Phenomena of the Outcasted
considering witches, mystics, healers and occultists
FEB 19, 2025
The Great Mother is here to nourish, protect and guide us. Our history has reflected this archetype to be held highly for its connection to God. Because we tend to worship things we cannot understand, sometimes these figures are upheld to deity status or demigod-like roles and figures in society. Other times, they are ridiculed and horribly misunderstood. As we survey accounts from healers, mystics, occultists and witches, we find that humanity as a whole has struggled to accept these figures outright. The sacred feminine’s primary goal in existence is not necessarily to challenge the norm, although these figures often do; it is to generate evolution right from the roots, where healing and change needs to happen. This of course, is not an easy endeavor, but necessary nonetheless.
What is the Sacred Feminine? I have considered this question at length throughout my personal studies, in which it remains my top priority to continue to uphold in importance so that it is not lost to modernity. The sacred aspects of life have been slowly dwindling down to nothingness, where it often holds no meaning, where it often finds itself in sly gimmicks of pretended occult knowledge or practice. The sacred feminine is an embodiment of one’s own femininity, a connection to the divine. This is not about feminism, this is not a political movement, it is a core of our beings, and it is something that any person may choose to embody or remember. I have written in some length about why feminism sucks, and plan to further evaluate this claim in future writings. I have also evaluated some ideas concerning menstruation as it pertains to the sacred feminine body.
Why is remembering the sacred feminine an important aspect of society? It seems we have forgotten the importance of keeping certain things sacred, and it grows pressingly more important as we continue to move into the future. Where we have disregarded our Earth Mother as just a place of inhabitance, she actually holds sacred bounds for life and the true meaning of life, what it means to truly exist. She holds each of us dearly as we cling to existence. She upholds those that appreciate this essential core, and those that remember the truth of why we are here; why we must be here. These wounds are deep, but this does not mean we cannot heal them.
There have been many orders of mysticism throughout history. One of the most prominent in today’s hyper-modern and capitalistic world is that of Christianity with its 2.4 billion members (2023). Sadly, this agenda has notably outcasted those who are not fit for the traditional box, despite its roots in mysticism and the occult. Worshipping Christ and God is an important good, but the cult that stands behind this veil, using the specific rituals, celebrations, the ceremonial magic in general, just to support their own personal agendas, draws a line between what it means to truly be a follower of God and a self-righteous consumer. Despite the urgency of Jesus and his anti-religious rhetoric, these perversions of scripture, where rules of true spirituality are often bent, have accounted for more violence and separation; the irony stands within the man who lived and died for true unity, for Christ Consciousness. (I understand this was originally tended towards paganistic rituals and ceremonial dark magic because during the days Jesus walked this earth, this was a violent and pressing issue). I hate to criticize people who don’t know any better, but the truth within this ignorance is frightening. I do not believe it was Jesus’s wish to be worshipped in the way he is now. He stood as a figure to walk with, to become, and as some effectively do: finding Christ Consciousness. Those who still choose to fall at the knees to the idea of a savior also neglect to face their true selves, their shadow-self and the idea that they can be in harmony with this way of life. They are starving themselves of a true spiritual path. However, it might look different now, as we no longer live in the year 6BC.
One can find versions of The Bible essentially where. People hand them out for free, they’re cheap as dirt at any thrift store, your mom probably has one somewhere, your father might keep one in his car. You can find fancy ones online, sac-religious ones in darker places, and really old ones that cost more than your car. These scriptures tell wonders of the works of Christ and the prophetic dreams and lives of his followers. The Bible tells stories that are meant to imbue our lives with magic, as ‘the kingdom of God [or heaven] is within you,’ (Luke 17:21). These encoded words are nothing but pure divine creation, the echoes of our God. However, it must also be noted that these words have been used as a large-scale propaganda for supporting the aforementioned capitalistic agenda through various fronts. At its core, it is pure and the truth to its magical ability is endless, as it is also proven in the same way: so many people are a part of it. Further, the followers of Christ are missing an essential part of this work: that which is the sacred feminine. The parts of this scripture that should be included in its publishings today have been ripped out by the powers-that-be who seek to support their time-old structures of propaganda and systemic control. This is a horrid abuse of power and it needs to be faced with love, dignity and truth. The essence of Christian Mysticism holds true to its own endeavors and motives, but it has been used against us.
