Witchcraft, sorcery, magic, whatever can only begin to find its roots when we go back as far as Mesopotamia. With their dieties 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 superstitution were well underway.It was believed that the pharaohs, kings, etc. all imbued somepower of the gods, and even the slightest movement they madew ould cause an action to occur. It was believed that a picture,or statue also carried the spirit of the person. This is one ofthe reasons that they were carried from place to place, and alsoexplains why you see so many pictures and statues of thesepersons with their hands straight to their sides.
In the Bible, we find reference to "The Tower of Babel" or TheZiggurat in Genesis 11. "Now the whole world had one language anda common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain inShinar (Babylonia) and settled there. They said to each other,`Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They usedbrick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar. Then theysaid, `Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower thatreaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselvesand not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.' But theLord came down to see the city and the tower that the men werebuilding. The Lord said,`If as one people speaking the samelanguage they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to dowill be impossible for them. Come let us go down and confusetheir language so they will not understand each other.'" It goeson to say that the tower was never finished.
In other references, we find that the "Tower" was in factfinished, and that it was a tower that represented the "stages"between earth and heaven (not a tower stretching to the heaven inthe literal sense.) From this reference, it was a tower built insteps. A hierarchy on which heaven and hell were based. It wasactually a miniature world representing the Mountain of Earth.Each stage was dedicated to a planet, with its angles symbolizingthe four corners of the world. They pointed to Akkad, Saburtu,Elam, and the western lands. The seven steps of the tower werepainted in different colors which corresponded to the planets.The "Great Misfortune:, Saturn, was black. The second was white,the color of Jupiter. The third, brick-red, the color of Mercury, followed by blue, Venus; yellow, Mars, gray or silverfor the moon. These colors boded good or evil, like theirplanets.
For the first time, numbers expressed the world order. A legend depicts Pythagoras traveling to Babylon where he is taught themystery of numbers, their magical significance and power. Theseven steps often appear in magical philosophy. The seven stepsare: stones, fire, plants, animals, man, the starry heavens, andthe angels. Starting with the study of stones, the man of wisdomwill attain higher and higher degrees of knowledge, until he willbe able to apprehend the sublime, and the eternal. Throughascending these steps, a man would attain the knowledge of God,whose name is at the eighth degree, the threshold of God'sheavenly dwelling.
The square was also a "mystical" symbol in these times, andthough divided into seven, was still respected. This correlatedthe old tradition of a fourfold world being reconciled with theseven heavens of later times.It is thought that here was the start to numerology, but for thisto have developed to the point where they had taken intoconsideration the square as the fourfold world, it would have hadto have developed prior to this.
From Mesopotamia lets move over to Persia.Unlike the Mesopotamians, and Egyptians, who believed that allwas done with either the favor or lack thereof of the Gods, theChaldean star religion taught that luck and disaster were nochance events, but were controlled from the heavenly bodies(planets/stars) which send good and bad according to mathematicallaws. It was their belief that man was incapable of fighting thewill of the planet divinities. Though, the more this systemevolved, the more the wise men read ethical values into man'sfate. The will of the stars was not completely separate fromman's behaviors. The stars were important, but not omnipotent indeciding man's fate. It was believed that the star Sirius wouldcarry messages to the higher gods and he returned to announcetheir will.
Around the 7th Century B.C. Zoroaster, the Median prophet waspreaching the doctrines that evil could be avoided and defeated.He brought about the principles of the good and evil spirits.Below, we will look at the beliefs and influences of this man'slife which created the religion named after him.The first of the belief structure had to do with Ormazd (Ahura-Mazda) king of light, and his twin brother Ahriman (Anro-Mainyu)prince of darkness.Zoroaster brought about the belief in the "holy war" (thatbetween good and evil.) In this faith, the archangels (thespirits of Divine Wisdom, Righteousness, Dominion, Devotion,Totality, and Salvation) and the demons (the spirits of Anarchy,Apostasy, Presumption, Destruction, Decay, and Fury) wereconstantly at battle with one another.
