Coming out on the other side of Religious Trauma Syndrome, I realised I still have healing to do. (We’re never quite ‘done,’ are we?) As someone who didn’t grow up with a strict religious ethos but fell into it in my teens, I have been wondering why I fell for religion at age 17. What made me so vulnerable and ripe for the picking by a religious cult?
In my mind, I had already decided that I was agnostic. My encounter with religion during my confirmation studies at age 15 had left me cold. If there was a true religion out there, it would have to remain a mystery. I had more important things to get on with. Yet within a month of living with a fundamentalist Christian family as a high school exchange student, I joined, got baptised and signed on the dotted line.
The Complex Combo
There was an underlying mother wound for sure. My mother left when I was three years old and I had very little to do with her after that. But was there another layer to do this? I believe I suffered from a combination of the now widely recognised witch wound as well as the mother wound. When my father was particularly angry, he referred to my mother and maternal grandmother as witches.
So before I had even begun exploring alternative spirituality, I knew that I came from a line of witches and that this was a very bad thing.
The Mother Wound
The mother wound is a term that describes the emotional and psychological pain that stems from a dysfunctional or challenging relationship with one’s mother. It refers to the long-lasting effects of unmet emotional needs, neglect, criticism, or abuse. The mother wound can manifest in various ways, including low self-esteem, difficulties in forming healthy relationships, fear of abandonment, perfectionism, and a deep longing for love and acceptance.
Healing the mother wound often involves self-reflection, therapy, and developing self-compassion and self-love. For many of us, this is a life-long healing journey.
The Witch Wound
The term “witch wound” is a concept that describes the societal and historical oppression and persecution of women who were accused of witchcraft. This wound encompasses the deep-rooted trauma experienced by women who were unjustly targeted, prosecuted, and often punished through torture or execution.
Some believe we carry this wound in our genes. While I believe this may be true, I also believe that many lightworkers and spirit warriors now living are reincarnations of those women who were killed as witches for their power and wisdom. Either way, the witch wound reflects the ongoing effects of the demonisation of women’s autonomy, intuition, and power.
The witch wound can manifest in various ways, impacting women individually and collectively. It may lead to feelings of shame, guilt, and a constant fear of judgment. It can stop highly intelligent women from succeeding in the world and fulfilling their potential.
Woundology
There is no term for the intersection between the mother wound and the witch wound. Or at least I couldn’t find one but I feel that this intersection is the ultimate “womb wound.” Because it is essentially an attack on our femininity at both a deeply personal and societal level. And when our witch and mother wounds intersect, it creates a particularly complex and layered experience of emotional pain and trauma. Having both wounds as a complex can intensify the feelings of hurt, betrayal, and injustice.
The womb wound impacts how we show up in both personal relationships and in society.
This intersection can lead to a complex web of emotions, including anger, grief, shame, guilt, and confusion. It can keep us stuck or in a looping pattern where we never feel worthy of success and so subconsciously keep self-sabotaging.
The Healing Journey
Healing the simultaneous witch and mother wounds requires a multifaceted approach. It involves acknowledging and processing the emotions associated with both wounds. Actively engaging in practices that empower and celebrate our authentic selves is helpful. It may also involve understanding and challenging the societal narratives that perpetuate these wounds and finding ways to reconnect with and reclaim our own power and self-worth. I find studying and practising angelic witchcraft particularly useful for this.
Navigating the intersection of the witch and mother wounds is a deeply personal journey, and will no doubt carry on for quite a while. I just wanted to share where I’m at with it all now. I suspect I’m not the only one with an RTS background who also suffers from the double whammy womb wound. So if you can identify with what I have shared here, I would love to hear from you!
