The Basque region spread over the western edge of the Pyrenees Mountains that divide France from Spain overlooking the Bay of Biscay. There are seven Basque provinces, four in Spain and three in France. The Basque people have lived there since that old proverbial time immemorial; they are believed to have occupied a geographical territory longer than any other European ethnic group.
Their origins are mysterious and continue to confound anthropologists. They are apparently unrelated to any other ethnic group. The Basque language is apparently unrelated to any known language. Some suggest it is the original indigenous, Paleolithic European language. The Basque were comparatively late converts to Christianity, and ancestral traditions including ritual dances and offerings to the dead survived conversion.
There were no Basque with-hunts per se, instead French witch-hunters and the Spanish Inquisition took turns entering Basque territory to hunt down and execute witches, and the Basque territory was the scene of extensive witch-hunting in the 16th and 17th century; French witch-hunters targeted Basque witches in the 17th.
The ethnic aspect of these witch-trials cannot be forgotten. Basque women were interrogated by French and Spanish men, most of whom could not speak their language and who thus relied on local translators and paid witch-finders.
Traditional Basque society was very different from that the witch-hunters left behind in Spain and France: Basque women were exceptionally independent for their time. Although men wintered at home, a high percentage of Basque men were fishermen who spent the entire summer fishing in Newfoundland. Adult women were, thus, left "unsupervised".
Spanish and France witch-hunters simultaneously disapproved and were titillated by these women. Witch-hunter Pierre de Lancre, in particular, reveals more about his own sexual fantasies in his memoirs than he does any witchcraft practices.
Spain conducted an intensive witch-hunt in Basque territory beginning in 1507. In 1507, over 30 women were burned as witches in Calahorra. In 1527, a craze began when two little girls, aged 9 and 11, claimed to belong to a coven. They told officials that if they were granted immunity, they would identify other witches for the witch-hunters. They claimed they could recognize witches by gazing into their left eyes: in witches, the sign of a frog's foot appeared above the pupil.
Officials took the girls, guarded by 50 horsemen, to various towns so that they could identify witches. Upon arriving in a village, the guards arrested all the women. Each child was placed in a separate house and women were sent in one by one to have their eyes inspected. If the girls pronounced a woman a witch, she was arrested. Over 150 were imprisoned and charged with witchcraft based on the testimony of these two children.
Rumors of thousands of Basque witches engaged in Satanic activity spread through France and Pierre de Lancre, and especially aggressive witch-hunter, was sent in his capacity as the French King's councilor to lead a ferocious witch-hunt through French Basque territory. De Lancre confirmed these rumors: according to him, La Hendaye Beach in French Basque territory had sabbats attended by no less than 12,000 witches.
De Lancre indicted so many witches that the jails literally couldn't hold them all. He reported executing 600 Basque witches, burned alive at the stake, during four months in 1906.
De Lancre despised and hated Basque people, and especially independent Basque women who were used to acting as heads of their households. De Lancre was particularly aggravated that women acted as sacristans in church.
He suggested that the Basque witches were part of an international conspiracy with other European witches in order to eradicate Roman Catholicism and Christianity. De Lancre went too far when he began executing priests accused of being or supporting witches: for instance Basque priest Pierre Bocal, accused of wearing a goat mask and presiding over both Christian and Pagan rites and subsequently burned alive. The French public lost its taste for the witch-hunts at that point, and d Lancre fell from public favor.
Official records of the French Basque witch trials were destroyed in a fire in 1710. The best surviving source is de Lancre's own rambling memoirs. To this day, de Lancre's text provides major source material for most discussions of Basque witchcraft. De Lancre did not understand the Basque language; all interrogations were done via interpreters. The witches' confessions, offered in Basque, were recorded by de Lancre in French.
*Credit to Judika Illes
Showing posts with label Witch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Witch. Show all posts
Friday, June 10, 2016
Witch-Craze: Bacchanalia
Hysterical witch-hunting is older than Christianity; Roman persecution of the Bacchanalia is somethings called the first "witch hunt".
The Bacchanalia was the Latin name for the Dionysian mystery traditions of the Maenads, or as they were known in Italy, the Bacchanals. Initially held in Etruria, these traditions traveled to Southern Italy and thence to Rome. Rituals were initially restricted to women and conducted secretly three days a year in the Grove of Stimula near the Aventine Hill. Men were eventually admitted to the rites, which increased to five days a month. However the majority of the initiates were female. Initially the Bacchanalia was identified with slaves and immigrant women from Greece, the Balkans, and elsewhere but it eventually attracted respectable Roman matrons who assumed leadership roles.
The Bacchanalia became increasingly controversial; it developed a malevolent, mysterious reputation among conventional society and was accused of fomenting political conspiracies. The Bacchanals were accused of poisoning, ritual murder, sexual deviance, and treason. The Roman senate issued a decree, the Senatus Consultum de Bacchanalibus in BCE, forbidding the Bacchanalia throughout Italy except where the Senate itself reserved the right to permit the rites.
According to the Roman historian Livy, the Bacchanals were charged with holding secret nocturnal meetings, allegedly featuring dancing, music, feasting, orgies, homosexuality, and ritual murder. But for the absence of Satan, it sounds remarkably like a European witch-hunters' sabbat of over a millennium later.
The charges that detonate these witch-hunts allegedly began with family dispute: a young Roman patrician, Aebutius was asked to leave home by his mother. She later claimed it was because her husband, Aebutius' step father, was strapped for money; Aebutius claimed he was thrown out because he refused to be initiated into the Bacchanalia as his mother desired.
Aebutius said his concubine Hispala, a freed woman, had previously attended the Bacchanalia and warned him that it was depraved. Aebutius went to his late father's sister who advised him to make a formal complaint to the Consul, which he did. Essentially he denounced his mother as a Bacchanal.
Hispala was called in and questioned for details regarding what the Bacchanals were really doing at their secret nighttime revels. She allegedly initially refused to testify but was advised that she herself would be prosecuted unless she provided authorities with information. Hispala first claimed that she only attended the Bacchanalia as a child and so had limited information; after further questioning however she gave more details, describing torch-lit oracular rites by the Tiber River and naming the current leader of the Bacchanalia as Paculla Annia, a High Priestess from Campania.
The Consul held a public assembly where he accused the Bacchanals, now called the Conjurari, of a criminal conspiracy intended to undermine Roman society. The Senate ordered an immediate extraordinary investigation permitting torture and denying defendants' rights of appeal. A zero-tolerance policy was instituted in the form of a massive witch-hunt for members of the secret society, followed by mass executions.
*An edict outlawed initiates of the Mysteries from convening.
*The Senate offered a reward to anyone denouncing participants in the Bacchanalia.
*Officials were ordered to seek out ritual leaders.
*Roman men were ordered to reject participating members of their family.
The Senate simultaneously enacted legislation against diviners and foreign magicians.
Panic swept first Rome, then all of Italy. There were rumored to be over seven thousand Conjurari. Recent initiates were merely imprisoned but thousands were condemned to death. The state allowed men to punish their female relatives in the privacy of their home but if no one was available to execute them privately, it was done publicly. Heads of households thus personally executed wives, daughters, sisters, and slaves or ran the risk of disgracing the family via public executions.
What happened to Paculla, the priestess, is unknown, but her sons were arrested as leaders, tortured to denounce others, and executed. Those they denounced were also tortured until they denounced still others.
Known initiates, both female and male, committed suicide rather than face arrest. Some however escaped, including some who had been denounced but whom the authorities were then unable to locate. These Bacchanals are believed to have escaped into forests and mountains. Many believe these escaped Bacchanals are the prototype for Europe's future witches.
Even after the Bacchanalia-panic receded in Rome, the hunt for surviving Bacchanals continued throughout Apulia and other parts of the Italian countryside through 185-184 BCE. What happened to Aebutius' mother is unknown but the Senate rewarded Aebutius and Hispala out of the public treasury and promoted Hispala to a higher social rank so that the couple could be legally wed.
*Credit to Judika Illes
The Bacchanalia was the Latin name for the Dionysian mystery traditions of the Maenads, or as they were known in Italy, the Bacchanals. Initially held in Etruria, these traditions traveled to Southern Italy and thence to Rome. Rituals were initially restricted to women and conducted secretly three days a year in the Grove of Stimula near the Aventine Hill. Men were eventually admitted to the rites, which increased to five days a month. However the majority of the initiates were female. Initially the Bacchanalia was identified with slaves and immigrant women from Greece, the Balkans, and elsewhere but it eventually attracted respectable Roman matrons who assumed leadership roles.
The Bacchanalia became increasingly controversial; it developed a malevolent, mysterious reputation among conventional society and was accused of fomenting political conspiracies. The Bacchanals were accused of poisoning, ritual murder, sexual deviance, and treason. The Roman senate issued a decree, the Senatus Consultum de Bacchanalibus in BCE, forbidding the Bacchanalia throughout Italy except where the Senate itself reserved the right to permit the rites.
According to the Roman historian Livy, the Bacchanals were charged with holding secret nocturnal meetings, allegedly featuring dancing, music, feasting, orgies, homosexuality, and ritual murder. But for the absence of Satan, it sounds remarkably like a European witch-hunters' sabbat of over a millennium later.
The charges that detonate these witch-hunts allegedly began with family dispute: a young Roman patrician, Aebutius was asked to leave home by his mother. She later claimed it was because her husband, Aebutius' step father, was strapped for money; Aebutius claimed he was thrown out because he refused to be initiated into the Bacchanalia as his mother desired.
Aebutius said his concubine Hispala, a freed woman, had previously attended the Bacchanalia and warned him that it was depraved. Aebutius went to his late father's sister who advised him to make a formal complaint to the Consul, which he did. Essentially he denounced his mother as a Bacchanal.
Hispala was called in and questioned for details regarding what the Bacchanals were really doing at their secret nighttime revels. She allegedly initially refused to testify but was advised that she herself would be prosecuted unless she provided authorities with information. Hispala first claimed that she only attended the Bacchanalia as a child and so had limited information; after further questioning however she gave more details, describing torch-lit oracular rites by the Tiber River and naming the current leader of the Bacchanalia as Paculla Annia, a High Priestess from Campania.
The Consul held a public assembly where he accused the Bacchanals, now called the Conjurari, of a criminal conspiracy intended to undermine Roman society. The Senate ordered an immediate extraordinary investigation permitting torture and denying defendants' rights of appeal. A zero-tolerance policy was instituted in the form of a massive witch-hunt for members of the secret society, followed by mass executions.
*An edict outlawed initiates of the Mysteries from convening.
*The Senate offered a reward to anyone denouncing participants in the Bacchanalia.
*Officials were ordered to seek out ritual leaders.
*Roman men were ordered to reject participating members of their family.
The Senate simultaneously enacted legislation against diviners and foreign magicians.
Panic swept first Rome, then all of Italy. There were rumored to be over seven thousand Conjurari. Recent initiates were merely imprisoned but thousands were condemned to death. The state allowed men to punish their female relatives in the privacy of their home but if no one was available to execute them privately, it was done publicly. Heads of households thus personally executed wives, daughters, sisters, and slaves or ran the risk of disgracing the family via public executions.
What happened to Paculla, the priestess, is unknown, but her sons were arrested as leaders, tortured to denounce others, and executed. Those they denounced were also tortured until they denounced still others.
Known initiates, both female and male, committed suicide rather than face arrest. Some however escaped, including some who had been denounced but whom the authorities were then unable to locate. These Bacchanals are believed to have escaped into forests and mountains. Many believe these escaped Bacchanals are the prototype for Europe's future witches.
Even after the Bacchanalia-panic receded in Rome, the hunt for surviving Bacchanals continued throughout Apulia and other parts of the Italian countryside through 185-184 BCE. What happened to Aebutius' mother is unknown but the Senate rewarded Aebutius and Hispala out of the public treasury and promoted Hispala to a higher social rank so that the couple could be legally wed.
*Credit to Judika Illes
Witch-Craze: Africa
Prior to colonial rule, in general, individuals were accused of being magickal malefactors and dealt with on an individual basis. European-style witch-hunts began during colonial rule and still continue. Whether this change of attitude derives from enforced colonialism and/or exposure to Christianity is subject to debate.
Although hysterical witch-hunts and trials are now considered an aberration elsewhere, a relic of history, they are on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa. Witches are accused of transforming into bats and night birds, transforming people into sombis or committing murder via lightning or poison. Witchcraft is also blamed for Aids.
*In 1992, over 300 people in Kenya were lynched as witches.
*From April 1994 to February 1995, 97 women and 46 men accused of witchcraft in South Africa were killed by mob violence.
*Between January and June 1998, South Africa's Northern Province reported 386 crimes against suspected witches including assault, property damage, and murder.
