PAGANISM AND WITCHCRAFT

[Faeden]

There are many definitions of the word Witchcraft. Witchcraft is an ancient art, a spiritual art spanning back thousands of years. There are many different cultures and societies that use witchcraft in their religions. Many are shocked to find that Paganism is a religion at all because some people in the past used the word "Pagan" to describe a godless person; the truth is Paganism is the oldest religion on earth with the largest numbers of gods so to use the word ‘pagan’ as a godless person is a contradiction. Witchcraft (or the craft for short) is a pagan craft that works the elements of nature to cause change or to heal.

What is pagan?

A pagan is someone who worships nature and its four elements that make up the spirit of nature and life. There are many different kinds of pagans, because there are different paths such as Wicca, traditional witchcraft, Celtic witchcraft, druidism, native American spirituality, aboriginal magick and many more. All believe in the same principles, that nature is the father and mother of us all. Paganism is the trees, the animals, the moon, the sun, all that is alive, all that plays apart in the great web of life, that includes you! Pagans believe that everything has a spirit, that all spirits are connected, making up the spiritual cosmos. There is also a belief by many, that witches worship Satan and have made pacts with him to gain magical powers. This is a huge lie! Witches are pagan, the devil is a Christian belief. Pagans could not believe in such a ridiculous invention, such as the devil. This ignorant belief probably comes from Christianity’s misconceptions that the pagan god is Satan. The pagan god has antlers and is half stag, half human. They are confusing the pagan god with their devil. The Christian devil is said to be half goat, half man. So, as you can see, people’s ignorance has demonised a good peaceful religion, into something it most defiantly is not. This is why millions of witches were burned, hung and drowned to death because of their spiritual beliefs in Witchcraft.

In the U.S Witchcraft is a recognized legal religion. Here in the U.K, it’s ignored as laughable. Witches worry not! They know that their religion is valid and has been here for as long as human kind and is here to stay whether others like it or not. I have to say that if anyone reading this is thinking about becoming a pagan, note that different people act to it in different ways. Some may laugh and say such things as ‘oh come on, Witchcraft? You can’t believe in all that fairy tail nonsense. Do you fly around on a broomstick?’ Such ignorance! Another reaction is ‘That's so cool I know a real live Witch!’ Another is complete fear and they wont say much, other than think to themselves ‘I won’t anger them. I don't want to be cursed!’ Another reaction is, ‘Your going to burn in hell and your evil’. There's no guessing what people will think, so consider the ways you will be looked upon, before walking a pagan path.

Pagans also don't preach to people they view forcing beliefs on people as wrong, they also believe that no religion is wrong. All are worshipping the maker in there own way. For the pagan god and the goddess are looking at us all as there children so as long as you live life in a caring and good manner, they are happy, however you choose to worship them. Even if you don't worship at all, you are still one of nature’s creations.

Who are the pagan God and Goddess?

Who pagans worship are 2 main deities, the Goddess and the God.

The Goddess is known by many names, Venus, Diana, Bridget, Kali, Artimis, Mother Earth or Mother Nature. She represents the moon and the Earth.

The Triple Moon Goddess represents the 3 phases of the moon and the beauty of nature.

The God known as Pan, Herne, Thor, Rah, The Green Man or Father Nature. He represents the sun.

The two are partners in love and spirit and both make up the spirit of nature and life. Each element has an elemental sign. Earth (Female), Air (male), Fire (male), Water (female), their parts in nature are all equal. Witches celebrate their relationship throughout the year at the 8 pagan festivals.

Above the Pagan green man, he is a spiritual entity that represents nature. Many pubs in the UK are named after him. He’s also called Jack in the green. Robin hood is also strongly connected with the Green man. The Morris men dance is also rooted in pagan culture, its why you see it in many Green man pubs on Beltaine or mayday. Also the saying "Sunny spells" comes from Pagans in ancient times doing magical spells to bring periods of sunshine on dark and rainy days.

Pagan Festivals

These festivals (or as witches call them sabbats and esbats) are YULE 21st of December. It’s also called the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. You can celebrate this festival up to the 23rd, this is a time to welcome the rebirth of the sun god, that sacrificed himself at samhain to ensure his rebirth at Yule, so that life can continue and the wheels of life can continue to roll.