The archangels were controled by Ormazd and the demons by Ahriman.This religion had it's belief that in the end, Ormazd and hisdemons would prevail, but until then, Ormazd would keep the worldsafe.It is interesting that the last of the demons (the demon of Fury)holds such a hard and fast thought that it was incorporated intothe Hebrew and Christian belief structure. The last archdemon'sname is Aeshma Daeva also know to the Hebrews as Ashmadai and toChristians as Asmodeus.Asmodeus was the "chief of the fourth hierarchy of evil demons",called "the avengers of wickedness, crimes and misdeeds." Heappears with three heads, a bull's, human, and a ram. He hasgoose feet, and a snake's tail. To appear more frightening, healso exhales fire and rides upon a dragon of hell.It is said that Asmodeus is not to be feared. When you say tohim: "In truth thou art Asmodeus," he will give you a wonderfulring. He will teach you geometry, arithmetic, astronomy andmechanics. When questioned, he answers truthfully.The other demons tempt people away from the true worship ofMazda. They are Paromaiti - Arrogance, Mitox - The FalselySpoken Word, Zaurvan - Decrepitude, Akatasa - Meddlesomeness,Vereno - Lust. Much of the current day Christian beliefs were taken from thisman's religion. (That of good and evil forces, the redemption,the "savior" factor, etc.)
From here, let us move on to Egypt where we will look at othermystical symbols and more history of magic and the craft.The Sphinx was a mythological creature with lion's body and humanhead, an important image in Egyptian and Greek art and legend.The word sphinx was derived by Greek grammarians from the verbsphingein (to bind or squeeze), but the etymology is not relatedto the legend and is dubious.The winged sphinx of Boeotian Thebes, the most famous in legend,was said to have terrorized the people by demanding the answer toa riddle. If the person answered incorrectly, he or she was eatenby the sphinx. It is said that Oedipus answered properly whereupon the sphinx killed herself.The earliest and most famous example in art is the colossalSphinx at Giza, Egypt.
It dates from the reign of King Khafre(4th king of 4th dynasty; c. 2550 b.c.)The Sphinx did not occur in Mesopotamia until around 1500 b.c.when it was imported from the Levant. In appearance, the Asiansphinx differed from its Egyptian model mostly in the addition ofwings to the leonine body. This feature continued through itshistory in Asia and the Greek world.Another version of the sphinx was that of the female. Thisappeared in the 15th century b.c. on seals, ivories andmetalworkings. They were portrayed in the sitting positionusually with one paw raised. Frequently, they were seen with alion, griffin or another sphinx.The appearance of the sphinx on temples and the like eventuallylead to a possible interpretation of the sphinx as a protectivesymbol as well as a philosophical one.The Sphinx rests at the foot of the 3 pyramids of Khufu, Khafre,and Menkure. It talons stretch over the city of the dead as itguards its secrets.The myth goes that a prince who later became Thutmose IV, took anap in the shadow of the half-submerged Sphinx. As he slept, theSun-god (whom the Sphinx represents, appeared to him in a dream.Speaking to him as a son, he told the prince that he wouldsucceed to the throne and enjoy a long and happy reign. He urgedthe prince to have the Sphinx cleared of the sand.In his book on Isis and Osiris, Plutarch (A.D. 45-126) says thatthe Sphinx symbolizes the secret of occult wisdom, thoughPlutarch never unveiled the mysteries of the Sphinx. It is saidthat the magic of the Sphinx lies within the thousands of handsthat chiseled at the rock.
The thoughts of countless generationsdwell in it; numberless conjurations and rites have built up init a mighty protective spirit, a soul that still inhabits thistime-scarred giant.Another well know superstition of the peoples of Ancient Egyptwas that regarding their dead.They believed that in the West lies the World of the Dead, wherethe Sun-god disappears every evening. The departed were referredto as "Westerners." It was believed that, disguised as birds, thedead soar into the sky where in his heavenly barge Ra, the Sun-god, awaits them and transforms them into stars to travel withhim through the vault of the heavens.The occult of the dead reached it's height when it incorporatedthe Osiris myth.
