Wicca, Witchcraft & Paganism (Original)

[Nicole Jimmelson]

 
Huggy

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  posted 03-05-2006 02:27 PM                       
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Salicylic acid, genus Salix, part of the willow family Salicaceae. aspirin

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As Above So Below.

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Posts: 1442 | From: Native forest | Registered: Apr 2005   
 

[Nicole Jimmelson]

 
Brig

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  posted 03-05-2006 02:32 PM                       
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By the way, there are christian groups who also practice living off the land in a harmonious manner. I have read about them, but cannot recall any of their names. We use to call them "nature boys" or "nature girls". They are herbalists; though I doubt they gather the herbs "skyclad". Back in the deep Appalachain mountains there are still many who live primarily off the land. They use to refer to their healers as "Grannies" or "Healers". They know a lot, handed down from one generation to the next, about the uses of various weeds. I know some of them work. I use to live back there. Still have relatives in the deep hollows off the beaten track. But I also know that they are becoming a lot rarer as the "younguns" leave for more modern climes. I was never bothered much by poison ivy, but some of my relatives were very sensitive to it. They learned very early that "jewel weed" rubbed into exposed areas was very effective in counteracting the toxin in poison ivy. If you can't get to soap and water within 10 minutes, better look for jewel weed. I use to know a lot of them; but I've been out of the hills a long time now.
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[Nicole Jimmelson]

Ishtar

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  posted 03-05-2006 02:32 PM                       
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OH wait the Natives watched the animals and learned by what they ate and didn't kill them , lol, I almost forgot.

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“Ad initio, alea iacta est.”

"When he was talking about hope, it actually almost made me cry. Like it really made sense, like, for the first, like, whoa ...
Would you like a dead camel?

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[Nicole Jimmelson]

Ishtar

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  posted 03-05-2006 02:34 PM                       
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OH that's awesome Brig, I find that fascinating that is where my people came from.

Wish I had them around to ask questions.

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“Ad initio, alea iacta est.”
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
it's Later Than You Think
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[Nicole Jimmelson]

Gwen Parker

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   posted 04-01-2006 03:07 AM                       
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Witches & Sorcerers of Antiquity: Medea
A sorceress scorned by Jason's betrayal seeks revenge! - posted 12/30/2003 11:11:25 AM

Medea in The Argonautica

The Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes was written during the 3rd century BCE and tells the story of Medea, who fell in love with Jason, the leader of the Argonauts, and helped him obtain the Golden Fleece. She was known as a sorceress and was able to use her magic to fight a monster called Talos, a bronze giant who tossed large rocks at them.

And Talos, the man of bronze, as he broke off rocks from the hard cliff, stayed them from fastening hawsers to the shore, when they came to the roadstead of Dicte's haven. He was of the stock of bronze, of the men sprung from ash-trees, the last left among the sons of the gods and the son of Cronos gave him to Europa to be the warder of Crete and to stride round the island thrice a day with his feet of bronze. Now in all the rest of his body and limbs was he fashioned of bronze and invulnerable but beneath the sinew by his ankle was a blood-red vein and this, with its issues of life and death, was covered by a thin skin. (ll. 1638-1648)
Medea decided to take on Talos, for as long as he was not immortal (ie a god), her magic would be just as powerful as his and she could win. Medea then proceeds to channel her hatred into a deadly weapon and attack from a distance to beat Talos.

Thus she spake and they drew the ship out of range, resting on their oars, waiting to see what plan unlooked for she would bring to pass and she, holding the fold of her purple robe over her cheeks on each side, mounted on the deck and Aeson's son took her hand in his and guided her way along the thwarts. And with songs did she propitiate and invoke the Death- spirits, devourers of life, the swift hounds of Hades, who, hovering through all the air, swoop down on the living. Kneeling in supplication, thrice she called on them with songs, and thrice with prayers and, shaping her soul to mischief, with her hostile glance she bewitched the eyes of Talos, the man of bronze and her teeth gnashed bitter wrath against him, and she sent forth baneful phantoms in the frenzy of her rage. Father Zeus, surely great wonder rises in my mind, seeing that dire destruction meets us not from disease and wounds alone, but lo! even from afar, may be, it tortures us! (ll. 1659-1676)
In the Medea legend told by Apollonius of Rhodes and Euripides, when Jason and Medea return to Pelias’ kingdom, Pelias refuses to honor his oath and give Jason the kingdom. Angered, Medea tricks Pelias’ daughters that if they were to boil their father in water that contained magical herbs, he’d become young again. Secretly, Medea gives the girls the wrong herbs and they end up killing Pelias. This angers the people of Pelias, who then drive Jason and Medea out of the land, and finally to Corinth, where Medea bears two children. In the meantime, the King of Corinth, Creon, decides to offer his daughter, Creusa, in marriage to Jason. He accepts, much to the anger of Medea. Hurt by Jason’s betrayal, she vows to hurt him deeply and as a wedding present, she uses her magic to kill Creon and Creusa. She then kills both of Jason’s children and flees to Athens.

Medea in Ovid
Ovid was fascinated by Media and wrote an epic tragedy about her that many considered to be his greatest work. Unfortunately, that work is lost to us. He also writes of her powers in his Metamorphoses. Ovid describes Medea as a powerful sorcerer that can invoke the powers of darkness – the Night, Hecate, the Underworld. He recounts a number of Media's deeds. This excerpt tells of Medea fleeing after she had killed Jason's bride and killed their sons.

