History of Witchcraft
As I am trying to put this all together, I hope to bring about an
understanding that Witchcraft, like any religion, has undergone
it's changes throughout the centuries. It is my personal feeling,
however, that the religion of Witchcraft has undergone far fewer
changes than any other in history.
Witchcraft, sorcery, magic, whatever can only begin to find its
roots when we go back as far as Mesopotamia. With their dieties
for all types of disasters, such as Utug - the Dweller of the
Desert waiting to take you away if you wandered to far, and Telal
the Bull Demon, Alal - the destroyer, Namtar - Pestilence, Idpa
who is fever, and Maskim - the snaresetter; the days of superstitution
were well underway.
It was believed that the pharaohs, kings, etc. all imbued some power
of the gods, and even the slightest movement they made would cause
an action to occur. It was believed that a picture, or statue also
carried the spirit of the person. This is one of the reasons that they
were carried from place to place, and also explains why you see so many
pictures and statues of these persons with their hands straight to
their sides.
In the Bible, we find reference to "The Tower of Babel" or The Ziggurat
in Genesis 11. "Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar (Babylonia) and
settled there. They said to each other, `Come, let's make bricks and bake
them thoroughly.' They used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of
mortar. Then they said, `Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a
tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for
ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.' But the
Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.
The Lord said,`If as one people speaking the same language they have begun
to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come
let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each
other.'" It goes on to say that the tower was never finished.
In other references, we find that the "Tower" was in fact finished, and
that it was a tower that represented the "stages" between earth and heaven
(not a tower stretching to the heaven in the literal sense.) From this
reference, it was a tower built in steps. A hierarchy on which heaven and
hell were based. It was actually a miniature world representing the
Mountain of Earth.
Each stage was dedicated to a planet, with its angles symbolizing the four
corners of the world. They pointed to Akkad, Saburtu, Elam, and the
western lands. The seven steps of the tower were painted in different
colors which corresponded to the planets. The "Great Misfortune: Saturn,
was black. The second was white, the color of Jupiter. The third,
brick-red, the color of Mercury; followed by blue, Venus; yellow, Mars;
gray or silver for the moon. These colors boded good or evil, like their
planets.
For the first time, numbers expressed the world order. A legend depicts
Pythagoras traveling to Babylon where he is taught the mystery of numbers,
their magical significance and power. The seven steps often appear in
magical philosophy. The seven steps are: stones, fire, plants, animals,
man, the starry heavens, and the angels. Starting with the study of
stones, the man of wisdom will attain higher and higher degrees of
knowledge, until he will be able to apprehend the sublime, and the
eternal. Through ascending these steps, a man would attain the knowledge
of God, whose name is at the eighth degree, the threshold of God's
heavenly dwelling.
The square was also a "mystical" symbol in these times, and though
divided into seven, was still respected. This correlated the old
tradition of a fourfold world being reconciled with the seven heavens of
later times.
It is thought that here was the start to numerology, but for this to have
developed to the point where they had taken into consideration the square
as the fourfold world, it would have had to have developed prior to this.
From Mesopotamia lets move over to Persia.
Unlike the Mesopotamians, and Egyptians, who believed that all was done
with either the favor or lack thereof of the Gods, the Chaldean star
religion taught that luck and disaster were no chance events, but were
controlled from the heavenly bodies (planets/stars) which send good and
bad according to mathematical laws. It was their belief that man was
incapable of fighting the will of the planet divinities. Though, the
more this system evolved, the more the wise men read ethical values into
man's fate. The will of the stars was not completely separate from man's
behaviors. The stars were important, but not omnipotent in deciding man's
fate. It was believed that the star Sirius would carry messages to the
higher gods and he returned to announce their will.
Around the 7th Century B.C. Zoroaster, the Median prophet was preaching
the doctrines that evil could be avoided and defeated. He brought about
the principles of the good and evil spirits. Below, we will look at the
beliefs and influences of this man's life which created the religion
named after him.
The first of the belief structure had to do with Ormazd (Ahura-Mazda)
king of light, and his twin brother Ahriman (Anro-Mainyu) prince of
darkness.
Zoroaster brought about the belief in the "holy war" (that between good
and evil.) In this faith, the archangels (the spirits of Divine Wisdom,
Righteousness, Dominion, Devotion, Totality, and Salvation) and the
demons (the spirits of Anarchy, Apostasy, Presumption, Destruction,
Decay, and Fury) were constantly at battle with one another. The
archangels were controled by Ormazd and the demons by Ahriman.
This religion had it's belief that in the end, Ormazd and his demons
would prevail, but until then, Ormazd would keep the world safe.
It is interesting that the last of the demons (the demon of Fury) holds
such a hard and fast thought that it was incorporated into the Hebrew
and Christian belief structure. The last archdemon's name is Aeshma Daeva
also know to the Hebrews as Ashmadai and to Christians as Asmodeus.
