Witchcraft And Superstitious Record In The South Western District Of Scotland

Book review: Witchcraft And Superstitious Record In The South Western District Of Scotland by John Maxwell Wood

Witchcraft persecutions really began in England in 1563 with the statute of Elizabeth I, much later than elsewhere in Europe, but did not really become fully developed until the reign of James I. Various estimates have been given of the number of persons hanged as witches in England during the period of laws against witchcraft ( 1542-1736) but the probable number is around 1,000. The first person definitely known to be hanged for witchcraft in modern times was Agnes Waterhouse at Chelmsford in 1566, the last was Alice Molland at Exeter in 1684. The last person to be found guilty of the crime of witchcraft was in 1712 when Jane Wenham, the Wise Woman of Walkern. She was reprieved.

English witchcraft trials took a different direction from those of Europe. In England there were generally no elements of extreme torture, such as those used by the Inquisition, nor were witches burned at the stake as was the universal practice elsewhere. Under English law burning was the penalty for treason and those witches who were burned in England suffered this fate because they were convicted of the crime of “Petty Treason”, usually for murdering their husbands.

Nor were there mass executions in England such as those in France and Germany. The largest groups in England were nineteen witches hanged at Chelmsford in 1645, and the nine Lancashire witches sent to the gallows in 1612.

Peculiarly English features of witchcraft trials were the concepts of “pricking” to locate the devils mark and the use of “possessed”children as accusers, a feature that was to recur in the Salem trials in America. The relative simplicity of English trials and the absence of many of the satanic features of their continental counterparts was probably due to the absence of a centralised persecuting body such as the Inquisition. In England too there was open debate about, and opposition to, the concept of witchcraft which acted as a restraining influence.

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Keywords: science breath  delusion connecticut 1697  some frequently  essay practices magick  three fold transformation  lottery spells and gambling spells  

Beginning Witchcraft Even More Very Basics

Questions:

1. Who first practiced witchcraft, is there a certain group?
2.Can witches actually read minds, or is there a trick, and can they tell the future?
3.Can witches make objects fly, or is that another one of them make believe fairy tales?
4. I hear that witches have certain names. Is that for a certain reason?
5. Can you do a spell to make yourself a better person? How about to have someone like you, or get money, etc.
6. How does the Three Fold Law work? If you pick on someone youll have it back on you three times? Or does it only work for spells?
7. I have practiced witchcraft before, now you said that that makes you a witch. What if that spell doesnt work? How do you know if a spell did?
8. Youve probably answered this but not in those wordsCan you be born into witchcraft?

Answers:

1) Nobody really knows. It is believed by many scholars that forms of Paganism were amongst the first religions ever practiced. Though those Pagans are quite a bit different than those of today. Wicca, on the other hand, is a fairly new religion originating with Gerald Gardner in 1939.

2) Can witches read minds or tell the future... That is an interesting question. People claim that I can read minds. I think it has more to do with understanding how people in general think (applied psychology) than anything else. As for telling the future, I have been told I am very good with a Tarot deck, and I've predicted events. Someone examining the events very closely may put it up to coincidence or educated guesses, but I've been correct too often to get that lucky.

3) Make things fly? In my experience, that's a tale. Some people will tell you differently.

4) Often witches go by a second name. For some, it is a way to feel more magickal, or to get into a specific mood. Just like many people use different names on the Internet. In many cases, a second name is also used to protect their legal name if they are afraid to give out their real name.

5) Yes. We'll need to go into the concepts behind how spells work. Some you can expect to work better than others. Spells for things like self-improvement are almost always the strongest.

6) The three-fold law is based on how you treat others, and your intent when working magick. This could also use some further discussion. But if you try to emotionally hurt someone, than you're very likely to get hurt even worse. Of course, the opposite is true. If you help someone, it's likely that you'll get help in return. (Yes, this is one of the reasons why Pagans and Wiccans like doing nice things!) In my experience, Pagan or not, the rule of three applies in the world.

7) The real question is, do you consider yourself a Witch? How do you know if it worked? Depends on the spell!

8) Can you be born into Witchcraft? Just as much as you can be born into Christianity or Judaism. Any religion or practice requires some teaching. However, some people are more likely to accept one set of beliefs over another regardless of what their parents brought them up as.

