It’s the “Season of the Witch” [1]
Hello everyone!
Thank you again for your kind feedback on the last newsletter. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. If any of you missed the June newsletter, you can find it here and my article in Spirituality & Health, The Untapped Potential of Dreams, Signs and Synchronicities in the Western World, here.
Halloween is pretty much my favorite holiday, and if I still prayed to the Christian god, I’d be fearful that this blasphemous declaration would bring his wrath and eternal damnation. Luckily for me, I don’t pray to the Christian god and I’ve been to hell and back so many times that God’s idle threats no longer concern me.
Because I love Halloween and everything it represents so much, I thought this would be a good opportunity to provide a brief education on the holiday and correct some related misconceptions.
Like most of the modern day, Western holidays, Halloween was co-opted from the Pagans. Halloween was originally celebrated as the Pagan holiday, Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”). Unlike the linear, Gregorian calendar we are all familiar with, Pagans use what’s called the “Wheel of the Year.” Basically, the idea is that there is no beginning and no ending, existence is cyclical (hence the wheel). What is born will die and what dies will eventually be reborn. We’ve discussed this before, this life-death-life cycle, in the context of the apocalypse and the Phoenix rising from the ashes. The Wheel of the Year follows the life cycle of the god, born of the goddess, with certain dates corresponding to different points in his life cycle [2].
Samhain is the last stop for the god on the Wheel of the Year. And, by “last stop,” I mean the ultimate last stop: death. Samhain marks his death, and Yule, on December 21st, marks his (re)birth. (Do you see the co-opting of another holiday here?)
So, on Samhain, Pagans honor the departed god and the souls of others who have left the Earthly realm by leaving food out on their front steps and burying apples in the ground to feed these souls on their journey to the afterlife, while modern-day Westerners open their doors to give fun-sized candy bars to strangers dressed as ghosts and ghouls without understanding why. [2]
It is believed that on this day, the veils between the spiritual and Earthly realms are the thinnest, making it a powerful time for performing magical rituals, as well as communing with the dead [2]. The performance of behaviors such as magical ritual and necromancy (collectively known as witchcraft), tend to make most regular folks uncomfortable, and understandably so. The narrative Westerners have been peddled (and have then perpetuated) is that witches eat babies, perform ritual sacrifice, curse people, worship the devil and raise spirits from the dead to haunt the living. Pretty creepy. Let me go ahead and correct these misconceptions: Those are not things witches do, those are things psychopaths do. Are some witches psychopaths? Sure, but there are exponentially more non-witch psychopaths filling the state penitentiaries and walking the streets than there are witch psychopaths.
Witchcraft much more closely resembles religious ritual, prayer, and transcendental meditation than antisocial behavior. A typical Pagan ritual begins by setting an intention for the ritual (e.g., draw in soul friends, love, fortune, healing; communication with the departed), gathering physical objects that represent the intention (e.g., photos, heart-shaped rocks, money, healing crystals), gathering other, designated sacred objects typically used for rituals (e.g., special candles, a cauldron, wand, moon water, feathers, crystals), drawing a circle to designate the ritual space, purifying and sealing the energy in that space (e.g., with sage, mental imagery, physical movements), then entering a meditative state, focusing on the intention. After the ritual is complete, the energy is cleared and the circle is closed. 💥
That, my friends, is what witchcraft actually looks like. Now, could these methods theoretically be used for evil? Of course. But, that is a matter of morality and not a matter of witchcraft, specifically. Which brings us back to the point about psychopathy. Whether a particular methodology is used with pure intentions or evil ones is dependent upon the moral compass of the practitioner. And, whether an action is pure or evil also depends upon context. For example, is it evil for someone to place a curse upon their rapist to seek justice when the so-called justice system fails so many in this regard? Who gets to decide what is evil, how, why and in what context?
Alternatively, there are many within the Pagan community and also those within the New Age, Law of Attraction community who believe that the practitioner gets back whatever they put out into the world, THREEFOLD. So, if they place a curse on someone, that curse comes back to them, times three. If they set pure healing intentions, those healing intentions come back to them, times three. The magic they perform is done to their detriment, or to their benefit. According to this belief system, it’s all up to the practitioner.
If witchcraft is so benign and is part of an apparent religion, why has it been maligned and its practitioners persecuted? Good question. What most folks don’t understand is that religion, and in this case, Christianity, isn’t just a vehicle for human-to-god interaction, it is a business. And, we aren’t talking a small business, we are talking a megacorporation, violating every antitrust law in existence. Paganism and other shamanistic, indigenous religions were some of the early Church’s top competitors, so the Church used a common business tactic: eliminate the competition. Does everyone remember learning about the Crusades? Well, those weren’t exactly about saving souls, those were about executing the Church’s business model. There were many other methods used by the Church to eliminate competing religions: fear, supplanting, persecution, conversion, banishment, murder, sexual assault—just to name a few.
