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samwisethewitch · 3 years

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Pagan Paths: Wicca

Wicca is the big granddaddy of neopagan religions. Most people who are familiar with modern paganism are specifically familiar with Wicca, and will probably assume that you are Wiccan if you tell them you identify as pagan. Thanks to pop culture and a handful of influential authors, Wicca has become the public face of modern paganism, for better or for worse.

Wicca is also one of the most accessible pagan religions, which is why I chose to begin our exploration of individual paths here. Known for its flexibility and openness, Wicca is about as beginner-friendly as it gets. While it definitely isn’t for everyone, it can be an excellent place to begin your pagan journey if you resonate with core Wiccan beliefs.

This post is not meant to be a complete introduction to Wicca. Instead, my goal here is to give you a taste of what Wiccans believe and do, so you can decide for yourself if further research would be worth your time. In that spirit, I provide book recommendations at the end of this post.

History and Background

Wicca was founded by Gerald Gardner, a British civil servant who developed an interest in the esoteric while living and working in Asia. Gardner claimed that, after returning to England, he was initiated into a coven of witches who taught him their craft. Eventually, he would leave this coven and start his own, at which point he began the work of bringing Wicca to the general public. In 1954, Garner published his book Witchcraft Today, which would have a great impact on the formation of Wicca, as would his 1959 book The Meaning of Witchcraft.

Gardner claimed that the rituals and teachings he received from his coven were incomplete — he attempted to fill in the gaps, which resulted in the creation of Wicca. Author Thea Sabin calls Wicca “a New Old Religion,” which is a good way to think about it. When Gardner wrote the first Wiccan Book of Shadows, he combined ancient and medieval folk practices from the British Isles with ceremonial magic dating back to the Renaissance and with Victorian occultism. These influences combined to create a thoroughly modern religion.

Wicca spread to the United States in the 1960s, at which time several new and completely American traditions were born. Some of these traditions are simply variations on Wicca, while others (like Feri and Reclaiming, which we’ll discuss in future posts) became unique, full-fledged spiritual systems in their own right. In America, Wicca collided with the counter-culture movement, and several activist groups began to combine the two. Wicca has continued to evolve through the decades, and is still changing and growing today.

There are two main “types” of Wicca which take very different approaches to the same deities and core concepts.

Traditional Wicca is Wicca that looks more or less like the practices of Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente, Alex Sanders, and other early Wiccan pioneers. Traditional Wiccans practice in ritual groups called covens. Rituals are typically highly formal and borrow heavily from ceremonial magic. Traditional Wicca is an initiatory tradition, which means that new members must be trained and formally inducted into the coven by existing members. This means that if you are interested in Traditional Wicca, you must find a coven or a mentor to train and initiate you. However, most covens do not place any limitations on who can join and be initiated, aside from being willing to learn.

Most Traditional Wiccan covens require initiates to swear an oath of secrecy, which keeps the coven’s central practices from being revealed to outsiders. However, there are traditional Wiccans who have gone public with their practice, such as the authors Janet and Stewart Farrar.

Eclectic Wicca is a solitary, non-initiatory form of Wicca, as made popular by author Scott Cunningham in his book Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. Eclectic Wiccans are self-initiated and may practice alone or with a coven, though coven work will likely be less central in their practice. There are very few rules in Eclectic Wicca, and Wiccans who follow this path often incorporate elements from other spiritual traditions, such as historical pagan religions or modern energy healing. Because of this, there are a wide range of practices that fall under the “Eclectic Wicca” umbrella. Really, this label refers to anyone who considers themselves Wiccan, follows the Wiccan Rede (see below), and does not belong to a Traditional Wiccan coven. The majority of people who self-identify as Wiccan fall into this group.

Core Beliefs and Values

Thea Sabin says in her book Wicca For Beginners that Wicca is a religion with a lot of theology (study and discussion of the nature of the divine) and no dogma (rules imposed by religious structures). As a religion, it offers a lot of room for independence and exploration. This can be incredibly empowering to Wiccans, but it does mean that it’s kind of hard to make a list of things all Wiccans believe or do. However, we can look at some basic concepts that show up in some form in most Wiccan practices.

Virtually all Wiccans live by the Wiccan Rede. This moral statement, originally coined by Doreen Valiente, is often summarized with the phrase, “An’ it harm none, do what ye will.”

Different Wiccans interpret the Rede in slightly different ways. Most can agree on the “harm none” part. Wiccans strive not to cause unnecessary harm or discomfort to any living thing, including themselves. Some Wiccans also interpet the word “will” to be connected to our spiritual drive, the part of us that is constantly reaching for our higher purpose. When interpreted this way, the Rede not only encourages us not to cause harm, but also to live in alignment with our own divine Will.

Wiccans experience the divine as polarity. Wiccans believe that the all-encompassing divinity splits itself (or humans split it into) smaller aspects that we can relate to. The first division of deity is into complimentary opposites: positive and negative, light and dark, life and death, etc. These forces are not antagonistic, but are two halves of a harmonious whole. In Wicca, this polarity is usually embodied by the pairing of the God and Goddess (see below).

Wiccans experience the divine as immanent in daily life. In the words of author Deborah Lipp, “the sacredness of the human being is essential to Wicca.” Wiccans see the divine present in all people and all things. The idea that sacred energy infuses everything in existence is a fundamental part of the Wiccan worldview.

Wiccans believe nature is sacred. In the Wiccan worldview, the earth is a physical manifestation of the divine, particularly the Goddess. By attuning with nature and living in harmony with its cycles, Wiccans attune themselves with the divine. This means that taking care of nature is an important spiritual task for many Wiccans.

Wiccans accept that magic is real and can be used as a ritual tool. Not all Wiccans do magic, but all Wiccans accept that magic exists. For many covens and solitary practitioners, magic is an essential part of religious ritual. For others, magic is a practice that can be used not only to connect with the gods, but also to improve our lives and achieve our goals.

Many Wiccans believe in reincarnation, and some may incorporate past life recall into their spiritual practice. Some Wiccans believe that our souls are made of cosmic energy, which is recycled into a new soul after our deaths. Others believe that our soul survives intact from one lifetime to the next. Many famous Wiccan authors have written about their past lives and how reconnecting with those lives informed their practice.

Important Deities and Spirits

The central deities of Wicca are the Goddess and the God. They are two halves of a greater whole, and are only two of countless possible manifestations of the all-encompassing divine. The God and Goddess are lovers, and all things are born from their union.

Though some Wiccan traditions place a greater emphasis on the Goddess than on the God, the balance between these two expressions of the divine plays an important role in all Wiccan practices (remember, polarity is one of the core values of this religion).

The Goddess is the Divine Mother. She is the source of all life and fertility. She gives birth to all things, yet she is also the one who receives us when we die. Although she forms a duality in her relationship with the God, she also contains the duality of life and death within herself. While the God’s nature is ever-changing, the Goddess is constant and eternal.

The Goddess is strongly associated with both the moon and the earth. As the Earth Mother, she is especially associated with fertility, abundance, and nurturing. As the Moon Goddess, she is associated with wisdom, secret knowledge, and the cycle of life and death.

Some Wiccans see the goddess as having three main aspects: the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. The Maiden is associated with youth, innocence, and new beginnings; she is the embodiment of both the springtime and the waxing moon. The Mother is associated with parenthood and birth (duh), abundance, and fertility; she is the embodiment of the summer (and sometimes fall) and of the full moon. The Crone is associated with death, endings, and wisdom; she is the embodiment of winter and of the waning moon. Some Wiccans believe this Triple Goddess model is an oversimplification, or complain that it is based on outdated views on womanhood, but for others it is the backbone of their practice.

Symbols that are traditionally used to represent the Goddess include a crescent moon or an image of the triple moon (a full moon situated between a waxing and a waning crescent), a cup or chalice, a cauldron, the color silver, and fresh flowers.

The God is the Goddess’s son, lover, and consort. He is equal parts wise and feral, gentle and fierce. He is associated with sex and by extension with potential (it could be said that while the Goddess rules birth, the God rules conception), as well as with the abundance of the harvest. He is the spark of life, which is shaped by the Goddess into all that is.

The God is strongly associated with animals, and he is often depicted with horns to show his association with all things wild. As the Horned God he is especially wild and fierce.

The God is also strongly associated with the sun. As a solar god he is associated with the agricultural year, from the planting and germination to the harvest. While the Goddess is constant, the God’s nature changes with the seasons.

In some Wiccan traditions, the God is associated with plant growth. He may be honored as the Green Man, a being which represents the growth of spring and summer. This vegetation deity walks the forests and fields, with vines and leaves sprouting from his body.

Symbols that are traditionally used to represent the God include phalluses and phallic objects, knives and swords, the color gold, horns and antlers, and ripened grain.

Many covens, both Traditional and Eclectic, have their own unique lore around the God and the Goddess. Usually, this lore is oathbound, meaning it cannot be shared with those outside the group.

Many Wiccans worship other deities besides the God and Goddess. These deities may come from historical pantheons, such as the Greek or Irish pantheon. A Wiccan may work with the God and Goddess with their coven or on special holy days (see below), but work with other deities that are more closely connected to their life and experiences on a daily basis. Wiccans view all deities from all religions and cultures as extensions of the same all-encompassing divine force.

Wiccan Practice

Most Wiccans use the circle as the basis for their rituals. This ritual structure forms a liminal space between the physical and spiritual worlds, and the Wiccan who created the circle can choose what beings or energies are allowed to enter it. The circle also serves the purpose of keeping the energy raised in ritual contained until the Wiccan is ready to release it. Casting a circle is fairly easy and can be done by anyone — simply walk in a clockwise circle around your ritual space, laying down an energetic barrier. Some Wiccans use the circle in every magical or spiritual working, while others only use it when honoring the gods or performing sacred rites.

While it is on one level a practical ritual tool, the circle is also a representation of the Wiccan worldview. Circles are typically cast by calling the four quarters (the four compass points of the cardinal directions), which are associated with the four classical elements: water, earth, fire, and air. Some (but not all) Wiccans also work with a fifth element, called spirit or aether. The combined presence of the elements makes the circle a microcosm of the universe.

Casting a circle requires the Wiccan to attune themselves to these elements and to honor them in a ritual setting. This is referred to as calling the quarters. When a Wiccan calls the quarters, they will move from one cardinal point to the next (usually starting with east or north), greet the spirits associated with that direction/element, and invite them to participate in the ritual. (If spirit/aether is being called, the direction it is associated with is directly up, towards the heavens.) This is done after casting the circle, but before beginning the ritual.

What happens within a Wiccan ritual varies a lot — it depends on the Wiccan, their preferences, and their goals for that ritual. However, nearly all Wiccan religious rites begin with the casting of the circle and calling of the quarters. (Some would argue that a ritual that doesn’t include these elements cannot be called Wiccan.)

When the ritual is completed, the quarters must be dismissed and the circle taken down. Wiccans typically dismiss the quarters by moving from one cardinal point to the next (often in the reverse of the order used to call the quarters), thanking the spirits of that quarter, and politely letting them know that the ritual is over. The circle is taken down (or “taken up,” as it is called in some traditions) in a similar way, with the person who cast the circle moving around it counterclockwise and removing the energetic barrier they created. This effectively ends the ritual.

There are eight main holy days in Wicca, called the sabbats. These celebrations, based on Germanic and Celtic pagan festivals, mark the turning points on the Wheel of the Year, i.e., the cycle of the seasons. By honoring the sabbats, Wiccans attune themselves with the natural rhythms of the earth and actively participate in the turning of the wheel.

The sabbats include:

Samhain (October 31): Considered by many to be the “witch’s new year,” this Celtic fire festival has historic ties to Halloween. Samhain is primarily dedicated to the dead. During this time of year, the otherworld is close at hand, and Wiccans can easily connect with their loved ones who have passed on. Wiccans might celebrate Samhain by building an ancestor altar or holding a feast with an extra plate for the dead. Samhain is the third of the three Wiccan harvest festivals, and it is a joyous occasion despite its association with death. (By the way, this sabbat’s name is pronounced “SOW-en,” not “Sam-HANE” as it appears in many movies and TV shows.)

Yule/Winter Solstice (December 21): Yule is a celebration of the return of light and life on the longest night of the year. Many Wiccans recognize Yule as the symbolic rebirth of the God, heralding the new plant and animal life soon to follow. Yule celebrations are based on Germanic traditions and have a lot in common with modern Christmas celebrations. Wiccans might celebrate Yule by decorating a Yule tree, lighting lots of candles or a Yule log, or exchanging gifts.

Imbolc (February 1): This sabbat, based on an Irish festival, is a celebration of the first stirrings of life beneath the blanket of winter. The spark of light that returned to the world at Yule is beginning to grow. Imcolc is a fire festival, and is often celebrated with the lighting of candles and lanterns. Wiccans may also perform ritual cleansings at this time of year, as purification is another theme of this festival.

Ostara/Spring Equinox (March 21): Ostara is a joyful celebration of the new life of spring, with ties to the Christian celebration of Easter. Plants are beginning to bloom, baby animals are being born, and the God is growing in power. Wiccans might celebrate Ostara by dying eggs or decorating their homes and altars with fresh flowers. In some covens, Ostara celebrations have a special focus on children, and so may be less solemn than other sabbats.

Beltane (May 1): Beltane is a fertility festival, pure and simple. Many Wiccans celebrate the sexual union of the God and Goddess, and the resulting abundance, at this sabbat. This is also one of the Celtic fire festivals, and is often celebrated with bonfires if the weather permits. The fae are said to be especially active at Beltane. Wiccans might celebrate Beltane by making and dancing around a Maypole, honoring the fae, or celebrating a night of R-rated fun with friends and lovers.

Litha/Midsummer/Summer Solstice (June 21): At the Summer Solstice, the God is at the height of his power and the Goddess is said to be pregnant with the harvest. Like Beltane, Midsummer is sometimes celebrated with bonfires and is said to be a time when the fae are especially active. Many Wiccans celebrate Litha as a solar festival, with a special focus on the God as the Sun.

Lughnasadh/Lammas (August 1): Lughnasadh (pronounced “loo-NAW-suh”) is an Irish harvest festival, named after the god Lugh. In Wicca, Lughnasadh/Lammas is a time to give thanks for the bounty of the earth. Lammas comes from “loaf mass,” and hints at this festival’s association with grain and bread. Wiccans might celebrate Lughnasadh by baking bread or by playing games or competitive sports (activities associated with Lugh).

Mabon/Fall Equinox (September 21): Mabon is the second Wiccan harvest festival, sometimes called “Wiccan Thanksgiving,” which should give you a good idea of what Mabon celebrations look like. This is a celebration of the abundance of the harvest, but tinged with the knowledge that winter is coming. Some Wiccans honor the symbolic death of the God at Mabon (others believe this takes place at Samhain or Lughnasadh). Wiccan Mabon celebrations often include a lot of food, and have a focus on giving thanks for the previous year.

Aside from the sabbats, some Wiccans also celebrate esbats, rituals honoring the full moons. Wiccan authors Janet and Stewart Farrar wrote that, while sabbats are public festivals to be celebrated with the coven, esbats are more private and personal. Because of this, esbat celebrations are typically solitary and vary a lot from one Wiccan to the next.

Further Reading

If you want to investigate Wicca further, there are a few books I recommend depending on which approach to Wicca you feel most drawn to. No matter which approach you are most attracted to, I recommend starting with Wicca For Beginners by Thea Sabin. This is an excellent introduction to Wiccan theology and practice, whether you want to practice alone or with a coven.

If you are interested in Traditional Wicca, I recommend checking out A Witches’ Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar after you finish Sabin’s book. Full disclosure: I have a lot of issues with this book. Parts of it were written as far back as the 1970s, and it really hasn’t aged well in terms of politics or social issues. However, it is the most detailed guide to Traditional Wicca I have found, so I recommend it for that reason. Afterwards, I recommend reading Casting a Queer Circle by Thista Minai, which presents a system similar to Traditional Wicca with less emphasis on binary gender. After you learn the basics from the Farrars, Minai’s book can help you figure out how to adjust the Traditional Wiccan system to work for you.

If you are interested in Eclectic Wicca, I recommend Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner and Living Wicca by Scott Cunningham. Cunningham is the author who popularized Eclectic Wicca, and his work remains some of the best on the subject. Wicca is an introduction to solitary Eclectic Wicca, while Living Wicca is a guide for creating your own personalized Wiccan practice.