Osiris was born to save mankind. At hisnativity, a voice was heard proclaiming that the Lord had comeinto the world (sound familiar?). But his brother/father Sethshut him up in a chest which he carried to the sea by theTanaitic mouth of the Nile. Isis brought him back to life. Seththen scattered his body all over the place. It is said that Isisfastened the limbs together with the help of the gods Nephtis,Thoth, and Horus, her son. Fanning the body with her wings, andthrough her magic, Osiris rose again to reign as king over thedead.The Egyptian believed that a person had two souls. The souldknown as Ba is the one that progressed into the afterlife whilethe Ka remains with the mummy. The Ka is believed to live amagical life within the grave. Thus the Egyptians placedminiture belongings of the deceased into the tomb. Such items asimages, statuettes, imitation utensils, and miniture houses takethe place of the real thing. They believed that the Ka would usethese as the real item because the mortuary priests possesedmagic that would make them real for the dead.
The priests believed that the gods could be deceived, menaced andforced into obedience. They had such trust in the power ofmagic, the virtue of the spoken word, the irresistibility ofmagic gestures and other ritual, that they hoped to bend even thegood gods to their will. They would bring retribution to thedeities who failed to deal leniently with the dead. Theythreatened to shoot lightning into the are of Shu, god of theair, who would then no longer be able to support the sky-goddess,and her star-sown body would collapse, disrupting the order ofall things.When Ikhnaton overthrew the Egyptian gods and demons, making thecult of the One God Aton, a state religion, he also suppressedmortuary magic. Ikhnaton did not believe in life after death.As Christianity became a part of this nation, there is muchevidence to show where the Christians of the time, and the paganslived peacefully together.
As Christianity became a part of this nation, there is muchevidence to show where the Christians of the time, and the paganslived peacefully together.In theology, the differences between early Christians, Gnostics(members - often Christian - of dualistic sects of the 2ndcentury a.d.), and pagan Hermetists were slight. In the largeGnostic library discovered at Naj'Hammadi, in upper Egypt, in1945, Hermetic writings were found side by side with ChristianGnostic texts. The doctrine of the soul taught in Gnosticcommunities was almost identical to that taught in the mysteries:the soul emanated from the Father, fell into the body, and had toreturn to its former home.It was not until later in Rome that things took a change for theworse.
Which moves us on to Greece.The doctrinal similarity is exemplified in the case of the paganwriter and philosopher Synesius. When the people of Cyrenewanted the most able man of the city to be their bishop, theychose Synesius, a pagan. He was able to accept the electionwithout sacrificing his intellectual honesty.
In his pagan period, he wrote hymns that follow the fire theology of theChaldean Oracles. Later he wrote hymns to Christ. The doctrineis almost identical.To attempt to demonstrate this...let's go to some BASIC tenetsand beliefs of the two religions:
Christian Beliefs
The 10 Commandments
1.) You shall have no other gods before me.
To the Christian, this means there will be no other God. Yet, inthe bible, the phrase is plural. I does not state that you willnot have another god, it says that you will have no other godsbefore the Christian God.
In the case of the later, it could be interpreted to mean thatwhereas other gods can be recognised, as a Christian, this personshould place YHVH ahead of all gods recognising him/her as thesupreme being of all.
2.) You shall not worship idols
Actually, what it says in the New International Version is "Youshall not make for yourself an idol in the form af anything inheaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. Youshall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord yourGod, am a jealour God, punishing the children for the sin of thefathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,but showing love to thousands who love me and keep mycommandments.
3.) You shall not take the name of the lord in vain.