Bright Blessings

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The Calling To The First Of Witch Blood An Invocation Of Cain

Book: The Calling To The First Of Witch Blood An Invocation Of Cain by Michael Ford

A short dedication to the Luciferian Sabbat and those seeking their own light within the gnosis of the Adversary. The initiation of the witch into the Circle of Cain, the living Son of Satan and Lilith, the great Harlot and Demoness, the Adversarial deific force of dark instinctual desire and willed continual existence.

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Magikal Path Labels

There are typically 3 labels used to define the practice or an individual within the Craft community.

* Solitaire - A person who has dedicated their spiritual life to a pagan path and are practicing alone or within their immediate family unit.
* Practioner - A person who has dedicated their spiritual life to a specific tradition and practices alone or within their family unit.
* Coven Memeber - A person who has been initiated within a formally organized coven, clan, grove or the like

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A Short History Of The Salem Village Witchcraft Trials

Book: A Short History Of The Salem Village Witchcraft Trials by Martin Van Buren Perley

This short history meets that earnest desire; it gives the origin, growth, and death of the hideous monster; it gives dates, courts, and names of places, jurors, witnesses, and those hanged; it names and explains certain "men and things" that are concomitant to the trials, with which the reader nuiy not be conversant and which are necessary to the proper setting of the trials in one's mind; it compasses the salient features of witchcraft history, so that the story of the 1692 "delusion" may be garnered and entertainingly rehearsed.

The careful reader may discover, between the lines, in questions, in answers, and in the strange exhibitions, the real state of mind pervading all, which has been mildly characterized as a "delusion"; also he may be able to compare the Mosaic, the 1692, and the modern spirit manifestations, and advantageously determine for himself what is worth while in modern spiritualism, mindreading, clairvoyance, mesmerism, and the rest.

Though men of education, religion, titled dignity, and official station, of the professions and the 61ite, were responsible for the horrible cataatrophy, and in one instance or more forced the yeoman jurors to convict (who at the end signed recantations and expressed their grief), — religion and education must not be undervalued; a religious education will yield the highest type of manhood.

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The Book Of The Witch Moon

Book: The Book Of The Witch Moon by Michael Ford

Presenting the forbidden works of Chaos, Vampiric and Luciferian Sorcery. A grimoire which explores the dark feminine current of HECATE, Witch Moon explores ritual and dream Lycanthropy, Chaos Sorcery and Luciferian Ritual practice as well as the darksome practice of Vampirism and Predatory Spirituality. The Nine Angles and the Trapezoid workings, inspired by Anton LaVey and presented around the cult of Daeva-Yasna, the persian demon-sorcery of Yatuk Dinoih. Contains the rituals of Dream, ritual and astral vampirism as an initiatory tool, other Cabalistic workings presenting the Qlippoth. Contains the Grimoire based on Ancient Egyptian Vampirism, LIBER AAPEP, Luciferian Magick practice, The Chaos Cult Workings of Choronzon as Vampire, The Rites of Hecate, the Infernal and Luciferian Sabbat, and the foundations of Satanic practice in Magick.

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The Religion Of The Ancient Celts

Book: The Religion Of The Ancient Celts by John Arnott Macculloch

Originally published in 1911 MacCulloch uses various texts as a source to piece this tome on the religion of the pre-Christian Celts together. Overall a good work, especially when you consider this was written before most, if not all, of the major archaeological finds that gave great insight into the ancient Celts. I love reading historical books that were published in the 1800's and early 1900's because the authors are not chained by political correctness and were often willing to think outside the box instead of toeing the line of mainstream academia.

Well worth its price, the work is suitable to the general public, while still valuable to those interested in the Celts from an historic, linguistic, mythological or ethnological standpoint. MacCulloch covers his subject matter clearly and thoroughly (referencing such things as parallels with Greek mythology and Sumerian religion) and writes in a style that will satisfy the expert without mystifying or losing the attention of the amateur.

The main text is 390 pp, is fully referenced in footnotes, and is fully indexed. Chapter titles include: Gods of Gaul - The Irish Cycle - Tuatha De Danaan - Gods of the Brythons - Cuchulainn Cycle - Fionn Saga - Gods and Men - Cult of the Dead - Nature Worship - River and Well Worship - Tree and Plant Worship - Animal Worship - Cosmogony - Sacrifice, Prayer & divination - Taboo - Festivals - The Druids - Magic - Etc...