*Thousands of children throughout sub-Saharan Africa have been the targets of witchcraft hysteria. Children have been tortured, abandoned, and killed. Many have suffered brutal exorcisms of the demons they are assumed to house.
The Ministry of Safety of South Africa's Northern Transvaal Province established a Commission of Inquiry into Witchcraft, Violence and Ritual Killings. A report published in May 1996 stated that thousands accused of witchcraft had been driven from their homes, losing all their property.
*Credit to Judika Illes
Although hysterical witch-hunts and trials are now considered an aberration elsewhere, a relic of history, they are on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa. Witches are accused of transforming into bats and night birds, transforming people into sombis or committing murder via lightning or poison. Witchcraft is also blamed for Aids.
*In 1992, over 300 people in Kenya were lynched as witches.
*From April 1994 to February 1995, 97 women and 46 men accused of witchcraft in South Africa were killed by mob violence.
*Between January and June 1998, South Africa's Northern Province reported 386 crimes against suspected witches including assault, property damage, and murder.
*Thousands of children throughout sub-Saharan Africa have been the targets of witchcraft hysteria. Children have been tortured, abandoned, and killed. Many have suffered brutal exorcisms of the demons they are assumed to house.
The Ministry of Safety of South Africa's Northern Transvaal Province established a Commission of Inquiry into Witchcraft, Violence and Ritual Killings. A report published in May 1996 stated that thousands accused of witchcraft had been driven from their homes, losing all their property.
*Credit to Judika Illes
Witch-craze!
If an individual has the capacity to bless others with good fortune, for instance, then that individual also possess the capacity to withhold that blessing...or worse.
This is true not only of witches, however, but of any specialist. Although it's a rare occurrence, every once in a while one does hear of a physician who has forsaken the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm but instead emerges as a secret, malevolent Angel of Death. However, those rare occurrences have not caused prejudice against physicians among the general public, nor have they caused "physician hysteria": the panic-stricken fear that every physician is secretly committed to causing only harm.
Likewise, in many traditional societies, it's recognized that although the occasional witch or shaman may become corrupt, the majority are responsible, ethical professionals. Most traditional societies have ago-old legal mechanisms in place for magickal practitioners perceived as malefactors, but this does not reflect negatively on the greater community of magickal practitioners, or does this constitute a "witch panic".
A witch panic is characterized by an absolutely hysterical, irrational, fear of witchcraft and witches. A witch doesn't have to cause harm for others to fear and persecute her. In fact, they may not have to be a witch at all.: the key word in "witch hysteria" or "witch panic" is not the first but the second. Witch panics are characterized by a crazed terror that there is a secret conspiracy of witches, a fifth column that seeks to undermine society and cause harm to individuals. No need to wait for the witches to prove they mean no harm; in a witch-craze, authorities search out any possible link to witchcraft and attempt to terminate it mercilessly.
Although witch panics existed earlier and still exist today, in some parts of Earth, the term "Witch-Craze" historically refers to a specific era of European history, also called the "Burning Times".
Although the European Witch-Craze lasted hundreds of years, covering most of the continent as well as colonies in the Western Hemisphere and claimed as victims, at a minimum, thousand of people, until recently it was a relatively obscure historical subject; it is still generally treated as a footnote or aberration of history.
Many studies of the Witch-Craze have, however, been published in the last two decades; in general, their focus is on perpetrators rather than on victims. All sorts of rationales are offered as to why "normal" people went so witch-crazy. Various books posit all kinds of different solutions for that dilemma, from physical causes to cultural, and all points in between.
However, to paraphrase author and physician M. Scott Peck, nothing of significance has but one root cause. There is a tendency to study the vast, sprawling topic of the European witch hunts as an isolated subject, rather than in historical context. It is not really possible to fully understand them without also considering other concurrent historical events:
*The persecution of landless minorities in Europe: Jews, Romany, and Salamis.
*Continued efforts to eradicate all vestiges of Pagan tradition.
*Unresolved issues stemming from, often forced, conversion to Christianity.
*The emotional and psychological impact of the Black Death and other deadly plagues.
*The imposition of feudalism in some parts of Europe and the development of a professional class in others.
*The denigration and demonization of an entire gender.
How many people died in the Witch-Craze? Figures offered range from as low as the tens of thousands to as many as nine million.
Those victims who died during the interrogation process may or may not be counted alongside those who perished during documented executions. Not all executions were documented. Sometimes records of convictions of witchcraft exist with no further information regarding eventual punishment.
Witch panics possessed regional characteristics:
*In Russia, there was no "witch hunt" per se; however those attending at court were frequently accused of using witchcraft for political purposes or to harm the royal family.
*In Transylvania, wives and female relatives of political competitors were targeted.
*In Hungary, practitioners of shamanism were targeted.
*In German lands, wealthy people were particularly vulnerable to charges of witchcraft as if convicted land and assets were confiscated by witch hunters.
*In France, a series of highly publicized cases involved demonic possession of nuns within convents, usually with a priest charged as perpetrator.
*Credit to Judika Illes
This is true not only of witches, however, but of any specialist. Although it's a rare occurrence, every once in a while one does hear of a physician who has forsaken the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm but instead emerges as a secret, malevolent Angel of Death. However, those rare occurrences have not caused prejudice against physicians among the general public, nor have they caused "physician hysteria": the panic-stricken fear that every physician is secretly committed to causing only harm.
Likewise, in many traditional societies, it's recognized that although the occasional witch or shaman may become corrupt, the majority are responsible, ethical professionals. Most traditional societies have ago-old legal mechanisms in place for magickal practitioners perceived as malefactors, but this does not reflect negatively on the greater community of magickal practitioners, or does this constitute a "witch panic".
A witch panic is characterized by an absolutely hysterical, irrational, fear of witchcraft and witches. A witch doesn't have to cause harm for others to fear and persecute her. In fact, they may not have to be a witch at all.: the key word in "witch hysteria" or "witch panic" is not the first but the second. Witch panics are characterized by a crazed terror that there is a secret conspiracy of witches, a fifth column that seeks to undermine society and cause harm to individuals. No need to wait for the witches to prove they mean no harm; in a witch-craze, authorities search out any possible link to witchcraft and attempt to terminate it mercilessly.
Although witch panics existed earlier and still exist today, in some parts of Earth, the term "Witch-Craze" historically refers to a specific era of European history, also called the "Burning Times".
Although the European Witch-Craze lasted hundreds of years, covering most of the continent as well as colonies in the Western Hemisphere and claimed as victims, at a minimum, thousand of people, until recently it was a relatively obscure historical subject; it is still generally treated as a footnote or aberration of history.
Many studies of the Witch-Craze have, however, been published in the last two decades; in general, their focus is on perpetrators rather than on victims. All sorts of rationales are offered as to why "normal" people went so witch-crazy. Various books posit all kinds of different solutions for that dilemma, from physical causes to cultural, and all points in between.
However, to paraphrase author and physician M. Scott Peck, nothing of significance has but one root cause. There is a tendency to study the vast, sprawling topic of the European witch hunts as an isolated subject, rather than in historical context. It is not really possible to fully understand them without also considering other concurrent historical events:
*The persecution of landless minorities in Europe: Jews, Romany, and Salamis.
*Continued efforts to eradicate all vestiges of Pagan tradition.
*Unresolved issues stemming from, often forced, conversion to Christianity.
*The emotional and psychological impact of the Black Death and other deadly plagues.
*The imposition of feudalism in some parts of Europe and the development of a professional class in others.
*The denigration and demonization of an entire gender.
How many people died in the Witch-Craze? Figures offered range from as low as the tens of thousands to as many as nine million.
Those victims who died during the interrogation process may or may not be counted alongside those who perished during documented executions. Not all executions were documented. Sometimes records of convictions of witchcraft exist with no further information regarding eventual punishment.
Witch panics possessed regional characteristics:
*In Russia, there was no "witch hunt" per se; however those attending at court were frequently accused of using witchcraft for political purposes or to harm the royal family.
*In Transylvania, wives and female relatives of political competitors were targeted.
*In Hungary, practitioners of shamanism were targeted.
*In German lands, wealthy people were particularly vulnerable to charges of witchcraft as if convicted land and assets were confiscated by witch hunters.
*In France, a series of highly publicized cases involved demonic possession of nuns within convents, usually with a priest charged as perpetrator.
*Credit to Judika Illes
Beltane
Beltane is the conventional modern spelling. Bealtaine is the traditional Irish spelling.
Beltane officially beings at moon-rise on the evening before the first day of May. It is the Celtic festival corresponding to May Eve, which is metaphysically understood as the moment when Earth's generative, reproductive, and sexual energies are at their peak. Beltane, is among the many May festivals celebrating Earth's sexual and reproductive powers; however Beltane has added resonance in Celtic lands as it also inaugurates the second half of the year. One may visualize this calendar as akin to a yin-yang symbol, with Beltane proclaiming the start of the bright yang portion.
Much of what we know of Celtic festivals derives from Ireland, although the Celts once dominated a good part of Europe. There are indications that similar festivals were held elsewhere in Celtic Europe, not lease by the prevalence of May Day celebrations throughout the entire continent.
Known as Calan Mai in Wales, Beltane is the Celtic fire festival marking the beginning of summer. The name may derive from "bel" (light) or "bil" (luck) and the general consensus is that Beltane means "bright fire". The name may also honor the Celtic deity named Bel or Belenus. Another possibility is that Bel is either derived from or identical to the pan-Semitic fertility deity Baal.
Fire may be understood as a little bit of the sun on Earth. In the spirit of the metaphysical adage "as above, so below", the magickal power of the sun was rekindled and enhanced by the Beltane bonfires. These bonfires were known as "bel-fires" or bale fires. They joyfully celebrate and proclaim the return of fertility to Earth. Beltane bonfires were ritual fires and were traditionally kindled by friction or by sparks from a flint.
The bonfires convey the magickal, healing, energizing force of fire. In order to benefit from this positive magick radiant energy, people dance around the fire, jump over it, crawl through it once it gets low and also drive their livestock through. Although any animal can benefit from the magick of the bale fires, cattle, the sacred cow so intrinsic to Irish myth, are especially associated with Beltane. If there are twin fires or multiple fires, people will dance between them and lead animals between. The ultimate goal of these rituals is disease prevention and the termination of bad luck, as well as the renewal of fertility and creativity.
Although a sacred day, Beltane was a happy, raucous holiday, not a serious, solemn one. It is impossible to celebrate Earth's sexuality without simultaneously reveling in human sexuality too. Beltane was one of those anarchic festivals where everyday constraints were thrown to the winds. The Christian Church would eventually condemn the carnal licentiousness of Beltane rites, accusing the populace of indiscriminate copulation. Although defamatory, these accusations weren't without a vestige of truth, however disapproval stems from perspective and perhaps a wee bit of jealousy. After all, some people were having fun when others weren't. Children whose birthdays fell near the Celtic festival imbolc, which occurs precisely nine months later, were affectionately known as "Beltane babies", and were considered to be special children with strong psychic powers and favored by the fairies.
Beltane was understood as a witches' festival, when witches came out to play, as well as a day that was sacred to devotees of the Fairy Faith. Perhaps their very visibility on this date made those with magickal or Pagan inclinations vulnerable to those with other orientations. Notions of sacrifice, and especially of sacrificial witches permeate many historic Beltane traditions, and May became a time when witches and their animal allies were persecuted.
*Cats and rabbits discovered in the fields in Ireland during Beltane were traditionally understood as witches in disguise and frequently killed on the spot, often by being tossed into the bonfires.
*Litters of kittens born during the entire month of May were feared as potential witches' familiars and summarily drowned.
*A tradition known as "burning the witches" persisted in the Scottish Highlands into the 18th century. young men took bits of the burning Beltane bonfires onto pitchforks. They then ran through the fields shouting "Fire! Fire! Burn the witches!" The fire is scattered through the fields to enhance their fecundity-which in fact, it does.
The joyful aspects of Beltane have been incorporated into contemporary Wicca. Aspects of the festival devoted to the sun, human sexuality, and the regeneration of life and magickal power are emphasized.
*Credit to Judika Illes
Beltane officially beings at moon-rise on the evening before the first day of May. It is the Celtic festival corresponding to May Eve, which is metaphysically understood as the moment when Earth's generative, reproductive, and sexual energies are at their peak. Beltane, is among the many May festivals celebrating Earth's sexual and reproductive powers; however Beltane has added resonance in Celtic lands as it also inaugurates the second half of the year. One may visualize this calendar as akin to a yin-yang symbol, with Beltane proclaiming the start of the bright yang portion.
Much of what we know of Celtic festivals derives from Ireland, although the Celts once dominated a good part of Europe. There are indications that similar festivals were held elsewhere in Celtic Europe, not lease by the prevalence of May Day celebrations throughout the entire continent.