Asmodeus was the "chief of the fourth hierarchy of evil demons", called
"the avengers of wickedness, crimes and misdeeds." He appears with three
heads, a bull's, human, and a ram. He has goose feet, and a snake's tail.
To appear more frightening, he also exhales fire and rides upon a dragon
of hell.
It is said that Asmodeus is not to be feared. When you say to him: "In
truth thou art Asmodeus," he will give you a wonderful ring. He will
teach you geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and mechanics. When questioned,
he answers truthfully.
The other demons tempt people away from the true worship of Mazda. They
are Paromaiti - Arrogance; Mitox - The Falsely Spoken Word; Zaurvan -
Decrepitude; Akatasa - Meddlesomeness; Vereno - Lust.
Much of the current day Christian beliefs were taken from this man's
religion. (That of good and evil forces, the redemption, the "savior"
factor, etc.)
From here, let us move on to Egypt where we will look at other mystical
symbols and more history of magic and the craft.
The Sphinx was a mythological creature with lion's body and human head,
an important image in Egyptian and Greek art and legend. The word sphinx
was derived by Greek grammarians from the verb sphingein (to bind or
squeeze), but the etymology is not related to the legend and is dubious.
The winged sphinx of Boeotian Thebes, the most famous in legend, was said
to have terrorized the people by demanding the answer to a riddle. If the
person answered incorrectly, he or she was eaten by the sphinx. It is
said that Oedipus answered properly where upon the sphinx killed herself.
The earliest and most famous example in art is the colossal Sphinx at
Giza, Egypt. It dates from the reign of King Khafre (4th king of 4th
dynasty; c. 2550 b.c.)
The Sphinx did not occur in Mesopotamia until around 1500 b.c. when it
was imported from the Levant. In appearance, the Asian sphinx differed
from its Egyptian model mostly in the addition of wings to the leonine
body. This feature continued through its history in Asia and the Greek
world.
Another version of the sphinx was that of the female. This appeared in
the 15th century b.c. on seals, ivories and metalworkings. They were
portrayed in the sitting position usually with one paw raised.
Frequently, they were seen with a lion, griffin or another sphinx.
The appearance of the sphinx on temples and the like eventually lead to a
possible interpretation of the sphinx as a protective symbol as well as a
philosophical one.
The Sphinx rests at the foot of the 3 pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and
Menkure. It talons stretch over the city of the dead as it guards its
secrets.
The myth goes that a prince who later became Thutmose IV, took a nap in
the shadow of the half-submerged Sphinx. As he slept, the Sun-god (whom
the Sphinx represents, appeared to him in a dream. Speaking to him as a
son, he told the prince that he would succeed to the throne and enjoy a
long and happy reign. He urged the prince to have the Sphinx cleared of
the sand.
In his book on Isis and Osiris, Plutarch (A.D. 45-126) says that the
Sphinx symbolizes the secret of occult wisdom, though Plutarch never
unveiled the mysteries of the Sphinx. It is said that the magic of the
Sphinx lies within the thousands of hands that chiseled at the rock. The
thoughts of countless generations dwell in it; numberless conjurations
and rites have built up in it a mighty protective spirit, a soul that
still inhabits this time-scarred giant.
Another well know superstition of the peoples of Ancient Egypt was that
regarding their dead.
They believed that in the West lies the World of the Dead, where the
Sun-god disappears every evening. The departed were referred to as
"Westerners." It was believed that, disguised as birds, the dead soar
into the sky where in his heavenly barge Ra, the Sun-god, awaits them and
transforms them into stars to travel with him through the vault of the
heavens.
The occult of the dead reached it's height when it incorporated the Osiris
myth. Osiris was born to save mankind. At his nativity, a voice was heard
proclaiming that the Lord had come into the world (sound familiar?). But
his brother/father Seth shut him up in a chest which he carried to the sea
by the Tanaitic mouth of the Nile. Isis brought him back to life. Seth
then scattered his body all over the place. It is said that Isis fastened
the limbs together with the help of the gods Nephtis, Thoth, and Horus,
her son. Fanning the body with her wings, and through her magic, Osiris
rose again to reign as king over the dead.
The Egyptian believed that a person had two souls. The soul known as Ba is
the one that progressed into the afterlife while the Ka remains with the
mummy. The Ka is believed to live a magical life within the grave. Thus
the Egyptians placed miniture belongings of the deceased into the tomb.
Such items as images, statuettes, imitation utensils, and miniture houses
take the place of the real thing. They believed that the Ka would use
these as the real item because the mortuary priests possesed magic that
would make them real for the dead.
The priests believed that the gods could be deceived, menaced and forced
into obedience. They had such trust in the power of magic, the virtue of
the spoken word, the irresistibility of magic gestures and other ritual,
that they hoped to bend even the good gods to their will. They would
bring retribution to the deities who failed to deal leniently with the
dead.
They threatened to shoot lightning into the are of Shu, god of the
air, who would then no longer be able to support the sky-goddess, and her
star-sown body would collapse, disrupting the order of all things.