Next is IMBOLC, 2nd February also known as candlemass. This Esbat represents the growing of light that is slowly beginning to shine. The sun god is now growing and new life all over the land is born. Next is EOSTAR or the spring equinox on 21st of March. Although there's still a chill in the air, nature is really beginning to blossom. The young god is on the verge of manhood and is learning. This is a sign that the days are becoming lighter and longer, therefore, the sun God is preparing to rule the summer. The next BELTANE or Mays eve on the 30th of April. This is the most joyful of all the sabbats; this is a sexual festival meaning. It’s when the God and Goddess make love and new life is grows in the womb of the Goddess Mother Nature. The God and Goddess are in ecstasy in their relationship the God is still relatively young but now has the responsibility of creating life. Such activities take place at this time of the year to celebrate this festival such as the may pole dance (As seen above) . Next, LITHA or the summer solstice on 21st of June. The sun God is at his most powerful and his wisdom is at it’s greatest. He has become a man; his wild spirit roams the forests and wild countryside as The Green Man on this sabbat. The day is the longest day of the year. Next is LAMMAS on 31st July, this festival is a time when the sun God is still very alive. The countryside is still green and lush but the reality of all good things must come to an end is showing its head, as the God starts to realize that he is dying and must do so to ensure his rebirth at Yule to keep the wheel of life rolling. Next is MABON or the Autumn Equinox on 23rd of September. This festival represents that light and dark are now equal. Darkness will now over shadow light into winter, the God and Goddess are now saying their farewells and promise to start life all over again when the Goddess gives birth to the newborn God at Yule. Next is SAMHAIN (Pronounced 'Sow-en') on 31st of October, also known as all hallows eve or Hallowe'en. This festival is the most important of all festivals. It is a time to mourn the death of the God; it is also a time to remember all who has passed before us as at this time. The other world is brought closer to the living so the god can easily pass over into the other world to rest and meditate about his past life, to prepare for his return into his next life at Yule. This is a good time to remember and reminisce about past love ones who has passed over, as their world is at it closest with ours at this time of the year. Then the wheel turns slowly back to Yule, ensuring that life is once again reborn... this story may seem like one of incest but that's not correct this story is just a way of explaining how nature works. The God and Goddess are not man and woman as we are; they are energy forces of what makes up nature. This wheel of the year is how nature’s forces are able to make life and continue it over and over again.

You are probably now wondering by now, if you are completely new to the craft, Do witches ‘do’ magic (magick – pagan spelling)? The answer to that is yes and no. Not all pagans perform magick, although most will perform rituals at the sabbats to celebrate the meaning of that part of the year. Magick is a very personal thing to a witch, some will perform magick in covens but it’s becoming more and more popular now days, to be a solitary witch. There are different forms of magick and different ways to perform it. There is no such thing as a "black" or a "white" witch, if a bad person uses magic to harm then that just makes them a bad person, not a black witch. Do we call bad Catholics or bad Muslims black cathoilcs or black muslims? no they are just bad people the same applies with Pagans.

The first rule of a witch is ‘if it harms none, do what thy wilt’, in modern terms if what you do harms no one then you can do it. Most witches and pagans believe that what ever you do or put out, will return 3 times as bad or as good. So as you can imagine, Witches tend to only do good. What foolish soul is going to risk an evil curse coming back 3 times the strength it was sent out? This rule is called the 3-fold law. I’m not saying there are not witches that have not put out a curse when wronged in some way, but they are rare and the ones that did will answer to the laws of Karma. Rituals or spells are usually done on a pagan festival sabat or esbat; there are 8 in all as I stated earlier, the most famous being Hallowe'en.

Witches perform magick spells in a protective circle (there is guide to casting a protective circle) and invoke the spirits of nature. These being of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, when the spirits are present, the witch will raise energy by drumming and chanting to the Gods and Goddesses of the other worlds. When energy is raised the intent of your spell is spoken out in rhyme, then you let it forth to do its craft out into the spiritual cosmos, if you like. This is just a simple example of how a magick circle is cast. When it comes to doing it, it takes a lot of practice; there are as many different spells as there are people. Most witches write their own spells and chants. Here's a simple example of a spell, this spell is an anger spell. This spell needs to be done alongside flowing water, I suggest in a private corner surrounded by bushes at the side of a stream. Create your magick circle, cup a black stone in your hands and raise it to your forehead. Concentrate and send all your anger into the stone visualize in your minds eye the anger as a black negative mist of energy flowing from you, into the stone until you can do it no longer then hurl the stone with all your might into the water and say:

With this stone,

Anger be gone.

Water bind it,

No one find it.

Put your palms upon the ground for a few moments to earth the power, allow your circle to fade. Go home and take care of yourself. You may feel depleted for a while after but you will be better later, alternatively you may feel great straight away.

How will you know witchcraft is right for you?

This all depends on what your reasons are for wanting to be pagan. A lot of people get into it because they think its cool to be branded a witch. THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT REASON FOR BECOMING A WITCH! If you think this, you will soon begin to realize Witchcraft is a serious religion and goes beyond ‘cool’. Some people may feel someone has wronged them in some way and they want revenge, to curse someone. First of all, very few witches would never even consider putting a bad spell on someone. You would have to be crazy or mad to even attempt such a horrid thing, Witches say the best revenge is to rise above that person. Show them how much better you are than them, get a better job than them, and show them you are happier than them. The last thing your enemy wants to see is you happy. All I have to say is, you play with fire you will get burned. The other reason is that you respect and love nature, you see its beauty and want to learn more about how it works. This is the real and right reason for wanting to learn the craft. In your learning of your craft, if you choose to take it more seriously, you will find that you will be discovering all the different paths of the craft. Paganism has many, although they all believe in the same principles. I suggest you follow your heart, what makes most sense to you? What feels more with your calling in life... this is a good way of learning witchcraft or just finding out what nature means to you. Go into the countryside, in a forest, up a hill or open fields. The deeper into nature, the better away from the pollution and noise of the towns and cites. Sit there and try to absorb the surroundings by smelling the fragrances of the trees and plants around you, listen to the birds, maybe the water of a stream, if ones nearby. Look at the greens and browns of the trees, feel the earth under you and around you. Realize YOU are a part of nature, just as the trees, animals and birds are. Look at the views, take in all these senses and ask, what do they mean to you? I find doing this can teach you much about the spirit of nature and therefore, the craft and can show you about your part in the web of nature. You as one of Mother Natures creations, this may sound like hippie, tree hugging stuff, but remember, Witches do love and worship nature. So if the new age thing is not for you then maybe the craft is not either. If you would like further reading, I recommend these well-written books for beginners that are easy to understand:

‘A Beginners Guide Witchcraft’ by Teresa Moorey

‘Way of Wicca’ by Vivienne Crowley

‘Wicca a Guide for the Solitary Practitioner’ by Scott Cunningham

DIFFERENT KINDS OF PAGAN

The terms "white and black witch" are modern societies attempts to separate good witches with evil witches, mostly brought about by modern books and TV and the media, which they did with the good intentions... Most pagans will tell you that witchcraft its self is not a religion as such its a way to communicate with the spirits and gods, Its a tool used by many pagan paths around the world and in some cases other religions other than the pagan ones. When a Christian or catholic lights a candle and some incense and closes there eyes and puts there hands together they are performing a simple form of ritual not much different to the intent to what a pagan does when performing a ritual to ask the higher powers for healing, money, or help ect.... Witchcraft is what it says it is, its a craft, a tool to bend and shape normal reality, witchcraft is neither black nor white….. Look at the craft as a tool like a hammer, for instance a hammer can be used to build for positive means or it can be used to destroy or kill for negative means, does this make the hammer evil (black)? or good (white)? The person behind the hammer is responsible for his or hers actions, its the intent behind the witchcraft that’s either good or bad. Just as with witchcraft a hammer is used mostly for good means but unfortunately witchcraft like the hammer it can be used sometimes for evil intent and to cause harm.

Here are some paths most of which have got some connection to ancient times from many different cultures from around the world.... Paganism is basically a word to describe religious paths that where before Christianity, Islam and Judaism its a title given to describe the old religions that where based on nature worship 'pagan' in Latin means ‘country dweller’ or 'at one with nature’.

Dianic Paganism

This is the worship of the roman lunar goddess Diana, in many cases this faith excludes the god as having any power or in some cases does not exist at all and that the goddess is only worshipped…. many people involved in this today are mostly women more than not women’s rights activists and feminists and many are lesbians for obvious reasons. On the other hand Dianic witchcraft is followed by Romany gypsies and modern day travellers (not to be mistaken by new age travellers)

Gardarian Wicca or witchcraft

This path is based on Gerald gardener’s practices and teachings, he was a British civil servant and from the 40s through to the 50s joined a coven of witches based in the new forest, and tried to bring the old religion back to the world, he some what succeeded too because much of what Neo-paganism is today comes from his study and teachings, he was the inventor of Wicca a modern religion that has its roots based in the old religions, mostly the Celtic one.

Thelemic path

This path is based on the 2 grimoire books the 17th century ‘The lesser key of Solomon’ (A book to summon the Geotic demons of the many legions of the Egyptian underworld or Hell) and the key of Solomon. Both books are based on the Jewish Kabbalah. This faith (although not the ancient Isis worship also a Pagan religion) was created by the occultist Aliester Crowley, a most unpleasant man but was a very talented occultist his teachings live on today in the religion of Thelema. Most pagans respect his work as a occultist but frown upon the man as he became not the nicest of men, some say he was a genius some say he was a evil mad man, to be honest I would say he was a little bit of both. Crowley wrote the book ‘The book of the law’ which is basically how Crowley saw the world as a society of control and wrote the book on how the human race could become free from religious oppression. His idea was "if you like it, do what you want, be free" The 60s where greatly influenced by Crowley.

Alexandrian witchcraft

Again a path that uses witchcraft started by the man Alex Sanders. His form of paganism is based more in ritualistic and high magick type work. This type of witchcraft is seen more often than not in the united states.

Celtic paganism

(similar to modern Gardarian Wicca or witchcraft) A strong pagan set of beliefs based on ancient Celtic pagan beliefs. This type of worship is mostly seen in the UK although its seen all around the world, this type of worship is strongly based on nature worship (although all the pagan ones are) but this holds the idea of belief in nature spirits at the very front of its belief system. I Guess the Druids would come into the Celtic paganism section also. The Oak king, Green man, Herne the hunter and Cerunnos are all important nature gods and spirits to the ancient Celts and to today's neo-pagans. The festival of Halloween is looked upon as the Celtic new year.

Norse paganism

A pagan path based around the beliefs of the northern countries of Europe such as the Germanic tribes people and countries such as Norway, Iceland, Scandinavia. Much of these beliefs are based also on the Vikings and Nordic warriors way of life.

