Archive for Lesson One

| March 12, 2012
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The Malleus Maleficarum

Malleus Maleficarum Malleus Maleficarum

The Malleus Maleficarum is in three parts, the first of which treats ‘the three necessary concomitants of Witchcraft are the Devil, a Witch, and the permission of Almighty God’. Here the reader is first admonished that to not believe in Witchcraft is heresy. Points are then covered on whether children can he generated by Incubi and Succubi; Witches’ copulation with the Devil; whether Witches can sway the minds of men to love or hatred; whether Witches can hebetate the powers of generation or obstruct the venereal act; whether Witches may work some prestidigitatory illusion so that the male organ appears to be entirely removed and separate from the body; various ways that the Witches may kill the child conceived in the womb, etc., etc.. The second part, Treating of the methods by which works of Witchcraft are wrought and directed, and how they may be successfully annulled and dissolved;’ deals with ‘the several methods by which devils through Witches entice and allure the innocent to the increase of that horrid craft and company; the way whereby a formal pact with evil is made; how they transport from place to place; how Witches impede and prevent the power of procreation; have as it were they deprive man of his virile member; how Witch midwives commit horrid crimes when they either kill children or offer them to devils in most accursed wise; how Witches—injure cattle, raise and stir up hailstorms and tempests and cause lightning to blast both men and beasts’. Then follow remedies for the above.

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| March 12, 2012
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The History Of Witchcraft For Cave Man To Modern Day

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Before really getting into what Witchcraft is, perhaps we should take a look back at what it was—the history of it. Witches should be aware of their roots; aware of how and why the persecutions came about, for instance, and where and when the re-emergence took place. There is a great deal to be learned from the past. It’s true that much of history can seem dry and boring to many of us, but that is far from so with the history of Witchcraft. It is very much alive and filled with excitement. There have been many books written on the history of Witchcraft. The vast majority have suffered from bias—as will be explained shortly— but a few of the more recently published ones have told the story accurately… or as accurately as we can determine. The late Dr. Margaret Murray traced back and saw Witchcraft’s origins in Paleolithic times; 25,000 years ago. She saw it as a more or less unbroken line through to the present, and as a fully organized religion throughout Western Europe for centuries before Christianity. Recently scholars have disputed much of what Murray said. She did, however, present some tangible evidence and much thought-provoking material. As a probable development of religious-magick (rather than Witchcraft, per se), her theories are still respected. Twenty-five thousand years ago Paleolithic Wo/Man depended upon hunting to survive. Only by success in the hunt could there be food to eat, skins for warmth and shelter, bones to fashion into tools and weapons. In those days Wo/Man

Category: Gods and Goddessess, Lesson One, Pagan Mysteries, Pagan Paths, School of eclectic witchcraft, Seax-Wica | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
| March 5, 2012
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History of Witchcraft

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As I am trying to put this all together, I hope to bring about an understanding that Witchcraft, like any religion, has undergone it’s changes throughout the centuries. It is my personal feeling, however, that the religion of Witchcraft has undergone far fewer changes than any other in history. As the song sung by Neil Diamond starts: “Where it began, I can’t begin to knowin…” Witchcraft, sorcery, magic, whatever can only begin to find its roots when we go back as far as Mesopotamia. With their deities for all types of disasters, such as Utug – the Dweller of the Desert waiting to take you away if you wandered to far, and Telal – the Bull Demon, Alal – the destroyer, Namtar – Pestilence, Idpa – fever, and Maskim – the snaresetter; the days of superstition were well underway. It was believed that the pharaohs, kings, etc. all imbued some power of the gods, and even the slightest movement they made would cause an action to occur. It was believed that a picture, or statue also carried the spirit of the person. This is one of the reasons that they were carried from place to place, and also explains why you see so many pictures and statues of these persons with their hands straight to their sides. In the Bible, we find reference to “The Tower of Babel” or The Ziggurat in Genesis 11. “Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar

Category: Lesson One, Pagan Mysteries, School of eclectic witchcraft, Wicca | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
| January 25, 2012
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Witch Hunt

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The following are all documented incidents in the killings of “witches.” So as part of lesson into the history of witchcraft and our past lets do a role call of our brothers and sisters who died because they where named as WITCH as part of your learning if a name calls you seek out their history and learn! ONLY incidents relating to witchcraft accusations have been included. Bear in mind that this is assuredly not all of them. Interestingly, it is possible to document that of all the trials, only one set (in 1390 Milan) involved women tried for practicing rites led by the pagan Goddess Diana. The bulk of the trials between 1400 and 1700 involved diabolism, Luciferianism, and acts relating to the Devil. Before 1400, the majority of trials were focused on the use of magics to harm others, to practice treasonous divination and spells against a monarch. It is therefore a reasonable assumption to make that the trials and persecutions of the “Burning Times” were not aimed at actual practicing “pagans,” but rather at a whole other class of people. Some were guilty. Most were probably innocent and Christian. A few were “satanists,” most were not. Some were just senile. Or too ugly. Or too pretty. Or just in the wrong place at the wrong time.   A Abageda, Abametcha: executed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for murder, 1999 `Abd al-Karim Mara`i al-Naqshabandi: age forty, executed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,13 December, 1996 d’Aubray, Marie-Madeleine (Marquise de Brinvilliers): burned alive Place de Greve, Paris,

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| December 20, 2011
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The Burning Times Documentary

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These six ten minute videos connect together to create a wonderful documentary of the History of the changing views women and witches, through these video you will gain an understanding of the social changes and rise of Christian influence created from fear and greed. Used as part of lesson 1 the History of witchcraft the documentary is not over sensationalised but offers a clear and concise history this beautifully crafted film is an in-depth look at the witch-hunts that swept through Europe just a few hundred years ago. False accusations and trials led to massive torture and burnings at the stake, and ultimately to the destruction of an organic way of life. The film advances the theory that widespread violence against women and the neglect of our environment today can be traced back to those times. Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4: Part 5: Part 6: Related articles Burning ‘The Burning Times’ (witchesofthecraft.wordpress.com) Christian exploits local superstitious beliefs An acknowledgement Of the Burning Time