At last, the dragon's wings brought her to Corinth, the ancient Ephyre, and its Pirenian spring. Here, tradition says, that in earliest times, human bodies sprang from fungi, swollen by rain. After Jason's new bride Glauce had been consumed by the fires of vengeful Colchian witchcraft and both the Isthmus's gulfs had witnessed flame consuming the king's palace, Medea impiously bathed her sword in the blood of their sons. Then, after performing this evil act, she fled from Jason's wrath. Carried by her dragons that are born of the Titans, she reached Pallas's citadel of Athens. This once knew you Phene, the most righteous, and you old Periphas, both flying in the air, as birds, the eagle and the osprey: and Alcyone, granddaughter of Polypemon, resting on strange new wings. It was Aegeus who gave Medea sanctuary there, damned thereafter by that one action: and not content with taking her in, he even entered into a contract of marriage with her.
Seneca's Medea
Seneca (5 BCE- 65 CE) composed another story about Medea in which she is presented as a witch with a number of demonic subordinates. She is able to invoke various deities to curse her enemies and, feeling betrayed by Jason, she vows to hurt him as deeply as she can. She can also make elaborate concoctions and magical potion

http://www.deliriumsrealm.com/delirium/articles/articleview.asp?ID=45
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[Nicole Jimmelson]

 
Heather Delaria

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   posted 05-17-2006 01:08 AM                       
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Rede Of The Wiccae
Being known as the counsel of the Wise Ones:
Bide the Wiccan Laws ye must In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust.
Live an’ let live - Fairly take an’ fairly give.
Cast the Circle thrice about To keep all evil spirits out.
To bind the spell every time - Let the spell be spake in rhyme.
Soft of eye an’ light of touch - Speak little, listen much.
Deosil go by the waxing Moon - Sing and dance the Wiccan rune.
Widdershins go when the Moon doth wane, An’ the Werewolf howls by the dread Wolfsbane.
When the Lady’s Moon is new, Kiss thy hand to Her times two.
When the Moon rides at Her peak Then your heart’s desire seek.
Heed the Northwind’s mighty gale - Lock the door and drop the sail.
When the wind comes from the South, Love will kiss thee on the mouth.
When the wind blows from the East, Expect the new and set the feast.
When the West wind blows o’er thee, Departed spirits restless be.
Nine woods in the Cauldron go - Burn them quick an’ burn them slow.
Elder be ye Lady’s tree - Burn it not or cursed ye’ll be.
When the Wheel begins to turn - Let the Beltane fires burn.
When the Wheel has turned a Yule, Light the Log an’ let Pan rule.
Heed ye flower bush an’ tree - By the Lady Blessèd Be.
Where the rippling waters go Cast a stone an’ truth ye’ll know.
When ye have need, Hearken not to others greed.
With the fool no season spend Or be counted as his friend.
Merry meet an’ merry part - Bright the cheeks an’ warm the heart.
Mind the Threefold Law ye should - Three times bad an’ three times good.
When misfortune is enow, Wear the Blue Star on thy brow.
True in love ever be Unless thy lover’s false to thee.
Eight words ye Wiccan Rede fulfill - An’ it harm none, Do what ye will.

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"An it harm none, do what ye will."
-the Wiccan Rede

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[Nicole Jimmelson]

Nicole Jimmelson

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   posted 06-11-2006 10:15 PM                       
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War Against Witchcraft


Version 1: 4/16/98 - In Medieval Europe, the infamous "witch craze" had begun. Women and children all across the countryside were being thrown into great burning pyres with the cries "destroy them all, the Lord will know his own!" (Buckland 3) echoing in their ears. The word "witch" and a pointing finger were often enough to secure a death sentence. However, sailors and soldiers like the Spanish Conquistadors were off on missions to other countries were the poor pagans lived. It became the great mission of the era to discover new lands filled with such people and bring them the gospel, convert them, and then colonize them.Why such a discrepancy in the treatment of two polytheistic, non-Christian groups? Christian society has always regarded the two groups with radically different intentions; pagans were the misguided victims of their own ignorance who needed to be shown the way to God, but Witches were evil and soldiers of Satan himself, thus deserving death. There are fundamental differences between Paganism and Witchcraft which has caused society to view them differently, but ironically it is these differences which make Witchcraft similar to Christianity, thus setting it up as a threat to a predominantly Christian society and causing antagonism that continues to this day.

Consider first the root of such antagonism. The environment which fostered the "witch craze" was carefully cultivated by the medieval Catholic Church, whose clergy was unforgivably corrupt, and whose major goal at the time was not to spread the word of God but to gain political control of Europe. Thus we must examine the situation not from the viewpoint of warring religions, but from the arena of political rivals. In pre-Christian Europe, the people were often followers of a polytheistic religious tradition which revered Nature and the natural powers of the world around them. In the Celtic lands, which covered most of Western Europe, there existed a feudal societal structure which placed people in certain classes, and during that time there existed a class of people descended, socially if not through blood lines, from the ancient Druids called the Wica, or Wita.

This word has been defined many ways, but is mostly thought to have designated the "wise ones" or those who worked with mystical knowledge. This term is also suspected to have been derived from the Norse word weik, which relates to things connected with magic and religion and means "to bend or shape." Both words gave rise to the term "witch," which doesn't seem to have been used until the late 1200's and has been defined by the Council of American Witches as one who "seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with nature." In old European villages, the Wica "not only led the religious rites but also had to have knowledge of herbal lore, magick and divination; they had to be doctor, lawyer, magician, priest. To the people, the Wica were plenipotentiaries between them and the gods. But, at the great festivals, they became almost like gods themselves" (Buckland 3). The Wica held a very important place in European society; even the Kings would never think of acting without first consulting his Witan, the Council of Wise Ones.

