Tag: New England

The First Yule

The First Yule

Author:   Serenity Starbright Dilsworth (Owl)    

Once upon a time … before your mother was born … and before her mother was born …and even before your mother’s mother was born …. when the world was new and the Earth and the Sun gave birth to the first beings …the very first people … the very first animals … and the very first plants.

It was the season of Spring, which celebrates new life, and the Sun shone warm and smiled down upon the world from his lofty perch in the sky while Earth took pride in all her newborns and nurtured them tenderly and with love. It was a time of great joy!

The Moon waxed and waned and traveled the night skies and Earth’s Children grew healthy and strong through the warm Summer season. They laughed and worked, played and danced and The Earth and Sun watched over them lovingly.

Then came the Autumn season …and the Earth began to sleep longer with every passing day. She grew so tired and was not able to feed her children any longer. She did not have enough strength to bring forth new life. High overhead … the Sun grew distant … and took longer and longer to return each morning. The nights grew longer and cold winds replaced the gentle breezes of the Summer.

Then …one very cold day …the Earth went to sleep. She laid her head down upon a pile of fallen leaves and nestled under a pure white blanket of snow. And she slept … and she slept … and she slept and nothing the Children could do would disturb her Winter slumber. The children called and called to her, but she did not wake up.

The children looked to the skies for advice and comfort from the Sun … but he was so distant that he could no longer be seen at all …and the children were frightened and sad … it was the Longest Night they had ever known.

The people wept and wondered what would happen to them now for it was bitterly cold and the bounty from Spring and Summer was depleting. They were afraid that they would starve and freeze with Father Sun so far away and Mother Earth sleeping.

They went to the Moon … sister to the Sun … with all their concerns and worries … entreating her to have the Sun return and Moon listened quietly.

The Moon gazed upon the children and advised them gently:” Do not fear little ones … go climb the tallest of trees and the highest of mountains … turn your voices to the sky and yule a mighty song to reach the Sun.”

The children had never heard of a yule or a song. (In the Ancient Tongue, to yule means to yell or yodel … to call out loudly in song.) And they asked Moon to explain what it is because they very much wanted to reach the Sun in hopes he could wake the Earth.

The Moon smiled gently. “Look deep within yourselves and find your magick …find that thing that makes you the special person you are … find the thing that brings you joy …take your dreams and your desires … your hopes and your love … and weave all of that together into sound.”

So the children climbed the tallest trees and the highest mountains and closed their eyes to find the magick within them …they brought forth their hopes, their dreams, their joys and their love and when they opened their mouths … their voices rang across the skies in a symphony or harmony and the Sun heard them …he turned and began his journey back … the better to hear this glorious sound.

The closer he came … the more his warmth spread across the Earth … and the Earth smiled in her sleep and dreamt of Spring… The Wheel turned and hope and joy spread amongst the children.

And that …dear children …is the story of the first Yule.

This is an old story that has been told and retold many times. It is one I used to tell at Winter Solstice in the coven I belonged to when I lived in New England. I put it into writing so that the story may be preserved and enjoyed by others and it is my hope that folks will tell the tale to their children who in turn will eventually tell it to their children.

Yule is a time of joy, of hope, of dreams and wishes. On the Longest Night, it is good to gather with those that we love and cherish and stand upon the Earth as she slumbers and call out to the Sun in mighty song to herald his return and the fulfillment of dreams and wishes.

Rowan Pendragon explains: The winter solstice occurs when the Earth is tilted on its axis farthest away from the sun. This means that when the northern half of the Earth is pointed away from the sun at winter solstice then the southern part of the Earth is going to be tilted closest to the sun. This is why when we are celebrating winter solstice in the northern hemispheres our Pagan friends “down under” are celebrating summer solstice. We often celebrate Yule and the solstice on either December 20th or 21st but the fact is the date varies each year since the holiday is based on an astronomical event; when the event occurs is when the holiday takes place.

When the winter solstice comes we experiences the longest night of the year and the shortest day of light. On the night of Yule we first honor the death of the God and the decline of the sun, something that has been slowly happening from the day after the summer solstice. After we make this honoring we then begin to work acts of sympathetic magick to encourage the sun’s return and to aid the Goddess in her long night of labor as she prepares to birth the Son, the Child of Light, the Young God.

__________________________________________

Footnotes:
Day 1 of Yule – Preparing for Yule 2011 by Rowan Pendragon
Day 7 of Yule – The Return of The Light by Rowan Pendragon

The First Yule

The First Yule

Author:   Serenity Starbright Dilsworth (Owl)  

Once upon a time … before your mother was born … and before her mother was born …and even before your mother’s mother was born …. when the world was new and the Earth and the Sun gave birth to the first beings …the very first people … the very first animals … and the very first plants.

It was the season of Spring, which celebrates new life, and the Sun shone warm and smiled down upon the world from his lofty perch in the sky while Earth took pride in all her newborns and nurtured them tenderly and with love. It was a time of great joy!

The Moon waxed and waned and traveled the night skies and Earth’s Children grew healthy and strong through the warm Summer season. They laughed and worked, played and danced and The Earth and Sun watched over them lovingly.

Then came the Autumn season …and the Earth began to sleep longer with every passing day. She grew so tired and was not able to feed her children any longer. She did not have enough strength to bring forth new life. High overhead … the Sun grew distant … and took longer and longer to return each morning. The nights grew longer and cold winds replaced the gentle breezes of the Summer.

Then …one very cold day …the Earth went to sleep. She laid her head down upon a pile of fallen leaves and nestled under a pure white blanket of snow. And she slept … and she slept … and she slept and nothing the Children could do would disturb her Winter slumber. The children called and called to her, but she did not wake up.

The children looked to the skies for advice and comfort from the Sun … but he was so distant that he could no longer be seen at all …and the children were frightened and sad … it was the Longest Night they had ever known.

The people wept and wondered what would happen to them now for it was bitterly cold and the bounty from Spring and Summer was depleting. They were afraid that they would starve and freeze with Father Sun so far away and Mother Earth sleeping.

They went to the Moon … sister to the Sun … with all their concerns and worries … entreating her to have the Sun return and Moon listened quietly.

The Moon gazed upon the children and advised them gently:” Do not fear little ones … go climb the tallest of trees and the highest of mountains … turn your voices to the sky and yule a mighty song to reach the Sun.”

The children had never heard of a yule or a song. (In the Ancient Tongue, to yule means to yell or yodel … to call out loudly in song.) And they asked Moon to explain what it is because they very much wanted to reach the Sun in hopes he could wake the Earth.

The Moon smiled gently. “Look deep within yourselves and find your magick …find that thing that makes you the special person you are … find the thing that brings you joy …take your dreams and your desires … your hopes and your love … and weave all of that together into sound.”

So the children climbed the tallest trees and the highest mountains and closed their eyes to find the magick within them …they brought forth their hopes, their dreams, their joys and their love and when they opened their mouths … their voices rang across the skies in a symphony or harmony and the Sun heard them …he turned and began his journey back … the better to hear this glorious sound.

The closer he came … the more his warmth spread across the Earth … and the Earth smiled in her sleep and dreamt of Spring… The Wheel turned and hope and joy spread amongst the children.

And that …dear children …is the story of the first Yule.

This is an old story that has been told and retold many times. It is one I used to tell at Winter Solstice in the coven I belonged to when I lived in New England. I put it into writing so that the story may be preserved and enjoyed by others and it is my hope that folks will tell the tale to their children who in turn will eventually tell it to their children.

Yule is a time of joy, of hope, of dreams and wishes. On the Longest Night, it is good to gather with those that we love and cherish and stand upon the Earth as she slumbers and call out to the Sun in mighty song to herald his return and the fulfillment of dreams and wishes.

Rowan Pendragon explains: The winter solstice occurs when the Earth is tilted on its axis farthest away from the sun. This means that when the northern half of the Earth is pointed away from the sun at winter solstice then the southern part of the Earth is going to be tilted closest to the sun. This is why when we are celebrating winter solstice in the northern hemispheres our Pagan friends “down under” are celebrating summer solstice. We often celebrate Yule and the solstice on either December 20th or 21st but the fact is the date varies each year since the holiday is based on an astronomical event; when the event occurs is when the holiday takes place.

When the winter solstice comes we experiences the longest night of the year and the shortest day of light. On the night of Yule we first honor the death of the God and the decline of the sun, something that has been slowly happening from the day after the summer solstice. After we make this honoring we then begin to work acts of sympathetic magick to encourage the sun’s return and to aid the Goddess in her long night of labor as she prepares to birth the Son, the Child of Light, the Young God.

_____________________________________________

Footnotes:
Day 1 of Yule – Preparing for Yule 2011 by Rowan Pendragon
Day 7 of Yule – The Return of The Light by Rowan Pendragon

Wednesday – The Day of Wisdom, The Day of Mercury

blog

WEDNESDAY

The Day of Wisdom
 The Day of Mercury

wodensdaeg (Anglo-Saxon)
mittwoch (Germanic)
dies mercurii (Latin)
budh-var (Hindu)
boodh (Islamic)
mercredi (French)
sui youbi (Japanese

Traditionally known as the fourth day of the week. This day was associated with Odin the God of War, Wisdom, Agriculture and Poetry. He was also regarded as the God of the Dead. The Anglo-Saxons changed the name from ‘Odin’s Day’ to ‘Woden’s Day’, whilst the French referred to the day as ‘Mercredi’ or ‘Mercury’s Day’, Mercury being the God of Science, Commerce, Travellers, Rogues, and Thieves.