Although the book may be "dated", it is not "outdated". Given the scholarly standards of its time, this may be more of a virtue than a drawback. More recent results in the area are naturally not addressed. But the work is consistent with comparative methods, and considers the consensus without neglecting competing accounts. There is neither neo-Druidic nonsense nor needless pedantry. While the study is generally limited to the culture of the British Isles, as opposed to that of the Continent, this is due to the lack of Continental oral tradition rather than to lack of attention on the author's part.

MacCulloch is judicious. Yet he addresses issues such as the pre-Indo-European origins of the Mother-Goddess cult of Brigid, as the legends of the faerie-folk known as the "Side,"* (as in banshee) and as the stories of "Isles to the West" now sunk below the sea.

Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien will find this work enthralling and familiar, as it shows some of the sources for his magnificent "Middle-Earth." Avid youngsters, Celtophiles, students of Irish poet W.B. Yeats, followers of Marija Gimbutas (Civilization of the Goddess) and admirers of Robert Graves (The White Goddess) will likewise be pleased.

(Consider a search for MacCulloch's 1918 "Celtic Mythology" at Google Books which will return the entire public domain text. It can be browsed or downloaded in lieu of a preview here of his style.)

I can recommend this work unreservedly for readers of all persuasions. (reader's review)

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Self Initiation For The Solitary Witch

Book: Self Initiation For The Solitary Witch by Shanddaramon

In Hellenistic Greece and, most likely, far earlier in history, there existed several mystery schools. These spiritual schools existed, in theory at least, to teach people about the Great Mysteries of the gods. This learning took place in stages or degrees. Students began by dedicating themselves to a particular school of study. With each successive degree, the initiate delved into a deeper and more profound learning of these mysteries. This book brings the learning style of the mystery school to the path of the practitioner of Wicca. It divides intense learning and practice into five different degrees. Each chapter discusses a level in detail and contains a listing of the degree associations, a list of goals, a discussion of the focus of each level and its related Great Mystery, and a detailed explanation of each step in the degree, followed by a brief review. For each degree there is a color, title, prefix, number, and a list of goals.

The seeker may use these as needed. For example, the color could be used for the decoration of a robe, belt, or pendant to indicate to others the degree earned. The title can also indicate your level. The prefix can be used when referring to your name (common or magickal), and the number can refer to the level of the path. As always, these trappings are to be used only if doing so appeals to you. For those who do not wish to wear robes, pendants, or fancy belts, or who do not wish to discuss or share with others their progress, these adornments are pointless. If, however, they create a sense of fun and mystery for the seeker, then use them in this manner—for fun is a great part of this religion. Using any of these items to differentiate you from others solely for the purpose of elitist fancies is against the theme of this path. Constant vigilance against this attitude is necessary for the dignity of this tradition. More than that, however, is the fact that such arrogance is a hindrance in spiritual development.

Each chapter also includes several charts, graphs, and tables to help you understand the concepts discussed. These are listed as Items and are numbered. These Items should be transferred to your journal or collection of notes (such as a Book of Shadows) so that you will have a quick and easy reference as you continue to study. Each of the degrees also suggests that the seeker perform a final ritual. These rituals can be as simple or as complex as desired, and may be enacted singly or with a group of people that support such an activity. It is important to mark one’s progress, and such rituals are a fitting and meaningful way to do so. The first ritual that will be introduced will be the Dedication ceremony. Strictly speaking, this ceremony will not be a full-blown Wiccan ritual because little of the ritual practice will have been learned at this point. It will, instead, be a simply designed ceremony. Learning how to do rituals will be a main focus of early development, and the initiation ritual practiced at the end of every degree is a good way to practice and refine what has been learned. I recommend that each degree take a minimum of a year and a day of study, but you will be able to best determine your own rate of development.

Download Shanddaramon's eBook: Self Initiation For The Solitary Witch

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A Witchs Beverages And Brews Magick Potions Made Easy

Book: A Witchs Beverages And Brews Magick Potions Made Easy by Patricia Telesco

This book is dedicated to good friends, without whom there would be little worthy of toasting. Specifically, to Walker, I promise never to serve you anything other than Coors Light and Sam Adams again. Rowan, Kit, and Danya, you can
show this to him when he gets uppity. To Maggie, AJ, Wade, Diane, Betsy, Talyn, Corwyn, T’sa, the Guardians, and many others who never forget a cold beer and a warm smile. And finally, to all the wonderful festival coordinators everywhere, who deserve far more thanks for their time and efforts than any one dedication can manage. Without you, our community would be sorely wanting. Cheers!

