A Satanic Holiday, Pendle Day 20th August
The Pendle Witch Trials of 1612 are one of the most sinister chapters in English history, marking a dark period for humanity and serving as a brutal reminder of how society treats the feminine, women, and those who don’t fit the mold prescribed by the patriarchy. I have a close connection to Pendle; it is where my parents chose to raise my siblings. I was potentially conceived in Pendle, according to my parents, which explains a lot, to say the least. I have fabulous stories of my family’s gatherings in our occult community gracing the hillsides and fields surrounding their home.
There are tales of my father absolutely petrifying my siblings, who bravely dared to confront the witches, believing they were strong enough to fight off any supernatural entity. This led to my father hiding in a bush and jumping out at them, prompting my siblings to run back home extremely quickly—except for one of my sisters, Colette, who ran on the spot, in one place, causing my father to cry with laughter and share the story at family gatherings for years to come!
Though I’d love to indulge in those tales that always end happily, we’re here to learn about the people from around Pendle Hill in Lancashire, UK, who were accused of witchcraft. Let’s not mince words—these were predominantly poor, marginalized individuals, many of whom were simply trying to survive in a world that offered them little in the way of power or respect. Of the twelve accused, ten were tragically hanged, and the trials were nothing more than a means to control and suppress the feminine, women, and the other or who dared to step out of line—something we still see the repercussions of today. The names of the victims were Anne Whittle, Ann Redfearn, Elizabeth Device, Alice Nutter, Alizon Device, James Device, Katherine Hewitt, Jane Bulcock, John Bulcock, and Isobel Robey.
Fast forward to today, and some of us are reclaiming these stories—not as tales of witches doing Satan's bidding, but as symbols of defiance against a patriarchal system that still seeks to control women. The women of Pendle were not witches; but now they’ve become something even more powerful—icons of resistance and reminders of how far those in power can go to stamp out the "other." As you can see, we’re using modern images and symbols that represent the narratives used to demonize these individuals—again, mostly women—in order to flip that narrative.
Let’s talk about a subject I hardly ever speak about...Satan! For us, Satan isn’t some fiery figure with horns and a pitchfork, the epitome of evil incarnate. Instead, Satan represents rebellion against tyranny, a challenge to the oppressive systems that have kept women and certain people/groups down for centuries. When we embrace Satanic symbols like the pentagram or Baphomet, we’re not worshipping the Devil; we’re reclaiming power from the institutions that have used these symbols to instill fear and maintain control. It’s about saying, “You can’t scare us with your myths and threats anymore.”
The Pendle Witch Trials are more than just history to me as a gay, feminine male who has always befriended women and people who don’t fit the binary mold more than men. This history is a warning and a rallying cry. The women accused weren’t witches; they were everyday people who didn’t fit society’s molds, like many of you reading this blog. They were persecuted for those reasons, manipulated by people with more power and money than themselves. By reclaiming the symbols of their supposed “evil,” we honor their defiance and stand against the same misogynistic forces that seek to silence us today. The upsetting thing is that these individuals had no choice in the matter, like most of us when we’re falsely accused or have our narratives taken away.
Of course, not everyone—mostly those with Christian ideologies—are comfortable with this fierce approach. Some people, even within feminist circles, believe that using Satanic imagery is too provocative, that it alienates potential allies or plays into the hands of those who misunderstand our intent. But here’s the thing: we’re not here to make people comfortable. According to the philosophy that best describes my beliefs—the tenets of the Satanic Temple—tenet 4 states: "The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one's own." We're here to challenge, provoke thought, and dismantle the narratives that have kept us oppressed for far too long. Yes, some people will be put off, but that’s a small price to pay for reclaiming our power. Personally, using Satanism to empower myself has made me feel like the camp Disney villains I used to dress up as when I was a child—opulent and powerful in the most anti-establishment, down-with-capitalism way!
Critics who say we’re reducing the Pendle Witch Trials to a feminist cause are missing the point. We know these trials were complex, influenced by economic and social tensions. It would benefit them to learn about our other campaigns that oppose tyranny, such as my personal favourite issue we’re working on: the separation of church and state.
The most famous document from these trials is the "Wonderful Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster," written by Thomas Potts. Potts mention the accused witches were questioned about being in league with the failed terrorist attack in which Guy Fawkes conspired in as an attempt to blow up the houses parliament on the 5th of November 1605, a interesting tie to satanism that John Milton wrote the famous “remember remember the fifth of November” poem that we still chant to this day. I’ve spoken about this before in my prior works and constructed a service on the topic on the satanic temples service archives, you can listen to it on Spotify here https://open.spotify.com/episode/1wZGQlDuPtJENPZ00p0DhF?si=5JFTFuWQSVmZXub5kBYBZA&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A2Ipc8iqHv9OZ5gDp7M144I&t=2
So, when we look at the Pendle Witch Trials through our activist Satanic lens, we’re not just revisiting history; we’re rewriting it. We’re taking the symbols that were once used to justify the persecution of the feminine and turning them into symbols of strength and defiance. We’re reminding the world that these individuals, mostly women, were victims—victims whose stories should be confronted to reveal how dangerous our patriarchy can be. They continue to inspire us to fight against the same patriarchal forces today.
Unbeknownst to me, in 2022, a petition was available for the public to sign to pardon the accused. The proposal reads:
"The trial of the Lancashire witches in 1612 was England’s biggest peacetime witch trial by far. Ten witches were hanged, and a number of others were imprisoned. We are asking the Government to grant a pardon via a Royal Prerogative proposal for the ten executed Lancashire witches. We are asking the Government for justice. Together, we are fighting to right the wrongs of history and stamp out stereotypes."
The petition reached 2,809 signatures of the 10,000 requested, which is disappointing and a testament to the attitudes toward these issues in modern times.
In the end, the newer legacy of the Pendle witches is one of resilience, resistance, and rebellion. By embracing the symbols that were used to demonize them, we ensure that their stories—and our fight—live on, British Associated Fellowship of Satan mark the 20th August to be marked as “Pendle Day of Resistance” or “Pendle Day of Remembrance”, this Satanic holiday will be focused on not just British history, though inspired by British history but to remember those who have fallen under arbitrary authority, this holiday is an act of defiance in itself politically and personally empowering for our members to remain strong against those who demonise them and hopefully for others to look upon the other and see that we’re all humanity, all living beings and we should unite to make the world a better place. The days leading up to the executions can also be seen as Satanic days of “worship” which are the 17th-19th August. With the flame of Prometheus and the apple of satanic knowledge we hail this day and innocent folk whom were wrongly accused of being witch’s.
Happy Pendle Day everyone and Hail Satan.
Minister Sitri
I’ll be adding some sources here asap and my references, many thanks