Hunting Witches & Casting Spells

Bette Midler screamed, “I put a spell on you, and now you’re mine!”

As one of the three Sanderson Sisters executed for witchcraft in Salem 300 years earlier, Bette and her sisters are hell-bent on revenge and everlasting life.

While Hocus Pocus beguiled audiences with the talents of Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, the film takes a solemn truth from the history: thousands of women were executed for witchcraft between the 15th and 18th centuries in Europe and America.

This week, WomanScape wraps up our month-long history of fallen women by taking a final look at women who fell victim to science as healers and curious minds. An educated woman was dangerous and threatened social and political systems.

WS Feature: Mary the Jewess and Women of Science

Mary the Jewess is thought to be the first alchemist who lived sometime between the 1st and the 3rd centuries. As WS writer Yara Zgheib aptly shares in her “Double Toil and Trouble: Women in Science” feature this Wednesday, Mary’s work was seen as unnatural. Mary was an outcast, like the earliest women of science who were called witches for their healing recipes.

Yet, beneath the bubbling surface of their potions, these women played a crucial role in the advancement of science. Barred from traditional medical practice, women worked their way through the centuries of discrimination contributing to the body of science in the only way they could – on the fringes.

As we look to the tricks and treats of All Hallows Eve and the old tradition of dressing in costume to ward off ghosts and evil spirits, it’s fitting to celebrate the irrefutable contributions of women in science and history.

Monday’s WS Art card blends a modern quote about witches with an 18th century portrait of Emilie du Châtelet.

Friday’s video features the unbelievable healing of one woman, whose horrific tale is the stuff of miracles. While she is not a healer in the scientific sense, she shares her experience and wisdom for healing others.

WS Reel Talk and WS Magazine

WomanScape heads to SOFA so look for some fun WS Reel Talk interviews and stories around women in the arts. You may want to visit this unique art show, the largest in North America. We’ll be there to discover some of the most interesting stories and change-makers building discussion around meaningful truths about the world and our relationship to it.

And speaking of ART – it’s days away!! Look for WS Magazine’s Special Edition, ArtScape which debuts Sunday, November 3rd. We feature eight female artists from different regions of the world whose art shares beauty and truth.

I will be headed to China next week in the wake of one of the most heartfelt nights as a inspirational speaker for We Working Women. The Gala event brought 400 hardworking women and men in support of Chinese women from around the world. My sincere thanks and congratulations to its founders, Hua Yu and Sherry Zhang, for an incredible experience.

My sincere thanks to the company’s founders Sherry Zhang and Hua Yu, as I set out on a two-week journey to Beijing, Shanghai, Hanzhou and Hong Kong. I’ll travel on a special Canada-China Business to explore ways to create cross-cultural support for women in businesses. I’ll also hope to share stories from inside China about some of Ching Tien’s mentorship program, Educating Girls in Rural China.

Have a great week ahead, and shine your light with the world. It matters as much as you do.

See you on WomanScape! Ever-inspired,

Rose & the WomanScape Team