As much as early Christians enjoyed a good public hanging, supplanting was one of the primary methods used to eradicate Paganism. Change the narrative and you change the world.
Interestingly, Pagan witches have historically been portrayed as devil worshippers, but the devil isn’t a Pagan construct, it’s a Christian one. The devil literally doesn’t exist in Paganism, ergo, it’s logically impossible for witches to be devil worshippers. Pagan gods and goddesses are just gods and goddesses, with different personality traits; they are neither good nor bad. Sure, some may be associated with the underworld, but they aren’t devils of the Christian variety. The underworld isn’t necessarily a bad place either. It’s just a place where demons hide in the shadows and souls become lost. No big deal.
“The God of the old religion becomes the Devil of the new" (p.8). [3]
Witches have been branded devil worshipers because early Church officials changed the narrative and transformed the Pagan goat god, Pan, into the horned, cloven-hooved Christian devil we know. The devil we don’t know, Pagan Pan, was not a malevolent god, rather, he was a mischievous god, associated with fertility and chaos (i.e., PANdemonium). [4] [5] And, I suppose a rascally, chaos-inducing sex god might actually have appeared worse in the eyes of ultraconservative early Puritans than a truly malevolent one, so it’s probably no wonder he made such a great devil.
In order to become the most powerful religious megacorporation in the world, it wasn’t enough to demonize one of the competitor’s gods and its followers. Associated holidays, symbolism and practices also needed to be vilified and/or supplanted. Among these were the number 13, the Sabbats, the sanctity of the full moon, and the witch’s favorite Familiar, the black cat.
Where does the conceptualization of the number 13 as “unlucky number 13” come from?
Some scholars maintain that it has to do with the Last Supper and the number of apostles in attendance, because as you may remember, the 13th apostle was…well, Judas. So, not exactly the bearer of good tidings [6]. But, maybe Judas was a Pagan, saw the writing on the wall and knew that JC had to go.
This brings up an interesting and ironic point (albeit slightly tangential), the reason Jesus was persecuted and crucified by the Romans was the same reason the Pagans were persecuted and crucified by early Christians: They were bad for business.
Other scholars believe that the association of the number 13 with bad luck was part of the Pagan smear campaign conducted by early Church leaders. [7] Thirteen is a sacred feminine number in Paganism, associated with the goddess, fertility, and the moon. There are 13 lunar cycles in a year, which also correspond to….well, should I go ahead and spell it out? M.e.n.s.t.r.u.a.t.i.o.n. Okay, now everyone’s uncomfortable, especially the 17th century, male Puritan Church leaders. The height of these lunar cycles, the full moon, is a sacred time of celebration for Pagans, called the Esbat.
There are 13 Esbats each year to honor the goddess and the lunar energy. In contrast, there are 8 Sabbats, which are ritual days of power honoring the god and the solar energy. Samhain (Halloween) and Yule (Christmas) are among these eight Sabbats [2]. Oh, and if the word “Sabbat” sounds familiar, it’s because it was co-opted as the Judeo-Christian “Sabbath.” It also seems curious that the holidays honoring the masculine sun god were co-opted by Pope Gregory XIII, allowed to remain on the new calendar and allowed to be celebrated, while the 13 holidays honoring the feminine goddess were removed, the number 13 maligned and the sacred full moon phase rechristened as a time of “lunacy.” Seems pretty convenient for the patriarchal, monotheistic religion of new. In modern day, all we have been left with of the number 13 is that it is bad luck.
Why do we think that it’s bad luck if a black cat crosses our path?
Everyone knows that black cats are associated with witches. But, the association is much more complex than that. Pagans often have power animals they work with, similar to the concept of a spirit animal in shamanistic traditions. Black cats were a favorite among witches, though ravens, crows and toads were also popular. These animals, called Familiars, are believed to serve as mediators between the human world and not only the spirit world, but the natural world as well.
These animals allow witches to harness special energies that many modern Westerners have lost access to because of worldviews favoring separation and domination over the natural environment (and one another). Witch and Familiar form a mutually beneficial partnership, with the witch taking on some abilities of the animal and the animal taking on some abilities of the human witch. In some cases, this can even rise to the level of complete enmeshment; thus, endowing the witch with transfiguration abilities.
