My mind lets go a thousand things,
Like dates of wars and deaths of kings,
And yet recalls the very hour–
‘Twas noon by yonder village tower,
And on the last blue noon in May–
The wind came briskly up this way,
Crisping the brook beside the road;
Then, pausing here, set down its load
Of pine-scents, and shook listlessly
Two petals from that wild-rose tree.

~ Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Image available from here

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream.

The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. However, in a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said, “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious…

Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.”

~ Author Unknown

Photo by Wesley Satterwhite

John William Waterhouse's The Lady of Shalott, 1888. The Lady of Shallot has not been referred to as a witch, but the poem by Tennyson (or its inspiration: La Donna di Scalotta from the 13th century Cento Novelle Antiche) demonstrates that she was aware of some force that prevented her from leading a normal life. Convinced that she was cursed, she foretold of her end on shores of Camelot.

“She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott. “

- Lord Alfred Tennyson, 1842

“Selling the Wind”

Seeing, Knowing, Healing

Witches have existed in many cultures upon the planet. In some groups witch doctors, shamans, and healers are considered vital to the physical and spiritual well being of the tribe and its members. Did the ancient wys of Europe and the Mediterranean also fill this role? What are some of the ancient teachings a seer of lore might be aware of?

17th century wisewoman consults

Early witches might have been well-suited for a role in the community just as the merchant, the sower, the blacksmith and the miller were. Witches may have predicted weather patterns (selling the wind), considered crop planting and harvests, sought out favorable herbs and consulted the spiritual realm for guidance or favor. Are witches another fundamental part of a growing civilization? Who today might fill the role of ancient witches long ago?

Where humanism goes, so does spirituality. Humans, bound to the physical plane, consistently rely on that which is not – spirit. It comes in many forms: faith, belief, intuition, premonition, forethought, synchronicity, rhythm, karma, and mystique. To see how these experiences affect individual behavior and collective behavior, just google religion or war. People are motivated spiritually in many ways and witches also.

How did The Witch of the story gain her sense of knowing? In an ancient time, she may have been a keen observer – of the physical and the spiritual. Her survival depended on understanding how the seasons changed, the secrets of plant and animal realms, prediction using stars and environmental indicators, as well as how the soul or spirit participated.

Selling the wind: A witch's day job?

The witch would have understood the gifts life affords a human, and paid heed to subtle intuitions, premonitions or gut feelings. A witch’s success guaranteed her status in the tribe and the success of her clients. If a witch simply failed to warn of a drought or shortage, this could mean hardship for the community – or it could be seen as a curse from the witch. Knowledge was power and the mystics became revered, or they would suffer the consequence of political misfortune.

Let’s look at a simple symbol: the key. To paraphrase an article from sacred-texts.com:

Diana, Luna, Hecate, Proserpine, and Jana are forms of the same entity in different cultures. These entities were celebrated by witches during early cultural development in Europe and the Mediterranean region. As keeper of the gates of heaven, the entity Jana was entrusted with her husband’s key to open the portals of life and light to free the imprisoned spirits.

Hecate: in the form of the Diana Triformus

An amulet worn by ancient witches represents Jana (Diana) with a key in one hand and a serpent in the other – age old symbols for knowledge and healing. Did townsfolk seek audience of the village witch for advice and to heal a snake bite? For advice and healing yes, but the snake symbol has a deeper mystical meaning in different cultures and has been used to signify spirit and energy. Consider the term used to describe early Mediterranean witches – Janara.

Does this key represent knowledge – the instrument dividing darkness and light – or a path to spiritual awakening? A wise woman known as Janara – did she ascribe to the hermetic teachings, following a path of spirituality from an ancient era? Was she a spiritual guide and a consultant in matters of nature, life, and the beyond? In the ancient Neopolitan Janara was given a nasty connotation by religious and state authorities quite different from its origin: donna cattiva, strega, brutta, malefica – the bad woman. Perhaps the witch was onto something rather special and her role conflicted with the status of organized religions. Calapino: words from a witch’s ancient language

Michelangelo Buonarroti, Il Sogno (the Dream)

Do you sense things on the horizon? Many do. Do you ever experience intuition? A sense of anxiety or foreboding? Or perhaps you have a knack for knowing when the phone will ring? All of these senses, or knowings, are valid. This realm we call life, is quite magical.

I smell what cannot be predicted.
I see where the day has not yet shone.
I hear the silence of a winter not yet hardened
and the song of a spring not yet revealed.” – The Witch

Camille Flammarion, L'Atmosphere: Météorologie Populaire (Paris, 1888)

“As is above, so is below”

The Emerald Tablet & Hermetic Tradition

Long ago in a mystical time a text was written – just thirteen lines – and it became key to a thought process. Ancient and with a name shrouded in mystery, the Emerald Tablet has awed and inspired alchemists, magicians, inventors and faiths for many centuries. A simple logic is etched into one of the oldest Hermetic texts known, predating Christian religion.

Alternative Religion writes, “The Emerald Tablet languished in relative obscurity until the middle ages, when it began to circulate throughout the alchemical community through contact with Muslim mystics. Scholars believe the original was written in Greek, but the oldest surviving copies are Arabic translations. Despite its mysterious origin, many have imputed great significance to the text- its famous translators include Roger Bacon, Isaac Newton, and even HP Blavatsky …The philosophical ideas contained within are profound- influencing medieval alchemists, Jewish kabbalists, Masons, and ritual magicians alike.”

Without lie, certain and most true: What is below is like what is above, and what is above is like what is below, to accomplish the miracle of the One thing.

In truth, and without Lie, and just as all things have been from the one, so also they are born from this one thing by adaptation.

Its father is the sun, its mother the moon, the wind has borne it, its nurse is the earth.

This one thing is the father of all things in the universe.

Its power is perfect, after it has been united with the earth.

Separate earth from fire, the subtle from the dense, with gentle heat and much devotion.

In great measure, it ascends from earth to heaven, descends again toward earth, and recieves the force of the things above and below.

Thus you will possess the glory of the world, all obscurity shall flee away from thee.

This is the force of all force, it will overcome everything subtle, and penetrate everything solid.

In this manner, the world was created, but the map of this road is hidden.

For this reason I am called “Hiram Telat Machasot”- one in essence, but three in aspect.

In this trinity is the wisdom of the whole world.

And so I have been called: Hermes thrice greatest, having the three parts of the philosophy of the world.

Interpretation by altreligion.about.com

The Emerald Tablet: A 17th century depiction of the Tablet by Heinrich Khunrath, 1606

The Emerald Tablet

Tabula Smaragdina

The Emerald Tablet, also known as Smaragdine Table, Tabula Smaragdina, or The Secret of Hermes, is a text purporting to reveal the secret of the primordial existence and its forms. It claims to be the work of Hermes Trismegistus (“Hermes the Thrice-Great”), a legendary Egyptian sage, identified with the Egyptian god Thoth, the Roman god Mercury and the Greek god Hermes. wikipedia

This cryptic text was highly regarded by European alchemists as the foundation of their art, in particular the Hermetic tradition.

The Emerald Tablet

Newton’s Translation (ed. Note 11a. which is added apart, making Newton’s translation 1 extra line. Some translations are only 12 lines.)

1. Tis true without lying, certain & most true.

2. That which is below is like that which is above & that which is above is like that which is below to do the miracles of one only thing.

3. And as all things have been & arose from one by the meditation of one: so all things have their birth from this one thing by adaptation.

