| Although anyone may cast a spell and, historically, people from all walks of life have been accused of witchcraft, certain professions have, over the centuries, been suspect or have accured a magickal reputation. Belonging to any of them bestowed an aura of mystery and power, although sometimes, depending on mainstream social orientation, that aura was concidered sinister. |
| In general, those practicing the "magical" professions were simply skilled people: not just anyone could operate a mill or create fine swords. These professions were also renowned for maintaining professional secrets. However, they were not obscure professions, but somewhat common-place. Necessary, everyday and even superficially mundane, particularly in agricultural societies: no bread existed without a miller, and no tools existed without a smith. |
| With the exception of coachmen (often associated with death rather than life and birth), professions such as milling, masonry, and smithing were concidered to "trasform the grains of Mother Earth's body into new, and often sacred forms". Another thing to keep in mind is that, two of such professions, Fortunetelling and Midwifery, were predominantly Female, and both were intensly identified with witchcraft during the "Burning Times". Both professions were subsequently decimated and even retained their disreputable air after the craze had passed. The others however, were predominantly identified with Males. Skilled professional men went to work every day, grinding grain and crafting metal. These professions, rooted in Shamanism, were utterly necessary for everyday maitinence and upkeep of society. Therefore these professions often did not become official targets of "Witch Hunters" even with the common rumors that to be a successful Miller or Smith, you had to have a Satanic pact, concidering that the Devil himself was a Smith when he wasn't moonlighting as a Coachmen. Ironically, the Shamanistic ascociations of these professions were commonly and publicly ignored- with Midwifery and Fortunetelling, they were not. |
| Coachmen [Male] |
| Phantom Coachmen are subjects of many horror stories. The seemingly innocuous apearance of a coachmen in severl fairy or folk tales often signals an ominous note to those familiar with the tradition. Throughout central Europe and beyond, Coachmen were identified as powerful scorcerers that had the ability to control animals. They were sometimes even called the Devil himself. So what was so significant, powerful or threatening about what is theoretically a skilled but menial profession? Once upon a time, if you wanted to get anywhere, you needed a Coachmen. So then, why are Coachmen often depicted as maleovent? The answer is that Coachmen are an exception to "The Rule" that all magickal profession generally take a piece of Earth and turn it into something more sacred. A Coachmen ferries people from one place to another; he shuttles people back and forth between destinations. Makes sure they arrive safely, and is familiar with routes and roads. Who else in lore has such a simmilar job? A Shama- or soul journeyer that "ferries" others from real to realm. Thus, a Coachman can be a euphamism for Shaman, so when Shamanism developed a notoriously negative reputation, the position of Coachmen was tainted by ascociation. |
| Masons [Male] |
| Mention the word "Mason" and what automatically springs to mind is a secret organization. "Mason" is indeed an abbreviation for Freemasonry, the controversial and mysterious fraternal organization. This ascociation between Masons and masons is, however, no coincidence. Since Freemasons were identified as a small, elite but powerful group, the hysteria it generated never reached "Witchcraze" proportions. But for a moment, lets forget about the Freemasons and concentrate on Stonemasons. Stonemasons build things. Not just any things, but common, everyday buildings such as homes. These Masons knew architectural secrets beyond the required technical expertiese. A building couldn't just be thrown together. But other than that, Masons had to know which rituals or Sacrifices (and later, after such things were outlawed, their substitutions) had to be done in order to prevent provoking a deities displeasure, especialy in the building of Temples. Hence, these rituals brought a negative air to both Freemasons and Stonemasons. |
| Metalworkers [Male-Female] |
| Smiths, the original Alchemists, evolved the art of transmutation (transforming one substance into another via the emlemental powers of fire and water). The Smith's art was kept secret for ages: the secret of creating tools by which one could take his neighbor. Such secrets were invaluable and many died either protecting them, or trying to steal them. The magickal art of Metalworking didn't emerge from thin air as an independent art, it was a continuation of an ancient practice: Woman's menstrual mysteries, a type of magick restricted to woman alone. Metalworking was a way for men to be concidered praticipating, as the primary ore used was Iron, or the "Gift of the Goddess", as one of the most prominent sources of iron is in meteorites. Menstrual blood was concidered the most magickaly charged substance on Earth, therefore, it only went to reason that the Iron in meteorites was the Earth Mother's own secretions from her Moon form. Because of this, Iron was concidered one of the most powerful object on Earth. Smiths were simultaneously Needed and respected, Feared and pursecuted. Historically both men and women were documented Metalworkers. |
| Millers [Male] |
| Millers, and references to them, appear in many fairy tales; the most famous of these being Rumpelstiltskin and Puss in Boots.These stories remain among the most beloved tales but are generaly concidered funny stories unless one can appreciate the magickal reputation Millers once held. Milling seemed like commonplace work: they ground grain into flour all day. But of course, this is superficial. The Miller Transforms: he takes the harvest from the field and, usually with a millstone and millpool, transforms it from a botanical material, into a form of food used to make another. The Miller's ascociation with Shamanism makes sense when one realises that the Miller was the last deffense against Ergot Poisoning (although theoretically ergot infested grain should not have been included in the harvest). Millers were the final inspectors and, therefore, could not be ignorant of the effects of ergot. |
| Midwifery [Female] |
| Once upon a time the birthing room was one of the few areas concidered purely feminine territory. Men were forbiden from birthing rooms, exept in cases of dire medical emergency, for centuries. But the midwife's job didn't just involve birthing. They were estemed consultants for all "womanly concerns", including menstrual difficulties, infertility, menopause, and vanereal diseases. Midwives were responsible for anything to do with reproduction or the female aspects of anatomy. Along with being a consultant for it all, nurturing pregnacies, and deliveries, they allso terminated such pregnancies and provided contraceptives. Later even developed the role of assisting the dying and easing the transition into the afterworld, along with supervising the funeral rites. The German "Leichenwascherin" or "Corpse washewoman" was pecieved as a form of Midwife. The hardening feelings toward abortions were partialy responsible for the negative feelings towards midwives. Midwives were repositories for woman's mysteries and fertility magick, maintaining pre-Christian birthing traditions even while veiling them as Christian. Later, identifications of Midwives with witches was more powerful in some areas than others. Between 1627 and 1630 an estimated 1/3 of all women executed in Cologne as witches were Midwives. Of the nearly 200 people accused of witchcraft in Salem in 1692, 22 were identified as Midwives or Healers. For the Spanish Inquisition, traditionally female Healers, doctors and Midwives were concidered witches. |
| Spinning [Female] |
| Technically, Spinning is the art of transforming loose fibers into thread. Traditionaly, Spinning was the art of transformation said to connect every woman to the actions of the Goddess. In most areas Spinning was predomiately Female, the spinning room being female territory. Spinning ascociated every aspect of life. it transformed raw materials into something useable, provided the action of completion and fulfilment. Birth, Living and Death were often symbolized in the weaving of one's own funeral shroud, though Embroidery was another sacred repository for forbiden symbols.Divination was also closely ascociated with spinning with the idea that the bobbing and spinning of the wheel could induce visionary trances. The term "Spinster" is now a negative word describing one who goes unmarried, but litteraly means "One who spins" or "Woman who spins". Spinsters were independent woman who were able to support themselves via spinning thread and tales. |
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| Magical Professions |
| Abridged Versions Taken From "The Element Encyclopedia of Witchraft" By Judika Illes |