From Burning Times to Sacred Fire

I study what I can find about my heritage, European descent, English, French, Pictish. I study from our herstorians digging back through history to find our herstories, documenting what many of us have had only tiny glimpses of, communities throughout time when women were respected leaders. Evidence of times of peace. I continue to study the work of Max Dashu, learning and keeping known the extensive information that documents the violence toward women that has happened throughout time, while keeping known times and places in which there was no rape, no violence - times of peaceful communities. Times of women respected as leaders. I consider myself very lucky to be living at a point in time in which a number of herstorians have been dedicating their lives to finding and uncovering the herstory of women throughout centuries, documenting and publishing what they have found so that we can know. They make their work available despite facing attacks intended to discredit and silence them.

Many of us have questioned why we are only given stories of men and war. Why we are given history with very limited information about women forced to live in violence in so many forms. We live with money systems controlled by men who demand the unquestionable right of men to rule, passed on generation to generation. We live through war and destruction of our planet. We learn from our herstorians who bring very different information, proof of different times in which women were and are respected, in which people lived and live peacefully with each other, these scholars mocked and accused of telling fairytales.

I look at our world today with this horror continuing all these years, torture and murder by men individually and in gangs, despite promises made publicly more than half a century ago that violence against women and girls would end. 

Each year as Halloween approaches, many cultures honour their ancestors. I remember my foremothers who were burned as witches. Medicine women. Spiritual leaders. Healers. I study deeply as our herstorians send out their latest research, keeping known the times and places in which circles of women were and are respected and honoured. 

The word herstorian has been used since the 1970’s, the studying of so much that has been hidden from us, kept safe and known now through our stories. I honour the women I have learned about and learned from who are now ancestresses. I take time to feel my deep gratitude for the circles of women who are respected leaders, known through our written words or when we have good fortune, meeting in person, able to be in this circle together now, having found each other. I celebrate the work women are doing everywhere, bringing love, healing, happiness, hope. Within World Pulse is the beautiful and critical sharing of information and finding ways to work together. World Pulse has become the precious home of thousands of healers, all of us knowing that we were born to do this, celebrating that we are able to be in touch with each other now.

On Halloween I honour my ancestresses burned as witches. I celebrate that I live in a time in which I can be working within a global sisterhood, and that our circle is increasingly respected by all gentle people. I celebrate by touching a tree, feeling us connected so deeply through the trees, celebrating that we are working together, our herstories kept safe in this gigantic global library of World Pulse, kept able to be found and known.

On Halloween I challenge the stealing of our sacred day, a day for children to play as spirits of their imagination for an evening, and be given treats from neighbours. I challenge the ridiculing of old women and the demonization of our ability to create healing, having done healing work for a long time. I celebrate my ancestresses and our circles filled with determined grassroots activists working to end all of the violence, to restore our customs, to bring peace to this world. I dive deep, feeling and celebrating the beauty of what we have now, working together in gentleness and fierce determination globally for our beloved planet, for each other and for ourselves.