4. The Sun is its father, the moon its mother,

5. The wind hath carried it in its belly, the earth its nurse.

6. The father of all perfection in the whole world is here.

7. Its force or power is entire if it be converted into earth.

7a. Separate thou the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross sweetly with great industry.

8. It ascends from the earth to the heaven & again it descends to the earth and receives the force of things superior & inferior.

9. By this means you shall have the glory of the whole world & thereby all obscurity shall fly from you.

10. Its force is above all force, for it vanquishes every subtle thing & penetrates every solid thing.

11a. So was the world created.

12. From this are & do come admirable adaptations where of the means (or process) is here in this.

13. Hence I am called Hermes Trismegist, having the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world.

14. That which I have said of the operation of the Sun is accomplished & ended.

Interesting. Contained in similar form in both translations are some telling secrets:

“That which is below is like that which is above & that which is above is like that which is below to do the miracles of one only thing…..

This is the force of all force, it will overcome everything subtle, and penetrate everything solid.
In this manner, the world was created, but the map of this road is hidden…”

Was there a form of energy or spirit that influenced the creator of these sage words? Were students of the Hermetic teachings privilege to an ancient and powerful knowledge? Others have wondered these same questions.

Alchemists (early chemists and metallurgists) believed that the universal formula contained in the Emerald Tablet was the basis for a spiritual technology first introduced on the planet in ancient Egypt more than 10,000 years ago. This formula consists of seven operations performed on “matter” – whether it be physical, psychological, or spiritual.

The Tabula

The Emerald Tablet of Hermes, because it stimulates right brain responses, was intended to arouse intuition, imagination and insight. An ancient diagram was conceived to help visualize the meaning. Centuries ago, a student asked his master, “What is the secret of alchemy?” The master replied, “In VITRIOL is the answer.” Observe:

Visita — Visit

Interiora–the interior

Terrae–of the earth;

Rectificando–in rectifying,

Invenies– to discover

Occultum–the hidden

Lapidem–stone.

What does all that mean? “Look within to find the foundation”. Note that there are 7 Latin words in the statement. In alchemy (the Below), there are 7 metals. In astrology (the Above), there are 7 planets. In each of us there are 7 chakras (energy centers). Together, they point to 7 levels of action we internalize. The “stone” is a reference to the Stone of the Philosophers. But beware, this is not the same as the Philosophers’ Stone. The centre of the earth is a reference to our own being. An individual must grow into something that is utterly fundamental to their true nature. That should give us a starting point for meditation and visualization. read the article

Azoth of the Philosophers

A meditative mandala first published in 1759 as an illustration for the book “Azoth of the Philosophers” by German alchemist Basil Valentine illustrates the seven aspects of VITRIOL. read the article

Hermes Trismegistus: Can you see the caduceus snakes in the image?

Hermes – Mercury – Thoth

The Trismegistus, Thrice Great

Who was this sage? Perhaps to understand The Emerald Tablet a little better, we can consider the hopes, fears and advice of Hermes.

Hermes Trismegistus (Hermes thrice great) is the central figure of the mystical tradition known as Hermeticism, passed down in the ancient literature as Hermetica. Hermes trismegistus is a composite figure, a combination of the Greek Hermes, the Roman Mercury, and the Egyptian God Thoth. At one time Hermes was highly regarded as a prophet to the gentiles and respected as much as the Hebrew prophet Moses. Cathedrals throughout Europe still bear Hermes’ image. Coincidentally, this trinity is mirrored in the feminine aspect through the Diana/Luna/Proserpine model discussed earlier. Alternative Religion

The Lament of Hermes

“Do you know, Asclepius, that Egypt is an image of Heaven, or to speak more exactly, in Egypt all the operations of the powers which rule and work in Heaven are present in the Earth below? In fact it should be said that the whole Cosmos dwells in this our land as in a sanctuary.

And yet, since it is fitting that wise men should have knowledge of all events before they come to pass, you must not be left in ignorance of what I will now tell you.

There will come a time when it will have been in vain that Egyptians have honored the Godhead with heartfelt piety and service; and all our holy worship will be fruitless and ineffectual.

The gods will return from earth to heaven; Egypt will be forsaken, and the land which was once the home of religion will be left desolate, bereft of the presence of its deities.

O Egypt, Egypt, of thy religion nothing will remain but an empty tale, which thine own children in time to come will not believe; nothing will be left but graven words, and only the stones will tell of thy piety.

And in that day men will be weary of life, and they will cease to think the universe worthy of reverent wonder and worship.

They will no longer love this world around us, this incomparable work of God, this glorious structure which he has built, this sum of good made up of many diverse forms, this instrument whereby the will of God operates in that which he has made, ungrudgingly favoring man’s welfare; this combination and accumulation of all the manifold things that call forth the veneration, praise, and love of the beholder.

Darkness will be preferred to light, and death will be thought more profitable than life; no one will raise his eyes to heaven; the pious will be deemed insane, the impious wise; the madman will be thought a brave man, and the wicked will be esteemed as good.

As for the soul, and the belief that it is immortal by nature, or may hope to attain to immortality, as I have taught you, – all this they will mock, and even persuade themselves that it is false.

No word of reverence or piety, no utterance worthy of heaven, will be heard or believed.

And so the gods will depart from mankind, – a grievous thing! – and only evil angels will remain, who will mingle with men, and drive the poor wretches into all manner of reckless crime, into wars, and robberies, and frauds, and all things hostile to the nature of the soul.

Then will the earth tremble, and the sea bear no ships; heaven will not support the stars in their orbits, all voices of the gods will be forced into silence; the fruits of the Earth will rot; the soil will turn barren, and the very air will sicken with sullen stagnation; all things will be disordered and awry, all good will disappear.

But when all this has befallen, Asclepius, then God the Creator of all things will look on that which has come to pass, and will stop the disorder by the counterforce of his will, which is the good. He will call back to the right path those who have gone astray; he will cleanse the world of evil, washing it away with floods, burning it out with the fiercest fire, and expelling it with war and pestilence.

And thus he will bring back his world to its former aspect, so that the Cosmos will once more be deemed worthy of worship and wondering reverence, and God, the maker and maintainer of the Mighty Fabric, will be adored by the men of that day with continuous songs of praise and blessing.

Such is the new birth of the Cosmos; it is a making again of all things good, a holy and awe-inspiring restoration of all nature; and it is wrought inside the process of Time by the eternal Will of the Creator.” read the article

Hermes

Ancient Knowledge: Quantum Physics?

Hieronimus Lord's Prayer, John Hopkins University

The Lord’s Prayer

A centerpiece of “The Lord’s Prayer” mural commissioned by the graduate students for the Johns Hopkins University’s “Graduate Club”, completed June, 1969 by Bob Hieronimus. The artwork is another interpretation of this ancient sense of knowledge, showing in imagery that all knowledge, past, present and future, resides within each human, and that the Lord’s Prayer is an ancient formula revealing all knowledge (note the tetrahedron in the center of the mural, left.) The panel depicts the Sphinx, Great Pyramid, a UFO, Ibis and the Emerald Tablet of Hermes. A segment depicts Hermes’ rod of power, the caduceus or snake wound around a staff, and principles of Mercury. The name of the artist, Hieronymus comes from the Ancient Greek and means “sacred name.” visit the site

Hieronymus Machines

As a brief aside: Hieronymus machines were the invention of Dr. Thomas Galen Hieronymus (21 November 1895 – 1988). Hieronymus machines were mock-ups of real machines (patented by their inventor) which allegedly worked by analogy or symbolism, being directed by psychic or ESP powers.