Now, enter the missionary Christians. Contrary to common thought, the whole continent did not immediately convert to Christianity in accordance with the designs of the Roman Empire. In fact, after the fall of Rome many countries reverted back to their traditional religions, which had survived quietly all along. But, as the Latin Church grew in strength, more and more political leaders did in fact convert, albeit for political alliance with the Church rather than religious reasons. Whole countries were considered Christian when in fact only the ruling class had converted, and in the country side the Old Ways were still practiced. Thus the term "pagan" arose from the Latin pagani, which means "people who live in the country." As cities grew and a decidedly urban/rural split developed, the word became more of an insult, an equivalent to our modern day "country bumpkin," and later broadened more to incorrectly designate any person who was not Christian.

Pope Gregory the Great attempted the first mass conversion of Europe. He instructed his followers to enter the pagan temples, smash idols, consecrate and rededicate the temples and groves to the Christian God in the hopes that worshippers would continue to come to their spiritual places regardless of the house that stood there. He was also a pioneer for the adaptation phase of the Church in which countless traditions, holidays, and even deities of the Witches were molded and adapted to fit into the new Christian religion. For example, Easter, one of the holiest Christian holidays, was actually taken from the old festival Ostara. Ostara was a Welsh spring festival honoring the goddess Eostre, whose name was taken for the new Christian holiday in honor of Jesus Christ's resurrection. Brigit, a Celtic goddess of great importance, was given sainthood in an attempt to win her followers to the Church. Also, Christmas, the alleged birthday of Jesus, actually takes place far from when his "historical" birthday might have been. Christmas is actually celebrated to coincide with the Witches' festival of Yule, where evergreen trees were decorated as a symbol that life can survive the winter, and the birth of the witches' Sun King is celebrated with a feast.Pope Gregory was largely successful, but still his plan was undermined, for when the first Christian churches were built, pagan stonemasons and woodcutters were hired to work on them, and these clever artisans included many images of their own deities in the churches' carvings and architecture. Even today these figures can be seen in the oldest of churches in Europe.

Furthermore, the very existence of such adapted holidays as Easter and Christmas, among other traditions and myths, prove that Gregory did not entirely win...Christianity did not replace the Old Ways, it merely swallowed much of them up.With such slow progress, the Church began to explore new ways to win the pagans over to their side, and so it happened in Europe that the war against the witches began. As illustrated earlier, the Wica were an integral part of old European society, and as a rival political power it was only natural for the Church to want to be rid of them.

It is often said that "the gods of an old religion become the devils of a new," (Buckland 4) and that is exactly what happened in Europe. The Church's line of reasoning went something along these lines: their Devil had horns, and the God of the Witches was often depicted as having horns, therefore they must be the same entity. The Church began to spread this "logic" among its followers, stipulating that those who followed the Old Ways were following the Devil, and were therefore anti-Christian and evil. Laws against homeopathic medicine, which included herbalism and midwifery, were passed in accordance with decrees formulated hundreds of years ago at the Second Council of Nicaea aligning anything esoteric in nature with the Devil and evil. In a final direct effort to remove the Wica from village control and power, they were scapegoated for all kinds of problems ranging from bad weather to infertile crops and sick children. In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII infused the war against Witchcraft with new life and vigor, making it a mission of God to exterminate all followers of the Old Ways, all Witches. Two years later, Kramer and Sprenger wrote and distributed "The Witch Hammer," a book which educated and instructed those who would fight the holy war against Witches. Although the approval of the book was forged, since it had in fact been rejected by the current censory board, the book sparked a mass hysteria known as the "witch craze" of Europe, a madness that did not trickle off for three hundred years and led to the death of nearly nine million people.What may turn out to be the greatest religious controversy birthed from that environment of fear and manipulation arises in modern day America. Within the past five decades, America has seen the resurgence of what is termed the "Neo-Pagan Movement," a revival of the Old Ways and Paganism as it truly was: not just a bunch of silly country people, but a nature-based religion seeing divinity in Nature and thus revering Nature, a tradition of people celebrating the seasonal shifts with festivals and honoring a great Mother Goddess and her consort God in their myriad forms.

Within this umbrella movement there exists another revival of Witchcraft under the name "Wicca." The Wiccan revival was started and led by a man named Gerald Gardner in Great Britain immediately following the repeal of the British anti-Witchcraft laws. Gardner published a book in 1954 called "Witchcraft Today" in which he not only revealed that he was an initiate of a coven of Witches whose lineage dated back thousands of years, but that he wanted to reveal and revive what he called The Old Religion. He used the term Wicca for three reasons: to encompass the feeling of a grassroots movement, since "Wica" was the old European word for Witches, to avoid the fear, hocus-pocus, and disbelief associated with the word "Witchcraft," and finally because the religion he wanted to spread was not actually Witchcraft, but a reinvention of a Celtic-based tradition of Witchcraft to meet the spiritual needs of modern society. Gardner used the scant information he had been given by his coven and combined it with his extensive research into Freemasonry, the Golden Dawn, and mythology to form the Grimoire of what came to be known as Gardnerian Wicca. As a reconstructed version of the Old Ways, steeped in ceremonial magic and European myth, Wicca immediately aligned itself with the Neo-Pagan movement, with which its followers shared many aspects and beliefs.

