“More Weight”

I actually won something from an online sweepstakes a couple of months ago! I won a travel package to Salem, Massachusetts. It’s a whopping 25 miles north, so I’ve visited numerous times. But the package was pretty sweet and included a night at a bed and breakfast. So Allen and I had the opportunity to really explore Witch City.

Included in the package were tickets to a museum that I hadn’t been to before, so score one for the birthday list! I didn’t know anything about the Salem Witch Museum except that it had a cool exterior.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upon entering, Allen and I were shown to a dark room with benches. Soon a deep, dramatic voice started telling us the story of the 1692 witch trials. Above us in a circle were life-size scenes of the story. The sets looked at least 30 years old. The most memorable scene featured the story of Giles Corey. He was accused of witchcraft and refused to plead guilty. To get him to plead guilty, the prosecutors put a crapload of stones on top of him. Instead of confessing, he struggled to say, “More weight….more weight….”

When the story ended, a guide led us into another room. She pointed out a timeline of witchcraft on the wall and showed us two mannequins dressed up as Wiccans. She wrapped up her talk by mentioning more contemporary instances of witch hunts, including McCarthyism and Japanese internment camps during WWII.

Our weekend in Salem was really fun. We had good seafood, visited the always-great Peabody Essex Museum, and discovered a lovely cidery called Far from the Tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The travel package is providing me with another birthday list item: a past-life regression session with a past-life regression therapist. I’m going this weekend, so stay tuned…