Category: Articles

Reflecting on Witchcraft, Then and Now c.2014

Author:   Crick   

These days I find myself in periods of reflection on my experiences in the Craft and the ways that is has affected my personal views on life. As part of this reflection, I often wonder in what direction the Craft is now undertaking.

My girlfriend of many years, who is a Druid, and who has spent hours engaged in discussions with the old guy, will occasionally tell me, “you just aren’t right” before flashing a huge grin. When she says this I feel honored because it confirms that I have walked through this life as an individual. And it is has been the experiences of being involved in traditional Witchcraft that has made such a life experience possible.

But now I find myself in a quandary as to my personal views of witchcraft.

When I was growing up on a farm in Tennessee in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s and later in suburbia in MD, our family quietly practiced the Craft as we knew it by way of our Irish heritage and the Appalachia influence that we grew up around.

Outwardly we were like any other family at the time; just our beliefs were a bit different from some. And though we referred to folks outside of our personal family as “the others” we were never obvious about such beliefs and so folks around us in the community had no clue. In fact, only one outsider, a Mrs. Bowie, who was a retired minister of a mystical Christian church and close friend of my grandmother Ina and a family from Ohio that used to visit my grandparents when we lived in MD, were the only non-family members that were aware of our ways.

Were we special?

Absolutely not, we were just as dysfunctional in some ways as any other family from that era. However, we never believed in publicity as far as our particular beliefs in the Craft. This was not due to fear of any public backlash or what have you; it was just our way to be private about our family ways.

In those days, folks believed that went on behind closed doors stayed behind those same doors. When my mother branched off into a coven separate from our immediate family at the beginning of 1970, a coven whose focus was primarily on Astrology and its influences on life, the ways of silence were such that though I as a teenager was aware of the existence of that coven, I knew next to nothing beyond that tiny morsel of information.

Some of you may have met my mother at some point in time for during the 1970’s she performed astrological and Tarot readings for a cruise ship liner that traveled between the coast of Florida and the Bahamas.

At any rate, during the mid 1970’s I spent three years in Germany with the military and during that time I was associated with a coven that engaged the path of Hecate and thus would probably be seen as a “dark” coven by Neo pagans today. And yet, though we were very active, we did not seek and in fact went to great pains to avoid publicity.

And now I come to my reservations and thus conflicting emotions about the openness if you will of witchcraft in today’s times. During the years that I have mentioned above, privacy was something that was as a natural way of life at the time and was respected as such.

I am keenly aware that during these same times, that those of the Wicca were in fact moving in the opposite direction and actively seeking publicity at every opportunity. Beyond this observation I personally have no comment to share about the Wicca during those times, for I am speaking about witchcraft as I know it from my personal experiences and not about the fledgling religion of Wicca.

In today’s day and age, with the advent of the Internet where information is readily assessable and where there are now a plethora of Wicca and witchcraft 101 books, it is difficult to find folks who adhere to the tenets of privacy that witchcraft once knew. My personal concerns are that is such openness really a positive step forward in regards to witchcraft?

When I examine my personal views of witchcraft, I see a spiritual path that is wide open to “personal” discovery. Nor do I see any valid restrictions on what or how a practitioner of witchcraft may engage in order to arrive at such discoveries. If one sees the need to conjure up a spirit or other entity in an effort to experience such a discovery, then so be it. If one needs to resort to witchcraft to correct a wrong from another, then again, so be it.

As a witch, I believe that each of us is an individual and as such I do not believe in Karma, a concept that is foreign to the art of witchcraft. But I do believe in maintaining personal responsibility. As an old school witch, I feel that I know my personal goals and the experiences needed to achieve them far better than any group of folks such as those found within the many religions that make up our world. If I make a mistake than I am the one who has to pay for them.

I personally do not believe that a public forum has the right to outline boundaries that defines what steps I am allowed to take to arrive at my experiences in witchcraft. As an individual I do not believe that anyone outside of me has a say on how I personally pursue the path of witchcraft.

Again, I am the one that has to answer for any trial and errors that I engage in within the parameters of witchcraft. And yet this is exactly the perception that we are at in today’s Neo pagan community.

Witchcraft is now defined (erroneously to my mind) as a religion. And as a religion all of the tenets that were once diametrically opposed to the tenets of witchcraft are now accepted as being the norm.

Because of the instantaneous communication of the Internet, folks who engage in witchcraft are cast into a false image of being light and fluffy folks. I personally do not believe in Good and Evil, as these is primarily concepts that originated with the Abrahamic religions. I do believe that there are shades of light and dark, but only in the sense that we need such labels in order to put a sense of understanding on such concepts as they relate to the human experience.

And so I have to wonder, if we took the overwhelming desire for publicity that defines the art of witchcraft today, would witchcraft still be defined as it is by today’s standards. Or would the freedoms that were once a tenet of witchcraft, flourish yet once again?

And are such modern standards, which in effect are enhanced by way of the Internet, realistic as it pertains to the practice of witchcraft?

Massive publicity may bode well for a religion in the sense that it needs such attention in order to boost its membership. But is such publicity really a positive and useful approach to a mystical spiritual path that requires no such membership beyond that of the individual practitioner?

Is the personal responsibility that has always been an unavoidable tenet of witchcraft still possible or even a consideration in the concept of witchcraft as it is defined by today’s standards? Has such massive publicity made witchcraft into a completely unrealistic concept in order to be acceptable to today’s society? Has such publicity taken away from the base realities of witchcraft?

Journey To Witchcraft c.2014

Jorney To Witchcraft
uthor:   The Wild Sorceress  

Hello from an Australian Eclectic Witch. I have to admit, I’m a bit of a procrastinator. I’ve been thinking about writing an essay for some time but as all procrastinators will tell you, it’s always the thinking, never the doing.

I have always been interested in witchcraft. I think the awareness and the interest started when I was 13, (inspired from seeing The Craft. Yes, I know what you’re thinking and you’re probably right. But we all find our path in different ways).

I went to see the movie with three friends and at the end of the movie, like all teenage girls who are not considered ‘popular’ we thought “Wow this is for us”. Double, Double, Toil and Trouble the teenage way. And like all teenagers, my three friends lost interest fairly soon after.

The interest always stuck with me in various ways over the next few years but being in high school one has enough stress and doesn’t always find the time to delve into the spiritual.

So as the story goes, years later I was cleaning out my room and came across a book my parents had bought for me when I was 13 called The Nice Girl’s Book of Naughty Spells. (Yes you read correctly, my parents bought it for me).

I also came across articles I had ripped out of magazines and a booklet I had sent off for from the Church Of Wicca in Perth, WA. It grabbed me, and then it lost me. I began working and again, it took a back seat. I think at that stage in my life, it wasn’t time for me to walk the path. (Procrastination again).

I was about 22 when the interest became more of a spiritual need, a path I felt I needed to walk. I bought books to read. My first 2 were Witch A Personal Journey and A Magickal Year by Fiona Horne, followed soon by Book Of Shadows by Phyllis Currot and then finally Wicca by Scott Cunningham. It really hit me: this is what I wanted, and I felt it was right for me.

Luckily I didn’t have any religious conflicts. For all intents and purposes my mother was a single mother and she felt, not being religious herself, that she did not want to baptize her children (I have an older brother). She felt that we should feel free to pick our own path when we were old enough to understand what religion was. Suffice to say, Christianity was not for me.

I’ve always been an independent free thinker and the rules and rigmarole of organized religion was not for me.

The way I got here was interesting. As a general rule when I was younger, nature and its elements were actually very boring to me. I knew there were trees and flowers and things of that nature but it didn’t really impact me in any fashion. I used to hate helping my mother garden. Also, every time I tried to grow something it would die. The natural world, seemingly, was not my friend.

As I began to study witchcraft the natural held more interest and I felt better and more alive when I would go outside. We have this massive Oak tree in our yard and it is magnificent and really old. Now when I stand with it and look at it or touch the leaves, I feel an affinity I never thought I would. I feel a spiritual recognition, a connection with its beauty and its sense of history. I grow herbs under it and they flourish nourished by its shade. Being a fire sign, Oak is also one of my Celtic trees.

I feel my personal power growing. I have always had a strong sense of intuition and occasionally have psychic flashes that more often than not just leave me with a head spinning sense of déjà vu.

I am now able to grow herbs. I’m currently growing about 8 different kinds from seed and they are going really strong now. To me, this is a sign that the Goddess is helping me walk this path.

The one thing that originally boggled my mind was the amount of ‘things’ needed in witchcraft. There are athames and wands, chalices, censers, candles, herbs etc and I thought that my new path — although giving me great spiritual fulfillment — was going to drain my finances. But I have found that these items have come to me when I have needed them, not before. I think that instead of rushing out and buying everything all at once that if you wait, the Goddess will deliver. If not, I have 2 great recommendations for you.

EBay is a great place to get different ritual items. I got my first lot of herbs, most of my books, runes and two lovely wooden pentagram boxes from EBay.

Another is an Australian website called Uncle Festers. They have a club called the Cauldron Club and each month for 13 months they send you a package, slowly building up all your ritual supplies. Since being with them I haven’t really bought anything. I wait; it comes. I love it; it’s like my birthday every month.

My mother and stepfather have always been incredibly supportive of my choice (as has my brother and friends). I never had to worry about their disapproval. It breaks my heart when I read articles on here about new witches who fear rejection and anger from their parents if they share with them the news of walking the path of the Goddess. It’s sad that people are not flexible minded enough to realize that what may be good for them religion-wise is not always good for someone else.