Native American spirituality

This faith for obvious reasons is seen more than not in America and Canada, similar to the aboriginal types of spirituality its based on the worship of a earth mother or nature goddess. Much of modern wisdom and ways of spirit communication is gained by the ancient native Americans understanding of there natural environments. The worship of animal spirits are a large part of this worship its taught that communication with the spirits of wise and cunning animals can bring spiritual wisdom to man and to the tribes that practised this ancient earth religion, and that still do today.

Greek witchcraft

Not much different to Dianic witchcraft, but most of the time both god and goddess are worshipped as equal spiritual partners. Aphrodite is worshipped as the goddess

THE PENTAGRAM (PENTACLE) AND ITS DIFFERENT MEANINGS

The Pentagram can mean different things to different people, its been used to represent good and evil in many religious societies in the worlds history, it goes back as far back as 3100-2900 BCE where it was found on potsherds in the location of Uruk near to the mouth of the gulf, it also can be seen in Babylon, 900 BCE…….. its meaning to early Christians was that it represented the 5 wounds of Christ and was a symbol of Jesus on the cross just like the crucifix is today, but over time Christianity has changed it into a symbol of the devil which is not so as its predated the invention of Satan by 1000s of years. Christianity’s growing belief that the Pentagram represents Satan probably comes from its connection with the star Venus the roman goddess of love that would over a period of time do a Pentagram movement through out the celestial sky.

The Pentagram was also called the Druids foot because its said that the ancient druids wore them on there feet to represent there selves to the earth.

There are many Pentagrams on some of the oldest churches in the UK this might be because of the Christians old belief in the Pentagram representing Christ or it could have been that some of the newly converted Christians form paganism where reluctant to walk away from there old pagan ways completely, this could also explain why many churches and cathedrals where built on old pagan places of worship where ley lines meet and knew that pagan places of worship where of huge energy points so building a church on them would make sense to the Christians of them times even thought they condemned paganism they where using a bit of mix and match.

Above the Baptistory of St. John

Christianity then demonized the five pointed star because it was a roman religious symbol so it was against there lord Jesus Christ, another way they might have looked at it is that it has five points and each points spells out the name of the beast S.A.T.A.N and also when the Pentagram is up side down it looks like the devil with its horns and goatee beard. But some believe that the 5 points on the pentagram spell out J.E.S.U.S when its up the right way.

Above the Pentagram as Christians and Satanists now see it, some would say that the inverted way is the earthly way, the way of the beast, to wear it up side down would mean the individual person and that we are just another animal or beast, which is why many Satanists believe in individualism today. one of the 9 satanic rules (the 7th) is that man is just another animal, because to be an individual is to separate them selves from the flock, which would mean to leave gods flock of a christianised society, proclaiming them self no longer a lamb of Christ therefor one might be seen to be against the Christian god. Also looked upon as the symbol of Baphomet that represents a balance of light and darkness.

Above the Pentagram how some see it as not against god but for god’s good, both of these ideas of the Pentagram are not what neo-pagans or ancient pagans believe or believed, most of the above ideas have been formed over time by Christians and modern day Satanism, this idea is not what most pagans believe.

The ancient connection with the goddess of love Venus (which I might add has been called by Christianity as the morning star In Revelation, Jesus referred to himself as the bright and morning star...... and later the star also became the false light of Lucifer the light bearer) it was seen in the ancient pagan Greek and roman beliefs there are also Pentagrams seen on ancient Egyptian pottery.

The pattern that Venus moves in the sky in conjunctions with the Sun forms a Pentagram being the greatest goddess of all……. The goddess of love to the Romans, and to the Greeks Aphrodite, and the ancient Egyptians Isis

Above you can see that the movements of Venus draw out the Pentagram in the sky.

many political leaders have used the Pentagram as a symbol of power, for instance if you look at the shape the points of a Pentagram make you can see it makes a pentagon the reason the USA have shaped there war operations as a pentagon.

Above the pentagon outside the Pentagram. Most modern pagans are appalled that the symbol of the Pentagram is used by America to represent war and that its used to symbolise evil intent of power.

Also the Pentagram is used on the American medal of honour.

Above the American medal of honour. Its also interesting to note that its used up side down when used for a war medal.

Isn’t it strange that many Christian fundamentalists are pro America going to war when on the other hand they condemn the Pentagram as evil and of the devils sign, theirs something to people to think about.

The pagans meaning to the Pentagram

The pagan belief in the Pentagram is that its four points represent earth, air, fire, water and the top point representing spirit or the higher power, it also represents the minds eye of the figure of a person with its arms and legs out stretched, it represents the higher self of man, the mind and consciousness of man, or our divine self, its why many pagans use magic and the Pentagram to perform his or hers magic(k) as they realise that the power of the divine is with in us all and is represented by the highest point on the Pentagram (our consciousness) its self the focal point of spiritual energy, followed by the hands that can be used to direct this spirit energy’s into the physical world to cause change most of the time for good but in rare cases for bad.