First, both Wicca and Paganism were polytheistic. Both groups validated and recognized the gods of the other, since polytheism implies that the creative forces of the universe exist in many forms, but are all truly part of the same source. Also, in an effort to fill the gaps of a traditionally male-dominated Judeo-Christian society, both Wicca and Paganism emphasized the importance of the Goddess and women, equally as powerful and in many branches even more powerful than the God and men. Both groups revered Nature and railed against the **** of the earth accomplished under industrialization, and rallied together to spawn many activist groups. They could celebrate the turn of the seasons together in ritual, and both traditions practiced and believed in magic. For Pagans and Wiccans, the practice of magic embodies the idea that as individuals we not only have the power and ability, but the natural right to work with the forces that be in order to change our lives and our world.

These similarities stated, why did the attitudes of medieval Europe remain true to their origin? Ideas about Pagans (with the definition skewed to mean all peoples not worshipping in a Judeo-Christian tradition) and Witches remain from the Dark Ages. Present day attitudes are therefore the same, although the reasons are often subconscious. Paganism in modern society is still not viewed as anything more than mere tomfoolery, adolescents wanting to rebel, misguided people ignoring the more important things in life in order to have fun and dance naked at wild parties in the woods on moonlit nights. But Witchcraft, even in the revised and reformed version of Wicca, still causes God-fearing Christians to spread pamphlets on the evils of Witches, protest the opening of Wiccan stores and the increasing number of public rituals, and harass people who have the courage to be proud of their religion and live openly as Witches.It can be reasonably argued that while Paganism has enjoyed a revival in this country, it is still markedly different from Christianity and does not offer the same benefits which has kept the Church in power for so long. For example, Christianity offers its followers an established doctrine, a set of moral laws that are easy to understand, and a feeling of "authenticity" which the "new" religion of Paganism cannot give. Neo-Paganism boasts of its loose structure and easy-going attitudes, but for the majority of people this is not a comfort at all. As a society, people need to feel secure in their beliefs, often relying on "experts" (i.e. clergy) to articulate these beliefs for them. The moral codes of Paganism are ambiguous at best, leaving vast amounts of room for debate and grey areas, and since Paganism can encompass any way of worship from Greek to shamanism to Celtic, there is no established doctrine per se.

Furthermore, while Christianity promises eternal rest in Heaven for good behavior, Paganism asserts the belief in reincarnation, promising countless lives on this earth in order to learn enough to attain enlightenment...and depending on which Pagan group you ask, what happens after that can range from reunion with the Source of the universe to absolutely nothing. Viewed in this way, though Paganism does and will continue to appeal to many people, it does not seem likely that it will ever replace the current social or religious structure. Witchcraft, on the other hand, indeed satisfies many of the same requirements for religion that Christianity does. Though it shares many aspects with Paganism there are still some distinct differences between the two. Witchcraft, for example, emphasizes a concept of balance in the world in the form of dualities: right and wrong, male and female, light and dark. While in some Pagan groups you may find worship of the Mother Goddess supreme, it is unlikely that a serious coven of Witches will honor the Goddess above the God, or vice versa. Witchcraft can also claim "authenticity" as an organized religion, since its roots lie directly in Celtic Druidism. Some traditions, such as the Welsh Witchcraft of the Church of Y Tylwyth Teg and Italian Stregheria can trace an initiatory lineage back as far as the 1200's.

Furthermore, whereas Paganism is extremely loose and all encompassing, Witchcraft does retain a good deal of structure from the days of old Europe. It offers rules for the formation of a coven and the workings of that coven; there exists a clergy for direction and instruction, and often a system of accepting and training new initiates. There are eight specific holidays, and lore and tradition that accompanies each one. While Witches and Pagans both follow the Rede, "An' it harm none, do what ye will," Witch covens often have their own set of established rules of conduct and behavior. For example, Gardner originally wrote nearly one hundred rules which he called "The Laws" for his tradition in the early 1960's, the Council of American Witches followed suit with their "Principles of Wicca" in 1974, and since then other traditions have formulated simpler, shorter, lists of rules for their members as well.Many of these aspects greatly conflict with Christian society, which has not only ignored a Goddess figure but has in fact relegated women to a subservient role in society. "They were so anxious to avoid goddess-worship that they represented God as generating the Son out of himself" (Robertson 22).

Nature is not a source of power; it is the playground which God had given Man to use as he deemed fit. As for ideas of magic and ritual, the Church has claimed time and again, as it did even as far back as the Nicene conventions in 787AD, that neither has a place in religion. Interestingly, this claim is ludicrous since no religion in the history of man has been without magic and ritual, though the terms may be different, and "the theory that religion is not only hostile to magic but quite separate from it is as fallacious as the distinction between religion and superstition...religion is 'what is allowed,' superstition 'what is not allowed'" (Robertson 14).

So, why does the Christian Church attack Witchcraft so fiercely? Though it may not be a conscious thought in the minds of today's religious leaders, it is likely that the motives are still political; the effect, however, is still the same. Since both Witchcraft and Christianity share so many basic spiritual ideas and satisfy many of the same spiritual needs of modern society, the population must examine the political structures, ethical laws, and social laws of the religion. "We must look not so much to genius for right thought as to genius for satisfying the common taste" (Robertson 16).Which group better satisfies the common taste? It is obvious that in the past few decades that taste has been radically changing.