When Ikhnaton overthrew the Egyptian gods and demons, making the cult of
the One God Aton, a state religion, he also suppressed mortuary magic.
Ikhnaton did not believe in life after death.
As Christianity became a part of this nation, there is much evidence to
show where the Christians of the time, and the pagans lived peacefully
together.
In theology, the differences between early Christians, Gnostics (members
who often were Christian - of dualistic sects of the 2nd century a.d.),
and pagan Hermetists were slight. In the large Gnostic library discovered
at Naj'Hammadi, in upper Egypt, in 1945, Hermetic writings were found
side by side with Christian Gnostic texts. The doctrine of the soul taught
in Gnostic communities was almost identical to that taught in the
mysteries: the soul emanated from the Father, fell into the body, and had
to return to its former home.
It was not until later in Rome that things took a change for the worse.
Which moves us on to Greece.
The doctrinal similarity is exemplified in the case of the pagan writer
and philosopher Synesius. When the people of Cyrene wanted the most able
man of the city to be their bishop, they chose Synesius, a pagan. He was
able to accept the election without sacrificing his intellectual honesty.
In his pagan period, he wrote hymns that follow the fire theology of the
Chaldean Oracles. Later he wrote hymns to Christ. The doctrine is almost
identical.
To attempt to demonstrate this...let's go to some BASIC tenets and
beliefs of the two religions:
Christian Beliefs
The 10 Commandments
1.) You shall have no other gods before me.
To the Christian, this means there will be no other God. Yet, in the
bible, the phrase is plural. I does not state that you will not have
another god, it says that you will have no other gods before the
Christian God.
In the case of the later, it could be interpreted to mean that whereas
other gods can be recognised, as a Christian, this person should place
YHVH ahead of all gods recognising him/her as the supreme being of all.
2.) You shall not worship idols
Actually, what it says in the New International Version is "You shall
not make for yourself an idol in the form af anything in heaven above or
on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God,
am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to
the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to
thousands who love me and keep my commandments.
3.) You shall not take the name of the lord in vain.
This one is pretty self explanitory. When a person is calling on the lord
he/she is asking the lord for guidance or action. Thus, the phrase "God
damn it!" can be translated into a person asking the lord to comdemn
whatever "it" is to hell. The phrase "To damn" means to condem to hell.
In modern society, several phrases such as the following are common usage:
"Oh God!", "God forbid!", "God damn it!", "God have mercy!"
Each of these is asking God to perform some act upon or for the speaker
with the exception of "Oh God!" which is asking for Gods attention.
4.) Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
Depending on which religion you are looking at (i.e. Jewish, from which
the 10 commandments come; or Christianity, which adapted them for their
use as well.) the Sabbath is either Saturday or Sunday. You may also take
a look at the various mythological pantheons to corelate which is the
first and last days of the week...(i.e. Sun - Sunday.. Genesis 1:3 "And
God said, "Let there be light,' and there was light., Moon - Monday..
Genesis 1:14 "And God said,"Let there be lights in the expanse of the
sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to
mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse
of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two
great lights - the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light
to govern the night. He also made the stars." Thus the Sun was created
first. With the day of the Sun being the first in the week, then Saturday
would be the 7th or Sabbath.
5.) Honor thy mother and thy father.
This is another that is fairly self explainitory. It is any parent's right
after spending the time to raise you to expect that you respect them.
6.) You shall not murder.
This does not say "You shall not murder...except in my name." It says YOU
SHALL NOT MURDER. PERIOD. Out of the 10 commandments, I have found that
over the course of history, this one has been the most ignored. As we look
as the spread of Christianity from around 300 A.D. forward, we find that
as politics moved into the church and those in charge of man's "souls"
were given more control that this one commandment sort of went out the
window.
We see such things as the Crusades, the inquisition, and the dominating
fear that was placed into the Christian "psyche" that one should destroy
that which is not like you.
Even though we here stories about the "witch trials", and the "witch
burnings" etc....There were actually very few "Witches" tried or burned.
Most of these poor souls were that of Protestant beliefs (Against the
Catholic Church) yet still maintained that they were Christians. But...
more on this later.
7.) You shall not commit adultery.
You can look up the meaning in the dictionary, and this one becomes pretty
self-evident. What it comes down to is that no person who has ever been
divorced can marry again, and you don't have sex with someone that you are
not married to.
8.) You shall not steal.
Again, enough said. However...don't go looking at Constantine to be
obeying this one! The Pagan temples were looted to make his coinage.
9.) You shall not give false witness against thy neighbor
Again, during the times of the inquisition, this also went out the window.
Such tools as torture were used to pull confessions from these poor people
who then signed statements that the inquisitors had written up saying that
they freely signed this document. Of course...the inquisitors stated that
this person was not tortured, but it was his clever wit that had extracted
this confession.