In most of Europe Wednesday was thought to be a very unlucky day whilst in the USA quite the opposite was believed as the following New England rhyme shows: ‘Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday the best of all.
Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
And Saturday no luck at all!’

The above rhyme has according to research also been associated with selecting days to get married. The Persians associated Wednesday with the name ‘Red Letter Day’. It is believed that this was because they believed that the moon was created on this day.

According to the English historian Richard Grafton certain dates of the month were unlucky as published in the ‘Manual’ in 1565. Days throughout the year were identified and of course could have related to any day of the week. The date was the most important point to consider. The work was reputed to have some credence with support given by astronomers of the day.

(For more information see Mystical WWW Mystical Time : Mystical Months).

WEDNESDAY – The Day of Wisdom,
 The Day of Mercury

WEDNESDAY

The Day of Wisdom
 The Day of Mercury

wodensdaeg (Anglo-Saxon)
mittwoch (Germanic)
dies mercurii (Latin)
budh-var (Hindu)
boodh (Islamic)
mercredi (French)
sui youbi (Japanese

Traditionally known as the fourth day of the week. This day was associated with Odin the God of War, Wisdom, Agriculture and Poetry. He was also regarded as the God of the Dead. The Anglo-Saxons changed the name from ‘Odin’s Day’ to ‘Woden’s Day’, whilst the French referred to the day as ‘Mercredi’ or ‘Mercury’s Day’, Mercury being the God of Science, Commerce, Travellers, Rogues, and Thieves. In most of Europe Wednesday was thought to be a very unlucky day whilst in the USA quite the opposite was believed as the following New England rhyme shows: ‘Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday the best of all.
Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
And Saturday no luck at all!’ The above rhyme has according to research also been associated with selecting days to get married. The Persians associated Wednesday with the name ‘Red Letter Day’. It is believed that this was because they believed that the moon was created on this day. According to the English historian Richard Grafton certain dates of the month were unlucky as published in the ‘Manual’ in 1565. Days throughout the year were identified and of course could have related to any day of the week. The date was the most important point to consider. The work was reputed to have some credence with support given by astronomers of the day.

(For more information see Mystical WWW Mystical Time : Mystical Months).

WEDNESDAY – The Day of Wisdom,
 The Day of Mercury

WEDNESDAY

The Day of Wisdom
 The Day of Mercury

wodensdaeg (Anglo-Saxon)
mittwoch (Germanic)
dies mercurii (Latin)
budh-var (Hindu)
boodh (Islamic)
mercredi (French)
sui youbi (Japanese

Traditionally known as the fourth day of the week. This day was associated with Odin the God of War, Wisdom, Agriculture and Poetry. He was also regarded as the God of the Dead. The Anglo-Saxons changed the name from ‘Odin’s Day’ to ‘Woden’s Day’, whilst the French referred to the day as ‘Mercredi’ or ‘Mercury’s Day’, Mercury being the God of Science, Commerce, Travellers, Rogues, and Thieves. In most of Europe Wednesday was thought to be a very unlucky day whilst in the USA quite the opposite was believed as the following New England rhyme shows: ‘Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday the best of all.
Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
And Saturday no luck at all!’ The above rhyme has according to research also been associated with selecting days to get married. The Persians associated Wednesday with the name ‘Red Letter Day’. It is believed that this was because they believed that the moon was created on this day. According to the English historian Richard Grafton certain dates of the month were unlucky as published in the ‘Manual’ in 1565. Days throughout the year were identified and of course could have related to any day of the week. The date was the most important point to consider. The work was reputed to have some credence with support given by astronomers of the day.

(For more information see Mystical WWW Mystical Time : Mystical Months).

WEDNESDAY – The Day of Wisdom,
 The Day of Mercury

WEDNESDAY

The Day of Wisdom
 The Day of Mercury

wodensdaeg (Anglo-Saxon)
mittwoch (Germanic)
dies mercurii (Latin)
budh-var (Hindu)
boodh (Islamic)
mercredi (French)
sui youbi (Japanese

Traditionally known as the fourth day of the week. This day was associated with Odin the God of War, Wisdom, Agriculture and Poetry. He was also regarded as the God of the Dead. The Anglo-Saxons changed the name from ‘Odin’s Day’ to ‘Woden’s Day’, whilst the French referred to the day as ‘Mercredi’ or ‘Mercury’s Day’, Mercury being the God of Science, Commerce, Travellers, Rogues, and Thieves. In most of Europe Wednesday was thought to be a very unlucky day whilst in the USA quite the opposite was believed as the following New England rhyme shows: ‘Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday the best of all.
Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
And Saturday no luck at all!’ The above rhyme has according to research also been associated with selecting days to get married. The Persians associated Wednesday with the name ‘Red Letter Day’. It is believed that this was because they believed that the moon was created on this day. According to the English historian Richard Grafton certain dates of the month were unlucky as published in the ‘Manual’ in 1565. Days throughout the year were identified and of course could have related to any day of the week. The date was the most important point to consider. The work was reputed to have some credence with support given by astronomers of the day.

(For more information see Mystical WWW Mystical Time : Mystical Months).

Adapting Spells

Adapting Spells

by Skye Alexander

Today, you’ll find many books on spellcraft that contain instructions for casting spells. You can also purchase ready-made kits that include all the ingredients necessary for a spell. Nonetheless, if those instructions or ingredients don’t make sense to you or break your personal ethics, the spell will not work.

The best spells are those you create yourself or adapt to suit your own purposes. The process of collecting ingredients, preparing them, and designing the steps of your spell focuses your mind on your intention and adds energy to the spell. Sometimes you must adapt a tried-and-true spell because you can’t get the designated components. For example, if you lived in New England and used ash leaves or bark in protection spells but then moved to Texas, you would not be able to find such plant life; you could then compensate by substituting another ingredient, such as basil.

One of the beauties of spellcraft is its versatility. Spellcraft, of course, isn’t a fixed, rigid dogma; it’s a living, growing body of knowledge and experience that continues to expand as the number of witches working magick grows.

With the previous example in mind, it’s easy to see that there will be many times when a witch or Wiccan will want to adapt a spell or devise one of her own. How do you begin the process? Adapting a spell is far easier than creating one, so let’s start there. When a witch examines a spell, she looks for continuity and comprehensiveness.

  • Does the spell target your goal through its words, actions, and components?
  • Does it do so on a multisensual level (involving your hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell)?
  • Does every part of the spell make sense and excite your higher sentiments?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, try to find a substitute. To illustrate, many old love spells call for blood as a component. But modern awareness of disease (or squeamishness) might make blood inappropriate. Instead a witch could use red wine. The red juice from crushed raspberries, strawberries, or passion fruit (fruits associated with love) would also work well. In this manner, she can still follow the basic spell while relying on components that are safe and support her ethics.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for Oct. 11 is 18: Repairing What is Spoiled

18: Repairing What is Spoiled

Friday, Oct 11th, 2013

hexagram09

 

 

 

Something is starting to rot and it is time to repair the damage. In the world of human affairs, indulgence and corruption grow like weeds in an untended garden; they must be faced squarely, and rooted out through bold action. Eliminating corruption — and the sloppiness that leads to it — is one of the most ennobling of all human enterprises. Correction of flaws in the system clears the way for fresh, new beginnings.

The time has come to become lean and efficient. The weeds must be rooted out now, before the garden is overwhelmed. Fighting decay, sloppiness and corrupt agendas is not a simple matter; all steps must be evaluated carefully. Planning must precede action. Resist the temptation to strike out prematurely. Gather strength behind you, and summon your inner resources, because arresting decay is no simple task. When you do act, make your strike as precise and clean as the path of the surgeon’s knife.

WEDNESDAY – The Day of Wisdom,
 The Day of Mercury

WEDNESDAY

The Day of Wisdom
 The Day of Mercury

wodensdaeg (Anglo-Saxon)
mittwoch (Germanic)
dies mercurii (Latin)
budh-var (Hindu)
boodh (Islamic)
mercredi (French)
sui youbi (Japanese)

Traditionally known as the fourth day of the week. This day was associated with Odin the God of War, Wisdom, Agriculture and Poetry. He was also regarded as the God of the Dead. The Anglo-Saxons changed the name from ‘Odin’s Day’ to ‘Woden’s Day’, whilst the French referred to the day as ‘Mercredi’ or ‘Mercury’s Day’, Mercury being the God of Science, Commerce, Travellers, Rogues, and Thieves. In most of Europe Wednesday was thought to be a very unlucky day whilst in the USA quite the opposite was believed as the following New England rhyme shows: ‘Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday the best of all.
Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
And Saturday no luck at all!’ The above rhyme has according to research also been associated with selecting days to get married. The Persians associated Wednesday with the name ‘Red Letter Day’. It is believed that this was because they believed that the moon was created on this day. According to the English historian Richard Grafton certain dates of the month were unlucky as published in the ‘Manual’ in 1565. Days throughout the year were identified and of course could have related to any day of the week. The date was the most important point to consider. The work was reputed to have some credence with support given by astronomers of the day.

