Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 16, 2025

Could the Salem Witch Trials have been prevented?

If you still do not realize the power of communication, consider the Salem Witch Trials.

One person had the power to stop the trials all along. How do we know? Because Governor Phips ended them after his wife was accused. We do not know if he suddenly opened his eyes regarding what he allowed or if the lies were so out of control that accusations were made against his wife. The allegations struck people from all over the colony, with a population of over 44,000 in Massachusetts. The population of Salem Village was only 400, from where the heinous plague of lies spawned.

The original accusation began there but did not end there. Courageous individuals tried to speak out against the liars but discovered they had no power when they became targets. They could not encourage others to take a stand with them. That brings us back to two individuals who did possess the ability.

It began with two girls in Reverend Samuel Parris's household pointing their lying fingers at others. What if Parris lived what he preached and honored the commandment about bearing false witness instead of using the attention the girls were receiving for himself?

Before Parris, there was Reverend George Burroughs. Long before the trials began, he was sent to the village in 1680. He tried to preach to parishioners to follow what Jesus taught about loving their neighbors. Tragic events of his wife Hannah dying after the birth of their fourth child, followed by the hardships his family suffered from not being paid, he was too beaten down to remain in Salem. He left Salem Village behind him in 1683. 

Samuel Parris was part of the group that forced Reverend Burroughs to be brought back to Salem Village to face charges of witchcraft in 1692. He was among the nineteen who were hung on Proctor's Ledge.

What if he did not give up? What if he noticed how many people in his congregation listened to and acted upon his sermons? Would they have realized how much power they had to do the right thing collectively? Sixty-two people collectively had the power to charge 300 because they claimed to be afflicted by them. They were locked up in dungeons and tortured, and twenty among them were murdered. What if the rest of the 44,000 joined together to take a stand?

What does what happened in Salem have to do with PTSD? Imagine being one of the accused and held in the dungeon, being tortured and fearing you may be the next to die for lies. Imagine finally being released and seeing those who falsely accused you. Imagine looking at others in your community, knowing they did nothing to spare you or others. Imagine being one of the family members who endured the trauma of their family member being executed or those who were being held in the dungeons. Then, imagine having to find the money to pay for the use of those dungeons and the shackles before they could be released.

The devil gave the accusers and judges the power to cause the carnage. The good people were too afraid to speak. After the trials ended and hardships continued, the leaders found something else to blame it on. They blamed God's wrath and called for a day of fasting and prayers to ask Him to forgive them. There always had to be someone to blame, but they never blamed themselves. Samuel Parris was forced out of his job, but he never really apologized for what he started. He simply claimed, "I may have been mistaken."

How is your spiritual health with PTSD

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 9, 2025

Some things are too ridiculous to respond to. Others are too dangerous to ignore.

Today's topic is religion vs. spirituality. If you think what is happening today is unique, it is a good time to remind you of another time. After all, religion was used as a weapon against anyone who did not "believe" the same as those in power. It has been used to control the people. It has been used and abused throughout history. The word itself has often been defined differently.

Britannica definition of religion

religion, human beings’ relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual, divine, or worthy of especial reverence.

If you noticed the word "especial," you may have considered it a typo. But it isn't.

directed toward a particular individual, group, or end
sent especial greetings to his son
took especial care to speak clearly
of special note or importance : unusually great or significant
a decision of especial relevance.

Oxford defines religion as

a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

Merriam-Webster's definition of religion

a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
the service and worship of God or the supernatural
commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
the state of a religious
a nun in her 20th year of religion
a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

Oxford defines religion as

the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods.
a particular system of faith and worship.
plural noun: religions
"the world's great religions"
a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance.

There are many different religions worldwide.

According to Learn Religions, there are over 4,000 different religions worldwide, and 85% of the population belongs to them.

The English word “religion” originates from the Latin term religio, which has a variety of definitions, including “to bind” and “awe or fear of a god or spirit.” Most, but not all, religions include belief in and worship of God, a god, gods, or spirits. Nearly all acknowledge a supernatural realm.

Nearly all acknowledge that a supernatural realm is far different from the "religion" they claim as their own. Being "religious" demands we submit to the rules of the group we choose to belong to. Being spiritual allows us to make choices based on our spirits, which are in direct contact with God, our creator, or our higher power.

Pew has a great article on spiritual people, with most adults in the United States considering themselves spiritual.