Society has often idealized figures like the Virgin Mary. She is an important figure in the story, of course, but the dissemination of her figure as a pure woman, a virgin woman nonetheless, is a distorted image. We have overlooked people like Mary Magdalene, who was a real follower of Jesus and essentially one of his apostles. She was present at the time of the crucifixion and was the first person to see the resurrection. The decision to celebrate her evangelist figure as one of the disciples was made in 2016, according to the Vatican:
‘The decision is situated in the current ecclesial context, which calls upon us to reflect more deeply on the dignity of women, the new evangelisation and the greatness of the mystery of divine mercy. It was St. John Paul II who dedicated great attention not only to the importance of women in the very mission of Christ and the Church, but also, and with special emphasis, to the peculiar function of St. Mary Magdalene as the first witness of the Risen Christ and the first messenger who announced to the apostles the resurrection of the Lord. This importance remains in today's Church – as shown by the current commitment to a new evangelisation – which seeks to welcome, without distinction, men and women of any race, people, language and nation, to proclaim to them the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to accompany them on their earthly pilgrimage and to offer them the wonders of God's salvation. St. Mary Magdalene is an example of true and authentic evangelisation,’
It is devastating that these women had to wait centuries to be accounted for, but at least this is progress. It has been noted by various people and journalists that Mary Magdalene's story was repressed because it was often seen as dangerously close to the view of the Gnostics, a heretical sect of Christianity that flourished in the second and third centuries. Gnosticism is a different story, as it pertains to the rise of Christianity, but we have thenceforth failed to recognize Mary Magdalene as a mystic herself. The feminine role she played in this story was vital, and untimely ripped out because some of the men who maintain control in the lineage of this structured religious pursuit didn’t want her to stand for inappropriate ideals.
Persecution against powerful feminine figures is historically a common threat against puritan structures. Witch hunts and trials have been included in this long debate concerning the respect of femininity and most notably the sacred feminine. The ignorance of the feminine body and mankind’s misunderstanding of such sacredness is appalling. It has been a prevalent occurrence among men and especially those with great power, that if you are a woman, you are either pure and virtuous or a sinful whore. During the late 15th century, when the famous witch hunts began, and then lasted for upwards of 300 very long and painful years, around 90,000 humans were persecuted and over half were killed, most of whom being women. This included elderly women, widows, poor women, those who had bastards, promiscuous women, anything that was even slightly suspicious of a woman being any kind of independant and powerful. There is a collection of writings called Malleus Maleficarum often translated as the Hammer of Witches, written by a German Catholic clergyman, Heinrich Kramer, originally published in 1486. Famously he had written:
And so in this twilight and evening of the world, when sin is flourishing on every side and in every place, when charity is growing cold, the evil of witches and their iniquities superabound. But devils are subservient to certain influences of the stars, because magicians observe the course of certain stars in order to evoke the devils. Whoever believes that any creature can be changed for the better or the worse, or transformed into another kind or likeness, except by the Creator of all things, is worse than a pagan and a heretic. And so when they report such things are done by witches it is not Catholic, but plainly heretical, to maintain this opinion.
This book is full of odd words and remarks, most of which may have been written with good intent, but most likely out of fear. Sadly, these kinds of men, those who prided and still pride themselves as mighty for their connection to a godly or divine source of worship, separate themselves between those whom they do not and refuse to understand. These priests and shamans keep themselves locked into sacred spaces. Sure, there are those who take vows of poverty and worship, to walk the streets with those less fortunate, but I believe this continues to draw a line between the rich and the poor. This does not support true unity, this only strengthens the divide. True servants of love serve their lives to bring these sides together, whether it be between the poor at the rich, the ignorant and intelligent, the loving and the fearing, the feminine and the masculine. Only by bringing these forces together, will we be able to walk in a world where there is no evil. Maybe this is ignorant of myself to believe we can completely eradicate our lowly carnal desires, but I do believe this is a point in the future that we are destined to walk towards. Whether it be now or in a few millennia, after a few more global floods.