Resources:

Wicca For Beginners by Thea Sabin

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

Living Wicca by Scott Cunningham

A Witches’ Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar

The Study of Witchcraft by Deborah Lipp

#paganism 101 #pagan #paganism #baby pagan #wicca #wiccan #traditional wicca #eclectic wicca #scott cunningham #thea sabin #janet and stewart farrar #witch #witchcraft #witchblr #baby witch #long post #mine #my writing #witches of tumblr

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magaliemagpie · 4 years

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The Wheel of the Year

The Wheel of the Year is celebrated (usually) by Pagans and looks at the annual cycle of seasonal festivals. It includes the solstices and equinoxes, as well as the midpoints between them. As the festivals are based on British Paganism from the mid-20th century, there are Celtic Fire Festivals (or “Cross-Quarter Days”) which count for 4 of the festivals altogether - if you don’t want to celebrate these, then it’s perfectly alright not to. The Wheel of the Year is cyclical and so follows the idea of life, death and rebirth. Also, just because you practice witchcraft, doesn’t mean that you have to follow the Wheel of the Year - Witchcraft is not a religion, but a practice.

However, I follow the Wheel of the Year and so that’s why I’m putting this out there!

So to start, we’ve got our Solar Festivals;

Yule (Winter Solstice)

Ostara (Spring Equinox)

Litha (Summer Solstice)

Mabon (Autumnal Equinox)

The Solar Festivals celebrate the peak of each season and are decided by where the sun is in relation to the Earth.

And then there’s our Celtic Fire Festivals;

Imbolc/Bride

Beltaine

Lughnasadh/Lammas

Samhain

The Celtic Fire Festivals are the “entry” to the season and are seen to have tons of seasonal energy. This energy is usually released with a bonfire being lit. They’re like the midpoints between the Solstices and the Equinoxes, and can be called “Cross-Quarter Days”.

The Wheel of the Year isn’t the “End-All” or “Complete Collection” of festivals that you can celebrate, but it gives structure to the year and so most witches adapt to it. If there’s a holiday that you have and love, add it in and have some fun!

Samhain

"The end and the beginning of the Celtic Year” - L. Lister

In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from October 31st to November 1st

In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from April 30th to May 1st

So, I pronounce this like “sow-en” but I am Irish so it’s that Gaeilge accent coming out of me. This is also known as “Halloween” to those that don’t follow the Wheel of the Year, or “All Hallow’s Eve”. When we look at the cyclical nature of the Wheel of the Year, it stands for that in between moment where we stare and anticipate death. During this festival, the veil between the Living and the Dead is thin, and so it’s about remembering those that have passed before us.

Typically, witches will work with the dead and try to communicate with spirits and wandering ghosts.

Yule

“Festival of rebirth, midwinter, the shortest day and longest night of the year” - L. Lister

In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from December 20th to the 23rd

In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from June 20th to 23rd

Pronounced exactly how it looks, Yule is also called “Midwinter” commonly and “Alban Arthan” within modern Druid traditions. It’s the turning point of the year where we celebrate the fact that the sun is coming back and with it the life of the Earth. Basically we’re sick of winter and want summer back.

Typically, witches celebrate with warm drinks, Yule logs and evergreen trees decorated for the spirits of winter.

Imbolc/Imbolg/Bride

“The Earth’s awakening” - L. Lister

In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from January 31st to February 2nd

In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from July 31st to August 2nd

This festival has a lot of names, in case you couldn’t tell. Pick whichever you prefer and vibe with it - it honestly doesn’t really matter which you choose because they all mean the same festival in essence. So Bride isn’t pronounced how you think it is, it’s “bri-ja” like the word “bridge” but stretched out. It is not pronounced like a groom and bride!

Imbolg celebrates the return of spring, and is originally a festival that celebrated the goddess Brigid, later turned into Saint Brigid through Christianisation.

Typically, witches will light torches and celebrate using fire in every form, symbolising the light that is coming with Spring.

Ostara

“The first day of Spring, day and night are equal” - L. Lister

In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from March 21st to 22nd

In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from September 21st to 22nd

This festival is attributed to Eostre (an Old English Goddess/ Anglo-Saxon Goddess). Basically, it’s about how excited everyone is now that spring is here. Ostara is now Easter - hares and eggs are the symbols of Eostre. The Equinox is all about fertility, new life and the idea of harmony and balance. Light and dark are equal, and the light is only growing stronger. Bluntly put, Ostara is the run-up for Beltaine (the prep work kinda?), since it’s all gaining the favour of a fertility goddess which is then put to the test at the next festival .

Typically, witches will paint eggs and basically dedicated the festival to celebrating fertility.

Beltaine

“ Heralding Summer, festival of fertility” - L. Lister

In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated on the 1st of May

In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from October 31st to November 1st

So I’m cheating on this one..... Beltaine (”bell-ten-aah”) can be spelt Bealteinne, Bealtaine and Beltane, but I’m Irish so I use the Irish/Gaeilge spelling and pronunciation.

Beltaine is the first day of summer and was celebrated by people jumping over fires to ensure their fertility - it was symbolic and the idea that if you cleared the fire with no problems, then you’re definitely gonna be fertile and conceive super easily. The veil between the world is thin during this time, and so it’s perfect to communicate with spirits - human and not.

Typically, witches have a lot of sex and go for nature walks.

Litha

“Summer’s height, the longest day and the shortest night” - L. Lister

In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from June 20th to the 23rd

In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from December 20th to 23rd

At the Summer Solstice, the sun is high and bright in the sky and is at its peak for the year. It can be called “Midsummer” as well, as after it the dark starts to creep back into our days.

Here’s a fun fact, so June is blessed with the Mead Moon or Honey Moon, and as June was considered super lucky, couples would get married during it. Newlyweds would have to drink mead all day for a month after their wedding for tradition and so this period of time was known as their “honeymoon”, and is where we get the term from!

Typically, witches will eat fresh fruits and experience the power of the sun through meditating outdoors, going for a walk, and charging spells, crystals, and herbs. Divination is practised at night during this time!

Lughnasadh/Lammas

“Festivals of gratitude and marriage” - L. Lister

In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from July 31st to August 1st

In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from February 1st to 2nd

So this is a bit different..... this festival has two names coming from two different origins and this can affect how you celebrate (you can also choose to just not care about that too, either-or really). Lughnasadh is an old way of spelling it, but the modern Irish way is spelt Lúnasa (”loo-na-sah”), if you prefer one way of spelling over the other then choose that one (they’re pronounced the same btw!). Lammas is the Anglo-Saxon version and translates to loaf mass, whereas Lughnasagh was dedicated to the Celtic god of fire, Lugh.

It’s the festival of the first harvest, so things like baking bread and eating fruits, handfasting and just having a great time on a hill or a mountain (this is something people did for Lugh but I’ll go over that another time).

Typically, witches will bake bread in the shape of a man and eat it, drinking wine (personally, I like rosé) and all around just doing things that relax you.

Mabon

“Festival of harvest, when day and night are equal” - L. Lister

In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from September 20th to 23rd

In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated from March 20th to 23rd

This.... This right here..... This is my favourite festival. It’s also known as Meán Fómhair (”man” - “foh-er”/”fore” - depends on dialect) in Irish/Gaeilge and is about sharing the last of the harvest amongst others. There’s a lot of bread baking for this holiday as well and I am absolutely enthralled about that. It’s got all the vibes of spiced apples, cinnamon sticks and pastry pies rolled up into one.

Typically, witches will bake apple pie and bread, do some autumn house cleaning, and decorate using acorns and corn.

And that’s the Wheel of the Year! I’ll have a more in depth post where I go over each festival to the point of tears, but for now this is the bare bones of it all!

Thanks for coming to my Witch Talk xx

#witch #witchcraft #wicca #paganlife #pagan #wiccapedia #witches #witchlife #witchyvibes #the wheel of the year #babywitch #baby witch #witchblr

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infjtarot · 3 years

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Ace of Wands ~ Wheel Of Change Tarot

The Ribbons of the Maypole Are Ready for the Dance The maypole is the descendant of an ancient nature-based religion in which tree spirits were believed to have fantastic powers. The trees carried the energy of the green earth skyward to their branches and returned the energy of the sun and sky into the soil through their roots. They were the symbol of the relationship between the Goddess and her virile forest God partner. These ancient forests of Europe, represented at the base of the maypole, covered vast tracts of the land. The people lived in among these great woods and used the trees as building materials and in some cases as medicines. The trees were the oldest living things to be seen in the natural world and they were seemingly unchanging through season after season, losing leaves and regrowing them in an endless cycle. The trees of the forest embodied the tribe’s aspirations for long life and continuity. The old European pagans worshiped their nature gods in the sacred groves because they felt the ongoing fertile spirit of the earth in the midst of the ancient forest. The destruction of the sacred groves by the Christian priesthood did a great deal to destroy these ancient religions. The ritual of the medieval maypole was symbolically linked to the fertile principle of the forest God. A young sapling full of the fertile energy of the green woods was chosen and cut. The maypole was brought into the centre of the village and decorated by young maidens with flowers and greenery. Ribbons were attached, and people intertwined the ribbons around the pole in the maypole dance. In the traditional dance, young women took the ribbons that moved widdershins (counter clockwise), and young men facing them moved deosil (clockwise). The dance was a visual reminder of the fertility of spring, symbolizing the favourite part of the May Eve or May Day ritual: the “mad merry marriages under the greenwood tree. ”These marriages were celebrated by a night spent in the wood with a chosen partner, celebrating the gift of pleasure given by the forest God and his Goddess lover. May is the fertile time of the year, when flowers bloom in field and tree, birds sing their songs of love, and the fertile time of small animals is awakened. Because human beings are a part of the natural world and imbued with its rhythms, we are also drawn together in “spring fever.” The ritual of the maypole celebrates sex as a part of life, acknowledging the power of our need and joy in its expression. No one knows how old these rituals are, but there is ancient evidence all through Europe of the story of the forest God and the Goddess in her maiden form, who are joined in the sacred marriage around the first of May and who produce a child born at the winter solstice with the sun. This God, the god of fertility, was bonded to the forest animals, who enjoyed the power of the rut; thus, he was pictured with goat hooves and horns or with the antlers of the deer. He was celebrated by the remaining pagans and witches of the Middle Ages for the sexual joy and power he represented, which was reviled by the Catholic church hierarchy, who modelled their Devil on him. The May first ritual of Beltane was one of the great fire festivals of medieval times; its activities included the late evening bonfire over which lovers would jump with hands intertwined.59 The element fire is associated with the suit of Wands. It symbolizes the energy within the living plant, best represented by flowing sap and the bursting leaves of spring growth. The wand has often been represented by a sprouting branch or club of wood, whose strength and power are expressed in modern playing cards by the stylized tree in the suit of Clubs. The wooden rod of the maypole represented the phallus of the forest God, and its power was revealed as the fuel for the sacred fires of Beltane. Wood kept the people warm; it cooked their food and symbolized the spirit of the God who dwelt within the wood. He gave his potent and creative spirit, alive in his semen, to the fertile earth to ensure its productivity. The wand became the symbol of the living spirit and creativity of humanity, as expressed in our skill and artistic invention. Fire was also connected with the passion involved in lovemaking. Our uncontrollable desires sustain the creative spirit of the planet as they bring pregnancy and the birth of a new potentially creative being. This creative aspect of the suit of Wands, developed out of the suit of Disks, creates the family represented in the following suit, Cups, which will symbolize emotion and family bonding. The ribbons of the maypole are the colours of the twelve signs of the zodiac (see the appendix) and they symbolize the multiple outcomes of creativity. They are symbolic of the semen of the God as it streams out of the wand and the enclosing Goddess that will wrap and enclose the phallic totem. The golden ball representing the sun symbolizes the potential for selfhood that comes from the creative exertion of the God on Beltane. The sun represents the self and the unity of personality, and this is the creative goal of the suit of Wands. Δ When the Ace of Wands is drawn as a part of a reading, look at the creative, passionate spirit of the issue you are dealing with. Remember the connection with the forest God and his worship in the ancient groves, where the people celebrated the power of their physical bodies (Disks) expressed through creative action and passion (Wands). This celebration of the creative power of our biology translates into the joy we feel when we find creative ways of living. We need to create new things and use our hands and bodies in order to lead full and valued lives. Just as the spirit of the forest God lived in the trees, our creative spirit lives in whatever we create. The act of creation and the passion we feel expand our spirit and make us happier. This is a card of creative potential. It shows us the creative possibilities in the colours of the maypole ribbons. The act of creation is like the dance itself; it is joyful and helps us recognize the ways in which we are bound to the varied life around us, as what we create reflects the world we see. Use creative solutions; use your physical energy to create and expand your life and to express your spirit in creative ways. Like the solar sphere at the top of the maypole, you are a unique individual with a creative spirit and the infinite potential of the sun to radiate warmth, light, and creative growth. Alexandra Genetti. The Wheel of Change Tarot.

#Ace of Wands #wands #tarot #wheel of change tarot

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sabrinasgrimoire · 4 years

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Beltane Series: The Maypole

The Maypole and the Maypole dance are both long-held and important traditions surrounding Beltane and May Day celebrations. From the pagan perspective, the Maypole was a symbol of fertility, representing the phallus of the God. Fertility is one of the main themes of Beltane as it is representative of the abundance and fertility of the earth. In Wiccan lore, this is the time when the God lies with the Goddess and impregnates her. When the larger part of Europe was converted to Christianity, the Maypole remained a part of secular and Christian May Day celebrations, though it no longer retained its pagan symbolism. In this essay, I will discuss the different parts of the Maypole including its setup and ribbon colors, traditional symbolism of the Maypole, and how it is used in pagan and secular contexts. The origin of the Maypole is debated by historians, though there are a few viable theories. The first is a Roman origin with an object called a herm. This is a sculpture that has a head and a squared torso. The earliest herms were made of wood, though later herms were made mostly of stone. Sometimes the male genetalia is included at the appropriate height. The faces of these herms were made in the likness of Gods or good spirits. This could possibly be an origin for the fertility theme of the Maypole, as the erect penis was supposed to represent the fertility of the God or spirit portrayed. The herm is also quite long and thin, so it also mirrors the modern shape of the Maypole. These herms were placed at the crossroads for protection to travelers, and during the spring, they were adorned with flower crowns and other greenery. Some sources tell us that later pagan traditions put up their Maypoles at the site of these ancient herms. The second possible origin of the Maypole comes from the Phrygian Pine Tree of Attis. In Phrygian religion, this tree was carried through the town to the temple of Cybele for religious rites. This was slowly incorporated into the Roman festival of Hilaria, which included dancing around a pole similar to that of the Phrygian tradition. When the Roman Empire spread throughout Europe, Germanic and Celtic peoples adopted the Maypole tradition into their own festivals. In 1644, Parliment outlawed all Maypoles, saying that they were a heathen item that welcomed evil and promoted wickedness. In Italy, the church tried to end May Day celebrations as well by changing the pagan Goddess Maia into the Virgin Mary. This was an attempt to also promote chastity in an otherwise very sexual celebration. After this failed, they then tried to replace May Day with a day in honor of Saint Joseph. He was the patron saint of workers, so essentially May Day would be replaced with Labor Day. Obviously, these attempts have failed and May Day and Beltane have continued. So how is the Maypole usually set up? The pole part of the Maypole was traditionally a young tree. The wood itself is debated, but various traditions use either ash, birch, cypress, or elm. The wood was sometimes painted in a black and yellow spiral pattern, while others were painted in a red and white spiral. The pole was topped with a wreath, meant to symbolize the Goddess in Wiccan tradition, and the abundance of the earth in early pagan tradition. In modern practice, the Maypole is sometimes topped with a crown instead of a wreath. In these traditions, the pole is also greased, and revelers try to climb the pole to retrieve the crown. Ribbons of different colors were then attached to the wreath and left to hang down. The ribbons were traditionally wither black and yellow or red and white to mirror the colors on the pole itself. In modern day, the ribbons can be any color desired. As we know, different colors represent different things. Many witches and pagans use color correspondences for their own Maypoles to reach their desired outcome. These ribbons are a symbol of protection that originated in the Roman religion. Still more alterations to this format are made based on the traditions of the location of the Maypole. For instance, the people of Bavaria often used a heart at the top of the Maypole to represent love. Their tradition says this is a great time to find a romantic partner, and young men often woo young women during this time. The Maypole dance is a circular dance that involves the intricate weaving of ribbons around the pole, representing the weaving of fate and the lives of living being on earth. Both male and female dancers participate in this spiral dance, male dancers holding white ribbons and women holding red ribbons. When the music starts, the women turn to the right and the men turn to the left, and they both move in opposite circles, going in and out of each other. When the ribbons are wrapped tightly around the pole, the dancers change directions and unravel the ribbons back to how they were before. The music for the dance is usually determined by location, but most people use the traditional music of their culture. Because the Maypole is both a pagan and a secular symbol, the purpose changes based on who is taking part in the dance and the festivities. From a pagan perspective, the Maypole will always represent fertility. This can be reflected in the story of the Goddess and God, or the general fertility of the earth in the spring. From a secular and less sexual perspective, the Maypole and the Maypole dance reflect the weaving of human lives and the life of nature. Taking a closer look, both purposes are closely linked. With the secularization and attempted Christianization of the Maypole, the meaning became less and less about sex an fertility and more and more about living things coming back to life after winter. Some sources also say that the shortening and lengthening of the ribbons during the dance represents the cycle of the year, when the days get shorter then longer again with the waxing and waning of the Sun. Most people who partake in secular celebrations don’t even know why or where this tradition came from! However you choose to view the Maypole and its symbolism, it is a staple in any spring, Beltane, or May Day celebration.