As an example, one could create a receiver with prisms and vacuum tubes. Through the use of mental powers, the device would represent a “spiritual” equivalent. Campbell claimed that such machines actually did perform this way, but the concept was never adopted in the modern era.read the article

Atalanta Fugiens

Atalanta Fugiens

Michael Maier’s book Atalanta Fugiens (Atalanta Fleeing) was published at Oppenheim in 1617 by the firm of Johann Theodor de Bry. The book draws on text “…perceived as one of the oldest and most authoritative alchemical pronouncements, the so-called Tabula Smaragdina (Emerald Tablet), whose authorship was attributed to the mythical Hermes Trismegistus.” The accompanying motto to the image on the right reads ‘May Nature, Reason, Exercise and Literature be the guide, staff, spectacles and lamp for him who participates in chemistry.’ Nature here is portrayed as the woman bearing fruit & flowers, and Reason is the pilgrim’s staff: experience the spectacles; literature the light. read the article

Universal Myth of a Lost Golden Age

Author and researcher John Jay Harper comments on ancient sources of knowledge notes on his blog:

“So, let me be clear, there are many factors converging today, not just one or two. Certainly if we take the 26,000-year precession of the equinoxes, 11-year solar flare cycles, or even the flip of the poles, and isolate them from the engine of change, the magnetically-charged field at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, catastrophic changes in climate may not manifest. However, when we combine all of these field-force effects at once at a certain point in space-time, December 21, 2012, then what?

No matter the outcome, my hope is that we will not dwell on disaster but pray often to see this vision that Reverend Howard Storm saw during his NDE. “Everybody was a student of Nature, which they knew intimately and with which they could communicate, knowing the sensations and vibration of every part of creation. People explored outer space without moving an inch. People communicated telepathically with everyone on Earth and had relationships with intelligent beings on other worlds. There was no space travel because there was no need. People stayed put and shared life experience across galaxies. People valued the life experience they had been given in this world because they knew it was a precious gift from God.”

We stay put because telepathy links Heaven with Earth. Mythologist Richard Heinberg speaks to this Eternal Return of the Sun of God in Memories and Visions of Paradise: Exploring the Universal Myth of a Lost Golden Age. “The Hopi legend of the First People says that they ‘felt as one and understood one another without talking.’ The original mind seems to have been a kind of living, pulsating web of telepathic interconnectedness, through the strands of which flowed a current of universal love.”read the article

In an interview, Harper shared his investigation into native shamans as it correlates with the near-death experience (NDE), earth changes, and a global shift in consciousness. The shamanic tradition dates back thousands of years. Shamans, often engaged in healing work, travel to other realms and then translate back symbols of what they’ve seen, he explained. He also examined connections to the modern atomic research to the ancient Egyptian knowlege base as depicted in Great Pyramid construction. Was the Great Pyramid a machine used for gathering earth energy and focusing the power? Were the crucial components inside of the pyramid removed to prevent misuse? Why again does the tetrahedron symbol of two inversed pyramids factor into ancient research, the star of David and modern Tesla and Einstein research – and the ancient hermetic knowledge again? read the article

Sacred Geometry

The late Buckminster Fuller (1895 – 1983) was the first to discover a relation between musical frequencies (The Diatonic scale) and geometrical forms. He used a balloon submerged in blue dye and vibrated it with frequencies from the musical scale (7 notes). As a result of wave interference, two dimensional arrangements visually appeared on its surface.

Star of David: Cymatics

Dr. Hans Jenny continued the work of Buckminster Fuller and tested these vibrations in spherical volumes of liquid. Much to his surprise all of the Platonic solids, named after the legendary philosopher Plato, showed up as geometrical patterns. What you see is a star-tetrahedron. You may have noticed the two equilateral triangles, one facing up and one facing down. Together they form a symbol that is known as the Jewish Star of David, but remember in 3D the two triangles are tetrahedrons, three sided pyramids.

Quantum physics, around for a hundred years, is considered mainstream and accepted. Although quantum science reveals much of our universe, it still offers no reasonable explanation as to how and why particles and photons can behave just like that.

Vibration at the atomic level: Cymatics

Another difficult thing to grasp is the atom model presented by Niels Bohr where electrons fly in well-defined shells around the nucleus. Since electrons continuously radiate energy they should eventually collapse into the nucleus, but they don’t! The question is where does this radiating energy actually come from and how is it replenished? Quantum science is unable to answer the question why the electrons conduct this dance and why they don’t eventually crash into the nucleus. vibration at an atomic level

Even three hundred years after the discovery of gravity by Newton (a translator of the Emerald Tablet), science still has no theoretical explanation for it.

Cymatics

Sacred geometry, has been preserved throughout history in Freemasonry circles, believed to be important knowledge revealing the secrets of our universe. Contemporary scientists tell us that in fact all of creation is the offspring of aether vibrations. Consider the Eastern Hindu cosmology and the “Ohm” sound of Brahman as the vibration that creates the physical world. read the article

Physicist Daniel Winter interpreted these vibration Cymatics experiments, and agrees it is these interference patterns that really shape the atom. read the article

As an aside, but no less significant, consider the subatomic torus or Anu. In 1895, two mystics, Charles Leadbeater and Annie Besant published an article in ‘Occult Chemistry’ where they explained the internal structure of Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen. Using clairvoyance as an instrument, they revealed this atomic internal structure. The mystics had no scientific background; however they pictured the following torus shapes as the basic building blocks of the atom. The vortexes in the aether are like the eddies in a river. The vortex is nature’s flow form for fluids.

Anu, a torus

When two of these aether vortexes join their funnels they form a torus:

Single aether vortex

A torus is an interesting form in hydrodynamics, it allows fluids to spiral inwards and outwards on the same surface. It is a very stable flow form. As above, so below. Hermes again. Another feature one can see is a similarity to the caduceus (A winged staff with two serpents twined around it, carried by Hermes.)

Hermes caduceus

And represented in ancient witchcraft by Diana-Proserpine riding entwined serpents or seahorses in the amulet sirene or or Cavalli Marini (Neapolitan for siren):

Sirene amulets, sacred-texts.com

There is the distinct Hermetic-Gnostic influence in these double-tailed mermaids. As is above, is as below. A sailor may have acquired an amulet to bring good luck on a voyage. A representation has also be used in logos and designs popular even today.

Occultopedia.com lists the caduceus as an ancient Mesapotamia symbol merged in to Gnostic Hermetic concepts: the power and balance between light and dark, earthly and heavenly, matter and spirit.

Abraxas icon

Early witches, symbolically associated with a key and a caduceus, much like an Abraxas. Were witches on to something big: knowledge and balance; at a grand scale and at the subatomic? They understood what physicists, theologians and philosophers are now rediscovering. And what is an Abraxas? Abraxas is a mystical word symbolizing an all-seeing, all-knowing deity that cannot be named, such as Yahweh or Jehovah. Yet the Abraxas represents a duality that has entwined human spirituality for eons: Jana/Janus; positive/negative; heaven/hell; mortal/eternal. Through the years this term transformed into the magical word we know now: abracadabra. (Colin De Plancy, Dictionnaire Inferno, 1883)

“What you learn, you have known already. And as I, are only reminded.” – The Witch

Alpaidis Mulier, the Seer. From the Nuremberg Chronicle, by Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514)

Chakras

The Egyptians called matter frozen music. If matter is the result of musical vibrations just like the Cymatics experiments demonstrate, we can appreciate the insight of the ancient teachings. In the tale of The Witch, she would send her ancient melody on the wind and in the leaves… Therefore, could a witch’s spells be truly “cast” – manifested, recognized, then sent upon their way through the vibratory ethos. Likewise, could an ancient witch read and sense vibrations that cross boundaries of time and space, not necessarily to change your destiny, but to confirm its path?

