This is my piece for the Medicine Spoon Memorial... a memorial to remember all those persecuted as witches.
I turned my spoon into the inner Goddess of 'Mother' Benfield (incensed that her first name is no longer remembered, just 'Mother'... with other women referred to as 'Goodwife'!). The red thread representing the connection to the Divine Feminine and between all women.
When I found out about the memorial all the Scottish names were already allocated. I knew that when the English names were released, I wanted to take part. I messaged Caren Thompson, the creator of the memorial and asked for a 'Pendle witch'... having grown up in the shadow of Pendle Hill... feeling these women were somehow tied to me... having seen their family surnames in my family tree... knowing my birthday, 20 August, was the date the 'Pendle witches' were hanged in Lancaster... which I discovered at age 8 when I chose to do a school project on them.
Towards the end of my ministry training I wrote a healing ceremony to heal my female line... it was in two parts... at the full moon and new moon... and set on Pendle Hill. Included 44 women... returning me to my wisdom and power which I felt that centuries of persecution of women had ripped from my line.
In the medicine spoon allocation I didn't receive a Pendle Witch... those names I later found out weren't allocated... the creator of the memorial, Caren, also having a strong tie to those women... having also lived under the shadow of Pendle Hill as a child... not 7 miles from me! Her pieces honouring those women are in the comments below...
Mother Benfield was from Lawford, one of the 'Manningtree Witches', perhaps the one of the first accused of witchcraft by the self-proclaimed 'Witchfinder General' (whose name I'm not including so as not to honour his actions), hanged in Chelmsford in 1645 with several others.
This piece I sewed to honour her... to honour all her wisdom and her power... to honour all the gifts she brought to the world... to honour her healing... to honour her magic... to honour the Goddess in her... to honour her courage in the face of persecution and the patriarchy.
'Mother' Benfield... we remember. May your line be healed
I think all the English names are now allocated, although there may be a chance to have one if some aren't received back... see the link to the memorial below and look out for the Welsh or Irish names being released next... ♡
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