BURNING TIMES

In the cool of the evening they used to gather
Neath the stars in the meadow circled near an old oak tree
At the times appointed by the seasons of the earth
And the phases of the moon
In the center stood a woman
Equal with the others and respected for her worth
One of the many we call witches
The healers and the teachers of the wisdom of the earth
And the people who grew through the knowledge she gave them
Herbs to heal their bodies
Spells to make their spirts whole
Can't you hear them chanting healing incantations
Calling forth the wise ones
Celebrating in dance and song

Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inana
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inana
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inana

There were those who came to power through domination
And they bonded in the worship of a dead man on a cross
They sought control of the common people
By demanding allegiance to the Church of Rome
And the Pope decalred an Inquisition
It was war against the women whose power they feared
In this Holocaust against the nature people
Nine million European women died
And the tale is told of those who by the hundreds
Holding together chose their death in the sea
While chanting the praises of the Mother Goddess
A refusal of betrayal
Women were dying to be free

Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inana
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inana
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inana
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inana

Now the Earth is a witch
And the men still burn her
Stripping her down with mining and the poisons of their war
Still to us, the Earth is a healer
A teacher, a mother
A weaver of a web of life that keeps us all alive
She gives us the vision to see through the chaos
She gives us courage
It is our will to survive