Known as Calan Mai in Wales, Beltane is the Celtic fire festival marking the beginning of summer. The name may derive from "bel" (light) or "bil" (luck) and the general consensus is that Beltane means "bright fire". The name may also honor the Celtic deity named Bel or Belenus. Another possibility is that Bel is either derived from or identical to the pan-Semitic fertility deity Baal.
Fire may be understood as a little bit of the sun on Earth. In the spirit of the metaphysical adage "as above, so below", the magickal power of the sun was rekindled and enhanced by the Beltane bonfires. These bonfires were known as "bel-fires" or bale fires. They joyfully celebrate and proclaim the return of fertility to Earth. Beltane bonfires were ritual fires and were traditionally kindled by friction or by sparks from a flint.
The bonfires convey the magickal, healing, energizing force of fire. In order to benefit from this positive magick radiant energy, people dance around the fire, jump over it, crawl through it once it gets low and also drive their livestock through. Although any animal can benefit from the magick of the bale fires, cattle, the sacred cow so intrinsic to Irish myth, are especially associated with Beltane. If there are twin fires or multiple fires, people will dance between them and lead animals between. The ultimate goal of these rituals is disease prevention and the termination of bad luck, as well as the renewal of fertility and creativity.
Although a sacred day, Beltane was a happy, raucous holiday, not a serious, solemn one. It is impossible to celebrate Earth's sexuality without simultaneously reveling in human sexuality too. Beltane was one of those anarchic festivals where everyday constraints were thrown to the winds. The Christian Church would eventually condemn the carnal licentiousness of Beltane rites, accusing the populace of indiscriminate copulation. Although defamatory, these accusations weren't without a vestige of truth, however disapproval stems from perspective and perhaps a wee bit of jealousy. After all, some people were having fun when others weren't. Children whose birthdays fell near the Celtic festival imbolc, which occurs precisely nine months later, were affectionately known as "Beltane babies", and were considered to be special children with strong psychic powers and favored by the fairies.
Beltane was understood as a witches' festival, when witches came out to play, as well as a day that was sacred to devotees of the Fairy Faith. Perhaps their very visibility on this date made those with magickal or Pagan inclinations vulnerable to those with other orientations. Notions of sacrifice, and especially of sacrificial witches permeate many historic Beltane traditions, and May became a time when witches and their animal allies were persecuted.
*Cats and rabbits discovered in the fields in Ireland during Beltane were traditionally understood as witches in disguise and frequently killed on the spot, often by being tossed into the bonfires.
*Litters of kittens born during the entire month of May were feared as potential witches' familiars and summarily drowned.
*A tradition known as "burning the witches" persisted in the Scottish Highlands into the 18th century. young men took bits of the burning Beltane bonfires onto pitchforks. They then ran through the fields shouting "Fire! Fire! Burn the witches!" The fire is scattered through the fields to enhance their fecundity-which in fact, it does.
The joyful aspects of Beltane have been incorporated into contemporary Wicca. Aspects of the festival devoted to the sun, human sexuality, and the regeneration of life and magickal power are emphasized.
*Credit to Judika Illes
Anthestheria
Anthestheria, the "festival of flowers", heralds the arrival of Dionysus, Lord of New Life and Wine, literally. It hails the birth of the deity plus the annual ritual opening of new casks of wine. The festival was devoted to birth, death, purification, and fertility.
Only one of several annual festivals honoring Dionysus in Greece, the Anthestheria was held for three days in the month of Anthesterion (February/March). According to some analyses of the festival, it corresponds with Dionysus' birth. If there is such a thing as a "triple goddess" then Dionysus is the corresponding "triple god"; during this festival he is honored as infant, husband, and dying god.
Opening the new casks of wine isn't as simple and forthright as it sounds. The wine casks were half-buried in Earth during the fermentation period, so their removal is like a birth, specifically like a C-Section and even more specifically like Dionysus' own birth. Dionysus' mother died before he was born; the unborn child was surgically removed from her womb and then sewed up within his father Zeus' thigh, where he was allowed to mature in peace until the time was ripe. Ritually unearthing the casks and opening them is a metaphoric re-enactment of Dionysus' birth. His devotees share in the deity's essence by consuming him; drinking the wine accomplishes this purpose.
Initially the festival was apparently celebrated by women and children, but there are many gaps in the historical narrative. Many aspects of devotion to Dionysus fall under the category of "mystery traditions" and hence secrecy was always a component. In addition, the more female-oriented aspects of his devotion ultimately became disreputable and illegal. Information regarding them was suppressed.
The first two days of the festival were devoted to honoring the deity and the new wine. The festival's days were punctuated by secret celebrations for mature women, rituals of initiation for children, and general revelry and celebration for all. Everyone was invited to the party, including men, ancestral spirits, dead souls, and various spiritual entities.
There are two levels to this festival, however. It was a public festival, with some aspects celebrated by all, but it was simultaneously also a mystery celebration. Dionysus' most devoted servants, the maenads and others, celebrated secret rites in his honor, apparently including the Great Rite, the scared marriage between deity and devotee.
The festival's three nights were reserved for women's mysteries. The maenads celebrated privately in the mountains and forests. Little information survives, however mature women were understood to play the role of brides of Dionysus at this time. Among the festival's goals was the stimulation of personal and agricultural fertility.
Rituals and celebrations evolve over time. Attitudes towards ghosts changed. What seems to have originally been a day devoted to honoring dead ancestors eventually became a time of fear. Household doorposts were smeared with pitch in an effort to keep phones Many shrines and temples were kept tightly sealed on this day, allegedly to prevent ghosts from entering and lingering longer than their allotted time on Earth.
The festival concludes when women carry pots of cooked grains and vegetables to the marshes to bid farewell to the dead with the ritual incantation "Begone Ghosts! The Anthestheria is over!".
If rituals are conducted correctly, the end result is the removal and purification of malevolent ghosts, low-level spirits, and spiritual debris. Modern versions and adaptations of the Anthestheria are celebrated by some Neo-pagans.
*Credit to Judika Illes
Only one of several annual festivals honoring Dionysus in Greece, the Anthestheria was held for three days in the month of Anthesterion (February/March). According to some analyses of the festival, it corresponds with Dionysus' birth. If there is such a thing as a "triple goddess" then Dionysus is the corresponding "triple god"; during this festival he is honored as infant, husband, and dying god.
Opening the new casks of wine isn't as simple and forthright as it sounds. The wine casks were half-buried in Earth during the fermentation period, so their removal is like a birth, specifically like a C-Section and even more specifically like Dionysus' own birth. Dionysus' mother died before he was born; the unborn child was surgically removed from her womb and then sewed up within his father Zeus' thigh, where he was allowed to mature in peace until the time was ripe. Ritually unearthing the casks and opening them is a metaphoric re-enactment of Dionysus' birth. His devotees share in the deity's essence by consuming him; drinking the wine accomplishes this purpose.
Initially the festival was apparently celebrated by women and children, but there are many gaps in the historical narrative. Many aspects of devotion to Dionysus fall under the category of "mystery traditions" and hence secrecy was always a component. In addition, the more female-oriented aspects of his devotion ultimately became disreputable and illegal. Information regarding them was suppressed.
The first two days of the festival were devoted to honoring the deity and the new wine. The festival's days were punctuated by secret celebrations for mature women, rituals of initiation for children, and general revelry and celebration for all. Everyone was invited to the party, including men, ancestral spirits, dead souls, and various spiritual entities.
There are two levels to this festival, however. It was a public festival, with some aspects celebrated by all, but it was simultaneously also a mystery celebration. Dionysus' most devoted servants, the maenads and others, celebrated secret rites in his honor, apparently including the Great Rite, the scared marriage between deity and devotee.
The festival's three nights were reserved for women's mysteries. The maenads celebrated privately in the mountains and forests. Little information survives, however mature women were understood to play the role of brides of Dionysus at this time. Among the festival's goals was the stimulation of personal and agricultural fertility.
Rituals and celebrations evolve over time. Attitudes towards ghosts changed. What seems to have originally been a day devoted to honoring dead ancestors eventually became a time of fear. Household doorposts were smeared with pitch in an effort to keep phones Many shrines and temples were kept tightly sealed on this day, allegedly to prevent ghosts from entering and lingering longer than their allotted time on Earth.
The festival concludes when women carry pots of cooked grains and vegetables to the marshes to bid farewell to the dead with the ritual incantation "Begone Ghosts! The Anthestheria is over!".
If rituals are conducted correctly, the end result is the removal and purification of malevolent ghosts, low-level spirits, and spiritual debris. Modern versions and adaptations of the Anthestheria are celebrated by some Neo-pagans.
*Credit to Judika Illes
Witchcraft: The Wheel of the Year
The seasonal shifts and holidays are extremely important. The Wheel of the Year is celebrated though ritual holidays falling on the equinoxes, solstices, and points in-between called fire festivals. The modern Wheel is a collection of rites taken from European lineages, primarily Celtic and Teutonic. The modern Wheel tells the story of the Goddess and God, through many faces and myths, as they grow and change through the season of the year. The changing season help Wiccans get into immediate contact with deity, harmonizing them with the world. (In later postings I will address each holiday in its own post.)
The winter solstice, also called Yule, is when the Sun's light starts to grow. Cultures across the Northern Hemisphere saw it as the birth of the Young God. Many of the familiar Christmas celebrations were taken from Yule, including mistletoe, Yule logs, and decorating evergreen trees with lights, a symbol of the everlasting Goddess and the return of the God of Light. Although still deep in winter, the light and life are returning to the world.
Imbolc comes on February 2nd, a fire festival often dedicated to the goddess Brid, or Bridget. Brid is the triple goddess of light, and a patron of the home, healers, poets, and smiths. Some compare her to the Greek goddess Hestia, the goddess of the home and hearth. Candles are lit and homes are blessed. Advent wreaths are a remnant of Brid's crown of candles. Imbolc is sometimes known as Candle-mas.
Ostra, the spring equinox, is the celebration of the Goddess rising and the Earth's resurrection. She returns from her winter slumber and brings with her the first signs of spring. The festival is names after the Teutonic goddess Ostre, the egg or see goddess. Blessing and planting seeds and painting eggs are part of these traditions. Although names after Ostre, the Greek myth of Persephone rising from the realm of the dead to usher in the growing season with her mother, Demeter, also resonates on the equinox.
Beltane is the first festival of May 1st. Traditionally, herds were driven between two large bale fires of sacred wood to purify them of any lingering winter illness. Modern purification rites, both with fire and water, are performed on Beltane. It is dedicated to the young, fiery god Bel. The God has grown from the winter solstice into a young man, and claims his role as the Goddess' lover. Sexuality and passion are enjoyed on Beltane, and May Pole dances are traditional, representing the union of the God into the Earth Goddess.
The summer solstice, or Feast of Litha,is the divine marriage of Goddess and God. They are at the peak of their power, as the land is in full bloom and the harvest is expected. The day is the longest of the year, giving us an extended period of twilight, when the doors to the faery realm are open wide and we may celebrate with the spirits of the other-world. Some traditions see this holiday as the battle of the divided light and dark aspects of the God. The dark king is victorious, claiming the throne with the Goddess.
Lammas, the fire festival of August 1st. In the Irish traditions it is known as Lughnassadh, after Lugh of the Long Arm, a god of light and grain. His talents are many and unequaled. Games and sports are played on this feast. Though originally names Lugh's Funeral Feast, after his mother's death, it is now associated with Lugh's own death, as the scarified king of the grain. Corn-dolly effigies are burned and the first grains of the harvest are cut and given as an offering to the gods in thanks. The sacrifice of the old God ushers in the bounty of the first harvest.
The second harvest is the fruit or wine harvest on the fall equinox. Named after the Celtic god Mabon, who gets lost in the Underworld, this is a time to journey to the dark. Wine is one of the ways to open the magickal passages between realms. Myths of other harvest gods, particular those associated with wine, such as Dionysus, are celebrated.
Samhain is the traditional meat harvest and the Celtic New Year. Falling on October 31st, it has been turned into modern Halloween, but was a very important pagan festival. Samhain is the day of the dead. This was the day when the first of the herd was slaughtered, opening the veils between the worlds. Since the day is one of death, ancestors who have passed on are associated with it, coming back through the veil to give blessings and advice. Soul meals are prepared for the dead, goodbyes are said to lost loved ones, and candles are lit to mark their way back. Eventually this thinning of the veil became a fearful event, and costumes were worn to scare away the walkers between the worlds, though originally it was a normal part of the culture, with no fear or dread.
