They will never be free because one who understands freedom will want it for everyone. We only want to keep to ourselves the things we are most afraid of losing. And where there is fear love cannot thrive and without love’s steadfast presence there is no true freedom
"one who understands freedom will want it for everyone" -- YES
So true. NO ONE is truly free when others are oppressed.
Indeed. What the privileged don't realize is that the very system of kyriarchy that they seem to benefit from is actually a NEGATIVE-SUM game that ultimately backfires on them as well, per the law of karma. (As well as the law of ubuntu.)
That makes me think of the book "Finite and Infinite Games." In the end, there's only one infinite game -- that which nurtures life.
Indeed. Colonized, then very briefly decolonized, then re-colonized by neoliberalism. Much like the Global South writ large, in fact.
Well said.
Thanks 😊
Oh my goodness, you and your writing are a gift to this world. Your poem, your voice--it is everything! This was just breathtaking. Thank you for writing this and for sharing your words with the world.
You are priceless. You inspire me so much and I had long abandoned this project but then I see your work and it reignites my interest to keep perusing this rabbit hole of research to unearth archaic feminine customs from this side of the world. Thank you so much for what you do. 💜
Gosh, this means so very much to me and I am so grateful to be included within the sphere of influence. I feel much the same, especially with the way you are able to weave your heart into every piece. I can feel it in every word -- I am envious and also incredible joyful for my friend to have such a gift, such a talent!! I mean it deeply when I say I am looking forward to what you find. Please know my inbox is always open if you ever find anything you wish to share 💖💖💖💖
Aren’t you an embodiment of sisterhood and joy! I adore you so much. Thank you for extending yourself so freely to me and for always backing my voice in places where it might actually be heard. Thank you friend for seeing me. 💜💜💜
I hit enter too soon!
Thank you for including me in this gorgeous piece, I am truly honored! I can't wait for part 2!!!
I couldn’t have written this without acknowledging your work in this field 💜
❤️❤️❤️❤️
I have been fascinated recently by religious fear of witches and witchcraft. It is only within the last 5 years that I departed from a traditional Christianity, so I’ve been metabolizing this fear as I learn to encounter myself. I am leaning into witchy practices to fortify myself against the crushing weight of patriarchy, a weight that is more present in my immediate economic support system than I like to admit. And I am impressed by how many practices can fly under the radar of dominant society: I am brewing tea, I am visiting my garden and planting herbs, I am going for late night walks—and all of it is weaving a rich spiritual life that is subversive to patriarchy. But because it is bound up with mundane activities, I have complete agency when, if, and how I invite others in. But in my Christian memory, there was no activity more demonic, threatening, and feared than witchcraft. It is almost laughable, except so much is at stake. Even though witch hunts aren’t formally conducted in the US the fear that gives rise to them is still a very hot ember in the Christian nationalist psyche, and it feels like it wouldn’t take much at all for it to burst back into flame.
Thank you for your writing, research, and witness. I am eager to read part 2
The rituals you described as subtler forms of subversion are absolutely on point, Shaina. I’ve always found it so absurd how mainstream religion has consistently labeled women’s time spent away from traditional caregiving roles—especially when engaging creatively with nuanced fields like herbs and tea—as “witchy.” It’s a clear reflection of how fearful patriarchy is of women reclaiming agency, structuring their routines around self-care, and fostering spaces for re-creation.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t there a widely known event, the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts in the late 1600s, where hundreds of women and their allies were persecuted for alleged witchcraft practices? It’s chilling to think about, and even more unsettling to realize that, as you said, the flames of such persecution are still smoldering in various forms, often unnoticed. If we don’t remain vigilant against the rise of misogyny, we might find kindred sisters metaphorically—or even literally—burning at the stake once again.
Thank you, dear friend, for your presence, kindness, and attention. It truly means the world to me.
"Because you cannot burn away, what has always, been aflame"
Thank you Swarnali. I am so humbled to read your words, and humbled by the strength it takes to utter such truths in these insane times.