This notion of outsider phenomena is not unique to witches, even though these characteristics represent this type of feminine mysticism and rebellion against unfair practices; they frequently rise to the occasion, and rightfully so. Some hardcore Christians would disagree with me on this note, but God accepts all people, despite their color, their background, their gender, their whatever, because ‘one who knows oneself, knows God,’ (St. Anthony the Great). Simply put, if you find it within yourself to get to know yourself, the way your heart moves, speaks and breathes, it will be that much easier for you to connect with the God spirit. The Witch archetype is often seen as an outsider who wields knowledge and a strength of independent lifestyle that society is often not ready to accept. This archetype overlaps with the dark side of the Mother or the Great Mother archetype, essentially standing for the repressed maternal feminine energy or wisdom that the collective unconscious or subconscious tends to fear and refuses to understand. Our society is severely constrained when we fail to comprehend women and the feminine body in general. Women who are connected to the sacred feminine, those who are in tune with their wild side, these earthy and primal states of being, and that of the deeper spiritual and powerful connection of nature have been subsequently pushed out of sight. In the ages of medieval action and thought, this was taken more literally as history remains to have tortured and burned those who were abnormal. In the present tense, these archetypes might still find themselves locked out of places where they are misunderstood. Often, these figures are desperately needed where they do not belong for the sake of challenging fears and norms, where the shadow self needs to be present, where evolution needs to take place, where we are afraid of this.
Feminine sexuality and autonomy is a powerful and potent source of inspiration and divine connection. Women who are seen as practitioners of magic or witchcraft are often those who stay connected to their independence, their strength, their resilience, to nature. Often, these predispositions are attributed to cultural upheaval and confusion, instability, weak executive functioning, and religious conflict. We frequently encounter the overwhelming power of ignorance, denial and stubbornness in situations where people are prone to change. Cultural growth in this way is met with violence and scrutiny, it is not easily transitioned from one period to the next. For example, the Renaissance period fruitfully remembered the sacred feminine; most notably with the many visions and paintings of the Virgin Mary or the mythological Venus. There were few female artists and patrons to this movement, as the traditional housewife status was still required, but the appreciation for the sacred feminine was still, at least, somewhat present in society. Moving away from medieval ways of being and into modernity was a very important achievement for humanity, but it took the fall of the Roman empire to do so.
Moreover, the Renaissance period was not all that beautiful. This cultural and artistic rebirth in society also gave way for the large-scale witch hunts and trials that we are all familiar with today. Although some trials may have taken place before the Renaissance, most of the brutalities remained within it. The start of modernity in Europe and the New World began in death, divide and scrutiny and it has followed us to the present. The clashing beliefs between the traditional and the emerging intellectual may have been a founding platform for such violence. The witch trials of Salem: a series of trials and executions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693, are infamous for the hysteria that surrounded them and the injustice of accusations, with over 200 people being accused of witchcraft. Bridget Bishop was the first woman to be executed and hanged, along with 18 others. Giles Corey, pressed to death with stones for refusing to recognize the court’s authority, was an English-born farmer who was accused of witchcraft along with his wife Martha. Corey was one of six men to die. There were around thirty deaths in total. Sadly, none of those who died were practitioners of witchcraft, as was the likely case for those who died in the trials by fire overseas. The hysteria that overtook masses of people based upon presumption and fear is one of the very significant periods in history where we have decidedly misunderstood the entirety of the sacred feminine. Women who were burned, hanged, tortured and executed for having a sense of sexuality, independence or power, might have been defying their social norms, but were probably not consorting with the devil. There will always be challenges when new ideas are met with mainstream culture and humanity; despite our primitive natures, there is a way to tame this beast that seeks to rule out insides, that of our ego. There is a way to preserve kindness and love. A woman is powerful when she finds her sacred femininity, but she is not a thing to be feared, nor is she a violent creature.
