(wich) A (usually female) person who uses magic

There is an old Germanic root word 'wit' meaning 'to know', which some consider to be the origin, but there are many other possible origins.  The one that seems most likely is that it is evolved from the Anglo-Saxon root word wicce meaning 'to bend or shape'.  Witches relate to this from the premise they bend the energies of nature to promote healing and growth and they shape our lives and environments to be harmonious with Nature. 

Witches do NOT cast evil spells and do not believe in Satan, contrary to things written and believed of them in the past.

The Lady in the Mirror

(a true story)

   I’ve never had any designs to become a writer nor have I ever had a talent in writing but this story I must tell you. It’s a true story of something that happened to me when I was 9 years old.

  Back in 1967, my parents and I had moved into our newly built home which we watched being erected for many months. My father picked out the spot where we should live which was lovely; up on the top part of a hill which gave us a double sized backyard and a downhill view of the street and neighbourhood.

   There were no trees or even grass laid down yet and since it was November, the ground was uneven with foot holes we placed there walking through the mud.

 Everything looked eerie in the surrounding area of homes. Some homes were still unfinished; some had inhabitants and in the coolness and darkness of dusk, with the wind howling in and out of window and door frames, it gave a very uneasy feeling of something ‘watching’.

   One morning, I was getting ready for school. I did the usual things a person does before leaving for a day’s journey. After I had brushed my teeth and rinsed, I looked down on the vanity and found the comb I was looking for to fix my hair. As my eyes meandered to gazing in the mirror, I was transfixed to something that I saw in the mirror.

The only way I can describe this is by telling you there was a very strong presence or ‘aura’ peering back at me from the mirror. I couldn’t move; I was in a state of  tunnel vision.

What I saw was an outline of a woman with a very white light emanating from her. The face was not clear nor was the rest of her body but the ‘aura’ made me know this was a woman. I felt a sense of calm radiate from this scepter. There was no feeling of threat or fear. On the contrary I felt as though I was being ‘protected’ and engulfed in her white light.

   The visions of the lady in the mirror went on for about a week. I never told my parents during that week and to this day, I have no clue why I didn’t.

One night, towards the weekend, my parents and I were eating dinner in the dining room and conversing about  how our day went. I waited for an opportunity to slip into the conversation, the experience I'd been having the past week with our bathroom  mirror.

"I saw the lady this morning", is what I uttered. 

"What lady?" my mother asked.

"The Lady that's in the mirror in the bathroom" I replied with a brief  sigh of relief .

 My parents looked at each other with jaws dropped and I saw the blood drain from my mother’s face. I thought it was odd for them to react this way and waited to see what either of them would say about what I saw.

After they regained composure my father asked me a question. He asked “what did you FEEL like after seeing this lady?”

I told him that I actually felt ‘safe’ and that I was not in the least afraid of seeing her.

My parents gave each other one more of those “looks” and the topic was dropped.

   The first week of occupying our new home went by and the lady in the mirror had vanished. I never saw her again for the 16 years I lived there and often wondered who she might have been.

   Years later, when I was in my 30’s, my parents and I were together just talking about old times and the subject came up about the lady in the mirror.

My father told me he had to tell me something that he had long forgotten. He didn’t want to tell me when I was so impressionable and vulnerable at the age of 9 and he certainly didn’t want to worry me.

It seems, during that first week we moved in, he had seen the lady in the mirror too! He told my mother who fluffed it off to my dad having dreams or such nonsense. She never saw anything and told my father not to tell me since my mind was always wandering and worrying. He had to promise my mom and of course, my father would never have done anything to panic his little girl so they kept it mum.

When I had blurted out about seeing the lady, they both thought that either one of them had told me but neither of them did.

This was why they reacted so strangely.

My father went on to tell me that he had asked the farmer who sold the land to the construction company (the farmer was a customer of my dad’s) what buildings or landmarks were on that property that were of significance. He specifically described where our home was situated and even brought the farmer to see it.

It was then, that my father understood why the lady in the mirror made an appearance in our home.

Apparently, where our home was built was on a spot where this farmer’s wife used to spend her relaxing time, on a bench under a tree reading a novel. This was her retreat from everyday farming life when she could sneak in a few moments. She had passed away a few years before her husband had sold the property.

My father concluded that, his wife came to see who is occupying her little sanctuary and, perhaps, was approving and blessing us in some way.

   I know in my heart, that growing up in that house always felt safe like there was a good omen protecting us.

My mother still lives in that home to this day.

7.10.05

Copyright  ©baya'smacabremanor