I want to apologise and I want to cry. I have been horrified and embarrassed by class and power and gendering my whole life. By the vicious disregard for each life that is demeaned and cast aside for whatever spurious reason is dreamt up, be it gender or race, or sexual inclination or whatever other false division is used to place the boot upon another soul.
Everything you write is true. If I ever display some "collective ancestral psyche", ever, in anything I say, please tell me (this phrase brilliantly encapsulates the Fire And Smoke I wrote about recently). I would not be ashamed. I would be grateful.
These are terrible times, made worse by the dangerous and ignorant values of capitalism and power and nationalism and inequality, and the unforgivable way the womanhood is being used to undermine potential solidarity.
"She, who breathes into me the strength to bear this dubious world. I bow to thee"
Thank you for writing this piece. It is a Panacea. I bow to thee. 🙏🏽
Jonathan, thank you for always seeing me and holding my words with the light of your awareness and compassion.
Please don’t apologize, my friend. While it may feel like yours to bear, the burden is not yours alone. We all share responsibility for the subtle internalization and generalization of stringent gender, class, and racial discrimination. We’ve allowed it to grow so rampant that we now find ourselves in a world seemingly regressing in progress.
You humble me, my friend. It is a privilege to know a genuine and kind man like you. I am grateful to know that I will never need to point out the fragments of the collective ancestral psyche to you because you already observe them with such clarity.
I am deeply worried for our children. Though I am not a mother, I have several nephews and nieces, and I cannot look at their perfect, adorable faces without grieving the potential tragedy their lives could face if we fail to do everything within our power to create a safer world for them.
Blessings to you, my friend. May the Mother Goddess keep a watchful eye over you.
I agree with you about the coming generations Swarnali. There can be no good brought about by this rampant inequality and increasing power held in the hands of such a vacuous and morally defunct group as today's super-rich.
But for now I try to spread a little love in the places I can, amongst the people I can influence, And I try not to be frustrated by the burdensome concerns I have for the direction of our travel.
But anyway, thank you for such a generous and uplifting reply. I'll happily take Mother Goddesses watchful eye on the condition she keeps you in plain view too :)
I read your extraordinary piece, Swarnali, and I just had to subscribe (after coming across one of Kate 15th Century Feminist's restacks). As others have said, it is breathtaking. Thank you.
Two books came to mind as I read and re-read it – Burning Woman, by Lucy Pearce, and God is a Black Woman, by Christena Cleveland. The lines "She is a fierce mother, with a death snare for anything that threatens her sanctity. She is a caregiver, not a privileged, bejewelled goddess sitting in heaven. She has labored, covered in blood and sweat, birthing this universe as a whole" in your incredible poem/spell/incantation felt like you described this divine black feminine.
I am so looking forward to part 2!
I am so excited about your arrival Annette. I have come across your comments in many of my favourite stacks, including Kate’s. Thank you for sharing your attention and presence here.
I have definitely heard of God is a black woman but haven’t read it, I am adding both these books to my to-read list. What an extraordinary comment section full with recommendations! The divine black feminine reminds me of Kaali - the devouring mother archetype. I have yet another essay published a few months ago about her.
I am so stoker that you are here! Welcome 🤗
I greatly appreciated all of this, especially ending on such a powerful poem ❤️🔥 Thank you this.
I had no idea that so many marginalized women in India are murdered for witchcraft. Men who commit femicide will use any excuse and all of their excuses are all based in fantasy.
It’s a Euro-centric book, but have you read Caliban and The Witch by Silvia Federici? She’s an Italian historian in the U.S. and connects the European witch trials to capitalist accumulation. She talks about how women in medieval Europe were not allowed to make money after the commons were dissolved. It’s a chilling and brilliant book, and I think it connects to your mother’s observation that women really have no caste of their own.
Sarah, thank you so much for taking the time to read this essay. 💜
Witch branding and hunting is yet another horrific method of femicide in India. This country carries a history—and ongoing practices—of misogyny that would make your skin crawl. Did you know that marital rape is still protected by law here? There was some discussion about legislation to criminalize it a couple of years ago, but nothing substantial ever came of it.
