Paganism/Wicca

Posted by Jill Stefko

I learned of Marie Laveau years ago. I was fascinated by this woman who, while not a Voodoo mambo (priestess), was the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans who presided over the secret ceremonies held at Lake Pontchartrain and the Sunday ones in Congo Square and the power she had. I learned that there were two Maries, mother and daughter. While the daughter held some of the power her mother had, she lacked her compassion.



Marie I was an interesting study. She was raised in the Catholic faith and, as an adult, she was devout in this religion. She also made gris-gris bags, some to bring about dire results. Quite a dichotomy!



Her obituary praised her as a saintly lady who nursed sick people, tended to prisoners and prayed with the ill and those prisoners who were condemned to die. She lived in the godliness of her Catholic faith. There was no mention of her involvement with Voodoo. I wonder what her contemporary followers thought of this.



Although Marie II followed her mother’s path, another daughter, Madame Legendre, claimed Marie I never practiced Voodoo and abhorred the cult. Those who knew Marie I and historical records contradict this.



My articles, Marie Laveau I: Rise to Power and St. John's Day & the Marie Laveaus are about Marie Laveau, the woman who was the supreme Voodoo Queen above all others who vied for this honor. Vooduon, Voodoo, Hoodoo and Gris-gris, Resquardo & Gurunfinda are about the religion and the practice of making bags, filled with different items for positive purposes and, the downside, to cause others misfortune and ill luck.



A future article will be about Marie’s practice of Voodoo.

Posted by Jill Stefko

Even when I was a child, people decorated their homes for Hallowe’en displaying witches and black cats, either riding with them on brooms or hissing with arched backs. It was then that I became intrigued with cats and witches.



I’ve researched cats. Familiars and Totems is about alleged witches and their familiars and the difference between them and power animals of shamanistic people. I’ve read and written about animal symbolism including Cat: Pagan Symbol of the Arcane.





I was appalled when I read about Pope Gregory IX declaring cats were agents of the devil! Even worse, Pope Innocent VIII enacted a decree that all cats were to be killed as such! French King Louis XIII revoked the law. Then, I wrote Cats Persecuted as Familiars. I was horrified and outraged. How could “religious” people condemn an animal that was, once, revered by Christians? I looked at my three cats, shaking my head.





Cats have an aura of mystery and are nocturnal. They are aloof and difficult to train. They also have psychic ability. There is documentation to prove it. I’ve acquired expertise in the paranormal. Anpsi, animal psychic phenomena, is one of my favorite areas. I’ve written The Psychic World of Cats Part I and The Psychic World of Cats Part II about this. There is also documentation that some alleged witches were executed because they had these abilities. North Berwick Witches' Persecution evidences this.



Could there be a correlation between cats’ and humans’ psychic abilities and them being persecuted and executed because of these talents? Fear of what isn’t understood can lead to disastrous actions. During the height of these travesties, nothing was known about parapsychology. Even Saint Joan of Arc was burned at the stake as a witch….

Posted by Jill Stefko

There appears to be a common misconception that the Voodoo holiday, St. John’s Day is based on the Pagan holiday of Midsummer or Litha. It’s understandable how this would happen because the two holidays occur within days of each other. The summer solstice usually is within a couple of days of June 21.



June 24th is St. John the Baptist’s birthday and a high Voodoo holiday. John is considered to be the greatest prophet, in the Judeo-Christian tradition. He was Jesus’ cousin who preached and baptized people.



When I wrote Vooduon, Voodoo, Hoodoo, I explained what a syncretic religion is. It’s a blend of Pagan and Orthodox religions. Voodoo is a mix of the Shamanic religion of the African Yorubas and Catholicism, not of the Yoruban religion and Western European Paganism. The slaves’ Loas, Voodoo deities, were worshipped as Christian saints in order for the celebrants to avoid punishment, including death, for practicing their Old Religion.



When I wrote St. John's Day & the Marie Laveaus, it was about the holiday and Marie Laveau I’s and II’s roles as the Supreme Voodoo Queen and how Voodoo ceremonies combine Pagan rites as well as Catholic ones, including the sacrament of baptism.



Pagan Midsummer: Summer Solstice is about the celebration of Litha. Sabbats: Pagan Fire Festivals gives a brief description of the eight Sabbats with links to each. Finally, Pagan Midsummer: Flowers, Crystals of these plants and stones for the entire summer season. With all of the research I have done, I have found no mention of Christian Saints being celebrated in Pagan Sabbats, as they are in syncretic religions.