The pentagon in the centre of a Pentagram represents the Solar plexus which means the goddess’s womb, the giver of spiritual life and also symbolises the woman’s womb from which all physical life comes from. the womb also means change to many pagans, its represented by the cauldron

Invoking and banishing a Pentagram will be used in pagan rituals, there is a invoking Pentagram that is drawn into the air to invoke something or a banishing Pentagram that’s is drawn into the air to banish something, but act of ritual are done knowing the energy’s created by these rituals comes from the goddess and god force that we as humans are all connected to.

The Pentagram is a representation of nature which can only exist if earth, air, fire, and water exist its these elements of nature that represent the god and goddess that causes nature to be.... two of the elements are female energies or goddess energies which are represented by a up side down triangle which looks like a cup that represents water and the other two are male or god energies which is represented by a triangle up the right way that looks like the shape of a fire which you can see in the above diagram...... earth and water are female and fire and air are male.

The Pentagram also is a eternal pattern like an endless knot meaning the eternal soul.

My understanding of the Pentagram is that it represents nature as I am a pagan that believes that the nature of both god and goddess can be seen and found within the beauty of nature so, the Pentagram means that man is apart of all living things and is apart of nature that a higher force created, so we as humans should be more responsible and look after our planet as its a stunning and amazing place with a life of its own, the life force of mother nature, she was put here for us all to come to and learn, with out it we as humans would be no where, we would not have a home, so the Pentagram to me and many other pagans is a symbol of my home (the earth) and of the higher powers that created the earth, universe and nature.

THE MAGICAL MOON

The moons phases are very important when it comes to paranormal activity and spell work.

The pagan understandings of the full moon and supernatural energies are that different phases of its cycle matter, so paranormal investigations are best done on a full moon or as close to it as possible.

The phases of the moon are symbolically arranged to better understand the triple goddess (waxing full and waning or maiden, mother and crone)

The full moon is at its most effective, because she is at her most powerful on a full moon or (mother moon) because her light is strongest on a full moon, she (the moon) is in its prime, because she is no longer young (Young=waxing=maiden) or not yet old(Old=waning=crone) when a moon is waxing she is becoming more and more powerful which is why paranormal events become more and more common the more she waxes, and when the moon is waning her energy is pulled further and further away there for paranormal activity decreases in the waning stage.

On the dark of a moon (or her death) there is little or no chance of paranormal activity because she is in the death stage phase, and her light or life has died out, but at the dark moon or crone stage the goddess is considered at her most wise and takes all that she has learned over to the other world on the dark of the moon. Its only at the new moon that she is reborn and will start a fresh the waxing process again as the young maiden.

This is all symbolic to pagans so that they can understand the life phase of each lunar month so that they can understand the nature of the goddess, so that they can arrange there magical rituals and spells, so that they will be as affective as possible, an example of this is if someone is doing a spell to banish a bad habit or to get rid of un-welcome negative energies, they will do this type of spell obviously on a waning moon and if they want to do a spell to gain something or attract positive energies they will obviously do the spell on the waxing of a moon, but the best time for most magick would be on a full moon, as all is aligned and equal. On the dark of the moon, magick would be a waist of time (although some pagans differ on that) Some believe that the dark of the moon would be the best time to perform curses.

My opinions on moon magic are just my own and I respect other peoples opinions.

The goddess is at her closest on a full moon, so that goddess energy is going to help spirits manifest them selves and to effect the living world.

The moons power can be felt by some sensitives, it can also cause confusion in some people, and even cause them to do things they might not normally do, crazy people also act up on a full moon (hence the word luna-tic) its power can effect us in many ways sometimes positive and sometimes negative but what ever its effect its closely associated with the paranormal.

Next time there is a full moon, and its a clear sky go out and look at the moonlight on the ground and concentrate on it, it seems to be alive at times and you can see it moving over the fields as if its rippling, almost like a water effect or a sea of moonlight.

The moon affects the waters on earth such as the tides of the seas, it also affects our brains as the brain is made up of mostly water, it also affects the electric currents that pass through our brains that can cause us to become more sensitive to the supernatural.

The moon is also associated with fertility because of the 12-13 full moons of the year and also the women’s monthly creation of a egg in the womb, which would also connect the moon with the goddess of fertility.

There is a mental illness called Lycanthropy in which people on a full moon have delusions that they are turning into a werewolf and in some cases other animals.

Science is baffled why this condition only seems to happen on a full moon but I feel its because the moons force is doing things to the brain that causes lycanthopy, but legend says that people really do change into wolves on a full moon I doubt that though.

Not so long ago in the early 1990s there was a case in England where a normal family man suffered from this condition and was so worried about the full moon, because he was scared that he might harm his family, that every full moon he would beg the police to lock him up for the night, they always refused until one night on a full moon he came in, and refused to leave because he was scared that he would harm someone, the police just thought he was crazy, claiming that he turns into a wolf on a full moon and decided to throw the man out, when they grabbed the man he went into a rage and threw 3 police officers across the reception area, when the police officers looked up again he was snarling at them and hair had grown on his face, hands and arms one of the officers even said he saw the mans eyes go bright green like a cat or a dogs, it took 5 men to restrain him and a further 30 minutes to put him in a cell, from that night they had no problem with locking him up in a police cell, on every full moon.

