The Etymology of Witchcraft

'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.' 

 Exodus 22:18 ( Authorized King James Version )

 

Witch trials were most frequent in England in the first half of the 17th-century. They reached their most intense phase during the English civil war of the 1640s and the Puritan era of the 1650s. This was a period of intense witch hunts, known for witch hunters such as Matthew Hopkins. - Wikipedia

 

Having fully now entered this Fall season, with its most popularly celebrated holiday, Halloween, looming on the horizon, what better time to rediscover what witches are & why they are not to be feared so much as they are worthy of a healthy respect, even [ 'gasp' ] our 'worship'! Now, before my readers remove my head from my shoulders, or burn me at the stake, I would remind you that, as I've noted previously, 'to worship' means 'to ascribe worth to'. ( In that sense, if that sense alone, it could be well said that we worship ourselves. ) You may ask why we should ascribe worth to 'witches'. Simply put, they are Guardians of the Earth & Her Creatures ( Mother Nature ). 'Hollywood Witches', as they're portrayed in movies & TV shows, on the other hand, are NOT so, but are simply the product of the imaginations of fearful & superstitious people. Fear, as is often the case, is a great motivator!

'Imagine, if you will, the world of 1611 Europe ( King James )'. The political fervor of the time, among other concerns, was a Europe embroiled in the infamous witch trials, AKA 'The Burning Times'. although, as this article maintains, witches may not have been the primary targets of these 'Dark' times. In today's understanding, witches & witchcraft bear the marks most notably. The purpose of this writing is to show how the modern ( religious? ) understanding, or 'misunderstanding', rather, of these two terms is based largely in the context of the times in which they were introduced in a negative light to society as a whole. 'Are witches necessarily wicked?' 'Is witchcraft necessarily evil?' The answer must be a resounding 'NO', although, admittedly, 'witches' CAN be what is often termed 'evil' & 'witchcraft' itself CAN be directed to selfish, or 'wicked' purposes!

What constitutes a 'witch' & what IS 'witchcraft'? Wiccans, though not every Wiccan is a witch & not every witch is a Wiccan, refer to witchcraft as 'The Craft of the Wise'. In this sense, then, Wiccans, in particular, those who actively practice witchcraft, could almost be described as Gnostics, as their 'Craft' is based in a sort of secret knowledge, or 'gnosis'. Interestingly, Strong's definition of a 'witch' is 'to whisper a spell, i.e. to inchant or practise magic:—sorcerer, (use) witch(-craft).' However, Gesenius' Hebrew Lexicon, about the same word, says it means 'to pray, to offer prayers or worship'. For this reason, if this reason alone, it should be duly noted that it depends on the individual practitioner, the one casting spells/praying, as to whether the resulting deeds should be classified as 'good' or 'evil'!

'Witchcraft', then, can be most simply described as what a 'witch' practices. Simple as it might sound; it's really not a simple proposition! Like any religious study, the study of witchcraft, in particular, Wicca, involves much study. This is where the word 'gnosis' comes in. One must know ( understand/retain ) much of what has been forgotten, in order to truly practice the Craft. 'Forgotten' is a convenient way of putting it, really; this knowledge, as well as the Ancient Religion from which it came, was forbidden, as Christianity made its inroads into Pagan Europe in the mid- & late years of the 1st & 2nd centuries, through the latter part of the 1st millennium. 

For far too long, the words 'witch' & 'witchcraft' have unwillingly borne ( suffered ) the stigma of 'evil'.  'As Above, so below', of course, it depends upon the individual practitioner, as to whether she or he can rightly be said to be 'evil' or 'wicked'. Witches, contrary to popular opinion, are not inherently either 'wicked' or 'evil'. Witchcraft, though not so much a religion, as a way of life, is simply a way to live in conjunction with Nature, employing the aid of our Mother Earth & Her creatures in doing so. Although it has been & still is misused by some for their own gain, not for the betterment of humanity & the preservation of our Mother Earth, witchcraft is an ancient practice, one that has stood the test of Time.

A Witch, again, contrary to popular opinion,  should not be epitomized by the Hollywood version that most of us are familiar with ( although the T.V. series, 'The Good Witch' comes closer than most ). Being One that has learned to work with the Forces of Nature, rather than against them, there are actually many more Witches out there than one realizes, most of whom would not acknowledge this fact & would likely vehemently deny it! 

Part of the stigma afforded Witches & Witchcraft is the notion that because they are Pagan, i.e, do not worship ( again, 'ascribe worth to' ) the Christian God, they somehow are in league with & in fact, worship the Devil, or 'Satan'. This could not be further from the truth, as, to my knowledge, no Pagan believes in 'Satan'! I acknowledge that there are 'Satanist' churches out there, but for the most part, that is neither here nor there, because, while they might practice rituals which would scare the hell out of most people, just like anyone else in this wide world, it is their actions which prove them either 'good', or 'evil'!

