The Resurrection of the Witch
Iit all started one day while I was catching up with my friend Ellen Newhouse, who told me in the middle of our conversation that I reminded her of Joan of Arc.
“Huh,” I thought. I didn’t know much about her.
A couple weeks later Ellen sent me a journal with Joan’s famous quote that read: “I am not afraid. I was born to do this.”
The stories of complicated, ambitious, and lustrous women have always captivated me and been at the center of my work as a documentary filmmaker. And so my obsession with Joan of Arc began.
I listened to podcasts and poured over the internet to research about my new historical friend. One of the most interesting things about Joan of Arc, to me, is that while we know her now as the patron Saint of France, her origin story is much more interesting. Did you know she was just a sixteen year-old peasant girl when she started hearing the voices of angels in her garden? It was after these visions that she began her journey to make Charles the true King of France. It took having to prove herself and her vision over and over again but she did it. She lead an entire adult male army into battle and won, making Charles the King of France.
But as quickly as her star rose, it began to fall. With no use for her after victory, the Catholic Church turned on her, put her on trial, and burned her at the stake for witchcraft.
During one of the podcasts I was devouring about her, the hosts mentioned “the burning times.” Joan’s murder was not a unique one. Unimaginably, a hundred thousand women were killed for “witchcraft” throughout Europe.
I kept following the breadcrumbs of this story, which had me wondering about the power of the word “witch” and how it’s used as a weapon to keep women silent.
One afternoon I found a beginners video on past life regression on YouTube. While I was deep in meditation I started to hear the gathering of sticks of wood, the sound of fire crackling, and felt my feet start to burn. My eyes bolted open, and a shiver went down my spine.
Did someone try to kill me in a past life? Was I a witch?
This happened around the time I was deciding whether or not to tell my friends and family I was a developing medium. I felt a wave of disappointment in myself. Subconsciously the fear of being punished or maybe even burned at the stake was still in my psyche. I wondered how many lifetimes I’d been in hiding, and what I could do to unearth these stories.
I believe every good documentary asks a question, and it’s the filmmakers job to search for the answer through the work.
My new film “The Resurrection of the Witch” is an offering. A conversation about what happens when we fear the witch and what happens when we set her free.
Click here to watch the trailer. If this message speaks to you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to support the research of the film or pass it on to a friend to spread the word.
So mote it be,
Erin
PS- Today is the 10 year anniversary of the Dream, Girl Kickstarter campaign. So if you’ve been with me on this journey for the last ten years, from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you for being here. <3
“The Resurrection of the Witch” trailer was produced and written by Erin Bagwell with special thanks to research from Patrick Carolan.
Music by Katie Callahan “Witches” with violin by Sally Schaeffer and mixed by Sal Mastrocola. Opening spell by Rebecca Auman, Patrick Carolan, and Helen Escolarz. Footage shot by Erin Bagwell in Buffalo, New York featuring (in order of appearance):
Mandy Rosario
Kate (and Inga) Polakiewicz
Alana Adetola - Alana Adetola Arts Photography
Sara Rodriguiez - Songbird Specialties
Judi DeSorbo
Rebecca Lichtenthal - Lotus Valley Wellness
Sonya Frazier - Hana Mushroom
Theressa Johnson - Psychic Medium at Flicker
Ginny Rose & Poppy James