Friday, 9 November 2012

Witches facts

In 747 in england witchcraft was banned
The law was introduced in christian countries
Death penalty was introduced to whoever used thier magic to kill
The devil like angels cannot have sex but can become a male or female
witch trials began as early as 1245 in Toulouse

Seances

A seance is a type of ritual which is used to communicate with spirits. People tend to try and communicate via seance with relatives or friends from the past. It involves asking questions to the person's spirit outloud which will prompt or tempt some form of a communicative answer. For example "Is anybody there?" or "Can you hear me?".

It involves placing an object down on a hard flat surface, close enough to you and the spirit. The person will ask questions to the spirit and the object will move in one direction or another to answer/communicate a yes or no answer to the question.
Salem Witchcraft Trials  1692
.From June through September of 1692, nineteen men and women, all having been convicted of witchcraft, were carted to Gallows Hill, a barren slope near Salem Village, for hanging. Another man of over eighty years was pressed to death under heavy stones for refusing to submit to a trial on witchcraft charges. Hundreds of others faced accusations of witchcraft; dozens languished in jail for months without trials until the hysteria that swept through Puritan Massachusetts subsided (CONTINUED)--->>>



Witch Hunting

Witch hunting is a hunt for witches and evidence of witchcaft, and this involves moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching. People getting executed due to evidence of witchcraft was last seen in the 18th century. Recent which hunts are said to be reported from Sub-Saharah Africa, India and Papua New Guinea. There were witch trials in the 15th and 16th century, then thewitch scare went into decline, before coming back in the 17th century. People in these times used to find that people were witches by detecting their super natural abilities. Witchcaft usually went on in satanic ritual parties, where naked dancing and cannibalistic infanticite. You would also be convicted of witchcaft for not abiding by the ten commandments.

 

Spells

Spells and witchcraft are only scary and intimidating to us and society because we don’t know what they are. For example, when you search for ‘spells’ on Google, the Wikipedia page comes up with ‘Spells – paranormal’.
Islam Judaism and Christianity, label some magic activity as immoral or associated with evil. This means that some religions don’t agree with it. Spells would generally be distinguished from magic symbols, words, patterns, recipes, practices and other forms of magic that were not directly exercised by a collection of words. However, some spells were combinations or repetitions of words that were considered to have magic power, but which were not in sentences or verse.
A spell is a spoken or written formula that when used in an act of magick is intended to cause or influence a particular course of events.  Belief in and the use of spells are universal and have been an integral part of religious practices since ancient times.  Methods vary according to culture but all spell work is based on ritual. Spells can be beneficial or harmful and can be worked on people, animals, and nature.  Their purposes are limitless and include:  healing, love, money, success, fertility, longevity, and protection from disaster, ill fortune, and evil.  When directed against enemies, spells can be used to cause illness, destruction, loss of love, impotence, barrenness, failure and even death.  Spells can be cast to affect the self, or directed to affect another person.

A positive spell is often called a blessing, although such archaic terms as bewitchment and enchantment are still sometimes used.  Negative spells are generally known as hexes or curses.  A binding spell is one intended to prevent harm, avoid danger, or to stop someone from performing particular acts (e.g., halting a murder, preventing a rape, or even stopping the spread of gossip).

  To start, the goal of a spell is  stated and some Witches write it down.  The act of writing down the goal emphasizes the positive thinking techniques and helps to increase  the will power to achieve the goal.  Any preparations for the ritual are made such as lighting coloured candles or mixing herbs and oils. 

There are different regulations for spells, for example ‘constructive spells’ (spells which are for luck, fertility rites and protection spells) need to be performed when the moon is full and bright.