#maypole #beltane #witchblr

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holidays-events · 3 years

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Happy 🐣Quarantine 😷 Easter 🐇

🥀 🌷 💓🥚 🐣 🐥 🐰 🌹 🍫 💖🥕 🐇 💝 😷 🌸

Beyond Ishtar: The Tradition of Eggs at Easter

Don’t believe every meme you encounter. Scientific American Krystal D’Costa

Eggs occupy a special status during Easter observances. They're symbols of rebirth and renewal—life bursts forth from this otherwise plain, inanimate object that gives no hint as to what it contains. In this regard it is a handy symbol for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but it is is a symbol that has held this meaning long before Christianity adopted it.

There is a meme that some people have rallied around and shared as a "truth" of Easter. It proclaims:

Easter was originally the celebration of Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Her symbols (like the egg and bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols (or did you actually think eggs and bunnies had anything to do with the resurrection?) After Constantine decided to Christianize the Empire, Easter was changed to represent Jesus. But at its roots, Easter (which is how you pronounce Ishtar) is all about celebrating fertility and sex.

Clearly, we all know that memes are the ultimate source of information—particularly when they makes a biting point about something or some group that is not particularly favorably viewed. But it is well known that under the Roman Empire, Christianity did indeed adopt the pagan rituals of conquered peoples in an effort to help convert them. It worked pretty well as a strategy as it allowed the conquered peoples to continue a semblance of their observances as they remembered, and with time the population would be replaced with those who only knew the new traditions. This is not a secret. However, there are a few things wrong with the Ishtar meme that a simple Google search will turn up:

Ishtar was the goddess of love and war and sex, as well as protection, fate, childbirth, marriage, and storms—there's some fertility in there, but as with Aphrodite, there is also an element of power. Her cult practiced sacred prostitution, where women waited at a temple and had sex with a stranger in exchange for a divine blessing (and money to feed hungry children or pay a debt).

Ishtar's symbols were the lion, the morning star, and eight or sixteen pointed stars—again, symbols of power.

The word Easter does not appear to be derived from Ishtar, but from the German Eostre, the goddess of the dawn—a bringer of light. English and German are in the minority of languages that use a form of the word Easter to mark the holiday. Elsewhere, the observance is framed in Latin pascha, which in turn is derived from the Hebrew pesach, meaning of or associated with Passover. Ishtar and Easter appear to be homophones: they may be pronounced similarly, but have different meanings.

Our helpful meme places the egg in Ishtar's domain, but Ishtar doesn't seem to be connected to eggs in any explicit way. However, there are plenty of other older traditions that involve the egg as a symbol of rebirth and feature it prominently in creation mythologies:

Ancient Egyptians believed in a primeval egg from which the sun god hatched. Alternatively, the sun was sometimes discussed as an egg itself, laid daily by the celestial goose, Seb, the god of the earth. The Phoenix is said to have emerged from this egg. The egg is also discussed in terms of a world egg, molded by Khnum from a lump of clay on his potter's wheel (1).

Hinduism makes a connection between the content of the egg and the structure of the universe: for example, the shell represents the heavens, the white the air, and the yolk the earth. The Chandogya Upanishads describes the act of creation in terms of the breaking of an egg:

The Sun is Brahma—this is the teaching. A further explanation thereof (is as follows). In the beginning this world was merely non-being. It was existent. It developed. It turned into an egg. It lay for the period of a year. It was split asunder. One of the two egg-shell parts became silver, one gold. That which was of silver is this earth. That which was of gold is the sky … Now what was born therefrom is yonder sun (1).

In the Zoroastrian religion, the creation myth tells of an ongoing struggle between the principles of good and evil. During a lengthy truce of several thousand years, evil hurls himself into an abyss and good lays an egg, which represents the universe with the earth suspended from the vault of the sky at the midway point between where good and evil reside. Evil pierces the egg and returns to earth, and the two forces continue their battle (2).

In Findland, Luonnotar, the Daughter of Nature floats on the waters of the sea, minding her own business when an eagle arrives, builds a nest on her knee, and lays several eggs. After a few days, the eggs begin to burn and Luonnotar jerks her knee away, causing the eggs to fall and break. The pieces form the world as we know it: the upper halves form the skies, the lower the earth, the yolks become the sun, and the whites become the moon (3).

In China, there are several legends that hold a cosmic egg at their center, including the idea that the first being or certain people were born of eggs. For example, the Palangs trace their ancestry to a Naga princess who laid three eggs, and the Chin will not kill the king crow because it laid the original Chin egg from which they emerged (3).

The Sun God, Ra with an egg-shaped disk over his head. Public domain. These are some of the stories that build the foundation for the tradition of eggs at Easter. Contrary to the assertion of our meme, eggs and bunnies actually do have something to do with the idea of resurrection: in these early stories, the creator often emerged from the egg itself in some form: The cosmic egg, according to the Vedic writings, has a spirit living within it which will be born, die, and be born yet again. Certain versions of the complicated Hindu mythology describe Prajapati as forming the egg and then appearing out of it himself. Brahma does likewise, and we find parallels in the ancient legends of Thoth and Ra. Egyptian pictures of Osiris, the resurrected corn god, show him returning to life once again rising up from the shell of a broken egg. The ancient legend of the Phoenix is similar. This beautiful mythical bird was said to live for hundreds of years. When its full span of life was completed it died in flames, rising again in a new form from the egg it had laid (4).

The Phoenix was adopted as a Christian symbol in the first century AD. It appears on funeral stones in early Christian art, churches, religious paintings, and stonework. The egg from which it rose has become our Easter egg. As with many symbols, the Easter egg has continued to shift. When the Lenten fast was adopted in the third and fourth centuries, observant Christians abstained from dairy products, including milk, cheese, butter, and eggs. In England, on the Saturday before Lent, it was common practice for children to go from door to door to beg for eggs—a last treat before the fast began.

Even the act of coloring eggs is tied to the idea of rebirth and resurrection. While egg decorating kits offer a vibrant means of decorating eggs today, the link between life and eggs was traditionally made by using a red coloring. Among Christians, red symbolizes the blood of Jesus. Among Macedonians, it has been a tradition to bring a red egg to Church and eat it when the priest proclaims "Christ is risen" at the Easter vigil and the Lenten fast is officially broken (5).

I love the Easter traditions at Church. The lighting of the Easter candle reminds me of my childhood Diwali celebrations and the lighting of Christmas lights as they all represent means of driving away darkness. Ishtar may well have some connection to the rites of Spring, and admittedly Easter itself is an observance of Spring, but in an age when so much wrong has been done in the name of religion, and religion is a focal point for criticism and debate, it's worth remembering that the overlap of time and history has given us richer traditions than any of us can truly be aware of—and that memes shouldn't be taken at face value.

References Newall, Venetia. (1967) "Easter Eggs," The Journal of American Folklore Vol 80 (315): 3-32. RE Hume, ed. (1931) The Thirteen Upanishads. London: 214-215

Notes: Newall: 4 Hume: 214 Newall: 7 Newall: 14 Newall: 22

Krystal D'Costa is an anthropologist working in digital media in New York City. You can follow AiP on Facebook.

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/beyond-ishtar-the-tradition-of-eggs-at-easter?utm_source=pocket-newtab

#Easter #Tradition

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tantra1968 · 4 years

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A history of bestiality

Hani Miletski

Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Abstract

Human sexual relations with animals, a behavior known as bestiality, have existed since the dawn of human history in every place and culture in the world. Furthermore, an abundance of folklore, paintings, sculptures, films, literature and pornography exists dealing with bestiality themes. This article describes the highlights of the history of bestiality in various cultures, based on Miletski’s recent book (2002).

Based on the literature, bestiality—human sexual relations with animals, has been part of the human race throughout history, in every place and culture in the world. This article describes the highlights of the history of bestiality as it appears in art, folklore, religion, law, and in actual behaviors. All the facts and opinions presented in this article are taken from the literature (Miletski 2002). Most of the material reviewed and discussed is anecdotal, some is unbelievable, and occasionally authors provide conflicting data. It is important to take into consideration that some of the facts and views presented came from works that are questionable with regard to their validity. Nevertheless, the abundance of information from all around the world leaves no doubt that bestiality has been an integral part of human life.

Prehistoric Times

According to Rosenberger (1968), the practice of human–animal sex began at least in the Fourth Glacial Age, between 40,000 and 25,000years ago. Many discoveries of paintings and carvings showing humansand animals having sexual relations have been made in various ancient religious temples, indicating the pre-occupation of ancientman with bestiality. For example, according to Taylor, an engraved bone rod from the cave of La Madeleine, France, from the later Ice Ages (around 25,000 years ago), depicts a lioness lick-ing the opening of either a gigantic human penis or a vulva, and an Iron, Age cave painting from the seventh century BC, from Val Camonica, Italy, portrays a man inserting his penis into the vagina or anus of a donkey. According to Waine (1968), cave drawings of the Stone Age leave no doubt that our prehistoric ancestors enjoyed frequent and pleasurable sexual relations with animals.

Moreover, the fact that these drawings had an integral part in a clan’s family history, indicates it was a common act, or at least a desired act.

Ancient Near East

Archeological findings demonstrate that bestiality was practiced in Babylonia, the ancient Empire in Mesopotamia, which prospered in the third millennium BC. In his famous Code of Hammurabi, King Hammurabi (1955–1913 BC) proclaimed death for any person engaging in bestiality. At other times, according to Waine, during the Spring Fertility Rites of Babylon, dogs and other animals were used for maintaining a constant orgy condition for seven days and nights.

The Hittites, (around 13th century BC), the predecessors of the Hebrews in the Holy Land, had certain rules about which animals were tolerable to have sex with and which were forbidden and punishable by death.

The Book of Leviticus states that bestiality was very wide-spread in the country of Canaan. The Hebrews took issue with all the previous inhabitants of the Holy Land and their customs. Even depicting God with an animal’s head or an animal’s body was an abomination. The Hebrews considered sexual relations with animals a form of worshiping other Gods, as was homosexuality, and the bestialist and the animal were both to be put to death.

The purpose of these taboos was to help maintain and reinforce the boundaries of the group, and enable it to retain its distinctive identity under adverse circumstances. There are four references concerning men who have sexual contacts with animals in the Old Testament (Exodus 22:19; Leviticus 18: 22–24; Leviticus 20: 15–16; Deuteronomy 27:21), and two references concerning women (Leviticus 18:23; Leviticus 20:16). The Talmud, a commentary on the Old Testament, specifically forbids a widow from keeping a pet dog, lest she be tempted to have sexual relations with it.

Ancient Egypt

The ancient Egyptians worshiped Gods with animal shapes almost exclusively in the pre-dynastic period before about 3000 BC. Animal–human sexual contacts are occasionally portrayed on the tombs, and bestiality was recorded in Egyptian hieroglyphics as far back as 3000 BC. Several kings and queens had a reputation of engaging in bestiality, most famous was Cleopatra, who was said to have had a box filled with bees which she had placed against her genitals for stimulation, similar to a vibrator.

Egyptian men often had sexual intercourse with cattle or any other large domesticated animal, while the women resorted to dogs. Sexual contacts with apes were further reported for both men and women, and most interestingly, the Egyptians are reported to have mastered the art of sexual congress with the crocodile. This was accomplished by turning the creature onto its back, rendering it incapable of resisting penetration. This form of copulation was believed to bring prosperity and restore the potency of men. The Egyptians were also known to engage in worshipful bestiality with the Apis bull in Memphis, Egypt and with goats at the Temple at Mendes. The goats were further used as a cure for nymphomaniacs. Having said all that, bestiality was however, punishable in Egypt, by a variety of torture mechanisms, leading to death.

Ancient Greece

Bestiality themes were very popular in Greek mythology. Most notorious are the stories of Leda and the swan (Zeus), and Pasiphae, the wife of Minos, King of Crete, who fell in love with a bull, hid inside a wooden cow and copulated with it. The worship of bulls as fertility symbols was widespread in Crete and elsewhere long before the Greek period in classical times, and the tone of the writers of the day leaves no room to doubt that bestiality was a fairly common occurrence in daily life. The ancient Greeks engaged in bestiality during religious celebrations such as the Bacchanalia, in honor of the God Bacchus, and in the Temple of Aphrodite Parne, the Greek Goddess of Indecent Copulation. As with the ancient Egyptians, ancient Greeks believed bestiality cured nymphomaniacs. Bestial affairs were acted out on the Greek stage, and were the theme of The Golden Ass by Lucius Apuleius, the earliest Latin novel that has remained in its entirety, and has long been censored because of its Pornographic language and bestiality content. Bestiality was never punishable in ancient Greece.

Ancient Rome

Roman mythology is rich with bestiality themes, as is Greek mythology, and the Romans liked to view on stage scenes from the sexual lives of the mythological Gods, including bestial acts. Bestiality was wide-spread among shepherds, and Roman women were known to keep snakes which they trained to coil around their thighs and slide past the lips of their vaginas. It was the Romans who invented the rape of women (and sometimes men) by animals for the amusement of the audience at the Coliseum and Circus Maximus, and bestiality flourished as a public spectacle in ancient Rome. Emperors, such as Tiberius (AD 14–37), his wife Julia, Claudius (AD 37–41), Nero (AD 54–68), Constantinus (a.k.a. Constantine the Great, AD 274–337), Theodora (Emperor Justinian’s wife, AD 520s), and Empress Irene (AD 797–802), had been known to either engage in bestiality or enjoy watching others engage in bestiality, at the beginning of the Roman Empire, legal retribution for bestiality was required only for sodomy, under which bestiality was included. Later, bestiality was distinguished from sodomy and made punishable by death. In any event, as the Empire expanded and grew more powerful and corrupt, punishments for bestiality became almost nonexistent.

The Middle Ages in Europe

Bestiality was most widespread and accepted in Western society during the Middle Ages—from the fall of the Roman Empire in AD 476 to the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492. Animals were common, everywhere, and they often shared the same roof with their owners. Sexual intercourse with animals was further thought to have been healthy and a cure for many diseases. Nonetheless, bestiality was invariably connected with black magic and witchcraft. In the Middle Ages, bestiality received full attention from Catholic jurist-theologians, whose discussions of the matter filled volumes. One of the greatest problems involved the distinction between sexual intercourse with animals and sexual intercourse with demons, which often assumed animal form for the purpose of consorting with witches. According to Salisbury’s (1994) analysis of the relationship between the Church and bestiality, early Christian thinkers inherited two main traditions: (1) In the Germanic myths, heroes were described as having characteristics of strength as a result of having an animal ancestor, as was the founder of the Danish royal house who was said to have been the offspring of a bear and a woman. And, (2) in the classical Greco-Roman tradition, Gods appeared regularly as animals to have intercourse with humans. As the early Church fathers wrestled with this classical heritage and selected those elements suitable for Christianity, they shaped their Christian texts with the notion that humans and animals were separate, and humans should thus not have sexual relations with animals. They made the Hebrews’ laws against bestiality stricter, since bestiality did not serve reproduction, and formal conciliar decrees began regulating sexual behavior, prescribing various penalties for bestiality. The early pagan Germanic secular law did not prohibit bestiality. However, as soon as Christian legislation appeared, prohibitions against bestiality emerged, suggesting that the activity was indeed going on. The penitentials began in Ireland as a way to offer the Churchmen manuals for “healing” the souls of sinful parishioners. The early Germanic world viewed animals primarily as property and food, and this attitude was reflected in the view of the early Irish penitentials, which ranked bestiality close to masturbation, making it a mild sexual sin. For example, an early Welsh penitential, the Preface of St. Gildas (495–570), required a year of penance to expiate the sin of bestiality.

