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About the Author
The silly and sleepless Mistress McCutchan, otherwise known in the real world simply as Laura, created Morbid Outlook in August of 1992, while still a gothling in high school.

She is a full-time, senior web designer, DJ, and director of The Serpentina North Ensemble. She is vegan, but not one of the pushy ones. When not on the road or working like a maniac, she can be found becoming one with the couch, especially if Three’s Company is on.
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Are You A Witch?
Mistress McCutchan
Wicca is a recognized religion practiced today; practitioners are known as Wiccans or witches. In fourteenth century Europe or seventeenth century New England, being a witch was not taken to kindly. Being a witch was associated with the devil, and witch hunters were quick to accuse any strange women or men of practicing witchcraft. Any unfortunate accident or outbreak of illness was usually blamed on witches.
Anyone found guilty of being a witch was hanged. Most of these Christian witch hunters believed “guilty before proven innocent”. Witches were not allowed to have any lawyers, because the lawyers would then be accused of defending heresy. No witnesses could testify for them; witnesses that testified against witches remained anonymous. Having a clean record didn’t matter either if you were suspected of practicing witchcraft.
Several tests were used to find the innocence or guilt of a suspect:
The scales test. A suspected witch was weighed against a metal bound Bible on a huge set of scales. If the suspect weighed more than the Bible, he or she was free. The fault with this test was the fact that weights could be hidden inside the Bible, causing the suspect to weigh less.
Witchmarks. Unusual moles, birthmarks, or warts were thought to be the markings of a witch; a place where a witch’s familiar of the devil himslef would suckle to gain strength. If poked at with a pin, a witchmark would not bleed or cause pain. And we all know that if you carefully insert a pin under the skin or into a callus, it doesn’t bleed or cause pain.
The water test. Based on a pre-Christian belief that water was sacred, an accused witch would be bound left hand to right foot and right hand to left foot. If innocent, the suspect would sink and would survive from drowning if saved in time. If guilty, the water would reject them. Either way, you would be screwed because you could drown, or be found guilty and be hung.
Many others that were arrested were tortured and, if they confessed, they were set free. These victims would be kept alive, in hopes that they would reveal other witches.
If you practice Wicca, would you willingly die for your craft if it came down to it? Sometimes it’s just taken for granted what others have died for...
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