It was also during this time that persons, refusing to take responsibility
for their own actions or accept that nature does in fact create strange
circumstances...(i.e. drought, flood, etc.) and the resulting illness and
bug infrestations. Very often, as the Witch-craze developed stronger, the
one neighbor would accuse another of Witchcraft and destroying the fields
or making their child sick, or whatever.
10.)You shall not covet your neighbor.
On the surface, this one is pretty self explainitory. Don't crave your
neighbor's possessions. Yes...I can relate this back to the inquisitional
times as well since most of the accused's property reverted back to the
Catholic church at this time...there were several accused and convicted of
Witchcraft simply because they would not sell their property to the
church. However...How does this effect persons today? How far do we carry
the "Thou shalt not covet..."? This can be even so much as a want,
however is it a sin to want a toy like your neighbor has? If so...we're
all in trouble. How many of us "want" that Porsche that we see driving
down the road? Or how about that beautiful house that we just drove past?
Do we carry this commandment to this extreme? If so...I pity the person
that can live by it for what that would say is "Thou shalt not DREAM."
Wiccan Beliefs
Since the religion of Wicca (or Witchcraft) is so diverse in it's beliefs,
I have included several documents here that encompass the majority of the
traditions involved. Again, this is simply a basis...NOT the be all and
end all.
Wiccan Rede
Bide ye wiccan laws you must,
in perfect love and perfect trust
Live ye must and let to live,
fairly take and fairly give
For the circle thrice about
to keep unwelcome spirits out
To bind ye spell will every time,
let the spell be spake in rhyme
Soft of eye and light of touch,
speak ye little, listen much
Deosil go by the waxing moon,
chanting out ye baleful tune
When ye Lady's moon is new,
kiss ye hand to her times two
When ye moon rides at her peak,
then ye heart's desire seek
Heed the north winds mighty gale,
lock the door and trim 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.
Nine woods in the cauldron go,
burn them fast and burn them slow
Elder be ye Lady's tree,
burn it not or cursed ye'll be
When the wheel begins to turn,
soon ye Beltane fires will burn
When the wheel hath turned a Yule
light the log the Horned One rules
Heed ye flower, bush and tree,
by the Lady blessed be
Where the rippling waters go,
cast a stone, the truth ye'll know
When ye have and hold a need,
harken not to others greed
With a fool no season spend,
or be counted as his friend
Merry meet and merry part,
bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
Mind ye threefold law ye should
three times bad and three times good
When misfortune is enow,
wear the star upon thy brow
True in love may ye ever be,
lest thy love be false to thee
These eight words the wiccan rede fulfill;
An harm ye none, do what ye will.
One of the Pagan Oaths recognised nationally here in the U.S.
A Pledge to Pagan Spirituality:
* I am a Pagan and I dedicate Myself to channeling the Spiritual Energy
of my Inner Self to help and to heal myself and others.
* I know that I am a part of the Whole of Nature. May I grow in
understanding of the Unity of all Nature. May I always walk in Balance.
* May I always be mindful of the diversity of Nature as well as its
Unity and may I always be tolerant of those whose race, appearance, sex,
sexual preference, culture, and other ways differ from my own.
* May I use the Force (psychic power) wisely and never use it for
aggression nor for malevolent purposes. May I never direct it to curtail
the free will of another.
* May I always be mindful that I create my own reality and that I have
the power within me to create positivity in my life.
* May I always act in honorable ways: being honest with myself and
others, keeping my word whenever I have given it, fulfilling all
responsibilities and commitments I have taken on to the best of my ability.
* May I always remember that whatever is sent out always returns
magnified to the sender. May the Forces of Karma move swiftly to remind me
of these spiritual commitments when I have begin to falter from them, and
may I use this Karmic feedback to help myself grow and be more attuned to
my Inner Pagan Spirit.
* May I always remain strong and committed to my Spiritual ideals in the
face of adversity and negativity. May the Force of my Inner Spirit ground
out all malevolence directed my way and transform it into positivity. May
my Inner Light shine so strongly that malevolent forces can not even
approach my sphere of existence.
* May I always grow in Inner Wisdom & Understanding. May I see every
problem that I face as an opportunity to develop myself spiritually in
solving it.
* May I always act out of Love to all other beings on this Planet -- to
other humans, to plants, to animals, to minerals, to elementals, to
spirits, and to other entities.
* May I always be mindful that the Goddess and God in all their forms
dwell within me and that this divinity is reflected through my own Inner
Self, my Pagan Spirit.
* May I always channel Love and Light from my being. May my Inner Spirit,
rather than my ego self, guide all my thoughts, feelings, and actions.
SO MOTE IT BE
In the Wiccan Rede and scattered in the oath, we find words such as
Perfect Love and Perfect Trust. What are these strange words and what do
they mean?