What’s interesting about this man is that his eye brows meet in the middle, folklore says that a werewolf in human form will have eye brows that meet in the middle.

The word "lunatic" probably comes from people acting crazy or different on a full moon, the moon being lunar, lunatic seems to make sense.

FROM MAN TO BEAST

The man into beast myth probably comes from ancient pagans dressing up as animals in there furs and horns to hunt wild game for food, they would put say the skin of a stag on and its horns and crawl about so they could get close to other deer in order to catch them, so the deer would not be so suspicious of the hunters.

Ancient pagans and some even today would perform rituals most of the time on the full moon and dress up in wolves furs and howl at the moon and act in other animal type ways the native Americans also did similar things...... They would do this in meditative trances. It was said that the spirits of the wolves and sometimes other animals would enter the bodies of the people doing the rituals and the men and women could learn from there animal skills of hunting....... To pagans then and today animals are seen as very magical animals and that we can learn a lot from them spiritually and physically.

Remember Pagans in them times would see man as just another animal so the transformation from man to beast would not be as far fetched as it might seem to us.

Early Christians probably saw these rituals taking place in the forests and woods which is where the myth comes from of man turning into wolves... They saw it was done on a full moon, so also associated man turning in to animals with the full moon. whether the ancient pagans could actually allow the souls of animals into there bodies I dont know but it is true that the ancients where much more spiritually advanced than us modern people neo-pagans included...... Much of the ancients amazing knowledge was destroyed over the centuries by the rise in Christianity that tried to wipe out the old religion, because they considered it devil worship..... modern pagans today are trying there best to put back together a way of life that has been shattered by the fundamentalist religious folk.

The belief in werewolves just a few hundreds of years ago was very popular in the more Nordic northerly countries of Europe it probably came from the Viking myths about the Nordic curse about the bezerker legends (which is where the word going bezerk comes from) where Vikings would dress in animal skins before battle and act in terrifying rages which is why the Vikings where so feared because they had the fearless rage of a crazed animal before going into battle, again it was believed that the Vikings would become possessed by the spirits of ferocious animals in order to fight aggressively.

All the best

Faeden

Edited July 31, 2005 by Faeden

[Jesus_Freak]

well, i respect that you took so much time to type all that out, and/or get all that information... but that's waaaay too much for me to read. sorry faeden

Edited January 26, 2005 by Jesus_Freak

[Faeden]

Hi Jesus-freak

Thanks for your honesty. I typed that all out yes, I never copied it from anyone else. I doubt you would like it very much anyway

All the best

Faeden

[rassy]

This ia an awesome writeup! I quite enjoyed reading this and I see how it has many references linking the modern world to more ancient symbolism and stuff. I have read many subjects like this and it always intrigues me greatly as it makes perfect sense most of the time (unless someone goes a bit overboard with theories etc). I have a chemical imbalance which causes me to have more facial hair than I care to admit and my eyebrows sometimes almost look as if they are one, but so far I haven't had very many moodswings connected to the phases of the moon. My moodswings are more connected to a different cycle...hehehehe

[SilverCougar]

That was alot... and yeah that works out nicely.

Unfortunaly, even though pagan religions are acknowledged by the state, does not mean it's respected by it's people.

I swear to the gods if I hear another "Paganism/wicca is just another poser wanna be tool to look cool and trendy!" I'm going to lose it.

[rassy]

My sister got into wicca before. I met a few wiccans and not one of them seemed like they were trying to be kewl or trendy, so I don't see why anyone would say that. My sister didn't stick with it in the end, though. I've actually never met anyone who stuck with it, it has alway seemed to me that it is a passing phase. But I do know there are people out there who do practice it faithfully, just never met one. I wonder why that is, that alot of people get into it, then get out of it again? I guess I'll never know as I won't see for myself. It's simply something that isn't for me. But that's not to say that it shouldn't be respected.

[SilverCougar]

There aer people out there who have this "Well the two I met of this group are like that.. then everyone who is of this group is!" outlook.

[rassy]

There's way to much people who are close-minded these days. Hence, that makes people judgemental about things they don't even care to try to understand! Showing a bit of respect to things and trying to keep an open mind opens the door to learning. If one doesn't want something or doesn;t want to believe something for themselves, that's fine. But to become closed minded to others because of that is just stupid. There is nothing wrong with practicing what we feel comfortable with for ourselves. To think, how many times have we liked certain people only to find out they practice this and that, and then change our whole outlook of them? Well, most people do, anyhow. Yet, those people haven't changed at all since the day we met them! Take for instance finding out someone is a Jehovah Witness. Just that word instills wariness - omg, better stay away from them! How much do we REALLY know about them? I am one, by the way. No, I do not believe in going around knocking on doors forcing my religion on anyone. You want to talk religion, fine, we'll talk. I'll share my views while respecting yours. That's how it's SUPPOSED to work. We're taught that, first and foremost. Betcha not many people know that. Anyhow, one simply cannot know much of anything abt other peoples practices,beliefs, theories, what have you, if they want to be closed minded and judgemental. I have learned, though my own experiences, to keep an open mind and respect. Plus I love to learn

[Faeden]

Hi all

I was aware that many might see the size of my post and just ignore it, but that’s cool I am glad some people enjoyed it

Its true, there are some people that get into paganism because they either want to be cool or they are young and have over the top religious parents so they become a witch to become more "satanic" and to rebel against there religious parents, they normally become really mad when they realise theirs nothing satanic about it, and they realise its about worshipping mother nature and learning how to become a better person towards others and towards the world we live in. Most of these youngsters soon grow out of it, and lose interest when they realise witches dont sacrifice virgins to Lucifer. I’m not saying that all youngsters that get into paganism are doing this, but its true that a lot of them are.

