(Prose) Wise Women by Alex Purbrick

I was born into a tribe that for several hundred years burnt, tortured and drowned its wise women, its healers, its medicine women.

We lost our old ways, our love of the Mother Earth, our Nature Way.

Now in the 21^st century I still do not see my tribe accepting and listening to the Elder women.

I see Grandmothers dismissed as useless, old and ugly; portrayed as hags or evil witches.

I see Mothers unsupported and exhausted, whose role as Mother has no economic status or importance in this industrial world.

I see young girls who think that to be a woman is to survive their cycles through contraceptive hormones, to have a surgically-cut and silicone-enhanced body and to fear growing old.

And I wonder how far we have progressed and healed our tribal wounds when we lost our wise women?

And when do we as women start reclaiming our wisdom in honour of our ancestors whose lives were taken simply for being women?

Author’s Note: I have lived most of my life in Scotland and although the Celtic tribes are no more I identify myself to the Celtic tribal ancestry of this ancient land which was once matriarchal and respectful to the Goddess and God equally. This modern tribe that I now live in is far removed from the feminine especially the wisdom of our Grandmothers. I pray for a return to balance to these Celtic lands where our young girls, our Mothers, our Grandmothers stand in their respected roles in our Earth tribe.

Read Meet Mago Contributor Alex Purbrick.