These eight festivals are called Sabbats, thought the individual traditions celebrated them differently. The term harkens back to the Burning Times, to the Hebrews Sabbath, when witches and Jews alike were prosecuted as heretics. Modern witches have adopted the word. An Esbat refers to another type of ritual, usually a Moon ritual. Esbats are typically private circles, for covens, small groups who work magick together. Community and family are usually welcome to the Sabbaths, which are more celebratory in nature. With Esbats, the goal is working magick in an intimate setting. Esbats usually coincide with the Full or Dark Moon. Witches celebrate the 13 Moons of the lunar year. The term circle is sometimes used synonymously with Esbat, or with a group of practitioners, but a circle specifically refers to the ritual of the circle, a ceremony of celebration and magick called a witch's circle, moon circle, or magician's circle. Circles are cast in both Esbats and Sabbats or any other magickal event, depending on the tradition.
Life rituals, or rites of passage, are marked along with the holidays. Like tribal people, pagans mark turning points in life with ceremony or ritual. Traditions are individual, but usually birth, coming of age, hand-fasting (marriage), elder-hood, and death are celebrated.
*Credit to Christopher Penczak
The winter solstice, also called Yule, is when the Sun's light starts to grow. Cultures across the Northern Hemisphere saw it as the birth of the Young God. Many of the familiar Christmas celebrations were taken from Yule, including mistletoe, Yule logs, and decorating evergreen trees with lights, a symbol of the everlasting Goddess and the return of the God of Light. Although still deep in winter, the light and life are returning to the world.
Imbolc comes on February 2nd, a fire festival often dedicated to the goddess Brid, or Bridget. Brid is the triple goddess of light, and a patron of the home, healers, poets, and smiths. Some compare her to the Greek goddess Hestia, the goddess of the home and hearth. Candles are lit and homes are blessed. Advent wreaths are a remnant of Brid's crown of candles. Imbolc is sometimes known as Candle-mas.
Ostra, the spring equinox, is the celebration of the Goddess rising and the Earth's resurrection. She returns from her winter slumber and brings with her the first signs of spring. The festival is names after the Teutonic goddess Ostre, the egg or see goddess. Blessing and planting seeds and painting eggs are part of these traditions. Although names after Ostre, the Greek myth of Persephone rising from the realm of the dead to usher in the growing season with her mother, Demeter, also resonates on the equinox.
Beltane is the first festival of May 1st. Traditionally, herds were driven between two large bale fires of sacred wood to purify them of any lingering winter illness. Modern purification rites, both with fire and water, are performed on Beltane. It is dedicated to the young, fiery god Bel. The God has grown from the winter solstice into a young man, and claims his role as the Goddess' lover. Sexuality and passion are enjoyed on Beltane, and May Pole dances are traditional, representing the union of the God into the Earth Goddess.
The summer solstice, or Feast of Litha,is the divine marriage of Goddess and God. They are at the peak of their power, as the land is in full bloom and the harvest is expected. The day is the longest of the year, giving us an extended period of twilight, when the doors to the faery realm are open wide and we may celebrate with the spirits of the other-world. Some traditions see this holiday as the battle of the divided light and dark aspects of the God. The dark king is victorious, claiming the throne with the Goddess.
Lammas, the fire festival of August 1st. In the Irish traditions it is known as Lughnassadh, after Lugh of the Long Arm, a god of light and grain. His talents are many and unequaled. Games and sports are played on this feast. Though originally names Lugh's Funeral Feast, after his mother's death, it is now associated with Lugh's own death, as the scarified king of the grain. Corn-dolly effigies are burned and the first grains of the harvest are cut and given as an offering to the gods in thanks. The sacrifice of the old God ushers in the bounty of the first harvest.
The second harvest is the fruit or wine harvest on the fall equinox. Named after the Celtic god Mabon, who gets lost in the Underworld, this is a time to journey to the dark. Wine is one of the ways to open the magickal passages between realms. Myths of other harvest gods, particular those associated with wine, such as Dionysus, are celebrated.
Samhain is the traditional meat harvest and the Celtic New Year. Falling on October 31st, it has been turned into modern Halloween, but was a very important pagan festival. Samhain is the day of the dead. This was the day when the first of the herd was slaughtered, opening the veils between the worlds. Since the day is one of death, ancestors who have passed on are associated with it, coming back through the veil to give blessings and advice. Soul meals are prepared for the dead, goodbyes are said to lost loved ones, and candles are lit to mark their way back. Eventually this thinning of the veil became a fearful event, and costumes were worn to scare away the walkers between the worlds, though originally it was a normal part of the culture, with no fear or dread.
These eight festivals are called Sabbats, thought the individual traditions celebrated them differently. The term harkens back to the Burning Times, to the Hebrews Sabbath, when witches and Jews alike were prosecuted as heretics. Modern witches have adopted the word. An Esbat refers to another type of ritual, usually a Moon ritual. Esbats are typically private circles, for covens, small groups who work magick together. Community and family are usually welcome to the Sabbaths, which are more celebratory in nature. With Esbats, the goal is working magick in an intimate setting. Esbats usually coincide with the Full or Dark Moon. Witches celebrate the 13 Moons of the lunar year. The term circle is sometimes used synonymously with Esbat, or with a group of practitioners, but a circle specifically refers to the ritual of the circle, a ceremony of celebration and magick called a witch's circle, moon circle, or magician's circle. Circles are cast in both Esbats and Sabbats or any other magickal event, depending on the tradition.
Life rituals, or rites of passage, are marked along with the holidays. Like tribal people, pagans mark turning points in life with ceremony or ritual. Traditions are individual, but usually birth, coming of age, hand-fasting (marriage), elder-hood, and death are celebrated.
*Credit to Christopher Penczak
Stereotypes of Witches
All witches do not wear black! I don't always wear black, actually, I wear a lot of pinks and red. Which in due time I will address colors and what their meaning is and what effect it has on spells, daily life, others, etc. But, black is appropriate for ritual because it is a dark goddess color, and it attracts energy. Rituals are celebrated at night for the same reasons, though many take place during the day as well, depending on the tradition. Witches can feel empowered to wear black outside of the ritual space, but wearing black is not a requirement. Black and late evening rituals were also practical during the Burning Times. If you were afraid of getting caught, black cloaks would hide you at night in the forest from prospective witch hunters. Black is also the color of clergy, used by priests and rabbis. Perhaps they adopted that practice from witches...
Witches DO NOT perform animal sacrifices, thought it may have been a part of our distant history, as it was in Judaism and many other religions. Many Wiccans are animal right activists and environmentalists, subscribing to a theory of "harm ye none". Witches DO NOT abuse children in or our of ritual as part of their faith, nor do we perform curses or hexes.
Witches and other pagans do believe in and practice magick. Magick is the art of making change, manifesting your dreams, and banishing the things that no longer serve you and hold you back. Though the effects can be quite startling and powerful, magick usually manifests in the form of unusual coincidences and connections. The first time you have success with magick, and even the second or third time, you might dismiss it. After repeated successes, however, you know you are no longer working with the fabled "Law of Averages", and that some other forces, namely magic, is at work. Magick is usually spelled with a k by modern practitioners, to distinguish it from illusion and sleight of hand tricks.
Spells, specific acts of magick, can be created through ritual or meditation. To a witch, spells are like prayers. They are simple acts of sending out an intention to the divine, asking it to manifest. The difference between spells and prayers is that witches study the nature of the universe to understand better how to create change. Many people who pray think it is a give and take process, where one has to give up something "sinful" to receive the boon of the prayer. Though there is always an exchange of energies, witches know that the universe is ever abundant.
We do not label ourselves white or black witches, as was done in the Burning Times. Though the distinction of white and black magick can still be found in the initial lessons of high ritual magick, most modern witches do not subscribe to it. Magick is ruled by intention.
*Credit to Christopher Penczak
Witches DO NOT perform animal sacrifices, thought it may have been a part of our distant history, as it was in Judaism and many other religions. Many Wiccans are animal right activists and environmentalists, subscribing to a theory of "harm ye none". Witches DO NOT abuse children in or our of ritual as part of their faith, nor do we perform curses or hexes.
Witches and other pagans do believe in and practice magick. Magick is the art of making change, manifesting your dreams, and banishing the things that no longer serve you and hold you back. Though the effects can be quite startling and powerful, magick usually manifests in the form of unusual coincidences and connections. The first time you have success with magick, and even the second or third time, you might dismiss it. After repeated successes, however, you know you are no longer working with the fabled "Law of Averages", and that some other forces, namely magic, is at work. Magick is usually spelled with a k by modern practitioners, to distinguish it from illusion and sleight of hand tricks.
Spells, specific acts of magick, can be created through ritual or meditation. To a witch, spells are like prayers. They are simple acts of sending out an intention to the divine, asking it to manifest. The difference between spells and prayers is that witches study the nature of the universe to understand better how to create change. Many people who pray think it is a give and take process, where one has to give up something "sinful" to receive the boon of the prayer. Though there is always an exchange of energies, witches know that the universe is ever abundant.
We do not label ourselves white or black witches, as was done in the Burning Times. Though the distinction of white and black magick can still be found in the initial lessons of high ritual magick, most modern witches do not subscribe to it. Magick is ruled by intention.
*Credit to Christopher Penczak
The Common Witch
Pagan originally meant "of the land" or "country dweller", referring to rural people and their beliefs. As Christianity grew and took control of Europe, pagan became identified with any of the non-Judeo-Christian religions, and to some it was equated with heretic, an enemy of the Church's truth. Some equate the word heathen with heretic or savage, but it means "one who lives on heaths". Church officials wanted to replace pagan beliefs and practices with Christian ones, so much so that pagan holidays were adopted into the Christian calendar to get converts. As the word witch is reclaimed, so is the word pagan. Now it refers to a larger group of beliefs with many different traditions and practices. Pagan is to Wiccan as Christian is to Catholic, meaning Pagan and Christian are larger groups with smaller traditions within them. All Wiccans and witches are pagan, but not all pagans are witches. Many identify themselves as pagan, but may not identify with a specific tradition, such as witchcraft. And within the heading of witchcraft are several other smaller divisions.
Divinity is inherent in all things, material and spiritual. The divine force is apparent in all life and form. Spiritual does not mean divorced from the physical, earthly realm. The Earth is actually one of the most divine forms in all creation. All life, all nature is the divine manifest, and most pagans honor the Earth as a living being, the source of life. In our mythology, the Earth is viewed as Mother, or even Grandmother, the source of all life on Earth. The Earth Goddess can be seen as a symbol of life and interconnection, or a sentient consciousness available for communication in her own right. Science is slowly catching up to the idea of the Earth being alive, and no a lifeless rock. British biologist James Lovelock first proposed the "Gaia Hypothesis" in the 1970's, named after the Greek goddess Gaia, stating that all life, including humanity, is part of a complex biosphere organism. Others have extrapolated that hypothesis into a theory that the Earth is a living being, and all things on Earth are akin to cells within her. To witches, there is no doubt that the Earth is alive.
The divinity, or life force, present in all things expresses itself in several different ways in witchcraft. Most common in this faith is the expression of the divine not only thought the Earth, but also through the Goddess, the Great Mother, and the God, the all Father. Through the actions of this polarity, Goddess and God, life is created.
As the Goddess is manifested through the Earth, she is also inherent in the Moon, the changing cycles matching the twenty-eight day menstruation period. The concept of a Triple Goddess-Maiden, Mother, and Crone-seen in the waxing, full, and waning Moon, is rooted deeply in the pagan consciousness. Her three identities could also be the Moon, Earth, and Underworld Goddess. The Triple Goddess is seen as the giver of life, sustainer and destroyer, all in one. The mythologies of old contain the Triple Goddess image. Different cultures alternately see the Goddess in the Sun, ocean, rivers, sky, and spiraling galaxies.
The God is manifested through various faces, including the Sky Father, encompassing Mother Earth; Solar King; Horned God, the lord of animals; and the Green Man, the lord of the harvest. The God is most aptly seen as dualistic. On the waxing, or warming half of the year, he is life bringer, the god of light, Sun, and growing things. On the waning and withering half of the year, he is the god of darkness, death, animals, and the hunt.
Each image or archetype in our collective consciousness reveals one aspect of the divine, God and Goddess alike. Neo-pagans and witches have adopted the gods and goddesses of various pantheons as expressions of the Goddess and God. Usually these expressions function as rulers over a particular aspect of nature or human life, such as a deity of storms, the sea, the Moon, hunting, or magic. Usually they have more than one attribute. Even as expressions of the divine, the gods and goddesses are very real, connecting to our innermost selves.
Although witches are polytheists, meaning they acknowledge and honor more than one deity, they recognize the one spirit running though everything. Perhaps the word monist, one who recognizes the divine in everything is a more appropriate term, but most pagans identify themselves as polytheistic. The gods and goddesses are expressions of that one spirit,leading to a more personal relationship with the divine.