Divine Organization of Vibration

In the video above, sound shapes powdered sugar into geometric designs (star tetrahedrons) corresponding to the frequency (or note: A,B,C,D,E,F,G) of the sound. I recognize the forming shapes from examples I have seen in nature. Imagine humming “ohm” at the frequency you desire to create a geometric vibration. For two people, try a higher note; four people, an even higher note; and so on. Now imagine seated in a room painted in one of the 7 primary colours corresponding to the frequency you hum (each colour has its own note/frequency). Then meditate on your internal chakra of the corresponding frequency… Is this how the ancient knowledge was applied?

The principle of the Hermes Emerald Tablet “as above, so below” is valid also for the aura — the energy field of the human body. Known to the Chinese for thousands of years as the meridian system and the seven chakras, nodes have been identified in the human body where vortexes of subtle energy from higher dimensions affect the physical body.

Many ancient traditions mention that this energy is a partner of the physical body — the vehicle of the human soul. Supposedly, the energy structure of the human aura contains wave patterns such as the star-tetrahedron.

DNA

A three year study by a team of health science, mathematics, genetics, and physics experts, indicated that DNA, traditionally considered the “blueprint of life,” appears more like an “antennae to God.” Led by award winning author, Dr. Leonard Horowitz, the group’s research shows that DNA’s coiled design and vibrating action (or “electrogenetic” function) makes spiritual as well as physical evolution possible.

DNA: Sacred Spirals

Life’s genomes are powered by waves of energized sound and light which, more than chemicals or drugs, switch genes “on” or “off.” Genetic inheritance is transmitted “bioacoustically and electromagnetically” through special water molecules that form the matrix of the “sacred spiral” or DNA. These hydroelectric structures are shaped like pyramids, hexagons, and pentagons; and influence physical as well as spiritual development, according to researchers.

Metaphysically, water molecules shaped like pyramids relay energy messages to and from DNA. These signals are carried from the environment to every cell in your body; far more rapidly than scientists once believed, based on chemical analyses. read the article

“I smell what cannot be predicted. I see where the day has not yet shone. I hear the silence of a winter not yet hardened and the song of a spring not yet revealed.” – The Witch

Merlin: A hermetic teacher?

Merlin: A Hermetic Teacher

What did Merlin know?

The ‘Book of Taliesin’ contains poetry attributed to the Merlin – also known as the Earl of Powyss. The sage, wizard and seer of old describes his own powers of knowledge:

I know what beasts there are at the bottom of the sea; How many spears in battle; how many drops in a shower…

That sounds very similar to the witch’s words describing knowing to the scholar. Most people who have heard of Merlin consider him a spellcasting wizard who advises King Arthur in everything from matters of the heart to war. As with many of the Arthurian characters, the Merlin image has changed and evolved through time as each generation of storytellers added their own colours to the mix.

I have been a blue salmon,

I have been a dog, a stag,

a roebuck on the mountain,

A stock, a spade, an axe in the hand,

A stallion, a bull, a buck,

A grain which grew on a hill,

I was reaped, and placed in an oven,

I fell to the ground when I was being roasted

And a hen swallowed me.

For nine nights was I in her crop.

I have been dead, I have been alive,

I am Taliesin.

visit the site

“Your doubt is my only proof of miracles.” – The Witch

Painting of Cassandra by Evelyn De Morgan

The Cassandra Complex

“A prophet shall have no honor…”

Cassandra, in Greek legend, was gifted to know the future but condemned to be disbelieved when she foretold it. Hence, the agony of foreknowledge combined with the impotence to do anything about it.

Wikipedia: “The metaphor to Cassandra has been applied in a variety of contexts such as psychology, environmentalism, politics, science, cinema, the corporate world, and in philosophy, and has been in circulation since at least 1949 when French philosopher Gaston Bachelard coined the term ‘Cassandra Complex’ to refer to a belief that things could be known in advance.

The Cassandra complex is used by some psychologists to describe individuals who experience physical and emotional suffering as a result of distressing personal perceptions, and who are disbelieved when they attempt to reveal the cause of their suffering with others.

In Movies:

In the following cinematic examples Cassandra is a term applied to those whose predictions of doom are initially dismissed, but later turn out to be correct. This further shows a psychological tendency among people to deny and disbelieve predictions. The person making the prediction is caught in the dilemma of knowing what will happen but not being able to convince others. The figure of Cassandra has also been invoked to describe those who take the role of antagonist toward widespread or institutional ignorance. The films Twelve Monkeys, The Dead Zone, and Terminator 2 all provide examples of this term. A 1961 episode of the television show The Twilight Zone titled “Back There” relates the story of a modern man sent into the past who tries unsuccessfully to convince all who will listen of the impending assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

The corporate world:

Foreseeing potential future directions for a corporation or company is sometimes called ‘visioning’. Yet achieving a clear, shared vision in an organization is often difficult due to a lack of commitment to the new vision by some individuals in the organization, because it does not match reality as they see it. Those who support the new vision are termed ‘Cassandras’ – given the ability to see what is going to happen but not believed. Sometimes the name Cassandra is applied to those who can predict rises, falls, and particularly crashes on the world stock market, as happened with Warren Buffett who repeatedly warned that the ’90s stock market surge was a bubble, attracting to him the title of ‘Wall Street Cassandra’.

The Environmental Movement:

Many environmentalists have predicted looming environmental catastrophes including climate change, rise in sea levels, irreversible pollution, and an impending collapse of ecosystems, including those of rainforests and ocean reefs. Such individuals sometimes acquire the label of ‘Cassandras’ whose warnings of impending environmental disaster are disbelieved or mocked. Environmentalist Alan Atkisson states that to understand that humanity is on a collision course with the laws of nature is to be stuck in what he calls the ‘Cassandra dilemma’ in which one can see the most likely outcome of current trends and can warn people about what is happening, but the vast majority can not, or will not respond, and later if catastrophe occurs they may even blame you, as if your prediction set the disaster in motion. In the words of Atkisson: “too often we watch helplessly, as Cassandra did, while the soldiers emerge from the Trojan horse just as foreseen and wreak their predicted havoc. Worse, Cassandra’s dilemma has seemed to grow more inescapable even as the chorus of Cassandras has grown larger.” visit the site

13th Baktun

All About Time

Shared with certain ancient sects of witchcraft, the 13 Moon Calendar is based on the rhythm of the 13 Moon/28 day cycle. In an article by TimeisArt.com: “Each year is composed of exactly 13 Moons of 28 days each, with a Day out of Time for global celebration of Peace Through Culture. This is a harmonic standard, which vibrates the mind with the natural timing frequencies of Earth, Moon, Sun and Galaxy. December 21, 2012, is the day on which the 13th Baktun is completed and the long count of the Mayan calendar ends.”visit the site

Today we are in the Long Count of the Mayan Calendar: the 13th Baktun. In the Mayan cycle of time this is the Fourth Sun. And each Cycle of Time is 5,200 years. Today we are nearing the beginning of the “zero year”. The term “zero year” is a Mayan concept. When the Fifth Sun shines, it will be the beginning . . .

The Witch was registered as a document in the National Archives on December 21, 2007 – exactly 5 years from the end of the 13th Baktun.