Much of our 'problem' here in the West, in particular the Christian West, is our misinterpretation, our misunderstanding of the Ancient Near Eastern text on which the Bible, in its many & varied versions, is based! Not to completely rehash what I have previously written, but when the text of the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures was written, the intended audience, the original audience would have been more familiar with the use of, among other things, the hyperbole & metaphor which is prevalent throughout. This is not to say, of course, that it is NOT true, just that our Western understanding is slightly different, in this respect at least, than what they would have understood in the Time & Culture to which it was originally delivered.

Witches should not be feared, though they should be respected! There are those who may call themselves witches, but practice their craft for merely selfish ends; even these command respect, for whether we agree or not, like it or not, there IS a kind of power in them, just as there is in all creatures. Knowledge is a funny thing; it can be used for 'good' or 'evil': again, it depends upon the practitioner. Again too, knowledge may be acquired for selfish reasons, merely for one's own benefit, or the scholar might intend for the whole of humanity to benefit from his or her knowledge. Knowledge is Power, if in that sense alone & therefore is inextricably linked to the Power which is inherent in us all. Knowing ourselves is simply the first step in the Craft of learning to work with the Forces of Nature rather than against them!

Most infamous, probably, in the American mindset, are the witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts. While there might have been some witches who received the punishment they were due, others were guilty of nothing more than using what Mother Nature provides for our several ailments; that & maybe spurning a certain brand of 'Christianity' that was being foisted upon them.  Some poor women might have even made the mistake of taking upon themselves what had been accepted as a man's role, 'God forbid'!

In benediction, as I close this short, but hopefully enlightening & thought-provoking post; I do not intend to sway my readers towards or away from any certain religion ( or lack thereof ); I simply intend to apprise you of the fact that Witches are not all that they have been made out to be. Just because one practices a different religion than you does not mean they are wrong; they are just different. Just because one knows how to work with the Forces of Nature does not mean they or 'evil' or wicked'; they are simply doing what should come naturally to all of us! They should not be feared as if they were doing something 'unnatural' or even 'supernatural!

Unfortunately, in this day & age, we have been taught to fear what we do not understand: I & others like me write that people may learn, through understanding, to respect those things we were taught to fear. May we learn this lesson well, not only for our own sakes, but for the good health of our long-suffering Mother Earth, who has been languishing at our hand for far too long!

Namaste' & Blessed Be

Sage Charles

Dark Energy; the Shadow Side of Life

In this day & age, you might have noticed that certain words have evolved, with the times, so to speak. Take the word 'gay' for instance; back in the day, a 'gay' person was happy & carefree: nowadays, it can mean anything from 'stupid' to being a homosexual reference. Somewhat on the other end of the spectrum is the word 'judgement'. Mention being judged to most Christians, even many 'non-religious' people & almost immediately you'll send visions of 'hell-fire & brimstone' dancing through their heads. The word itself, of course, does not necessarily imply anything bad, or wrong; it simply means that a decision, or choice, has been made, for good or ill. 'Judgement', or 'judgment' has come to have a negative connotation! So we come to the word 'dark': thanks in large part to Christianity ( an umbrella term ), most people tend to think of 'evil' or 'nefarious' when this word is used. As the case may be though, the truth is that darkness is simply an area where the light is absent. As when one side of the Earth is in darkness while the other side enjoys the light, it is completely natural; 'cyclical'. Speaking of 'natural'; here is another word that has received 'bad press'! Thanks to the large-scale departure from so-called 'Christian ( puritanistic ) Values', this word is enjoying the positive vibes it has always generated! Anyway; returning to the Dark Side............

Most famously perhaps, quotes from the late-seventies movie 'Star Wars; A New Hope', like "Give yourself to the Dark Side. It is the only way you can save your friends. Yes, your thoughts betray you." have only served, to the religious mind anyway, the notion that dark=bad, or evil. This is not to say that those who open up to their dark side never do what others might call 'evil'; just that the dark, like the light, is part & parcel with our humanity. As the Ego, which is neither good nor bad, Light & Dark, Yin & Yang just ARE & based on our circumstantial choices, prove a necessary constituent to our survival. Our 'Dark Side' is that part of us that might go against what the religious establishment has taught us to stifle. It is often necessary, for our own good, or that of the Collective, to revert to the darker part of our humanity, to do something which institutional religion condemns, which might even go against the grain, personally speaking.