My advice is to stay strong and be true to who you are because ultimately in this world, the only person who you have to please is yourself.

Wow, do I go on. So this is the story of a 24-year-old Eclectic Witch from Australia who wanted to write an article for Witchvox.

Enhanced by Zemanta

How do I write a Spell?

How do I write a Spell?

State your intention. Decide on the result you want to accomplish with the spell.

The Moon is important in witchcraft and, therefore, has a profound influence. The Moon is important in witchcraft and, therefore, has a profound influence.

Time your spell. Timing when casting spells can be important. The Moon is important in witchcraft, and therefore has a profound influence upon us. It is very important to choose the right moon phase for your spell;Magical workings for gain, increase or bringing things to you, should be initiated when the moon is waxing (from new to full);When the moon is waning (from full to dark), then its time for magical workings of decrease or sending away.

The highest energy occurs at the full moon, and therefore this is the most powerful time for magical workings. The new moon is the next most powerful time for magic.

Work with the seasons. There is a natural time for starting things (a planting time), for maturing things (a growing time), for reaping things (a harvest time) and, of course, a time for rest and planning.

Gather your tools. Make sure that you have all the tools that you need for casting the spell. Your tools must have no inherent magic. They are to help you create a mood. You also have to clean your tools. Don’t forget to cleanse and bless (consecrate) your tools before your begin casting your spell.

Understand magic. Remember that magic is the manipulation of energy, a thought is a form of energy and a visualization is an even stronger form of energy. Your visualization can be a method used to intensify further and direct your will. Your visualization can be the method by which you control the magical energy you have produced. You must know what you want. You must see it. You must feel the high energy flow. You must direct it.

Write your spoken words. For making your words and thoughts stronger you can write your spell into a rhyme to be spoken aloud; this makes it easier to remember your spell, you can also chant your spell to raise energy.

Remember the Threefold Law. Everything that you want to reach with this spell comes back 3 times, good or wrong.

Additonal Tips

Before you write your final version of your spell, you can write on a note what you want to reach with your spell, and what you are needing.

Don’t forget to cast a circle before doing any spell, for you are totally vulnerable for elementals when casting higher powers of other beings.

Meditation is the key to relaxation, and being completely relaxed allows energy to flow freely throughout your body. You should learn how to clear your mind and focus with whats on hand.

Remember the very important law: if thee harm none, do what thou will.

Remember to always end a spell in “In no way shall this spell reverse, or place upon me any curse, so mote it be”

Woman Finds 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian Goddess Figurine During Beach Walk

Afigurine from the age of pharaohs and pyramids has been found on a beach in Israel by a surprised beachgoer.

Lydia Marner, 74, found the ancient Egyptian figurine on Palmachim Beach in southern Israel, about 17 miles south of Tel Aviv, spotting it in the waves.

The figurine was revealed by the Israel Antiquities Authority to be more than 3,000 years old, a model of the Egyptian goddess Hathor.

“It was a very stormy day, the waves were high, the weather was wintery,” Marner told the Times of Israel. “We were walking along the sea when I suddenly noticed a stone coming to me.”

Hathor was an ancient Egyptian sun goddess, considered to be one of the most powerful.

“Hathor was often depicted as a cow goddess, or as a woman with cow horns and a sun disk on her head, representing fertility and abundance,” Liam Davis, an art historian for Art File Magazine, told the History Channel. “She was associated with love, beauty, music, dance, joy, motherhood, and feminine power. She was believed to protect women during childbirth, and to help the deceased in the afterlife, acting as a guide.”

Amir Golani, senior research archaeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), told the Jewish News Syndicate that the figurine was clearly Hathor, despite its age and wear, because of the characteristic ox horn-shaped hairstyle.

Figurines like these were often placed around the house by the Egyptian people to bring good luck and fortune.

“The Canaanites used to adopt ritual and religious customs of the Egyptians, who ruled our region at the time,” Golani said. “Just like homes today, where you install a mezuzah or hang a picture of a saint on the wall, then, they used to place ritual figurines in a central place in the house, for good luck and protection from bad things.”

“These figurines, which were used for worship…are indicative of the Canaanite culture in the Land of Israel, especially during the late Bronze Age,” Golani told the Times of Israel.

Marner was not allowed to keep her incredible find, as Israeli law states that all ancient treasures are under the jurisdiction of the IAA.

Click here to read the rest of this article on newsweek.com

The historic Maya oriented their lives by the heavens. Today, their descendants and Western scholars team up to understand their sophisticated astronomy

ZUNIL, GUATEMALA—As the Sun climbs over a hillside ceremony, Ixquik Poz Salanic invokes a day in the sacred calendar: T’zi’, a day for seeking justice. Before she passes the microphone to the next speaker, she counts to 13 in K’iche’, an Indigenous Maya language with more than 1 million present-day speakers in Guatemala’s central highlands. A few dozen onlookers nod along, from grandmothers in traditional dresses to visiting schoolchildren shifting politely in their seats. Then the crowd joins a counterclockwise procession around a fire at the mouth of a cave, shuffle dancing to the beat of three men playing marimba while they toss offerings of candles, copal, and incense to the wind-licked flames.

Poz Salanic, a lawyer, serves as a daykeeper for her community, which means she keeps track of a 260-day cycle—20 days counted 13 times—that informs Maya ritual life. In April, archaeologists announced they had deciphered a 2300-year-old inscription bearing a date in this same calendar format, proving it was in use millennia ago by the historic Maya, who lived across southeastern Mexico and Central America. In small villages like this one, the Maya calendar kept ticking through conquest and centuries of persecution.

As recently as the 1990s, “Everything we did today would have been called witchcraft,” says fellow daykeeper Roberto Poz Pérez, Poz Salanic’s father, after the day count concludes and everyone has enjoyed a…

Click here to read the rest of this article

A version of this story appeared in Science, Vol 376, Issue 6597.

Questioning the Afterlife c. 2011

Author: RainFaery

Ouija boards, electronic voice phenomena (EVP) , automatic writing, séances, psychics… just some of the many ways that one can connect with the dead. The living are obsessed with knowing what happens once we’ve gone. It scares the living souls out of us, and has baffled humanity since the beginning of time.

‘Religion’ is our usual answer to this question, yet we still don’t fully know. Nobody does. We may say ‘we believe this’ or that is ‘what is going to happen’, and ‘where we’ll go’- but why? Non-believers, or atheists may say that this is the humans’ way to comfort themselves. We all want immortality, but we know that’s highly impossible, so we believe in a similar version- life after death.

For Pagans/Wiccans, this ‘answer’ can be Reincarnation, not for all necessarily, but for many. For others, it may be the belief of the soul residing with the God (s) and/or Goddess (es) . Some people may say that this is our own creation, forged out of fear, and I can see exactly how they might come to view it to be this way.

Why is there paranormal activity? Why would there be tales of ghostly haunting, demonic possession and eerie places… stories handed down throughout generations since humans could document their tales in the earliest forms of writings? Surely, the human mind isn’t that deviously manipulating and thus tricking us to see and hear these things, for most of us don’t want to be the victim of a demonic haunting or possession ever.

Constantly, I am irritated when I hear sure answers as to what happens after death. Even as a Pagan/Wiccan, I only believe and hope to the Gods that reincarnation is real. I cannot prove it, and neither can anyone else.

I’ve heard of preachers who say that this or that is what happens when you die. The Bible is so sure of what will happen to God’s followers and non-followers. I’ve spoken to plenty of people in the Mormon faith (seeing as this is a highly Mormon populated area, and therefore there are many Mormon teenagers at school) and been told what they believe. To me, the explanation of their process after death is way too complicated, just as life is complicated. I was blown away by the explanation of the levels and kingdoms and whatnot that they will go to if they do this and that… needless to say, it was exhausting.

Oh the details, this is where there lies a problem. We have too many details to explain the afterlife, without ever being there. Truly, how does one explain a kingdom in heaven where the loyal followers stay after death? How does one even know that exists? They don’t. We don’t. Why go into such detail then? Have you seen the kingdoms? No. The very questioning of these religious beliefs of the afterlife contradicts the very sure, stable beliefs we hold in them- whatever religion it may be.

Lately I’ve been reading about the methods of spirit communication. Ouija boards are the most discussed because of the controversy over their true nature. Yes, I’ve doubted the “proof” that they work via spirit contact because a manipulative person can move the piece to say what he/she want its to if he/she wishes to trick the another person. However this doesn’t diminish my belief in the boards.

To this day I’ve never used one though, truthfully out of the fear of demonic entities and negative spirits. Despite what anyone says, we don’t know its true power, what it may be able to do, and I stay away from things like that. Although the board was introduced to me for the very first time at a sleepover as just a ‘game’, I refused to play.

I don’t use any means of communication to speak to the dead. We all wonder. Some of us dabble in the practices that explore the wonders of the afterlife. Others, like myself, don’t, and instead study and read about these methods out of curiosity.

I’ve always been interested in the paranormal, ever since I was a child. I can’t put an age on just when I first experienced this fascination. First it was innocent, starting as a fourth grader acting out Charmed with friends (Mainly the fascination was witchcraft, but also the existence of demons and angels and such) . I was only 9, but before that I had always loved “ghost” movies and “witchy” things… not to associate witchcraft with the paranormal, but my interests mixed together a bit. This grew into my enjoyment of shows such as Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, Paranormal State, (all that I still love) and Medium.