Before one can analyse the meaning behind the phrase "Perfect Love and
Perfect Trust", one must first define the words. For this purpose, I will
use the Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language 1982
edition. Perfect: adj. [L. per-, through + facere, do] 1. complete in all
respects; flawless 2. excellent, as in skill or quality 3. completely
accurate 4. sheer; utter [a perfect fool] 5. Gram. expressing a state or
action completed at the time of speaking - vt. 1. to complete 2. to make
perfect or nearly perfect - n. 1. the perfect tense 2. a verb form in this
tense - perfectly adv - perfectness n.
Love: n. [<OE. lufu] 1. strong affection or liking of someone or something.
2. a passionate affection for one of the opposite sex. 3. The object of
such affection, sweetheart.
Trust: n.[ON, traust] 1. a) firm belief in the honesty, reliability, etc.
of another; faith b) the one trusted 2. confident expectation, hope, etc.
3. responsibility resulting from confidence placed in one. 4. Care,
custody 5. something entrusted to one....
Using these definitions, we come up with "Flawless strong affection and
flawless faith.
Is this possible? Those that follow the religion of Wicca often give
excuses for this just being words. When this is the case, they are not
obeying their faith....thus..they are not following perfect love and
perfect trust. But to the rest...the answer is a resounding YES. This does
not ask that you "like" a person. It asks that you see the divine light
and love within individual whether you like them or not. Can this be done?
YES. As to the perfect trust...we can always trust a fox to be a fox right.
Therefore, when we are entering circle, we can honestly answer perfect
trust even if it is on shaky ground. We may have faith that this person
will act like any other human.
It is with these beliefs and doctrines that I state that not only was the
doctrine, or teaching almost identical, but the vocabulary was extensively
the same.
Greek life was characterized by such things as democratic institutions,
seafaring, athletics theatre and philosophy. The mystery religions adopted
many expressions from these domains. The word for their assembly was
Ekklesia of the mystai. They spoke of the voyage of life, the ship, the
anchor and the port of religion, and the wreath of the initiate. The
Christians took over the entire terminology, but had to twist many pagan
words in order to fit into the Christian world. The term Leitourgia
(meaning service of the state) became the ritual or liturgy of the church.
The decree of the assembly and the opinions of the philosophers (dogma)
became the fixed doctrine of Christianity. The term for "the correct
opinion" (orthe doxa) became orthodoxy.
The mysteries declined quickly when the emperor Constantine raised
Christianity to the status of the state religion. After a short period of
toleration, the pagan religions were prohibited. The property of the
pagan gods was confiscated, and the temples were destroyed. The metal from
which Constantine's gold pieces were coined was taken from the pagan
temple treasuries.
The main pagan "strong holds" were Rome and Alexandria. In Rome, the old
aristocracy clung to the mysteries and in Alexandria the pagan Neoplatonist
philosophers expounded the mystery doctrines. In 394, the opposition of the
Roman aristocracy was crushed in the battle at the Frigidus River (modern
stream of Vipacco, Italy and stream of Vipava, Yugoslavia).
According to the Christian theologian Origen, Christianity's development
during the time of the Roman Empire was part of the divine plan. The whole
Mediterranean world was united by the Romans, and the conditions for
missionary work were more favorable than ever before. He explains the
similarities as natural considering the cultures etc. The mystery religions
and Christianity had many features in common. Some examples of this are
found in their time of preparation prior to initiation, and periods of
fasting. Their were pilgrimages, and new names for the new brethren. Few of
the early Christian "congregations" would be called orthodox according to
later more modern standards.
Though for many years, the pagan "churches" of this area tried to bring
about a unity among their "doctrines", beliefs, and practices to raise
support for their practices, the Christian philosophies and doctrines were
so organized and strong that this fell as well. Little did they know that a
couple hundred miles away, peoples were still worshipping in pagan temples.
Let's take a look up north.
The worship of trees goes far back into the history of man. It was not
until Christianity converted the Lithuanians toward the close of the 14th
century that tree worship was thought to be in the past. The truth is...
whereas they are not worshiped, they are still honored by society today in
the burning of the Yule log, May Day bon-fires, Kissing under the
Mistletoe, and the ever famous Christmas tree.
The worship of the oak tree or god appears to have been universal by all
branches of the Aryan stock in Europe. Both Greeks and Italians associated
the tree with their highest god, Zeus or Jupiter, the divinity of the sky,
the rain, and the thunder. Possibly one of the oldest and most famous
sanctuaries in Greece was that of Dodona, where Zeus was revered in the
oracular oak. The thunderstorms which are said to rage at Dodona more
frequently than anywhere else in Europe, would render the spot a fitting
home for the god whose voice was heard alike in the rustling of the oak
leaves and in the crash of thunder.
Zeus of Greece, and Jupiter of Italy both were gods of thunder and rain,
and to both the oak tree were sacred.
To the Celts, or Druids, their worship was conducted in oak groves. The
Celtic conquerors, who settled in Asia in the third century b.c., appear
to have carried with them the worship of the oak to their new home.
In the heart of Asia Minor, the Galatian senate met in a place which bore
the Celtic name of Drynemetum, "the sacred oak grove" or "the temple of
the oak."
