Soap Witch Craefting

Soap Witch Craefting

In the midst of diving into what interests me now - what happened to all the soap witches - I'm reading interesting books.  My questions are, "why is soap making so alluring?" And, "what happened to old or ancient soap recipes?" It seems there should be more recipes than what I've found. I did discover that some peasants in medieval time - or more accurately those who lived rurally - used wood ash and water to wash their hands. I find this a natural conclusion to their environments. If this makes sense, wouldn't it make sense to make something more sustainable? 
My search goes on.

 

"The oldest ‘soaps’ were also used for ritualistic purposes by Sumerian priests when they purified themselves before sacred rites." The Short History of Soap

 

Past

In 1604 a law was passed by Parliament, "An Act against Conjuration, Witchcrafte and dealing with evil and wicked Spirits". - The American Witches by Susan Fair.  

This seems so against anyone with a slightly logical mind and life perspective. Who would want a "wicked spirit" over-seeing one's creations, and in our case, soap? I might conjure a fairy for a brief visit, as they can be prone to mischief, but a wicked spirit? Why? 

"The American Witches" by Susan Fair, which has a fun tongue-in-cheek point of view on a very serious point in a 700 year period of madness, I have to wonder at the agenda of those who executed accused witches. Make no mistake, it was 700 years of executions: poor widowers, odd women, women accusing women, men who had advances thwarted... The reasons are endless for the finger pointing, but all leads to weak people pointing out those who don't do as the accuser wanted. 

Tainted

This has put such a taint on those who conjure and now most won't come out of the shadows. I'm okay with that. As all knowledge shouldn't be shared for the uninitiated. One must prepare the land for an ideal harvest. Throwing seeds on an ill-prepared land will produce practically nothing. Those who actually craeft, (I like this old way of spelling) might be called witches, those who connect this world to another world, pointing out the mystical and magical, the seemingly unexplainable. Throughout history, we need these other-worldly people, shaman, priestesses, those who guide, instruct and pull ideas from the ethers.

We all must be reminded there is more than what we see and what we can explain, without being controlled for this act of service. This is the offering, as I see it, from those meant to connect this world to another. 

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1 comment

People then, as they still do today, would conjure up wicked spirits to have power over others and/or to control what they could not. Then the others would conjure more wicked spirits to deal with the first wicked spirits. And thus it goes, beyond time unknown. Power and control.

Susan

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