Buy Patricia Telesco's book: A Witchs Beverages And Brews Magick Potions Made Easy

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False Memory Syndrome And The Inquisition

Book: False Memory Syndrome And The Inquisition by Summer Woodsong

Memories are modified by circumstance and environment There is a new witch hunt in the United States. It has no need for proof and there is no reprieve. It is sufficient to be accused, and the lingering stench never fades. It is sexual abuse of children. The accusers are children with recovered memories of abuse and the accused are their parents. My interest in the current therapy of recovered memories has to do with the physiological aspects of the memories created.

If we look at witch hunts in history there is much evidence both written and pictorial that we as a species are able to create, believe and promote unreal events and circumstances. When asked to think of unimaginable horrors most people can dredge up horrors that rival and surpass the worst available on today's' theater. If circumstances favor it, these horrors become real memories and part of our world. Then let's look at the how and why of our psychology. If we do not learn from these experiences we are in dread danger of suffering from these events again. It has already begun.

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Structure Your Gathering

If you’re gathering for a ritual to celebrate and esbat or sabbat, then a circle is the ideal format. But if you’re gathering for a homily, then a standard platform/audience set up might be the better environment. Most covens like to gather in Circles. Typically a circle is 9 feet in diameter. But if you have a larger group of people, you might want to make your circle larger. Or create two lines of the circle (or a circle within a circle).

As I mentioned, not everyone uses a circle. There are some groups who feel very connected to a spiritual trinity and prefer to gather in the shape of a triangle. I’ve even participated in a ritual where the group had enough members to gather in the shape of a pentagram. I know of an Egyptian group who tries to recreate the Great Pyramid and gather in a perfect square, with the Priestess standing on a small platform in the center to represent the center point of the pyramid.

The format you use to gather depends on what you feel drawn to. What you want to align your energies with and how you think you can best do that.

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The Christian Eucharist And The Pagan Cults

Book: The Christian Eucharist And The Pagan Cults by William Mansfield Groton

Publisher: London, Longmans, Green, and co. Publication date: 1914 Subjects: Lord's Supper Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text.

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Salem Possessed The Social Origins Of Witchcraft

Book: Salem Possessed The Social Origins Of Witchcraft by Paul Boyer

This is a wonderful book. Boyer and Neissenbaum take you to society and the time right before the witch trials took place. They give you all the information you need to feel what life was like there and to understand the underlying tensions and disputes, jealousies and arrogance. Things were changing. Some people wanted --and benefited from the changes-- others didn't want, and were antagonistic to, the changes. The ideal of the community was being tested by economic opportunity, which was fostering economic greed. An increasing stratified society was coming into being. Meanwhile, there was no mechanism available for petty disputes to be resolved via the courts or other public venues -- this is just a short list of the variety of problems that sat unresolved and which eventually broke loose in the hysteria of a witch hunting. This is an amazingly complex and fascinating story--the research and scholarship here is extraordinary. If you want to know what lead up to the witch trials this is the book you want to read.

Provides an admirable illustration of the general rule that, in Old and New England alike, much of the best sociological history of the Twentieth Century has only been made possible by the antiquarian and genealogical interests of the nineteenth...This sensitive, intelligent, and well-written book will certainly revive interest in the terrible happenings at Salem.
--Keith Thomas (New York Review of Books )

The authors' whole approach to the Salem disaster is canny, rewarding, and sure to fascinate readers interested in that aberrant affair. (The Atlantic )

This is an 'inner history' of Salem Village that aims to raise the events of 1692 from melodrama to tragedy...It is a large achievement. This book is progressive history at its best, with brilliant insights, well-organized evidence, maps, and footnotes at the bottom of the page.
--Cedric B. Cowing (American Historical Review )

This short book is a solid contribution to the understanding of the 1692 witch trials. The authors use impressively rich demographic detail to support the thesis that the witch trials are best explained as symptoms of typical social tensions in provincial towns at the time. According to Boyer and Nissenbaum, Salem villagers played roles determined by economic, geographic, and status interests.
--Richard Ekman (Canadian Historical Review )

An important, imaginative book that brings new insights to the study of the 1692 witchcraft outbreak in Massachusetts. Building on Charles Upham's Salem Witchcraft (1867), Boyer and Nissenbaum explore decades of community tension and conflict in order to explain why Salem was the focus of this episode. The authors reveal a complex set of relationships between persons allied with the growing mercantile interests of Salem Town and those linked to the subsistence-based economy of outlying Salem Village.
--Carol Karlsen (Journal of Women in Culture and Society )

