The premier walking tour company of Beverly, MA
A Witches Twist on History
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Introduction
You know what I have noticed? There have been a remarkable number of books written about the persecution of accused witches, and yet very few of them have been written by actual modern day witches. I have also noticed (and this could simply be a lack of information) that most books written by my fellow witches seem to be in the spiritual or ethereal realm. This is not a criticism, just an observation. For my book, I wanted to do something a little different for this project. I wanted to share some local history, culture, and even a little lore, but I wanted to do it for folks who are non-witches just as well as who are. And so here we are.
I did want to preface with a few things so there is no confusion. First is that I am very much on the AuDHD spectrum. This comes out most in the fact that I am absolutely obsessive about history. I have poured over books, websites, articles, documentaries, Youtube videos…. It has been absolutely my life’s biggest work to wrap myself up in as much knowledge on the subject of witch persecutions as I can get my hands on. I am also a descendant or relative of a LOT of people involved… EVEN the royals (The Stuart Dynasty are all distant cousins of mine) so in some cases it also happens to be part of my own genealogy, which is another obsession of mine. To that effect, I have read and heard my fair share of misconceptions, folklore, and downright lies as well. Having worked in tourism in Salem for over 30 years, I am acutely aware of the wealth of misinformation there is. For my part, I am extremely careful that any historical information I share is accurate and well researched. If I am NOT familiar with a subject, I will not delve as deeply into it before I start making random guesses. However, I also recognize that there could easily be inaccuracies in information even I share, so I always appreciate any corrections that are needed. I will be sharing the different ways to contact me in one of the appendixes of the book.
Also, there is the fact that I have been a tour guide in and around Salem for over 30 years, and I now host a podcast as well, so I am more of a speaker than I am a writer, so I try to write the way I would speak. This also could be an AuDHD trait for me. Either way, I may not always mention in the main text where I got certain facts, but there will be yet another appendix at the end of the book in which I will list every book, documentary, website, video, article etc, that I have used or re-visit frequently. In essence, I see this book as a sort of “Idiot’s Guide to Witch History” if you will, except I am not about to call any of my readers idiots, especially given the fact that I have no formal training in writing or being an author. Haha.
Finally is a more touchy subject. The use of the word “witch”. I know there are a lot of pre-conceptions and misconceptions of what the word witch means to various people. Unfortunately, it tends to still be a very polarizing word for a lot of folks who are just not entirely educated, especially given its numerous, and oftentimes conflicting definitions. Given that, I will be delving into a lot of that as well. I AM a native to Salem as much as I am to Beverly, so I am overwhelmingly aware of how trauma inducing it all can be. I myself have been viciously attacked on social media forums by other descendants who have even gone so far as to claim that I should be hanged as well. It’s real dark stuff, if I am being honest. It just felt like it was time to share a witch’s perspective on what I still personally still perceive as hysteria. Sure, you no longer see anyone viciously accusing people of being witches anymore, but you do have a whole lot of people who have gone all “witch” crazy. With buskers slurring on green-face paint, and all sorts of people dressing in all manners of ways and interpreting it as being witches, as well as the fact that many Salem enthusiasts simply call each other “witches” (as in “Hey, my fellow Salem witches, I just found the new Dunks cup”). Even for me, the journey from being deeply trained in, then lashing out against it before eventually understanding, and quite frankly allowing some of it to start to grow back on me…. It’s a hell of a unique and PERFECT Salem and Beverly story to tell.
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As I am initially releasing this book periodically before having it all published in its final form, I wanted to offer a unique opportunity to anyone interested. This introduction is the only part of the book that I am releasing free on my substack at https://ancestrytouragents.substack.com. The rest of the book will be released once a week and be available to paid subscribers only. Additionally, paid subscribers will have the ability to comment on all posts, join a community giving direct access to myself and other members to discuss the book as it is written (essentially, as an investor, you will have direct access to share your input with me, and possibly, help to shape the final outcome), and then naturally you will get a personalized signed copy of the book when it is in physical form and an acknowledgement in the appendix. There is also a Lifetime membership available as well for a little more of an investment. Don’t worry though, even if you sign up for a free subscription there will still be a ton of free content to check out. I post at LEAST every other day, and much of what I post is free, plus I will be sending each of my podcast episodes direct to my Substack as well. Perhaps, at least, it will convince you to buy the book when it comes out.
So if you love Salem, and you love everything about it. Or if you are a descendant of the Salem Witch Trials and you want to learn more about it. Or even if you are a local who wants to help support a local artist, historian, and writer, I deeply hope you will all enjoy my over 30 years of blood, sweat, and DEFINITELY a lot of tears living as a descendant and a witch, and working on the frontlines of Salem, and my lifetime of research. Blessed Be!