Seances

seance is an attempt to communicate with spirits.
In the religion of Spiritualism, it is generally a part of services to communicate with the dead.
Spiritualist churches or outdoors at Spiritualist camps and ordained minister or gifted contact medium will relate messages from the dead to the living.
In addition to communicating with the spirits of people who have a personal relationship to congregants, some Spiritual Churches also deal with spirits who may have a specific relationship to the medium or a historic relationship to the body of the church. An example of the latter is the spirit of Black Hawk, a Native American warrior of the Fox tribe who lived during the 19th century. Black Hawk was a spirit who was often contacted by the Spiritualist medium Leafy Anderson and he remains the central focus of special services in the African American Spiritual Churches that she founded
 

Witch-Torture

WITCH-TORTURE
 
Ducking Stool
The Medieval period of the Middle Ages was violent, and blood thirsty. In these barbarous times the cruel and pitiless torturers were induced to inflict the horrors of tortures, including the Ducking Stool, on prisoners by water. Torture methods, devices and instruments were used to inflict the deliberate, systematic, cruel and wanton infliction of physical and mental suffering. There were no laws or rules to protect the treatment of prisoners who faced torture, such as the Ducking Stool by water. Torture was seen as a totally legitimate means for justice to extract confessions, obtain the names of accomplices, and obtain testimonies or confessions.

Crimes which warranted the use of the Ducking Stool
The Ducking stool was a punishment strictly designed for women. The crimes which deemed such a punishment were prostitution and witchcraft. Scolds were also punished by this method. A scold was a term given to a gossip, shrew or bad tempered woman during the Middle Ages. A scold was defined as: "A troublesome and angry woman who by brawling and wrangling amongst her neighbours breaks the public peace, increases discord and becomes a public nuisance to the neighbourhood". The device was used in cases of witchcraft. Ducking was seen as a foolproof way to establish whether a suspect was a witch. The ducking stools were first used for this purpose but ducking was later inflicted without the chair. In this instance the victim's right thumb was bound to left toe. A rope was attached to her waist and the 'witch' was thrown into a river or deep pond. If the 'witch' floated it was deemed that she was in league with the devil, rejecting the 'baptismal water'. If the 'witch' drowned she was deemed innocent. This particular method of ducking was also inflicted on men accused of witchcraft.

A witch-hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials.

Witchcraft Research

1. Death didnt come easy to thm accused.
2. People thought that witches were against the church
3. the church fronted the witch hunts, and blamed health issues on witchcraft.
4. abracadabra was a word from the biblicall times roughly meaning be-gone.
5. Witches were known to not be able to drown as clean water rejects them so they were bound and tested by ducking and if she sank then she was clean but if floated she was a witch.
6. they kept black wool in their room as they slept so it would bewitch them.

The Pentagram
Pentagram
Forms of this symbol have been found in Latin America, India, China, Greece, and Egypt.

In Europe, Africa, and Asia, witches are believed to employ animals as their assistants. These animals are called familiars.


Witchcraft Research
Peoples perceptions of witchcraft are often related to the devil and it was also believed that people were harming other humans and property. 
From the Old English wiċċecræft, compound of "wiċċe" ("witch") and "cræft" (“craft”).


Pentagram
The Pentagram is a symbol of a star encased in a circle. Always with 5 points (one pointing upward), each has its own meaning. The upward point of the star is representative of the spirit. The other four points all represent an element; earth, air, fire, and water. All these things contibutite to life and are a part of each of us.
To wear a pentagram necklace or other form of jewelry, is to say you feel the connection with the elements and respect the earth.

The number 5 has always been regarded as mystical and magical, yet essentially 'human'. We have five fingers/toes on each limb extremity.We commonly note five senses - sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. We perceive five stages or initiations in our lives - eg. birth, adolescence, coitus, parenthood and death. (There are other numbers / initiations / stages / attributions).
The number 5 is associated with Mars. It signifies severity, conflict and harmony through conflict. In Christianity, five were the wounds of Christ on the cross. There are five pillars of the Muslim faith and five daily times of prayer.
Five were the virtues of the medieval knight - generosity, courtesy, chastity, chivalry and piety as symbolised in the pentagram device of Sir Gawain. The Wiccan Kiss is Fivefold - feet, knees, womb, breasts, lips - Blessed be.
The number 5 is prime. The simplest star - the pentagram - requires five lines to draw and it is unicursal; it is a continuous loop.

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Alexandrian - This tradition was begun in the 1960s by Alex Sanders. Alex Sanders lived in England. He used what are known to be slightly changed Gardnarian traditions and calls himself the "King" of Witches. Covens involve both men and women.