When, therefore, it comes to concepts such as 'Dark Energy'; we should note that this notion is based on, among others, the negative connotations outlined earlier. Energy is simply 'the ability to do'. It is also the building block of the Universe, both micro- & macro-cosmically; if the stars, moons & planets did not have their own energy; Life, especially as we know it, would not exist! If they did not revolve on their axis, if indeed they did not pursue a set course through the heavens, nothing would be as it is, if at all! Along the same lines, 'Dark Matter' is 'a hypothetical form of matter thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe.' In other words, it is dark simply because the light has not reached it. This could open a can of worms, but the dark side of the moon is dark only because it is in the shadows, much like the Earth in its rotation & orbit is dark on one side, while the other side is flooded with light. Balance of the two, Light & Dark, is necessary to our survival as a race.

The term 'Dark Energy' does indeed imply an imbalance, not only in the observed, but in the observer! In that sense, It is like a mirror. One of my favorite sayings of late is, "We see best in others what we despise in ourselves"! Not only is this true on the other end of the spectrum, it is something I continually remind myself of! 'Dark Energy', then, is not necessarily bad or evil; indeed, we needn't even perceive it as positive or negative, except maybe as a balancing agent. 

According to Google's Oxford Languages dictionary, Dark Energy is 'a theoretical repulsive force that counteracts gravity and causes the universe to expand at an accelerating rate.' In this sense ( macro-cosmic ), that would mean that it is a force that pushes, in human terms, against what constrains or confines us, helping us to reach our full potential. I personally do not believe the Universe is expanding, just that our understanding of It is. So, back to the microcosm ( Us ), our potential to BE is neither greater nor lesser than it ever has been; it's simply our understanding, or realization of it that is/has!

"Balance is Key!" This almost goes without saying ( my 'Dark Side' said I should say it anyway ), but balance is necessary to the survival of Life, not just on Earth, but in the Universe! Without the proper Balance, Life would cease to exist. From a previous post, "Too hot, we burn up; too cold, we freeze to death", etc. ( in other words) This could well open another proverbial 'can', but no Darkness, no Light: though it must be noted that Light can exist without Dark, it also must be noted that without the Dark, we would not recognize the Light! 

Not to get too scientific about it; Light, put very simply, is Energy that is traveling at such a speed ( vibration? ) that it becomes visible to the senses. On the other side of the coin, when Energy vibrates at a lesser frequency, It becomes Dark. When it is blocked by a certain object, such as the Earth or the Moon, it also becomes Dark, being stopped in Its tracks, so to speak; this is also called 'Shadow'.  Perception, in this sense, is Key as well, for a person in Asia is in the dark at the same time that a person in America is blinded by the light. In fact, two people in the same geographical area could be in either Dark or Light, depending on their situation. 

"Does Light exist without Dark?" Surely! "Does Dark exist without Light?" Just as surely. Speaking of a 'can of worms'; this kind of reasoning could lead to questions like, "Why are we ( humans ) here?" "If Light equals Divinity & Dark equals Humanity; why even evolve into ( create? ) Humanity?" Why indeed bring Humanity into the picture if all it does is block the Divine & create Shadows ( Dark )? 'As above, so below'; Balance is Key & the Key to Balance is Realization!

To reiterate; Realization that Imbalance is simply a Perception, strange as it may sound, is the Key to understanding Life! This is not to say, however, that Balance or Imbalance is simply a Perception; like many things, "It is what It is!" We ARE balanced; we are both Dark & Light, though, depending on our choices ( which is what it all comes down to ) we shine like the Sun, or we may end up hiding in the Shadows, like the Dark Side of the Moon. Either way, we should realize that we are Perfect! We might work on our Shadows & endeavor to shine brighter, but even in that, we are only moving in our personal orbit. We are not actually shining brighter; it is only that the other's perception of us has altered so that they receive the Light we've been shining all along!

The Conclusion of the Matter, then, is that we are here to Live! Yes, just as Light & Dark are two sides of the same coin, so Death is a part of Life. In the Great Circle of Life, we are born, we live for a time, then we die. Depending on the circumstances; we may be reborn, but then, after we live for a time, we die again. "Why?", you may ask; That, in a sense, may be called The Great Mystery! Are we here to glorify God, as the Christian would say, or are we here to embody the Love that we are? Whether one believes that we need to bring glory to some Creator or that we are the Masters of our own Destinies, the very Best we can do is to let our let Shine in the Dark!