However, if the man had been living by himself when he “sinned,” three 40-day periods of fasting served as sufficient penance. Factors of age, marital status, and ecclesiastical rank served to increase or decrease penances for all sexual sins. The casual attitude toward animals and sexual relations with them began to change as the conciliar legislation from the East began to influence the penitential compilers. The Council of Ancyra equated bestiality with homosexuality, and this association reached Visigothic Spain as early as the late sixth century with Martin of Braga. This shaped the Spanish penitentials from the seventh or early eighth centuries, which gave a 20-year penance for those who committed either sodomy or bestiality. The later Irish penitentials slowly became influenced by the Council of Ancyra. Equating homosexuality with bestiality not only increased the penalty, but it communicated a change in the way people looked at animals. Instead of being an irrelevant object, the animal became a participant as in the equivalent of a homosexual encounter, and it became important to kill the animal, in order to erase any memory of the act.

A major question, which pre-occupied the inquisitors, judges, theologians, and those who condemned witches, was whether the union of male or female witches with the Devil, under the disguise of an animal, was able to produce any offspring. Twelfth-century people seemed to worry more about demons than before, and tales about halfhuman births, which resulted from such unions, began spreading.

By the 13th century, the animal world seemed much more threatening than it had been in the early Middle Ages, and penalties for bestiality increased. The idea that sexual union between man and animal may result in offspring shaped the composition of the Summae Theologica, by Thomas Aquinas (1224–1274), which represented the highest development of medieval thought. St. Thomas identified four kinds of unnatural vice: the most serious sin against nature was bestiality, followed by homosexuality, intercourse in an “unnatural position” (anything other than the missionary position), and masturbation. The attitudes of St. Thomas tended to dominate all thinking on sexual behavior to the end of the Middle Ages, resulting in classifying as deviant any kind of non-procreative sexual activity. Although the courts were more preoccupied with prosecuting homosexuality, Dubois-Desaulle, Niemoeller, Evans, and Dekkers describe the various types of torture accused bestialists endured, usually in the town square in front of a crowd, until they died.

The Renaissance Period in Europe

During the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, authorities were actively prosecuting homosexuals and bestialists, and the high point of bestiality trials coincided with that of the witch-hunts. During the 15th and 16th centuries, sexual relations with animals formed one of the main topics for preachers, and by 1534, bestiality became a capital crime in England and Sweden. In 1683, Denmark passed a law making both homosexuality and bestiality punishable by burning. In 1711, it was decided that those convicted should be strangled as well as burned. During the 17th century, the incidence of bestiality between young boys and cows and sheep became so prevalent that the Catholic Church tried o ban the employment of male herdsmen.

Hundreds of reports have survived from the boom in bestiality trials from the 16th to the 18th centuries, demonstrating that bestiality was well-established in ordinary life in Europe. Tales about monster-Looking births continued to spread, as well as myths about the connection between bestiality and sexually transmitted diseases. One of the persistent legends of history attributes the death of the Russian Empress Catherine the Great to an accident while attempting to have sexual relations with a bull or a horse. The sling broke, and the weight of the animal crushed her.

Europe in the Modern Era and Today

Parisian brothels were known to provide turkeys for their clients. As the men were about to experience orgasm through having intercourse with the turkey, they would break the bird’s neck, causing the bird’s cloacal sphincter to constrict and spasm, clamping down on their penises and creating pleasurable sensations. A similar activity was enjoyed by ancient Chinese men, whose animal of preference was the goose. In 19th century France, bestiality became an organized practice, and at the time of Napoleon III, bestiality was said to have been one of the allied activities of the Society for the 1994), although certain acts continued to be punishable, if they involved violence or occurred in a public place. Many western countries, with the exception of a few such as England and the United States, had followed suit, at least in the elimination of the death penalty.

In 1821, the law in England called for the death penalty for any person who committed the crime of sodomy, either with a man or with any animal. This law was revised in 1861, and the sentence reduced to life imprisonment (L’Etalon Doux 1996). Nevertheless, since in England bestiality has been lumped together with homosexuality as “sodomy;” the prosecution of the former has declined with that of the latter. In 2002, the United Kingdom’s Home Office reported the sentencing to be reduced to a maximum of two years of imprisonment.

According to Dubois-Desaulle, the Hungarian penal code of 1878 carries the maximum penalty of one-year imprisonment for sexual relations with animals. The German penal code of 1871, revised in 1876, in its Article 175 states that acts against nature with animals shall be punished by imprisonment, and the convicted individual shall be deprived of his civil rights. Bestiality stopped being a crime in West Germany in 1969 due to “lack of use”. In the former Eastern (communist) half of Germany, bestiality was not considered an offense. During World War II, human–animal breeding experiments were conducted by the Nazi physician, Dr. Josef Mengele. He was reported to be obsessed with bestiality, and was bent on creating a hybrid that could eventually replace slave labor for menial tasks. He used the large camp source of young Jewish and Polish girls in the Auschwitz concentration camp for this purpose, and forced dogs and ponies on these women. Klaus Barbie, the infamous “Butcher of Lyons,” used to force female prisoners to perform sex acts with animals as a way of egrading them, according to war crimes testimony.

According to Rosenberger, bestiality is very common in Europe. As late as in the sixties, in Sicily and parts of France, Germany, and Poland, priests used to ask in the confessional if one had used an animal for “bestial purposes of sex”. In the forties and fifties, in Sicily and southern Italy, bestiality among herdsmen was said to have been of such proportions that it was considered a national custom. And, Aleister Crowley, the organizer of “Love is the law” cult in Sicily, was said to have his mistress and other female members of the cult engage in acts of bestiality with his selected sacred goat. According to a 10-year-old issue of The Wild Animal Revue, a specialized magazine about bestial sex, interested individuals can find sex shows involving women engaging in sexual activities with a variety of animals, such as dogs, goats, snakes, donkeys, bulls, and ponies, almost all over Europe: in Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal, England, France, Germany, Austria, Norway, and in the Netherlands. Denmark is probably the only place where bestiality videos are legally produced and distributed, while in Hungary, magazines dedicated to animal sex are sold openly in book-stores.

South and East Asia and Oceania

In its 17 volumes—Thousand Nights and a Night, translated by the British explorer and orientalist, Sir Richard F. Burton, and published between the years 1885 and 1888—bestiality among Chinese with ducks, goats, and other animals, is discussed, According to Waine, in China, sexual relations with canines prospered both in the past and present. In old Shanghai, the exhibit of a young virgin being mounted by a dog was regularly offered in the brothel’s sex shows, and Prince Chien, of the Han dynasty (221 BC–AD 24), was said to have forced women to have intercourse with dogs. Sultans and other leaders of the East were said to use animals to keep the women of their harems happy and satisfied. In ancient days, Pekingese dogs were bred and raised by eunuchs under close supervision of the Emperor himself. The royal preference for Pekingese probably precluded penetration possibilities, but the special treatment given to their tongues by the eunuchs, and the common practice of puppy breast-feeding by privileged ladies, indicate dog–human sexual attitudes “beyond the shadow of a doubt”. The Pekingese was replaced by the Chow Chow as Imperial Dog in following centuries.

As mentioned before, the wealthy and sophisticated men of the East, especially the Chinese, were famous for their intimate relations with geese and other birds, whose necks they wrung at the moment of orgasm in order to obtain added stimulation from the final spasms of the animal’s anal sphincter. In 1933, Dubois-Desaulle stated that bestiality was popular in the “Orient.” Before communism in China, almost any sex show could be seen in Shanghai. Yet, currently no animal sex shows are known to take place in China. However, relates that in Southeast Asia one can find sex shows with barnyard, domestic animals, snakes, and eels. Thailand is notorious for its human–animals sex shows, as are Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, the Philippines, and the former French colonies of the Pacific Islands. Although there is very little bestiality among the Japanese, the ultimate bachelor party extravaganza in modern day Japan is said to be an exhibit of a young woman being mounted by a dog, and underground bestial sex shows can still be found. In Australia and New Zealand, dog, goat, ram, pony, and bull sex shows exist. It is also reported that the Aborigines of Australia are known to practice bestiality. Bestiality was very common among the Hindus, and portrayals of animal–human sexual contacts frequently appear in temple sculptures all over India.

Although the Code of Manu, the first systematic coding of Hindu law, dating from about the first century AD reads: “A man who has committed a bestial crime... shall perform a Samtapana Krikkhra”, according to Donofrio, in ancient India, the belief in transmigration of souls between animals and humans was combined with acceptance toward bestiality. For example, Kautilya fined a person who copulated with animals only 12 panas, which was much less than for anal intercourse among humans. In India too, it was reported that pet dogs and monkeys were kept in harems to service the women. Tantrism often portrays man as a rabbit, bull or horse, and the woman as a doe, mare, or a female elephant, and among the supernatural powers promised to practitioners of various yogic disciplines are those by which a person could become a beast, so that he could have sex with animals and thereby experience sex in its totality. In an early legend, Prajapati was said to have cohabited with the dawn goddess Ushas, who tried to escape him by assuming hundreds of different animal shapes. It was through such copulations that all animal species were produced. In Hindu mythology, Mallika, the wife of Prasenajit, used a pet dog for her sexual gratification, and Prasenajit sought satisfaction with a goat.

According to the Hindu tradition of erotic painting and sculpture, a human copulating with an animal is actually a human having intercourse with a God incarnated in the form of an animal. Copulation with a sacred cow or monkey is believed to bring good fortune. During the Hindus’ celebrations at the Holi festival, to honor the Goddess Vesanti, open human sexual relations are said to be wildly practiced, and Hindu women are reported to masturbate and perform fellatio on bulls in order to be closer to God. “Many city youths have their first orgasm dangling from the rump of a sacred cow”, although in an article on sexual problems of adolescence in India, Nagaraja states that only one percent of the adolescent population suffers from the “abnormal desire” of bestiality. Sex shows with dogs, bulls, and water buffalos can be found in the Indian Ocean area and in the Indian Sub-continent (India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sikkim). Among the Tamils of Sri Lanka, intercourse with goats and cows is said to be very common.

Arab Countries, the Middle East, and Africa

According to Rosenfeld and Rosenberger, the Arabs have long practiced bestiality. They practice bestiality primarily with goats, mares, sheep, sows, asses, and camels, if the latter cooperate. Arab women reportedly have oral sex and intercourse with dogs whenever men are not available to please them. Arab men believe that intercourse with animals increases virility, cures diseases, and enlarges their penises. The Muslims of Morocco have a similar belief, whereby fathers encourage sons to practice anal and vaginal intercourse with donkeys in order to make the penis grow. Boyhood masturbation is scorned in favor of bestiality, and the sight of a group of young Moroccan boys taking turns mounting a donkey is accepted as merely comical. Grown-up men are ridiculed for the practice, but are not punished as long as they perform the act with their own livestock.

Bestiality is considered better than “zina,” which is adultery or fornication. Muslims assume a man has sex with an animal only when he is depraved, or to prevent himself from committing “zina.” If discovered, the animal was to be destroyed and eaten further reports that Algerian boys have sex with she-asses because marital dowries are so high they cannot afford to get married and are deprived of sex with wives.

Although under Islamic law the penalty for sex with an animal is death, and in ancient times bestiality led to death by stoning of both man and animal, bestiality was tolerated in Islam and widely practiced (interestingly enough, according to Edwardes, Masters, and Ramsis, the Koran makes no mention of sexual relations with animals). A popular Arab saying is that “the pilgrimage to Mecca is not complete without copulating with the camel”. Among some nomad tribes, intercourse with cattle is still regarded as a ritual of passage for adolescent males. Bestiality is found only rarely among the Rwala Bedouins, occasionally in Central Arabia, and frequently among the semi-Bedouins of Northern Israel and Mecca. It was also reported that as recently as the early part of this century, the nomads’ practice of bestiality with their cattle constituted an ordinary feature of pastoral life among the Palestinian Arabs. During the 1978 American conflict with Iran, the Little Green Book, with extracts from the writings of Ayatollah Khomeini, was published. This book contains traditional ritualistically correct views on various issues, among them what to do with a sodomized camel. Bestiality is common among the Turks, who are known for having anal intercourse with mares. Some people regard bestiality as sinful only when it involves animals that are edible, such as cattle or sheep. Turks also believe that sex with a donkey makes the human penis grow larger. Today in Turkey, although enforcement of moral laws is very strict, pony, donkey, and dog sex shows are known to run from time to time. The last reported arrests for bestial activity were in 1993 and took place near the Kurdish refugee camps.

There are stories about the notorious side-shows in Aden, Port-Said, Cairo, and Alexandria which offer tourists sex exhibitions of humans and animals, and it is reported that brothels in Cairo provide sex shows of women and mule stallions. Egyptian shepherd boys are well known for engaging in sexual relations with animals in their herd. They especially favor fellatio, and rub honey or candy on the penis to encourage the suckling of lambs and goats.

In Lebanon, Beirut was known as a “hot place” for bestiality in the 1960s, and according to Dubois-Desaulle, in 1933 bestiality was still very popular in Syria. Sexual acts between humans and animals were not punished or even considered socially unacceptable among the Kusai and Masai tribes (inhabitants of Kenya and Tanzania). On the South Sea Island of Kusai, men are reported to use cattle occasionally as sexual objects, and Masai male adolescents frequently use female donkeys as a sexual outlet, and as practice, as they believe it improves their lovemaking. The Suaheli (Bantu people of Zanzibar/Tanzania) and Arabian fisherman along the coast of Africa, near Mombasa, Kenya, used to believe that unless they had anal sex with the sea-cows they netted, they would be dragged out to sea the next day and drowned by the dead sea-cow’s sister. Many people would therefore make the fishermen swear, by the Koran, that they did not have sex with the seacow they were selling at the local market. At El Yemen, trained baboons were popular sex partners for both men and women, and the women in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and the Sudan were said to smuggle dog-faced apes (girds) into the harem and have sexual relations with them. Among the Manghabei of Madagascar, bestiality with calves and cows has been observed to be practiced openly by children and adults alike. The people of the Hottentot tribe, nomadic people in southwest Africa, do not consider bestiality to be immoral; they do, however, regard incest in the same negative light as Western people. Sex with animals used to be a part of the Ibo (Nigerian tribe) male coming-of-age ritual. Every boy had to “successfully” copulate with a specially selected sheep, to the satisfaction of a circle of elders who witnessed the performance. Among the Yoruba (another tribe in Nigeria), there was the custom that a young hunter had to copulate with the first antelope he ever killed, while it was still warm. Many tribes in Central Africa believe animals to be the ancestors of human beings. In Voodoo ceremonies, as well as in some other religious and magical rituals, individuals believe themselves as transformed into animals, and have sexual relations either with other humans or with animals of the kind they believe themselves to be.

South and Central America

The Inca civilization extended down the Pacific coast, from Columbia to Chile and inland to the Andes. In their sexual mores, bestiality was punishable by hanging. Nevertheless, six percent of Inca archaeological decorated specimens, dated from before AD 1000, depict bestiality.