In Germany, we find that the veneration for sacred groves seems to have
held the foremost place. According to Grimm, the chief of their holy trees
was the oak. Again, here we find that it is dedicated to the god of
thunder, Donar or Thunar, the equivalent of the Norse Thor. Among the
Slavs, the oak tree was sacred to the thunder god Perun. Among the
Lithuanians, the oak tree was sacred to Perkunas or Perkuns, the god of
thunder and rain.
The Christmas tree, usually a balsam or douglas fir, was decorated with
lights and ornaments as a part of Christmas festivities. The use of
evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands as a symbol of eternal life was an
old custom of the Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. Tree worship, common
among the pagan Europeans, survived after their conversion to Christianity
in the Scandinavian customs of decorating the house and barn with
evergreens at the New Year to scare away the devil and of setting up a tree
for the birds during Christmastime. It survived in the custom observed in
Germany, of placing a Yule tree inside the house in the midwinter holidays.
The modern Christmas tree originated in Western Germany. The main prop of
a popular medieval play about Adam and Eve was a fir tree hung with apples
(the tree of Paradise) representing the Garden of Eden. The Germans set up
the Paradise tree in their homes on December 24, the religious feast day
of Adam and Eve. They hung wafers on it (symbolizing the host, the
Christian sign of redemption). In later tradition, the wafers were
replaced by cookies of various shapes. Candles were often added as the
symbol of Christ, though they were also a pagan symbol for the light of
the God.
As we can see, even though the pagan community has been trod upon, it was
never destroyed. The date of Christmas was purposely fixed on December 25
to push into the background the great festival of the sun god, and the
Epiphany on January 5 to supplant an Egyptian festival of the same day
and the Easter ceremonies were set to rival the pagan spring festival.
Let's take a look at a few of the holidays and compare.
Easter:
On Easter Sunday, everywhere, the children hunt the many colored Easter
eggs, brought by the Easter rabbit. This is the vestige of a fertility
rite, the eggs and the rabbit both symbolizing fertility. The rabbit
was the escort of the Germanic goddess Ostara who gave her name to the
festival by way of the German Ostern.
The first day of Spring holds much in the way of folklore. It is also known
as the Spring Equinox, Ostara, Eostre's Day, Alban Eilir, the Vernal
Equinox, or Festival of the Trees. It takes place between March 19 and 22.
It marks the first day of true spring (verses the balmy weather that may
procede it.)
The day and night is equal on this day, thus the name of Equinox. There is
a story in one culture that says that the sun has begun to win it's race
with the night and that the days get longer as the sun pulls ahead.
(Followed by the fact that the sun begins to lose the race at Mid-Summer,
and loses the race at Mid-Winter just to start the race again the next
day.)
It is a time of beginnings, of action, of planting seeds for future grains,
and of tending gardens. On the first Sunday after the first full moon
following Eostre's Day (the name from which the Easter was derived), the
Christian religion celebrates it's Easter Day.
Spring is a time of the Earth's renewal, a rousing of nature after the cold
sleep of winter. As such, it is an ideal time to clean your home to welcome
the new season.
Spring cleaning is more than physical work. Some cultures see it as a
concentrated effort on their part to rid themselves of problems and
negativity of the past months and to prepare themselves for the coming
spring and summer.
To do this, they approach the task of cleaning their homes with positive
thoughts. They believe that this frees the homes of the hard feelings
brought about by a harsh winter. Even then, they have guidlines that they
follow such as any scrubbing of stains or hand rubbing the floors should be
done in a "clockwise" motion. It is their belief that this aids in filling
the home with good energy for growth.
To the Druidic faith, this is a sacred day occuring in the month of Fearn
(meaning, "I am the shining tear of the Sun"). Part of thier practices are
to clean and rededicate outdoor shrines, beliving that in doing so they
honor the spring maiden. This is a time of fertility of both crops and
families. In promoting crops, they believe that the use of fire and water
(the sun and rain) will reanimate all life on Earth. They decorate hard-
boiled eggs, the symbol of rebirth, to eat during their rites, and such
foods as honey cakes and milk punch can also be found. The mothers and
daughters give dinners for each other and give cards and gifts as a way of
merging with the natural flow of life and with each other. (The Druids
consider this also as Mother's Day.)
In Greek mythology, spring was the time when Persephone returned from the
underworld (where the seed was planted in the barren winter months) and
thus represents the seedlings of the spring. Demeter, Persephone's mother
represents the fertile earth and the ripened grain of harvest since it is
alleged that she is the one that created the need to harvest crops when her
daughter was kidnapped and taken to the underworld. It was through an
arrangement that her daughter could return for 1/2 the year that Demeter
allowed the crops to spring forth for that time until she again went into
mourning for her daughter in the fall.
In some cultures, even today, the ones that continue to celebrate the rites
of spring rise on Easter morning to watch the sun "Dance" as it rises.
