History of Witchcraft (part 7)

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 were 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

This  Bibliography encompasses the entire 7 document series  here
on this series.

History of Witchcraft (part 6)

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  tho  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
ripend  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.