In recent decades, Americans have become less likely to identify with an organized religion. Yet a new Pew Research Center survey shows that belief in spirits or a spiritual realm beyond this world is widespread, even among those who don’t consider themselves religious. The survey finds that:
83% of all U.S. adults believe people have a soul or spirit in addition to their physical body.
81% say there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we cannot see it.
74% say there are some things that science cannot possibly explain.
45% say they have had a sudden feeling of connection with something from beyond this world.
38% say they have had a strong feeling that someone who has passed away was communicating with them from beyond this world.
30% say they have personally encountered a spirit or unseen spiritual force.

Overall, 70% of U.S. adults can be considered “spiritual” in some way, because they think of themselves as spiritual people or say spirituality is very important in their lives.

As for church attendance, Gallop took a look at that last year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As Americans observe Ramadan and prepare to celebrate Easter and Passover, the percentage of adults who report regularly attending religious services remains low. Three in 10 Americans say they attend religious services every week (21%) or almost every week (9%), while 11% report attending about once a month and 56% seldom (25%) or never (31%) attend.

Whichever one you choose to be, religion divides us, yet spirituality unifies us with others.

What Is Spirituality? on Taking Charge of Your Emotional Wellbeing has the following.

Experts’ definitions of spirituality

Christina Puchalski, MD, Director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health, contends that "spirituality is the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred."

According to Mario Beauregard and Denyse O’Leary, researchers and authors of The Spiritual Brain, “spirituality means any experience that is thought to bring the experiencer into contact with the divine (in other words, not just any experience that feels meaningful).”

Nurses Ruth Beckmann Murray and Judith Proctor Zenter write that “the spiritual dimension tries to be in harmony with the universe, and strives for answers about the infinite, and comes into focus when the person faces emotional stress, physical illness, or death.”

Spirituality is about us, all of us. It is not about "us" against "them." It is about contributing to others and not attempting to control them. It is not what the Puritans did in Salem Village (currently called Danvers) and Salem Town. It is not about false accusations spreading throughout Massachusetts. It is not about what they did to the twenty innocent people they murdered or those they tortured. It is not about any of the atrocities committed by those using their religion to accomplish such evil acts.

When the accusations started, maybe people thought the claims were too ridiculous to respond to. Most of us would have seen them for what they were. When they ignored what was happening, it became too dangerous to ignore. But it was too late. The accusers and judges attacked anyone challenging them.

The Devil was active in Massachusetts, but he was in control over the lying accusers and judges pushing to spread terror while using their religion to blame it on.

Imagine how many ended up with what we call #PTSD from all of that. Imagine how many could no longer enter the church doors after being subjected to what was allowed.

Even today, there are many of us no longer feel we belong to "religions" even though we believe in God, and most of us believe Jesus was/is the Son Of God. When you have PTSD, addressing your spiritual needs is just as important as seeking help for your mental and physical health.

The great news is that you don't need an appointment to receive spiritual help, and you don't need exercise equipment or a gym membership. You can do it whenever and wherever you want. There are no rules. There are no limits. All you have to do is pray or meditate on what you believe and grow it. No other person has control over your choice. There are no rules set down by elders or authorities. Best of all, no one will judge you other than yourself.

No matter what caused PTSD to invade your spirit, seek the ability to heal according to what you need, not what someone you know needs. There is nothing wrong with joining the religious group you want or not belonging to any of them. You have the power to choose as much as you have the power to heal. 

The plot began to crumble when people complained

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 5, 2025

Don't dwell on how it happened; focus instead on how it could happen again.

After a group was caught doing something wrong, they lied and accused others. Influential people saw an opportunity to use the group. They supported outrageous claims made because of the opportunity they saw to seek more power and control over the people. It worked when they accused marginalized members of society because they were easy targets.

It worked so well that they accused business rivals and others they simply had a grudge against.

The plot began to crumble when people complained. Those who dared to take a stand were accused. It wasn't that anyone believed them guilty. They were being used as an example to anyone contemplating stepping out of line. It became a matter of "them against us." 

No matter how many or how hard they tried to stop the insanity, it became clear that the accusers were willing to go after entire families.

They had rich and powerful people supporting them. The fate of the accused was sealed. 

The original small group of accusers gave others permission to attack others. They were empowered to accuse their enemies. It spread beyond control. 

It may all seem like the topic is about what is happening today. Still, it happened in 1692 when accusations caused the murder of twenty innocent people, another five died while being held in four different dungeons, and countless others carried their horrific confinements for the rest of their lives. Back then, there were no laws against torture. No one lied under oath because no one had to swear to God they would tell the truth. No laws existed to prevent torture, and all too often, children had been tortured.

There were no laws against double jeopardy. One was found not guilty, and the other saw her trial end. However, the judges didn't like the outcomes, so they tried again. 