WEDNESDAY – The Day of Wisdom, The Day of Mercury

WEDNESDAY

The Day of Wisdom
 The Day of Mercury

wodensdaeg (Anglo-Saxon)
mittwoch (Germanic)
dies mercurii (Latin)
budh-var (Hindu)
boodh (Islamic)
mercredi (French)
sui youbi (Japanese

Traditionally known as the fourth day of the week. This day was associated with Odin the God of War, Wisdom, Agriculture and Poetry. He was also regarded as the God of the Dead. The Anglo-Saxons changed the name from ‘Odin’s Day’ to ‘Woden’s Day’, whilst the French referred to the day as ‘Mercredi’ or ‘Mercury’s Day’, Mercury being the God of Science, Commerce, Travellers, Rogues, and Thieves. In most of Europe Wednesday was thought to be a very unlucky day whilst in the USA quite the opposite was believed as the following New England rhyme shows: ‘Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday the best of all.
Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
And Saturday no luck at all!’ The above rhyme has according to research also been associated with selecting days to get married. The Persians associated Wednesday with the name ‘Red Letter Day’. It is believed that this was because they believed that the moon was created on this day. According to the English historian Richard Grafton certain dates of the month were unlucky as published in the ‘Manual’ in 1565. Days throughout the year were identified and of course could have related to any day of the week. The date was the most important point to consider. The work was reputed to have some credence with support given by astronomers of the day.

Wednesday, The Day Of Wisdom and The Day of Mercury

 

The Day of Wisdom,
 The Day of Mercury

wodensdaeg (Anglo-Saxon)
mittwoch (Germanic)
dies mercurii (Latin)
budh-var (Hindu)
boodh (Islamic)
mercredi (French)
sui youbi (Japanese

Traditionally known as the fourth day of the week. This day was associated with Odin the God of War, Wisdom, Agriculture and Poetry. He was also regarded as the God of the Dead. The Anglo-Saxons changed the name from ‘Odin’s Day’ to ‘Woden’s Day’, whilst the French referred to the day as ‘Mercredi’ or ‘Mercury’s Day’, Mercury being the God of Science, Commerce, Travellers, Rogues, and Thieves. In most of Europe Wednesday was thought to be a very unlucky day whilst in the USA quite the opposite was believed as the following New England rhyme shows: ‘Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday the best of all.
Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
And Saturday no luck at all!’ The above rhyme has according to research also been associated with selecting days to get married. The Persians associated Wednesday with the name ‘Red Letter Day’. It is believed that this was because they believed that the moon was created on this day. According to the English historian Richard Grafton certain dates of the month were unlucky as published in the ‘Manual’ in 1565. Days throughout the year were identified and of course could have related to any day of the week. The date was the most important point to consider. The work was reputed to have some credence with support given by astronomers of the day.

 

(For more information see Mystical WWW Mystical Time : Mystical Months).

 

More Wednesday Comments

Wednesday: The Day of Wisdom, The Day of Mercury

WEDNESDAY

The Day of Wisdom
 The Day of Mercury

wodensdaeg (Anglo-Saxon)
mittwoch (Germanic)
dies mercurii (Latin)
budh-var (Hindu)
boodh (Islamic)
mercredi (French)
sui youbi (Japanese

Traditionally known as the fourth day of the week. This day was associated with Odin the God of War, Wisdom, Agriculture and Poetry. He was also regarded as the God of the Dead. The Anglo-Saxons changed the name from ‘Odin’s Day’ to ‘Woden’s Day’, whilst the French referred to the day as ‘Mercredi’ or ‘Mercury’s Day’, Mercury being the God of Science, Commerce, Travellers, Rogues, and Thieves. In most of Europe Wednesday was thought to be a very unlucky day whilst in the USA quite the opposite was believed as the following New England rhyme shows: ‘Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday the best of all.
Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
And Saturday no luck at all!’ The above rhyme has according to research also been associated with selecting days to get married. The Persians associated Wednesday with the name ‘Red Letter Day’. It is believed that this was because they believed that the moon was created on this day. According to the English historian Richard Grafton certain dates of the month were unlucky as published in the ‘Manual’ in 1565. Days throughout the year were identified and of course could have related to any day of the week. The date was the most important point to consider. The work was reputed to have some credence with support given by astronomers of the day.

 

(For more information see Mystical WWW Mystical Time : Mystical Months).

Burning Of Witches, Our Ancestors (Actual Names, See If Any of Your Kin Is Listed)

 

THE KILLINGS OF “WITCHES”

The following are all documented incidents in the killings of “witches.”
ONLY incidents solely relating to witchcraft accusations have been included.
Bear in mind that this is probably NOT all of them. Some were guilty. Most
were probably innocent. Some were Satanists, others were not. Some were just senile.

ALL on this list died as a result of a witchcraft accusation.

**************************

Adamson, Francis: executed at Durham, England, in 1652
Albano, Peter of: died in prison circa 1310
Allen, Joan: hanged at the Old Bailey, London, England, in 1650
Allen, Jonet: burned in Scotland in 1661
Amalaric, Madeline: burned in France in mid-1500’s
Ancker, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Andrius, Barthelemy: burned at Carcassonne, France in 1330
Andrius, Jean: burned at Carcassonne, France in 1330
Andrius, Phillippe: burned at Carcassonne, France in 1330
Arnold, (first name unknown): hanged at Barking, England, in 1574
d’Arc, Joan: burned at Rouen, France, on 30 May, 1431 (note: the witchcraft
charge in this case was -implied- and not specific)
Ashby, Anne: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Askew, Anne: burned for witchcraft 1546
Audibert, Etienne: condemned for witchcraft in France, on 20 March 1619
Aupetit, Pierre: burned at Bordeaux, France, in 1598

Babel, Zuickel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Babel, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Baker, Anne: executed in Leicester, England, in 1619
Balcoin, Marie: burned in the reign of Henry IV of France
Balfour, Alison: burned at Edinburgh, Scotland, on 16 December, 1594
Bannach, (husband) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Bannach, (wife) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Barber, Mary: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Barker, Janet: burned in Scotland in 1643
Baroni, Catterina: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April, 1647
Barthe, Angela de la: burned at Toulouse, France, in 1275
Barton, William: executed in Scotland (year unknown)
Basser, Fredrick: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Batsch, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Bayerin, Anna: executed at Salzburg, Austria, in 1751
Beaumont, Sieur de: accused of witchcraft on 21 October, 1596
Bebelin, Gabriel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Beck, Viertel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Beck, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Belon, Jean: executed in France, in 1597
Berger, Christopher: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Berrye, Agnes: hanged at Enfield, England, in 1616
Bentz, (mother) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Bentz, (daughter) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Beuchel, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1581
Beutler, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Bill, Arthur: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Birenseng, Agata: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 25 June, 1594
Bishop, Briget: hanged at Salem, New England on 10 June, 1692
Bodenham, Anne: hanged at Salisbury, England, in 1653
Bonnet, Jean: burned alive at Boissy-en-Ferez, France, in 1583
Boram, (mother) (first name unknown): hung at Bury St Edmunds, England, in
1655
Boram, (daughter) (first name unknown): hung at Bury St Edmunds, England, in
1655
Bolingbroke, Roger: hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn, England, on 18
November, 1441
Boulay, Anne: burned at Nancy, France, in 1620
Boulle, Thomas: burned alive at Rouen, France, on 21 August, 1647
Bowman, Janet: burned in Scotland in 1572
Bragadini, Mark Antony: beheaded in Italy in the 1500’s
Brickmann, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Brose, Elizabeth: tortured to death in the castle of Gommern, Germany, on
4 November, 1660
Brown, Janet: burned in Scotland in 1643
Browne, Agnes: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Browne, Joan: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Browne, Mary: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Brooks, Jane: hanged in England on 26 March, 1658
Brugh, John: burned in Scotland in 1643
Buckh, Appollonia: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1581
Bugler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Bulcock, John: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Bulcock, Jane: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Bull, Edmund: hanged at Taunton, England, in 1631
Bulmer, Matthew: hanged at Newcastle, England, in 1649
Burroughs, George: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Bursten-Binderin, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-
1629

Calles, Helen: executed at Braynford, England, on 1 December, 1595
Camelli, Domenica: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April, 1647
Canzler, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Carrier, Martha: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Caveden, Lucia: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April, 1647
Cemola, Zinevra: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April, 1647
Corey, Martha: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Corey, Giles: prssed to death at Salem, New England, on 19 September, 1692
Corset, Janet: killed by a mob at Pittenweem, Scotland, in 1704
Challiot, (first name unknown): murdered at St. Georges, France, in February,
1922
Chalmers, Bessie: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Chambers, (first name unknown): died in prison, in England, in 1693
Chamoulliard, (first name unknown): burned in France, in 1597
de Chantraine, Anne: burned as a witch in Waret-la-Chaussee, France, on
October 17, 1622
Chatto, Marioun: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Ciceron, Andre: burned alive at Carcassone, France, in 1335
Cockie, Isabel: burnt as a witch, at a cost of 105 s. 4 p., in England 1596
Cox, Julian: executed at Taunton, England, in 1663
Couper, Marable: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622
Craw, William: burned in Scotland in 1680
Crots, (son) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Cullender, Rose: executed at Bury St Edmunds, England, on 17 March 1664
Cumlaquoy, Marian: burned at Orkney, Scotland in 1643
Cunningham, John: burned at Edinburgh, in January, 1591
Cunny, Joan: hanged in Chelmsford, England, in 1589

