The witch wound has taught us over time not to be who we are – or we might be condemned. We might be invalidated. We might be disempowered simply for speaking up. In this week’s Expedition to Soul podcast, Sisters Enchanted Founder and Director, Sara Walka reflects on ‘the witch wound’ what it is, what is isn’t, and how we can begin to heal it for ourselves and for the world
What Is the Witch Wound?
When we think about what we mean by the ‘witch wound’ many people automatically think about historical events like the Salem Witch Trials, when people were executed and burned at the stake for being witches, right. Of course, there are many people today who are ancestors of these folks and so carry that specific ancestral wound.
But is this a witch wound?
Well, not really. This is, in fact, a very common ‘witch wound myth’ because, most of those who were accused of witchcraft through history were not, in fact, witches at all, certainly not in the way we view the word and idea of witchcraft and witches in today’s society.
By and large, these folks may have been women who were unmarried, who maybe could not get pregnant, who perhaps, gave birth to child after child who was not as expected or typical for the time. They may have been single women with their own means and money, healers, people who didn’t go to church. All sorts of different folks who were often just pinned for being different.
So, the wound we really inherit from these folk is more the wound of being afraid to speak up, being afraid to be different, being afraid to go against the grain, do something different, being afraid to speak your piece, speak your mind, or speak out against authority. All of that comes, generationally, mainly through women, through all time, all ages, from mother to daughter, to mother to daughter, and on, and on. And the wound continues. Sure, in 2022 for those of us who are younger than 40 or so, we may think things have shifted but this fear is still present in so many places in the world, including areas within the United States.
The ’Invalidation Wound’
One thing all these women who were accused and executed for being witches have in common were that they were invalidated. They were not trusted, and they were condemned for being who they were and given the association with the witch archetype, an archetype highly feared in the societies they lived in. This is a real wound too that impacts us today. It has taught us over time not to be who we are – or we might be condemned. We might be invalidated. We might be disempowered simply for speaking up.
Healing the Witch Wound
Healing the witch wound is about reclaiming who you are. This involves understanding generational wounding so you can forgive everyone who may have passed their witch wound onto you. Understanding how your mother was wounded, and her mother was wounded, and her mother was wounded, and as far back as you can go, and healing those stories by acknowledging them for what they are just as stories. Some other examples of this are our relationship to school, to society, to sisters, to other women, to mothers. These are all other forms of the witch wound. So, when we hear the term ‘witch wound’ we have to remember we can also have the ‘sister wound’, the ‘societal wound’, the ‘school wound’ and so many other associated wounds. These wounds show themselves and are perpetuated in experiences of putting each other down, disempowering each other, knocking each other off a pedestal. While we don’t have witches being burned in the last 100 years in our society, we certainly do have women experiencing the witch wound in many ways. It’s in our collective consciousness. The witch wound is the collective experience of what it meant to be a woman who was different.
Healing these wounds is an ongoing process. We can do it through shadow work and energy work.
Healing the witch wound is a big ask because our whole world is built around the idea that there is a right way to do things and there’s a wrong way to do things, that there’s an acceptable way and an unacceptable way. There’s a societal standard. And taking that down and living differently, it’s uncomfortable. But you can start healing your witch wound today, simply by seeing how it plays out in your life. Where are you taming your light because you’re afraid to let it shine? Or because somebody has told you, “It’s too bright, it’s too hot. You shouldn’t do that. You need to be quiet. You need to sit more. You don’t know how to do that so you shouldn’t try.” Where is that showing up for you? And start acknowledging it.
You can begin to heal your witch wound right now by declaring,
“Today, I will be myself! And it does not matter who tries to throw water on my flame. I am me. And that is that.”
Join the Discussion
In the meantime, we’d love to hear about your thoughts, feelings and experiences of this wound. Shoot us an email to magic@thesistersenchanted.com. Is this the first you’ve heard of this? Have you ever thought about the other wounds? Have you heard of the witch wound, but maybe not thought about the school wound, or the sister wound, the mother wound, or the societal wound? Let us know. It’s an important topic and a misunderstood one. We are looking forward to carrying on this conversation in later days too, because it’s life changing once you see these wounds you’re carrying and how they’re being held generationally and in the collective consciousness of all of us as well.
Join our class
In a couple weeks we are opening a special opportunity for a class on this topic of the ‘witch wound.’ It’s a self-paced class and super affordable so keep your eyes out for that or keep your eyes on your email for that announcement.
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