I also began to read horror books, macabre books, and researched every haunted place I took interest in. I still research and read up on these topics and find it all so intriguing. Whatever the reason, I can’t pull myself away from these morbid topics. For someone such as myself, who has never experienced paranormal activity or been in a situation to experience evidence of a paranormal happening, I sure am obsessed with collecting information on it and researching the phenomena.

There are so many ways we can contact the dead. I attempted one of these methods to contact Aphrodite the Goddess of Love directly instead. I’ve been looking for guidance from Aphrodite for a little while, along with other Goddesses and Gods in her area of guidance. I tried automatic writing, which wasn’t very successful for me. I got some sort of result, rather difficult to read, but that is for myself to know.

I’ve found that there is a possibility to communicate and receive answers, but the questions I have keep repeating. If EVPs exist as do other evidence of the paranormal, then why don’t we know with more certainty of the afterlife? Is it possible that maybe we aren’t meant to know? Or that anyone with any supposed explanations really doesn’t ‘know’ it all?

Maybe this knowledge of the afterlife is for the dead to know and for us to eventually find out with time. Assuming that this is true, no matter how many investigations people will conduct in hope for answers, no matter how many EVPs are recorded, or how many books and movies there are on this subject, it may always remain simply ‘the unknown’.

The Witches’ History, Our History

The Witches’ History, Our History

In the early days, when Christianity was slowly growing in strength, the Old Religion—the Wiccans and other pagans—was one of its rivals. It is only natural to want to get rid of a rival and the Church pulled no punches to do just that. It has frequently been said that the gods of an old religion become the devils of a new. This was certainly the case here. The God of the Old Religion was a horned god. So, apparently, was the Christian’s Devil. Obviously then, reasoned the Church, the pagans were Devil worshippers! This type of reasoning is used by the Church even today. Missionaries were particularly prone to label all primitive tribes upon whom they stumbled as devil-worshippers, just because the tribe worshipped a god or gods other than the Christian one. It would not matter that the people were good, happy, often morally and Ethically better living than the vast majority of Christians … they had to be converted!

The charge of Devil-worship, so often leveled at Witches, is ridiculous. The Devil is a purely Christian invention; there being no mention of him, as such, before the New Testament. In fact it is interesting to note that the whole concept of evil associated with the Devil is due to an error in translation. The original Old Testament Hebrew Ha-satan and the New Testament Greek diabolos simply mean “opponent” or “adversary”. It should be remembered that the idea of dividing the Supreme Power into two—good and evil—is the idea of an advanced and complex civilization. The Old Gods, through their gradual development, were very much “human” in that they would have their good side and their bad side. It was the idea of an all-good, all-loving deity which necessitated an antagonist. In simple language, you can only have the color white if there is an opposite color, black, to which you can compare it. This view of an all-good god was developed by Zoroaster (Zarathustra), in Persia in the seventh century BCE. The idea later spread westward and was picked up in Mithraism and, later, in Christianity.

As Christianity gradually grew in strength, so the Old Religion was slowly pushed back. Back until, about the time of the Reformation, it only existed in the outlying country districts. Non-Christians at that time became known as Pagans and Heathens. “Pagan” comes from the Latin Pagani and simply means “people who live in the country”. The word “Heathen” means “one who dwells on the heath”. So the terms were appropriate for non-Christians at that time, but they bore no connotations of evil and their use today in a derogatory sense is quite incorrect.

As the centuries passed, the smear campaign against non-Christians continued. What the Wiccans did was reversed and used against them. They did magick to promote fertility and increase the crops; the Church claimed that they made women and cattle barren and blighted the crops! No one apparently stopped to think that if the Witches really did what they were accused of, they would suffer equally themselves. After all, they too had to eat to live. An old ritual act for fertility was for the villagers to go to the fields in the light of the full moon and to dance around the field astride pitchforks, poles and broomsticks; riding them like hobby horses. They would leap high in the air as they danced, to show the crops how high to grow. A harmless enough form of sympathetic magick. But the Church claimed not only that they were working against the crops, but that they actually flew through the air on their poles … surely the work of the Devil!

In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII produced his Bull against Witches. Two years later two infamous German monks, Heinrich Institoris Kramer and Jakob Sprenger, produced their incredible concoction of anti-Witchery, the Malleus Maleficarum (The Witch Hammer). In this book definite instructions were given for the prosecution of Witches. However, when the book was submitted to the Theological Faculty of the University of Cologne—the appointed censor at that time—the majority of the professors refused to have anything to do with it. Kramer and Sprenger, nothing daunted, forged the approbation of the whole faculty; a forgery that was not discovered until 1898.

Gradually the hysteria kindled by Kramer and Sprenger began to spread. It spread like a fire—flashing up suddenly in unexpected places; spreading quickly across the whole of Europe. For nearly three hundred years the fires of the persecutions raged. Humankind had gone mad. The inhabitants of entire villages where one or two Witches were suspected of living, were put to death with the cry: “Destroy them all… the Lord will know his own!” In 1586 the Archbishop of Treves decided that the local Witches had caused the recent severe winter. By dint of frequent torture a “confession” was obtained and one hundred twenty men and women were burned to death on his charge that they had interfered with the elements.

Since fertility was of great importance—fertility of crops and beasts—there were certain sexual rites enacted by the Wicca, as followers of the nature religion. These sexual rites seem to have been given unnecessary prominence by the Christian judges, who seemed to delight in prying into the most minute of details concerning them. The rites of the Craft were joyous in essence. It was an extremely happy religion and so was, in many ways, totally incomprehensible to the gloomy Inquisitors and Reformers who sought to suppress it.

A rough estimate of the total number of people burned, hung or tortured to death on the charge of Witchcraft, is nine million. Obviously not all of these were followers of the Old Religion. This had been a wonderful opportunity for some to get rid of anyone against whom they bore a grudge!’ An excellent example of the way in which the hysteria developed and spread is found in the case of the so-called Witches of Salem, Massachusetts. It is doubtful if any of the victims hung* there were really followers of the Old Religion. Just possibly Bridget Bishop and Sarah Good were, but the others were nearly all pillars of the local church up until the time the hysterical children “cried out” on them.

But what about Satanism? The Witches were called worshippers of the Devil. Was there any truth to this? No. Yet as with so many of the charges, there was reason for the belief. The early Church was extremely harsh on its people. It not only governed the peasants’ way of worship but also their ways of life and love. Even between married couples, sexual intercourse was frowned upon. It was felt that there should be no joy from the act, it being permitted solely for procreation. Intercourse was illegal on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays; for forty days before Christmas and a similar time before Easter; for three days prior to receiving communion, and from the time of conception to forty days after paturition. In other words, there was a grand total of approximately two months in the year only when it was possible to have sexual relations with your spouse … but without deriving pleasure from it, of course!

It was no wonder that this, together with other such harshness, led to a rebellion—albeit a clandestine one. The people—this time the Christians—finding that their lot was not bettered by praying to the so-called God of Love, decided to pray to his opposite instead. If God wouldn’t help them, perhaps the Devil would. So Satanism came into being. A parody of Christianity; a mockery of it. It was a revolt against the harshness of the Church. As it turned out the “Devil” did not help the poor peasant either. But at least he was showing his disdain for the authorities; he was going against the establishment. It did not take Mother Church long to find out about this rebellion. Satanism was anti-Christian. Witchcraft was also—in their eyes—anti-Christian. Ergo, Witchcraft and Satanism were one and the same.

In 1604 King James I passed his Witchcraft Act, but this was repealed in 1736. It was replaced by an Act that stated that there was no such thing as Witchcraft and to pretend to have occult powers was to face being charged with fraud. By the late seventeenth century the surviving members of the Craft had gone underground; into hiding. For the next three hundred years, to all appearances Witchcraft was dead. But a religion which had lasted twenty thousand years, in effect, did not die so easily. In small groups—surviving covens, of times only of family members—the Craft continued.

In the literary field Christianity had a heyday. Printing had been invented and developed during the persecutions, therefore anything published on the subject of Witchcraft was written from the Church’s point of view. Later books had only these early works to which to refer so, not unnaturally, they were heavily biased against the Old Religion. In fact it was not until 1921, when Dr. Margaret Alice Murray produced The Witch Cult In Western Europe, that anyone looked at Witchcraft with anything like an unbiased light. From studying the records of the trials of the Middle Ages, Murray (an eminent anthropologist and then Professor of Egyptology at London University) picked up the clues that seemed to her to indicate that there was a definite, organized, pre-Christian religion behind all the “hogwash” of the Christian allegations. Although her theories finally proved a little far-fetched in some areas, she did indeed strike some chords. Wicca was by no means as far-reaching and widespread as Murray suggested (nor was there proof of a direct, unbroken line of descent from the cavepeople), but there can be no doubt that it did exist as an indubitable religious cult, if sporadic as to time and place. She enlarged on her views in a second book, The God of the Witches, in 1931.

In England, in 1951, the last laws against Witchcraft were finally repealed. This cleared the way for the Witches themselves to speak up. In 1954 Dr. Gerald Brousseau Gardner, in his book Witchcraft Today, said, in effect, ‘What Margaret Murray has theorized is quite true. Witchcraft was a religion and in fact it still is. I know, because I am a Witch myself.” He went on to tell how the Craft was still very much alive, albeit underground. He was the first to give the Witches’ side of the story. At the time of his writing it seemed, to him, that the Craft was rapidly declining and perhaps only hanging on by a thread. He was greatly surprised when, as a result of the circulation of his books, he began to hear from many covens throughout Europe, all still happily practicing their beliefs. Yet these surviving covens had learned their lesson. They did not wish to take the chance of coming out into the open. Who was to say the persecutions could not start again?