Rebecca Nurse and her sister Mary Easty. Truth meant nothing.

Perhaps due to pressure from community around Easty, all of the accusers, except Mercy Lewis, began to back off their claims and Easty was released from jail on May 18.

The details of what happened next provide undeniable clues about the power of the accusers and the impossibility of conducting a fair juridical process. After Easty's release, Mercy Lewis fell into violent fits and appeared to be approaching death. Mercy Lewis later explained that Easty was tormenting her, and "said [Easty] would kill [Lewis] before midnight because she did not cleare hir so as the Rest did." (Salem Witchcraft Papers, I: 124) Mary Walcott, Abigail Williams and Ann Putnam were brought to her bedside in an effort to discover who was tormenting Mercy. Along the path to the Mercy's house, Ann and Abigail explained that they saw Easty's specter tormenting Mercy, strongly suggesting a collaboration effort had already taken place before Mercy began her torments. Frances Hill in A Delusion of Satan calls this episode a propaganda scheme to show doubting Villagers the dire consequences of freeing witches from jail. Mercy and four others cried out against Easty on May 20. Mercy's fits did not cease until Easty was back in prison in irons demonstrating the effective power of the accusers.

While Easty remained in jail awaiting her September 9 trial, she and her sister, Sarah Cloyce, composed a petition to the magistrates in which they asked, in essence, for a fair trial. They complained that they were "neither able to plead our owne cause, nor is councell allowed." They suggested that the judges ought to serve as their counsel and that they be allowed persons to testify on their behalf. Easty hoped her good reputation in Topsfield and the words of her minister might aid her case in Salem, a town of strangers. Lastly, the sisters asked that the testimony of accusers and other "witches" be dismissed considering it was predominantly spectral evidence that lacked legality. (Salem Witchcraft Papers, I: 303) The sisters hoped that the judges would be forced to weigh solid character testimony against ambiguous spectral evidence. The petition did not change the outcome of Easty's trial, for she was condemned to hang on September 17th. But together with her second petition, Easty had forced the court to consider its flaws.

It did not spare her life.

Easty was hanged on September 22, 1692. Her demeanor at Gallows Hill is documented by Calef: "when she took her last farewell of her husband, children and friends, was, as is reported by them present, as serious, religious, distinct, and affectionate as could well be exprest, drawing tears from the eyes of almost all present." Easty challenged the court to no personal avail, but she exposed the weakness of the court for the benefit of others.

Sister Rebecca Nurse was found not guilty.

Rebecca Nurse’s grand jury trial was underway by June 29. Sarah Good, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, and Sarah Wildes were tried at the same time. In the courtroom, Nurse’s daughter Sarah witnessed Goody Bibber deliberately stick her own knees with pins, pretending to be afflicted.

But that wasn't enough,

Nurse was found not guilty. The afflicted in the room reacted wildly. The outburst was enough to concern the magistrates and jury foreman. In particular, Chief Justice William Stoughton was not satisfied with the verdict.

A third sister, Sarah Cloyce, was also accused but was eventually released after being held for nine months, and the trials stopped.

Cloyce would eventually be transported to Boston jail and then Ipswich jail where she awaited her trial. By the third week of April, her sister Mary Easty was also arrested for witchcraft. Rebecca Nurse was hanged on July 19. Mary Easty was hanged on September 22, the last day of executions.

Most find it hard to believe that those behind the retched events were not just allowed to live out their days freely, but most were rewarded. Outwardly, they carried no shame, but Judge Hawthorne's great-grandson Nathaniel wrote that the trials stained the Judge's soul with blood. 

As for Salem Village, where it all began, you won't find it on a map. It no longer exists. They changed it to Danvers.

Michael Fanone, the modern day John Willard

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 22, 2025

Michael Fanone could be the modern-day John Willard.

Would the victims of the Salem Witch Trials have carried what we now call #PTSD? Absolutely! We know this because of what happened to Dorothy Good, who was forced to not only confess to witchcraft but accuse her mother, Sarah, of being a witch. She was only four when it happened and left the dungeon condemned to suffer for what was done to her.

There are modern-day victims of horrors who will never be the same. Never to be able to trust others in their own communities. Michael Fanone is one of them. What Mike Fanone Can’t Forget from TIME on August 5, 2021, tells his story.

Fanone—40, nearly broke, living with his mother, seeing ghosts, unable to return to duty in the only job he’d ever loved, possibly forever—had seen the footage a hundred times. But this was the first time he’d viewed it with other people, watched them witness what he lived through, see it through his eyes, feel his aggression, his valor, his abject terror. He sat there crying for a good 20 minutes. At some point he looked up and realized he was surrounded: everyone in the bar had come inside from the patio and gathered around him, watching the footage on the screen.