A provocative book. Drawing upon an impressive range of unpublished local sources, Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum provide a challenging new Interpretation of the outbreak of witchcraft in Salem Village. They argue that previous historians erroneously divorced the tragic events of 1692 from the long-term development of the village and therefore failed to realize that the witch trials were simply one particularly violent chapter in a series of local controversies dating back to the 1660s. In their reconstruction of the socio-economic conditions that contributed to the intense factionalism in Salem Village, Boyer and Nissenbaum have made a major contribution to the social history of colonial New England...[They] have provided us with a first-rate discussion of factionalism in a seventeenth-century New England community. Their handling of economic, familial, and spatial relationships within Salem Village is both sophisticated and imaginative.
--T. H. Breen (William and Mary Quarterly )

An illuminating and imaginative interpretation... of the social and moral state of Salem village in 1692. A sensitive, intelligent, and well-written book. (New York Review of Books )

A large achievement. This book is progressive history at its very best, with brilliant insights. (American historical Review )

Salem Possessed is a provocative book. Drawing upon an impressive range of unpublished local sources, Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum provide a challenging new interpretation of the outbreak of witchcraft in Salem Village... A major contribution to the social history of colonial New England... Sophisticated and imaginative. (William and Many Quarterly )

Buy Paul Boyer's book: Salem Possessed The Social Origins Of Witchcraft

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Witchcraft And Sorcery

Witchcraft and sorcery are almost identical terms as both use the magic spells, mystical or paranormal means to harness occult forces to produce desired results. Ideally speaking, persons pursuing witchcraft do not aim at producing evil results. Somehow the term sorcery is used pejoratively to denote the use of supernatural powers to produce unnatural and negative course of events.

Another factor that differentiates witchcraft from sorcery is that while sorcery can be learnt and practiced by anyone, witchcraft is considered to result from inherent mystical powers and is practiced by invisible means. Modern witches, however, claim that witchcraft can be acquired through learning as well.

Both Witchcraft And Sorcery have existed since times immemorial in all the societies and cultures around the world. In ancient Greece, witchcraft existed as early as the time when Homer lived. The legendary Medea was considered as the best known sorceress in classical times. The Roman Horace describes two witches in his famous Satires. There are several references to witches in Bible. Saul (1 Samuel 28) consulted Witch of Endor.

Though witches were hounded and persecuted as being aligned with evil spirits in the past ages, Witchcraft has acquired respectability with the passage of time. It has washed away the stigma attached to it and cleared many popular misconceptions about it.

In twentieth century, witchcraft movement termed as wicca the Craft, the Wisecraft is professed and practiced as religion.
The term wicca comes from an old English word wicca which has its origin from the Germanic root ‘wic’ and means ‘to bend or turn’. A witch is supposed to bend or turn the course of events for a good cause. Earlier the female practitioners of witchcraft were called witches, while their male counterparts were called wizards. But now the term witch is used both for male and female practitioners of witchcraft.

Witchcraft as a religion was developed in the United Kingdom by Gerald B Gardner, a British civil servant. Gardner had a life long interest in occult and supernatural forces. Witchcraft is now openly and proudly practiced in almost all the English speaking countries including the United States of America besides many traditional societies and cultures around the world. In Africa people seek medical aid for external physical problems and consult witch doctors for internal illnesses.

It is now widely believed that witches cast their spells for good objectives like love, health and wealth. Genuine believers in witchcraft do not cause harm to others. They worship God or deity or Mother Nature which is believed to possess both male and female aspects. They, however, emphasize on the female aspect or the Goddess side of the deity. Wicca is a religion of fertility. It celebrates the seasonal cycles of the nature that are central to the farming communities. The religious rites are tied to the cycles of moon which is the symbol of the power of the Goddess and also the seasons of the year.

Religious witches use their craft for the benefit of the people. They religiously follow their golden rule called The wiccan Rede which says: "An' it harm none, do what ye will.” They believe in the theory of karma that any act of witchcraft will return to its practitioner magnified three folds, whether it is good or evil.

Wicca is the most democratic and free religion in the world. There is no central authority. The witches work in loosely organized groups called covens. Some covens are made up exclusively of women, some of men while others have mixed membership. There are witches who do not join any coven at all and practice their faith alone as solitaries.

