October 2021

“It was not witches who burned, It was women. Women who were seen as: Too beautiful, Too outspoken, Had too much water in the well (yes, seriously). Who had a birthmark, Women who were too skilled with herbal medicine, Too loud, Too quiet, Too much red in their hair, Women who had a strong nature connection, Women who danced. Women who sang, or anything else, really.

Any woman was at risk of burning in the 1600s. Sisters testified and turned on each other when their babies were held under ice.

Children were tortured to confess their experiences with ‘witches’ by being fake executed in ovens.

Women were held under water and if they could float, they were guilty and executed. If they sank and drowned they were innocent.

Women were thrown off cliffs. Women were put in deep holes in the ground. Why do I write this?

Because knowing our history is important when we are building a new world.

When we are doing the healing work of our lineages and as women.

To give the women who were slaughtered a voice, to give them redress and a chance of peace.

It was not witches who burned. It was women.” by Fia Forsstrom (excerpt)

Shared by Trish Forsyth Voss, from my blog site, Spiritspeak1.com

This was accompanied on FB with an Art print: The Witches by Kyri Koniotis.

McConnell is banking on a large number of Americans thinking that ‘raising the debt-ceiling’ means Congress is raising our credit-limit or borrowing-power, when it really means that Congress must vote, for some weird reason, to pay the bills already incurred, much of it under Trump. America can’t default! A despicably-dangerous game of brinkmanship by the GOP, which dares us to abolish the filibuster! Then there’s the Build Back Better, Biden agenda. Naysayers proudly proclaim, “Dems are in Disarray”, “Pelosi is caving on everything!” No they’re NOT, and No, she’s NOT! The Democratic party is a ‘big-tent party’ with progressives, moderates & two supposedly-conservative, obstinate senators, who are hell-bent on maximizing attention as opposed to passing legislation that will help their constituents. Meanwhile, the Republican party marches in lock-step to obstruct EVERYTHING that could help America.

Legislating involves much compromise. Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders fought for a $6T bill; he finally compromised on a $3.5T bill, for ten years. Senator Joe Manchin, said he could possibly vote for a $1.5T bill. So, the Dem’s challenge is on widening the vision & scope of Manchin & Sinema to come closer to President Biden’s vision for helping working Americans, but maybe passing the bill for five years instead of ten. We’re on the brink of profound, transformational change for this country, for families, children, seniors, education, for physical & social infrastructure, for addressing the health & welfare needs of our workers, spending for the common-good, as opposed to expanding tax-cuts for uber-rich corporations & individuals. For expanding healthcare for seniors, lowering prescription drug-costs and including subsidized dental & eyecare in the Medicare program. We MUST implement Climate Change initiatives NOW. The best thing about the Biden bill being negotiated in the House, is that all the programs are mainly paid for by increasing tax rates on billionaires, and funding IRS to go after elite’s tax-havens.

It’s interesting & disappointing that Senator Manchin states his concerns are: we would be cultivating “an entitlement-mentality for Americans”, but “By Golly”, Manchin seems pretty darned “entitled” (as he busily pockets millions from fossil fuel & Big Pharma industries). Too bad Manchin doesn’t see the pay-off value for America, in young people being able to attend 2-year community college free, kids screened early in free, pre-K, and families being able to utilize family-leave for their life-emergencies. Manchin stood on the deck of his yacht named, “Almost Heaven”, casually cajoling the kayak-activists in the water surrounding him, telling them ,”we’ll make the rich & famous pay”.

Trish Forsyth Voss

“Misogyny isn’t always about an outward expression of hate & contempt; it’s more often evidenced by deliberate actions in patriarchal- constructs, as oppression against females, the inequality of income, systemic roadblocks to HER representative voice, and the violence perpetuated against her”, says Sarah J. Baker, writer for Medium.com; “Misogyny is a value-system intertwined within our social caste-system of patriarchy — an often unconscious-bias, based on fear & distrust, that seeks to maintain inequality.” Men with wives & daughters can also hold unconscious-bias against females, holding double-standards. “Men can perceive themselves as loving women, and still perpetuate behaviors & attitudes upholding the patriarchal-structures that maintain his privilege at her expense. Being privileged leaves him no impetus to question it.” Women are not the minority-gender in America, though “women’s issues are viewed under this collective-cognitive-bias due to the dominance of men in academic, political & professional spheres, and the sense of entitlement men & lawmakers have to women’s bodies. It’s an internalized expression of bias, maintaining the status-quo in which men naturally hold the positions of power & control, an argument supported by the male-constructs of religion & authority.”

“Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre-white-man, as that’s all its ever taken for them to succeed in the same sphere against anyone who isn’t”, wrote Sarah Hagi. Anyone challenging this gendered-status-quo can expect extreme & outraged responses. Misogynists like to claim they’re the oppressed! Women, seeking male-approval, have internalized these male-centered societal-rules, which are evidenced in how votes are cast & counted, how careers are chosen, how a country is run, ‘IF’ women can determine their own reproductive-health-choices. Women die at the hands of men, and suffer oppression by their systems, but we needn’t define misogyny by its most extreme examples: assault, rape & murder.

Look at how Hillary Clinton was demonized by the Republican party for decades, as Kevin McCarthy even admitted, that their continued bogus Benghazi-investigations ruined her chances to win, being the most qualified person ever to run for the presidency, because THEY were able to brainwash so many into believing it was the full responsibility of the Secretary of State to ensure security for every far-flung, embattled foreign-embassy. The brainwashing so successful that McCarthy decided to launch a similar attack on House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, blaming her for the security-failures at the U.S. Capitol on 1/6/21, where several officers were maimed & murdered. In this ‘Age of Aquarius’, a social-reckoning has begun, a needful integration of the spiritual-feminine into the social-equation, and real healing WILL manifest.

Trish Forsyth Voss