Delusion of the unity that is destined for man and woman, of the sacred feminine and masculine, of all who walk our Earth, has become our doom more times that I can count. There exists this hyper-masculine type of consciousness that does not allow for true unity, and it certainly is not within the energy of a divine masculine. Where that would look like a figure who is in tune with one’s intuition, emotional body and spiritual body, being able to divulge in their interests without shame or judgment, no matter the public perception. This figure knows what it means to be strong and capable, but also that there is strength in vulnerability, and that the body is a temple. At the other end, the hyper-masculine does not propose men to be vulnerable or have any sort of emotion at all, it deems them weak for doing so. Little boys are often raised upon this ideology and it is detrimental to their personal beings and their autonomy as it is for the rest of society. It only furthers this doomful divide.
When there is no room for freedom of expression, when there is no balance, these sides become distorted and toxic and ultimately, people die. Great power is a force to be wielded only by those who have felt immense weakness, or at least know how to be vulnerable. When power is taken over and the ego or primal nature of a person no longer cares for this sacred balance, things get out of control. Where this autonomy is suppressed among those who seek to be free, it finds a way to manifest. This is not something that disappears just because someone wants to control it or wills it so.
The fight for autonomy has been a recurrent theme throughout historical society, the common folk or the common citizen in any given society (and especially in America) have fought for independence many times over. America is essentially the place to be if one wants to be independent, but does this not feel distorted? as we have fought for freedom, often to quite violent ends, all the same, we do not know our own autonomy. Oppressive governments have long felt the need to control artists, creatives, those who evoke the divinity of experience, those that are the representation of the witch archetype, deeming most of these as the outcast. Although, there is a resurgence of acceptance towards creatives within our digital age, as it is simply easier to connect, generate a voice, and make a name for oneself. This is a very new thing for humanity. Still, our society has kept these archetypes out of places where they are most important. Artists should be in places where there are politics or business, these healer and mystic archetypes should be healing the sick, they should also be in places of politics or government or business. These people know their own intuition like the backs of their own hands. So why aren’t they? Instead, we have created specific pockets just for these specific descriptions of personality, and people effectively do what they are told, they follow line and don’t ask questions; there is no intermingling, there is no unity, and there is no freedom of movement. There is no autonomy. And these archetypes are again: outcast. There is no blame to be had unless it is towards an evil hierarchy, but there is responsibility for each of us to heal, to find this sacred unity again, before it is lost forever.
The Great Mother is the primordial feminine energy. She represents the full spectrum of feminine experience. As noted, the witch archetype is often seen as a negative aspect of this broader, more complex, concept. However, I believe she is simply meant to represent this shadow self and the need to realize these darker, more primal emotions and states of being. If we are to just ignore them, we are then ignorant of our true being. One cannot be completely light or dark, there is no one without the other, they intermingle together: thus creating this realm of wonder, pure existence. I do not believe one is able to achieve or amount to this Great Mother archetype without first being the witch, without first learning all the parts of herself. The Mother, The Mystic, The Healer, The Maiden, The Mistress, The Priestess, these are all different variants that fall under-shadow of The Great Mother. To engage with the archetype is often like branding the shadow self: not to become it or to become controlled by it, but to learn from it, allow it to teach you, play with it, find its connections to yourself through nature, spirituality, and the occulted parts of your own consciousness. This requires deep introspection, self-awareness, clarity, intention, learning the layers of your own history and humanity’s history at large. It is important to learn about each archetype’s psychological layers and the symbolism that follows. Without the depth that is necessary here, things become dangers. This is where we fall to perversion, where the importance of ceremonial tradition is casted aside, where we create divide and conquer those whom we don’t agree with, where we have created systems that thrive off the backs of others. It is dangerous to play with magic if you do not first know what is within its core or yours. Where do your intentions lie? How will you stand strong in your sacredness to not only help yourself, but also your community?
The legacy of the outsider is not a new phenomenon, and I beg the question: do these archetypes willinging stay in the shadows? or have we forced them there? It seems these archetypes simply know how to thrive in darkness, but that does not mean they are meant to stay there. Maybe it is time we bring them to light.
Blumberg, Jess. “A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials | Smithsonian.” Smithsonian Magazine , 23 Oct. 2007, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/.
Christman, John. “Autonomy in Moral and Political Philosophy.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 29 June 2020, plato.stanford.edu/entries/autonomy-moral/.
“Mary Magdalene, Apostle of the Apostles.” Holy See Press Office , press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2016/06/10/160610c.html. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