The book you mentioned sounds wonderful, Sarah—I’m adding it to my to-read list. You’re absolutely right: the movement to bar women from earning a living was the beginning of a deliberate economic isolation, one that makes practices like witch branding and hunting all the more feasible. It’s critical that we remember these histories and retell them—again and again and again.
I did not know, but that is horrifying. And it’s exactly what the right wing in the U.S. would like to see happen here.
If you read Caliban… let me know what you think! I also just discovered Antonia Malchik’s work on the commons and am looking forward to learning more about how all this history is connected to our present crisis. Thanks so much for writing this piece and engaging with this conversation 🩵
I hate what is happening in America because it will echo in the rest of the world more adverse events and more shrinkage of women’s bodily autonomy. It’s all so crooked and heartbreaking.
I surely shall look forward to discuss with you Sarah! Also if you are new to Antonia’s work please keep an eye on her newsletter. I have never met a more informed person on the subject of the commons than her. She also writes about walking and everything related to nuanced topics related to colonial history, and land theft and how trespassing is like reclaiming the wild. Nia is simply the best when it comes to subjects of land and our relationship to it.
I am grateful to you for showering me with attention and this thoughtful conversation. Thank you Sarah. It is such a pleasure to have you here.
Horrifying indeed!
Sylvia Federici is indeed a very wise woman. She points put that many of those women branded as "witches", at least those in medieval and early modern Europe (and probably universally as well), were in fact REVOLUTIONARIES to one degree or another. And the gynocidal Burning Times was in fact a patriarchal counterrevolution, which (combined with the enclosures of the commons) ultimately paved the way for the patriarchy's favorite brainchild of all, capitalism. And as I like to say, the only difference between capitalism and cannibalism is the spelling.
I love this take. The connection between all these mechanisms of oppression is ultimately not coincidental. We need to remember where we come from and what went wrong in order to go in the right direction. This is the only way forward if any.
Very true indeed, thanks.
That poem is everything. Thank you.
Thank you Julie for visiting 💜
Thank you for offering us this historical and cultural record of patriarchal domination and oppression, Swarnali. It's striking to me that this is such a universal phenomenon, at least at this point in history. I learned a lot reading this essay and look forward to the second part.
I do wonder if one of the pivot points that shifts a people/culture from matriarchal to patriarchal is drifting away from a relationship with the land -- something that may happen on its own but more frequently is forced through colonization. Perhaps an over generalization, but it seems most land-based peoples honor the Earth Mother and the divine feminine. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on this.
Also are you familiar with Marija Gimbutas? It's been a long time since I've read her but she was a Lithuanian archaeologist who studied goddess- and woman-centered cultures in Neolithic Europe. Her last book was "The Civilization of the Goddess" (1991).
Maia, thank you for investing your time in this conversation—it’s clear how deeply you’ve thought about these themes, and your insights are truly moving. Your observation about the lost connection to the land being a direct consequence of colonial invasion and patriarchy is so on point. It feels as though these twin forces didn’t just disrupt ecosystems but also dismantled the spiritual and cultural bridges that once bound people to the earth. How many civilizations, I wonder, have vanished beneath this tide of disconnection, their wisdom buried under the sands of time?
I’m particularly struck by the thread you drew to feminine wisdom. I’ve often thought that ancient, land-rooted societies weren’t built on the premise of women ruling but rather on a profound egalitarianism—one that deeply respected the feminine as an essential, balancing force. These were communities where wisdom wasn’t confined to gender but flowed freely, like rivers nourishing the land, shaping a way of life that was both resilient and harmonious. It’s a vision that feels so distant now, yet so essential to rediscover.
Thank you, too, for the book recommendation and introducing me to the writer’s work. Somehow, this had escaped my radar, but now I can’t wait to dive into it. I’m adding it to my ever-growing reading list, and I’m sure it will deepen my understanding of these themes even further.
Marija Gimbutas was another very wise woman, a true genius indeed. She was a major influence on figures like Riane Eisler, as well as the legendary Guru Rasa Von Werder and William Bond too.
New subscriber here. Loved this
Thank you for your attention. Welcome here 💜
This is the energy I have always belonged to. We are everywhere, all over the world, the flame is burning.
Welcome home, sister 💜
Amen