For a while Gerald Gardner’s was the single voice speaking for the Craft. However, whatever one’s feelings about Gardner, whatever one’s belief in the Wicca’s origins, all present-day Witches and would-be Witches owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for having had the courage to stand up and speak out for Witchcraft. It is because of him that we can enjoy the Craft, in its many forms, today.

In America the first Witch to “stand up and be recognized” was Raymond Buckland. At that time there were no covens visible in this country. Initiated in Scotland (Perth) by Gardner’s High Priestess, Buckland set out to emulate Gardner insofar as to try to straighten the long-held misconceptions and to show the Craft for what it truly is. Soon Sybil Leek arrived on the scene, followed by Gavin and Yvonne Frost and other individuals. It was an exciting time as more and more covens, and many different traditions, came intonthe open or at least made themselves known. Today the would-be Witch has a wide selection from which to choose: Gardnerian, Celtic (in many variations), Saxon, Alexandrian, Druidic, Algard, Norse, Irish, Scottish, Sicilian, Huna, etc. That there are so many, and such varied, branches (“denominations” or “traditions”) of Witchcraft is admirable. We are all different. It is not surprising that there is no one religion that suits all people. In the same way, then, there can be no one type of Witchcraft to suit all Witches. Some like lots of ritual, while some are for simplicity. Some are from Celtic backgrounds, others from Saxon, Scots, Irish, Italian, or any of a number of others. Some favor a matriarchy; others a patriarchy and still others seek a balance. Some prefer to worship in a group (coven), while others are for solitary worship. With the large number of different denominations, then, there is now more likelihood of everyone finding a path they can travel in comfort. Religion has come a long way from its humble beginnings in the caves of pre-history. Witchcraft, as one small facet of religion, has also come a long way. It has grown to become a world wide religion, legally recognized.

Today, across America, it is not at all unusual to find open Wiccan festivals and seminars taking place in such unlikely places as family campgrounds and motels such as the Holiday Inn. Witches appear on television and radio talk shows; they are written up in local and national newspapers and magazines. Witchcraft courses are given in colleges. Even in the Armed Forces is Wicca recognized as a valid religion— Department of the
Army Pamphlet No. 165-13 “Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups—A Handbook for Chaplains” includes instructions as to the religious rights of Witches right alongside those of Islamic groups, Sikh groups, Christian Heritage, Indian Heritage, Japanese and Jewish groups.

Yes, Witchcraft has a place in past history and will have a definite place in the future.

Excerpt from Buckland Complete Book of Witchcraft
Raymond Buckland, Author

(Some of the) Famous Pacts with Demons

Famous Pacts with Demons

Robert Johnson – American Blues Musician – His shadowy life and early death at age 27 gave rise to the legend that he traded his soul to the devil for fame and fortune

Johann Faust – Fifteenth century alchemist, astrologer, and magician whose life became the focal character in the popular tale of Dr. Faust who entered into a pact with Mephistopheles, exchanging his soul for 24 years of service.

Urbain Grandier – A French Catholic priest who was burned at the stake for witchcraft in 1634.  One of the documents used in his trial was a pact between the devil and Grandier, written in Latin and covered in strange markings.  It was known as the  Pactum foederis Urbani Grandieri.

Additional Reading

If you enjoyed reading the Soul Contract & would like to know more about the writer:

R.J. Schwartz is an American Poet and Author.

His complete works on The Creative Exiles Website can be found here

The Gypsy Thread is a huge collection of his original work

Ralph also writes on HubPages

Let’s Talk Witch – The Most Powerful Ingredient in Spells c. 2015

 

The Most Powerful Ingredient in Spells

 

Simply relying on the right color candle, correct incense or special herbs to work their magic will leave you wondering what you left out. The special ingredient you may have left out is YOU!

I decided to write this book because our website received so many emails over the years from beginners complaining that they had followed a spell EXACTLY as it was written, and it failed to work. They wanted to know what they were doing wrong. Like most of us, they had seen movies or TV shows that suggested having the right combination of colored candles, special herbs, oils and magical words would solve their financial or relationship problems. They did not understand that the ingredients in their spell was only a small part of the process.

Most books on casting spells only give you half of the information you really need. You are given lists of ingredients and action steps, but no explanation of how or why these spells really work. The Universal Laws that govern the results are not clearly explained and the new practitioner is left with only a vague understanding of what they are doing.

This is a problem, as those who are truly interested in manifesting their desires are not adding the most important ingredient, or worse yet, they are adding the wrong ingredient. That ingredient is the personal energy that they send out. This is what the Universe will ultimately respond to.

Personal energy is the key ingredient in all spells. If you have ever asked your mom or a friend for a recipe because you wanted to make the same meal they made, only to have that recipe fail when you tried to duplicate it, you probably understand what I am talking about. Even when you follow their recipe exactly as it was written, it never seems to turn out the same for you. Their personal touch will always be missing. A good cook will simply add a little of his or her energy to the recipe and make it their own.

Like a favorite recipe, sometimes you may need to modify a spell just a little to make it work for you. Changing the color of a candle or using a different scent of incense will not make the Divine angry or cause the Universe to ignore you. If you are sending out thoughts and feelings that are positive and full of gratitude, your spells will always return positive results.

If you already have a shelf full of spell books and have collected all the right ingredients for a spell, that’s great! But if you are just starting out or are missing what seems to be key ingredients, don’t let it be a major concern. The Universe will be responding to YOU, not your collection of herbs, oils or crystals.

Source: Wicca A Beginner’s Guide to Casting Spells: Herbal, Crystal and Candle Magic (Living Wicca Today Book 3) by Kardia Zoe

 

Tears of a Witch c. 2015

Tears of a Witch
Author: Crick 

As I wander through the beloved woods, ever so grounded and connected to Spirit, I begin to think of the fear of witchcraft. Such a fear was started by a religious belief system seeking power and control over others. And through the last two centuries this baseless fear has resonated like a war drum through generations of folks. Folks who dared to walk a path that began with the dawn of humankind have lost their homes, their belongings and in many a case, their very lives.

And so I pause beside a woodland stream, as I wonder why.

Are we not all seekers of the light? Do we not all seek the answers to the Great Mysteries within our own beliefs? Are not all beliefs systems, whether religious and/or spiritual simply a possibility to achieving one’s afterlife goals?

For no religion and/or spiritual path has a definitive answer to what our chosen Deity has in mind as far as the Grand scheme of things. As I watch the rivulets of water wash over this streambed strewn with multi-colored pebbles, I think of how generations of folks have come and gone, much like how each rivulet passes down stream. And yet such misguided beliefs have remained in place like the pebbles cascaded across the bed of this secluded stream. Unmoved though a new generation of water sweeps over them.

And then I begin to think that if we do not have the answers, why one would want to be locked into a strict dogma that filters out any new and fresh ideas about spiritual ascension. Seeking answers to such a grand mystery is an on going process. Choosing to be stagnant in one’s spiritual progression leads me to think that perhaps such a belief system it’s not about spiritual growth to begin with.

And so why the hate mongering and the overwhelming fear?

If one is secure within their beliefs, shouldn’t there be a tendency to at least listen to others even if one chooses not to accept what one hears from others. This is known as communication. But when there is no such open communication, it leads me to wonder from where the insecurities that have spanned so many decades are originating.

For as a witch, I offer no harm to anyone unless it is in self-defense. I seek not to convince others of my beliefs; for such beliefs are a mark of my individuality and are constantly undergoing changes as new revelations becomes available.

Does such institutional fear come from the knowledge that a witch connects with Mother Earth as a way of life? I would ask why those who carry such fear in their hearts do not themselves utilize such a rich resource of knowledge. For such knowledge is there for all.

Witches are chastised and have even been put to death for connecting with the spirit realm, and I wonder why. Do we not all have a spirit within us and will we not all revert to spirit when our time in this realm comes to a close? What is there to fear?

Witches are disavowed for drawing upon the energy that is all about us and manifesting this energy into a tangible result. Do not all religions and/or spiritual beliefs follow similar patterns though they may use different words and actions to initiate such workings? Is not such a divine gift available openly and freely to all who seek such inherent abilities? Does Deity select but one belief system and cater to just those thoughts? Or does Deity transcend such narrow parameters and in fact respond to all who seek regardless of which path they follow?

So why manifest such lies and unfounded hatred?

As this stream in the middle of the woods flows over the bed of pebbles, does it really care if some pebbles are red, or brown, or black? Or does it just want to be free to follow its destiny without a barrier created by humans. Are humans any less worthy of such a freedom within their beliefs?

As I think these thoughts, tears run down my cheeks. As a witch I seek to stay connected with the old ways. Ways that have served humankind for so long. Ways that open doors to those places that are now shrouded in the mists of ignorance. Ways that allow me to utilize introspection in an effort to see my own faults and thus gives me the strength to address them in a positive manner. Are such practices so terrible that they deserve the scorn of so many who do not attempt to try and understand?

As a witch, I too walk about in a state of fear. A fear based upon the realities of our society. There is the fear that I may lose my means of employment, if my spiritual path comes to light. This is an established fear that has come to pass at one point in my life. There is the fear that bodily harm could come to me and my loved ones by those who blindly wallow in ignorance, simply because I choose to believe as an individual. This is yet another bitter experience that has raised its ugly head at one point in my life. And once again, I have to ask why.

