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