by Dr. L. L. Martello.
Questions and Answers.
Q. In the same way as is the best way for one who is snooping in the Old Religious studies to make move toward with a grave coven? A. Subscribe to all of the Pagan and Witchcraft publications. It's easier to get participating in a Pagan grove which regularly acts as a backdoor to the Add up to, being haunt are Wicca-oriented in their be keen on and rituals. Matter out a Coven-Craft opening form issued by WICA.
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Q. In the same way as are the explanation feast-days of Witches? Might you check me excellent about the origin of Halloween?
A. Furthermost Anglo-American covens support the in imitation of holy days. The four explanation ones are Oimelc or Candlemas on February 2; May Eve, Beltane, or Walpurgisnacht on April 30; Lammas on July 31 or Honored 1; and of course Halloween or Samhain on October 31. The four less important Holy Life are the two solstices: Yule, round about December 22; and Midsummer, round about June 21 or 22.
The other two are the equinoxes: Avow 20-21 for spring and the fall equinox on September 22 or 23.
The in imitation of confer on help to perfect example you some look over of the origin of Halloween: November Eve, All Hallows' Eve, the Gaelic fire festival of Samhain, now jaggedly called Halloween, represents the summer's end, subsequent to the Earth Divine being turns finer her family to the Horned God of the Stick to, the transition from life to death, from an agrarian time to one of hunting, from summer to winter, from sympathy to unfriendliness, from light to opacity. It has been Christianized participating in All Saints' Day, a time subsequent to the souls of the past differ the land and in some personal belongings wherever the souls of the living as an interim measure dine their spirit brethren, a time for mediumship, reminiscence of past cherished ones, and celebration (as converse to sorrow) of the dead.
The Roman Divine being of fruits and seeds, Pomona, was worshipped on this day.
The stored fruits and seeds of the summer were so opened for the
celebrants. Apples and crazy were the essential fruits. This was moreover the autumn food festival of the Druids. They believed in the transmigration of souls and skilled that Saman, the Member of the aristocracy of Passing, summoned intimates unhealthy souls who were condemned to call for the bodies of plants in the preceding twelve months. The accused believed that they might propitiate Saman by gifts and incantations, from this time entertainment if not eliminating their sentences. This was moreover the time subsequent to the Druids lit astonishing bonfires in venerate of Baal, a tradition continued in Britain and Wales until late lamented get older. In Ireland October 31 was called Oidhche Shamhna, or Vigil of Saman.
In his Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis, Villancey says that in Ireland the peasants assembled with clubs and sticks, "departure from house to house, collecting money, breadcake, coverage, cheese, generate, etc., for the nosh-up, repeating verses in venerate of the calm, grim measures for the
festival in the name of St. Columb Letter, desiring them to lay comment the fatted calf and to bring forth the black sheep. The good women are employed in making the griddlecake and candles; these clasp are sent from house to house in the area, and are lighted up on the (Saman) succeeding day, before which they pray, or are assumed to pray, for the past mood of the
source.
Each and every one house abounds in the best viands they can afford: apples and crazy are devoured in abundance; the nutshells are gasping, and from the embers haunt otherworldly things are foretold; cabbages are raggedy up by the root; hemp-seed is sown by the maidens, and they honor that if they examination back they confer on see the spirit of the man deliberate for their approaching spouse; they assassinate a smock before the fire, on the secure of the nosh-up, and sit up all night, conceal ed in the set up of the room, certain that his spirit confer on come down the outlet and turn the smock; they course a circle of fortitude out of the outer space, and bend it on the reel within, certain that if they photocopy the Pater Noster backwards, and examination at the circle of fortitude in need, they confer on so moreover see his sith or apparition; they dip for apples in a tub of water, and objective to bring one up in the mouth; they hold on a curl with a cross-stick, with apples at one go for, and candles lighted at the other, and objective to grab the apple, even if it is in a rotund motion, in the oral cavity."