Seven Things You Should Know

“…labor in love of this garden, growing it outwards in all directions…” – The Witch

Earth Mother, www.marcinequenzer.com

The above is an ongoing research project to understand ancient witches. The goal, to reveal a character in The Witch. Check out all the links and references. All images are copyright of their respective owners and are used here under Fair Use for research and informational purposes and represent the subject of this article in critical commentary.

The following is an ongoing research project to understand some of the lore, legends and fallacies about ancient witches. The goal, to uncover ancient customs and reveal a character called a ‘wys woman’ or ‘wise woman’. Some of the images contained in this section are of a medieval or Gothic nature. These images represent portrayal of witches in popular culture during the middle ages and renaissance periods. Much of what we know about witches today is based on superstitions conceived in Neo-classical art and Gothic literature. You can follow along; there’s lots of links and references.

John British Dixon after John Hamilton Mortimer; An Incantation 20 July 1773

Henry Fuseli; The Witch and The Mandrake, circa 1812

First Impressions

Who are witches? People have different reactions to the word ‘witch’, “Spooky. Old hags. Taboo. Superstitions. Fear.” People don’t declare themselves witches often. The term gets varied reactions, some unfriendly. You can see more of these images at The Tate Gallery.

John Downman; The Ghost of Clytemnestra Awakening the Furies, 1781

What would a witch be like, one from long ago, in an ancient era? How would she talk? Was she political? Did witches actually brew herbs in a forest lair?

Ulrich Molitor. De Lamiis et Phitonicis Mulieribus, 1493

Valborgsmässoafton, Sweden; celebrating spring.

Origins of Witchcraft

What does the word “witch” mean? Witches are surrounded by such obscurity and mystery that we have to trace the origins of the word witch to understand what role this person played in society. If you want to get a reaction, ask someone what they think a witch is. People disagree on a proper definition — even “witches” themselves. It depends on our interpretation of the term.

A linguistics reference suggests: The root of “witch” in early language was wy-, “to bend, twist” having to do with trees: wyg-, meaning “elm” and wyt, meaning “willow” or artifacts woven or twisted out of them and the very concepts of weaving, twisting, binding and bending. These words began to evolve. Their pronunciations were changed several times, the connotations of bending and weaving, etc., were maintained and elaborated.

When we think of the word, “witch” consider the Anglo-Saxon wic-, meaning “to turn, twist or bend” later growing into “weak,” “wicker” and “wicked,” all based on bendable or twisted. In Old English, wicca/wicce became a specifically magical term. In Old Norse, the root vik- became “to turn aside, conjure away, exorcise.” Germanic wik- became wikken, “to foretell” and Dutch wicker, “a soothsayer.” The link between all of these roots is wys-, meaning “wise.” The article surmises that original meaning of wicce/wicca was “wise one.” read the article

The pagan "wys woman". She heeded the signs of nature.

Researchers discover the grave of a priestess, a seer, who used various rituals, some with willow, to advise Germanic tribes around 100 BC. Evidence suggests she may have performed her role when Rome’s Caesar conducted his northern conquests. The personal effects found in the grave belonged to a woman with religious and political importance. She was found entombed on the Danish coast with Roman valuables and her own collection of antiques, such as a stone age axe. These antiques are considered religious artifacts. Researchers say her collection indicates a woman of “high status with a magical function.” Read more about bog burials.

Finds from a Völva's grave in Köpingsvik, Öland. There is an 82 cm long wand of iron with bronze details and a unique model of a house on the top. There is also a pitcher from Persia or Central Asia, and a West European bronze bowl. Dressed in a bear pelt, she had received a ship burial with both human and animal sacrifice. The finds are on display in the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm.

Wikipedia also offers insight into the history of the Völva (also Vala, Spákona) a shamanic seeress in Norse paganism, and a key character in Norse mythology. The “wand carrier” or “carrier of a magic staff” has been excavated in various finds. The archeologists identified artifacts as shamanic in origin and dating from an earlier epoch. The were likely passed ceremoniously from one priestess to another. Völvas belonged to the highest level of society. Read more about Norse Priestesses.

The "wys" willow tree.

Allen Greenfield writes in his History of Witchcraft: In a sense witchcraft or “wisecraft” has, indeed, been with us from the dawn of time, not as a coherent religion or set of practices and beliefs, but as the folk magic and medicine that stretches back to early, possibly Paleolithic tribal shamans. read the article

Susan Seddon Boulet, 1986, Shaman, Visit turningpointgallery.com to find out more.

Robert Sewel describes The Witch-Cult in Western Europe by Margaret Alice Murray, 1863 – 1963. “Ms. Murray was an archeologist and a specialist in Egyptian hieroglyphics and Egyptology. An ardent feminist, she claimed that the persecution of witches was an attack of the patriarchal establishment on ancient, woman-centered religions. Ms. Murray claimed these ancient religions were rooted in European Pagan fertility cults that extended back to the Palaeolithic era. This caused a deal of controversy among her peers and her opinions were ridiculed.” read the article

Ancient Aztec witch-goddess, Tlazolteotl, shown in an ancient Mesoamerican codex. The subject grasps a snake. What is the object being ridden? Read about brooms and other ancient mystical conveyances at Chronos Apollonios. Click the image.

Our perception of witches: Early biblical accounts of witches are rare, but severe, advising the faithful “not to suffer a witch to live…” Conjuring spirits was not encouraged, in fact, prohibited. Saul visited the witch of Endor to seek advice and met with a bitter end. Theological contempt laid the groundwork for political and religious killings throughout the centuries, and in many cases, state endorsed.

Henry Fuseli; Samuel appearing to Saul in the Presence of the Witch of Endor, 1777. A scene from the Biblical book of Samuel. The armies of the Philistines are gathering to attack Israel; the prophet Samuel is dead, and Saul has driven out those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards. But, feeling abandoned by God, Saul goes in disguise to hypocritically seek advice from a witch.

The Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) and Black Death, the bubonic plague swept Europe and disabled medieval feudal systems. Growing dissatisfaction with the Church, the Great Schism (1378-1417), led to a reformation of spiritualism in pagan and heretical thought. Fifteenth-century popes, in an attempt to stem this trend towards mysticism diverted attention and criticism of their opulent lifestyles. The Age of Exploration, brought fears of the beyond, including ideas of  “hirsute wild men, women and their families,” monstrous races, and bizarre creatures of undiscovered lands beyond Western Europe. Druidic, Roman, Celtic and Middle Eastern philosophies had also left past legends and traditions, each contributing to a mosaic for stories and tales.  “Along with such ideas blossomed the imagined existence of witches, individuals who used sorcery (the magical manipulation of nature’s forces) to achieve their desired goals.” The struggles and fears of the day soon became reflected in the arts. Our influences on witchcraft include the fears of the past. Read the entire article, Sacred and Profane: Christian Imagery and Witchcraft in Prints by Hans Baldung Grien by Stan Parchin.