Namaste' & Blessed Be

Sage Charles

The Stars In Their Courses

From the moment, these many years ago, that I emerged from the Womb of my Thrice-Blessed Mother, I KNEW that I was Special, that I was meant for something More! Now, when I say, 'meant', I'm not being deterministic or fatalistic: I just knew that I wasn't your normal, average, everyday 'Joe'. At the time I was born, of course, the Roman Horde still occupied the land of my Nativity, although maybe not to the extent they did in my Grandfather's time  & of course, 20-odd years before my own parousia. As the case may be, My exalted Mother, who was not actually native to these shores, though she WAS Hebrew through & through, had herself returned to Israel about 8 years after the sack of Jerusalem. After her return from across the Sea, My Mother, Sarah, had tried to settle into life in little Nazareth & had succeeded for quite a few years. However, being who she was & bearing, to some extent, the continuing stigma that brought, She never quite made it past the fringes of Society. ( which was actually quite fine with her; she was never one for 'fitting in' anyway ) However, as tends to happen; when Sarah, much like Her Great-grandmother before Her, turned up with child, with no father in sight ( not even a suitor ), She was forced to flee to the mountains, living in caves for the first year or so, even after I was born. After several laborious & meagre years of living in caves, My Mother & I finally came upon a lonely house in need of occupation. It was little more than a hut really, but a it was a veritable palace for us, after living in caves for all those years. So now you know a little of My Genesis; when My exalted Mother passed from this Life, I had just reached my seventeenth year & so began My Story in earnest!

My name is Joseph. My Father, though He is not known as such, has been Present with Me all along! My Mother's Father, however, was Jesus of Nazareth, the same who was the Christ to the Jews, or more correctly, to the Hebrew people. Apparently, there is some discord pertaining to the fact that Jesus, in all His 33 or so years, had ever married, but I KNOW the Truth: I AM Living Proof!

When I embarked upon My Ministry in the hill country surrounding Nazareth, I was barely half past the accepted age for the priesthood ( not that I cared, or even WANTED to be a priest, anyway ), but even so, the overwhelming majority of those to whom I ministered accepted Me as that & More! As I traveled the vast desert regions, bringing the healing Message of Love to those who desperately needed it, I would retreat, every so often to my little hut that Grandfather built to rest My weary bones & renew My Spirit. As My humble abode was perched high in the mountains, in the clouds, so to speak; I would, before I retired to my bed, spend countless hours studying the Heavens. During the day, of course, I had My little garden to attend, which did very well, thanks to My Grandfather, Who in His Wisdom had built Our Hut very near a natural spring of water. At night though, the Mysteries of the Heavens opened their Pages to me & showed Me that, 'As Above, so Below'. I felt the Power of the Moon & Stars as I basked in their countless light! The Water, even, had a most profound effect on Me, for though My Ministry down Below taxed my Energies, almost it seemed to the breaking point sometimes, when I came to my My Mountain retreat, Above it All, so to speak, I found My Energies renewed & ready to burst forth again!

I had heard, countless times, from My Mother, the Story of My Grandfather's Nativity. In modern times, the Story has been recorded as three wise men, or Magi from the East ( although, as I heard it, there were MORE ) who followed a certain Star to the place where He lived. I learned, from My own time in study on the Mountain, that stars do indeed orbit the heavens. The Story that I had heard now came to Life for me, as I learned the Truth of the matter from the Heavens themselves!

After I had renewed Myself, Body & Soul, tended to My little Garden & set My House in order, I would return with My acquired knowledge & Rejuvenated Spirit to the wondering souls below, sharing My Knowledge & spreading Healing everywhere I went. A typical day for me involved much walking, for no donkey would bear me, as of yet; I would eat such food as came to My Hand, whether I was able to purchase it from the meagre offerings I received or from the kindness & generosity of those who benefited from My Ministry. For the length of time between My Retreats. I slept or rested wherever I could find a place to lay My Head. Most nights this was under the Moon & Stars, but when the weather was not conducive, I was forced, sometimes, to find shelter with the animals, although I usually had the choice presented to me of a bed, of straw, at least.  Depending on the season, of course, I would sometimes take advantage of these generous offers. Always, though, I would work to repay such kindness, rising with the break of day & helping with whatever chores needed done. Such was the Life I had chosen to honor My Mother & Grandfather!

In all My Wandering & Star-gazing; I had learned One important Truth: all are connected to, even dependent on the Other! 'As Above, so Below'; while each Star has its own course, its own Energy, It relies upon the Gravity engendered by the surrounding Stars, though they be light-years away, to stay in their courses. The Moon thusly affects the Earth & humanity itself, for while each of us has our own Energy, our own Orbit, so to speak, we are all affected, to whatever extent, by the Orbits, the Energies of those who surround us!

I had also learned that, to whatever extent, the Moon & Stars, although they do have have an effect on our lives here on Earth, do not determine our Destiny; WE do! By the choices we make, I preached, we determine the course our lives will take. Just as the Stars above & the Planets have their courses, they, through the influence of other heavenly bodies, may change their course, however slightly, so we too, even moreso in fact, have the Power to change our own courses!

Formerly,

Sage Charles