The Christian festival commenmorating the resurrection of Christ,
synchronized with the Jewish Pesach, and blended since the earliest days of
Christianity with pagan European rites for the renewed season. In all
countries Easter falls on the Sunday after the first full moon on or
following March 21. It is preceded by a period of riotous vegetation rites
and by a period of abstinence, Lent (in Spain Cuaresma, Germany Lenz,
central Italy, Quaresima) and by special rites of Holy Week.
Everywhere Easter Sunday is welcomed with rejoicing, singing, candle
processionals, flowers in abundance, and ringing of church bells. Many
pagan customs survive, such as the lighting of new fires at dawn, among the
Maya as well as in Europe, for cure, renewed life, and protection of the
crops.
May Day:
The first day of May: observed as a spring festival everywhere in Europe,
the United States, and Canada, and as a labor festival in certain European
countries.
Rites such as the ever famous May Pole occur in the town squares or in the
family's front yard. The gathering of green branches and flowers on May Eve
is the symbolic act of bringing home the May, i.e. bringing new life, the
spring, into the village.
The May Queen (and often King) is choosen from among the young people, and
they go singing from door to door throughout the town carrying flowers or
the May tree, soliciting donations for a merrymaking in return for the
"blessing of May". This is symbolic of bestowing and sharing of the new
creative power that is stirring in the world. As the kids go from door to
door, the May Bride often sings to the effect that those who give will get
of nature's bounty through the year.
In parts of France, some jilted youth will lie in a field on May Day and
pretend to sleep. If any village girl is willing to marry him, she goes and
wakes him with a kiss; the pair then go to the village inn together and
lead the dance which announces their engagement. The boy is called "the
betrothed of May."
This festival is also known as Beltane, the Celtic May Day. It officially
begins at moonrise on May Day Eve, and marks the beginning of the third
quarter or second half of the ancient Celtic year. It is celebrated as an
early pastoral festival accompanying the first turning of the herds out
to wild pasture. The rituals were held to promote fertility. The cattle
were driven between the Belfires to protect them from ills. Contact with
the fire was interpreted as symbolic contact with the sun.
The rowan branch is hung over the house fire on May Day to preserve the
fire itself from bewitchment (the house fire being symbolic of the luck of
the house.
In early Celtic times, the druids kindled the Beltane fires with specific
incantations. Later the Christian church took over the Beltane observances,
a service was held in the church, followed by a procession to the fields or
hills, where the priest kindled the fire.
In some rituals, a King and Queen may symbolize the male and female
principles of productivity.
We have looked briefly at the similarities of the philosophies and
vocabularies, but is that all that they had in common? Let's look at
symbologies.
For many years, the cross has been the symbol representing the death of
the Christian Christ. It has represented that through his death, man could
be reborn into God's grace. Thus, we have the philosophy of life in death
being connected to the cross. Is this the only time where this symbol was
recognized as such? Let's go back to Egypt and find out.
An upright piece of wood, tied to a horizontal beam indicated the height of
the flood waters on the Nile. This beam formed a cross. If the waters
failed to rise during the season of planting, it meant a poor harvest for
these people. Thus the cross was revered as a symbol of life and
regeneration.
The Ankh represents the genitals of both sexes. The cross itself is a
primitive form of the phallus, and the loop that of the womb. Again, we
continue the symbol of the cross as the giver of life.
Oh my gosh...did I use the word phallus in connection with the cross?
Oops!
Yes...even prior to this time was the cross a symbol of the phallus or
fertility. This is not the only thing that the phallus has symbolized over
the many centuries within and without the pagan world. It has also been
used as a symbol of strength.
Within the Bible, we find several references to the horn also as a symbol
of strength.
2 Samuel 22:3 - He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation.
Luke 1:69 - And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us.
Psalm 18:2 - He is my shield and the horn of my salvation.
The move from horn to helmet is followed up also in the bible as follows:
Isaiah 59:17 - For he put an helmet of salvation upon his head.
Ephesians 6:17 - Take the helmet of salvation.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 - ...putting on faith and love as a breastplate,
and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
In Roman days a warrior would wear horns on his helmet. If he came back
defeated, he was said to have been dehorned. There are several references
where a soldier who lost his helmet on the field was killed for this
offense because it meant dishonor for him to loose his horn.
Shakespeare had much knowledge of the use of horns as a symbol of
protection and victory as is evident in his works "As You Like It" (IV,2)
and in "Measure for Measure" (II,4:16) when he writes: "Let's write good
angell on the devill's horne; tis not the devill's crest."
Even in modern days, the Catholic Church uses this symbol when setting the
mitre upon the head of a newly consecrated bishop. The words used at such
a time are: "We set on the head of this Bishop, O Lord, Thy champion, the
helmet of defense and of salvation, that with comely face and with his
head armed with the horns of either Testament he may appear terrible to the
gainsayers of the truth, and may become their vigorous assailant, through
the abundant gift of Thy grace, who didst make the face of Thy servant
Moses to shine after familiar converse with Thee, and didst adorn it with
the resplendent horns of Thy brightness and Thy truth and commandedst the
mitre to be set on the head of Aaron, Thy high priest, Etc..." (Copies in
Latin and translated can be found in The Order Consecration of a Bishop
Elect with the imprimatur of H. Card. Vaughn, p. 14, Burns and Oates,
1893.)
