"Of Witches and Wise-Women"

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When I was asked to illustrate Mouse Tales several years ago, I didn’t expect the witch in Hansel and Gretel to challenge me so much. It’s hard to illustrate a witch without falling into old stereotypes. In the illustrations that follow, I explain my thoughts behind the drawings -see for yourself if you think I succeeded! 😱

Dear Friends,

Walking through the Halloween aisle recently, this really hit home. Surrounded by life-sized witch figures, I suddenly realized what I was looking at: old women. That’s all.

I hadn’t always been sensitive to how older women are viewed. How many times as a young woman did I dress up as a witch, adding lines to my face and powder to my hair - without realizing I’d swallowed the poison? As that young woman, I was too insecure to question society’s demand that I look and act a certain way to avoid being laughed at or dismissed.

When Happy the mouse first hears about witches, it's all about the stereotypes. When he hears that they ride brooms, however, he thinks that sounds like fun. 🧹 🎃

But if we glance back at history, the women called witches were often land-owning widows (whose land was quickly confiscated by their accusers) or highly skilled craftspeople or healers - women who dared to live outside the narrow expectations of their time. Their “trials” were no-win situations: if they survived, they were guilty, aided by witchcraft. If they died, they were innocent - but still dead.

Here the stereotypes are in full force, frightening Happy. My way of dealing with the old woman stereotype was to make the woman unapologetically and gleefully concocting her brew.

Now, centuries later, the witch hunt looks different, but it’s still here. We still mock or sideline women who are too smart, too independent, too visible, or just…old. Walking past those witch figures, I realized: if the story is going to change, we have to rewrite it.

Men can support us but it’s women - especially those of us over 60, who’ve entered society’s so-called “Age of Invisibility” - who must step forward. Refuse to shrink. Refuse to disappear. This stage of life isn’t an ending, nor are our “best years behind us!” Far from it. 🦋

In this illustration, the consequences of stereotyping old women comes full circle: Happy the mouse now fears his neighbour, a kindly older woman. 😳

In my 60s I feel like I’ve finally grown into myself. I’m learning French, perfecting my guitar playing, studying Qi Gong, and continuing to develop my skills as an energy medicine healer and practitioner. As a writer, I have more wisdom to draw from for my storytelling, and as an artist, I’ve never felt more joy than when I have a paint brush in my hand. Through energy medicine, I am learning about the power of consciousness and intention in slowing the aging process. This is truly the best time of my life.

But this is not unique to me; we are all meant to live fully, vibrantly and joyfully until our last breath.

As George Eliot said, “It’s never too late to be what you might’ve been.”

So here’s to the ‘witches’ - the wise ones, the healers, the creators - who choose to live fully and unapologetically.

💜 ❤️ ♥️

Andrea

P.S. If you need a little extra support on your path to finding joy, please download my free PDF 10 Steps to Inner Peace. And if you have little ones in your life, visit my website to explore the Pocket Mouse series. You’ll also find free colouring pages to spark their creativity!