Emotional work—like listening, thinking, and advising—is work, though often we think of it as “just part of friendship” or “just something women like to do.” But donating comfort and solace to a friend is a labor of love, just like knitting a sweater or making a pie. The healers and wise women who were later called witches recognized the value of this effort; their life’s mission was to look after the physical and emotional health of their community, after all. But although they might have been able to cure a broken heart with a potion, or devise a ritual to ease someone’s nerves, or concoct a
...more
