No, not really. But I do have a few stories concerning my accounts with the supernatural. Allow me to share one of them with you. (Ask me if you would like to hear more... I'd love to share!)
When I was in Salem, my cousin and I thought it would be fun to run around some of the old graveyards at night (By the way, I wouldn't recommend this unless you're with someone; there are SO many creepsters that hang out in cemeteries at night). It just so happens that the graveyard we decided to visit that night was the field where Giles Corey was pressed. While we were exploring, I felt like someone was behind me. I turned around expecting to see my cousin trying to scare me, but instead saw an orb. (F.Y.I. An orb is a white glowing sphere that is supposedly what appears before a spirit manifests itself.) I stared at it for about three seconds, and then it slowly faded away into the darkness. Much to my chagrin, I was not fortunate enough to see the ghost of Giles Corey, who is said to appear in that field now and then. (However, seeing his ghost is suppose to be a bad omen. The last time it was spotted was in the late 1990s by a ghost tour group. The next day a boy from the local high school killed himself.)
When I think of modern "witch hunt", the first thing that comes to mind is the McCarthy communist raids. Kudos to Arthur Miller for making that connection and putting his thoughts into the form of an utterly delightful play. Mmm... John Proctor...
I've actually had the misfortune of experiencing something similar to a witch hunt. When I was in high school, one of my teachers got wind that someone was selling typed sets of the lecture notes. Everyone was brought to her office and forced to show her their notes so she could review the them to see 1) if they were typed, and 2) if they matched the ones being sold. If the slightest phrase or sentence was even remotely similar to the contraband copy, she became suspicious. Lucky for me, I hand wrote my notes, but my friend typed hers. She was subsequently accused of cheating (erroneously I might add) and a portion of her semester grade was deducted as a result. I told my friend, who is of outstanding moral fiber, that she was the Rebecca Nurse of her time. She told me to shut and and quit being such a history nerd.
As far as a contemporary concept of evil is concerned, I think people often associate "evil" with what doesn't fit or match their concept of what something is... like any sort of modern day religious fanatic, for example. Like the Puritans, they see things in binaries; there's no room for error--no middle ground--only good and bad, right and wrong, saint (Elect) or witch.
2 comments:
Hi Emily,
Great post, which I enjoyed reading. I don't think I have had any obvious supernatural experiences. No ghosts or goblins, though I have been terrified at times at the possibility of such spirits. I'd love to hear more of your encounters.
I know there are a lot of people who are convinced that they are witches, and even vampires and werewolves. But that's a little different. Something to do with self-perception.
What you described seems to be a good example of a witch hunt. Someone in power using accusations to persecute the less powerful.
Great picture!
Best,
Dan W.
Wonderful picture, by the way.
Wow! Your post was so fun to read. And when your friend told you to "shut up," it reminded me of the line in The Crucible that says "shut it, Mary Warren!" Go dance with the devil, Goody Cody! There are some total Crucible/Crustable moments throughout this blog.
I'm so intrigued by the orb! How crazy is that? I'm curious, was it indeed a bad omen? Did it make noise? Once upon a time, my best friend in 4th grade and I tried to bring back the ghost of George Washington in a vacuum closet whilst holding a seance. we had no luck. did you ever do anything like that as a kid? i know you're into all your history delight, but were you ever remotely interested in any of the supernatural facets of the Salem Witch Trials? Do you have anymore ghost stories? I'd love to hear more!
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