Modern witchcraft is a recreation of pagan, folk and magical rites selected from the major cultures and societies across the world such as Babylonian, Celtic, Egyptian, ancient Greek, Roman, and Sumerian Buddhism, Hinduism, and the rites of American Indians.

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Witchcraft History

Infused with mystery, fear, unbelievable and grim facts and records, Witchcraft History can be traced back to centuries.

The word ‘Witchcraft’ has been derived from the word ‘Wicca’ which means ‘the wise one’. witchcraft has been seen as a magical phenomenon, a pagan worship or religion, sorcery, and others, at different periods in Witchcraft History.

The earliest records of the concept and practice of witchcraft can be traced to the early days of humankind when witchcraft was seen as magical a phenomenon that was invoked for magical rites which ensured good luck, protection against diseases, and other reasons.

However, it was not until 1000 AD that the practice of Witchcraft and witches invoked the wrath of priests, Christianity, and members of the society. Witchcraft, seen as a religion of the ancient and traditional pagan religion which worships the feminine, earthly, and masculine aspects of God, was considered as anti-Christian and a heresy.

Held to be against the declarations and beliefs of the Church, witches were considered as evil, making pacts and connections with the Devil. It was even believed that witches engaged in practices such as flying, invisibility, killing, taming black wolves and cats to spy on people, and others.

The belief in the existence of witches was strengthened particularly after Pope Innocent VIII issued a declaration in the 1498 confirming their existence in society, and inquisition increased, although in 1200, killing of witches had already become authorised by Pope Gregory IX.

The Inquisition thus began after 1200 on orders of the Church to discover the witches or heretics who were believed to be evil and against the Church. Full-fledged killing of witches was, however, recorded in the 1500s and 1600s.

The first crusade against witches was held in 1022 AD when a witch was burned to death. Witchcraft History echoes the terrible campaign against Witchcraft in Salem in 1692 in which 150 people were tried as suspects of practicing witchcraft.

People suspected as witches were usually burned at stakes, and those pleading their innocence were either stoned to death or even sometimes thrown in water to prove their innocence. Witches usually faced severe and painful deaths or punishments.

A juxtaposition of good as well as evil views, Witchcraft History is, thus, a stock of shocking, yet hypnotising incidents of humankind and their crusade against the practice of Witchcraft.

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Origin Of Witchcraft

Witchcraft originated with the human civilization itself. The fear of the unknown and its imagined role in making our day to day life easy or difficult, created witches and their craft. Even though witchcraft as such was practiced mainly by experienced and old women, men also practiced it. Witches were the mediators between the human beings and the mysterious super powers such as spirits and angels. When a witch succeeded in resolving the apparently mysterious problem of someone, the performance was termed as magic, a process that could not be easily explained away through any logical analysis. The witches prayed to the higher powers or the spirits for help and guidance in resolving the problem by performing certain rituals and the whole process was called witchcraft.

Witchcraft, an earth based religion, was practiced in almost all the societies and cultures across the world according to local beliefs and traditions.

According to scholars of witchcraft, it was a belief system whose origin predates the majority of well known religions on this earth. It dates 40,000 years back to Paleolithic period. It has been evolving since then and its present form is quite different from what it was a thousand or five thousand years back. It did not probably have this name as well. Even different covens perform the witchcraft differently.
Archeological Discoveries

Archeological discoveries have revealed that people worshipped hunter god and fertility goddess during the Paleolithic period. This has been proved by the discovery of cave paintings which are estimated to be 30,000 years old. There is a painting that depicts a man with the head of a stag. In yet another painting, there is a pregnant woman standing in a circle with eleven other people. These relics go to prove that witchcraft is one of the oldest religions in the world. wiccan view of God and Goddess aspect of the supreme creative force predates thousands of years before Christianity.
A Craft of the Wise

In the ancient times, Witchcraft was known as ‘craft of the wise’ as the wise persons were those who followed the path of nature and were in tune with its forces, had the knowledge of herbs and medicines, gave wise counsel and were held in high esteem as Shamanic healers and leaders in the village and community. They understood that nature was superior to human beings and that human beings were simply one of the many parts of nature, both seen and unseen that combine to form one whole. As Chief Seattle said, “We do not own the earth; we are a part of it.” They understood that what we take from nature or use, we must return in kind to maintain the balance and equilibrium. The modern man has, however, forgotten this and has paid the price in form of many ecological and environmental disasters.
Modern day Witchcraft

Unfortunately for the past several hundred years the image of the witch has been associated with the evil, heathenism and unrighteousness due to prejudices created by the Christian church. Of late people have started understanding and practicing witchcraft as the true religion of God and Nature. There is renewed interest in witchcraft and witches profess to believe and practice the witchcraft with a sense of pride and confidence. The believers in New Age movement have understood witchcraft in its true perspective.