Deiner, Hans: burned at Waldsee, Germany (year unknown)
Delort, Catherine: burned at Toulouse, France, in 1335
Demdike, Elizabeth: convicted, but died in prison, in Lancaster, England,
in 1612
DeMolay, Jacques: Grand Master of the Templars, burned in France on
22 March 1312
Desbordes, (first name unknown): burned in France, in 1628
Deshayes, Catherine: burned on 22 February, 1680
Device, Elizabeth: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Device, James: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Device, Alizon: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Doree, Catherine: executed at Courveres, France, in 1577
Dorlady, Mansfredo: burned at Vesoul, France as being the Devil’s banker, on
18 January, 1610
Dorlady, Fernando: burned at Vesoul, France as being the Devil’s banker, on
18 January, 1610
Dormar, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 October, 1586
Douglas, Janet: burned at Castle, Hill, Scotland, on 17 July, 1557
Drummond, Alexander: executed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1670
“Dummy” (name unknown; he was deaf-and-dumb): killed by a mob at Sible
Hedingham, England, on 3 August, 1865
Duncan, Gellie: hanged in Scotland in 1591
Dunhome, Margaret: burned in Scotland (year unknown)
Dunlop, Bessie: burned at Castle Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1576
Duny, Amy: executed at Bury St Edmunds, England, on 17 March, 1664
Dyneis, Jonka: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622

Easty, Mary: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Echtinger, Barbara: imprisoned for life at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 August,
1545
Edelfrau, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Edwards, Susanna: hanged at Bideford, England in 1682
Einseler, Catharina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581
Erb, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 March, 1586
Eyering, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Fian, John: hanged at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1591
Fief, Mary le: of Samur, France, accused of witchcraft, on 13 October 1573
Fleischbaum, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Flieger, Catharina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581
Flower, Joan: died before trial, at Lincoln, England, 1619
Flower, Margaret: executed at Lincoln, England, in March, 1619
Flower, Phillippa: executed at Lincoln, England, in March, 1619
Foster, Anne: hanged at Northhampton, England, in 1674
Fray, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 12 June, 1587
Fray, Margaret: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 25 June, 1594
Fynnie, Agnes: burned in Scotland in 1643

Gabley, (first name unknown): executed at King’s Lynn, England, in 1582
Galigai, Leonora: beheaded at the Place de Grieve, France, on 8 July, 1617
Garnier, Gilles: burned as a werewolf in Dole, France 1574
Gaufridi, Louis: burned at Marseilles, France, at 5:00 pm on 30 April, 1611
Geissler, Clara: strangled at Gelnhausen, Germany circa 1630
Georgel, Anna Marie de: burned at Toulouse, France, in 1335
Geraud, Hughes: burned in France in 1317
Gering, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Glaser, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Glover, Goody: hanged at Salem, New England, in 1688
Gobel, Barbara: burned at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1639
Goeldi, Anna: hanged at Glaris, Switzerland, on 17 June, 1782
Goldschmidt, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Good, Sarah: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Grandier, Urbain, burned at Loudon, France, on 18 August, 1634
Goodridge, Alse: executed at Darbie, England, in 1597
Gratiadei, Domenica: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April,
1647
Green, Ellen: executed in Leicester, England, in 1619
Greensmith, (first name unknown): hanged in Hartford, New England, on 20
January, 1662
Greland, Jean: burned at Chamonix, France, in 1438, with 10 others
Grierson, Isobel: burned in Scotland in March, 1607
Gutbrod, (first name unknown:) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Haan, George: burned at Bamberg, Germany, circa 1626, with his wife, daughter,
and son
Hacket, Margaret: executed at Tyburn, England, on 19 February, 1585
Hamilton, Margaret: burned in Scotland in 1680
Hafner, (son) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hammellmann, Melchoir: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hamyltoun, Christiane: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Hans, David: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hans, Kilian: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Harfner, (first name unknown): hanged herself in the prison of Bamberg,
1628-1629
Harlow, Bessie: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Harrisson, Joanna, and her daughter: executed in Hertford, England, in 1606
Harvilliers, Jeanne: executed in France, in 1578
Haus, (wife) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hennot, Catherine: burned alive in Germany in 1627
Henry III, King of France: assassinated on 1 August, 1589
Hewitt, Katherine: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Hezensohn, Joachim: beheaded at Waldsee, Germany, in 1557
Hibbins, Anne: hanged in Boston, Massachusetts on 19 June, 1656
Hirsch, Nicodemus: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hoecker, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hofschmidt, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Holtzmann, Stoffel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hofseiler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hoppo, (first name unknown): executed in Germany in 1599
How, Elizabeth: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Hoyd, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 November, 1586
Huebmeyer, Barbara: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 11 September, 1589
Huebmeyer, Appela: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 11 September, 1589
Hunt, Joan: hanged in Middlesex, England in 1615
Hunter, Alexander: burned at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1629
Huxley, Catherine: hanged at Worcester, England in the summer of 1652

Isel, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 7 November, 1586
Isolin, Madlen: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581

Jacobs, George: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Jenkenson, Helen: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Jennin, (first name unknown): burned at Cambrai, France, in 1460
Jollie, Alison: executed in Scotland, in October, 1596
Jones, Katherine: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622
Jones, Margaret: executed in Charlestown, North America, on 15 June, 1648
Jordemaine, Margery: burned at Smithfield, England, on 27 October, 1441
Junius, Johannes: of Bamberg, executed as a witch, on 6 August, 1628
Jung, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Kent, Margaret: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Kerke, Anne: executed at Tyburn, England, in 1599
Kleiss, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 30 October, 1586
Kless, Catharina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 12 June, 1587
Knertz, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Knor, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Knott, Elizabeth: hanged at St. Albans, England, in 1649
Kramerin, Schelmerey: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Kuhnlin, Elsa: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1518
Kuler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Lachenmeyer, Waldburg: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 5 July, 1585
deLarue, (first name unknown): burned at Rouen, in 1540
Lauder, Margaret: burned in Scotland in 1643
Leclerc, (no first name given): condemned for witchcraft, in France 1615
Lakeland, (first name unknown): burned at Ipswich, England, in 1645
Lamb, Dr.: stoned to death by a mob at St. Paul’s Cross, London, England,
in 1640
Lambrecht, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Leger, (no first name given): condemmned for witchcraft in France, on 6 May,
1616
Liebler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Lloyd, Temperance: hanged at Bideford, England in 1682
Louis, (first name unknown): executed at Suffolk, England, in 1646
Lowes, John: hanged at Bury, England, about 1645
Lutz, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Macalzean, Euphemia: burned alive in Scotland for witchcraft, on 25 June, 1591
Marigny, Enguerrand de: hanged in France in 1315
Marguerite, (last name unknown): burned at Paris, France, in 1586
Mark, Bernhard: burned alive at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Martin, Marie: executed in France, in 1586
Martin, Susannah: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Martyn, Anne: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Mayer, Christina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 October, 1586
Mazelier, Hanchemand de: arrested at Neuchatel, Germany 1439
Meath, Petronilla de: burned as a witch, the first such burning in Ireland,
on 3 November, 1324
Meyer, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Mirot, Dominic: burned at Paris, France, in 1586
Morin< (first name unknown): burned at Rouen, in 1540
Mossau, Renata von: beheaded and burned in Bavaria, Germany, on 21 June, 1749
Mullerin, Elsbet: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1531
Mundie, Beatrice: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621

Napier, Barbara: hanged in Scotland in 1591
Nathan, Abraham: executed at Haeck, Germany, on 24 September, 1772
Newell, John: executed at Barnett, England, on 1 December, 1595
Newell, Joane: executed at Barnett, England, on 1 December, 1595
Newman, Elizabeth: executed at Whitechapel, England in 1653
Nottingham, John of: died in custody, Coventry, England, 1324
Nurse, Rebecca: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Nutter, Alice: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612

Oliver, Mary: burned at Norwich, England, in 1658
Orchard, (first name unknown): executed at Salisbury, England, in 1658
Osborne, (husband) (first name unknown): killed by a mob at Tring,
Herefordshire, England, in 1751
Osborne, (wife) Ruth: killed by a mob at Tring, Herefordshire, England, in
1751
Osburne, Sarah: died in prison at Boston, Massachusetts, 10 May, 1692
Oswald, Catherine: burned in Scotland in 1670

Paeffin, Elsa: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1518
Pajot, Marguerite: executed at Tonnerre, France, in 1576
Paris, (first name unknown): hanged at St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1569
Parker, Alice: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Parker, Mary: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Palmer, John: hanged at St. Albans, England, in 1649
Pannel, Mary: executed in Yorkshire, England, in 1603
Pearson, Alison: burned in Scotland on 28 May, 1588
Peebles, Marion: burned in Scotland in 1643
Peterson, Joan: hanged at Tyburn, England, in April, 1652
Pichler, Emerenziana: burned at Defereggen, Germany, on 25 September, 1680
(her two sons, aged 12 and 14, were also burned two days later)
Poiret, (first name unknown): burned at Nancy, France, in 1620
Pomp, Anna: executed at Lindheim, Germany, in 1633
Porte, Vidal de la: condemned at Riom, France, in 1597
Powle, (first name unknown): executed at Durham, England, in 1652
Prentice, Joan: hanged in Chelmsford, England, in 1589
Preston, Jennet: executed in York, England, in 1612
Pringle, Margaret: burned in Scotland in 1680
Procter, John: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Pudeator, Anne: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692