An ancient law in Peru forbade bachelors from having female alpacas in their homes because of the many reported cases of bestiality. Peruvian men who were unaccompanied by women were further forbidden from herding llamas. In South and Central America, bestiality was said to be so prevalent when the Spaniards arrived, that the priests included the “sin of bestiality” in their confessional protocol. According to Gregersen, sexual contacts with animals play an important part in the sex life of almost everyone in the Kagaba, an agricultural society in northern Columbiam. An ancient pre- Columbian belief among Indians of the Caribbean coast of Columbia relates that adolescent males will not achieve competence in marriage unless they practice intercourse with donkeys. In a study on the gaucho population living on the border of Brazil and Uruguay, Leal found the gauchos to understand bestiality as a legitimate practice within a group where the dominant cultural belief consists of mastering the wild. A sexual relationship with certain animals is not only a sanctioned practice within this group, but is seen throughout south Brazil as a herdsmen’s or rural tradition. “Barranquear” is the regional term used to refer to male sexual relationship with animals, usually mares. There is a sort of hierarchy of animals to be followed in the “barranqueamento.” The sequence starts with the chicken and culminates with the mare. Chickens are for small and young boys, and the act is subject to ridicule. For the gauchos, bestiality shows courage, and the wilder the animal in the animal hierarchy, the more prestigious is the act. Most gauchos do not engage in bestiality as a regular activity, although it is an important part of their sexual initiation. In the towns and cities of this region, bestiality is considered another form of sexual play among male teenagers. It is tolerated by society as part of growing up and as a necessary erotic experience. Bestiality within this more urban context is practiced with hens, ewes, sows, cows, mules, and mares, but not with cats or dogs. A group of boys will hold the animal while one of them has intercourse with it. There is no legislation against bestiality in Brazil, either under criminal or civil law. It is an offense only when it is done in a public area. Brazil is especially known for its sex shows, and some of the latest animal porn films are from this country. In an analysis of Latin American (Mexican, Cuban) pornography of the 1930s through the 1950s, Di-Lauro and Rabkin found that bestiality was a common theme. Films such as Rin Tin Tin Mexicano, and A Hunter and His Dog depict bestiality acts. The Wild Animal Revue further describes a series of 8mm stag films, which appeared during the early 1930s, known as the “Mexican Dog” series. Animal sex shows in Mexico have declined since the days of the 1950s and 1960s, but there are still rumors of the famous donkey shows. Sex shows with animals were common in the brothels of Cuba, but Castro closed down all the brothels. In Balboa, Panama, there used to be night clubs that featured a donkey having intercourse with a woman. There has always been an underground trade in bestiality videos and magazines, and United States Customs occasionally checks tapes coming in from Panama.

Native Americans, Canadians and Eskimos

Among Native Americans, bestiality varied from tribe to tribe (Rosenberger 1968). Married men, among the Navaho Indians (in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah), were known to occasionally engage in bestiality while out herding alone, and unmarried women engaged in bestiality, as well (Deutsch 1948 cited in Donofrio 1996). Bestiality was common among the Crow (native Americans who live in the upper basins of the Yellowstone and Bighorn rivers, in eastern Montana) who had no scruples about having sexual relations with mares and wild animals that had just been killed in the hunt. Although all forms of animal sexual contacts are said to be taboo among the Ojibwa (native Americans and Canadians who live in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ontario), Ojibwa women were known to have sex with dogs, while Ojibwa men had sexual relations with dogs, bears, moose, beavers, caribou, and porcupines (Gregersen 1983). Cases of bestiality among the Mohave (native Americans who live along the Colorado river in Arizona and California) are known to have involved mares, female asses, heifers, sows, and hens Bestiality is fairly common among the Hopi Indians in north Arizona, who consider sex with animals socially acceptable. Hopi men are reported to have intercourse with burros, dogs, horses, sheep, and chickens, and Hopi boys are sometimes directed to animal contacts so they will leave girls alone. The Sioux (native Americans of the Great Plains) and the Apache (native Americans in south-west US and in north Mexico) had similar views. The Plains Indians (a number of native north American tribes that inhabited the Great Plains, and followed the buffalo) were known to experiment with colts and to use freshly slain animals for sexual purposes. In the Canadian Indian tribe of the Salteaux, sexual relations betwend women and dogs are reported. It is also reported that hunters have sex with moose and with female bears they have shot, before the animals get cold. Sexual acts between humans and animals were not punished or even considered socially unacceptable among the Kupfer Eskimos. Among the Copper Eskimos, intercourse between men and live or dead animals is not infrequent and is not prohibited.

The New World — The American Colonies

In Colonial America, a divorce law enacted in 1639, in Plymouth Colony, mentioned bestiality specifically as reason for divorce, and some sexologists and historians believe bestiality was widespread. Colonial laws against bestiality required harsh punishment, since the colonists believed these relationships could have reproductive consequences of monstrous offspring. Therefore, the colonists made sure both the person and the animal were executed. The Colony of Pennsylvania ordered life imprisonment and whipping of the person involved in bestiality, at the discretion of the court, and Colonial Virginia law prescribed castration as a remedy for bestiality. The first recorded cases of bestiality in the New World took place in 1642 in Plymouth and Massachusetts Colonies. Both men were sentenced to death, and the animals were slaughtered and burned

The United States of America

According to Kinsey, Pomeroy and Martin’s1948 study, one American man in about 13 had sexual experience with animals. The authors estimated the number to be eight percent of the male population in the United States. They also stated that animal sexual contacts were largely confined to farm boys, and added that over half of the rural males who had a college education had had some kind of sexual contact with animals. Almost four percent of the women interviewed by Kinsey et al. (1953) reported having had sexual contact with animals after they had become adolescents.

Rumors about orgies involving animals among swinging circles have been reported , and according to Dumont there used to be a guest ranch in Texas, as late as 1970, which arranged sexual relations between the guests and various horses trained for performing sexual acts. The Pet Book series, detailing bestiality fantasies, from Greenleaf Classics in San Diego, California, has flourished since the early 1970s. A full length, underground movie was reportedly shown in some San Francisco adult movie theaters about 20 years ago. The film was called Animal Lovers and portrayed the female star engaging in intercourse with various types of animals including a dog, a donkey, and a pig. There are also the Color Climax’ 8mm animal films, such as Dog Fuckers, Horse Lovers, and Horsepower, all from 1970. Another two 8mm stag films appeared in the early 1970s in which porn star, Linda Lovelace, had sex with a large dog. Lovelace, however, has denied her participation in such films. There have been reports of underground, private, local, animal shows in the United States and Canada, but nothing organized. At one mid-Western high school, the football team still gets a “goat show” after “home coming,” reportedly, a tradition for over 20 years. There were also reports about some wild animal sex shows during construction of the Alaskan pipe line. In 1962, Illinois became the first American state to revise its criminal code, and oral-genital contacts, anal intercourse between consenting adults in private, and sexual acts with animals, were no longer considered criminal offenses. In 1997, twenty-five states, the District of Columbia, and the United States Government outlawed bestiality. The sentences ranged from a mere fine of not more than $500 in Tennessee to an indeterminate life sentence in Michigan. The laws in the United States have been changing, and according to Richard, in 2001, three states—Iowa, Maine, and Oregon—passed laws criminalizing bestiality. The late Mark Matthews, in his book The Horseman (1994), helped increase awareness of the existence of “zoophilia” (i.e., in addition to engaging in bestiality, the zoophile, or “zoo,” also feels love and sexual attraction toward the animals). In recent years, the Broadway theater has been increasingly open in its portrayal of the full spectrum of sexual themes and activities. Productions such as, Futz and the very recent The Goat, have depicted the themes of bestiality and zoophilia.

The Internet

Alt.sex.bestiality (A.S.B.) was one of the first Internet news groups which started around 1990 as someone’s idea of a joke. Soon, A.S.B. grew and matured into a discussion and support group, providing information about health issues, laws governing bestiality, bibliographic references, “how to” guides, written, and pictorial erotica, and information about the “zoo community’s” events. Most people in this newsgroup had sexual relations with animals, and many were quite proud of it. There were also many others who have not had any sexual contact with animals, but who were eager to do so. According to Andriette, for most “zoos,” finding other “zoos” has changed their lives. It has given them a new self understanding, and connected them with like-minded friends. Stasya’s Home Page, which was about zoophilia, was initiated in September of 1995, and averaged a “hit” (a visitor) every three minutes. Stasya reported (in 1996) receiving anywhere from two to six messages per day from people saying “thank you for being there”. In January of 1999, according to the Humane Society of the United States’ web site, in one Internet search using the term “bestiality,” it found 85,771 documents. These days, one can find numerous web sites, chat rooms, and pet forums exclusively devoted to bestiality, zoophilia, and related pornography online. And Byrd points out that bestiality/zoophilia has never been more present, even in fashion magazine advertisements and television commercials.

Conclusion

A more in-depth exploration of the history of bestiality is beyond the scope of this paper. However, it is apparent and important to acknowledge that man has engaged in bestiality since the dawn of civilization, in almost every culture and place in the world. Although individuals have been punished, sometimes tortured and killed, for engaging in bestiality, the behavior and the pre-occupation with bestiality has persisted. Even more important are the reports that bestiality is still an integral part of many people’s lives, whether in myth, art, literature, or as actual sexual behavior. Although no one knows how prevalent sexual behavior with animals is, bestiality is unquestionably among us.

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dreamingthedoe · 4 years

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Beltane: The Special Quarantine Edition

Beltane is the Celtic sabbat of fertility, celebrated from sunset on April 30th to sunset on May 1st, meant to mark the full flush of spring and the rising heat of summer. Beltane has its roots in how ancient Celts worshipped a solar deity named Bel, and celebrated his victory over the darkness of winter. In many pagan, duotheistic religions such as Wicca, Beltane recognizes a God (the Green Man, the Oak King, Jack in the Green), and Goddess (May Queen, May Bride, Flora). Beltane is the final consummation of the God and Goddess, who have been courting since the first stirrings of spring. Their union invokes summer and all its bounty. This sabbat is traditionally centered around fertility, represented by flowers, phallic/yonic imagery, and fire. I personally believe in queering up these traditions and celebrating the powers of creation in less cishet ways - honoring the cycles of the land and seasons, but using less literal interpretations of God/Godess and binary/gendered genitalia, etc. Beltane is also the halfway point to Samhain, a twin sabbat that shares the same thinness of the veil between the world of the tangible and the intangible, physical and spiritual. Magic is powerful at this time, but it also means taking more steps for personal protection while practicing magic, and it’s a good time to ward against unfriendly spirits or energy.

Consider the following correspondences when setting up you altar, making an offering, or doing spellwork! Deities: Bel, Cernunnos, Flora, Brigid, Dagda, Xōchiquetzal, Dionysus, Demeter, Persephone, Amun, Bastet, Isis, Inanna, Astarte, Freyja, Freyr (avoided added ones from cultures that have been and are still actively worshipped to this day to the best of my knowledge, such as Kokopelli, as opposed to “dead” religions that have neo-pagan revivals) Colors: green, white, light pink, blue, and yellow Herbs: Honeysuckle, St John’s Wort, rose, lilac, oak, dandelion, hawthorn, foxglove, clover, violet, mint, thyme, mugwort, almond leaves, rowan, marigold, daisies, and lavender. But we’re quarantined, so you can use herbs/flowers from tea sachets, or even fake flowers! If you have some flowers blooming nearby and really need something, only take a tiny amount so that pollinators can have the rest (or better, take naturally fallen flowers. The good intent for the environment goes a long way with the gods and nature). Incense: Frankincense, jasmine, rose, lavender, patchouli, vanilla. No incense? A scented candle is fine, or essential oil on a warmer! Or make a stovetop potpourri with tea bags or vanilla extract! Food: Grain foods like oats and wheat (bannock/bread, oatcakes, oatmeal), honey, salad greens, strawberries, cherries, rhubarb (COOK THAT SHIT OR IT’LL KILL YOU THOUGH), eggs, cheese, and any aphrodisiacs such as chocolate, pistachios, oysters, asparagus, and hot chiles (and cook with aphrodisiac herbs such as fenugreek and saffron). Even a bowl of cereal works! The gods understand that you’re quarantined, and as always in magic: where there is a will, there is a way. Drink: Honeyed milk (dairy or non-dairy), mead, rosewater, herbal teas like jasmine tea, white wine, alcoholic beverages made with egg Altar symbols: cauldron (often filled with and surrounded by flowers), candles, mirrors, floral wreaths, ribbons

Potent Magic on this Sabbat:

Sex magic – Beltane is the premiere sabbat for celebrating sex – therefore, it’s the perfect time to practice sex magic. This can be done through solo sex or partnered sex (whether involving physical contact with a partner or joining intentions together across distance)! Sex magic can be results-oriented or practiced as a kind of “mysticism”. Sex magic practiced for manifesting a specific result keeps in tradition with Beltane, as the Celts were believed to have used sexual ritual on Beltane as a way to increase crop yields for the year. As it goes with all types of magic, everyone practices sex magic differently. In my practice, I use it as a way to simply increase my personal power, strengthen a magical bond with a partner, or exchange energy with a partner to gift each other our qualities and talents for a period of time (this is strengthened through repeated practice with the same partner). With partnered sex magic, be sure not only to have your usual consent talk, but also a consent talk about the ritual/magical aspect. This is not only because consent must always be informed and your partner may not be comfortable with having sex this way; it also ensures that your intentions are aligned and that energy exchange is balanced (otherwise, the manifestation might not succeed as you’d like, or one partner may be left feeling drained or otherwise unfulfilled). I can attach links to resources or write a little more in-depth about my personal experience if you are comfortable with that!

Fire magic - Using flame of some sort in your rituals is especially powerful right now! This can mean using fire in rituals to manifest a goal, such as burning a scrap of paper that you’ve written your intention on. I tend to stretch this definition to include heat, such as charming my tea as I add hot water to my tea sachet, or making magical stovetop potpourri. In my seiðr magic, I often stare into flames to achieve a trance state. I can write more about using fire for trance and divination as well!

Ecstatic dance - Pretty self-explanatory! Ecstatic dance can be used as a form of worship, manifestation, or simply for inducing a trance or “shamanic” state, depending on your personal beliefs and practices. If you are celebrating Beltane with others, one participant can use an instrument such as a drum for the others to dance to. Otherwise, playing music from speakers or headphones is fine as well! The important thing is to either focus on your intention, or clear your head and let the music bring you to a trance state. I can also send links to good resources for practicing ecstatic dance,

Spellwork: - Glamours - Divination (especially with mirrors!) - Protection - Spells to increase libido and creative powers - Manifestation/increase - Blessings for self-love - Blessings for partners and relationships

If you’d like ideas for spells, charms, and enchantments involving these subjects, let me know! I have some good ones in my grimoire.

Activites:

Decorating a Maypole – This tradition involves “maidens” (but literally whomever, fuck the binary fr) dancing and weaving around a pole while holding ribbons that had been fastened to the top, creating a beautifully woven pattern of ribbons down the structure. Don’t have a 20-ft pole to wrap copious amounts of ribbon around? Decorate a small stick with whatever ribbon-like materials you have about, and put it on your altar or centrally in your home!

Washing your face in morning dew – Not really something we can do in Phoenix, unless you are planning on camping somewhere north overnight! A good substitute is using water charged under the moon, or even just water purified with a spell or purifying crystals. I like draw a bath and purify the water, and focus on cleansing my energy while I take the bath.

Making a bonfire – This is especially difficult to achieve in quarantine. Just having a fire in the fireplace or a simple candle burning is enough! Traditionally on this day, all other fires would be put out save the community’s special Beltane bonfire, but turning off all of your other lights is just fine! Many Beltane traditions involve leaping over the bonfire/candle… I don’t really recommend this, because, you know, getting set on fire.

Handfasting and jumping over a broomstick – Probably highly irrelevant for most, but Beltane is traditionally a time of many marriages. Couples become handfasted when the officiant ties their hands together with a cord, usually woven from three ribbons, usually as the couple take their vows or exchange their declarations of love and devotion. Many couples would jump over a broom as well, to signify the leap from one stage of life to the next (this tradition was borne from couples being unable to afford formal ceremonies, and at one time leaping over a broom together could be seen as legally binding a couple in marriage).

Fertilize – If you have a garden or even a small plant, tend to it witch extra care! Fertilizing is recommended for a Beltane activity, but if your plant would suffer from being fertilized right now, don’t do it. Just speak encouraging words to your plant!

Explore your property – If you have the energy, explore around the outside of your home, or even just make some studied observations of your home interior. It’s your “land”, and it’s a good time to walk around and offer blessings and gratitude to your environment. If you’re able to drive somewhere deeper into nature, it’s a good time to go out and revel in the vibrant life being created all around us. As a Norse pagan, I personally make offerings to the landvættir (roughly, nature spirits) of the desert whenever I go out into nature to thank it.

Make special Beltane recipes! – Such as bread (I’m baking an iced lavender loaf myself), salads with berries, honeyed oatcakes, egg custard, an herb-y chicken stew, etc.