Why can we not all accept the fact that we are seekers on the path of life? And as it is with such travelers, no one person has all of the answers.

As I stand here on this cold autumn morning and watch this small stream flow by, I know within my heart that in time this stream will wear down the pebbles that it flows over. And that in time new pebbles will take their place.

As a witch and as a human, I can only hope that such a transition will take place in the river of life and that the fear and the ignorance will in time be worn down as well. I desire that which I wish for others, the right to follow my path without obstructions being placed before me by other humans.

I seek to not judge others nor do I seek to be judged.

Am I a Witch? All the Telltale Signs c.2019

Am I a Witch? All the Telltale Signs

by

Am I a Witch? Well this is a very tricky and difficult question. What defines a ‘natural witch’ from a ‘self-taught witch’ or a believer of magic? To answer all this we have to go way back and define the essence of the Witches.

Lore and the Arcane Truth

There are so many things surrounding the lore, the reality and the legends regarding the Witches. Sometimes information is deliberately insufficient only because witches have always tried to scare the naive, from messing with their stuff. Only the wise, the brave and the righteous ones were allowed to learn the Craft. Why because with Great Power comes great responsibility! For example when Magical Recipes demanded the ‘five fingers‘ they certainly didn’t mean to cut off the fingers of a living human. They just demanded cinquefoil, a powerful Mercurial herb used for Healing and Money.

What is a Witch?

Let’s be clear. When we talk about Witches we are using a genderless term. Witches can be both males and females. Historically, this term has been used to identify the person who uses the Arcane Arts. Moreover, it has been used to falsely accuse women for ‘devil worshipping’ or ‘followers of the pagan gods’.

Am I a Witch?

So… Let’s see the most important traits.

1. Have You heard the ‘Calling’ ?

This is probably the most important of all the Signs. Once you’ve heard it, it’s impossible to un-hear it. Although you can always turn your back at your true nature and stick with the material Realm, you will always know who you are and who you are meant to be.

The ‘Calling’ is a revelation, a moment of extreme spiritual clarity when you somehow realise your are a Witch and get a glimpse of your true Magical Nature. This usually happens by accident, during times of intense anxiety, desperate need for help, sadness or troubles. However, the Calling may be heard in a very young age or when the ‘time is right’. Sometimes it’s a vision, a sure feeling that you are magical, or a dream or someone who enters your life unexpectedly revealing to you the truth. Other times, it’s an actual magical experience, when supernatural phenomena occur, or even an interaction with spirits of nature or ghosts or maybe deities.

There are many witches who actually plan to hear ‘the calling’ during their next lives by arranging the proper circumstances. Of course this is rarely the case as this kind of spell demand advanced levels of Magical Power.

So have you heard the calling? Good! Let’s proceed!

2. Do you feel Connected with Nature?

The relationship between you and Nature can easily tell how magical you are. Although there are other sources of Magic, Nature is the most common one. So let’s see if you are familiar with these traits, commonly attributed to ‘Natural Born Witches’ :

  • You feel the Energy Shift inside you as the Seasons change.
  • Moon Cycle affects you.
  • Also, you feel connected to the Woods, the herbs and the trees.
  • Natural phenomena like strong winds, rain, thunderstorms charge you and raise your energy and awareness.
  • There is something about you that wants to be around with animals all the time.
  • Likewise, animals are attracted to you.
  • Since you remember yourself, you loved crystals!

3. Do you have Dreams, Memories or Visions of being a Witch?

Well, this may explain a lot. Unfortunately, many Witches suffer from the suppression of their Witchiness due to the ‘demonisation’ of the term. As we’ve all know, a Witch can be a synonym of an evil and envious person who uses his/her power to manipulate and abuse others.

However, most Witches are actually Empaths who suffer a lot when others hurt. Therefore they suppress their magical nature, denying it strongly for months, years or even their whole lives. However, there are times, when they are relaxed, or asleep, when vision and images of Witchcraft and spellcasting pop up to their minds.

This can also be memories from their early childhood, when you were ‘practicing’ your magic with an innocent mind and heart, before the essence of magic gets corrupted by the ‘system’.

4. Do you Think ‘out of the box’?

Do you despise those who censor your Thoughts? Witches are untamed creatures who love Wisdom and dare to reach for it. If you continuously find yourself doubting ‘the truth’ or the ‘religious teachings’ while you realise there is some truth in them, then this is a Witchy Traits. Witches don’t hate religion, as they believe in the existence of Higher entities. Yet they do like to think for themselves.

One of the great saying of Witchcraft is ‘to dare, to do and to keep silent’. The first two part of this saying mirrors the essence of a true, untamed, uncensored witch! One whose spirit is stronger than shallow teaching and hypocrisy.

5. Do you feel your Thoughts, your Emotions and your Words have power?

Most Witches know deep inside that their emotions and what they say actually shape reality. It’s funny as the first time they realise it is when they lie about something, and then suddenly it becomes true. For example, have you lied to your boss of being sick just to get a day-off, and after a while you indeed raise fever or something?

Witches influence and alter reality as they speak or they feel. And this exactly what defines them from all others. Thy might don’t even believe they have this ability but they discover it as they grow older. Of course, it needs practicing in order to learn how to focus this energy and not get drained.

6. Do you Collect Unusual Items?

One of the most ‘weird’ traits of witches is that they’ve always collect things that others think as trash. For example, seashore pebbles, or feathers or shells washed out from the ocean. Witches somehow sense the energy that surrounds these items and instinctively pick them up. Therefore, in most houses of Witches, you can see collections of these Weird items, which are usually considered absurd or useless by their visitors.

7. Do you frequently Observe Synchronicities?

As we’ve talked before about synchronicities, this is a very clear sign that something magical or spiritual is at work. It’s the language of the Universe. How the Spiritworld affects our Realm. You see repeating numbers, or maybe you repeatedly see animals who act as spiritual messengers. The list is endless. However, in most cases these patterns are acknowledgeable solely from the Witch as the message usually intends to have one receptor.

Defining the Untamed nature.

Although we’ve seen some of the most common traits of Witches, there are many different kinds of witches and there are definitely many different traits. However, Being a Witch is most commonly something we strongly believe and follow. Because it’s not the ‘omens’ that make us witches. It’s our Fiery Passion for Magic!

 

Are You a Witch?

(Seperate Article from 2016)

There are many ways to define how good you are in each types of Magic. One is astrology. You Zodiac sign can say many things about you especially when it comes to what you like and how your personality is prone to certain types of magic. Types of Witches can be categorized according to their Zodiac Signs as the Sun’s position in the Natal Chart shows the energy of the newborn child.

The Zodiac Circle and Types of Witches

On the other hand I would also advice you to search for the Zodiac Sign your natal Moon is placed in order to get a more personalised view on how Astrology can define the source of all your magic.

Aries: Blood Witch.

Witches born under the sign of Aries are blessed with the ability to cast powerful Candle Magic spells and tame the currents of energy. They don’t need much to empower their magic, just their fiery passion!

This comes from the fact the the first sign of the Zodiac is when Fire gets its power back. The Sun enters the Spring Equinox and nature is reborn. In their blood, waves of energy is ready to ignite their passions. If you are an Aries try this! Read all about colour correspondences of Candles and cast a simple Candle magic spell tonight! Come on!

Witches born under the sign of Taurus are very well attuned with the power of Earth and Nature. They gladly explore and exploit the powers of Herbs and most importantly the powers of their sexuality.

The first of the Earth Signs hide all the power of Nature in them. They’ve got this magnificent ability to make everything fertile, like flowers blooming. This is the real Elf power. Bringing the Life of Nature everywhere around them. If you are a Taurus try this. Search here for you favourite crystal which meets your needs and charge it with your passion!

Zodiac Signs and types of Witches

Taurus: Elf Witch.

Witches born under the sign of Taurus are very well attuned with the power of Earth and Nature. They gladly explore and exploit the powers of Herbs and most importantly the powers of their sexuality. The first of the Earth Signs hide all the power of Nature in them. They’ve got this magnificent ability to make everything fertile, like flowers blooming. This is the real Elf power. Bringing the Life of Nature everywhere around them. If you are a Taurus try this. Search here for you favourite crystal which meets your needs and charge it with your passion!

Gemini: Energy Witch.

Witches born under the sign of Gemini have a natural ability to sense changes in energy levels around them. They got extremely sensitive intuition and they can easily send & receive energy to past, present and future.

From all the Types of Witches they are the ones with the most versatile nature. Energy is like the wind and it always changes direction. Like their mood swings they can turn up-side-down of all energy. They can transmute negative to positive energy and vice versa depending on their emotional background. Their adventurous nature make them great in manipulating astral energy. If you are a Gemini try this.

Cancer: Kitchen Witch.

Witches born under the sign of Cancer are prone to work their magic indoors by harnessing the energy provided by home supplies like food and remedies. Cancers are typical kitchen witches always brewing their potions with lost of love and affection.

As we already saw the stomach of the Cancers are really sensitive as it is the part of the body which dilutes and transmutes energy – just like the kitchen. They have the amazing ability to give their lunar blessings to everything they want and touch. The Tides of the moon enchant their potions and their spells. If you are a Cancer try this.

Leo: Enchanter Witch.

Witches born under the sign of Leo have a natural ability to catch the attention of others making them extremely talented illusionists. They can easily hypnotise people / animals and charm them.

From all the Types of Witches, Leo is blessed by the Sun. The Sun is their governor and as the planets move around the Sun so do people around Leos. They got this amazing ability to attract what they want – providing they focus their energy. If you are a Leo try this.