Witchcraft is a threat today because, while the Church may have won the last round, its laws and doctrines are rapidly becoming outdated and the population is become disenchanted. Women are no longer accepting their minor role in society, and many feel alienated from a male deity who cast Woman as the bearer of Original Sin and whose religious founders viewed women as vessels of temptation and evil (Armstrong 124). Science has explained away many of the mysteries which the Church once attributed to God. The planet is slipping further and further into a state of environmental emergency caused by world industrialization, and new generations of people are awakening to the fact that the human race may be in danger of self-extinction. Thus, after hundreds of years of underground survival, secret meetings in the shadows, and careful preservation of wisdom from unsympathetic eyes, the Witches have come back into the light of present-day America. The Neo-Pagan movement which took root in the 1950's and flourished in the 60's and 70's has not only spread and grown, but has earned itself legal tax exemption status for its churches, and received legal recognition as a religion. Though these Pagan groups certainly help to open the eyes of ignorance, they have not really made the revival of Witchcraft more acceptable to Christian society. Witchcraft, however, is appealing to more and more modern men and women and is gaining solid ground. Furthermore, while the Church was able to win the Dark Ages using brutal tactics and force, those tactics are no longer available or applicable to today's population.So, the threat to the Church lies in that, as a political power, it is losing influence and importance and may not win this time. Conclusively, the war against the Witches has not ended but merely changed playing fields and updated its set of rules. The rivalry continues, as does the antagonism, and it is unlikely that attitudes will change without a radical shift in social paradigms which may leave the word "Christian" with as many dark connotations as the word "Witch" does now.

Works Cited
Armstrong, Karen. A History of God. 1993. Ballantine Books, New York.
Buckland, Raymond. Complete Book of Witchcraft. 1986.
Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul.
Robertson, JM. Pagan Christs. 1903.
University Books, Inc., New York.

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[Nicole Jimmelson]

Nicole Jimmelson

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   posted 06-11-2006 10:17 PM                       
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Witchcraft History

Witchcraft: History Ancient Times.

Witchcraft as sorcery has existed since humans first banded together in groups. Prehistoric art depicts magical rites to ensure successful hunting. Western beliefs about witchcraft as sorcery grew out of the mythologies and folklore of ancient peoples, especially the Greeks and Romans. Roman law made distinctions between good magic and harmful magic, and harmful magic was punishable by law. When Christianity began to spread, the distinctions vanished. Witchcraft came to be linked with worship of the Devil.

Middle Ages to the 1700's. In Europe, beginning in about the A.D. 700's, witchcraft was increasingly associated with heresy (rejection of church teachings). The Christian church began a long campaign to stamp out heresy. Beginning in the 1000's, religious leaders sentenced heretics to death by burning.

The Inquisition, which began about 1230, was an effort by the church to seek out and punish heretics and force them to change their beliefs. Eventually, the secular (nonreligious) courts as well as all Christian churches were involved in the persecution of witches. Especially after the 1500's, most people accused of witchcraft came to trial in secular courts. They were charged with human sacrifice and with worshiping the Devil in horrible rites.

Historians doubt that worship of the Devil was ever widespread, if indeed it even took place. But stories about it created a mood of fear and anxiety.

The witch hunt reached its peak in Europe during the late 1500's and early 1600's. Many victims, who were mostly women, were falsely accused of witchcraft. Many accused witches were tortured until they confessed. Then they faced imprisonment, banishment, or execution.

In the American Colonies, a small number of accused witches were persecuted in New England from the mid-1600's to the early 1700's. Some were banished and others were executed.

The most famous American witch hunt began in 1692 in Salem, Mass. There, a group of village girls became fascinated with the occult, but their games got out of hand. They began to act strangely, uttering weird sounds and screaming. Suspicions that witches were responsible for the girls' behavior led to the arrest of three women. More arrests followed, and mass trials were held. About 150 people were imprisoned on witchcraft charges. Nineteen men and women were convicted and hanged as witches. A man who refused to plead either innocent or guilty to the witchcraft charge was pressed to death with large stones.

The witchcraft scare lasted about a year. In 1693, the people still in jail on witchcraft charges were freed. In 1711, the Massachusetts colonial legislature made payments to the families of the witch-hunt victims.

Today, most historians agree that all the victims were falsely accused. The girls probably pretended to be possessed. Their reasons are unclear, though they may have been seeking attention.

Witchcraft in modern times. In 1939, Gerald B. Gardner became initiated into a coven of people who called themselves hereditary witches. They said they were practicing the Old Religion as it had been passed down to them through their families for many generations. They believed Witchcraft had been a religion since ancient times.

Gardner's coven was probably influenced by the writings of British anthropologist Margaret A. Murray. Writing in the 1920's, Murray had put forth the theory that witchcraft was an organized pagan religion that had originated as a pre-Christian fertility cult.

In the 1950's, Gardner published books about the ancient religious rituals of Witchcraft. He feared that Witchcraft was in danger of dying out, and he wanted to publicize it. He gathered information from his coven, but he also added material from such sources as European folklore, Eastern magic, and the writings of his friend Aleister Crowley. Crowley, a British writer, was known for his interest in spiritualism and the occult and for his writings on ceremonial magic. Gardner later collaborated with Doreen Valiente, whom he had initiated as a witch in 1953, in writing and revising the rituals. Valiente added an emphasis on the Goddess that was missing in Gardner's work.

Gardner's books Witchcraft Today (1954) and The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959) became the basis for the modern religion of Witchcraft. The religion grew in popularity during the 1960's, in part because of its antiestablishment and feminist characteristics. It spread from the United Kingdom to the rest of Europe and to the United States, Canada, Australia, and Asia.