The months since Jan. 6 had not been easy for Fanone. Still recuperating from life-threatening injuries and posttraumatic stress disorder, he’d found himself increasingly isolated. Republicans didn’t want him to exist, and Democrats weren’t in the mood for hero cops. Even many of his colleagues didn’t see why he couldn’t just get over it. That very day, a GOP Congressman had testified that what had happened was more like a “tourist visit” than an “insurrection.” But no one could see this footage, Fanone thought, and deny what really happened that day. History would be forced to record it.

Michael Fanone files for protective orders against those who assaulted him on Jan. 6 NBC News

Michael Fanone, who was one of the law enforcement officers that responded to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, has filed for protective orders against five individuals who assaulted him that day. President Trump issued pardons for federal criminal defendants involved in the attack who are now being released.

Fact: The Capital was attacked on January 6 by citizens and defended by officers risking their lives to save those inside the building. In the process, many officers were injured. They were vilified by some and hailed as heroes by others.

Evidence has shown that the reason for the attack was based on lies that the 2020 election was "stolen." The evidence used to put the attackers on trial was based on video footage and confessions. 1,500 were convicted and recently released after receiving pardons.

The threats against people who speak out for justice for the officers risking their lives to defend the Capital have already begun. One of them is Michael Fanone.

Listening to Michael Fanone speak about seeking protective orders from individuals threatening him and his family, it became impossible to avoid finding parallels to what happened in 1692 to John Willard and his family, along with many others of like mind who found the courage to speak out. In Massachusetts, there were no cameras to record evidence. There were no laws at the time to prevent what was happening to innocent people. The only thing necessary to subject innocent people to the horrors of the Witchcraft Trials were accusations.

In 1692, John Willard was a Deputy Constable for Salem Village, responsible for serving warrants and transporting people, including those accused of witchcraft, to jail. Later testimony during his trial claimed he was heard to say, “Hang them! They are all witches!” According to historian Charles Upham in his 1867 work Salem Witchcraft, however, Willard refused to arrest any more people by the spring of 1692, after spending time with both accusers and accused. Said Upham, “All he heard and saw, his sympathies became excited on their behalf: and he expressed, in more or less unguarded terms, his disapprobation of the proceedings. He seems to have considered all hands concerned in the business—accusers, accused, magistrates, and people— as alike bewitched.”

He was right. The accusers and judges must have been bewitched, but not by non-existent witches. There were other forces behind their bewitchment: power and greed. In today's terms, we would have suggested that Satan had the accused by the balls. John Willard was just one more example of what would happen to anyone trying to stop the torment, torture, and murders. He refused to arrest more people, seeing the injustice committed by the townsfolk.

When John Willard was examined, the magistrates made it clear they believed the fact that he’d fled arrest was a sign of guilt. Said Willard, “… I was affrighted and I thought by my withdrawing it might be better, I fear not but the Lord in his due time will make me white as snow.” The afflicted in attendance, among them Ann Putnam Jr., Mercy Lewis, and Mary Warren, fell into fits at Willard’s gaze. But it was the accusations leveled against him by his wife’s family that carried the most weight. “In 1692, the Wilkins family turned with particular ferocity against this outsider…,” said Boyer and Nissenbaum. “The finger of witchcraft was pointed at him by no fewer than ten members of the family.” Not only was he blamed for the death of Daniel Wilkins and the illness of Bray Wilkins, but he was accused of spousal abuse by family and neighbors. “For all his natural affections he abused his wife much and broke sticks about her in beating of her,” said his brother-in-law, Benjamin Wilkins.

John wanted his wife Margaret to be called to testify as to the charges he beat her. She wasn't called.  If the claim of John Willard beating his wife was valid, would she have gone to such lengths to free him?

John Willard denied the charges, saying they were all lies, and asked that his wife be called to testify. Margaret was never questioned. In early August, John Willard was convicted and condemned to hang. Two days before his scheduled execution, Margaret made a final attempt to free her husband. According to Marilynne Roach in her book The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-By-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege, Margaret somehow obtained John’s temporary release from prison. Says Roach, “… the necessary papers had not yet reached Salem. So Goody Willard made her way from Boxford to Salem, hired a horse, and headed for Boston to see for herself about the delay, however, to no avail.” She was too late. John Willard, along with John Proctor, Reverend George Burroughs, George Jacobs Sr., and Martha Carrier, was hanged on Proctor’s Ledge at Gallows Hill on August 19.