All the best

Faeden

[Bex]

I liked your Post, Faeden, because it was very educational. I am also someone who post long information but sometimes you have to, right, to teach correctly.

I have a question; is it possible for someone to "wish" bad things to happen to people and if it was, is it possible to remove it?

I see a mental counselor and he will tell me that it is impossible to do, but I would like to know what you think, please.

[Faeden]

Hi pisces1963

There is a saying I am sure you have heard of ‘Be careful what you wish for, it might just come true’, this is good advice, and its good to remember it, when one gets angry, and is more likely to say things to loved ones or friends when we are in a heightened state of emotional turmoil. Energies within magick and spell casting are about the caster who will be worked up with the emotions of love or anger, depending on the nature of the spell the same applies to our every day emotions, when we become angry we are raising energies without even knowing about it, and are therefor sending that energy with out even knowing it, the difference between an angry wish directed at someone in a heated argument and a spell, is that a spell is a controlled emotional energy build up and release of that power of energy in a sacred circle, where one can manage energies of a psychic nature towards a goal, its a focus of concentration of will upon the person or situation you are doing the spell upon. For instance if you want to help a friend get a job threw pagan ritual you will be in a emotionally determined and confident frame of mind when doing the spell to channel the energies you raised and then cast them out as energy to do there work… If you want to harm someone you will be worked up into a frenzy of hate and anger towards the person you wish to curse, you might also stab dolls of the person with knives or spit on a photo of them to stronger increase the negative curse negative energy towards them. Thoughts can be used in very powerful ways, for both good, and bad, remember next time you are angry to take time out, because you dont know what kind of damage you might cause others or to yourself, try and bring forth love out of hate, its more than possible if you learn how to do it.

Have you ever walked into a room of people that have just been arguing or talking bad about someone, and felt the atmosphere? well that’s the energies I am talking about, they are real, and are of a conscious form, and can effect us, its the same when you can walk into somewhere where lots of people are all relaxed and having fun you can feel the love in the room, its these energies that a witch pagan ect will be working with when doing spell work. Energies can not be destroyed only changed (science had proved this) so karma if you are going to do bad magick (or any form of negative action towards others) will return to its sender in a stronger form, both good and bad, as it cant be destroyed, it needs to be absorbed back into the astral so will be reabsorbed into its sender from where it came from (the sender), this always happens sooner or later, its the fundermental law of karma. Energies we put out are like a snow ball, if you put out negative energies just like a black snow ball it will travel and pick up along the way more negative energies, so when you receive it back as your karma it will hit you harder than what you sent it out, the same applies to good karma so with magic just as thoughts and emotions, its best to work with positive loving energies.

You asked if you can stop bad thoughts from getting to you? yes you can and here is away I suggest you try and work against negative or psychic vampire energies that might be surrounding you, I am not saying you do have them, but its good to do the following even if you dont, it doesn’t hurt to do this.

When your alone close your eyes and imagine your body shutting down and relax as much as your able to, when you feel comfortable imagine that a bubble of light is surrounding you (see it with your minds eye) If your a Christian imagine its the light of Jesus, then imagine the light being inhaled into your body by you every time you breath in and filling your body with light, imagine every time you exhale you are breathing out all your worries and fears as a black mist and that the mist is being sucked out of the light bubble and can not re-enter the bubble of light, then imagine the light totally inside of you filling your body with light and love, think to your self and say to your self ‘when ever darkness is near may swords of light and spikes appear’ (keep repeating this in your head or out loud), when thinking this imagine spikes and light or swords of light coming out of the bubble of light every time a dark energy comes near you, imagine the dark energy being repelled by the spikes or swords of light and that darkness can not come near you because, your belief in the power of the light or Jesus that surrounds you is strong. This can be done no matter what religion you are by just changing the light as the light of what ever god you worship.

The key to making meditations like this work is practice the more you practice the more easy it will be to imagine and visualise these light bubbles being there, and the more powerful effect they will have against dark or negative spirits or energies. This type of meditation is about faith, if you doubt that the light is not there then the ritual will become useless. do this about once a week and soon your be having dark spirits and energies running for the hills I promise you it works 100%.

Its best to do this in a hot bath surrounded by candles or a few candles and some incense (sage or frankincense if possible) this is not only good for stopping psychic attack its also very good for relaxing so helps stress.

all the best

Faeden

Edited January 27, 2005 by Faeden

[Bex]

Faeden, your my new best friend

Anyway, I'm glad you join UM because I believe in the same way as you and I am also Christian. I don't join the Christian battle topics because I know God/The Creator or whatever people want to call The Force... I know him personally.