This one is pretty self explanitory. When a person is calling onthe lord he/she is asking the lord for guidance or action. Thus,the phrase "God damn it!" can be translated into a person askingthe lord to comdemn whatever "it" is to hell. The phrase "Todamn" means to condem to hell. In modern society, severalphrases such as the following are common usage: "Oh God!", "God forbid!", "God damn it!", "God have mercy!"Each of these is asking God to perform some act upon or for thespeaker with the exception of "Oh God!" which is asking for Godsattention.
4.) Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
Depending on which religion you are looking at (i.e. Jewish, fromwhich the 10 commandments come; or Christianity, which adaptedthem for their use as well.) the Sabbath is either Saturday orSunday. You may also take a look at the various mythologicalpantheons to corelate which is the first and last days of theweek...(i.e. Sun - Sunday.. Genesis 1:3 "And God said, "Let therebe light,' and there was light., Moon - Monday.. Genesis 1:14"And God said,"Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky toseparate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs tomark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in theexpanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16God made two great lights - the greater light to govern the dayand the lesser light to govern the night. He also made thestars." Thus the Sun was created first. With the day of the Sunbeing the first in the week, then Saturday would be the 7th orSabbath.
5.) Honor thy mother and thy father.
This is another that is fairly self explainitory. It is anyparent's right after spending the time to raise you to expectthat you respect them.
6.) You shall not murder.
This does not say "You shall not murder...except in my name." Itsays YOU SHALL NOT MURDER. PERIOD. Out of the 10 commandments, Ihave found that over the course of history, this one has been themost ignored. As we look as the spread of Christianity fromaround 300 A.D. forward, we find that as politics moved into thechurch and those in charge of man's "souls" were given morecontrol that this one commandment sort of went out the window.We see such things as the Crusades, the inquisition, and thedominating fear that was placed into the Christian "psyche" thatone should destroy that which is not like you.
Even though we here stories about the "witch trials", and the"witch burnings" etc....There were actually very few "Witches"tried or burned. Most of these poor souls were that ofProtestant beliefs (Against the Catholic Church) yet stillmaintained that they were Christians. But...more on this later.
7.) You shall not commit adultery.
You can look up the meaning in the dictionary, and this onebecomes pretty self-evident. What it comes down to is that noperson who has ever been divorced can marry again, and you don'thave sex with someone that you are not married to.
8.) You shall not steal.
Again, enough said. However...don't go looking at Constantine tobe obeying this one! The Pagan temples were looted to make hiscoinage.
9.) You shall not give false witness against thy neighbor
Again, during the times of the inquisition, this also went outthe window. Such tools as torture were used to pull confessionsfrom these poor people who then signed statements that theinquisitors had written up saying that they freely signed thisdocument. Of course...the inquisitors stated that this personwas not tortured, but it was his clever wit that had extractedthis confession.
It was also during this time that persons, refusing to takeresponsibility for their own actions or accept that nature doesin fact create strange circumstances...(i.e. drought, flood,etc.) and the resulting illness and bug infrestations. Veryoften, as the Witch-craze developed stronger, the one neighborwould accuse another of Witchcraft and destroying the fields ormaking their child sick, or whatever.
10.)You shall not covet your neighbor.
On the surface, this one is pretty self explainitory. Don'tcrave your neighbor's possessions. Yes...I can relate this backto the inquisitional times as well since most of the accused'sproperty reverted back to the Catholic church at thistime...there were several accused and convicted of Witchcraftsimply because they would not sell their property to the church.However...How does this effect persons today?
How far do wecarry the "Thou shalt not covet..."? This can be even so much asa want, however is it a sin to want a toy like your neighbor has?If so...we're all in trouble. How many of us "want" that Porschethat we see driving down the road? Or how about that beautifulhouse that we just drove past? Do we carry this commandment tothis extreme? If so...I pity the person that can live by it forwhat that would say is "Thou shalt not DREAM."