The one spirit, the Great Spirit, is known by many terms. The Goddess and God move in the love of the Great Spirit. They are different aspects of the divine. Infrequently, some Wiccan traditions call this one spirit Dryghten, a word said to be Anglo-Saxon and best translated to "lord", but without the gender quality, referring to the creative force that is both male and female, the source of all things. Some see this Great Spirit as the Goddess exclusively, who gave birth to the God through her self-fertilization. Ancient myths, such as the Greek creation story, start with the Goddess who give birth to her son/husband to continue creation.
Critics say that witches worship nature, and to a certain extent that is true, but in reality we worship the creative force found in nature. In essence, we honor life, everywhere, we see the divine in everything and everyone.
Witches have nothing to do with the Christian Devil. To believe in the Devil, one must already believe in the Christian myths, and most witches feel their spiritual roots predate Christianity. We are not naive. We do believe that harmful forces exist and precautions must be taken, but we do not subscribe to an ultimate author of evil or the concept of sin. An ultimate evil and an ultimate good is a polarity never found in nature. In Christian myths, God is all powerful, but the Devil still exists. For this to be a true polarity, they must be equal to each other, but in Christian mythology, they are not. In Wicca, we focus on the polarity of the Goddess and the God, and the love of their union that births life into beings. Love is the focus, not conflict. The concept of light versus dark, good verse evil, was actually adopted from Zoroastrian religions.
*Credit to Christopher Penczak
The Roots of Witchcraft: Stone Age
In the Paleolithic era, the early Stone Age, human societies were hunters and gathers, nomadic people continuously following the source of food. Most modern people think of the Paleolithic times as the age of barbaric cavemen, but these tribes were probably more sophisticated than we give them credit for. In those societies, the men usually hunted for food, while the women stayed with the tribe, caring for the family. Women were logically considered the lifeblood of the tribe, and cherished, since women gave birth to the children. Men were more "expendable" in terms of survival, since one man could impregnate many women. Scholars speculate that the role of man in pregnancy was not even understood in Stone Age times. In this harsh life, children were vital to continuing the tribe. This gave rise to the belief that many of these societies were matriarchal, meaning they were led by women. These societies were more right-brained, focusing on pictures, feelings, and instinct.
Religiously, cave painting and other artifacts indicate a level of spiritual belief. We believe that these early people saw the divine in nature, animated by nature spirits or gods. The Earth was the mother of life, providing the vegetation needed to survive, while her consort was an animal lord, providing the animals needed by the people. Stone Age people were polytheists, believing in more than one god. Other spirits possibly animated the sky, storms, mountains, rivers, and fire.
Certain members of the tribes noticed that they had abilities that set them apart from their kin, and some developed these abilities further. Women and men who were either too old or too injured to hunt lived lives that allowed them the opportunity to expand these abilities. Notice that our surviving archetypes of these people are the wise old women and men., and often such sages are called wounded healers, their injuries helping them understand the nature of healing. These individuals developed their natural rapport with the spirits, developing psychic talents, knowledge of herbs and other healing skills, and becoming the wise ones of the tribe. They became the religious leaders, petitioning the elements and leading hunters to the herds. They conducted ceremonies and celebrations. They were the magic makers. Such people did not necessarily use the word witch or witchcraft, but in essence, this was their practice. They were akin to the Native American Shamans, but we do not have a proper name for the shamans' ancient European, African, or Middle Eastern brethren. Anytime someone honored both Mother and Father aspects of the divine, revered nature, and shaped the forces of the world for healing and change, they were practicing witchcraft.
As women were so critical to the development of witchcraft, the Goddess played a pivotal role in its development, then and now. Humanity's earliest works of art and religion are based on Goddess figures, images that we now believe represent the Great Mother. In the earliest creation myths, the Mother was often the prime source of creation, self-fertilizing and single-handedly manifesting reality from the void. Similar images are found all over the world, depicting She of a Thousand Names, the mother of witchcraft.
Ishtar/Inanna/Astarte of Babylon Nathor, Nile River Goddess
2000 BCE 4000 BCE
Venus of Lespugue Venus of Willednorf
25,000 BCE 30,000 BCE
*Credit to Christopher Penczak
Religiously, cave painting and other artifacts indicate a level of spiritual belief. We believe that these early people saw the divine in nature, animated by nature spirits or gods. The Earth was the mother of life, providing the vegetation needed to survive, while her consort was an animal lord, providing the animals needed by the people. Stone Age people were polytheists, believing in more than one god. Other spirits possibly animated the sky, storms, mountains, rivers, and fire.
Certain members of the tribes noticed that they had abilities that set them apart from their kin, and some developed these abilities further. Women and men who were either too old or too injured to hunt lived lives that allowed them the opportunity to expand these abilities. Notice that our surviving archetypes of these people are the wise old women and men., and often such sages are called wounded healers, their injuries helping them understand the nature of healing. These individuals developed their natural rapport with the spirits, developing psychic talents, knowledge of herbs and other healing skills, and becoming the wise ones of the tribe. They became the religious leaders, petitioning the elements and leading hunters to the herds. They conducted ceremonies and celebrations. They were the magic makers. Such people did not necessarily use the word witch or witchcraft, but in essence, this was their practice. They were akin to the Native American Shamans, but we do not have a proper name for the shamans' ancient European, African, or Middle Eastern brethren. Anytime someone honored both Mother and Father aspects of the divine, revered nature, and shaped the forces of the world for healing and change, they were practicing witchcraft.
As women were so critical to the development of witchcraft, the Goddess played a pivotal role in its development, then and now. Humanity's earliest works of art and religion are based on Goddess figures, images that we now believe represent the Great Mother. In the earliest creation myths, the Mother was often the prime source of creation, self-fertilizing and single-handedly manifesting reality from the void. Similar images are found all over the world, depicting She of a Thousand Names, the mother of witchcraft.
Ishtar/Inanna/Astarte of Babylon Nathor, Nile River Goddess
2000 BCE 4000 BCE
Venus of Lespugue Venus of Willednorf
25,000 BCE 30,000 BCE
*Credit to Christopher Penczak
The Weaver
The words witch and witchcraft evoke a sense of humanity's mystical past and a hope for the future. Whenever someone, individual or culture, sought to understand spirit through the cycles of life, honored the divine as being both masculine and feminine, recognize the Earth and sky, quieted themselves enough to hear the soft inner whisper, and took an active partnership with nature, they were practicing witchcraft. It is only through an unfortunate period of history that the words witch and witchcraft became maligned.
The most important aspect of this tradition is the individual's sovereignty. Each practitioner is his or her own priest or priestess. Teachers, elders, and healers are respected and can help you on the path, but ultimately witchcraft is about your own personal, individual relationship with the divine. through such training you have the ability to perform your own spiritual rituals and seek guidance. We have the last word on what is correct and good for us, as well as the responsibility of living with those decisions.
The eclectic witch borrows from many cultures. These cultures do not necessarily have to be Celtic or even European to be a part of the modern craft, even though some traditionalists feel that witchcraft is exclusively Celtic. We come from a tradition filled with the mysteries of the past, but now witchcraft generally encourages one to find the path that works for the individual. All our other "hats"-healer, therapist, herbalist, shaman, mother, brother, priest, priestess, environmentalist, counselor, researcher, writer, psychic, and teacher-all fit nicely under the "hat" of witch, for witches are all these things, too. The path of the witch is truly the path of knowledge and, more importantly, wisdom. It changes and adapts as new information is discovered. Witchcraft is a living religion.
*Credit to Christopher Penczak
The most important aspect of this tradition is the individual's sovereignty. Each practitioner is his or her own priest or priestess. Teachers, elders, and healers are respected and can help you on the path, but ultimately witchcraft is about your own personal, individual relationship with the divine. through such training you have the ability to perform your own spiritual rituals and seek guidance. We have the last word on what is correct and good for us, as well as the responsibility of living with those decisions.
The eclectic witch borrows from many cultures. These cultures do not necessarily have to be Celtic or even European to be a part of the modern craft, even though some traditionalists feel that witchcraft is exclusively Celtic. We come from a tradition filled with the mysteries of the past, but now witchcraft generally encourages one to find the path that works for the individual. All our other "hats"-healer, therapist, herbalist, shaman, mother, brother, priest, priestess, environmentalist, counselor, researcher, writer, psychic, and teacher-all fit nicely under the "hat" of witch, for witches are all these things, too. The path of the witch is truly the path of knowledge and, more importantly, wisdom. It changes and adapts as new information is discovered. Witchcraft is a living religion.
*Credit to Christopher Penczak
The Walker
Witch can also be defined as "a walker between the worlds". Due to a revival of interest in Native American practices, many people associate the shaman with the medicine man of a tribal people. Shamans are spiritual leaders, but that is not the entire picture. The term originated in Siberia, but has been applied to native practices throughout the Americas and more loosely to practices across the world. The shaman believes in nonphysical, spiritual realms and learns to send his or her spirit to such realms. In these worlds, one can retrieve information and healing energy, and commune with spirits. The shaman ministers to his or her people through the ability, to effect healing of the mind, body, and spirit.
Witches, too, believe in nonphysical realms. They believe in the physical and a multitude of spiritual dimensions. Witches hone their abilities to pierce the veil and travel to these dimensions, where they speak with goddesses, gods, and spirits. Like the shamans, they are expected to remain grounded in the material world with responsibilities to their people, yet keep one foot ever ready to enter the spiritual world. They are bridges between worlds, seeking to bring their people into greater partnership with the divine. The native people in Siberia and the Americas remained more tribal and retained a certain amount of reverence for these shamans, even in the modern era. As the European people became less tribal, they stamped out their very own shamanic traditions, the practices of the witch. That fear of spiritual power, of the unknown, of mysteries in a culture with a growing patriarchy, turned the image of the witch from a priestess and healer into a monster of the night.
*Credit to Christopher Penczak
The Healer
A great definition of witch is "healer". In the ancient cultures, people went to the priestesses and priests for healing. At the time, healing encompassed much more than our modern medical profession. Modern medicine is wonderful in many ways, but in these ancient times, healing was a process involving the mind, emotions, and spirit as well as the body. In short, healing was an energetic process. We are now coming full circle with the rise in popularity of holistic and alternative treatments. A healer was one to counsel, advise, and minister to the spiritual balance of the individual or tribe, as well as do ritual, divination, and hands-on healing. You will probably find many witches now involved in the healing arts, traditional or otherwise, because helping others is such an important part of the practice of witchcraft.
*Credit to Christopher Penzczak
*Credit to Christopher Penzczak
What is a Witch?
If you turn back a few hundred years, you can see the word witch all across the records of one of Europe's greatest holocausts, the witch trials. Men and women were persecuted and killed for being different. Some call it the Burning Times, because many were put to death by fire, burnt at the stake. Typically, history books gloss over this particular bit of history, but it is every bit a part of us, as relevant to our modern cultures as wars of conquest.
At the top of the list of victims were those accused of practicing witchcraft. The ruling powers of the time had their own ideas about witchcraft, spreading stories of black masses, sacrifice, and contracts in blood signing souls over to the Devil. These stories are the roots of the children's fairy tales. The vast majority of the condemned were not practicing "true" witchcraft. Some held the teachings of the wise women and cunning men of the tribes, a knowledge of healing herbs, remedies, mid-wiving, and simple charms. We call such skills old wives' tales, but they have endured because there is truth to them. We don't know how many of the accused and condemned were actually practicing what is now call the Old Religion, the way of the witch.
If you turn back even further, to cultures whose histories were not often written down, you find a different kind of witch. This witch was not shrouded in the darkness of fear and fairy tales, but in the darkness and light of the Goddess. This witch was revered as a healer, teacher, leader, and wise one. The image of the witch inspired the same reverence that a priest or minister does now in modern culture, for the ancestors of modern witchcraft were the priestesses and priests, the seers and advisors living a spiritual life by turning into the forces of nature, the tides of the seasons, and the cycles of the Moon. They held a kinship with the plants and animals and, in essence, all life. Their teaching and histories were kept in the oral tradition, holding the myths and magic of the culture.
Modern witches focus on this particular root in the witchcraft tree. Those claiming the name and title of witch are truly reclaiming and building on the image of the witch from these ancient days. If you really want to know what the words witch and witchcraft mean as we move into the next century, look at the growing movement of modern witches.
If you ask a witch what he or she means by the word, you will get as many definitions as there are witches. And yes, witches can be both women and men. Male witches are not called warlocks. The word warlock can be traced from Scottish, Old English, Germanic, and Indo-European roots and is now generally regarded to mean "deceiver" or "oath breaker" to those involved in the craft. Such a title was probably associated with witchcraft by those who wanted to defame the practice.