Quattrino, Dominic: burned at Mesolcina, Italy, in 1583

Rais, Gilles de: on charges of witchcraft, executed 26 October, 1440
Rattray, George: executed in Spott, Scotland, in 1705
Rattray, Lachlan: executed in Spott, Scotland, in 1705
Rauffains, Catharina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 7 November, 1586
Reade, Mary: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Redfearne, Anne: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Reed, Wilmot: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Reich, Maria: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 5 July, 1585
Reid, John: hanged himself in prison, in Scotland, in 1697
Reoch, Elspeth: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622
Robey, Isobel: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Rodier, Catala: burned alive at Carcassone, France, in 1335
Rodier, Paul: burned alive at Carcassone, France, in 1335
Rohrfelder, Margaret: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 August, 1585
Rosch, Maria: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581
Rosseau, (no first name given), and his daughter, (no name given) of France,
accused of witchcraft on 2 October 1593
Rue, Abel de la: of Coulommiers, France, accused of witchcraft on 20 July,
1592
Roulet, Jacques: burned alive for being a were-wolf, at Angiers, France, in
1597
Rum, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Russel, Alice: killed by a mob at Great Paxton, England, 20 May, 1808
Rutchser, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Rutter, Elizabeth: hanged in Middlesex, England in 1616

Sailler, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 August, 1585
Sampsoune, Agnes: tried, strangled, and burnt for a witch in Scotland 1591
Samuels, (family): three members condemned for witchcraft in Warboys,
England, on 4 April, 1593
Sawyer, Elizabeth, hanged at Tyburn, England, on 19 April, 1621
Scharber, Elsbeth: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1581
Schneider, Felicitas: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 March, 1586
Schnelling, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 11 September, 1589
Schutz, Babel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schwaegel, Anna Maria: beheaded at Kempten, Germany, on 11 April, 1775
Schwartz, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schenck, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schellhar, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schickelte, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schneider, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schleipner, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schuler, (first name not known): burned at Lindheim, Germany on 23 February,
1663
Schultheiss, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 March, 1586
Schwarz, Eva: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1581
Schwerdt, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Scott, Margaret: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Scottie, Agnes: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622
Sechelle, (first name unknown): burned at Paris, France, in 1586
Smith, Mary: hanged at King’s Lynn, England, in 1616
Stadlin, (first name unknown): executed in Germany in 1599
Steicher, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Steinacher, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Steward, William: hanged at St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1569
Stewart, Christian: strangled and burned in Scotland, in November, 1596
Stolzberger, (son) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Stolzberger, (wife) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Stolzberger, (granddaughter) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg,
Germany, 1628-1629
Stubb, Peter: executed as a werewolf near Cologne, Germany, in 1589
Stuber, Laurence: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Sturmer, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Style, Elizabeth: died in prison, at Taunton, England, in 1664
Seiler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Silberhans, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Steinbach, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Stier, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Stadelmann, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 7 November, 1586
Sutton (mother) (first name unknown): executed in Bedford, England in 1613
Sutton, Mary: executed in Bedford, England in 1613

Thausser, Simon, and his wife (no name given): burned at Waldsee, Germany,
in 1518
Thompson, Annaple: burned in Scotland in 1680
Tod, Beigis: burned at Lang Nydrie, Scotland, on 27 May, 1608
Treher, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 5 July, 1585
Trembles, Mary: hanged at Bideford, England in 1682
Trois-Echelles (pseud.): executed at Paris, France, in 1571 (or 1574)
Tungerslieber, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Turner, Ann: murdered in England, in 1875

Uhlmer, Barbara: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 August, 1585
Upney, Joan: hanged in Chelsford, England, in 1589
Utley, (first name unknown): hanged at Lancaster, England, in 1630

Valee, Melchoir de la: burned at Nancy, France, in 1631
Vallin, Pierre: executed  in France, in 1438
Valkenburger, (daughter) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Vaecker, Paul: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Vickar, Bessie: burned in Scotland in 1680

Wachin, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1528
Wagner, Michael: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Wagner, (first name unknown): burnt alive at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Wallace, Margaret: executed in Glascow, Scotland, in 1622
Wardwell, Samuel: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Waterhouse, (first name unknown): hanged in Dorset, England in 1565
Wanderson, (wife 1) (first name unknown): executed in England, in January,
1644.
Wanderson, (wife 2) (first name unknown): executed in England, in January,
1644.
Weir, Thomas: burned between Edinburgh and Leith, Scotland, on 11 April, 1670
Weiss, Agatha: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 October, 1586
Weydenbusch, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Whittle, Anne: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Wildes, Sarah: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Willard, John: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Willimot, Joan: executed in Leicester, England, in 1619
Wilson, Anne: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Wirth, Klingen: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Wirth, Trauben: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 5 July, 1585
Wright, Mildred: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Wuncil, Brigida: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581
Wunth, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Younge, Alse: hanged in Connecticut, North America, on 26 May, 1647
Yullock, Agnes: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622

GENERAL SECTION: THE UNKNOWNS

8000 “Stedingers” killed on 27 May, 1234
180 burned for witchcraft at Montwimer, France, on 29 May, 1239
36 Knights Templar died under torture in France, in October, 1307
54 Knights Templar burned in France, on 12 May, 1310
39 Knights Templar burned in France, on 18 March 1314
“Some” burned at Kilkenny, Ireland, 1323
200 + burned at Carcassonne, France, between 1320-1350
63 burned at Toulouse, France, in 1335
8 burned at Carcassonne, France, in 1352
31 burned at Carcassonne, France, in 1357
67 burned at Carcassonne, France, between 1387-1400
1 burned at Berlin, Germany, in 1399
“Several” witches burned alive at Simmenthal, Switzerland, circa 1400
“Several” burned at Carcassonne, France, in 1423
200 + executed in the Valais, France between 1428-1434
167 executed in l’Isere, France, between 1428-1447
16 executed in Toulouse, France, in 1432
8 executed in Toulouse, France, in 1433
150 executed in Briancon, France, in 1437
3 burnt in Savoy between 1446 and 1447
7 killed at Marmande, France, in 1453
1 burned at Locarno, Italy, in 1455
“Many” burned in Arras, France in 1459
2 burned in Burgundy, France, in 1470
3 burned at Forno-Rivara, Italy, in 1472
2 burned at Levone, in Italy, in 1474
5 burned at Forno, Italy, in 1475
12 women and “several” men burned at Edinburgh, in 1479
4 burned at Metz, Germany, in 1482
48 burned at Constance, between 1482-1486
2 burned at Toulouse, France, in 1484
2 burned in Chaucy, France in 1485
1 died in prison, at Metz, Germany 1488
3 executed at Mairange, Germany, on 17 June, 1488
2 executed at Mairange, Germany, on 25 June, 1488
3 executed at Chastel, Germany, on 26 June, 1488
3 executed at Metz, Germany, on 1 July, 1488
1 executed at Salney, Germany, on 3 July, 1488
2 executed at Salney, Germany, on 12 July, 1488
3 executed at Salney, Germany, on 19 July, 1488
1 executed at Brieg, Germany, on 19 July, 1488
2 executed at Juxney, Germany, on 19 August, 1488
5 executed at Thionville, Germany, on 23 August, 1488
1 executed at Metz, Germany, on 2 September, 1488
1 executed at Vigey, Germany, on 15 September, 1488
1 executed at Juxney, Germany, on 22 September, 1488
1 executed in France circa 1500
30 burned in Calahorra, Spain, in 1507
1 burned in Saxony, Germany, in 1510
60 burned in Northern Italy, in 1510
500 + burned in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1515
2 burned in Besancon, France, in 1521
64 burned in Val Camonica, Italy between 1518-1521
100 burned in Como, Italy, in 1523
1000 + in Como, Italy, in 1524
900 executed by Nicholas Remy (years unknown, about 15 years total)
“A large number” executed at Saragossa, Spain, in 1536
7 burned at Nantes, France, in 1549
1 burned at Lyons, France, in 1549
3 burned alive at Derneburg, Germany, on 4 October, 1555
1 burned alive at Bievires, France, in 1556
5 burned at Verneuil, France, in 1561
17,000 + in Scotland from 1563 to 1603
4 burned at Potiers, France, in 1564
1 burned at St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1569
“Many” burned in France in 1571
1 burned at St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1572
70,000 killed in England after 1573
“Several” executed in Paris, France, in 1574
80 executed in one fire at Valery-en-Savoie, France, in 1574
3 executed in Dorset, England, in 1578
36 persons executed at Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1578
18 killed at St. Oses, England, in 1582
“Several” burned in Mesolcina, Italy, in 1583
368 persons killed for witchcraft between 18 January, 1587, and 18 November,
1593, in the diocese of Treves.
1 burned at Riom, France, in 1588
133 persons burned in one day at Quedlinburg, in Germany, in 1589
48 burned in Wurttemberg, Germany, in 1589
2 burned at Cologne, Germany in 1589
54 burned in Franconia in 1590
300 burned in Bern, Switzerland, between 1591-1600
1 burned in Ghent, Holland, in 1591
9 executed in Toulouse, France, in 1595
1 burned in Ghent, Holland, in 1598
24 burned in Aberdeen, Scotland, circa 1598
77 burned in Vaud, Switzerland, in 1599
10 -daily- were burned (average) in the Duchy of Brunswick between 1590-1600
20 executed (other than those listed by name above) in the reign of King James
VI and I of England.
40,000 executed between 1600-1680 in Great Britain
205 burned at the Abbey of Fulda, Germany, between 1603-1605
“Several” witches executed in Derbyshire, England, in 1607
24 burned + 3 suicides in Hagenau, Alsace, in 1607
“A number of women” burned at Breehin, Scotland, in 1608
1 burned alive by a mob at St. Jean de Liuz, France, circa 1608
18 killed at Orleans, France, in 1616
9 hanged at Leicester, England, in 1616
8 hanged at Londinieres, France, in 1618
“Several” witches condemned at Nerac, France, on 26 June, 1619
200 + executed at Labourt, France, in 1619
2 executed at Bedford, England, in 1624
56 executions at Mainz, Germany, between 1626-1629
77 executions at Burgstadt, Germany, between 1626-1629
40 executions at Berndit, Buttan, Ebenheit, Wenchdorf and Heinbach, Germany,
between 1626-1629
8 executions in Prozelten and Amorbach, Germany between 1626-1629
168 executions in the district of Miltenberg, Germany, between 1626-1629
85 burned in Dieburg, Germany, in 1627
79 burned at Offenburg, Austria, from 1627-1629
274 executed in Eichstatt, Germany in 1629
124 executed by the Teutonic Order at Mergentheim, Germany in 1630
900 executions at Bamberg, Germany, between 1627 and 1631
22,000 (approx) executed in Bamberg, Germany between 1610 and 1840
1 hanged at Sandwich, in Kent, England, in 1630
3 executed at Lindheim, Germany in 1631
20 executed in Norfolk, England, on evidence of Matthew Hopkins, before
26 July, 1645
29 condemned, on the evidence of Matthew Hopkins, at Chelmsford, England,
on 29 July, 1645
150 killed in England in the last six months of 1645
2 executed at Norwich, England, in 1648
14 hanged at Newcastle, England, in 1649
220 + in England and Scotland, on evidence of a Scottish Witch-finder, circa
1648-1650
2 killed by a mob at Auxonne, France, in 1650
30 burned in Lindheim, Germany, between 1640-1651
900 killed in Lorraine, France (years unknown)
30,000 (approx) burned by the Inquisition (not all may have been witches)
3-4000 killed during Cromwell’s tenure in England
102 burned in Zuckmantel, Germany, in 1654
18 burned at Castle Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1658
85 executed at Mohra, Sweden, on 25 August, 1670
71 beheaded or burned in Sweden between 1674-1677
90 burned at Salzburg, Austria, in 1678
11 burned at Prestonpans, Scotland, in 1678
36 executed in Paris, France, in 1680
“Several” burned at Rouen, France, in 1684-1685
3 executed (Suzanna, Isle and Catherine (last names unknown) at Arendsee,
Germany, in 1687
36 burned at Nordlingen, Germany between 1690-1694
5 burned at Paisley, Scotland, on 10 June, 1697
9 persons burned at Burghausen, Germany, all under 16 years of age, on 26
March, 1698
1 burned at Antrim, Ireland, in 1699
“Many” burned at Spott Loan, Scotland, in 1705
2 persons killed in the Trentino, Austria, between 1716 and 1717
1 executed in France, in 1718
2 persons, a mother and daughter, burned in Scotland, in 1722
13 burned at Szegedin, Hungary, in 1728
1 burned at Szegedin, Hungary, in 1730
13 burned alive at Szegedin, Hungary on 23 July, 1738
3 burned at Karpfen, Germany, in 1744
3 burned at Muhlbach, Germany, in 1746
1 executed at Szegedin, Hungary, in 1746
1 executed at Maros Vasarheli, (nation unknown), 1752
100 + executed at Haeck, Germany between 1772 and 1779
2 burned in Poland in 1793
“Several” burned in South America during the 1800’s
1 shot by a policeman at Uttenheim, Germany, on suspicion of being a were-
wolf, in November, 1925
1 murdered in Pennsylvania in 1929