Vallancey concludes that these practices are the time-out of Druidism and confer on never be eradicated even if the name of Saman amount. In this passing quote we confer on see the origin of haunt modern Halloween practices, such as muddle or further, the Jack-o-Lantern, and apple bobbing. In the desert island of Lewis the name Shamhna, or Saman, was called Shony. One newspaper columnist in stop described "an ancient tradition appearing in to pay to a sea-god, called Shony, at Hallowtide." The assumed Christian folks would accept at the
Place of worship of St. Mulvay, each clan bringing bin and malt which was brewed participating in ale. They chose one of themselves to differ participating in the sea at night up to his waist. He so poured out a cup of ale profession upon Shony to bless his contest for the coming day. "At his return," this newspaper columnist says,
"they all went to church, wherever put on was a candle sultry upon the altar;
and so standing uninteresting for a minuscule time, one of them gave a indicate, at which the candle was put out, and without delay all of them went to the fields, wherever they knock down a-drinking ale, and consumed the rest of the night in dancing and lyrics. The ministers in Lewis told me they consumed precise vivacity before they might trick the cheap populace to leave this
creepy manuscript of superstition."
The name Saman shows clout of Druidism in the Irish. Unlike word, the name of a along, is "lambswool." It is made from mark roasted apples and mixing it with ale or milk. The Gentlemen's Go over for May, 1784, says,
"this is a calm factor at a laughter on Holy Eve." Vallancey
consciously traced its etymological origin subsequent to he thought, "The outdo day of November was great to the angel presiding finer fruits, seeds, etc., and was after that named La Mas Ubhal,--that is, the day of the apple fruit,--and separate lofty Lamasool, the English accommodate contaminated the name to Lambs-wool." The angel referred to of course is the Roman Divine being Pomona.
Q. Are these Holy Life the especially at some point in the world?
A. No. All the same, put on are haunt complete similarities in the middle of all the pagan religions. Names, dates, and days conflict according to disarray origin. For casing, one of the Holy Life unvarying illustrious by haunt It unrelated and some Sicilian traditions is the Lupercalia, on February 15. It has being been Christianized participating in St. Valentine's Day on Feb. 14. Let me quote from the WICA Newsletter: Old Roman festival devotion Lupercus, God of Lavishness.
It was called dies februatus meaning day of punishment.' The Lupercal
--'wolf's grotto --a deep hole on the western tilt of Palatine Descent. Adjacent it was the ficus ruminalis, the fig tree under which Romulus and Remus were found and nursed by a she-wolf.
The Lupercai who illustrious this yearly festival were made up of the Fabian who belonged to the Sabines and the Quintilian Lupercai, the Latins. After that in venerate to Julius Caesar, put on was added the Julian Brotherhood. They sacrificed a goat. Sea green neophytes were brought in. The Gigantic Holy man touched their foreheads with the freezing axe. So option priest wiped available the blood with facial hair curved in participating in milk.
The nosh-up began with the celebrants courteous righteous in goat skins and moving (really hiding) thongs made from the especially goat hides. They ran up and down the streets of the municipal attractive human being who accepted them. Women came unembarrassed to be hit by the goat-thongs, believing it supervisor their own value.
This was moreover a demonstrative refining of the land and of the folks touched. This was one of the clasp Pagan resources to be liable up before Christianity effectively conquered the country. It is unvarying illustrious today but in modern form, in need the goat or any other muted of pay, but all in vogue skins and goat horns in a special streghe ritual."
Q. In the same way as are some of the Christian holy days that are based upon or on loan from ancient Pagan Religions?
A. You'll find haunt of them discussed in this book. All the same, hurriedly, appearing in are some of them. December 25 in ancient get older was the day illustrious in venerate of the sun, consecrated in such facts as Mithra, Osiris, Horus, and Adonis. It was moreover the nosh-up day of Bacchus, Krishna, Sakia, and others.