Modern witchcraft attracts believers from all walks of life and positions in society all over the world. They come together to understand the life, nature, evolution and mysteries of the universe through witchcraft. Witchcraft is the most democratic religion in the world. There is no rigid dogma and no hard-line regime except for a simple premise that we should not sow the seeds of evil if we want to reap the evil fruit multifold and secondly that we should not misuse the munificence of nature by disturbing its balance. Who would disagree?

Books You Might Enjoy:

Allen Greenfield - A True History Of Witchcraft
Louise Huebner - Witchcraft For All
Michael Bailey - Historical Dictionary Of Witchcraft
Mike Nichols - Eight Sabbats Of Witchcraft
Paul Huson - Mastering Witchcraft

How To Do Witchcraft

Witchcraft, a way of life

It must be understood that Wicca, paganism and witchcraft are clearly spiritual belief systems and a way of life. Believers in Witchcraft generally work in covens and each coven develops its own system of worship, rituals and practice in Witchcraft based on the experience and beliefs of the members. You can practice witchcraft on your own without joining any coven. Even covens are not large gatherings. Sometimes a coven exceeding a membership of 13 is considered too large and is further split into smaller groups or hives. This freedom obviously allows each individual to practice the witchcraft in his own way without subscribing to any rigid dogma or regime.

There are, therefore, no hard and fast rules about how to do witchcraft.

The first step towards learning How To Do Witchcraft is to meet people, read books and literature on witchcraft. This would enable you to understand the fundamentals of witchcraft as a religion.

The next step is to formulate your own independent opinion about witchcraft by listening to your intuition or gut feeling. If you feel uneasy with any group or belief system, immediately run away from it.

Individual Approach

The magic of witchcraft is felt by each individual in a different manner. To the blessed ones, the charge comes in a different manner. It is a moment when we feel the magic of the universe for the first time coursing through us. You experience the reality not its shadow.

When you find that there are striking similarities between what you already believe and what you find here, your confidence in your intuitive awareness shall be strengthened and you will easily communicate with others and understand them better. You need to take the following steps to learn more about how to do witchcraft’.

As already stated above, try to read every thing pertaining to witchcraft that you lay your hands upon. Your views about wicca and witchcraft will become clearer and stronger. When you have learnt as much as you can about the basic beliefs and tenets of witchcraft, you will be able to decide if the old ways are right for you.

Your own Book of Shadows

While you are studying witchcraft, you will begin to form associations and hopefully find some synergies within yourself. Keep a daily diary or a journal and keep noting your experiences. Write down why you think witchcraft is the right way of life for you. What does being a witch mean to you? What do you expect to achieve from this knowledge? Do you have any apprehensions about following this path? How do you feel about God and Goddess? What do you feel about the divine?

You should try to be absolutely honest in expressing your beliefs and ideas since the journal is your private book and no body is going to read it. The more you write the clearer you will become about your dreams. This journal will eventually evolve into your own book of shadows and assist you in defining and designing your own dedication and self-initiation ritual. This should be absolutely your own ritual. Design it the way you want to and in a way that will be most meaningful to you by following your own impulses. A dedication ritual implies exactly what it sounds to you like. You are dedicating yourself to the Witchcraft and taking a decision to live life closer to God and Nature. You are entering into a commitment to yourself and the Divine.
Follow your Instincts

There are no right or wrong questions or answers. Self questioning does not mean testing yourself, but looking within and evolving your own personal philosophy about witchcraft. This is the beauty of this religion. You are your own guide. You do not have to blindly or even strictly follow into the footsteps of others. Witchcraft is about self evolution. Your own journal will help you define and clarify your understanding of this path.