Wiccan Beliefs
Since the religion of Wicca (or Witchcraft) is so diverse in it'sbeliefs, I have included several documents here that encompassthe majority of the traditions involved. Again, this is simply abasis...NOT the be all and end all.
Wiccan Rede
Bide ye wiccan laws you must,
in perfect love and perfect trust
Live ye must and let to live,
fairly take and fairly give
For the circle thrice about
to keep unwelcome spirits out
To bind ye spell wll every time,
let the spell be spake in rhyme
Soft of eye and light of touch,
speak ye little, listen much
Deosil go by the waxing moon,
chanting out ye baleful tune
When ye Lady's moon is new,
kiss ye hand to her times two
When ye moon rides at her peak,
then ye heart's desire seek
Heed the north winds mighty gale,
lock the door and trim the sail
When the wind comes from the south,
love will kiss thee on the mouth
When the wind blows from the east,
expect the new and set the feast.
Nine woods in the cauldron go,
burn them fast and burn them slow
Elder be ye Lady's tree,
burn it not or cursed ye'll be
WHen the wheel begins to turn,
soon ye Beltane fires will burn
When the wheel hath turned a Yule
light the log the Horned One rules
Heed ye flower, bush and tree,
by the Lady blessed be
Where the rippling waters go,
cast a stone, the truth ye'll know
When ye have and hold a need,
harken not to others greed
With a fool no season spend,
or be counted as his friend
Merry meet and merry part,
bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
Mind ye threefold law ye should
three times bad and three times good
When misfortune is enow,
wear the star upon thy brow
True in love my ye ever be,
lest thy love be false to thee
These eight words the wiccan rede fulfill;
An harm ye none, do what ye will.
One of the Pagan Oaths recognised nationally here in the U.S.
A Pledge to Pagan Spirituality
I am a Pagan and I dedicate Myself to channeling the SpiritualEnergy of my Inner Self to help and to heal myself and others.
* I know that I am a part of the Whole of Nature. May Igrow in understanding of the Unity of all Nature. May Ialways walk in Balance.
* May I always be mindful of the diversity of Nature aswell as its Unity and may I always be tolerant of those whoserace, appearance, sex, sexual preference, culture, and other waysdiffer from my own.
* May I use the Force (psychic power) wisely and never useit for aggression nor for malevolent purposes. May I neverdirect it to curtail the free will of another.
* May I always be mindful that I create my own reality and thatI have the power within me to create positivity in my life.
* May I always act in honorable ways: being honest withmyself and others, keeping my word whenever I have given it,fulfilling all responsibilities and commitments I have takenon to the best of my ability.
* May I always remember that whatever is sent out alwaysreturns magnified to the sender. May the Forces of Karma moveswiftly to remind me of these spiritual commitments when Ihave begin to falter from them, and may I use this Karmicfeedback to help myself grow and be more attuned to my InnerPagan Spirit.
* May I always remain strong and committed to my Spiritualideals in the face of adversity and negativity. May the Forceof my Inner Spirit ground out all malevolence directed my wayand transform it into positivity. May my Inner Light shineso strongly that malevolent forces can not even approach mysphere of existence.
* May I always grow in Inner Wisdom & Understanding. May Isee every problem that I face as an opportunity to developmyself spiritually in solving it.
* May I always act out of Love to all other beings on thisPlanet -- to other humans, to plants, to animals, to minerals,to elementals, to spirits, and to other entities.
* May I always be mindful that the Goddess and God in alltheir forms dwell within me and that this divinity isreflected through my own Inner Self, my Pagan Spirit..pa
* May I always channel Love and Light from my being. May my InnerSpirit, rather than my ego self, guide all my thoughts, feelings, andactions.
SO MOTE IT BE
Design & Graphics© 1997-1999 Catherine B. Hicks, Starweaver Creations/Cyberpanic Web Design. All rights for the work remain with the authors as stated. All rights reserved. Copying this page without permission is a violation of United States copyright laws.