'World Tapestry' by Madeleine Jarry depicting medieval wildwomen of the east

In an essay by Diane Russell, Eva/Ave: Women in Renaissance and Baroque Prints (Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1990) she writes “The persecution of witches began in the fifteenth century. Before that, sorcerers, as they would be more properly called, might be friendly or unfriendly, but they were not feared and hated. Even at the end of the sixteenth century there were friendly sorcerers in the Friuli region of Italy who were thought to fight bad sorcerers and thereby protect the fecundity of the soil. Yet these people themselves were eventually convinced by authorities that they were in fact witches.” read the article

Hans Baldung Grien; Witches' Sabbath, 1510

The Maenads: Art and literature also shaped our perception of witches. Above, Baldung Grien’s woodcut typifies a belief of what witches “were up to” – scheming, conspiring and conjuring spirits and curses. Greek classical literature may not have helped the cause of the forest dwelling “wise woman”, more so if her activities were considered peculiar. The Iliad told of the Maenads. In Greek mythology, Maenads were fanatical female worshippers of Dionysus, the Greek god of mystery, wine, and intoxication, comparable to the Roman god Bacchus. Maenads means “raving ones”. They were known as wild, insane women who could not be reasoned with. Legend tells that the mysteries of Dionysus inspired the women to ecstatic frenzy; they committed acts of violence, bloodletting, sexual deviation, self-intoxication, and mutilation. They were usually pictured as crowned with vine leaves, clothed in fawnskins and carrying the thyrsus, and dancing with wild abandon. The Maenads celebrated a rite of spring called Anthesteria, one of the four Athenian festivals in honour of Dionysus (Dionysia), was held annually for three days, the eleventh to thirteenth of the month of Anthesterion (the February/March full moon). Anthesteria caused hysteria among participants.

The title page of Malleus Maleficarum, 1485, a witch hunter's handbook.

The Witches Hammer – Malleus Maleficarum: At this point in European history, an infamous “how-to manual”, or “witch hunting guide” was written for the identification and dispatching of witches: 1484 – The Malleus Maleficarum (translated to The Witch’s Hammer) was written and introduced to the Catholic Church. Also in 1484, Pope Innocent VIII issues the SUMMIS DESIDERANTES AFFECTIBUS, which ordered the elimination of the craft. Deborah M. DeCloedt Pinçon describes how the Malleus Maleficarum came about in 1485 Innsbruck. A woman named Helena Scheuberin was accused of witchcraft. She was the wife of a wealthy local merchant and “not afraid to speak her mind”. Helena spat on the ground when she saw the new inquisitor in town, and didn’t go to his sermons. She also discouraged others from attending the inquisitor’s sermons and accused the inquisitor himself of being evil and in league with the devil. She was accused of witchcraft and the subsequent questioning focused on her sexuality. Helena hired an attorney who won the case for her on the grounds that no standard definitions existed that uniformly described what a witch was. The inquisitor in this case was a man named Henry Institoris [also known as Kramer] coauthored the Malleus Maleficarium along with Sprenger in response to this trial’s outcome. read the article

Medieval woodcut depicting demons and witches. medieval woodcuts

Depiction of witch trial by clergy: note the similarity to the woodcut above. 16th century witch trials

The propaganda battle against witches was on. With witches classified as evil and a scourge, religious and state leaders had no empathy for heretics who sought to abide by the laws of nature, or who disagreed politically. Any true “wise woman” would have taken to the hills and stayed out of the limelight. Another mystery is the number of innocent people who were executed for suspected crimes of witchery. Many texts allude that executions were political, though art of the time period documents a level of fear and hysteria. Stories of the Salem Witch Trials are still told to describe mass hysteria. Greenfield writes: It comes from yet another priest, Father Cornelius Loos, who observed, in 1592 that “Wretched creatures are compelled by the severity of the torture to confess things they have never done, and so by cruel butchery innocent lives are taken…” read the article

A woodcut from 1598 shows an exorcism performed on a woman. It is important to consider that "witch hunters" and persecutors genuinely believed that they were doing their best for the victim of "witchery". Their concern was the eternal soul, and unfortunately this reasoning was used to justify horrendous means of exorcism and execution.

In research by Deborah M. DeCloedt Pinçon on sott.net, the author writes, “The late middle ages and early modern period were very rough, and outside of elite circles, interpersonal conflict was rampant and expressed through gossip, insults, scolding, threats, curses, legal action, physical assault, and threats of ritual magic. Jealousy and economic inequalities were often the cause of conflict, and women didn’t have recourse to courts like men did. Physical assault was common; one woman would take by force that which was owed her, particularly when she didn’t have a man to help arbitrate conflicts in court. Urban women were likely to have expressed their sexuality more openly in the early modern period, and this communicative behavior certainly would have met with censure from men within the church and the community. An ideal woman in a patriarchal society would keep her voice “soft, gentle, and low”, and would behave in a chaste manner. read the article

Joan of Arc. Executed on May 30, 1491. One of the most infamous of the European witch trials. However, she was executed not for practicing witchcraft but for being a heretic who denied the authority of the church. For more information visit http://archive.joan-of-arc.org/

Additional information on the process of witch trials can be found at Court depositions in 16th century English witch trials “The chronology of the relevant legislation reflected the growth of concern over witchcraft from the 1540s onwards. The main relevant Acts were passed in 1542 (repealed in 1547) 1563 and 1604. They prescribed a range of punishments, of which death by hanging was the most extreme. The last execution in England (Alice Molland) took place in 1684 and the last trial (Jane Wenham) in 1712.” read the article

In 1678 century, she may have spoke her mind, offending someone in power. For an excellent depiction of the Salem Witch Trials, visit Colonial Witches at History of American Women

Economics and the Environment: In an article be J.P.Sommerville it is surmised that economics was a factor. Many accusations of witchcraft began with beggars cursing those who had refused to assist them. Widows tended to be dependent on the local community for support, and the few who expressed their resentment against the stingy were often the object of witchcraft accusations: “In the case of the Lancashire witches (1613) Elizabeth Demdike, the main witch, said she had first met and sold her soul to the devil when she was coming home from begging, and admitted that later she and another woman were at the house of Richard Baldwyn, who said “get out of my ground whores and witches, I will burn the one of you and hang the other.” She then asked the spirit to take revenge “on him or his.” She cursed Baldwyn all around the village and so was the obvious suspect when his young daughter suddenly fell sick and died. In 1674 Anne Foster had tried to buy mutton at below the market price and went away “murmuring and grumbling,” and threatening the farmer when he refused; a few days later when thirty of his sheep were found suddenly and inexplicably dead, his neighbors said it was witchcraft.” read the article

Russell writes: In a study of witches in Gascony, Emmanuel Le Roy Ladune pointed to four principal “crimes” for which witches were held to be responsible. They could take away the strength of young men and sometimes went on to kill them. They could make men impotent, and hence they struck at the ability of humans to reproduce. They could destroy the crops of farmers by conjuring up such harmful natural phenomena as hailstorms. Finally, they were thought to increase their own material wealth by striking at the holdings of others. Witches were thought able to fly through the air in performing their evil acts; to achieve flight, they used unguents on themselves and their poles, ointments supposedly made of infants they had killed. read the article

Deborah M. DeCloedt Pinçon agrees. Empirical data was researched and supported a correlation between extreme cold and the number and frequency of witchcraft trials between 1520 and 1770 a.d., This may explain why witches were blamed for magically controlling the weather. She suggests that a particularly cold period in 1560 a.d. coincided with increased numbers of trials after nearly 70 years of relative inactivity . read the article

Avoiding accusation, an actual wys would have likely been discreet and practiced their faith at a distance, in a cloistered environment, attending to their ways privately. A wys was also apt to be in tune with their natural and social surroundings, intuitively adjusting their activities as led. Consider that a wys would have maintained friends, tended and cared for infirm, consulted on the spiritual growth of their community. Townsfolk may have been quite guarded over the abilities of their intuitive neighbor.

