Witch Trials & The Woman Made Myth | Salem To Borden

From scapegoats to seers to accused murderesses — decode how fear, bias & archetypes shaped women’s fate in history

What you'll learn

Identify and decode the archetypes of “The Witch,” “The Wild Woman,” and “The Seer” through historical case studies

Recognize symbolic bias and social scapegoating in both historical events and modern workplace dynamics

Explore how collective fear shaped public trials, media narratives, and feminine criminality from Salem to Borden

Understand how spiritual women—mystics, mediums, and outcasts—were framed as threats to social order

Learn how cultural myths of hysteria, seduction, and divine power still influence the treatment of powerful women today

Apply reflective thinking tools to analyze symbolism, emotional residue, and cultural patterns across time

Use provided downloads and symbolic analyzers to integrate learnings into personal growth, DEI work, or teaching

Requirements

No prior knowledge is needed—just curiosity and an open mind

A willingness to engage with history, symbolism, psychology, and hidden cultural narratives

Ideal for both individual learners and corporate professionals pursuing deeper diversity and inclusion insights

Optional downloads and exercises are included for deeper reflection, application, and discussion

Description

Step beyond the clichés and into the firelight where myth, history, and bias converge. This course examines how women across time—from Salem to Lizzie Borden and Helena Blavatsky—were shaped, silenced, or sensationalized by cultural fear and projection. Through witch trials, mystical movements, murder accusations, and the gendered scrutiny of belief, students will uncover the psychological patterns that turned women into symbols.Blending historical storytelling, symbolic archetypes, and a modern understanding of social psychology, this course offers more than facts. It offers a mirror.You’ll decode how society punishes the woman who knows too much, speaks too freely, or lives too wildly. You’ll trace how the labels of “witch,” “seer,” and “murderess” followed women who dared to defy expectation—from colonial Puritanism to Victorian spiritualism.Whether you’re interested in history, feminism, criminal psychology, or symbolism in society, this course delivers unexpected connections and eye-opening insights. You’ll uncover how femininity became forensic evidence, how hysteria hid real power, and why the language of belief still echoes in the way we talk about women today.Created by the founder of Pursuing Wisdom Academy (est. 2018), with over 100,000 students worldwide, this course blends depth and accessibility. Perfect for lifelong learners, teams exploring bias in history and narrative, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the archetypal forces that shaped the female experience.The downloads included in this course aren’t just optional—they’re transformational. You’ll receive symbolic analysis tools, historical reflection journals, archetype trackers, and a capstone challenge to map what you’ve learned to modern parallels.And while this course has an ending, your journey doesn’t. Learners also have the option to download a Pursuing Wisdom Academy completion badge alongside their official certificate.

Overview

Section 1: Witch Hunts & the Birth of the Scapegoat Myth

Lecture 1 Welcome: Why We Still Burn Witches

Lecture 2 The Psychology of Persecution: What Makes a Witch?

Section 2: Salem’s Legacy: Control, Archetypes & Collective Panic

Lecture 3 Salem 1692: A Town Starved for Control

Lecture 4 Archetypes on Trial: The Witch, The Wild Woman, The Seer

Section 3: Lizzie Borden & the American Murder Myth

Lecture 5 Blood in the Parlor: Lizzie Borden as Folk Demon

Lecture 6 What Did We Need Her to Be? Monster, Martyr, or Mad?

Section 4: Mediums, Mystics & the Gendering of the Supernatural

Lecture 7 Blavatsky & the Divine Feminine Threat

Lecture 8 The Fox Sisters & the Spiritualist Movement

Lecture 9 Seers in Shadows: Eva C., Helene Smith & the Séance as Trial

Section 5: Emotion, Madness & the Policing of Power

Lecture 10 Sarah Winchester’s House of Grief

Lecture 11 Symbolism Over Science: The Feminine Body on Display

Lecture 12 Female Asylums & the Symbolic Pathologizing of Emotion

Section 6: Integration & Archetypal Legacy

Lecture 13 Capstone Challenge: Which Archetype Was She?

Lecture 14 Final Reflections: What the Witch Still Teaches Us

Lecture 15 End Of Course Wrap Up

Lecture 16 Bonus Lecture

Women, educators, and lifelong learners fascinated by feminist history, cultural symbolism, and hidden bias in persecution,DEI professionals seeking storytelling-based case studies to humanize bias, scapegoating, and archetypes in the workplace,True crime fans curious about the psychology behind historical witch trials, accused murderesses, and mystics,Social psychology students interested in gendered patterns of fear, morality, and cultural memory across time,Paranormal and symbolic thinkers drawn to mysticism, energy, and archetypes hidden beneath historic accusations,Corporate learners exploring emotional intelligence, unconscious bias, and the symbolic narratives that shape team dynamics,History lovers wanting a fresh, feminine-centered lens on Salem, Lizzie Borden, and 19th-century social control,Professionals and creatives curious about how gendered archetypes affect hiring, media framing, and credibility today