Most importantly you should listen to your inner voice which is the best counsel and will never distract you. If you find something that you read or hear is not right for you, leave it altogether.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Michael Bailey - Historical Dictionary Of Witchcraft
Mike Nichols - Eight Sabbats Of Witchcraft
Archmage Bob Andrews - Old Witchcraft Secrets
Paul Huson - Mastering Witchcraft
Michael Harrison - The Roots Of Witchcraft

The Abyss And Tabaet A Study Of Adversarial Mythology In Magick

Book: The Abyss And Tabaet A Study Of Adversarial Mythology In Magick by Michael Ford

The purpose of the following essay is to not only examine masks worn by the fallen angels throughout history as well as to examine the etymology of the spirit of self-liberation and opposition from the praxis of occult thought. The very passing of power in the Circle of Witchcraft And Sorcery is the averse way of bringing into union Daemon and Man, the intent of the Adversary is life and the immortality of the spirit. As “Luciferian Witchcraft” and “Liber HVHI” provide a foundation of sorcery which incorporates an interwoven praxis of Antinomianism and self-deification, the essential origins of the Daemonic Feminine and Masculine should be further understood by its origins.

What is regarded as common knowledge depicts that the Luciferian spirit, what is found are the associative traits and that the Adversary has existed long before Christianity. The Avestan texts as well as the Denkard provide a wealth of knowledge of Ahriman from a right hand path point of view, consider as such a veil which can only be passed through by the Great Work of initiation.

The names and cultural expressions of the Adversary are briefly explored as an Introduction, from the ancient Persian, Hebraic and even Norse, the Adversary appears in each. As tempter, war maker, wisdom bringer and devouring predatory spirit. Look to the common aspects which make the Opposer as a force of initiation.

Lucifer/Ahriman/Samael is a spirit which is made viable through the Adept his/herself, this force is expressive of the individual, thus each manifestation unique as the initiate in question.

Download Michael Ford's eBook: The Abyss And Tabaet A Study Of Adversarial Mythology In Magick

Books in PDF format to read:

Joanne Pearson - Wicca And The Christian Heritage Ritual Sex And Magic
Lisa Mcsherry - The Alchemy Of Abundance Practical Money Magic
Michael Ford - The Abyss And Tabaet A Study Of Adversarial Mythology In Magick

Halloween Spells

Book: Halloween Spells by Leo Ruickbie

Hallowe'en is traditionally a time of spells and magic. Learn more about these old seasonal charms and modern wiccan spellcraft for Samhain.

Free information sheets (typically one-page pdf documents) to download, print and re-distribute. You can hand these out to your friends, at festivals, post on forums and upload to your own website. Terms and conditions apply.

Download Leo Ruickbie's eBook: Halloween Spells

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Anonymous - White Magic Spells
Anonymous - Book Of Spells
Anonymous - Hypnotism Spells
Leo Ruickbie - Halloween And Samhain
Leo Ruickbie - Halloween Spells

Against The Neopagans

Book: Against The Neopagans by Julius Evola

Extracted from "Grundisse" by Julius Evola The Misunderstandings of the New "Paganism".

It is perhaps appropriate to point out the misunderstandings that are current at the moment in some radical circles, who believe that a solution lies in the direction of a new paganism. This misunderstanding is already visible in the use of terms such as "pagan" and "pagandom". I myself, having used these expressions as slogans in a book that was published in Italy in 1928, and in Germany in 1934, have cause for sincere regrets. Certainly the word for pagan or heathen, paganus, appears in some ancient Latin writers such as Livy without an especially negative tone. But this does not alter the fact that with the arrival of the new faith, the word paganus became a decidedly disparaging expression, as used in early Christian apologetics. It derives from pagus, meaning a small town or village, so that paganus refers to the peasant way of thinking: an uncultured, primitive, and Superstitious way. In order to promote and glorify the new faith, the apologists had the bad habit of elevating themselves through the denigration of other faiths. There was often a conscious and often systematic disparagement and misrepresentation of almost all the earlier traditions, doctrines, and religions, which were grouped under the contemptuous blanket -term of paganism or heathendom.

To this end, the apologists obviously made a premeditated effort to highlight those aspects of the pre- Christian Religions and Traditions that lacked any normal or primordial character, but were clearly forms that had fallen into decay. Such a polemical procedure lead, in particular, to the characterization of whatever had preceded Christendom, and was hence non-Christian, as necessarily anti-Christian.

Download Julius Evola's eBook: Against The Neopagans

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Bernard King - Meanings Of The Runes
Franz Bardon - Frabato The Magician
Arlo Bates - The Pagans
Julius Evola - Against The Neopagans