If we are looking at protections and the like, we must look at the use of
stones and crystals within our lives. Yes, even in the Christain bible,
the powers and uses of stones is mentioned.
Exodus 28:15-21 - "Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions the work of
a skilled craftsman. Make it like the ephod: of gold,
and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely
twisted linen. It is to be square - a span (9 inches)
wide - and folded double. Then mount four rows of
precious stones on it. In the first row there shall be
a ruby, a topaz and a beryl; in the second row a
turquoise, a sapphire (or lapis lazuli) and an emerald;
in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst;
in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper.
Mount them in gold filigree settings. There are to be
twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of
Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one
of the twelve tribes."
Exodus 28:9-14 - Take two onyx stones and engrave on the the names of the
sons of Israel in the order of their birth - six names
on one stone and the remaining six on the other. Engrave
the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the
way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones
in gold filigree settings and fasten them on the
shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the
sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his
shoulders as a memorial before the Lord. Make gold
filigree settings and two braided chains of pure gold,
like a rope, and attach the chains to the settings.
Though it does not say as much, we might take the engraving as a form of
runes, again creating a similarity between the craft and religions of old.
From man's search for protection, we come to the telling by the stars...
Astrology, and the use of stars as protectors of man.
The lore behind the star of David is an interesting tale. The easy
interpretation is that of Zionism. The more research you do on this though,
you will find that once again, depending on the cultures you look at, it's
interpretation changes.
The six-pointed star formed by the superimposing of one triangle on
another. The symbol is a combination of the male (apex upwards) and
female (apex downwards) triangles; it is said, in cabalistic writings, to
comprise the signs of the four elements and the four letters of the
Tetragrammaton, and thus it came to be the symbol for God. Since the
Biblical commandment puts a taboo on the use of the Name of God and on the
depiction of God, the symbol was inscribed as the graphic representation of
God in synagogues and wherever the Name was appropriate. In alchemy, the
star of David combined the symbols for fire and water; hence, it meant
distillation. Until recently, therefore, it appeared on shops selling
brandy. The star of David is the symbol of Zionism and appears on the flag
of Israel. As Solomon's seal, the hexagram possessed power to control
demons of all kinds. The stopper on the bottle containing the bottle imp
or jinni was stamped with the seal of Solomon. In the Nsibidi script of
West Africa, a native form of writing, the symbol means ardent love; the
universality of the male-female content of the sign is here apparent.
Astrology also has interesting roots. Though the word itself is made up
of the Greek words meaning "star logic" (astra - star, Logos - logic), the
actual origin is yet to be determined. We read in the Epic of Creation of
Sumer - Akkad, or Early Babylon (ca 2200-1900 B.C.) that: "The Star -
Jupiter who brings prophecies to all is my Lord. My Lord be at peace. The
Star - Mercury allows rain to fall. The Star - Saturn, the star of Law and
Justice..."
The telling of fortunes by the stars underwent an avid growth spurt during
the times of the Roman Empire, and though with minor qualms with the
Christian church, it co-existed peacefully until the time of Constantine
when all "pagan" activities were outlawed. Though outlawed within the Roman
Empire, Astrology continued to thrive within the Middle East.
I realize that I said that I would touch on the inquisition and such,
however, I think that it is common knowledge the document used to persecute
those involved was written by the Friars within the Catholic Church at the
time. The document, The Malleus Maleficarum, was a document designed to
bring about fear within the Christian community, and more power to the
church. What is not widely realized is that the majority of the persons
that were either burned, drowned, or hung were not witches, but Protestants
within the Christian church. (The ones that were Protesting the Catholic
church.)
I realize that, at this time, this is a rather sketchy document. I hope in
the near future to be able to take the time to develop more of the depth
that I would like to put into bring up our roots. I hope to include in the
expanded edition the times of burning, modern witchcraft, more symbols, and
famous persons in the craft.
We've changed...but then as a good friend has told me on more than one
occasion..."When we cease to change, we cease to grow. When we cease to
grow, life ends."
Bibliography
The Golden Bough - Frazer, Sir James George, Macmillan Publishing
Co., NY, NY c 1922
Witchcraft The Old Religion - Martello
Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and
Legend
The History of Witchcraft - Russell, Jeffrey B., c 1980
Encyclopedia Britanica - 1986
The Holy Bible (New International Version)
Under the Spell of the Zodiac - Mark Graubard
Alchemy: Origin or Origins? - H. J. Sheppard, AMBIX, July 1970
Magic, Supernaturalism, and Religion - Seligmann c 1948