Influential Literature on Our Modern Perceptions: William Shakespeare, Thomas Middleton, and Goth

Two English playwrites have between them, shaped modern perceptions of witches. The cauldron stirring, cackling hag—this was the accepted romanticized impression of a witch in the early 17th century. Shakespeare gave voice to perhaps the three most famous witches in Macbeth. The dialog, mannerism, and atrocious nature of ‘the three sisters’ were paralleled in another work, The Witch, by Thomas Middleton. These constructed characters acted as prophetesses and harbingers of doom, fulfilling a plot device in the works and setting a tone for the stories. Enter the horror genre. Later, in the eighteen century, the supernatural, the occult, and sublime artists, such as Fuseli, romanticized the characters of Shakespeare and Middleton. To this day, the Shakespearean image stands as the personified witch. read Macbeth

Macbeth and the witches, Theodore Chasseriau, 1855

Thomas Middleton wrote his play, The Witch, in 1613. The cackling crone Hecate boils concoctions in her cauldron, communicates with her pets and subordinate witches, consults familiar spirits, casts spells and flies! Middleton (who probably conspired with Shakespeare in his works) definitively portrayed the stereotypical witch that endures in modern culture.

Horror, mystique, superstition, and obscurity combined to inspire 19th century artists and writers. Along came a fascination with things sublime, an evil antagonist pitched against a romantic backdrop. Gothic portrayals of witches became popular. The allure of taboo, risky entertainment, filled salons and parlors full of readers vicariously enjoying the feminine beauty in desperate, supernatural story lines such as Bram Stoker’s, Dracula. Gothic style developed to test the extremes of human perception at the time. The needle spires of cathedrals; dark brooding paintings of death and the afterlife; contrasting elements of light and shadow in literature. As state and religious persecution waned, writers and dramatists exploited superstitions.

Theodore Von Holst; Frontispiece to Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, 1831. This is the first illustrated edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, originally published in 1818. Von Holst’s design evokes the heroic, heavy-limbed figures of Fuseli. The setting, with its dramatic lighting and medieval tracery, is thoroughly Gothic in style. Click image to visit Tate Gallery

William Blake's Hecate (the work was also called Enitharmon), 1795. Gothic technique utilizes classical art, but to the extreme. A witch, stripped to the waist, is accompanied by two figures. Above their heads we can see the silhouette of a bat in the gloom, and a feline-faced bat. Among the rocks to the left, are a wide-eyed owl, a newt or toad, and an ass. It was traditionally called ‘Hecate’. Click image to visit the Tate Gallery website.

The stereotypical pagan witch. Note that she travels with her familiar spirits.

Witches in Popular Media: In modern western cultures, witchcraft has, in some ways, been commercialized. Perceptions are influenced by popular media images and these in turn by the folklore and legends paraphrased in scripts and books. Universal portrayals of witches still propagate the pagan, black hat, black cat, cauldron brewing stereotype. Hallowe’en has developed into a yearly merchandising event and the classic broom riding hag or crone is still a staple among children in costume and in images. Many young children can recall the fear of seeing Disney’s poison apple wielding stepmother in the retelling of Snow White. Warner Brothers’ Witch Hazel was a cartoon nemesis of Bugs Bunny. Elizabeth Montgomery became the “witch next door” with modern age concerns in the ’60s sit-com Bewitched. Periodically witches come back into vogue in media, including: Blair Witch Project, the television series Charmed, The Witches of Eastwick, and in popular music.

Wicca and Pagan: To understand the many diverse orders of Wicca, neo-pagan and earth-linked religions that have evolved today, it’s fair to consider that in many geographic regions, various forms of natural spiritualism exist. Seers, witches, and shamans continue to interpret and intuit phenomena and occurrences. Many ancient rites and ceremonies are still practiced and a renewed connection with the natural environment is sought by many, urban and rural. For this informal research project, an overview of some predominant sects is included to understand motivators behind an ancient wys. Many good websites are easily found that contain a wealth of data and searching key terms will reveal much more information. Generally, much of what we understand of modern witchcraft evolved from Celtic-European tradition through druids, soothsayers and mystics. There were rituals, practices and codes of conduct (rede). Crops were predicted, seasons analyzed and nature communed with. The Wicca studied what was in their natural environments: herbs, stars, moon orbits, animals. Spiritual hierarchies exist in Wicca and the communication with spirits is practiced.

Lady Lavinia; Drawing down the Moon, 2005. Click image to visit.

An Alternative Religion article describes Drawing Down the Moon from The Book of Shadows a popular Wiccan reference of rituals. The Goddess of the Moon is invoked into a Priestess, who becomes the embodiement of the Goddess. The name could be derived from Thessalonian witchcraft, but resembles portions of the Thelemic “Gnostic Mass,” read the article

By seed and root, by stem and bud, by leaf and flower and fruit, by Life and Love (Garnerian DDTM ritual)

not unto Thee may we attain, unless Thine image be Love. Therefore by seed and root and stem and bud and leaf and flower and fruit do we invoke Thee. (From Crowley’s Gnostic Mass)

The Gnostic Mass, though somewhat modern, is intriguing. This suggests an ancient knowing heritage. A path worth considering. Wicca and pagans are as diverse as the winds. Most claim to follow the true craft, but their styles vary. Witches seem to occupy two distinct realms: religious and pagan. Religious witches appear to follow biblical taboos to suit an alternative deity or group of gods. Pagans appearing more as nature interpreters and healers. Both sects using ceremony, charms and spells.

Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches was published in 1899 by Charles Godfrey Leland. A writer and folklore researcher, Leland purports of an ancient sect of witchcraft called Stregheria. Within the text, Leland offers descriptions of ceremony and rituals in the traditions of this remote Tuscan practice. Read more at absoluteastronomy.com

Many sects of neo-pagan witchcraft have varied lore and traditions. Even the lexicon and translations of obscure text can have different emphasis for different practices and requires a variety of sources and cross references. Another read on the tradition of Stregheria, and specifically Aradia, can be found here at stregheria.com

Magick-whispers.com has a fairly detailed list and descriptions. They divide European witchcraft into three main categories: Classical, Gothic, Neo-Pagan Among the oldest sects are: Ceremonial, which encompasses traditional rituals with a basis of Egyptian magic outlined in ancient Cabalistic writings. Again, terminology is key: is the ancient tradion Strega or Stregheria? As an ancient tradition of Italian witches which focus on moon lore, nature, symbolism, spirits, spells and natural objects, Strega has been popularized in recent history. Teutonic, recognized as Nordic and one of the earliest known forms of the craft. Celtic, also known as druidism focuses on nature, ancient ones, healing and the magical qualities of plants, animals, stone, water, fire and earth. read the article

The traditional "Strega" (witch) of Italy. A legend tells that on a certain night of the year, feral cats would gather in the spot that a witch was burned: La povolata di Ca' Oddo. A cursed tree grew on the site. Click on the image and read the tale, in the old language.