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witch-priestess · 4 years

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Wicca and Expanding Worship Beyond the Heteronormative: Changing the Gender Essentialist Narrative in Rites of Passage

Historically in the U.S.A. Wicca and parts of the Neo-Pagan movement have been influenced by the trans-exclusive narratives of second wave feminism in the 1960s-1970s and the patriarchal beliefs of Traditional Wiccan founders Alex Sanders and Gerald Gardner. Both of these sets of beliefs are based on Gender Essentialism. This concept of gender and sex is trans-exclusionary, and denies non-binary, trans and intersex people their existence and identities. Misha Magdalene has two insightful and informative commentaries on the history and the problems with gender essentialism in modern witchcraft and Wiccan practices Tracing the Thread:Critiquing Gender Essentialism in Paganism, Polytheism and Magic and How It “Ought” To Be: The Problem of Gender Essentialism. Ritual and magick at their most fundamental level are about energy. Energy is neutral, non-specific in its natural form. Energy only changes when we put our wills to it. Gender identity and expression affect energy because they are a part of will which then transforms energy from neutral to gendered. Gender expression, like energy, is not a fixed state of being. A person who identifies and expresses as one gender outside of ritual space may express differently while in a circle regardless of being non-binary, trans, cis, agender, or genderfluid. For example: I am a cis woman. In my day to day life I generally project what is traditionally thought of as feminine energy. However, I have had days where I am more connected to the god and traditional masculine energy and I will express male energy. On my masculine energy days I have participated in a public ritual where we have invoked the deities in with a call and response of “Who is the God?!”, “I am the God?”. I have responded with that call. I have seen cis-men invoke the Goddess in the same way. People who are non-binary or agender will connect with the gendered energy of dieties in these moments too. The energy expression of a person does not change the identity of the person. In a ritual circle, it is about who we are in the moment, our connections to each other and the divine energies, regardless of our gender identities, expressions, or roles we play within or beyond that sacred space.

So, how does this fit into Rites of Passage? If we understand Wicca to be a nature religion, where the gods present in whatever way they want, and our roles are about energy, as discussed by Taz Chance in her article Sex, Gender and the Divine, then we must take a hard look at our Rites of Passage and orient them around the concept that roles are not binary or gender specific. Wicca has several kinds of Rites of Passage. I am going to talk about Initiatory and Life Cycle roles and rites this time. Even though I am only covering a couple of examples in this piece, these concepts and ideas can be applied to any Rite of Passage.

Before going on let’s define a role vs a rite.

Role- A position, duty, responsibility, function, or aspect a person is taking on in their life and community. (mother, husband, priest, priestess etc)

Rite- A ceremonial and ritualized observance of a person marking an achievement or life event. Often celebratory (wedding, initiation, croning, wiccaning etc)

Roles make up the different facets of our identities and are expressed in a variety of different ways. Some roles are familial, societal, or social and may or may not have a gender associated with them. Roles help to define ourselves and our relationships to others, our status in the community, our function, and responsibilities. A role is like a feudal title i.e. king. A king is someone who rules over a country, who has power through vassals, who has a responsibility to lead and protect their people, and make decisions of state, they have the highest status in the society. What gender is a king? Did you say male? If you did that is because traditionally it has been, and queen tends to be the term for a female ruler. Queens are often thought to be equal to kings, but it has not always been so. In fact the reason that we think of them as equals is because there were some badass women who made it that way (Queen Elizabeth Tudor I, Catherine the Great of Russia, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth Windsor II) However, the roles are slightly different when there is both a king and a queen. The queen is subject to the king. Which is why Elizabeth I never married, Victoria and Elizabeth II never had their husbands crowned, and Catherine the Great staged a coup and (possibly) had her husband assassinated. In fact Elizabeth I signed her letters Elizabeth Rex, Elizabeth the King, defining the role as a Ruler and King as something separate from her gender identity and expression. Hateshput of Ancient Egypt was Pharaoh and iconography identified her with traditional male symbols. The first time I came across the concept of a king being a role and a title, and not a gender was in The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. In the book Dealing With Dragons, a female dragon becomes the Dragon King. When questioned and asked about the gender, the dragon explains that King is a title and set of responsibilities, not about gender, and that Dragon Queen was a different role entirely. This type of gender disassociation with the title King, is also seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, where Elizabeth Swann becomes the Pirate King. This concept is not new and has found its way into our popular culture as our collective perspective shifts. These examples helped form the foundation of my understanding of roles being separate from gender which were later supported in my studies of Simone de Beauvoire, and the theories that gender is a social construct. Additionally, my personal experience with gender non-conformity, the time I have spent as a member of the queer community and discussing this topic with Trans and non-binary folx further solidified my views.

In Wicca, roles tend to be defined in Archetypal Terms, and are often thought as gender specific; for example Priest being male and Priestess being female. Priest or Priestess doesn’t define the gender identity of the person, it defines their place in the circle and community. As positions within a coven, they denote learning and status, they also have spiritual meaning for the person who claims the title, and they have specific responsibilities. A Priest in this role has the job to protect the Priestess and participants in a coven, provide guidance, support the coven, help maintain stability in the coven, lead and connect others to the divine. A Priestess in this role is to lead and connect the participants to each other as well as the divine, grow and nurture the coven, provide teaching, and maintain lineage and liturgy. In a ritual circle it is the priest’s duty to pull in active/dynamic energy, provide protection for the priestess and participants, maintain balance in the circle, and move energy. A priestess in a ritual circle calls the receptive/creative energy, leads the participants in energy raising, connects the divine to the circle, and directs the energy to its purpose. It has nothing to do with gender identity or genitalia, but everything to do with how they use their skills, express and move energy. Historically and in Gardnerian tradition first, a Priest will initiate a Priestess, and then a Priestess will initiate a Priest strictly within cis-sex roles as there were no trans practitioners at the time. As trans-people became involved it was expanded to gender polarity. We can expand and redefine the tradition to reflect the LBTQ+ members of our community by allowing anyone to take on the leadership role that their energy reflects, and still keep the initiatory rite of passage tradition of a Priestess initiating a Priest and vice-versa. There is room in our theology for this, it shifts us from a gender essentialist fertility view to a gender-inclusive nature view, and it won’t really change the mechanics of Initiation itself.

These expanded perspectives can likewise be applied to Rites of Passage. Every rite of passage ceremony is based on a tradition, and it has a specific pattern that we build on, just like every other ritual that we celebrate. The pattern, the rhythm, and associations will flow based on your tradition influenced by the mechanics of how magic works. Rites can be performed for a certain individual, or they can be performed for a group. When performing a rite it is important to ask “Who is it for? What is its purpose?” I understand such a ceremony as first and foremost for the person undergoing the ceremony, and secondly for the witnesses. I believe that it is important that Rites of Passage be tailored to the individual experiencing the Rite, rather than using the same ritual for everyone. Consider the ritual and pattern of a wedding; even though they have the same purpose, each wedding is uniquely tailored to the people getting married.

Similar to the roles, there are traditionally gendered rites. Many of the rites can be expanded by separating the role from gender and focusing on the energy. Some rites, however, are embedded in physiological/biological processes and need to be reworked. Womanings/ Mannings and Mothering/Fathering Rites fall under this. The typically female Maiden-Mother-Queen-Crone archetypal cycle is based on menses, giving birth, menopause, and post-menopause. So, without further ado, let’s talk about the Mothering Rite of Passage.

Traditionally the Mothering Rite is specifically reserved for a woman who has gone through a pregnancy and given birth (via c-section or vaginally). In some traditions it is only vaginally. It is attended only by women who have given birth. The purpose is for the woman in question to receive advice, support, and commune with others who have had this experience, as well as a recognition of her new role. If you say you are going to perform a “Mothering” rite to older members of the community, this is what they will understand it as. When I learned this I was infuriated because it is the most narrow understanding of motherhood reducing women down to their biological capabilities. I pushed, railed, discussed, and argued against it. In fact, it was this discussion that led me to start this blog series.

First, the above excludes adoptive mothers, mothers by surrogate, foster mothers, trans-women, step-mothers, and mothers who have experienced C-sections (in some traditions), and it defines biological mothering as the only type worth recognizing. Second, this understanding denies the fact that trans-men, non-binary and genderqueer folx become pregnant and give birth without, not necessarily, taking on the role of Mother. Lastly, the definition denies that a person of any gender can take on this role, i.e. men in same-sex relationships, stay-at-home men, single parenting men, intersex, and genderqueer folx can and do define themselves as Mother. Each of these types need to be included under this rite because they are all Mothers, and they deserve community support and recognition. There are some things about being a mother to a child that are universal no matter how the child came into your life, or what your gender identity is. Theologically and philosophically Mother is more than a biological and social function. It is the act of bringing something to being, and letting go. It is about love, sacrifice, and nurture. A mother undergoes a revolutionary experience of creating a bond so strong that they focus on another being in a completely different way. Physical pregnancy and birth are not required for a person to take on the role of Mother. It is an archetypal expression of the Goddess, and role for humans to take on. As archetypes and deities do not have a physical sex as we understand it and roles can be separate from gender we must expand the definition to include all types of mothers.

The reason that I propose that Mothering change to an umbrella term to cover several different types of rites for mothers, rather than coming up with a new term for each type is this: if birthing rites are the only ones called mothering, it is denying the variety of ways one is and can be a mother. It is a type of “separate but equal”, and “separate but equal” is never equal. An adoptive or foster mother is just as important and worthy of being called mother as a biological birthing mother. The purpose of this rite of passage in its essence is to provide communion with others, recognition, and allow a person to transition into their new role as a mother in their personal and public life. We should tailor the ritual to the person asking for this type of rite. We can build on the original pattern and make the adjustments to fit the person. Also, having a rite specific to those who have experienced the physical birthing process can be done. I propose renaming it under the overarching umbrella of Parenting Rites to include non-binary, trans, and cis identies by changing the title to Birthing Ritual. In this way it can fall under any parenting rites and give the person the opportunity and experience to commune with others who have had the same physical changes, traumas, and joy in this particular experience. We can also create rituals for adoption and step-parenting that will fall into the category of Parenting Rites. Expanding a definition to include others doesn’t negate the tradition or the need for it.

Keep in mind that the process of restructuring and growth is slow. It is important to take a look at our traditions and history to see where we can be better, and it is okay to keep traditions that we like. In making adjustments it is good to experiment, discuss with your groups/covens/teachers, and community. When making changes to be inclusive be sure to really listen to the people that you are trying to include and ask what they want to see and experience to reflect themselves.

Remember that when we recognize people in their many facets as they transition and take on new roles helps us grow. The role is important, but it is about the person, and their relationship with their community. Roles are not defined by our gender identity or expression, but the functions and responsibilities that are performed. Rites can expand and be broadened in understanding without denying people tradition. Adjustments that are made can be supported through both theological and sociological foundations. It moves us forward into a greater understanding that our practices can evolve with us and reflect who we are and our natures.

Further Reading:

https://transphilosopher.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/terfs-essentialism-and-normality/

https://medium.com/@faithwinship/the-evolution-of-trans-exclusionary-feminism-3d1b9c5a6d45

https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095846595

https://godsandradicals.org/2015/08/07/on-the-importance-of-intersectional-witchcraft/

https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1056&context=socanth_honproj

Mother Goddesses and Subversive Witches:Competing Narratives of Gender Essentialism,Heteronormativity, Feminism, and Queerness in Wiccan Theology and Ritual

http://www.important.ca/wicca_religion_rites_of_passage.html

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/mom-dad-parenting-gender-stereotypes

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faithxlost · 4 years

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Headcanon: Cult Classics

// Despite following what is essentially a completely different religion, Gary and his cult do have holidays they celebrate. Some are traditional Satanic holidays, like Walpurgisnacht, Halloween, the solstices and equinoxes, the Black Mass/the Grand High Climax, and Yule. However, his cult in particular has also created holidays and seasonal events of their own to be celebrated. Some of them are explained below:

Walpurgisnacht: celebrated the night of April 30th and the day of April 1st. The cult praises Saint Walpurga for battling pests, rabies, and other illnesses. Unlike Christians however, they praise the Saint for allowing witchcraft and black magic to flourish and give them power.

Halloween is a given. Though the origins of the tradition are mixed for them, they generally observe it as a day of merriment and empowerment and use it for rituals and for celebrations. In some Pagan traditions, Halloween is a night in which spirits from beyond are allowed to return and wander amongst the living, as well as demons visiting from Lucifer’s realm. The cult usually decorate to make their apartments seem inviting to spirits and demons passing by in hopes of having good fortune result from their passing.

Solstices and Equinoxes are observed by the cult as days of merriment. They use it to celebrate the coming of a new season and pray for bountiful harvests, good futures, empowering auras, and the guidance of Lucifer. They mostly party on these days. (Specifics found down below)

Yule is essentially Christmas for them. Taking place between Christmas and New Years and originally hailing from Pagan origin to begin with, Yule is celebrated with a decorated pine tree, a lot of singing, a lot of drinking and a lot of eating. Keeping in with tradition, the cult will go out and cut down trees, burn the biggest log they have, and celebrate Lucifer and the birth of the sun. They make straw goats and a julebukk

The Grand High Climax is a major holiday celebrated on December 24th. It is celebrated with Black Mass, or major worshipping ceremony that Gary leads, and is followed by an excess of drinking, eating, sex, and merriment. Though it’s not acknowledged by all Satanic groups, Gary’s loves it.

Witch’s Sabbath: A day they have adapted. It is celebrated in spring led by Gary, previously Tiffany, and one vessel. The festival involves sacrifice, though not always a killed one. Sometimes they take new indoctrinates and bless them, offering their souls to the dark lord in exchange for a good year and a good life.

Black Sabbath: A day celebrated between September and October in which the cult takes indoctrinates or potential vessels and uses them in a sacrificial ceremony in exchange for a bountiful Halloween. People are taken, have their faces carved out, and blood is used to stain the mask of an impure vessel. Their souls are transferred to the a world beyond this one, and a demon is granted the ability to stay within the body until the end of Halloween. Not all demons leave when the time comes though such was the case of Amy.

Dark Virtue: The cult equivalent of Valentine’s Day, this celebration lasts for about a week and is an early celebration of spring. The major symbol of the holiday is the Baphomet, which symbolizes fertility, love, and lust. The ceremony is an annual tradition where members of the cult find partners that share a rite with them to spend the entire year together. The boundaries of partnership are open and flexible as long as it is consensual between any and all parties involved. This means that a person can share their vow with the same person for many years in the cult, or, if both parties feel like things aren’t working out, then they’ll be able to break it off and select a new partner to be with during the ceremony for the next year. They may even have multiple partners if everyone is in agreement to do so, or have partners of the same sex. (Part of the ceremony includes consummating the new partnership, and while traditionally, this is a public event performed under the Baphomet for all the cult to witness and pray to, Gary is very lenient about making an exhibit of it. As long as you fuck under the Baphomet in your apartments, you’re good.)

The Walk of Judas: The cult performs a re-enactment of the Last Supper and Judas’ betrayal to commemorate the branching off of members from the cult to new roots. They usually don’t move far, but whenever cultists end up moving out of the apartment complex after years of dedicated service, this ceremony is held by Gary and his cult to commemorate them leaving in the hopes that they will spread the knowledge of what they have learned and continued their practices. And they’re very authentic about it. They dress the part, make bountiful feasts, and turn the whole apartment complex into basically a walkthrough theater where the departing persons play the role of Judas to affirm that they will carry on in their ways long after they’ve left.

Shadow of Spring: Taking place on the spring equinox, this a rite in which cult members go out and collect a major sacrifice to be offered up live to the UNSPEAKABLE. They take their offerings to the altar where they chant and bang on ceremonial drums, lining up one by one and bringing their live specimens to be eviscerated over the alter and bathing their hands in the blood of their kill. The purpose of the ritual is to ensure that their faith to Lucifer is not lost with the coming of a new year and to be blessed with good luck, magic, and power to face the new year and any obstacles it may bring. Gary always goes first and does a sermon throughout the ceremony as people go one by one killing animals (or other things...) they picked up while out and about. Afterwards, they celebrate the solstice by eating, drinking, indulging, etc.

