The concept of a ‘witch' and the word itself have evolved significantly over time, influenced by cultural, religious, and social changes. Initially, the term was neutral and could refer to both male and female practitioners of magic, but over time, it became more closely associated with women and often carried negative connotations, especially during periods of witch hunts and trials. These trials lead to the persecution of hundreds of thousands of healers and loss of valuable herbal lore and knowledge.
Today, we are experiencing a renaissance of herbal medicine. A new wave of herbalists reconnecting with the plants, the seasons, the elements and their intuition, to bring healing to their community,
Pursuit of Magic is an ongoing project that takes me down the rabbit hole of American herbalism.
We read our kids fairy tales, let them watch TV shows set in fantasy realms, and introduce them to talking animals, superheroes, and princesses with endless powers. A few years later, we tell them that magic doesn’t exist and that science is the only way to explain anything. The mystical is replaced with the rational.