British Traditional - This is, according to Silver RavenWolf a "mix of Celtic and Gardnarian beliefs." Covens involve both men and women. One can study a course and receive a degree in British Traditional Witchcraft.

Celtic Wicca - Celtic Wicca focuses mainly on Celtic and Druidic gods and goddesses (along with a few other Anglo-Saxon pantheon). The rituals are formed after Gardnerian traditions with a stronger emphasis on nature. Celtic Wicca also puts much emphasis on working with elementals and nature spirits such as fairies and gnomes. Gods and Goddesses are usually called "The Ancient Ones."

Caledonii - This was once know as the Hecatine Tradition. Traditional Scottish Witchcraft.

Ceremonial Witchcraft - This tradition is very exacting in its ritual. All rituals are usually followed by the book, to the letter and with much ceremony. Little emphasis is put on nature. This tradition may incorporate some Egyptian magic. Quabbalistic magic is often used in ceremonial witchcraft.

Dianic - Dianic can incorporate nearly any magical traditions, but emphasis is placed on the Goddess only with little or no mention of the God. Known as the "feminist" types of witchcraft.

Druidic - Neo-Druids are polytheistic worshipers of Mother Earth. Very little is known today about ancient Druidism and there are many gaps in the writings that have been found. Modern Druids practice their religion in areas where nature has been preserved - usually wooded areas. Druidic ritual often employs sacrifices to the Mother Goddess. These sacrifices often include grain, sometimes meat. These ritual sacrifices are often accompanied by a verse not unlike the following: "Earth Mother, giver of life we return to you a measure of the bounty you have provided may you be enriched and your wild things be preserved."


Eclectic - An eclectic witch mixes many different traditions together to suit their tastes and will not follow any one particular tradition. Whatever seems to work best for them is what is used, regardless of which magical practice it comes from. This is one of the most popular types of witches found today.

Gardnerian - Gardnerian witchcraft was begun in England and is Wiccan in nature. It was formed by Gerald Gardner in the 1950s. Gerald Gardner was the first to publicize witchcraft in an effort to preserve the "old ways."

Hereditary Witch - A hereditary witch is a witch who is born into a witch family and brought up learning about witchcraft. Many witches claim to be hereditary witches when in fact, they are not. You must be brought up in a family of witches to be a hereditary witch.

Kitchen Witch - A kitchen witch is one who practices magic having to deal with the home and practical life. Kitchen witches use many spells involving cooking, herbs, and creating magic through crafts. A kitchen witch is very much like a hedge witch.

Pictish - Pictish witchcraft is nature-based with little emphasis on religion, Gods, or Goddesses. It is much like Celtic witchcraft, only the traditions are Scottish. Pictish witches perform solitary and rarely, if ever work in groups or covens.

Pow-Wow - Here is a term I rarely hear when referring to witchcraft. This tradition is based on old German magic. Today, it is considered a system of faith healing and can be applied to most any religion.

Seax-Wicca - This tradition was begun in 1973 by Raymond Buckland. Buckland and works on Saxon principles of religion and magic.

Shaman - It is arguable as to whether shamanism is or is not witchcraft. I include this here because shamanism is a form of Paganism. Shamanism puts no emphasis on religion or on pantheon. Shamans work completely with nature: rocks, trees, animals, rivers, etc. Shamans know the Earth and their bodies and minds well and train many long years to become adept at astral travel and healing.

Solitary - Solitary witches can be practitioners of nearly any magical system. A solitary works alone and does not join a group or coven. Often, solitaries choose to mix different systems, much like an eclectic witch. Solitaries can also form their own religious beliefs as they are not bound by the rules of a coven.

Strega - This type of witchcraft is said to have been started by a woman named Aradia in Italy in 1353. Aradia is known in some traditions as the "Goddess of Witches."

Teutonic - A Nordic tradition of witchcraft that includes beliefs and practices from many cultures including Swedish, Dutch, and Icelandic.

 Wicca - Probably the most popular form of witchcraft. Wicca is highly religious in nature and has a good balance between religion/ceremonial magic and nature. Wiccans believe in a God and Goddess who are equal in all things, although some may lean more toward the Dianic form of Wicca, worshipping only the Goddess or lowering the God to an "assistant" status. Wiccans commonly form covens and rarely work alone.