Virgo: Hermit Witch.

Witches born under the sign of Virgo have are extremely potent in magical practice as long as they can remain focused. They tend to re-invent their magical self in the silence of Nature, whether this is the Green Woods or the peaceful Emerald Seas.

Virgo – as the name implies – the Virgin / the Untouched, needs time for themselves. From all the Types of Witches, they are the ones who need to find a way to explore the richness of their powers by their own. Only when alone they find their true potential

Once they do they can get back to being awesome in their social circles. If you are a Virgo try this. Grounding can help them banish negativity. Go somewhere you feel secure and lonely (preferably in a Forest or near the Sea). Breathe for few minutes and cast a spell.

Libra: Music Witch.

Witches born under the sign of Libra are blessed with inspiration and are usually extremely talented in arts and crafts. Libra Witches can easily compose spells and even sing them empowering their magical vibes.

From all the Types of Witches, this is what defines them: art and inspiration. Of course they need balance and harmony in order to work their magic. To do so, the need to find a way to center themselves. Only bey this way they will learn how great they are. If you are a Libra try this. Compose tonight a simple spell and cast it with music of your own!

Scorpio: Nocturnal Witch.

Witches born under the sign of Scorpio feel inspired and “enlightened” during the midnight hours, when silence prevails and darkness asserts its dominance. Do not confuse darkness with evil. Scorpios are just great perceiving what’s hidden.

What is hidden and secret ignites their curiosity and wakes up their powerful instincts. They have this amazing ability to scratch the surface in order to find what’s hidden underneath. This is how they learn so many things. From all the Types of Witches astrology defines them as the Wisest of the Zodiac. They may fear but they try to push fear behind. If you are a Scorpio try this. In the Midnight, go outside in a safe and lonely place. Look up the skies and talk to the night about your desire!

Sagittarius: Thunder Witch.

Witches born under the sign of Sagittarius are the children of Zeus / Jupiter / Thor, the God of Thunder. They have a great ability to direct a very “thick” and focused current of energy towards whatever they desire. They are wise and fair and they can cast really powerful magic.

From all the Types of Witches, Thunder Witch is the one who can push further and break the chains throughout wisdom and optimism. Where thunder strikes everything is possible. If you are a Sagittarius try this. Focus on your hands and think and re-think your desire over and over again. When you feel ready express your desire like a thunder bursting from you hands towards your target. Here you will find how to direct energy.

Capricorn: Green Witch.

Witches born under the sign of Capricorn are the ones who can equally easily assert their magical dominance both in Nature and in Urban Territory at the same time. They can tap into nature’s power and direct them in their career and everyday life.

Saturn the so called “Planet of Witches” governs Capricorn giving them the ability to command elemental forces with love and discipline.  If you are a Capricorn try this. Go out for a long walk and search for that “special tree” you feel connected with. Embrace the tree and become one with it and once you are ready send some magical energy to the future in your career / shop or wherever you work. Here you can learn more about grounding!

Aquarius: Star Witch.

Witches born under the sign of Aquarius are very well attuned with the orbs of the planets and stars. Once they look up in the night sky they just know that they are a part of something greater and although they know a little about it they can successfully direct star energy into this World.

The Stars is like a giant web where they a part of it. By looking at the stars, Aquarius knows and feels s/he is never alone. All are connected. Past, Present and Future. Thus, everything is possible. If you are an Aquarius try this. During the night, got out and talk to the stars about your desires!

Pisces: Fairy Witch.

Witches born under the sign of Pisces can easily meddle with the Fairy World and transcend the Physical plane. Those sweet Witches can easily invite fairies in their lives and establish a firm and fruitful connection with the spirit of nature.

From all the Types of Witches, a Fairy Witch is the one who live in this world but definitely belongs to another one. Not a single Pisces actually feels 100% ok with the material world. They all know deep inside that they are missing the greater truth. Thus from a really young age are trying to visualise and locate the world they really fit in. If you are a Pisces try this. Plant some Foxglove near your house and every morning invite the spirit of nature to come and live.

 

Adding Magic to Your Daily Routine More Information

Source: exemplore.com/wicca-witchcraft

Adapt and Adopt Spells

The most powerful magick is when you devise it yourself. Performing someone else’s spell is exactly that, a performance. Whereas if you put thought, effort and creativity into designing your spell, it’s yours and only yours. So I encourage you to use these ideas as mere frameworks, upon which you’ll hang your own unique touches.

You can write them into your Book of Shadows and each time you use them, you can change them a little bit.

Using Spells in Daily Life

What’s so good about using spells and magick in everyday life? Well, because you can. Once you have mastered the trick of tapping into your emotions and desire at will to raise the energy, then you might as well make the most of it and live an enhanced, enchanted, always surprising, lovely witchy life.

Now that doesn’t mean that you won’t have to deal with bad stuff occasionally. We all have to. No one can sail through unscathed or untouched by negativity. And I promise you, you wouldn’t want to. The contrast of the not-so-nice times helps you appreciate the great times. Without the dark, you wouldn’t be grateful for the light.

That Old Universal Energy

I just have to mention once more, that any spell will not be effective unless you put the effort of energetic emotion into it. So before you start, make sure you know what emotion is necessary. Think about what you want to achieve and feel it into reality. Hold that feeling and work your magick.

Famous Witches In History: Marie Laveau c. 2018

Famous Witches from History

Marie Laveau

(1801 – 1881)

Marie Laveau was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voudou (or Voodoo) in New Orleans. Shrouded in mystery, she has become over time the archetypal image of the “Voodoo Queen”, and managed to combine the roles of Voodoo priestess and devoted Catholic. Her character has since appeared in many works of fiction and popular music. Her daughter Marie Laveau II (c.1827 – c.1895) also practiced Voudou, and accounts often confuse the two women.

She was born free in Louisiana on 10 September 1801 (or, according to other sources, some time in the 1790s), the daughter of a white planter and a free Creole woman of colour. She moved to the French Quarter of New Orleans in her youth and was raised a devout Catholic. In 1819, she married Jacques (or Santiago, in other records) Paris, an emigrant from Haiti. After Paris’ death, Marie Laveau became a hairdresser, catering to wealthy white families, and took a lover, Christophe Glapion, with whom she lived in a common-law relationship until Glapion’s death in 1835. She reportedly bore fifteen children, including Marie Laveau II, who was born around 1827 and who apparently bore a striking resemblance to her mother.

Other than these biographical details, little is known with any certainty about the life of Marie Laveau, but it appears that she and her daughter between them established and nurtured a “Voodoo Queen” reputation. She is said to have had a large snake (named Zombi, after an African god) which many believed possessed great powers itself, and she would dance with the snake wrapped around her. The occult part of her magic mixed Roman Catholic beliefs (including saints) with African spirits and religious concepts. She frequently visited the sick in New Orleans’ prisons, and at one point she was called upon by the city’s elite to help combat the Yellow Fever epidemic of the 1850’s.

Some believe that the mother was more powerful, while the daughter arranged more elaborate public events, but it seems clear that they received varying amounts of financial support. There are contemporary reports of as many as twelve thousand spectators, both black and white, swarming to the shores of Lake Pontchartrain to catch a glimpse of Marie Laveau II performing her legendary rites on St. John’s Eve (June 23 – 24).

One of Laveau’s best documented exploits involved the murder trial of a young Creole gentleman, which seemed almost certain to end in a guilty verdict for the young man. His father approached Marie and promised her anything if she could rescue his son, and Marie agreed, asking for the man’s New Orleans house in return. Marie secretly placed several charms throughout the courtroom and, when the young man was declared not guilty, the father gave her his house as promised, and Laveau gained the instant attention of the city’s elite.

Some believe that her feared magical powers were actually based on her network of informants in the households of the prominent citizens of New Orleans, which she developed while working as a hairdresser. Others assert that she owned her own brothel and developed informants that way. Either way, she appears to have excelled at obtaining inside information on her wealthy patrons by instilling fear in their servants, whom she “cured” of mysterious ailments.

The New Orleans newspapers announced the death of Marie Laveau on June 16, 1881, and official New Orleans records indicate that a “Marie Glapion Laveau” died on June 15, 1881 (although giving her age as 98). Many people also claimed to see her in town after this date, although she did have several daughters who may have been mistaken for her. She was reportedly buried in Saint Louis Cemetery #1 in New Orleans, and the Glapion family tomb continues to attract visitors, some of whom draw three x’s (XXX) on its side in the hopes that Laveau’s spirit will grant them a wish.

___________________________________

The Real Story of the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans

Known as the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, according to many eyewitness accounts, this was a title Marie Laveau not only earned, but to this day has not relinquished. In fact, the crypt where she’s buried St. Louis Cemetery #1 is believed ot be the most haunted cemetery in America. Visitors claim to have seen the ghost of the Voodoo Queen herself, inside the cemetery, walking around tombs, in her trademark turban, while whispering a Santeria Voodoo curse to disrespectful gawkers. If you visit her grave, you’ll notice that people still leave offerings, candles, flowers, Voodoo dolls, all in the hopes that Laveau will bestow her supernatural blessings. When people make a wish at her tomb, they return if their wish comes true and leave three X marks as a sign of their gratitude.

So, who was the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans? How did a freeborn Creole woman rise to become one of the most powerful, influential and feared women in 19th century Louisiana? Here’s the truth behind the legend…

Slave ships from West Africa first brought Voodoo to Louisiana. Practicioners knew which plants and herbs could heal and which could bring about hallucinations, sickness, and death.