It's all a matter of circumstances and situations.

You see Faeden, I have close relatives who have hated me from the day I was born, especially my mother's sister. I have no idea why she hated me as a child but now her hatred for me is over the property and other possessions left to me from my mother who passed way.

Every venture I tried to do for example, college, better places to work or live, people who could have been my friend, anything and everything she had a hand in ... I have no proof just intuition and usually I am always right.

Days after my Mother died, she came back to my home, expecting to do what she was accoustomed to doing, except this time, for some reason, I was strong and I told her to never come back to my home. I told her I don't need her, I can take care of myself, I don't need her money and I have a right to live my life the way I wanted to be. Suprisingly, she left silently.

But her hatred is still strong and I sense it everyday. Her family lives across the street, ha ha.

My Aunt, told everyone at the Funeral that my Mother hated me and she wished I would die...

but weeks before my mother died, she told me... She said, I'm sorry for all of the years we wasted not being close. I'm sorry for hurting you. When I die, you don't have to listen to her again, okay. From that, we started to go places without her sister and we were just about to go on our very first vacation... then she died.

No one believes me when I say, My mother helped me with her sister, that day.

No one believes me when I told them about a droplet of water they landed on my cheek inside my home. I know better.

I know my Aunt has "something" over me, even though I can't prove it but I appreciate your response, and I will try. I have never heard of physic vampires before but if anyone is one, it's my Aunt.

Thank you Faeden, your a sweetie.

[Faeden]

Hi pisces1963

No problem. I’m so sorry to hear that your mother has passed on, but I am equally pleased to hear that she is still giving you the strength to get on with your life and to move on, as it sounds like your mum's sister hasn’t been able to move on very well, and is in need of help.

Try the meditations I suggested, and have faith in Jesus as your protector and that his light will surround you like a blanket always, visualisation is the key, the better you get at it the more effective it will become in your life, and the more you will feel your mothers sisters negativity repelling away from you. I take it you pray too? next time you pray, pray for your mother's sister too, try not to hate her ( I know that’s not easy) but pray she is helped, because from what you have told me she is in need of help, she seems to have a very nasty way of treating others, and seems very materialistic and seems only to be aware of her self. I bet you whether she has a lot of friends or not that she is a very lonely person in her self, am I right?

Dont fear her or her wishes that she might direct at you, because all that will do is empower her bad thoughts towards you, pity her, dont hate her, tell her your done with the past and have moved on, tell her your sorry she cant do the same and that if she ever wants your help tell her your be there for her when or if she needs it, if she is going to continue to cause you trouble then block her out of your life until she is ready to stop being so selfish and grow up.

Good luck on what ever you wish to do, remember hating someone back just adds to the negative emotions around you both, and you could both do without that.

All the best

Faeden

Edited January 27, 2005 by Faeden

[The Raven]

That was alot...  and yeah that works out nicely.

Unfortunaly, even though pagan religions are acknowledged by the state, does not mean it's respected by it's people.

I swear to the gods if I hear another "Paganism/wicca is just another poser wanna be tool to look cool and trendy!"  I'm going to lose it.

465173[/snapback]

I agree 100% SilverCougar. I can't stand the TREND in the first place, but when people say things like that, or sadly, actually DO things like that, I flip out. It's like people thinking wearing makeup makes them look sexier than they really are -- WRONG. I think makeup is terrible, makes the female face look like it was made in China, and North Korea when it is commonly over applied. The point is, that it being trendy is just hogwash. Even worse though is when people call you satanic. I wear a pentagram just because I do NOT follow any sort of Christian path, but I do NOT reject the teachings of Christ, because I think they are wonderful teachings for the most part -- just corrupted and tainted by the average human.

This is a very informative thread, and although it was WAY to much information for me to read it all, I liked what I did read. I hope this is informative for those who just think every form of Paganism is just mumbo jumbo, Devil's work, or a combination of both. And if you think this is another vain attempt to get people to convert to the devil's side, look at the masses of your own threads.

[JackBauer]

I read about two paragraphs, and all I know is that THE TREND IS DEAD, as Phil Anselmo so wisely said in one of his songs. Well, it was dead. Now its coming back... because of ignorant people.... Hopefully, the trend will dig itself a new grave, jump back in and stay there forever.

[ajagsfairy]

Yay wonderful post faeden as always. I agree no matter what religion or beliefs one may have, ppl should be in it for the right reasons and be well informed on the facts and history behind it. Love and blessings, Jo

[jack0fhearts]

That was an informative post, I definitely do feel more comfortable about the concept of Wiccan/Paganism, however anyone wants to call it.

[Faeden]

Thanks glad you liked, theirs so much ignorance about paganism, its good to inform others. Far to many people judge others in this world its the reason its in such a state, if more people lived and let live, the world would be a more kind and nice place to live. Paganism is not a fault proof spiritual path, but it has great principles even though many dont always follow them as they should, but then most religions have good principles its just a shame they are not followed more strictly.

All the best

Faeden