Night of the Baphomet: If you’re a couple looking to conceive while indoctrinated in the cult, it’s critical that you go through this ritual and gain both Gary and the UNSPEAKABLE’s approval. These rituals are only available during the spring and early summer and must be performed at night. If Gary approves of the conception, he’ll go to the basement to draw up a summoning circle and briefly commune with the demons about the initiate’s intentions. The ritual consists of bringing a sacrifice to the altar, eviscerating it, bringing something you hold dearest to you, putting it inside the sacrifice, closing it back up, and then sending it down the dumbwaiter for the demons to collect. If the demons accept, they will visit and return the item you sacrificed. If they do not approve, the seal and the item will disappear. The reason it is important for the demons to accept the conception is because children with their approval are marked as Children of Lucifer by default and will go unharmed by visiting demons. If a child is born in the cult and it is not approved by the demons, there is a strong chance they may target the parents after killing it. (For this reason, Gary encourages birth control among cult members and, if necessary, will schedule abortions at the clinic for errors.)

Shadow of Summer: This particular holiday is believed by the cult to be when the fires of hell are closest to the surface. They celebrate by decorating the halls quite a bit and lighting candles. Prayers to the UNSPEAKBLE are almost nightly occurrences and masses are held in the basement often. Sacrifices must be made frequently and consistently, as the chance of demons coming to visit sharply increases. Aside from the increase in responsibility, partying is a very common occurrence. Feasting, drinking, and other recreational and procreational activities are encouraged. The event is also recognized as an excess of magic being poured out from the underworld, allowing members of the cult to feel rejuvenated and invigorated. Those that collect crystals often spend a lot of time tuning them in order to absorb the excess magic. Curses, hexes, and spells are cast in group settings to increase the power of them. Those that do not have a way to collect the magic often spend all day doing as much as they can to reap the benefit of its ncreaser presence, hence the partying that happens.

Black Sanctity: This is essentially the cult’s equivalent of communion and confirmation. Younger or newer indoctrinates undergo two (or three, if they’re born into the cult) of these rites in their life. The first is to signify that they have completed their indoctrination and are accepted by the cult. For new initiates, this is when all of the cult is in agreement that they are faithful and trustworthy. For born initiates, this happens the day of their birth. The second rite happens when initiates have committed the act of bringing either their first newcomer or their first vessel into the cult, solidifying their place among the cult. The third time this happens is when intiaties either reach senior age, are on their deathbed, or are expected to move away. They are celebrated and praised for their excellent work, taken to the basement, and allowed to walk through the door to hell and be blessed by Lucifer himself for their faithfulness and loyalty. They are guarenteee their place in his kingdom and smiled upon in the afterlife/rest of their mortal life.

Blood Sanction: This ritual is performed whenever a new initiate is born. They are essentially blessed by darkness: marked with runes in blood, they are visited by their first demon so that they are endured protection by the dark lord before being handed over to their mother for assurance that they will always be safe in His shadow.

Gateway Ceremony: The activity takes place during the autumnal equinox. It is done to say farewell to all visiting demons returning back to hell as the weather cools, though some may occasionally linger in the shadows until winter. Sacrifices slow down in preparation for holidays like Thanksgiving, and prayer sessions are less frequent as the last of the magic of summer fades away. It’s more of a relaxed social event where others from out of town come visit and are offered room with others in the apartments. It’s considering a family bonding ceremony more than anything.

Week of Sin: Taking place the week of thanksgiving, the Week of Sin is a period of seven days where each day is spent indulging in one of the seven deadly sins. Sunday begins with Pride, Monday is Wrath, Tuesday is Envy, Wednesday is Greed, Thursday is Gluttony, Friday is Sloth, and Saturday is Lust.

Feudist Day: Happening shortly after the Week of Sin, this is a designated day where all leftovers and collected sacrifices are sacrificed to the demons as Thanks for allowing the cultists penance for a week to indulge in their sins. It’s also seen as a tax for one day inheriting Lucifer’s Kingdom by feeding his subjects: the demons.

Night of Snow Blood: Occuring on the winter equinox, this ceremony is performed when the cultists each cut their hands with a ceremonial dagger and offer a blood sacrifice from themselves to the dark lord. It’s folllowed by extensively praying in a huddle together for three days, fasting the entire time. The goal is to receive his mercy and a relatively easy winter. By sacrificing pieces of themselves, they feel that he is more likely to listen to them when they prove their devotion. This is followed by a celebration in his name with food, drinks, sex, etc.

Night of the Candlewalk: Occuring in late November or early December, this night is celebrated by the cultists lighting everywhere with only candles and walking in total darkness to invite any demons of mercy to scare off inhibitions or potential blocks in their faith. This is also an invitation to be healed by the hands of Lucifer against any ailments or struggles that a cultist might be facing. Cultists often seal themselves in their rooms for a night and commune with a visiting demon things they have hidden from their fellow brothers and sisters in order to lighten the load on their minds. They are able to trust in these demons and will be healed and forgiven by them at the price of a bit of blood being drawn.

Birthdays: Birthdays are a big deal in the cult and everyone bands together to make sure a member’s special day is unforgettable. There’s lots of presents, lots of food, lots of support, lots of drinking, and it’s generally a very cool party. Sometimes demons join in!

Conviction Ceremony: This rare ceremony is performed when it is found that someone is growing suspicious and intruding in the cult’s matters. They are taken by cult members, locked in the basement, and tortured for a fortnight before being eviscerated over the altar while still alive and left to the demons for consumption. If the figure in question is a religious figure, such as a priest, missionary, or reverend, the torture is extended for two whole months, or longer. The cult invites demons to watch and cackle as they torment the prisoner in UNSPEAKABLE ways, aiming to break their faith. The end result is either conversion, or a slow, torturous death as demons scream and devour their pious meal morsel by morself. Cultists observe and chant as the energy of the demons feeding off of a live meal in person can often invigorate the souls of initiates who are so lucky as to witness a sight. Those directly responsible for capturing the target are rewarded handsomely by Lucifer and his demons.

#‘’ he is here ‘’ // gary headcanon #// i did actual research on satanism #// also pls dont take all of this seriously. i embellished a lot of things for dramatics and to play off of what we know happens in game #// not all of this is real #// definitely none of the sacrificial bits #trigger #tw gore mention #tw blood mention #tw torture mention #usfw

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tordenvejr · 5 years

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The Trident

Curiousity on the roots of the divine weapon we tend to mainly associate with Poseidon.

The Anchor

Now the anchor is seen to be heavily related to christianity (hope, faith, strength love). However it came to christianity from pagan origin, and even then applied anchor imagery goes back to ancient Egypt.

In ancient Egypt the association of the anchor shape is interpreted by some to have represented gender and sex: life force, the divine, merging and balance. The straight line the male part, the bottom round the female part, sometimes circled with a serpent. This can indicate: creation; divine union. There are several parralels between the symbolism and deities of ancient Indian tradition and that of early Egyptian civilization.

The goddess Isis (goddess of magic, fertility and motherhood, and death, healing and rebirth) holds significant resemblance to the Indian goddess Shakti (mother-goddess, fertility, life, magic and good fortune). This life/rebirth is associated with the process of the physical and spiritual transformation of an individual whose Kundalini is awakened. Isis is almost with no exception always depicted with the sun or moon between her two horns, this in the same way the god Shiva (god of destruction, and with that transformation) has the crescent moon on his. These gender/life force/birth/creation related anchor shaped symbols in ancient Egypt then could be describing a similar or the same idea as that of the Kundalini energy.

Additional Nature of the Anchor: duality and harmony; faith; hope; good luck. The anchor makes a frequent appearance in renaissance art, often alongside dolphins: moderating speed (the dolphin) with resistance (the anchor). Dolphins are interpreted to showcase our lighthearted and carefree sides, whereas the anchor reminds us to be grounded and not forget our sense and responsibility.

Pitchfork

Christianity, the devil didn’t hold a pitchfork for a long time and it’s unclear when the depiction appeared.

Wielder: Satan

The trident or here pitchfork shares the shape of the one of Shiva and Poseidon, but in this context is condemned by association to the wielder and is likely less about divine, religious or symbolic weight and rather born out of an aim to make other religions who’ve used this symbol appear sinister.

Christianity adopted the essence of the trinity that echoes in all of the world, and in their interpretation turned them to mean the father, the son and the holy spirit.

The anchor holds, though still small, stronger connection to the original meanings of the trident than the pitchfork does. It’s believed by some that the image of the devil carrying a trident was changed and erased into that of a pitchfork in the medieval times. This with the intention to paint paganism in a bad light, and it making more sense for the king of Hell and flames to carry a pitchfork as opposed to a spear that’s been heavily used by seamen.

Trident

Tri = three

Dent = teeth

Wielder: Poseidon

Greek mythology, beginning of worship around 700 BC.

The Nature of Poseidon: god of sea (depth, wisdom); earthshakes (destruction, chaos) and horses (endurance, power); husband of the earth or lord of the earth.

The Nature of the Trident:

Three fold power over heaven, the earth and hell. In ancient Greece, the tridant was a symbol of abundance, which is why it’s shown on coins and talismans - in the belief that it would bring wealth. “Unlimited treasures of the sea”.

The meaning of the three points of (Poseidon’s roman counterpart) Neptune’s own trident is said to be that "the sea is a third part of the world” or “because there are three kinds of water: seas, streams and rivers". The trident symbolizes the three properties of water: liquidity, fecundity and drinkability.

Stupa

Wielder: Bishamon

Other names: Vaiśravaṇa (founded upon the hindu god Kubera who is the lord of wealth and god-king, regent of the North, protector of the world) meaning to hear distinctly; Tamonten, listening to many teachings.

Prevalent in buddhism, introduced to Japan in 501-600 CE, but of Vedic religious origin so roots to anywhere between 1500 - 500 BCE.

The Nature of Bishamon: god of treasure, god of war; defense; wealth; protector of buddhism; guardian of the north; punisher of evil doers.

The Nature of the Stupa:

The stupa represents the divine treasure house of Buddha's teachings and symbolically holds his bodily remains.

Trishul

Tri = three.

Shul = problems or suffering. When put together the word comes to mean that which destroys the three-fold suffering (adibhautik, physical; adhyaatmik, spiritual; adidaivik, ethereal.

Hinduism, with roots in ancient Dravidan traditions. The Dravidans/Dramilas/Dramiza/Termilois came to the Indian subcontinent from the eastern Mediterranean around 7000 BCE.

Wielder: Shiva

The Nature of Shiva: god of destruction; purging and disintegration; he who clears the way for the new to come to life; lord of men and animals, the underworld, heaven, death, fertility, worship of bulls and serpents.

Nature of the Trishul:

The trishul is said to hold the power to destroy all that is deceptive/illusionary and untrue. The physical world, ie what is material, lingering of past life karma, and that of the mind, the ego.

When these illusions have come to die, to have been destroyed now the individual is free; the destruction becomes the creation, the path to wholeness and bliss.

The three points of the trishul are said to symbolize a variety of different things, some include; the past, present and future; body, mind and spirit (atman: soul/lifeforce of the universe); clarity, knowledge and wisdom; death, ascension and resurrection; creation, order and destruction; the three gunas (thread that binds all that is, consisting of ”materials that weave together to make up reality”: sattva: goodness, what is constructive and harmony; rajas: passion, active and confused; and tamas: darkness, destruction and chaos; it’s the belief that living beings hold an energetic combination of these).

Trident Overlap of Meaning

Treasure, abundance; fertilize; war, destruction; punisher; depth, and what hides in the depth. To go to the deepest, darkest blue and to find riches there. This is mirrored by the destruction paving way for the transformation, the new. The eradicating of old, the chaos and lightning that comes to a clearer sky and a calmer sea.

The Number Three

Balance; unity; creation; body, mind spirit; guardian, wholeness, and completion. The merging of elements. Divine threes come in all religions, and it visits in fairytales. The number holds a magic quality that touches what comes around it, manifestation and the realization of your true self.

Sources

Lord Shiva in Ancient Historic Traditions

Vaiśravaṇa

WHAT IS THE TRISHUL OR THE TRIDENT OF SHIVA?

Trident Cross

BISHAMON

Vatican Mythographer

Trisula

Anchor Symbolism

Kundalini in Egypt

Trident Symbol of Masculine Power

#correct me if i’m wrong and talk to me about this 🧜🏻‍♂️🧜🏻‍♂️🧜🏻‍♂️🧜🏻‍♂️🧜🏻‍♂️#*#mythology #symbolism

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moonstone-eyes · 3 years

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Magick: Legend, Fear and Power

When we think of magick the first thought that comes to mind is that of wizards, mages and harry potter fan fiction in the deep space of fan forums. I used to be this person so i can relate to swooning over hermione x harry fan fiction, no judgment.

This is then literally brought to shame and judgment through the screenplay of the play the crucible. Where young girls in a boring town make extreme accusations of witchcraft, lies, and ultimately murders that could have been easily prevented.

But what in reality is Magick and the Witch when we study them from a philosophical perspective?

This is Magick: Legend, Fear and Power. Let's dive in.

*Please subscribe to my blog for more interesting articles, rants, and cool stuff*

(this is just an article written from my own thoughts and ramblings, any sources will be accredited at the end of the article)

You know the story, everyone knows of a town witch in their hometown. The one that everyone tells during Halloween season living in the creepy woods, or the sightings that swear to be true from your cousins. There's always one unfortunate ending to the woman of the woods who lived above all rules and men. Feared and estranged from society forever, this is our first encounter with a witch for many of us as children.

For me, its both.

I have come from a unique part of a culture that is enriched in magick, superstition and respect for those we call "medicine women". I have now taken it upon myself, 28 years later, to discover, unbind and reclaim that word "Witch". It also coming with great honor and uncertainty.

Part 1: Legend & Fear

witch

noun a woman thought to have magic powers, especially evil ones, popularly depicted as wearing a black cloak and pointed hat and flying on a broomstick.

There is many accounts of witches in history, dating as far back as any abrahamic religion. Although witches and pagans are considered different *least now with neopaganism* there was much of a similarity back when there were no words for it.

Pagans believed*believe* in guarding nature and utilizing it for purposes of healing community, nurturing families, creating societies. There was a respect and still in many pagan cultures to celebrate the spirits of the earth, the sky, and its universe for purposes of understanding more about ourselves and our ancestors. Before there was a thing as calendars and clocks, pagans would look up into the sky with Astro-charts and carefully crafted stones that forecast the shadow of the sun as a marking of a new season. This, long before being called science by man.

There was and still is the respect of deity and spirit. That many life forms come in diverse races, sexes, genders, and forms. To all which are sacred and hold divine purpose in ceremony. Some will bring fertilization to crops and women, others would be used to symbolize the start of a harsh winter. All created in honor and respect for the purpose of balance in life, so it is as well in death.

I will share from a personal perspective that of the indigenous witch, the medicine man/women, the elder, the wise one.

There is an association in western culture to criminalize the witch. As shown in books like the crucible, in movies like the wizard of oz, in churches and temples of faith all around the globe where ideologies of demons exist. It is mostly a woman, enticing the image of a goat-headed man, a goddess with venomed snakes in her hair, an old hag hexing a community from its riches. This is an extreme repellant for those to step into the spirituality of these ancient practices.

Then there are others;

"Mr. Gallegos, 48, is a traditional warlock, one of dozens who work in this idyllic town, nestled near the Gulf of Mexico by Lake Catemaco in the state of Veracruz. Like most witches here, he melds European and native traditions in his work, a special brew of occultism he learned from his uncle.

His cramped cement workroom holds an image of the Virgin Mary and a large crucifix with a bloodied Jesus. A six-pointed star is painted on the floor, with a horseshoe to one side and a St. Andrew’s cross on the other. Candles dedicated to various saints crowd his table, most with photographs lashed to them. Some are photos of men and women whom the client wants to ensnare in love. Others are of barren women who want children. Others are of people with maladies from asthma to cancer."(“Travelers in Search of Mexico’s Magic Find Town of Witches and Warlocks (Published 2008),” 2021)

Much like Mr.Gallegos, many indigenous communities around the world mix old-world paganism with catholic imagery and deities. This is not uncommon nor sinful in a culture where parts of the old world mix with that of colonized structures. This is also my introduction to witchcraft and witches from an early age, though we never really called it right out "brujas". I watched my grandmother heal swollen ear infections with sacred medicine leaves from her garden, would often sit next to her on our porch bench talking to each other and the moon, a crystal ball next to her bedstand was something I saw and never questioned. This was a world of magic that seemed beautiful, brave, and extraordinary. In many countries besides America, the healer is the most sacred person in a community. Many would come to this person for purposes of shamanism when western medicine could not be attained or failed to heal the sick.