Category: Book of Shadows, Events, Lesson One, School of eclectic witchcraft, Witchcraft | Tags: , , , , , , ,
| November 22, 2011
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A Brief History of Witchcraft Persecutions before Salem

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circa 560 B.C. 1. The Bible condemns witches. Exodus 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.  (KJV) Leviticus  20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them. (KJV) Exodus and Leviticus, two Old Testament books that make up part of the “Law of Moses” and the primary history of the Jewish people, were written in the sixth century B. C by a Jewish writer—whose name we do not know.  The books, which include the passages quoted above that assume the existence of witches and urge that they be killed,  were most likely written in what is present-day Iraq during the reign of  Evil Merodach, a dark time of Jewish exile, around 560 B.C. The author was most likely a priest, and might have been assisted in his work by other priests and scribes. The word “witch” in Exodus is a translation of the Hebrew word “kashaph,” which comes from the root meaning “to whisper.”  The word as used in Exodus probably thus meant “one who whispers a spell.”  In context, the Exodus passage probably was intended to urge Jews to adhere to their own religious practices and not those of surrounding tribes. circa 420 2. St. Augustine argues witchcraft is an impossibility Saint Augustine of Hippo, an influential theologian in the early Christian Church, argued in the early 400s that God alone could suspend the normal laws of

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| November 16, 2011
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What is a witch?

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The first assignment is to write down your personal understanding of what a witch is and what it means to you. Your personal view of what a witch is, will help you form your identity as a witch and help remove any negative influences, which you may have accumulated over the years. This is a simple exercise and is a good starting point, by the time we have completed and revisit this exercise you view of what a witch is might have changed I have provided dictionary definitions and the etymology for the word witch so you can gain a literal meaning of the word. The dictionary defines a witch as[1] – noun?/wiCH/ witches, plural 1.A woman thought to have evil magic powers. Witches are popularly depicted as wearing a black cloak and pointed hat, and flying on a broomstick 2.A follower or practitioner of modern witchcraft; a Wiccan priest or priestess 3.An ugly or unpleasant old woman; a hag 4.A girl or woman capable of enchanting or bewitching a man verb?/wiCH/ witched, past participle;?witched, past tense;?witches, 3rd person singular present;?witching, present participle 1.(of a witch) Cast an evil spell on – Mrs. Mucharski had somehow witched the house 2.(of a girl or woman) Enchant (a man) – she witched Jake [1] None of the definitions come close to my idea of a witch so let look deeper in to the origins of the word witch. The word witch derives from the Old English nouns wicca /?w?tt??/ (masc.) “sorcerer, wizard” and wicce /?w?tt?e/ (fem.) “sorceress,

Category: Lesson One, School of eclectic witchcraft | Tags: , , , , ,
| November 9, 2011
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Lesson One Quiz

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These question are designed to make you think about the history of percussion and your identity as a witch At this point you need to rewrite your first assignment don’t look at what you wrote a month ago just write your personal view of what a witch is, Then get your original one and review have you added anything taken anything away from your first assignment what has change? Q1 When and where was the last recorded account of a person being killed as a witch? Q2 What Doctor claimed to trace witchcraft back to Paleolithic times; 25,000 years ago? Q3 In 1484, which Pope produced his, Bull against Witches? Q4 who wrote the Malleus Maleficarum (The Witch Hammer)? Q5 what King in repealed in 1736 his Witchcraft Act and replaced it by an Act that stated that there was no such thing as Witchcraft and to pretend to have occult powers was to face being charged with fraud.> Q6 how many days a year was it possible to have sexual intercourse according to the Church? Q7 in what year was the last witchcraft law removed from British law Q8 Who said “What Margaret Murray has theorized is quite true. Witchcraft was a religion and in fact it still is. I know, because I am a Witch myself.”? Q9 How many people where said to have been put to death for following the old ways   Related articles The school of eclectic witchcraft (cybercauldron.co.uk) Christian exploits local superstitious beliefs (cybercauldron.co.uk) What the hell is a

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| June 1, 2011
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Definition of a witch

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For this course I would like to use this definition to describe a witch A witch is a person who through “belief / Will” can cause change. The Belief / Will is often called Magicks and is a process of building and releasing energies to manifest change. The use of Magicks is called witchcraft, which still has negative connotations in the 21st century but when we look at the word it really means the Craft [1] of a witch. So if we accept that witchcraft is no more than the skills of a witch we can the realise that with practice and training we can become a witch.   1 –Definition of craft [kraft, krahft]–noun · an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, especially manual skill: the craft of a mason · skill; dexterity: The silversmith worked with great craft. · skill or ability used for bad purposes; cunning; deceit; guile. · the members of a trade or profession collectively; a guild. –verb (used with object) · to make or manufacture (an object, objects, product, etc.) with skill and careful attention to detail.   What is a witch? Definition of a witch History of Witchcraft A Brief  History of Witchcraft Persecutions before Salem   Related articles Whyte Witch Witchcraft Secrets Review (cybercauldron.co.uk) Witchcraft – The Witch of Today (cybercauldron.co.uk) Witchcraft for Beginners – The Basics of the Art (cybercauldron.co.uk) The Real History Of Witchcraft (cybercauldron.co.uk) The History of Witchcraft (cybercauldron.co.uk) Traditional Witchcraft – A Natural Spiritual Path (cybercauldron.co.uk) Witchcraft History (cybercauldron.co.uk)

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