The root of the word wic, or wicca, means "wise", for witches were the keepers of the wisdom, evolving into the images of wise women and wizardly men. Another definition was "to bend shape", meaning those who practiced witchcraft could bend and shape the natural forces to do their bidding, to make magic. The word witch is actually considered to be Anglo-Saxon in origin, and some feel that only those who are practicing European traditions, or more specifically Celtic, Saxon, or Germanic traditions, have the right to claim the title witch. The etymology of the word can possibly be traced back to Sanskrit and the earliest Indo-European languages, although this could be a popular folk etymology used by many modern witches. The Middle English word wicche is traced back to the Old English wiccan, meaning "to practice witchcraft". Male and female witches were distinguished through the words wicca and wicce, respectively. In Middle High German, wicken means "to bewitch or divine the future". In Old German, the word is traced to wih, meaning "holy". From the Old German to Old Norman, we have the ve, meaning "temple". Notice an interesting shift from the W sound to the V sound, but notice the similar shape of the letters. The letter W actually looks more like double V in our alphabet. In French, the letter is called doublevay. The further back you go, the further away you get from the stereotypical witch and to a word of sacredness and spirituality.
In modern English, witch is used to refer to both men and women. Wicca refers to the modern revival of witchcraft. After the witch trials and persecutions, what remained of the teaching went underground. Other teachings were lost forever, but the practices were revived and the surviving traditions came to light in the twentieth century. In several modern traditions, witchcraft refers to the practice and art of the the craft., such as spells, while the religion is known as Wicca. Thought you can make a strong distinction between the definitions of witch and Wiccan, or Witchcraft and Wicca, most practitioners accept both words and identities. If you are not sure what to call someone, ask them.
* Credit to Christopher Penczak
At the top of the list of victims were those accused of practicing witchcraft. The ruling powers of the time had their own ideas about witchcraft, spreading stories of black masses, sacrifice, and contracts in blood signing souls over to the Devil. These stories are the roots of the children's fairy tales. The vast majority of the condemned were not practicing "true" witchcraft. Some held the teachings of the wise women and cunning men of the tribes, a knowledge of healing herbs, remedies, mid-wiving, and simple charms. We call such skills old wives' tales, but they have endured because there is truth to them. We don't know how many of the accused and condemned were actually practicing what is now call the Old Religion, the way of the witch.
If you turn back even further, to cultures whose histories were not often written down, you find a different kind of witch. This witch was not shrouded in the darkness of fear and fairy tales, but in the darkness and light of the Goddess. This witch was revered as a healer, teacher, leader, and wise one. The image of the witch inspired the same reverence that a priest or minister does now in modern culture, for the ancestors of modern witchcraft were the priestesses and priests, the seers and advisors living a spiritual life by turning into the forces of nature, the tides of the seasons, and the cycles of the Moon. They held a kinship with the plants and animals and, in essence, all life. Their teaching and histories were kept in the oral tradition, holding the myths and magic of the culture.
Modern witches focus on this particular root in the witchcraft tree. Those claiming the name and title of witch are truly reclaiming and building on the image of the witch from these ancient days. If you really want to know what the words witch and witchcraft mean as we move into the next century, look at the growing movement of modern witches.
If you ask a witch what he or she means by the word, you will get as many definitions as there are witches. And yes, witches can be both women and men. Male witches are not called warlocks. The word warlock can be traced from Scottish, Old English, Germanic, and Indo-European roots and is now generally regarded to mean "deceiver" or "oath breaker" to those involved in the craft. Such a title was probably associated with witchcraft by those who wanted to defame the practice.
The root of the word wic, or wicca, means "wise", for witches were the keepers of the wisdom, evolving into the images of wise women and wizardly men. Another definition was "to bend shape", meaning those who practiced witchcraft could bend and shape the natural forces to do their bidding, to make magic. The word witch is actually considered to be Anglo-Saxon in origin, and some feel that only those who are practicing European traditions, or more specifically Celtic, Saxon, or Germanic traditions, have the right to claim the title witch. The etymology of the word can possibly be traced back to Sanskrit and the earliest Indo-European languages, although this could be a popular folk etymology used by many modern witches. The Middle English word wicche is traced back to the Old English wiccan, meaning "to practice witchcraft". Male and female witches were distinguished through the words wicca and wicce, respectively. In Middle High German, wicken means "to bewitch or divine the future". In Old German, the word is traced to wih, meaning "holy". From the Old German to Old Norman, we have the ve, meaning "temple". Notice an interesting shift from the W sound to the V sound, but notice the similar shape of the letters. The letter W actually looks more like double V in our alphabet. In French, the letter is called doublevay. The further back you go, the further away you get from the stereotypical witch and to a word of sacredness and spirituality.
In modern English, witch is used to refer to both men and women. Wicca refers to the modern revival of witchcraft. After the witch trials and persecutions, what remained of the teaching went underground. Other teachings were lost forever, but the practices were revived and the surviving traditions came to light in the twentieth century. In several modern traditions, witchcraft refers to the practice and art of the the craft., such as spells, while the religion is known as Wicca. Thought you can make a strong distinction between the definitions of witch and Wiccan, or Witchcraft and Wicca, most practitioners accept both words and identities. If you are not sure what to call someone, ask them.
* Credit to Christopher Penczak
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Allies
In magical theory, it's generally acknowledged that every individual possesses allies in the various realms: botanical, mineral, spirit, and animal. They share your essence and possess a loyalty and affinity toward you, and so are reliable magical partners. As an example, the Egyptian goddess Isis is affiliated with myrrh, blood-stone, a constellation of compatible fellow spirits, cows, scorpions, snakes, and crocodiles., She also has alliances with certain people, whom she protects but who are expected to offer devotion in exchange.
Alliances, as their name implies, are mutual relationships: obligations exist on both sides. These are not relationships to be exploited but are instead meant to be treasured and nurtured. It is a loving, caring, relationship and as such cannot be forced or compelled on either side.
Because animals are closest in nature to humans, they are our most accessible allies. Different people possess different needs: some are fairly solitary, one or two allies may be sufficient, in the same manner that one or two human friends are sufficient. Social butterflies may require a crowd. Some alliances are life-long; others are transitory, ships passing in the night. It's believed that every individual is born with at least one ally from each realm. Other alliances may be forged as needed during a lifetime.
A familiar is an ally but an ally may not be a familiar. Familiars are generally understood to be exactly what their name implies: familiar. These are animals with whom one can share your home and daily life.: ferrets, cats, dogs, hedgehogs, birds, frogs, and snakes. Extended contact need not be difficult or dangerous. Depending upon circumstances, a wild or potentially dangerous creature may become your familiar but they must choose you as, for instance, wild dolphins, which will occasionally form a friendship with a specific swimmer.
The possibility of familiars, then is relatively limited whereas the world of animal allies is vast. What if domestic animals don't fulfill your magical needs-your magic requires a komodo dragon or a snow leopard? What if your magic requires a velociraptor, a dragon, or a unicorn?
Because these animals may be accessed on a spirit level, animals with whom one could not normally have true contact become possible allies. Whether one possesses a relationship with a specific spirit-animal or with the spirit presiding over that animal is subject to interpretation and may very.
How do you discover the identities of your allies? Various methods exist:
Consciously or subconsciously, their identities may already be know to you. Intense passionate emotions, whether positive or not, may indicate an existing alliance. If you just adore lynxes, well, there you are. Conversely, passionate fear may also indicate alliance. Arachnophobes,I hate to break the news, but they could be your familiar.
Animals may reveal themselves to you. Magic scoffs at the concept of coincidence. If something reoccurs with frequency, pay attention: it might just be the clue you have been looking for.
Alliances my be revealed through dreams. Do certain animals consistently appear in your dreams? These may be your allies. Animals that feature in nightmares may also be allies; the nightmares may be due to miscommunication. A fierce wolf lies in wait for you in Dreamland, consistently appearing in your dreams. Terrified, you run or hide. The wolf, who longs to assist you or at least travel by your side, pursues, unable to communicate with you in a manner that would soothe your fears. This is a stalemate, the consistently reappearing nightmare that makes sleep something to dread and avoid. Next time some creature or person pursues you in a dream, don't run. Stop, turn, face them, and ask them what they want. Because it's a dream, anything can happen; you may be surprised.
Allies are revealed through divination. Various divination systems, usually cards, are commercially available; many are wonderful and extremely effective. The one drawback to these systems is that they tend to emphasize animals from a specific locale and by nature are limited to a finite number of choices. Remember that you do not have to be limited to a set of number of allies and that one can incorporate various systems as well as other methods.
Alliances are revealed through shamanic vision. Traditionally visions have been incubated through ascetic practices such a fasting or extended solitude in a place of power such as a cave or mountain, although with the exception of the extremely experienced, these practices tend to be mentored and supervised.
Alliances are identified through visualization, of which various methods exists.
Allow yourself to be surprised. Although you may be sure you know your allies' identities, hidden allies may shock you when they reveal themselves. Also, do not be disappointed. We long for alliances with dramatic, romantic, wild, powerful creatures that bolster our self-image and are dismayed when instead our allies are revealed as ants, slugs, and bees. Every creature has power and gifts to share. Ants teach important lessons about persistence; rats are the ultimate survival artists, and in many places are perceived as incredibly lucky allies to have. Negative perceptions are often cultural. If you have negative perceptions of an animal, explore and research differently perspectives and you may be pleasantly surprised. Spiders and bats for instance, while ominous in some cultures are incredibly auspicious in others.
Alliances may also be earned. If you crave a relationship with a particular animal, earn it by showing yourself to be a true ally. If you long for a hippopotamus ally, for instance, work to protect the species and preserve its natural environment. Investigate and see what needs to be done. on the spiritual level, erect an altar in the creature's honor or devote one to its presiding spirit or affiliate deity. Should your good works draw attention, the desired ally will signal to you by using one of the previously discussed methods.
*Credit to Judika Illes
Alliances, as their name implies, are mutual relationships: obligations exist on both sides. These are not relationships to be exploited but are instead meant to be treasured and nurtured. It is a loving, caring, relationship and as such cannot be forced or compelled on either side.
Because animals are closest in nature to humans, they are our most accessible allies. Different people possess different needs: some are fairly solitary, one or two allies may be sufficient, in the same manner that one or two human friends are sufficient. Social butterflies may require a crowd. Some alliances are life-long; others are transitory, ships passing in the night. It's believed that every individual is born with at least one ally from each realm. Other alliances may be forged as needed during a lifetime.
A familiar is an ally but an ally may not be a familiar. Familiars are generally understood to be exactly what their name implies: familiar. These are animals with whom one can share your home and daily life.: ferrets, cats, dogs, hedgehogs, birds, frogs, and snakes. Extended contact need not be difficult or dangerous. Depending upon circumstances, a wild or potentially dangerous creature may become your familiar but they must choose you as, for instance, wild dolphins, which will occasionally form a friendship with a specific swimmer.
The possibility of familiars, then is relatively limited whereas the world of animal allies is vast. What if domestic animals don't fulfill your magical needs-your magic requires a komodo dragon or a snow leopard? What if your magic requires a velociraptor, a dragon, or a unicorn?
Because these animals may be accessed on a spirit level, animals with whom one could not normally have true contact become possible allies. Whether one possesses a relationship with a specific spirit-animal or with the spirit presiding over that animal is subject to interpretation and may very.
How do you discover the identities of your allies? Various methods exist:
Consciously or subconsciously, their identities may already be know to you. Intense passionate emotions, whether positive or not, may indicate an existing alliance. If you just adore lynxes, well, there you are. Conversely, passionate fear may also indicate alliance. Arachnophobes,I hate to break the news, but they could be your familiar.
Animals may reveal themselves to you. Magic scoffs at the concept of coincidence. If something reoccurs with frequency, pay attention: it might just be the clue you have been looking for.
Alliances my be revealed through dreams. Do certain animals consistently appear in your dreams? These may be your allies. Animals that feature in nightmares may also be allies; the nightmares may be due to miscommunication. A fierce wolf lies in wait for you in Dreamland, consistently appearing in your dreams. Terrified, you run or hide. The wolf, who longs to assist you or at least travel by your side, pursues, unable to communicate with you in a manner that would soothe your fears. This is a stalemate, the consistently reappearing nightmare that makes sleep something to dread and avoid. Next time some creature or person pursues you in a dream, don't run. Stop, turn, face them, and ask them what they want. Because it's a dream, anything can happen; you may be surprised.
Allies are revealed through divination. Various divination systems, usually cards, are commercially available; many are wonderful and extremely effective. The one drawback to these systems is that they tend to emphasize animals from a specific locale and by nature are limited to a finite number of choices. Remember that you do not have to be limited to a set of number of allies and that one can incorporate various systems as well as other methods.