Upon arrival, the slaves were christened Catholic and were orally taught the faith. In Catholicism the slaves found parallels in their own belief systems and in conjunction with their own religious practices involving naturalism, spiritualism and herbalism, voodoo practitioners would create amulets that had the power to heal or cause harm and perform rituals involving drums, prayer and dances designed to bring about a desired effect. Marie Laveau was one such voodoo practitioner. – Strange History

As a free woman of color, Marie Catherine Laveau was born in New Orleans on September 10, 1801. She was the illegitimate daughter of a free man of color and a Creole mother. Historians believe that Marie’s mother and grandmother were voodoo practitioners. In 1819, at the ripe young age of 18, Laveau married Jacques Paris, with whom she had two children, both of which are believed to have died young. Her husband also passed away under mysterious circumstances. By the time she was in her 20s she was known around town as the Widow Paris. This name would also be etched onto her tomb, which has become quite the popular tourist attraction.

After the death of Jacque, Marie became a hairdresser, most of her clients were wealthy white socialites, which allowed her to be privy to the myriad of rumors and gossip that floated around the French Quarter. Because Laveau had access to a wealth of information from both the elite women she serviced, to their servants and slaves, she was able to convince people that she was a Voodoo priestess with mystical powers. She was basically a 19th century Miss Cleo. Laveau then entered into a common-law marriage with Louis Christophe Dominick Duminy de Glapion (say that five times fast!) and they had seven children together. Unfortunately, only two of her children survived past childhood. In all, it’s believed Marie gave birth to 15 children, of which one lived to adulthood.

Of Laveau’s magical career, there is little that can be substantiated, including whether she had a snake she named Zombi after an African god, whether the occult part of her magic mixed Roman Catholic saints with African spirits, or whether her divinations were supported by a network of informants she developed while working as a hairdresser in prominent white households and in a brothel she ran. She appeared to excel at obtaining inside information on her wealthy patrons by instilling fear in their servants whom she either paid or cured of mysterious ailments.

People from each strata of society sought out Marie’s assistance with spells and potions.

It has been said that the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans had the power to put a person into or out of City Hall. She nurtured the sick through multiple epidemics, stood on the gallows ministering to the condemned and was accused of causing the deaths, through voodoo, of both a lieutenant governor and a governor. Many condemned her as a witch while others praised her as a saint. – Strange History

By the 1860s, Marie ceased practicing voodoo in public, however according to folklore she continued to practice foro well into old age. Her daughter Marie Laveau II actually picked up the mantle her mother left behind and was known for her “wild rituals in the swamps around New Orleans.” It’s believed that she drowned in Lake Pontchartrain.

Marie Laveau died on June 15, 1881. The New Orleans Daily Picayune printed the following obituary:

“Those who have passed by the quaint old house on St. Ann, between Rampart and Burgundy streets with the high frail looking fence in front over which a tree or two is visible, have been within the last few years, noticed through the open gateway a decrepid old lady with snow white hair, and a smile of peace and contentment lighting up her golden features. For a few years past she has been missed from her accustomed place. The feeble old lady lay upon her bed with her daughter and grand children around her ministering to her wants.”

The paper went on to write that she died with a smile on her face, and was buried in the family tomb at 5PM, in St. Louis Cemetery #1. Her funeral was attended by throngs of people.

Marie’s beauty and wisdom were also recounted in her obituary, however, her voodoo practices were referred to as being “skilled in the practice of medicine” and being “acquainted with the valuable healing qualities of the indigenous herbs.” The paper touched upon stories of her healing abilities as a “very successful nurse.”

“In yellow fever and cholera epidemics she was always called upon to nurse the sick, and always responded promptly. Her skills and knowledge earned her the friendship and approbation, of those sufficiently cultivated, but the ignorant attributed her success to unnatural means and held her in constant dread. Notably in 1853 a committee of gentlemen, appointed at a mass meeting held at Globe Hall, waited on Marie and requested her on behalf of the people to minister to the fever stricken. She went out and fought the pestilence where it was thickest and many alive today owe their salvation to her devotion. Not alone to the sick man was Marie Laveau a blessing. To help a fellow citizen in distress she considered a priceless privilege.”

The paper was very explicit in providing every minute detail of Laveau’s life. Noting that she lived in an “unassuming cottage”, built by French settlers, and was in a state of decay, but Marie welcomed people into her home, day or night, and provided them food and a warm place to spend the night.

Marie also made herself available to condemned men, providing them counsel before they were they were executed. In fact, Marie became a folk hero of sorts, fighting on behalf of the condemn. It was reported that she’d beg for mercy for prisoners, and she was reportedly very anti-capital punishment. In her obituary, the local paper noted her pious nature, and her devotion to Jesus and the church:

“All in all Marie Laveau was a most wonderful woman. Doing good for the sake of doing good alone, she obtained no reward, oft times meeting with prejudice and loathing, she was nevertheless content and did not lag in her work. She always had the cause of the people at heart and was with them in all things. During the late rebellion she proved her loyalty to the South at every opportunity and fully dispensed help to those who suffered in defense of the “lost cause.” Her last days were spent surrounded by sacred pictures and other evidences of religion, and she died with a firm trust in heaven. While God’s sunshine plays around the little tomb where her remains are buried, by the side of her second husband, and her sons and daughters, Marie Laveau’s name will not be forgotten in New Orleans.”

Reference: Tatiana Danger Roadtrippers

Smells like witch spirit: How the ancient world’s scented sorceresses influence ideas about magic today

Most perfume ads suggest that the right scent can make you sexy, alluring and successful. A blend by Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs, meanwhile, offers to make you smell like Hecate, the three-faced Greek goddess of witchcraft.

As a classics scholar who studies both magic and the senses in the ancient world, this idea of a witch-inspired perfume fascinates me – and “Hecate” is just one of many magic-inspired fragrances available today.

What does a witch smell like, and why would you deliberately perfume yourself like one?

Smells are impossible to see or touch, yet they affect us emotionally and even physically. That’s similar to how many people think of magic, and cultures around the world have connected the two. My current research is focused on how magic and scent were linked in ancient Rome and Greece, ideas that continue to shape views of witches in the West today.

Greeks and Romans of all walks of life believed in magic and used spells ranging from curses to healing magic and garden charms. Magical handbooks from the time show that Greco-Egyptian magicians used fragrance extensively in their rituals, even scented inks, and doctors believed strong-smelling plant species to be more medically effective than others. The gods themselves were thought to smell sweet, and places they touched retained a pleasant odor, making scent a sign of contact with the divine.

Witches wielding perfumes

Professional magicians in the ancient world claimed they could curse enemies, summon gods, heal the sick, raise ghosts, tell the future and accomplish various other miraculous feats. Surviving descriptions suggest that a majority of them were men, although certainly not all.

When it comes to Greek and Roman fiction, however, most magicians are women.

Witches in ancient literature use smells even more … Click here to read the rest of this article

What Are Glamour Spells?

With so many types of spells out there, it’s tough to figure out where to start. Glamour spells have been used by witches for centuries, but they aren’t the most well-known types of spells by any means.

Because glamour spells are generally underground, there aren’t many spells on Google or Pinterest that are readily available. I’m hoping that this post will provide you with some simple glamour spell ideas that work.

What Are Glamour Spells?

In magic, a glamour is a veil that hides what’s underneath. A glamour spell brings out one’s natural beauty while hiding those less-than-desirable aspects.

When you’re casting a glamour spell, you can either personally choose the aspects that you want to enhance or you can simply visualize beauty and let the spell choose.

A glamour spell typically doesn’t last that long. I find that most glamour spells I cast will last for a full day or so. I tend to cast glamour spells when I really need them which is mainly for special events.

I personally use glamour spells to appear more like who I truly feel I am inside. I don’t use them to run from myself, but I do have specific aspects of myself that I like more than others, and enhancing those aspects gives me confidence.

When Should You Cast Glamour Spells?

I recommend casting a glamour spell anytime you want to enhance your natural beauty. This might be when you feel a bit down, when you want to attract someone, when you’re going into a social situation you feel nervous about, or before a big night or event.

Sometimes, you may just want to cast a glamour spell for fun. All 3 of these glamour spells are relatively harmless, so go for it!

I don’t recommend that you cast a glamour spell if you feel at odds with yourself. A glamour spell is most effective when you harness your inner power and believe in yourself, but you first need to have some level of self-love.

A glamour spell isn’t likely to cause any type of negative karma, but it can bring out the effects you most hate in yourself if it’s cast with a negative or self-deprecating attitude.

A History Of Glamour Spells:

Glamour spells have been around for a long time. Before makeup and cosmetic modifiers were available to everyone, glamour spells were primary method of beauty modification.

In fact, makeup, botox, hair products, etc. are all forms of glamour spells. While witches in the 1200’s used herbs or chants for increase beauty, we use cosmetics.

Glamour spells are timeless and well-practiced for a reason: they work!

3 Easy Glamour Spells For Enhanced Beauty:

Here are 3 very simple glamour spells that are effective for both beginner and advanced students of witchcraft. If you choose to cast a circle during your practice, make sure to go ahead and do that before beginning these spells.

Click here to read the rest of this article Source: teaandrosemary.com

Witchcraft for Kids? Pros & Cons

In the dim, flickering glow of campfires and bedtime lanterns, tales of enchantment, witches, and spells have been passed down through generations. The allure of the mystical, with its blend of the familiar and the arcane, naturally piques the curiosity of young minds. Is it then a wonder that they’d want to explore the world of the occult? But when it comes to the reality of the occult, is it a realm too profound for youthful exploration? Is witchcraft for kids? Or should it be off-limits?