for a total of 236,870 (unknowns listed)

REFERENCES:

THE BOOK OF DAYS
W. J. Bethancourt III (unpublished ms.)

CHRONICLE OF THE WORLD
Jerome Burne; Ecam, 1990

A NATURAL HISTORY OF UNNATURAL THINGS
Daniel Cohen; McCall, 1971

NEVER ON A BROOMSTICK
Frank Donovan; Bell, 1971

A HISTORY OF SECRET SOCIETIES
Arkhon Daraul; Citadel, 1962

THE WEAKER VESSEL
Antonia Fraser, Borzoi, 1984

EXTRAORDINARY POPULAR DELUSIONS AND  MADNESS OF  CROWDS
Charles MacKay; L.C.Page, 1932
(orig. pub. 1841)

THE HISTORY OF MAGIC AND THE OCCULT
Kurt Seligmann; Harmony Books, 1975

THE GEOGRAPHY OF WITCHCRAFT
Montague Summers, University Books, 1965

TREASURY OF WITCHCRAFT
Harry E. Wedeck; Philosophical Library, 1961

SOUNDINGS IN SATANISM

pp 46-54. ISBN 0 264 64627 4

Your Animal Spirit for Wednesday, August 22 – The Butterfly

Your Animal Spirit for Today
August 22, 2012

 

Butterfly

Beautiful butterfly has fluttered into your reading to remind you of the powerful transformational energies at work in your life. If something important seems to be stagnating, know that transformation is at work just below the surface—and just like the caterpillar, the “cocooned” situation you’re fretting about is about to be freed.

Spell A Day – New England Healing Charm

Spell A Day – New England Healing Charm

 

If you are lucky enough to have an apple tree in your garden or local park, you can perform a healing spell. To start, braid 24-inch red, white, and black threads together while thinking about the illness you want to be rid of. Visualize braiding it into the threads. Go out into the garden and using your right hand, tie your left hand to an apple tree with the thread. Be sure to leave a loose loop. Slip your hand out of the loop and walk home without looking behind you, being aware that you are leaving the disease behind. The apple tree will transmit the negativity into the earth, where Mother Earth will absorb and transform it.

by: Anna Franklin

Llewellyn and GrannyMoon’s Morning Feast

LEPIDOLITE

LEPIDOLITE

SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION: Lepidolite a potassium, lithium, aluminum
fluorsilicate mica. Its chemistry is complex: K(Li,Al)3(Si,Al)4O10-
(F,OH)2. It is pink, lilac, yellowish, grayish white or a combination of
all of these. The streak is colorless. It is one of the softer stones,
with a hardness of 2-1/2 to 3.

ENVIRONMENT: Lepidolite is confined to granite pegmatites, where it
occurs either as fine-granular masses near the core of the pegmatite or
as stubby or tabular crystals in cavities. It is commonly associated
with microcline, quartz, and tourmaline.
2619

OCCURENCE: Large fine masses of lepidolite have been mined at the
Stewart Pegmatite at Pala, and superb sharp crystals have been obtained
from the Little Three Pegmatite near Ramona, both in San Diego Co.,
California. It has also been mined in substantial amounts in several New
England states and in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

NAME: The name comes from the Greek [lepidos], meaning ‘scale’, in
allusion to the scaly aggregates in which the mineral commonly occurs.

……………………………………………………………………..
2620

LEGEND and LORE: Lepidolite is a stone that could certainly be con-
sidered “new age” in the sense that it is just now coming into recogni-
tion by healers and magicians. There is no “past lore” on this stone, to
the best of my knowledge.  Part of this may be due to the fact, that it
is native to the United States.

MAGICAL PROPERTIES: “This stone soothes anger, hatred or any other
negative emotion. To quiet the entire house, place lepidolite stones in
a circle around a pink candle.” (2)

HEALING: Lepidolite is also know as the “Dream Stone”. It will protect
the individual from nightmares, especially those caused by stress or an
upset in personal relationships. It can be used in the same types of
circumstances as Kunzite, namely for manic depression or schizophrenia.

NOTES: Lepidolite has been used as a source of lithium. The above
description of the appearance of this stone may be deceiving, as I found
Cunningham’s to be, also. All of the specimens of this stone that I have
seen so far have been grey to a pale lavendar grey with “sparkles” of
the lithium mica embedded in it. The heart-shaped cabuchon that I have
also has very distinctive crystals of rubellite (pink tourmaline) and
veins of white running through it. I was originally looking for a MUCH
brighter lavendar stone. It is unusual, also, to find specimens that are
cut and polished. Usually the stone is too “crumbly” to take a good
polish. However, it is equally handsome in rough form.

                      ——-bibliography——-

1. Scientific, Environment, Occurence and Name are from (or paraphrased
from) “The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and
Minerals”.

2. Legends and Lore, Magical Properties are from “Cunningham’s En-
cyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic”, by Scott Cunningham.

Earth Science Photo of the Day for December 26th

Crabapples in Snow

December 26, 2011

Crabapples-in-Snow

Photographer: Ron Chapin; Ron’s School Website
Summary Author: Ron Chapin; Jim Foster

These festive looking crabapples were photographed near Sidney, New York, after an impressive, early-season snowfall. On October 29, 2011, a strong nor’easter dumped as much as 24 in (61 cm) of snow in interior, upland areas of New England and New York. Higher elevations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia were also snow covered. October snowfall in the northeast U.S. isn’t really rare; neither are nor’easters in October, but this storm was a record setter in that it produced so much snow so early in the season. The 4 in (10 cm) of snow that fell near Sidney melted away rather quickly — temperatures were well above freezing the day following the storm when this photo was taken. However, the added mass of snow on many trees still holding onto their leaves caused considerable limb damage and seriously compromised electrical power. Some unlucky residents in Connecticut were without electricity two weeks after the storm departed.