As you can imagine, this ability thoroughly creeped out and threatened early Church leaders. To them, witches were the devil’s handmaidens, and Familiars were their minions, bestowed upon them by the devil to do his bidding. Several books of the Bible reflect these sentiments and were utilized to write official law. The books of Samuel, Deuteronomy, and Leviticus effectively served as judge, jury and executioner, with Leviticus 20:27 stating,
“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.” [8, 9]
Wow. So, if you practice a different religion or have a special connection with animals, you deserve to die a bloody and horrific death at the hands of your peers? Ummmm…Well, okay. I guess that’s how we’re going to play this.
Let’s summarize: Witches are bad, wizards are bad, familiars are bad; they all deserve to die; ergo, black cats are bad luck. Did you follow the logic? No? Well, if you didn’t, you are probably a witch and if that’s the case, they shall stone you with stones and your blood shall be upon them. What. The. Actual. Fuck.
Alright, so that got pretty intense. I’ve also probably managed to thoroughly offend my Christian readers out there. To them, I say, “I don’t hate the player, I hate the game, and not the entire game, just the oppressive, power abusing, ignorant part of the game.”
So, where are the witches today?
Well, most of them are in hiding and doing pretty much exactly what they were doing a thousand years ago, but without the use of their full power. They are working in socially acceptable positions as healers, shamans, psychics, mediums, therapists, social workers, yogis, massage therapists, reiki practitioners, chiropractors, pharmacists, medical doctors, nurses, midwives, supermoms and environmental advocates. Or, they are in jobs that don’t allow them to use their special gifts AT ALL, and as a result, they feel disconnected, lost, drained and unhappy. Even those who are able to use their gifts have to fly under the radar and, as such, can use only a fraction of their power, which also often results in that experience of feeling disconnected, lost, drained, and unhappy.
Why are the witches in hiding?
Because an unlucky number of them have been labeled “mentally ill,” locked away in institutions, and/or chemically lobotomized with psychotropic medications. The fate of this unlucky group highlights a disturbing fact: The witch trials never ended. They just took on a new, more insidious and socially acceptable form. Feeling, thinking, believing, and behaving in ways that encourage a connection to the supernatural world result in pejorative labels and concerns about mental health. (Unless, of course, that connection to the supernatural world follows the dogma of modern religion.)
Until we all recognize our unconscious biases and their fallacious roots (i.e., the nefarious sales tactics of a religious megacorporation), the witch trials will continue, and the witches will not feel safe to step out of the shadows and into the full power of their abilities. And, as a result, the rest of us will suffer because we will not have access to the miraculous effects of their supernatural abilities.
✨ ✨ ✨
Imagine that you now get to talk about ghosts and witchcraft and how reality isn’t actually real without getting blank stares and uncomfortable subject changes.
You’ve found your people.
And, the best part is that you didn’t have to keep giving people a chance until you learned the hard way that it wasn’t safe to be around them.
You stopped paying attention to the logical and rational advice everyone said you needed to listen to.
And, you started listening to your feelings.
How were you able to do this?
You used the Intuition Decoder Ring, so you could more easily spot the unicorns and weed out the covert narcissists and nomies.
Click to grab your “Intuition Decoder Ring” inside the “The Gaslighting & Intuition Guidebook.” I’ll be sharing this information and more.
Happy Samhain/Halloween to everyone!
✨ 🔮 ✨
Dr. Mann
References
1. Donovan, Season of the Witch, in Sunshine Superman. 1966, Epic Records: New York, New York.
2. Cunningham, S., Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. 2004, Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications.
3. Murray, M.A., God of the Witches. 1933, Sampson Low, Marson & Co., LTD.: London. p. 116.
4. Wikipedia. Pan (god). [cited 2021 October 24, 2021]; Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_(god).
5. Wood, J., Panic and Pandemonium.
6. Hastings, C. Why is Friday the 13th unlucky? The cultural origins of an enduring superstition. 2021.
7. Panati, C., Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things. 1987, New York, New York: Harper & Row. 463.
8. King James Bible, Leviticus 20:27. 1987/1611, Bible Gateway.
9. Grimassi, R., The Witch’s Familiar: Spiritual Partnerships for Successful Magic. 2003, Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications.
10. Zimmerman, M., Neurophysiology of Sensory Systems, Robert F. Schmidt Ed., Fundamentals of Sensory Physiology. , in Fundamentals of Sensory Physiology, R.F. Schmidt, Editor. 1986, Springer-Verlag: Berlin.