As the religion was developing, however, Margaret Murray's theory came under criticism. Historians found no evidence of an ancient religion of witches. It became clear that Gardner had borrowed from other sources and had made exaggerated claims about a historical religion. Nevertheless, Witchcraft continued to grow as a religion. Its followers placed a greater emphasis on developing a Goddess-worshiping religion out of the beliefs of pre-Christian and non-Christian religions.

Rosemary Ellen Guiley, "Witchcraft," World Book Online Americas Edition, http://www.worldbookonline.com/ar?/na/ar/co/ar607660.htm, November 15, 2002.

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[Nicole Jimmelson]

Ishtar

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  posted 07-07-2006 09:42 AM                       
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"If the historicity of Jesus, in any degree, could be proved, it would give us reason for supposing - what I have personally always been inclined to believe - that there was also a historical nucleus for such personages as Osiris, Mithra, Krishna, Hercules, Apollo and the rest. The question, in fact, narrows itself down to this, Have there been in the course of human evolution certain, so to speak, nodal points or periods at which the psychology currents ran together and condensed themselves for a new start, and has each such node or point of condensation been marked by the appearance of an actual and heroic man (or woman) who supplied a necessary impetus for the new departure, and gave his name to the resulting movement? or is it sufficient to suppose the automatic formation of such nodes or starting-points without the intervention of any special hero or genius, and to imagine that in each case the myth-making tendency of mankind created a legendary and inspiring figure and worshiped the same for a long period afterwards as a god? [181]

"As I have said before, this is a question which, interesting as it is, is not really very important. The main thing being that the prophetic and creative spirit of mankind has from time to time evolved those figures as idealizations of its "heart's desire" and placed a halo round their heads.

The long procession of them becomes a real piece of history -

the history of the evolution of the human heart, and of human consciousness."
-

Pagan and Christian Creeds, by Edward Carpenter, pp. 217, 218.

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“Ad initio, alea iacta est.”
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
it's Later Than You Think
http://forums.atlantisrising.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=28;t=000023;p=1

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Posts: 9844 | Registered: Feb 2002 

[Nicole Jimmelson]

Ishtar

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  posted 07-07-2006 09:43 AM                       
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http://laluni.helloyou.ws/netnews/bk/bethlehem/beth1054.html

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“Ad initio, alea iacta est.”
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
it's Later Than You Think
http://forums.atlantisrising.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=28;t=000023;p=1

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Posts: 9844 | Registered: Feb 2002

[Nicole Jimmelson]

Nicole Jimmelson

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   posted 07-10-2006 08:49 PM                       
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Discrimination and persecution of Wiccans

According to the traditional history of Wicca as given by Gerald Gardner, Wicca is a survival of the European witch-cult that was persecuted during the witch trials (sometimes called the Burning Times), and the strong element of secrecy that traditionally surrounds the religion was adopted as a reaction to that persecution.

Since then Margaret Murray's theory of an organised pan-European witch-cult has been discredited, and doubts raised about the age of Wicca, and many Wiccans no longer claim this historical lineage. However it is still common for Wiccans to feel solidarity with the victims of the witch trials, and being witches, to consider the witch-craze to have been a persecution against their faith. [23]

In modern times, Wiccans have been incorrectly associated with black magic and Satanism, especially in connection with Satanic Ritual Abuse hysteria.[citation needed]

The Bible (Leviticus 20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them[24] and Exodus 22:17 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live[25]) may incite Christians to be less than sympathetic toward neo-Pagans in general. Wiccans also experience difficulties in administering and receiving prison ministry, although not in the UK of recent times.[citation needed]

Because of the popular negative connotations associated with witchcraft, many Wiccans continue the traditional practice of secrecy, concealing their faith for fear of persecution. Revealing oneself as Wiccan to family, friends or colleagues is often termed "coming out of the broom-closet".


United States

In 1985, as a result of Dettmer v. Landon, 617 F. Supp. 592, the District Court of Virginia ruled that Wicca is a legally recognised religion and is afforded all the benefits accorded to it by law. This was affirmed a year later by Judge J. Butzner of the Federal Appeals Court fourth circuit (799 F 2d 929, 1986).

Nevertheless, Wiccans can still become the object of stigma in America, and many remain secretive about their beliefs. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has not approved use of the pentacle in military cemeteries, although symbols of many other religions are permitted. (This policy came under attack when Sgt. Patrick Stewart, a Wiccan soldier, was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2005. His widow has pressed for the inclusion of a pentacle to memorialize him at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery.[26]) Recently, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has given the Department of Veteran's Affairs 30 days from June 7, 2006 in which to respond to the request or face litigation.[27]

The conservative Christian James Clement Taylor has commented on the subject of persecution of Wiccans that "these people of Wicca have been terribly slandered by us. They have lost jobs, and homes, and places of business because we have assured others that they worship Satan, which they do not. We have persecuted them..."[28]

In 1999 a group of conservative Christian groups was formed on the initiative of representative Bob Barr (R-GA), in response to Wiccan gatherings on military bases. The group asked US citizens not to enlist or re-enlist in the U.S. Army until the Army terminates the on-base freedoms of religion, speech and assembly for all Wiccan soldiers.[29] The boycott has since become inactive. George W. Bush stated "I don't think witchcraft is a religion. I would hope the military officials would take a second look at the decision they made.". [30] In September 1985 some conservative Christian legislators introduced three pieces of legislation designed to take away the rights of Wiccans. The first one was House Resolution (H.R.) 3389 introduced September 19 by congressman Robert S. Walker (R-Penn.)