So what to the white man and western society is a witch?

A woman who holds power and supernatural elements. A woman who rides on a broom and could command of any nature if intended. A woman with sacred feminity and masculinity to be seen as unshakable and ungovernable by many. A savage who holds pagan rituals and deities above their own ego.

This, to many, is the legend of the witch dying. When one story gets interwoven in the threads of perceived evil and deceit. When in reality there is a balance to all life and spirit.

Part 2: Power & Reclaim

On its heyday, feminism in the late 1960s found itself in the waves of the spiritual witch movement. There were women reclaiming themselves as witches and moving to the sounds of Stevie Nicks, out of the broom closet witch with lyrics of visions and crystals. There was the movement of the Hippies, which in itself marks that as a resurgence of pagan ideals and theories. This was a time of understanding, unity, and love. And to many where the witch finally got its recognition.

Quite literally called W.I.T.C.H. this feminist movement did some pretty gnarly things; "They were interested in a feminism based on several methods of social change, not just toppling the patriarchy, and viewed witches as “the first guerrilla fighters against women’s oppression." They spread their message by carrying out witch-like publicity stunts, such as protesting and “hexing” Wall Street, giving out garlic cloves and cards that said “We Are Witch We Are Women We Are Liberation We Are We” at a restaurant."(A Brief History of Witches in America, 2017)

There was also great interest in the pagan rituals from indigenous tribes all around the world, such as practicing Yoga from India, drawing/painting the ying & yang symbols from china, the textiles and native wear from indigenous tribes of the Americas. If there was ever a time for the witch to thrive it would've been then.

But what about now?

Where have all the Witches gone?

Some say that there is still a great interest in witchcraft still because of the media and its constant wave of movie after movie about Harry Potter. Other's find it in the solace of practicing Reiki or smudging their crystals. In either way, there is witches anywhere and everywhere now living amongst modern society. There is a great fondness for me in practicing indigenous witchcraft and finding it that other's are also interested in their root pagan beliefs.

It is a way of reclaiming healing for my ancestors and community. A means of creating magick in my own life, manifesting love and nurturing to the spirits of life around me. It's a word of power and greatness much like a family last name hold's legacy. Holding the word and qualities of a Witch means we hold the legacy of all healers in our past lives, thanking them, nurturing them for centuries of resiliency.

Bio: I'm R, a late 20 something queer non-binary weirdo whos interested in questioning the world and witchcraft. Support me by subbing!

Sources:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/87525/brief-history-witches-america

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/28/world/americas/28mexico.html

https://time.com/5597693/real-women-witches/

#witches #magick #witchcraft #witch community #article #online journal #journalism

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infjtarot · 3 years

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4 of Pentacles ~ Wheel Of Change Tarot

Blossom to Fruit in the Apple Tree The apple is a universal symbol of fertility and fruitfulness. It is a symbol of wholeness and life because it is round and perfect (unlike the fragmented pomegranate, with which it is frequently contrasted) and a universally practical foodstuff. But the apple also has a darker side as a symbol of death and deceitfulness, especially in Christian myth, where it is the symbol of humanity’s fall from grace and expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The yearly cycle of the apple from beautiful spring blossom to harvest-time fruit and winter bareness and then to flower again is a universal symbol of life and rebirth. The five-petaled apple blossom and the sweet fruit, which reveals the pentacle of the Goddess when cut crosswise, reinforces the symbolic nature of the apple. The pentacle is the ancient symbol of the Goddess and of her human children because it represents the five phases of women’s life (birth, menarche, motherhood, menopause, and death) and the five points of the human figure with head, arms, and legs outstretched. The apple was particularly sacred to the goddess Venus (the Greek Aphrodite) because the halves of the cut apple revealed stars representing the planet Venus as the morning and evening star. Aphrodite helped Paris to win the beautiful Helen after he awarded the apple to Aphrodite in a contest between goddesses that led to the Trojan War. The dark side of the apple—its connection to death—is in the mystery of the five-pointed star hidden within the smooth and perfect apple. The Goddess has concealed inside the apple the truth of our existence, which is that we must return to her again in death. The pagan religions saw this as an inevitable part of life and were inclined to enjoy the Goddess’s given pleasures of sexuality, with which the apple was also associated. The apple’s lovely blossoms attracted bees in spring, when all the animals were in heat and young women and men were drawn together for pleasure in sex. Christian clerics also contributed to the darker symbolism of the apple. In the Bible, as Eve eats the fruit of knowledge of good and evil she gains the wisdom of God and understands what she has become. She deceives Adam with the beauty of the fruit and tempts him. She has disobeyed the command of God and she has discovered the joy of temptation. It is a symbol for the awakening of consciousness and with this the awakening of sexual desire and pleasure in the context of something other than procreation. While Jews believed that sex was good and a part of God’s creation, at least when it led to conception and an increase of the tribes, in Christianity sexuality has been a difficult subject.

Although the evidence is contradictory, Jesus may have believed that the kingdom of God would arrive if only we no longer engaged in sex but devoted our lives to God. Paul urged Christians to remain celibate even in the context of marriage. Even today the Roman Catholic Church has a narrow idea of what constitutes moral sexuality. In Christian countries the subject of sex has become taboo; we seldom reveal our thoughts about it or reveal the nature of our sexual relations to others, even to our closest friends. The sex, death, and rebirth aspect of the Four of Disks is also a component in the symbolism of the number four. Four signifies completion; it is the number of the directions, seasons, ancient (Western) elements, and many other things. Four embodies the totality of creation because it symbolizes the result of sexual union (or any active exchange) in the Magical Triangle (see the appendix). In its simplest and most archetypal example this is the union of a woman (one) with a man (two) in sexual intercourse (three), which results in the birth of the new child (four). The apple tree is the embodiment of the Magical Triangle. Its blossoms (one) attract the bee (two) which pollinates the flower (three) and forms the apple (four). It also embodies this in its four seasons, which are a visible reminder of the outcome of the magic: the apple we eat. The apple’s four seasons are depicted on the hill below the halved apples. They illustrate the cycle of life, the cycle of completion, and the role of time in the journey from pollination to fruit. As the number four grows naturally from the number three, so the number five directly springs from four. The growth of the number five is symbolized by the light at the center of the apple mandala as well as by the five-pointed stars in the center of the apples and the five-petaled blossoms. This card reflects the role of physical growth in the changing world. Three grows to four and four to five just as the apple grows from blossom to fuzzy fruit and then to a big, smooth, sweet apple. Δ This is a card of fruitful increase over time. It could symbolize a fortunate harvest; for instance, a raise or a windfall. It could represent the joy you feel in gathering your productive harvest and exploring your growth. It is also a card of joyful sexuality and of expanded sexual experience. The opened apple is a symbol of opening to your inner desires and discovering true freedom there. Open your desires and initiate a deep and truthful conversation about your passion and sexuality with your partner. Remember that “all acts of love and pleasure are Her rituals” according to the pagan tradition. As a symbol of the goddess Venus, the apple represents beauty and joy. This card is an encouragement to you to do what brings you a feeling of joy and wholeness. The card is a symbol of finding great joy in life, especially because you recognize that life is short and that the Goddess will bring you again to death. As a part of your awareness of the limited span of life and because the apple is a symbol of well-being, the card signifies health, awareness, and vitality. The apple is also the symbol of awakening consciousness, and as such the card brings you an awakening of desire and the ability to achieve it. As the bee is drawn to the flower, you will find your desire, experience joy, and eat of the apple of life. Alexandra Genetti. The Wheel of Change Tarot.

#4 of Pentacles #pentacles #tarot #wheel of change tarot

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sabrinasgrimoire · 4 years

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Beltane Series: The Great Rite

The Great Rite is the symbolic union of the Goddess and God at Beltane. Some pagan and Wiccan traditions use ritual sex as a celebration of the Goddess and God. Gerald Gardner, the father of Wicca, considered his religion to be a fertility and nature religion. Ritual sex in theses religions can either be literal or implied. Implied meaning the symbolic union of a chalice and athame, or other symbols of the Goddess and God. The Great Rite is the most common of these sex rituals, and is not only symbolic of the union of the Goddess and God, but symbolic of the creation of the universe through their union.

In Wiccan tradition, this is reserved for the third degree initiation, where the initiate is joined with their opposite gender. This is all completely consensual, and takes place only between the initiate and the initiator. In most cases, this is done in a symbolic way, and is meant to be a spiritual union between the initiate and the Goddess and God. Before Wicca, and likely the origins of the Great Rite, the Ancient Greeks celebrated a similar way. They honored the union of the God Zeus and the Goddess Hera. The participates of the ritual sex usually didn’t know each other and would likely never see each other again. The goal was to make the personal act of sex more impersonal, thus allowing the divine energies of Zeus and Hera to enter the participants.

Here are my ways of participating in the Great Rite. Note that some can be used in both a solitary and group context if a few things are changed around to include more or less people:

Solitary

Ritually joining the athame and chalice. This is the traditional Wiccan way of performing the Great Rite that does not involve any real sexual conduct. The chalice represents the Goddess and the athame represents the God. A solitary version of this may be you holding the chalice and the athame and joining them yourself during ritual.

Masturbation. This is a solitary way to perform the Great Rite that does involve sex magick. This method could be more or less ritualistically performed based on the practitioner and their comfort level. I also think envisioning yourself as either the Goddess or God is important to achieve this correctly. Whichever gender you identify with is fine.

Knots. This is an idea I came up with myself, inspired by the Beltane tradition of handfasting. I would pick two different colored ribbons, one corresponding to the God and the other to the Goddess. For the union section of the ritual, I would tie the two ribbons together to represent the union of the Goddess and God.

Elemental Representations. This is along the same vein as my last idea, but instead using fire to represent the God and the Sun, and water to represent the Goddess and the Moon. I would light a candle and fill my cauldron with water. When the union part of the ritual comes, I would symbolically drip some of the candle wax into the water.

Plants. This is an altogether new way of looking at this. I think someone who is uncomfortable with the idea of sex would enjoy this method. I would simply take a seed and plant it in the earth. The seed of course represents the seed of the God and the soil represents the womb of the Goddess.

Group

Ritually joining the athame and the chalice. In a coven setting, there is usually one person holding the athame and one person holding the chalice. This can be a man and a woman, or any other combination. The point is that one person represents the God and the other the Goddess.

Ritual sex. Though this is done ritualistically in a coven setting, I would personally only be comfortable doing this with my partner. Either form is okay as long as it is performed between two consenting adults.

Role play. I made this a separate one from ritual sex because no sexual contact has to occur to do this one. One person plays the role of the Goddess and the other the God. They then act out the attraction between the two and the events of Beltane concluding with any representation of the bond between the two. I have outlined a few in the solitary section, but a hug could also be a good symbolic representation of their union.

#witchblr #greatrite #beltane

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aboutreligiongod · 3 years

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‘Tis the season for Pagan Traditions

With that said, Tis’ Not the Season to Celebrate the wrong birthday of a dead Jew fraudulently being claimed as a God.

One of the ‘fortunate’ takeaways of being a graduate of comparative religion and studies of near-eastern religions and civilisations is that you get to be the Grinch and the recipient of the full brunt of people’s hate. Although I’m happy to say that it’s not my fault if facts make them uncomfortable.

A lot of people tend to think that the 25th of December is the birth of the Jewish man named Jesus. Jesus is revered as a deity in the Christian religion. He is a respected prophet to Islam, like Muhammad, but not a God. To the Jews… a con-man (pretending to be the Messiah who would deliver them from the Roman empire).

However, 25 December isn't really the Birthday of Jesus.

If not 25 December, then when was Jesus born?

The existence of Jesus is still up in the air to debate upon by Historians and Archaeologist, so a factual birthday is not possible to be determined; but if Christians would like to know when was Jesus born (but not exact) according to the book they revere as holy (but barely read it), a lot of scholars and people who have actually studied religion will use the birth of John the Baptist to pinpoint Jesus’ birth Month. This is to pinpoint Jesus’ birth Month. This is assuming that the Bible's details are actually factual.

John the Baptist was conceived by his Mother, Elizabeth, 6 Months before Jesus was conceived (Luke 1:24-36).

John’s father, Zacharias, was a priest serving in the Jerusalem temple during the course of Abijah (Luke 1:5) at that time.

This annual course of service is a Jewish tradition that happens on the Month of Tammuz* (June 13-19) in that year. (Tammuz is the 4th Month in the Jewish calendar).

After the course of service, Zacharias went home to Elizabeth and John the Baptist was conceived ( Luke 1:23-24). Assuming that John the Baptist was conceived on the last Month of June, counting 9 Months would mean that he was born on the Jewish Month of Nisan (March) Nisan is the 1st Month of the Jewish calendar.

If Jesus is 6 Months younger than John the Baptist, then Jesus’ Birth Month would fall around the Jewish Month of Tishri (September).

So, Jesus was born around September. Here’s a recap:

John the Baptist was conceived on June (Tammuz).

Counting 9 Months (the usual term of pregnancy until delivery), John the Baptist would be born by March (Nisan).

Jesus is 6 Months younger than John the Baptist.

So Jesus would have been born between September and October (Tishri).

What in Blazers?! So who’s birthday are we actually Celebrating on the 25th of December?

Before the Roman Empire adopted the religion that used to be a small Palestinian cult, the Romans were already celebrating the 25th Day of December as the birthday of their GOD Mithras. The Roman Winter Solstice—their, “Christmas”—was a very, very fun and fond tradition. People make warm drinks and celebrate near log fire, they decorate their houses and they decorate trees with Jewels and candlelights and dance around it.

Mithras’ birthday wasn’t the only seasonal party, in the Nordic regions it was a time to commemorate the Yule, the GOD of Fertility, thus was celebrated by night-long orgies and excessive sex. Another Roman tradition that is also celebrated this season was Saturnalia, commemorating the GOD Saturn.

When the Romans took in Christianity as the state religion, they felt that this new religion would mean a boring lifestyle, having to abandon all their fun and exciting traditions like the celebration of Mithras. So, what happened was, instead of throwing away their cultural heritage, they transformed the pagan celebration into a Christian version: where the god Mithras was replaced and have Jesus as the birthday celebrant.

Why the Secular community cares about Christmas

Of course, the secular community (atheists, non-believers, agnostics, and secular Christians. Basically, those who believe that everything else you do should be separated from your religious beliefs) loves Christmas.

I’ve often read smug comments that atheists should not be allowed to take the holiday off during Christmas because they think we don’t believe in it anyway. That’s funny. We also find it funny that some people like to say that you must “put Christ in Christmas” or, “the reason for this season is Jesus” because that just reminds us of the ignorance of Christians to the true history of Christianity.

We love celebrating Christmas for the irony of it. Christmas is supposed to be fun, merry, colourful and full of feast, and we, the secular community, like to keep it the way the pagans did it: fun, merry, colourful and full of the feast. It’s a reason to be sharing laughs with your family, and a way to celebrate a fruitful harvest before the Winter (hence, Winter Solstice).

Why Christians should not celebrate Christmas

Kirk Kameron is a Fundamentalist Christian actor, less famous for his acting but famous for being ignorant of the Science of Evolution. Depicted here in a poster for his movie, "Saving Christmas". It’s a fun irony that he’s a fundamentalist, and know nothing about the origins of Christmas Trees.

We atheists don’t hate Christmas, In fact, if there is anyone who is going to be fervently opposing the celebration of Christmas, it’s the Christians. The fact that Christmas is the wrong birthdate of their Jesus and actually a pagan celebration is a slap in the face for actual Christians. The Protestant sects like the “Church of Christ” and the “Church of God” also acknowledges this fact, that’s why they do not celebrate on 25 December.

Not to mention, one of the major Christmas symbols, the Christmas Tree, is bashed in the old Testament of the Bible in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 10 verses 1-4:

“Do not learn the ways of the [Pagan] nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them. For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.”

Jeremiah 10:1-4 actually tells us that the followers of the Jewish god shouldn't envy those Pagans who cut a tree and adorn it with silver and gold because they are worthless. I was a former Christian, and I used to be opposed to celebrating on 25th December.

So there you have it.

Jesus wasn’t born on 25 December, Jesus was born around September, Christmas is a transformed pagan tradition, and real Christians should not celebrate their Jesus’ birthday on 25 December.