Remember when you were told not to play with Grandma’s tarot cards or found an old, dusty tombstone with esoteric symbols in the graveyard? Were you not curious?

Unveiling the Mysteries

To start, let’s dispel the clouds surrounding ‘occult.’ Rooted in Latin, ‘occultus’ simply signifies “hidden.” Over time, it has evolved to include practices like witchcraft, astrology, and alchemy. Far from mere shadows, these are imbued with cultural and historical relevance. But, is this a realm for children?

A Harmless Game … or Witchcraft for Kids?

I remember playing “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board” at sleepover parties when I was a child (in the 70s, long before it was featured on any TV show). Anyway, one time, it actually worked, which of course both delighted us and freaked us out at the same time.

Such games, though seemingly innocuous, often straddle the line between innocent fun and deeper, misunderstood practices.

So, the next day, I came home and decided to play it with my little brother and our cousins. Unfortunately, our fanatically religious Christian parents caught us and turned the whole thing into something akin to a witchcraft trial rather than just chalking it up to a little harmless fun.

Isn’t it odd how people are always afraid of the ones accused of witchcraft rather than… Click here to read the rest of this article Source: grandmasgrimoire.com

Little Pagan Acorns

Searching for new and interesting things to post I came across this website geared towards helping children learn about paganism. They have many wonderful and interesting things you can print out or download as a PDF. I wish this was available when my children were growing up because maybe more than one of my five would have accepted my chosen path better. In case you are wondering no none of my children practice witchcraft and its spiritual as well as magickal path as a whole.

Click here to go to Little Pagan Acorns

How Glamor Magic Works

Glamor spells are a fascinating and often misunderstood form of witchcraft. This form of spell work can be very intimidating to newer witches. It can seem very complex, unpredictable, or intangible, and many witches avoid them entirely simply because they don’t know enough to feel comfortable performing this kind of magic. Some witches consider glamor spells to be immoral, almost like lying, while others consider glamor to be more like magical makeup, in other words, not immoral at all. And then there are the misconceptions about what glamor spells even do and how they work. Does it change how you look? Does it change what other people are seeing? Are the changes permanent?

Not to worry. Today we’re going to clear up all of this confusion and take a look at what glamor spells are, how they work, how you can use them in your craft, plus three new glamor spells that you can add to your grimoire today.

What Are Glamor Spells?

A glamor spell is any spell that changes how you are perceived by other people. This might be a change in how you look to other people, it might be a change in how you sound to other people, it could even be a change in the emotional response that you create in other people. Often when we hear the phrase glamor spell, we think of it as a purely physical type of magic, focused entirely around the visual presentation that you have, but this is not always the case. And glamor spells are not just for making yourself look more attractive!

This kind of magic is excellent for adjusting not only how people see you visually but also how confident your voice sounds, how competent you seem, how your gender presentation is being perceived, how put-together you seem, how much people feel like they can empathize with you, and much more. If you can think of a way to adjust how someone else is perceiving you, you can probably achieve that with a glamor spell.

That said, you can use glamor spells for vanity! There’s nothing wrong with that. If I’m going out on a date and I want to feel more confident and attractive on that date, a glamor spell can give me a little boost and help me feel much better going into my evening. If I’m going to a job interview and I want to impress the interviewer, I can use a glamor spell to make myself seem more competent, or professional, or trustworthy. As long as the magic adjusts how other people perceive you, then it’s a glamor spell.

How Glamor Spells Work

The big thing to know about glamor spells is that they do not actually change anything about you. Using spells that make you look more attractive to your date does not change your physical appearance. A spell to change how your gender presentation is perceived will not change your gender. Hell, a spell that’s designed to make you seem competent and trustworthy will not make you competent and trustworthy if you’re not. All a glamor spell does is change how people are perceiving you.

This means that if you cast a glamor spell to make yourself more attractive, your appearance is not changing. Instead, people are going to be more inclined to be attracted to you exactly as you are. If you cast a glamor spell to seem more confident, it’s not giving you confidence, all this spell is doing is making it so that the people you encounter feel like you are a confident person.

Some of you may be disappointed by this, but this is an excellent way to approach this kind of magic. It might take ten times the amount of magical energy to give you a boost in confidence, as it would to just make you appear more confident. And the amount of energy it would take to create actual physical changes to your body would be astronomical, to the degree that it’s practically impossible, compared to simply changing how other people perceive you. Not only that, but creating real, tangible changes takes time. Remember, we have to work within the bounds of the reality that we live in. Physics still exists. Time still exists. If you’re going to change something big about yourself, that change will take time. Usually, by the time you realize you need the change, it’s too late to cast a spell to do something that big. Glamor spells are a quick, relatively energy-sparing form of magic that can give you the result of making the change without having to spend a ton of effort making that change first.

You should also keep in mind that glamor spells can only do so much. You can’t make yourself look totally different from how you are. You probably won’t be able to make someone who hates you suddenly feel positive toward you. These spells are for creating subtle shifts in perception, not for making you into someone totally different!

Is Glamor Magic Immoral?

Okay, this brings us to the next question. Isn’t this kind of like lying to people? While I can’t give you a definitive answer as far as morality is concerned, since morals are highly relative and very much dependent on your individual beliefs, I can give you my perspective on the matter. Using glamor is no different from pretending that you are more confident than you are or putting on makeup to make yourself feel more attractive. And we do these things every day! Almost everyone pretends to be more confident than they are in a job interview. Everyone takes steps to make themselves look and feel more attractive before going on a date. These things aren’t lying, it’s natural to want to present yourself in the best light.

Often, glamor spells are used on special occasions. They’re used for that first date or they’re used for that job interview or they’re used for meeting your spouse’s parents. Usually, we use them in situations where we want a little boost to help things go our way or to help us feel more comfortable going into a situation. Now, if you were to use a glamor spell every single day, at that point it might tip into being morally questionable. For instance, if you use a glamor to make yourself more attractive on a first date and then you continue to use that same spell every single day for the entirety of your relationship, that could be seen as lying to them or manipulating them with magic.

Again, it’s not my job to tell you what’s right and wrong for you to do. But if you feel you have to use a glamor spell every single day, you should consider making real tangible changes to your life instead. Ask yourself, why do you feel like you need a glamor spell every single day? Do you feel like this person wouldn’t like you without the spell? Do you really want someone in your life who doesn’t like you unless you greatly alter their perception of you? Is this a change that you would want to make in your life, and would that change be worth the effort?

Only you can answer these questions for yourself and it’s going to vary depending on your circumstances. The bottom line is that glamor spells themselves are not immoral, but how you use glamor magic may or may not conflict with your moral compass. It’s up to you to figure out what feels right and wrong in your practice.

Using Glamors In Your Craft

Okay, so you have a better understanding of what glamor really is and how it works, and hopefully, you’ve taken a bit of time to figure out what feels right to you in terms of using this magic in your own life. Now how do you go about using glamor spells in your practice?

The good news is that glamor magic is just like any other spell. Provided you are following a quality spell and you’re comfortable and confident in your spell casting, there’s very little difference between casting a glamor spell and casting weather spells or love spells or money spells. The end goal is simply different. Here are three of my favorite glamor spells that you can use to try out this kind of magic for yourself.

Source: thetravelingwitch.com

History of Christmas

Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. December 25—Christmas Day—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870.

The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many peoples rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.

How Did Christmas Start?

In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year.

The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking.

In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside.

Table of Contents

How Did Christmas Start?

Saturnalia and Christmas 

Is Christmas Really the Day Jesus Was Born?

When Christmas Was Cancelled

Washington Irving Reinvents Christmas in America

‘A Christmas Carol’

Who Invented Santa Claus?

Christmas Facts

Click here to read the rest of this article Source: history.com

The Coming of Litha

 

The Coming of Litha

Litha is the Wiccan Sabbat that marks the Summer Solstice and usually occurs around December 21 in the Southern Hemisphere. It marks the first day of summer on traditional calendars, but it is actually the Midsummer mark for Pagans.

Litha marks the longest day of the year, the day when the sun reaches its apex and is aspected to zero degrees Cancer. This is a day that celebrates the God in all his glory. It is also the time of year when the Goddess is glowing with motherhood in her pregnancy.

In Wiccan lore, once again the Holly King and the Oak King battle. This time, it is the Holly King who is victorious, and from this point on, the days grow shorter.

For those of you familiar with Shakespeare, you might remember the play centered around the Solistice: “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream”. It is believed that Midsummer Night’s Eve is a special time for those who believe in the Faerie traditions. Like Samhain, this is a day where the veils are thin between the realms of the Sidhe (the Faerie realm) and the world of mortals. It is a time for merriment and the making of wishes.

Litha marks the first of three harvest celebrations. This is the time to gather the herbs from your garden. Tradition suggests using your boline or a scythe to cut the plant by the moonlight. Some suggest chanting the use of the planet while doing so.

As we’ve seen happen in the past, Christianity has tried to hone in on our holiday. They have declared it John the Baptist’s birthday. I’ve read that other Saints in the Church are remembered on the day they’ve died. But not so with John the Baptist. He is the only Saint recognized on his birthday. They celebrate the Solstice with the Jack-in-the-Green to the Feast of St. John the Baptist, often portraying him in rustic attire, sometimes with horns and cloven feet (like Pan).

Published on Witchery