Senator Jesse Helms (R, NC) made an amendment, Amendment 705, in the House Resolution 3036, The Treasury, Postal, and General Government Appropriations Bill for 1986, specifying that organizations that promote "witchcraft" should not be given tax-exempt status.

After being ignored for a while it got attached to HR 3036 by an unanimous voice vote of the senators. Congressman Richard T. Schulze (R-Penn) introduced substantially the same amendment into the Tax Reform Bill of 1985. When the conference committee met on October 30, the Helms Amendment was thrown out since it was not considered germaine to the bill. Following this Schulze withdrew his amendment from the Tax Reform Bill. Leaving only HR 3389, the Walker Bill. It managed to attract Joe Barton (R-Tex) who became a co-sponsor November 14. The Ways and Means Committee set aside the bill and quietly ignored it and it died with the close of the 99th session of Congress in December 1986.[31][32]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solitary_Wicca
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Posts: 157 | From: Boston | Registered: Mar 2006   

[Nicole Jimmelson]

Nicole Jimmelson

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   posted 07-10-2006 08:55 PM                       
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Wicca as a magical religion

Wicca is a religion, and although its adherents often identify as witches, Wicca and witchcraft are not necessarily the same thing.

Wiccans may worship a Goddess and/or a God; they observe the festivals of the eight Sabbats of the year and the full-moon Esbats; and they have a code of ethics that most live by. Wicca is thus generally considered to be distinct from witchcraft, which does not of itself imply any specific religious, ethical or ritual elements, and is practiced in various forms by people of many religions, as well as by atheists.

Wicca does, however, incorporate a specific form of witchcraft, with particular ritual forms, involving the casting of spells, herbalism, divination and other forms of magic. Wiccan ethics require that magical activities are limited to good purposes only.

According to Gerald Gardner, the religion derives from a secret but widespread witch-cult of early modern Europe, which incorporated all of the key religious beliefs and ideals and the distinctive ritual structures found in modern Wicca. While this historical interpretation is now much criticised, it makes it difficult to conclusively say whether Wicca is a religious form of witchcraft or a religion incorporating witchcraft.

While most Wiccans practice magic, a few do not, and do not identify as witches. Similarly, many Wiccans, though not all, call themselves Pagans, though the umbrella term Paganism encompasses many faiths that have nothing to do with Wicca or witchcraft.

Wiccan views on Divinity

It is commonly understood that most Wiccans worship two deities: the Goddess, often associated with Gaea or Mother Earth, and her consort the God (sometimes known as the Horned God). These two deities are usually thought of as equal complements to each other, and together represent all aspects of the universe. Depending on the tradition followed, the names of the God and Goddess vary widely, usually based on mythological figures. A few examples might be Cernunnos and Brigit from Celtic mythology or Hecate, Lugh, Diana and many others. Some Wiccans simply refer to them as "The God and The Goddess". There are also Wiccan groups that acknowledge a unified supreme godhead. Usually referred to just as The One (such as in Scott Cunningham's "Wicca: A Guide to the Solitary Practitioner), it has also been called Dryghten in Patricia Crowther's 1974 book "Witch Blood!".

The partnership of the Wiccan Goddess and God is generally viewed as dynamic and complementary, with neither dominating, however in some traditions, such as Dianic Wicca, the Goddess alone is worshipped. In those traditions, the God plays either no role, or a diminished role.

A significant number of Wiccans from various traditions do not claim to be dualist, but practice some form of polytheism, often with particular reference to the Celtic pantheons. They may also be animists, pantheists, or indeed anywhere within the broad spectrum of Neopagan forms of worship.

The elements

There are different thoughts in Wicca regarding the Elements. Some hold to the ancient Greek conception of the classical elements (air, fire, water, earth) corresponding to matter (earth) and energy (fire) with the mediating elements (water, air) relating to the phases of matter (fire/earth mixtures). Others add a fifth or quintessential element, spirit (aether, akasha). The five points of the frequently worn pentagram symbolise, among other things, the four elements with spirit presiding at the top.[2] The pentagram is the symbol most commonly associated with Wicca in modern times. It is often circumscribed — depicted within a circle, and is usually (though not exclusively) shown with a single point upward (not to be confused with the downward pointing pentagram adopted by Satanists). In geometry, the pentagram is an elegant expression of the golden ratio phi which is popularly connected with ideal beauty and was considered by the Pythagoreans to express truths about the hidden nature of existence.

Each of the four cardinal elements (air, fire, water and earth) are typically assigned a direction, a color, and an elemental spirit. The following list shows common categorisation, but different traditions of Wicca may use different "correspondences":

Air: East, Yellow, Sylphs
Fire: South, Red, Salamanders
Water: West, Blue, Undines
Earth: North, Green, Gnomes
Some variations in correspondences can be explained by geography or climate. It is common in the southern hemisphere, for example, to associate the element fire with north (the direction of the equator) and earth with south (the direction of the nearest polar area). Some Wiccan groups also modify the religious calendar to reflect local seasonal changes; for instance, most Southern Hemisphere covens will celebrate Samhain on April 30th and Beltane on October 31st, reflecting the southern hemisphere's autumn and spring seasons.[3]


Morality

Despite the popular negative connotations associated with witchcraft, Wiccans see their use of witchcraft as positive and good, and black or evil magic is viewed as antithetical to Wiccan beliefs and activities. In fact in all areas of behaviour, magical or otherwise, Wiccan morality can be summarised in the form of a text that is commonly titled The Wiccan Rede. The core maxim of that text states "An it harm none, do what thou wilt." ("An" is an archaic word meaning "if".) The similarity of the phrasing of the Rede (and explicit and verbatim phrasing of other texts) suggests that this statement is partly based on the Law of Thelema as stated by occultist Aleister Crowley, although such influence is never admitted in Gardner's writings.

