Curious

I'm just curious. Since researching for "Heaven is High" I've come to believe that some of the so called witches who were hung at Salem actually were practicing witchcraft to some degree. In recent years well meaning researchers came to the conclusion that all of these people were misunderstood, that there was such a fear of anything even remotely related to the occult that they developed a form of hysteria. These hysteric patients then threw fits that the magistrates in Salem thought were caused by evil spells rather than their own intense fear.

I think we've gone so far in the other direction that we blame everything bad a person does on mental illness rather than accept the fact that the forces of evil are prevalent in our day. Yes, I do believe that some people have mental or emotional troubles. But I believe that there are lots more who are filled with sin and they think that they can say simply claim insanity for the work of iniquity that they do.

I think the direction my story is heading is one that shows the connection between the Salem Witch Trials, hysteria, and sin. I'm fleshing out my characters more and more as I work on my first (second if you want to call my detailed outline a first) draft.

The black kitten (above) is Amanda's new "baby." Though we often think black cats were kept by witches, white ones were actually the ones they favored.