Ecauldron.com lists the following: Asatru; Church of All Worlds; Discordianism; Druidry; Feri; Gwyddons; Hellenismos (Greece); Kemeticism (Egypt); Religio Romana (Roman); Religious Witchcraft; Senistrognata; Thelema; Wicca Groups; and even more sub-groups: Candomble, Santeria, Satanism, Voudon… Not only are there other Pagan religions besides those listed here, but many of these religions have sub-divisions (denominations/sects/traditions) within them. read the article Wikipedia also list varieties of witchcraft sects, including descriptions categorized by geography throughout the world. read the article

“Magic Circle”, 1886. John William Waterhouse

Which witch was The Witch? As stated above, this research project is to make a comparison between a character in a book and ancient practices we have come to know as witchcraft. The character of the book seemed in touch with a great spirituality that honored a single god through a duality of spirit and nature. She was in tune with more than human concerns. She knew how things worked. Cimaruta, a plant associated with witchcraft symbols was hinted at in the book. There were also references to number 13. Also the symbolism between the plants, animals and a sense of “knowing” were key in the book. What sect would adhere to these creeds? An article by Alternative Religion revealed an interesting clue: The cimaruta of today is evolved from ancient Etruscan amulets and has become associated with Strega (an Italian/Roman flavor for of Wicca), and so-called Italian Traditional Witchcraft …purporting to be the gospel of a secret Dianic Roman witchcraft tradition. read the article

Diana depicted on a mural in the ancient city of Pompeii

What was this secret Diana Connection? Sacred-texts.com opened a new line of research: …the symbols of Diana, relate to her in the form of Luna (the moon), the wife of Dianus; Janus and Jana are alternative forms of one and the same word. As keeper of the gates of heaven, Jana was entrusted with her husband’s key to open portals for Aurora and the life giving PhÏbus, and close the gates of night. She might also be regarded as Hecate-Proserpine, who as mistress of the lower world might open the gates and free the imprisoned spirits…

Diana Triformis is known as the Giver of light and life, and concerned for women in labour and nature. One entity is referred to with three distinct names: In heaven she is the Luna; upon the earth, Diana; in hell she is Proserpine.

Proserpine, by Dante Rossetti, 1877

The article also explains that the ancient Neapolitan term for witch is Janara (Diana). Consider that ancient shamans used symbols and ceremony to explain, teach and classify both the natural world and the spiritual realm: Luna/Diana/Prosperine; heaven/earth/hell. Diana/Dianus; male/female; yin/yan; physical/spiritual. The “witch” was the layperson’s connection to understanding and connecting with nature and spirit. Sacred-texts.com offers a detail-rich article connecting the Gnostic, Hermetic, Diana, Egyptian and Greek goddesses through ancient artifacts. read the article

An illustration of Diana Triformis: Luna, Diana, Prosperine.

“I smell what cannot be predicted. I see where the day has not yet shone. I hear the silence of a winter not yet hardened and the song of a spring not yet revealed.” – The Witch

Knowing: Witches, Spells, and Selling the Wind The Witch of the book taunts with a clue. There is an ancient artifact that speaks of thoughts similar. It is a tablet that has been revered for thousands of years. It has fascinated scholars through the ages, shaping belief systems. The Emerald Tablet is an ancient code that predates many religions. Perhaps our witch was aware of it? Are you? It consists of thirteen lines. From here, we link to knowing and gain some understanding of an ancient witch from long ago…

See the image by Renata Ratajczyk – Forest Lady – at lightvisionart.com

Next research projects: Aradia, Ishtar and Inanna.

Aradia: Italian; Queen of the Witches, daughter of Diana. Aradian legends tell of an extremely powerful entity and a protectorate of witches in general. Aradia may have a connection to ancient witches of Tuscany.

Ishtar, the Akkadian counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate northwest Semitic goddess Astarte. Anunit, Astarte and Atarsamain are alternative names for Ishtar. Click the image to read more at Crystal Links.

Goddess Inanna (Innin, or Innini) was the patron and special god/goddess of the ancient Sumerian city of Erech (Uruk), the City of Gilgamesh and Queen of heaven. Click the image to read more at Crystal Links.

All images are copyright of their respective owners and are used here under Fair Use for research and informational purposes and represent the subject of this article in critical commentary.

“Alongside the road, golden fruit shone to catch his attentions
and he desired to have them.” – The Witch

The golden fruit from the Thief parable of The Witch

What are the golden fruit? Apples? Peaches? We can see a sketch of a flowering plant, and if this is a fairy tale it could be any imaginary fruit the author intended. Or not?

A cimaruta is a type of charm. It comes from the Naples region of Italy. The region is also home to a powerful sect of witches called Strega. In his work The Evil Eye, 1895, Frederick Thomas Elworthy writes of a rare amulet in the collection of Mr. Neville Rolfe, in Naples in 1888. The following is an excerpt from the book:

“Among those who have written upon Neapolitan superstitions, one only is known to the writer who has even alluded to the most curious of all the many charms worn there against the evil eye. The cima di ruta, or, in Neapolitan, the cimaruta or sprig of rue, tells its own tale. We have in this highly composite, powerful amulet, no less than thirteen separate and distinct symbols, any one of which by itself may be taken as prophylactic against the dreaded evil eye. These are: 1, Rue.; 2, Diana Triformis; 3, Silver; 4, Hand; 5, horned Crescent; 6, Serpent; 7, Key; 8, Heart; 9, Cock; 10, Eagle; 11, Sword or Dart; 12, Fish; 13, Lotus.” read the article

Cimaruta Sketch: Neville Rolfe Collection

How odd! An amulet to ward off the evil eye and perhaps, curses. With 13 symbols? The goddess Diana is considered a one form of a deity worshiped by early medieval witches. And what was this sprig of evergreen named rue? Let’s find out exactly what this sprig of rue looked like.

Over to www.botanical.com, and there is the description. The sprig of rue–Herb of Grace–is an evergreen shrub, native to Southern Europe with golden flowers. Here was a parallel to the story! An excerpt from Mrs. M. Grieve:

“The name Ruta is from the Greek reuo; to set free, because this herb is so efficacious in various diseases. It was much used by the Ancients; Hippocrates specially commended it, and it constituted a chief ingredient of the famous antidote to poison used by Mithridates. The Greeks regarded it as an anti-magical herb, because it served to remedy the nervous indigestion they suffered when eating before strangers, which they attributed to witchcraft. In the Middle Ages and later, it was considered – in many parts of Europe – a powerful defense against witches, and was used in many spells. It was also thought to bestow second sight.”

Ruta Graveolens: Mrs. M. Grieve

Readers of The Witch have noticed the odd looking shrub set it the sketch of the Thief parable and another in the last chapter. In subsequent printings, the author returned to the drawings and added the plant. Was grace an issue for the witch of the story?

The sketch is similar to the Rolfe sketch above. With a stretch of the imagination, one can devise the letters: w, i, t, c, and h! They are reversed on the two sketches. There is an ancient history to this wonderful plant rutaceae, as well as a sample of references in literature posted below. Perhaps you would like to grow a sprig in your own garden – near a willow tree, of course.

Sprig of rue sketch enlarged from the Thief parable of The Witch

Ruta in Literature

Shakespeare refers again to Rue in Richard III: ‘Here in this place I’ll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace; Rue, even for ruth, shall shortly here be seen, In the remembrance of a weeping queen.’

The following is a quotation from Drayton: ‘Then sprinkles she the juice of rue, With nine drops of the midnight dew From lunarie distilling.’ The latter was the Moonwort (Lunaria), often called ‘honesty’ – a common garden flower, with cross-shaped purple blossoms, and round, clear silvery-looking seed-vessels. Chaucer also calls it Lunarie. It is one of the ingredients in the ‘Vinegar of the Four Thieves.’

A E Housman verse with another meaning for rue, or is it?: With rue my heart is laden For golden friends I had, For many a rose-lipt maiden And many a lightfoot lad. By brooks too broad for leaping The lightfoot boys are laid; The rose-lipt girls are sleeping In fields where roses fade.

Ruta Graveolens at www.uni-graz.at