Your Daily Feng Shui Tip for December 9th

Even though he one of the most celebrated and beloved clowns of all time (Emmett Kelly, Sr. was the first to portray him), I would say that at this holiday time of year we can all relate to his famous character, Weary Willy. On this ‘Weary Willy Day’ I thought it might be time to take a look at some quick ‘pick-me-ups’ from the world of holistic health and healing. If you feel tired first thing in the morning you may want to try an old New England tonic that could put some spring back into your shopper’s steps. Blend together one cup of warm water, two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and one teaspoon of honey. Drink it down and do this for at least one week straight. You should soon see a significant difference in your energy and possibly even a small one in your weight! Another way to wake up your energy and your metabolism in the morning is to start the day with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. Squeeze the juice of one half grapefruit into a glass of warm spring water and drink it down. And I would be remiss at this time of year not to mention the quick lift that figs can give. Figs have a natural, slow burning sugar so they can get you up and at ’em no matter how tired you thought you were. In fact, any of these tips can kill the tired in no time at all!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Reclaiming Our Birthright

Reclaiming Our Birthright

Earth-Magick, Culture and Ritual

by Erik van Lennep

 

“Time is not a line/Leading ever farther from where we are/But fluid dreams and memories/Where ancestors and someday-children/Take us by the hand.” – From “Initiation I,” by Erik van Lennep, 1992

On a warm day in late September, I walked through the Vermont woods to arrive where 16-year old Nathan waited beside a beaver pond. “Are you ready?” I asked, and smiling with nervous excitement, he said he was.

Turning, I led him back into the woods, until we reached a natural gateway formed by two large paper birch trees flanking the path. At this point, I asked Nathan if he was certain he wanted to continue on, and he replied with a sober yes. “Good,” I said, “now take off all of your clothes and hand them to me.” As he did so, I said, “You now are nameless and homeless, and naked as you entered life, you shall remain empty. You have nothing but what you carry within you.”

Having grown up in a rural setting where swimsuits are generally considered superfluous, if not downright annoying, and being a child of the 1970s and ’80s, the requirement he disrobe was hardly as shocking for Nathan as it might have been for an urban youth. It did, however, place him immediately into a nonordinary state of awareness, a prerequisite for powerfully transformative experience. I have also discovered that full exposure of the skin heightens a person’s sensitivity to the surrounding environment: Each nuance of breeze registers upon the skin, and it becomes necessary to slow down and to pay close attention to the act of walking. Textures underfoot become more noticeable, as well as one’s passing through vegetation types, and the movement from sun to shadow. The feel of the surrounding landscape becomes a living presence in a way that simply does not ordinarily register while clothed. The symbolism of being ritually pared down to the basics was not lost upon Nathan either.

We hiked the remaining quarter of a mile to a campsite I had prepared for his coming-of-age ritual. Twice more along the way we stopped, and I again asked if he wanted to return home. After the third time, there would be no turning back. Each time, as he responded with increasing confidence that he wished to proceed, the nature of the walk became more demanding, until the last 100 yards where I led him blindfolded through heavy brush to the clearing where we would spend the next three days and nights.

Coming of age is marked by confusion, particularly within industrialized cultures such as that of the United States. This confusion is why traditional societies have always marked this major life transition with ceremonies and ritual. Ceremony calls attention to the importance of the event, celebrating it with community recognition and support, while ritual weaves the person and event into a fabric of meaning and tradition. Although our industrialized society has attempted to refocus its members on consumerism as a substitute for spirituality, the need for community, ceremony and ritual remains strong.

It was no surprise that Nathan found his sixteenth birthday marked by a sense of profound disappointment. In our society, there are momentous expectations focused around 16-year-olds. They are led to believe that new worlds will open before them, while they themselves feel they have arrived at adulthood. But usually the transition is marked by nothing more than a piece of paper certifying the capability and the right to drive a car, which in many cases the 16-year-old has been driving already. Certainly, a driver’s license heralds a new level of freedom and, we hope, responsibility, but it hardly provides the recognition required to celebrate a major life change. Nathan and I discussed this around the time of his birthday, and I mentioned to him that if he wanted to mark the occasion with something more meaningful, he and I could probably devise something appropriate.

About two months later, I had a series of dreams characterized by intense imagery, which I later realized were pieces of some sort of ritual. It felt as if they were being shown to me for some purpose beyond my own dream work. Subsequently, the images came with increasing frequency and clarity, until by early summer I was “dreaming” pieces of ritual as I hiked in the hills surrounding my village. When I became aware that these visions and dreams collectively represented a coming-of-age ritual, I knew that the ritual was meant for Nathan. I told him what had been happening and that I wanted to offer a ceremony to him as a gift, and he accepted.

In preparation, I showed him a basic breath meditation technique and gave him a series of individualized exercises to combine with the meditation, as well as a list of questions designed to inspire thought about where he fit into his community, his sense of responsibility toward the Earth and his own self-image. For the next 10 weeks, he worked with the exercises and questions he had been given.

Vermont is still one of the most rural of the lower 48 states. Populations of animals once thought to be locally extinct or greatly reduced, such as moose, coyotes and cougars, are actually increasing. However, it is primarily a landscape of small farms and biologically impoverished woodlot and forest regrowth. It hardly could be termed wilderness by today’s exacting standards.

Throughout the reforested hills, one comes across rusted barbed wire, stone walls, old cellar holes and the occasional relic of an old still or plough. A variety of conifers and hardwoods push through the debris of the last three centuries and deposit an ever-deepening carpet of leaves, which softly and slowly shrouds the evidence of abandoned agriculture until iron and steel implements become knit into the forest skeleton of glacial rocks and fallen tree trunks. Despite repeated attempts to reshape the landscape of Vermont to fit some more agriculturally or industrially productive model, the land and weather seem instead to reshape the people who come here. The magick and power of the Earth are very close to the surface.

It was through this landscape that we hiked to another beaver pond. The leaves were beginning to turn the flaming shades that make New England famous but had not yet begun to drop to the ground. For me, autumn is a time when the woods begin to hum with energy, peaking in early November, when the air is crackling with magick. The entire forest smells of summer’s sweet ripening, overlaid by the aroma of countless fungi. Nathan had selected the site for his ceremony, and a few days earlier as part of his “ordeal” carried in water, canvas tarps, a stack of cordwood and a number of melon-sized rocks for a sweat-lodge firepit. The morning we began, I arranged the camp, built a small sweat lodge and a somewhat larger sleeping lodge and screened the site with brush barriers jumbled into place to resemble natural blow-downs.

All of this preparation served to create a site that struck Nathan as new and unfamiliar when I removed his blindfold upon arrival. For the remainder of our stay, despite frosty mornings and one evening of drizzling rain, we were both naked, to continue the sense of being outside ordinary experience. By the end of our stay, we had both become so comfortable that it was equally startling to pull on clothing and cut off much of the contact between inner and outer environments.

Although I had initially described the ceremony we were beginning as a coming of age, I had begun to think of it in the terms of “bringing Nathan through” a transition between realities or worlds. It is difficult to say exactly where the pieces of ritual originated, and to a certain extent it does not matter, and I certainly did not question the process at the time. I worked with my own intuition, subconsciously assembling seemingly disparate pieces into a meaningful pattern. In retrospect, the pieces came from the six years I had known Nathan and his family, from a lifetime spent in the Eastern forests, from a long time study of European and other mythologies and folklore, from my own personal spiritual practices, from years of close work with Indigenous colleagues and friends and no doubt from the world of ancestors and the Earth Herself. I experienced the process as flowing and integrated and highly energizing. I opened myself to the inspiration fully and without question. I had a general sense of the order I wanted to follow, but many of the techniques I used to create transitions or to open doors of awareness occurred quite spontaneously and even astounded me at their effectiveness.

At times during the ritual, we would work at a particular exercise for a while with little result and then decide to move on to something else, as the approach was not working. During the night, I would then dream of a way to free the blocked energy and try the new method upon awakening to find it worked beautifully. By this point, Nathan and I had established such rapport with one another and the process that I would have been disappointed had the answer not come in the night.

The transition from childhood to manhood for Nathan was marked by discussion of responsibility and community, of family and self-image, of sexuality and spirit. The material we used to compose the three-day ritual was based upon universal practices (virtually all peoples on Earth have a sweat tradition somewhere in their history) and upon practices from Nathan’s own ethnic background, as far as he knew it. For some of the European Earth-centered ritual, we reached back to Ice Age symbolism and carried it through to its contemporary expression in the form of antler dances, which have been handed through European folk traditions in an unbroken chain. This unbroken chain is critical, because without cultural relevance ritual remains a superficial and rather alien exercise.

The first evening, Nathan became the fire keeper, and he began to consciously separate himself from his parents and his childhood. Because his parents were divorced, and because he had been having a great deal of trouble communicating with his father for some time, I “fathered” him that night by wrapping his shoulders in a blanket, holding him in my arms and telling him stories about my own childhood and adolescence.