Alliances are revealed through shamanic vision. Traditionally visions have been incubated through ascetic practices such a fasting or extended solitude in a place of power such as a cave or mountain, although with the exception of the extremely experienced, these practices tend to be mentored and supervised.
Alliances are identified through visualization, of which various methods exists.
Allow yourself to be surprised. Although you may be sure you know your allies' identities, hidden allies may shock you when they reveal themselves. Also, do not be disappointed. We long for alliances with dramatic, romantic, wild, powerful creatures that bolster our self-image and are dismayed when instead our allies are revealed as ants, slugs, and bees. Every creature has power and gifts to share. Ants teach important lessons about persistence; rats are the ultimate survival artists, and in many places are perceived as incredibly lucky allies to have. Negative perceptions are often cultural. If you have negative perceptions of an animal, explore and research differently perspectives and you may be pleasantly surprised. Spiders and bats for instance, while ominous in some cultures are incredibly auspicious in others.
Alliances may also be earned. If you crave a relationship with a particular animal, earn it by showing yourself to be a true ally. If you long for a hippopotamus ally, for instance, work to protect the species and preserve its natural environment. Investigate and see what needs to be done. on the spiritual level, erect an altar in the creature's honor or devote one to its presiding spirit or affiliate deity. Should your good works draw attention, the desired ally will signal to you by using one of the previously discussed methods.
*Credit to Judika Illes
Dualism
Contrasting powers are no longer understood as complementary forces arranged on a spectrum; instead they are oppositional and no spectrum exists. There are no grey areas. Boundaries between oppositional forces are clear, distinct, and absolute. Each opposing force is mutually exclusive of each other.
Every item on one side of the balance sheet is linked to every other item on its side and opposed to all items on the other. Each item on one side shares an essence with the others on its side; they serve the same master. The categories on this world balance sheet not only includes physical observations but perceived moral, value judgement as well:
Because "evil" is now understood as absolutely distinct from "good", serious theological concerns arise as to the origins of evil, where it comes from, who is responsible and how it may be eradicated, once and for all. Questions as to who is leading each side, exactly who is responsible and in charge, becomes crucial.
Those concerns aren't relevant to the old shamanic/fertility cult perspective. It doesn't figure value judgments into the equation, at least not on an abstract basis. Any power may be used for good or evil; it is how it is used that affects the outcome. The power in itself is neutral. This is absolutely not the case with what will become known as "dualism".
The dualist perspective stems from very human emotions: fear and anxiety, a desire for security, clarity and order, firm unwavering boundaries, a need to categorize. Look at the balance sheet: order and clarity emerge on the same balance side as good, safe, and light. Male is on that side, too, as is right, high and white. That old shamanic swirling world of invisible, merging, ambiguous powers is chaotic, fluid, and messy. It finds itself on the balance sheet on the same side as evil, dark, dangerous, wild, and female.
The word "dualism" is derived from the Latin duo, "two". In English, the name also contains a pun: the two sides on that eternal chessboard duel with each other. That's the most basic explanation of "dualism" although that word, like "witchcraft" has come to mean many things to many people. However, at its most basic, the term is used to denote a theological system that explains the universe as the outcome of two eternally opposed and conflicting principles, such as good and evil. There is no way to balance these forces because balance implies compromise and compromise strengthens evil. Everything in the universe can be classified on one side or the other. If classification isn't clear, if something is ambiguous, then it's quite obvious on which side of the balance sheet that something belongs.
In the dualist view, soul and body are distinct, and potentially in serious conflict. There's only one of each and by nature they are out of balance. Too much attention to the finite body only places the immortal soul in danger. to strengthen the side of good, the perishable physical body must be sublimated, perhaps even mortified, and the soul nourished. Immortality is achieved through the survival and salvation of the soul.
On the other hand, sometimes these perspectives of the world are two sides of a single coin, like seeing the same glass as either half-full or half-empty. For instance, because women bring forth new humans from their own bodies and can provide nourishment from those bodies, and because parallels are clearly observed between women's bodies and such physical phenomena as lunar phases and tides, in the shamanic/fertility cult perspective, women are perceived as embodying divine energy. This is because those lunar phases, nature, the whole physical world are all understood to be sacred.
From the dualist perspective, however, those very same observations of women, their reproductive ability, their associations with the dark depths of night and ocean, all indicate women's powerful affinity with the physical world, which is affiliated with the evil side of the universal balance sheet, hence turning her into a danger zone for men's immortal souls.
It is hard to conceive a philosophy that has a greater worldwide impact than dualism. It has infiltrated virtually every corner of Earth, its roots so deep that they permeate our very language. Without an understanding and awareness of dualism, you cannot understand the fear, revulsion, and/or ambivalence so many feel towards witchcraft.
Its birthplace seems to have been in Persia, in what is now modern Iran, from whence it spread through the Middle East, the Mediterranean and beyond. Dates vary as to when Zoroaster was born in Iran. Conservative Zoroastrians, members of the religion founded on his teachings, suggest 6000 BCE. Historians generally suggest sometime between 1500 and 1000 BCE. Previously, Iranian religion had been similar to that of polytheistic Mesopotamia and the Pagan Middle East. Zoroaster preached a new faith with a new perspective. Initially he was attacked for his ideas, but eventually he found favor with the king. Zoroastrianism became the the state religion and remained so until the Islamic jihad arrived in Persia in 650 CE. Many Zoroastrians fled to India where a community remains, as they do in Iran and elsewhere.
Although these facts may be unfamiliar to most Western readers, elements of Zoroastrian religion will be familiar to many:
*Zoroastrianism envisions the universe as a battleground of two gods who existed from the beginning: the Lord of Light and Righteousness and the Lord of Darkness and Evil. The universe is divided between into their armies, including people, who must choose a side. Fence-sitting is not an option; there is no gray area, no middle-ground; it is a world of distinct, clear boundaries. One must actively, consciously enlist in the army of the Lord of Light because if one does not do so then one willingly or inadvertently supports the opposition, the Lord of Darkness.
*Many Zoroastrians believe in a savior born from a virgin of the lineage of Zoroaster who will raise the dead and preside over the Final Judgment.
*In the inevitable final show-down, the apocalyptic battle between the forces of good and evil, the Lord of Darkness and his forces will be destroyed. The dead will be resurrected and the world purged and cleansed via a flood of molten metal, although only the wicked are scalded. The righteous will wade through this fiery flood as if through warm milk.
*There is a Final Judgment of souls. Sinners are punished and then humans will be immortal, free from all Earthly ills: death, disease, old age, hunger, poverty.
This vision of a world struggling between forces of good and evil permeates the philosophies and spiritual traditions known as "Gnosticism" as well. In the most literal sense, gnosis refers to the knowledge or understanding that produces, or at least supports spiritual salvation. The Gnostic is saved when he personally sees the light and experiences epiphany.
There was never one unified Gnostic movement. Instead the term refers to a series of schools and teachers, emerging in strength during the 1st century CE, centered mainly in Egypt and Judea. There's wide variety, a broad spectrum of beliefs held by the various Gnostic schools, and Pagan , Jewish, and Christian schools of Gnosticism exists. Eventually, Gnostic philosophy would exert a profound influence on mainstream Christianity.
Although there are many variations on the theme, a typical Gnostic vision goes something like this: despite religious propaganda to the contrary, the material world was not created by the highest, good God. A lower being formed the physical world but in the process, true divine parks of light were trapped. Thus Earth is corrupt, tainted, or even possibly evil, but it contains sparks of godly, divine, trapped goodness that can potentially be nurtured, saved, freed and redeemed. Human suffering derives from entrapment in this physical world, which is governed by an Evil Being who impersonates God and usurps His power. To put it mildly, the early centuries of the Common Era were times of tremendous spiritual seeking. Back in Persia, dualist philosophy continued to evolve. in 216 CE, a man names Mani was born near the Tigris River in Babylonia, modern Iraq but then part of the Persian Empire. He was an intensely restless spiritual pilgrim who traveled widely, seeking enlightenment. Born a Zoroastrian, he studied and experimented with Buddhism and Gnosticism and even converted to mainstream Christianity for a while.
No religion he encountered satisfied him, although he found truths in many. He perceived all of them as incomplete, so he decided to perfect them, proclaiming himself the messiah of the new faith, Manicheism, characterized by an intense dualist vision.
Mani was a prolific artist and writer, setting down his philosophy and vision in words and drawings that were preserved for centuries. This became an important faith, not only during his lifetime but also for many centuries afterwards, with communities of adherents from Persia to Spain to China. Manicheism, at on time, was considered to be among Christianity's chief competitors. The Church perceived Manicheism as a great threat and actively campaigned against it for centuries. None of Mani's drawings, and only fragments of his writings survive because they were systematically searched out and destroyed by the Roman Catholic Church.
Mani's luck changed when a new Persian ruler devoted to Zoroastrianism came to power. As the story goes the magi perceived Mani as a competitor and pressured the king, Bahram I, to arrest and condemn him. Various reports exist of his death, every one of them horrific. Either he was crucified, or flayed alive, or beheaded with his head stuck on a pole for extended public display. His martyrdom, however, only increase his popularity among some believers and made his faith, with its martyred, possibly crucified messiah, even more of an alternative path to Christianity.
The mission of Manicheism is to entirely separate spiritual light from material darkness. If and when this process is complete, then the Kingdom of Darkness will be forever defeated. A microcosm of this war is fought within each human being as the soul struggles to break free from the corporal body, while simultaneously the corporal body, under the dominion of the Lord of Darkness, tempts and encourages backsliding. Each person must achieve individual salvation: each human is a battlefield for the forces of Light and Darkness. You must actively choose your side. Among the keys to achieving liberation of one's spiritual essence is an unwavering, complete obedience to the Manichean Church.
Some people are closer to that goal than others. Persons on the verge of spiritual liberation were known as the Elect. The Elect led highly disciplined, ascetic lives, abstaining from sex because indulgence in sensual pleasures strengthens the body at the expense of the soul, and because babies, the result of sex for reproduction, are but fresh prisons for entrapped sparks of light. Furthermore, those precious sparks of light may be contained within sperm, which should thus be protected from the moist, darkness of the womb.
The Elect maintained a strict vegetarian diet, with one exception. Saint Augustine, a Manichean for 9 years prior to his conversion to Christianity, reports that the Elect ritually consumed a concoction of dough and semen, the theory being that the trapped sparks of light might be liberated if consumed by those on the brink of salvation themselves.
Saint Augustine, pillar of the Christian Church, was a spiritual seeker, too, who explored Pagan paths and Manicheism before devoting himself to Christianity. Although he rejected much Manicheist doctrine, Augustine also introduced the Manichean worldview into conventional Christian thought. Among those doctrines rejected by Augustine is the notion that knowledge leads to liberation. In Augustine;s views, humans are too tainted by Original Sin to accomplish salvation either through knowledge or other individual effort. It can only be achieved through obedience to Christian doctrine, the shepherd guiding the flock. However, he did retain the basic Manichean distrust of matter and the material-especially regarding sex.
Augustine taught that Adam's defiance of God produced a state of unbalanced desire which infects every sexual act with the possible exception of completely pleasure-free, mechanical intercourse solely for the purpose of reproduction within the clear, firm boundaries of lawful Christian marriage.
Dualism permeates world culture, human culture, and especially Western culture. Dualist influence so pervades the vocabulary of modern spirituality that we don't consider what common words literally mean: redemption, salvation, liberation-from what? They derive from the dualist worldview:
*Redemption of the soul from the prison of the body.
*Salvation of the soul from its Earthly trap.
Dualists are right: dualism and the fertility cult, shamanic or otherwise, are incompatible views. From the moment of its emergence, dualism has been on an intense, inevitable collision course with those celebrating the cult of fertility, who wish to revel in Earth rather than be saved from her. At their roots, they are genuinely two oppositional viewpoints, two ways of looking at, organizing, and understanding the world. On the dualist side, there is no room for tolerance because compromise means that you've assented to the power of the Lord of Darkness. Very frequently, dualists have categorized people they've encountered who have possessed a shamanic or fertility-cultish perspective as "witches". The results for those thus categorized, whether in Europe, North America, Africa or elsewhere, have consistently been disastrous.
It's very tempting to see the "fertility cult" as the ancestor of witchcraft and dualism as that of its opponents; that very temptation demonstrates why dualism can be so attractive. Real life, however, is rarely that black and white and that would be a simplistic vision that denies the complexity of witchcraft as well as world history.