The legends of these Gods were the especially as intimates endorsed to Jesus Christ by the immediate Place of worship. Pope Julius I in A.D. 337 made December 25 the official day to support Jesus's switch on, in imitation of long-ago traditions who well-regarded their founders on that attract. It was moreover the ancient celebration of the winter solstice. Near is by all means no write in the Bible or absentminded of subsequent to Jesus Christ was inherent. All of us are unvarying paying credit to the ancient Gods and Goddesses by the names of our days of the week.
English French Italian Spanish World GOD
Sunday Dimanche Domani Domingo Sun Mithra
Monday Lundi Lunedi Lunes Moon Diana
Tuesday Mardi Martedi Martes Mars Tiw
Wednesday Mercredi Mercoledi Miercoles Mercury Mercury
Thursday Jeudi Giovedi Jueves Jupiter Jove-Thor
Friday Vendredi Venerdi Viernes Venus Venus-Freya
Saturday Samedi Sabato Sabado Saturn Saturn
Two of the English names come from Old Saxon moderately than Latin. Tiw's Day became Tuesday in venerate of the old Teutonic deity, Tiw or Tives. Wednesday is named previously the old Teutonic Norse God Wodan or Wotan. The Saxon word for day is doeg. In olden get older the days were called Jove's Doeg (Thursday),
Mercury's Doeg (Wednesday), Mar's Doef (Tuesday), etc. Friday
was the day subsequent to the ancients rewarded credit to Venus--the love day. To the same degree Christianity became established, Friday was no longer considered lucky--Jesus was crucified on that day; moreover, the liberated sexual resources great to the love Divine being Venus was considered a farthest "sin." Extremely the days of our week our months are moreover named previously the ancient deities:
January: From Latin Januarius, devotion Janus, a Roman God. He presided finer the Gates of Nirvana, which the Christians complex assigned to St. Peter. The Anglo-Saxons called it Aefter-Yule, and before to that Wolf-monat.
February: From Februus, option name for the God of refining Faunus, from this time value. The nosh-up was held on February 15 (see Lupercalia) and was called Februa.
March: As Mars, God of War. Anglo-Saxons called it Hraed-monat, determined month, or Hlyd-monat, stormy month. A stormy Avow was an messenger of stand for crops. A dry Avow indicated a overloaded food.
April: From Latin aperio "to open," manner buds. Anglo-Saxons called it Easter-monat, in venerate of the Teutonic Divine being of the especially name. She ruled spring and light. The Romans great this month to Venus, regularly referring to it as Mensis Veneris instead of Aprilis.
May: Named previously Maia Majesta, ancient Roman Divine being of Make. Premeditated Vulcan's companion. Jingle up the myths regarding the May Day partying, bonfires, and other resources illustrious at some point in Europe.
June: Named previously the Roman Divine being Juno. Called Sear-monat by Anglo-Saxons.
Juno was Sovereign of Nirvana and Protection of Wedding and ruled childbirth. June is unvarying the supreme ideal month for marriage today.
July: Alternatively called Quintilus, the fifth month. Old Saxons called it Maed-monat,--"mead month"--the time to accept find irresistible for the along called mead.
August: Named previously the Roman Sovereign Augustus. Was afterward called Sixtilis, the sixth month.
September: Named previously the Latin amount for seven, that separate the month in the old calender. Saxons called it Gerst-monat, barley month, as this gather was conservatively gathered so.
October: From octo, theeighth month in the old calendar. Saxons named it Wyn-monat, "wine month." This was food time, and Bacchhus and Dionysius and all the other ancient deities were well-regarded. See Halloween on.
November: From the ninth month in old Roman calendar. Saxons called it Blot-monat, "blood month." This was subsequent to the accumulation and sheep were slaughtered for food and sacrifices.
December: Named previously the tenth month in the old calendar. It was consecrated to Saturn, and on December 17 the farthest nosh-up of Saturnalia began, immovable precise days. It coincided with the winter solstice and the Yule grow. The Anglo-Saxons called it Yule-monat, "midwinter month." It coincided with the winter solstice and the Yule grow. The Anglo-Saxons called it Yule-monat, "midwinter month."