Two days before we entered the woods, Nathan began a fruit and juice fast, and by the day we began, both he and I were on a juice and ginseng tea fast, which we maintained until the last night. The clarity brought about through fasting enabled us both to tune into subtle energies very easily. Working with breath meditation techniques for grounding and centering, I showed Nathan how to consciously pull Earth energy from the bedrock and up through his body and then reground it. Working with the exercises I had given him earlier, he channeled energy directly through his emotions, shifting from emotion to emotion at will. He was able to lean against a large pine and feel the energy coursing up and down beneath the bark, and we played games by passing energy back and forth between our palms.

In another part of my work with Nathan, I discussed sexuality. It seems important in these times of acute social and family dysfunction to prepare young people for the bewildering array of information, on-and-off relationships and poor communication surrounding them, and the intentional, subliminal attempts by Madison Avenue to confuse the areas of sexuality, consumerism, power and need. I wanted to address the fact that Nathan would be involved with others who might use sexuality as a manipulative tool. I explained to him that magick, Earth energy and sexual energy were all the same, and that with practice, a person could flow from one to the other at will. We talked about sex as a gift coming from Mother Earth, and a gift which two people bring together from their own places of joy, to share with one another. Although Nathan was inexperienced and my points were all theoretical for him at the time, I hoped that, later in life when he became sexually active, our conversation would come back to him and help him remain centered.

We talked also about how all life reflects itself in structure and intricacy throughout the levels of form and energy, from the atomic to the galactic. We used examples from Nathan’s upbringing on the land but examined them in the new light of Nature being magick and energy. I pulled back the top layers of leaf mulch to show Nathan the fungal hyphae – the network of white threads that constitute the true body of mushrooms and that serve to knit the forest ecosystem together through mycorhizzal connections between tree roots. We watched the beavers at dusk as they cut saplings down around our camp, and we marked the boundaries of our site by peeing on trees to keep raccoons and their ilk from raiding us.

We alternated between energy exercises and imagery, using dance and body painting to enact conscious transitions between points before and after becoming adult. At one point, Nathan was pulling energy directly from the Earth so quickly that his whole frame vibrated like a taut sail. At another time, I had him oil his entire body copiously and then go wait in the darkened sweat while meditating on his worst fears. Meanwhile I filled my hair with white clay and covered my body with black and red clay to become a monster. I shook the frame of the sweat and demanded he come out and face me. He chased me around and around the campsite while I jeered him for his timidity, and though he caught me several times, his oily body allowed me to slip out of his grasp. (Fear can be very elusive.) Finally, he covered his hands and arms with enough pine needles to wrestle me down and then dragged me into the pond, pushed me under and washed off the clay to unmask his fear and render it harmless.

At the end of our last day, I returned Nathan’s clothing to him and constructed a door-sized hoop of alder and oiled jute cord near the fire. Nathan put back on his clothing, which had been selected to represent portions of his childhood he would be leaving behind, and then stood by the fire. As he took each garment off again, he attached some qualities of his former self which he wished to grow beyond, and then consigned it to the fire. When he felt ready, I lit the hoop and pulled him through the flaming gateway into the adult world. I handed him a new set of clothes, which he decided to lay aside until the hike out, and we broke our fast together as brothers.

From the moment that Nathan stepped out of the woods, where his family and friends awaited him with a welcoming ceremony, he seemed different. He was far more self-assured, and his body language was more confident. His family and friends all commented upon the remarkable difference. For months afterward and even today, where previously he and his friends used to hang out in a fairly random arrangement of bodies and postures, his friends now cluster around him, as if oriented toward the warmth of a campfire. He tells me that he received compliments from a female friend in his high school as being one of the few males in their group who was in touch with his feelings.

On several occasions since that time, I have been with Nathan when he used the techniques he learned during his initiation to deal with an emotionally trying situation. Once when a mutual friend was slowly dying of cancer and we needed to be there for him in strength, I watched Nathan go outside on a bitter December night, ground himself and form a link between the Earth and stars until he was filled with clear energy. He came back inside and poured that energy into our friend, who visibly responded with renewed vigor for the next few hours.

Though for Nathan I was able to create a ritual that worked, there are a few fairly daunting obstacles to creating meaningful wilderness ritual in contemporary America. First, wilderness itself is in short supply, and by strict definition (that is, untouched by obvious human presence or activity) practically nonexistent. Second, for ritual to be meaningful it must not only contain recognizable symbolism that stirs the individual, but also that symbolism must be somehow culturally appropriate in order to have any deep meaning.

In addition, truly powerful ritual is not spontaneously created but must grow over time, as it is layered by repetition and cycles through generations. We are at a profound disadvantage in creating or finding such ritual in the industrialized world, particularly those of us in America who are descended from disjointed immigrant cultures. As if these issues were not sufficiently problematic, members of the dominant culture within industrialized society in the United States, primarily Euro-Americans, tend to carry a set of precepts about reality that create still more barriers between the individual and a rewarding expression of spirituality through ritual. A good place to begin the search for meaning and ceremony is an examination of our own cultural attitudes.

Here are a few attitudes which I have found necessary to revise in order to make room for spiritually fulfilling and Earth-focused ritual:

1. We assume wilderness does not include people. This attitude is a uniquely Western perspective based in large part upon (male) domination of “virginal” lands. It creates a perpetual separation between humanity and the rest of natural life, a system of law that does not recognize aboriginal tenure of wildlands and a philosophy that “improves” land by destroying it. Conversely, when we can see that the majority of human cultures have coexisted with wildlands, that traditional societies practice sustainable management and that the wilderness experienced by European explorers was simply land where other peoples implemented sophisticated wildlife and land management the Europeans did not understand, we can drop the mystique of the great uninhabited wilderness and begin to develop a more nurturing relationship between ourselves and the Earth, wherever we may live. Don’t wait for a trip to the Yukon or the Sierras to get in touch with your spirit. Go out in your yard and sit with the dandelions.

2. We assume that, when creating or recreating Earth-based rituals, it’s acceptable to appropriate bits and pieces from other cultures to assemble something new. This is a very touchy subject. Traditional peoples who have had virtually every other aspect of their lives appropriated as “resources” by industrialized society are tired of being mined for their rituals. At the same time, people who are still spiritually in touch with the Earth wish others would get the message and stop plundering the planet. As heirs to the cultural dismemberment that accompanies industrialization, many of us are aching to fill the spiritual void we feel. When we come into contact with traditions or imagery that suggest a stronger and mystical connection to the Earth, we are attracted and want them for ourselves. Many of us are so disenchanted or appalled by the direction our own society has taken we want to jump ship for a way of life that seems more in tune with our values.

The problem is that no matter how far we may run, we still carry with us most of our Westernized, urbanized, industrialized attitudes. Many such attitudes are problematic, such as the idea that if we see something we like, we can simply take it or buy it. We have also been conditioned to concentrate on the image or surface of what we encounter while ignoring the content, so when we encounter traditional ritual we feel that if we can somehow possess the trappings of ceremony we have the key to the door of spirituality. But spirit comes from within, and the material symbols that a people evolves to use in ritual are just that: symbols. They signify complex concepts that can only be understood by persons raised within the traditions to which they belong. Further, traditional Indigenous spirituality and ceremony are inseparable from culture and geography, since all have coevolved and are mutually reinforcing. In addition, Earth-based spirituality is by its very nature more visceral than conceptual. It cannot be analyzed; it must be felt. No matter how much we want it, no matter how much we are willing to pay, no matter how loudly we protest or how facile our justifications and denial, if it isn’t ours we cannot truly have it.

The idea of unequivocal inaccessibility is one that our cultural biases find extremely difficult to accept. It’s a mind-wrenching concept. Here is another one: In our lifetimes, we may not ever see the creation of ceremony, rituals and traditions that both belong to us and have a power and relevance equal to those of our Indigenous neighbors. However, if we start now our great-grandchildren may share a spiritual groundedness that approaches what we strive for. The lag comes from the time required to repeat and layer ceremony through many seasonal cycles and human generations before it truly roots itself as traditional ritual.

This is not to say that we cannot devise an entire constellation of personally fulfilling and spiritually engaging rituals right now. But which material we choose to work with makes a significant difference between deluding ourselves and disrespecting our neighbors on the one hand, and reconnecting with our own birthrights on the other. In my opinion, when we find ourselves attracted by Indigenous spiritual ways, the healthy attitude is one of inspiration, not emulation.

3. We assume our own, often European, traditions of celebrating the Earth and its cycles are lost in time – in other words, “you can’t go back.” It may come as a surprise to consider that the Western concept of time as linear and irreversible is only a cultural perspective, but so it is. In fact, for many of the very cultures that have attracted attention lately, time runs in cycles, or flows in many directions, or even allows past, present and future to occupy the same space. Certainly for all of our ancestors, time flowed differently than it does today. When we open ourselves to the possibility of time behaving differently than we have been taught, then the traditions of our own ancestry, our birthrights, become immediately more accessible. Certainly unraveling the tangles of lineage may take some work, but any single line will eventually lead back to a point when the people were Indigenous, in tune with the Earth, and when they celebrated their spirituality with meaningful rituals, rituals rightfully our own. It certainly is no greater stretch to rediscover, reclaim or rebuild meaningful cultural and spiritual ties to an ancestor from Friesland, the Czech Republic, Romania or Scotland, or for that matter Lascaux, than it is for a Euro-American to legitimately lead an Ojibwe or Lakota sweat lodge.

The question is really not one of going back in time. It is one of getting back on track.