Written By: Dr. Chelsea Dakers BSc ND
As we move through this mystical time of year it feels appropriate to talk about the ‘witch wound’ that so many women on a wholistic hormone healing journey eventually must confront.
We are nearing Samhain, the Gaelic word for the astronomical mid-point (portal) between the fall equinox and winter solstice. This is a sacred time for many and may also go by the names of Halloween, All Saints Day, Dia de los Muertos or Solar Nadir, to name a few.
We are in the depths of Metal season. From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, this element enhances our access to the grief that can be lingering this time of year. The loss of those we have loved, the degradation of our beloved Mother Earth, the sadness of the tragedies that never seem to end…
There is another loss that we are beginning to find the words for: The loss of the wisdom, healing and spiritual practices as a result of the relentless witch hunts across Europe and the “New World”.
Many women I work with have European ancestors. I have many as well. There is often a deep grief buried under layers of shame and anger. A grief about a lack of roots; a severed connection to the Earth and that which is greater to them — to the divine.
As a group, we haven’t acknowledged or integrated the impact of the witch hunts. Roughly 300 years and possibly 80 000 executions. The demonization of Earth based practices. The eradication of Wise Woman and their life giving ways.
In the same breath, I’ll also acknowledge that there are people out there who have decided to dedicate their lives to building an expertise in harmful spiritual practices. It’s naive to think these people and their skillset doesn’t exist. I choose to believe that there were lawmakers hundreds of years ago that were trying to protect the public from these kinds of individuals, however the consequences of such policies were disastrous.
Many of the women living in Canada and the US are the granddaughters many times removed from these tragedies. Their families emigrated across the Atlantic Ocean, often in times of difficulty and war to continue to survive, have families and carry on…
We’ve inherited a fear. It lurks in the shadows, unnamed and sticky. A feeling that what you can’t measure is dangerous or delusional. That your intuition is wrong, or worse, a demonic curse that will lead you down a path of destruction and suffering. A gripping in your throat that makes speaking your Truth feel impossible. It clings to your confidence, dragging it down along with your sense of self-worth. Who are you to think that you can connect to Nature? To your inner wisdom? To that which is greater than you?
In wholistic hormone healing, we have to meet this wound face-to-face and walk the path of transformation. Without this step, there is a barrier to fully realizing our goals.
In Canada we had witchcraft laws under the criminal code until 2018. That was eight years ago. The last women executed for witchcraft in Europe was in 1782. That was 244 years ago.
Unfortunately, we don’t have photos of these woman; they hadn’t been invented yet. Otherwise I’d make T-shirts with their faces printed on them. They ought to be remembered.
The ripple of devastation from those witch hunts continues until today. Shortly after the witch trials ended, medical schools opened (for men only) and the institution of what we know as conventional medicine was born without the expertise of the woman who had been caring for other women since time immemorial. The impact of this history has been profound.
Fast forward to today where it can take up to 12 years of agonizing pain to receive a formal diagnosis of endometriosis. Where there is an Everest sized pile of accounts of female clients and physicians alike being told that what they know to be true is false. Where black woman were experimented on in disturbing circumstances in the name of “medical breakthroughs”. The violence and disrespect has been ongoing, and it is written all over our bodies.
Unfortunately, the damaged seeped onwards like an ever growing ink stain. Explorers, settlers and religious leaders came to the “New World” (also known as Turtle Island) with this witchcraft crazed ethos and committed unthinkable acts of genocide on Indigenous nations. Yet again, a brutal erasure of people who were deeply connected to the Earth and Spirit.
We are in an era where we are coming together and trying to remedy this sad, disgusting mess. Sifting through the wreckage. Practicing Tolerance and Empathy. Cultivating the capacity for Equanimity. Trying to take it one step at a time.
Amongst it all, are women. Their uteruses, their ovaries, their breasts, their sensuality, their vulvas, their skin. Trying to find wholeness. Craving and praying for a change in their body and their life. Reconciling their ancestral legacy. Integrating their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual experiences to find peace. Aliveness. Clarity. Connection.
It is a beautiful time of year to remember our ancestors, witches or not. You don’t need a special process. Just the intention and setting aside the time. Learn their names. Ask relatives for stories. Find photos. Light some candles.
If you are curious how to take this practice deeper, I dedicated an entire module in my membership Become the Healer to navigating ancestral healing. It’s one of my 13 EcoSensual milestones for wholistic hormone healing.
References
De Corte, P., Klinghardt, M., von Stockum, S., & Heinemann, K. (2025). Time to Diagnose Endometriosis: Current Status, Challenges and Regional Characteristics-A Systematic Literature Review. BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology, 132(2), 118–130. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.17973
Fraser, S. (2021). The toxic power dynamics of gaslighting in medicine. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 67(5), 367–368. https://doi.org/10.46747/cfp.6705367
Krauth, K. (2026). Why fear of the ‘mad witch’ still pins women down today. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from: https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/why-fear-of-the-mad-witch-still-pins-women-down-today-20260805-p60lpk.html
Klassen-Molyneaux, R. (2024). Bad Religion and Bad Business: The History of the Canadian Witchcraft Provision. Canadian Journal of Law and Society / Revue Canadienne Droit et Société, 39(1), 154–173. doi:10.1017/cls.2024.8
Panko, B. (2017). Last Person Executed as a Witch in Europe Gets a Museum. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved from: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/last-witch-executed-europe-gets-museum-180964633/
The disclaimer… The amazing thing about humans is that we all have incomparably unique health profiles and needs. The health-related information contained in this article is intended to be general in nature and should not be used prescriptively or a as a substitute for a visit with a naturopathic doctor. This info is intended to offer general information to individuals. If you have questions about how these strategies could be used in adjunct to your current heath regime, book and appointment with me or consult a licensed naturopathic doctor for individualized care.