The 400 people of Salem Village were not satisfied, accusing other members of the Village. Their targets spread throughout Massachusetts. Nineteen innocent people were hung, and Giles Corey was crushed to death after refusing to make a plea of guilt, which would have spared his life or declared his innocence. His wife Martha was among those hung.

When anyone dared to speak the truth, they were targeted by those in power. It didn't end with them. The accusers targeted their family members.

We should all wonder who will stand for the truth and defend the innocent. Had there been more brave people in Salem in 1692, would there have been so many caused to suffer because fear consumed what was good and fed a banquet of hatred to the powerful?

No one checked facts during the Salem witch trials for a reason

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 9, 2025

Everything old...is back again!

If you're wondering about Facebook no longer having fact-checkers, they didn't have social media back then, but look at what they managed to pull off! 

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana proved he was either a genius or was paying attention. Those paying attention in our time are freaking out, and for good reason. It requires us to do whatever is in our power to prevent it from worsening.

There was a time in our history when we were under British rule. Freedom in 1692 meant remaining free from being thrown into the dungeon because someone held a grudge against them or coveted what they had. 

Those in charge knew they had to get their ducks in a row to pull off one of the biggest crime sprees in our history. There were many researchers over the decades trying to find reasons why what happened in Salem caused 20 to be murdered and hundreds thrown into the dungeon. No matter how many reasons you may have seen, there is only one plausible explanation...they lied. Sounds like they would know what #PTSD was?

When thinking about the Salem Witch Trials, the story of Martha Carrier, the "queen of hell," has many examples of how, after the trials ended, the trials of those falsely charged never ended.

In late July, as the witchcraft accusations in Andover swelled, Martha’s two eldest sons, Richard and Andrew, were arrested and brought to Salem. Initially claiming innocence of witchcraft, they were tortured into confessing (fellow prisoner John Proctor said they were “tied neck and heels till the blood was ready to come out of their noses”). They were soon joined in jail by ten-year-old Thomas and seven-year-old Sarah, who also confessed. Sarah testified that she had been a witch since she was six and that her mother “made me set my hand to a book.” Her baptism, she said, was in “Andrew Foster’s pasture.” Brother Thomas claimed to have been baptized in the Shawsheen River. One can only imagine the level of fear Martha’s young children experienced that would convince them to testify against her.

A tremendous amount of testimony was brought against Martha Carrier at her trial on August 2, with many agreeing that Goody Carrier was offered the role of “Queen in Hell” by the Devil himself. Although she claimed her innocence to the end (she was the only family member who did not confess), Carrier was hanged, along with Reverend George Burroughs, George Jacobs Sr., John Proctor, and John Willard on August 19, 1692, on Proctor’s Ledge at Gallows Hill. It is not known where her remains lie. Her children were eventually released from jail, although their guilt about testifying against their mother must have remained with them for life.

Imagine your children going through all of that and then having to live the rest of their lives knowing their mother was put to death after they accused her, confessed to also being witches, and sent to prison. While pondering that, think of what Thomas, her husband, went through with four of his children in a dungeon after his wife was put to death. 

Thomas Carrier petitioned for restitution on behalf of his executed wife and for the expenses incurred during his children’s incarceration. On October 17, 1711, Martha Carrier’s name was cleared of all charges, nearly twenty years after her death. By that time, the Carrier family had moved to Colchester, CT where they were among the earliest settlers of the area. Thomas operated iron works on the Salmon River. He died in 1735 at the reported age of 109. (The gravestone that stands in the Marlboro Cemetery in Connecticut, memorializing Thomas and several of his children and grandchildren, erroneously lists his death year as 1739. This stone, and three other Carrier family stones beside it, were reportedly moved to this cemetery from a family plot at the Carrier homestead in Colchester.) The New England Journal dated June 9, 1735 said, “His head in his last years was not bald nor hair gray. Not many days before his death he traveled on foot six miles to see a sick friend, and the day before he died he was visiting his neighbors. His mind was alert until he died, when he fell asleep in his chair and never woke up.”

In 1999, Billerica’s Board of Selectmen unanimously voted to rescind the 1676 banishment of the Carrier family.

And this points to the conspiracy against Martha Carrier, but also how the trials for them rest of them went.

Lacey Jr’s examination was held on July 21 during which she accused Martha Carrier of being a witch, stating that she had murdered several children by stabbing them in the heart with pins and knitting needles and also added that “Goody Carrier told me the Devil said to her she should be a queen in hell” (SWP No. 87.2).

A lesson in why the suffering never ended, topped off with garnished guilt laced with the poison of those who reaped the rewards. Be vigilant.