Many Wiccans promote the Law of Threefold Return, a belief that anything that one does will be returned to them threefold. In other words, good deeds are magnified in like form back to the doer, and so are ill deeds.

Gerina Dunwich, an American author whose books (notably, Wicca Craft) were instrumental in the increase in popularity of Wicca in the late 1980s and 1990s, disagrees with the Wiccan concept of threefold return on the grounds that it is inconsistent with more than one law of physics. Pointing out that the origin of the Law of Threefold Return is traceable to Raymond Buckland in the 20th century, Dunwich is of the opinion that, "There is little backing to support it as anything other than a psychological law."[citation needed]

Her own personal belief, which differs from the usual interpretation of the Threefold Law, is that whatever we do on a physical, mental, or spiritual level will sooner or later affect us, in either a positive or a negative way, on all three levels of being.[citation needed]

Many traditional Wiccans also follow, or at least consider, a set of 161 laws. A common criticism of these rules is that they represent outdated concepts and/or produce counterproductive results in Wiccan contexts.

Many Wiccans also seek to cultivate the Eight Wiccan Virtues as a guideline for their deeds. These are Mirth, Reverence, Honour, Humility, Strength, Beauty, Power, and Compassion, and are found in a phrase from Doreen Valiente's Charge of the Goddess,[4] where they are ordered in pairs of complementary opposites, reflecting a dualism that is common throughout Wiccan philosophy.

Homosexuality is accepted in most traditions of Wicca: see Homosexuality and Wicca.

A recurrent belief amongst Wiccans is that no magic should be performed on any other person without that person's direct permission (excepting pets, which obviously cannot give explicit permission for such an act). This may stem from the Rede's declaration of "An it harm none, do what thou wilt", in that a person may not wish to have a spell cast upon them, and doing so without first obtaining permission interferes with their free will, which falls under the meaning of the word 'harm' as applied in the Rede. This is especially the case with love spells. Most Wiccans do not believe in performing magic on anyone in any circumstance without permission, although some Wiccans believe that white magic may be performed with or without permission (healing spells, etc).
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Posts: 157 | From: Boston | Registered: Mar 2006   

[Nicole Jimmelson]

Briwnys

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   posted 07-10-2006 09:06 PM                       
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Lord Of The Dance

She danced on the water and the wind was her horn
The lady danced and everyone was born
And when she lit the sun the light gave him birth
The lord of the dance was the king of the earth

Dance, dance wherever you may be
For I am the lord of the dance, said he
I'll live in you if will you live in me
And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he

I dance in the circle and the flames leap on high
I dance in the fire and I never, never die
I dance on the waves on the bright summer sea
For I am the lord of the waves' mystery

I dance in the circle, and I dance in the rain
I dance in the wind and through the waving grain
When you cut me down I care nothing for the pain
In the spring, I'm the lord of the dance once again

Dance at the sabbat when you dance at the spell
Dance and sing and everyone be well
When the dancing's over do not think I am gone
To live is to dance, so I dance on and on

The lord and the lady cast a song across the plains
The birds sang the notes and gave them back again
The sound of her music was the song of the sky
And to that song there is one reply

The moon in its phases and the tides of the sun
The movements of the earth and the seasons that will be
Are the rhythm of the dancing and the promise through the years
The dance goes on through the joy and the tears

They danced in the darkness and they danced in the night
They danced on the earth and everything was light
They danced in the darkness and they danced in the dawn
And the day of the dancing still goes on

I gaze on the heavens and I gaze on the earth
And I felt the pain of dying and rebirth
And I lift my head in gladness and in praise of the day
For the dance of the lord and the lady gay

I see the maidens laughing as they dance in the sun
And we count the fruits of the harvest one by one
We know the storm is coming but the grain is all stored
We sing to the praise of the lady and the lord

We dance ever slower as the leaves fall and spin
And the sound of her horn is the wailing of the wind
The call of the hunter as he rides across the plain
While the lady sleeps till the spring comes again

The sun is in the southlands and the winds they will chill
And the sound of the horn is fading on the hill
The herd stands in stillness as we move in a trance
But we hold on fast to our faith in the dance

The sun's in the southlands and the days lengthen fast
But soon we will sing for the winter that is past
But now light the candles and rejoice as they burn
We dance the dance of the sun's return

Dance, dance wherever you may be
For I am the lord of the dance, said he
I'll live in you if will you live in me
And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he

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To those who understand, no explanation is necessary; to those who do not, no explanation is possible

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Posts: 661 | From: East Texas | Registered: Sep 2005   

[Nicole Jimmelson]

Heather Delaria

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   posted 07-12-2006 11:56 PM                       
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quote:
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George W. Bush stated "I don't think witchcraft is a religion. I would hope the military officials would take a second look at the decision they made.".
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That's Bush for you, narrow-minded and stupid.

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"An it harm none, do what ye will."
-the Wiccan Rede

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Posts: 637 | Registered: Nov 2004   

[Nicole Jimmelson]

Heather Delaria

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   posted 07-12-2006 11:57 PM                       
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Nice poem, Briwnys.

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"An it harm none, do what ye will."
-the Wiccan Rede

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Posts: 637 | Registered: Nov 2004