There are very few places on Earth that have not been influenced by both dualism and the more ancient shamanic/fertility cult. Most cultures blend these influences to varying degrees. Dualism even pervades the world of witchcraft. In those immortal words spoken by Glinda to Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" Many, if asked whether they are a witch, answer affirmatively but stipulate that they are a "good" witch, as if whatever powers they possess can only be used for good, not possibly for ill.
Witchcraft, defined as magical practices, is seemingly a crucial human need. Like the Egyptians' heka, it emerges whenever it is necessary to attempt to ward off those harsh blows of fate or maybe whenever there's just not enough joy and fun around. Witchcraft exists everywhere in various forms, and is thus found in all kinds of communities possessing all sorts of philosophies. What differs is how witchcraft is perceived and whether it operates secretly or openly.
*Credit to Judika Illes
Every item on one side of the balance sheet is linked to every other item on its side and opposed to all items on the other. Each item on one side shares an essence with the others on its side; they serve the same master. The categories on this world balance sheet not only includes physical observations but perceived moral, value judgement as well:
Good---Bad/Evil
Strong---Weak
Clarity---Ambiguity
Order---Chaos
Safe---Dangerous
Tame---Wild
Manifest---Hidden
Masculine---Feminine
New---Old
Sun---Moon
Light---Dark
Male---Female
Human---Animal
Solid---Fluid
White---Black
Right---Left
High---Low
Soul---Body
Spirit---Material
Because "evil" is now understood as absolutely distinct from "good", serious theological concerns arise as to the origins of evil, where it comes from, who is responsible and how it may be eradicated, once and for all. Questions as to who is leading each side, exactly who is responsible and in charge, becomes crucial.
Those concerns aren't relevant to the old shamanic/fertility cult perspective. It doesn't figure value judgments into the equation, at least not on an abstract basis. Any power may be used for good or evil; it is how it is used that affects the outcome. The power in itself is neutral. This is absolutely not the case with what will become known as "dualism".
The dualist perspective stems from very human emotions: fear and anxiety, a desire for security, clarity and order, firm unwavering boundaries, a need to categorize. Look at the balance sheet: order and clarity emerge on the same balance side as good, safe, and light. Male is on that side, too, as is right, high and white. That old shamanic swirling world of invisible, merging, ambiguous powers is chaotic, fluid, and messy. It finds itself on the balance sheet on the same side as evil, dark, dangerous, wild, and female.
The word "dualism" is derived from the Latin duo, "two". In English, the name also contains a pun: the two sides on that eternal chessboard duel with each other. That's the most basic explanation of "dualism" although that word, like "witchcraft" has come to mean many things to many people. However, at its most basic, the term is used to denote a theological system that explains the universe as the outcome of two eternally opposed and conflicting principles, such as good and evil. There is no way to balance these forces because balance implies compromise and compromise strengthens evil. Everything in the universe can be classified on one side or the other. If classification isn't clear, if something is ambiguous, then it's quite obvious on which side of the balance sheet that something belongs.
In the dualist view, soul and body are distinct, and potentially in serious conflict. There's only one of each and by nature they are out of balance. Too much attention to the finite body only places the immortal soul in danger. to strengthen the side of good, the perishable physical body must be sublimated, perhaps even mortified, and the soul nourished. Immortality is achieved through the survival and salvation of the soul.
On the other hand, sometimes these perspectives of the world are two sides of a single coin, like seeing the same glass as either half-full or half-empty. For instance, because women bring forth new humans from their own bodies and can provide nourishment from those bodies, and because parallels are clearly observed between women's bodies and such physical phenomena as lunar phases and tides, in the shamanic/fertility cult perspective, women are perceived as embodying divine energy. This is because those lunar phases, nature, the whole physical world are all understood to be sacred.
From the dualist perspective, however, those very same observations of women, their reproductive ability, their associations with the dark depths of night and ocean, all indicate women's powerful affinity with the physical world, which is affiliated with the evil side of the universal balance sheet, hence turning her into a danger zone for men's immortal souls.
It is hard to conceive a philosophy that has a greater worldwide impact than dualism. It has infiltrated virtually every corner of Earth, its roots so deep that they permeate our very language. Without an understanding and awareness of dualism, you cannot understand the fear, revulsion, and/or ambivalence so many feel towards witchcraft.
Its birthplace seems to have been in Persia, in what is now modern Iran, from whence it spread through the Middle East, the Mediterranean and beyond. Dates vary as to when Zoroaster was born in Iran. Conservative Zoroastrians, members of the religion founded on his teachings, suggest 6000 BCE. Historians generally suggest sometime between 1500 and 1000 BCE. Previously, Iranian religion had been similar to that of polytheistic Mesopotamia and the Pagan Middle East. Zoroaster preached a new faith with a new perspective. Initially he was attacked for his ideas, but eventually he found favor with the king. Zoroastrianism became the the state religion and remained so until the Islamic jihad arrived in Persia in 650 CE. Many Zoroastrians fled to India where a community remains, as they do in Iran and elsewhere.
Although these facts may be unfamiliar to most Western readers, elements of Zoroastrian religion will be familiar to many:
*Zoroastrianism envisions the universe as a battleground of two gods who existed from the beginning: the Lord of Light and Righteousness and the Lord of Darkness and Evil. The universe is divided between into their armies, including people, who must choose a side. Fence-sitting is not an option; there is no gray area, no middle-ground; it is a world of distinct, clear boundaries. One must actively, consciously enlist in the army of the Lord of Light because if one does not do so then one willingly or inadvertently supports the opposition, the Lord of Darkness.
*Many Zoroastrians believe in a savior born from a virgin of the lineage of Zoroaster who will raise the dead and preside over the Final Judgment.
*In the inevitable final show-down, the apocalyptic battle between the forces of good and evil, the Lord of Darkness and his forces will be destroyed. The dead will be resurrected and the world purged and cleansed via a flood of molten metal, although only the wicked are scalded. The righteous will wade through this fiery flood as if through warm milk.
*There is a Final Judgment of souls. Sinners are punished and then humans will be immortal, free from all Earthly ills: death, disease, old age, hunger, poverty.
This vision of a world struggling between forces of good and evil permeates the philosophies and spiritual traditions known as "Gnosticism" as well. In the most literal sense, gnosis refers to the knowledge or understanding that produces, or at least supports spiritual salvation. The Gnostic is saved when he personally sees the light and experiences epiphany.
There was never one unified Gnostic movement. Instead the term refers to a series of schools and teachers, emerging in strength during the 1st century CE, centered mainly in Egypt and Judea. There's wide variety, a broad spectrum of beliefs held by the various Gnostic schools, and Pagan , Jewish, and Christian schools of Gnosticism exists. Eventually, Gnostic philosophy would exert a profound influence on mainstream Christianity.
Although there are many variations on the theme, a typical Gnostic vision goes something like this: despite religious propaganda to the contrary, the material world was not created by the highest, good God. A lower being formed the physical world but in the process, true divine parks of light were trapped. Thus Earth is corrupt, tainted, or even possibly evil, but it contains sparks of godly, divine, trapped goodness that can potentially be nurtured, saved, freed and redeemed. Human suffering derives from entrapment in this physical world, which is governed by an Evil Being who impersonates God and usurps His power. To put it mildly, the early centuries of the Common Era were times of tremendous spiritual seeking. Back in Persia, dualist philosophy continued to evolve. in 216 CE, a man names Mani was born near the Tigris River in Babylonia, modern Iraq but then part of the Persian Empire. He was an intensely restless spiritual pilgrim who traveled widely, seeking enlightenment. Born a Zoroastrian, he studied and experimented with Buddhism and Gnosticism and even converted to mainstream Christianity for a while.
No religion he encountered satisfied him, although he found truths in many. He perceived all of them as incomplete, so he decided to perfect them, proclaiming himself the messiah of the new faith, Manicheism, characterized by an intense dualist vision.
Mani was a prolific artist and writer, setting down his philosophy and vision in words and drawings that were preserved for centuries. This became an important faith, not only during his lifetime but also for many centuries afterwards, with communities of adherents from Persia to Spain to China. Manicheism, at on time, was considered to be among Christianity's chief competitors. The Church perceived Manicheism as a great threat and actively campaigned against it for centuries. None of Mani's drawings, and only fragments of his writings survive because they were systematically searched out and destroyed by the Roman Catholic Church.
Mani's luck changed when a new Persian ruler devoted to Zoroastrianism came to power. As the story goes the magi perceived Mani as a competitor and pressured the king, Bahram I, to arrest and condemn him. Various reports exist of his death, every one of them horrific. Either he was crucified, or flayed alive, or beheaded with his head stuck on a pole for extended public display. His martyrdom, however, only increase his popularity among some believers and made his faith, with its martyred, possibly crucified messiah, even more of an alternative path to Christianity.
The mission of Manicheism is to entirely separate spiritual light from material darkness. If and when this process is complete, then the Kingdom of Darkness will be forever defeated. A microcosm of this war is fought within each human being as the soul struggles to break free from the corporal body, while simultaneously the corporal body, under the dominion of the Lord of Darkness, tempts and encourages backsliding. Each person must achieve individual salvation: each human is a battlefield for the forces of Light and Darkness. You must actively choose your side. Among the keys to achieving liberation of one's spiritual essence is an unwavering, complete obedience to the Manichean Church.
Some people are closer to that goal than others. Persons on the verge of spiritual liberation were known as the Elect. The Elect led highly disciplined, ascetic lives, abstaining from sex because indulgence in sensual pleasures strengthens the body at the expense of the soul, and because babies, the result of sex for reproduction, are but fresh prisons for entrapped sparks of light. Furthermore, those precious sparks of light may be contained within sperm, which should thus be protected from the moist, darkness of the womb.
The Elect maintained a strict vegetarian diet, with one exception. Saint Augustine, a Manichean for 9 years prior to his conversion to Christianity, reports that the Elect ritually consumed a concoction of dough and semen, the theory being that the trapped sparks of light might be liberated if consumed by those on the brink of salvation themselves.
Saint Augustine, pillar of the Christian Church, was a spiritual seeker, too, who explored Pagan paths and Manicheism before devoting himself to Christianity. Although he rejected much Manicheist doctrine, Augustine also introduced the Manichean worldview into conventional Christian thought. Among those doctrines rejected by Augustine is the notion that knowledge leads to liberation. In Augustine;s views, humans are too tainted by Original Sin to accomplish salvation either through knowledge or other individual effort. It can only be achieved through obedience to Christian doctrine, the shepherd guiding the flock. However, he did retain the basic Manichean distrust of matter and the material-especially regarding sex.
Augustine taught that Adam's defiance of God produced a state of unbalanced desire which infects every sexual act with the possible exception of completely pleasure-free, mechanical intercourse solely for the purpose of reproduction within the clear, firm boundaries of lawful Christian marriage.
Dualism permeates world culture, human culture, and especially Western culture. Dualist influence so pervades the vocabulary of modern spirituality that we don't consider what common words literally mean: redemption, salvation, liberation-from what? They derive from the dualist worldview:
*Redemption of the soul from the prison of the body.
*Salvation of the soul from its Earthly trap.
Dualists are right: dualism and the fertility cult, shamanic or otherwise, are incompatible views. From the moment of its emergence, dualism has been on an intense, inevitable collision course with those celebrating the cult of fertility, who wish to revel in Earth rather than be saved from her. At their roots, they are genuinely two oppositional viewpoints, two ways of looking at, organizing, and understanding the world. On the dualist side, there is no room for tolerance because compromise means that you've assented to the power of the Lord of Darkness. Very frequently, dualists have categorized people they've encountered who have possessed a shamanic or fertility-cultish perspective as "witches". The results for those thus categorized, whether in Europe, North America, Africa or elsewhere, have consistently been disastrous.
It's very tempting to see the "fertility cult" as the ancestor of witchcraft and dualism as that of its opponents; that very temptation demonstrates why dualism can be so attractive. Real life, however, is rarely that black and white and that would be a simplistic vision that denies the complexity of witchcraft as well as world history.
There are very few places on Earth that have not been influenced by both dualism and the more ancient shamanic/fertility cult. Most cultures blend these influences to varying degrees. Dualism even pervades the world of witchcraft. In those immortal words spoken by Glinda to Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" Many, if asked whether they are a witch, answer affirmatively but stipulate that they are a "good" witch, as if whatever powers they possess can only be used for good, not possibly for ill.
Witchcraft, defined as magical practices, is seemingly a crucial human need. Like the Egyptians' heka, it emerges whenever it is necessary to attempt to ward off those harsh blows of fate or maybe whenever there's just not enough joy and fun around. Witchcraft exists everywhere in various forms, and is thus found in all kinds of communities possessing all sorts of philosophies. What differs is how witchcraft is perceived and whether it operates secretly or openly.
*Credit to Judika Illes
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