Posted by Jill Stefko

Today, Paganism is clearly becoming recognized as a Shamanic or earth religion. In earlier times, those who practiced Paganism or were different and/or despised were considered devil worshippers and persecuted as such. Superstition, fear, political and religious power mongers and ignorance of the general populace gave rise to beliefs in witches’ supernatural powers.



Imagine living in the Burning Times, the zenith of witch hunts and persecutions, and believing witches really existed and made pacts with the devil, who gave them supernatural powers.



They flew on brooms and had familiars, demons in the form of animals, usually black cats which paved the way to laws enacted: Cats Persecuted as Familiars. Cats weren’t the only animals who were accused as Familiars and Totems points out.



One belief was that witches could cause hysterical fits and endow people with unnatural “talents,” as is evidenced by Witchcraft-Bilson & Leicester Boys.



Witchcraft: Storm Raising and North Berwick Witches' Persecution are about people, including King James VI of Scotland, later James I of England, believing witches could cause horrific violent tempests.



Elizabeth Sawyer, Witch of Edmonton, England, was accused of bewitching animals and children and putting a curse on a woman who died shortly thereafter. She was convicted and executed.



It was assumed witches could shapeshift into supernatural animals to carry out their evil work. There was a link between Witchcraft and Werewolves.



Malleus Maleficarum, the manual for witch hunters widely used in Europe in Medieval times, supported the belief that witches really existed. Although it was banned by the Catholic Church, it was used for three centuries by believers after its banishment, creating intense fear that, sometimes, led to hysteria.

Posted by Jill Stefko

Ever since I was a child, I knew about the four elements in traditional astrology: Fire, Earth, Air and Water. When I was in my teens, I delved into the subject a bit more deeply and learned what these symbolized.



When I was twenty, I learned how to do solar charts. My intent was to debunk astrology. I had fun telling my friends “things” that were in their charts that I thought to be absurd. Nine times out of ten, I discovered they were true. I continued to study astrology and can do natal charts, synastry (comparing charts of those in relationships) and predictive charts. I read nothing about Akasha.



It wasn’t until I studied various forms of Paganism/Shamanism more intensely that I learned about Akasha. The subject intrigued me, so I did more research.



Recently, I decided to write articles about The Five Elements and Akasha: Fifth Element.



When I wrote my master’s thesis, it reinforced my belief that Paganism and Shamanism are the same. The difference is that the early Christian missionaries called Shamanistic people Pagans because they lived in the country and didn’t share the belief in Jesus as they did.



Akasha is a relatively new concept to Western philosophy and belief. There is still much to learn about this fifth Element which has its roots in Hindu and Buddhist beliefs.



Shamanic people believe that all is derived from and is a manifestation of the One and is inter-related. The One is Spirit that permeates the Universe. Akasha is the omnipresent eternal source of all that exists.



Is Akasha a manifestation of the One or is Akasha the One?

Posted by Jill Stefko

I learned about The Witches’ Hammer when I attended middle school. “Witches” worshipped Satan. Evil. We weren’t taught the totality of the atrocities committed against suspected witches, advocated in the book, by Inquisitorsor about the church banning the Malleus Maleficarum. We were taught the Crusades were good.

We were taught about dunking suspected witches. If they sank, they were innocent; if not, guilty. We learned about the pillory and convicted witches being burned at the stake, like Jeanne d'Arc.

“Grown-ups” told us witches didn’t exist. On Hallowe’en, we pretended to be witches, wearing pointed hats, riding on broomsticks, having talking black cats and mixing magic potions from soda. We’d cackle like Witch Hazel in Little Lulu’s comic stripand the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. “Mythology” was interesting. We were told it was fiction.

When we were very young, adults said Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy were real, only to later find out they weren’t.

We were taught ghosts weren’t real. When I was eleven, I read my first parapsychology book and learned there was evidence they existed, so I decided to research witches. Discovery: Paganism and Witchcraft are religions.

Evils of the Holocaust were recounted. What does this, the Inquisition, witch persecutions and Crusades have in common? Parallels: they were all done in the name of religion….

BTW, other things I didn’t learn in school:

• North Berwick Witches' Persecution
• Witch of Edmonton, England
• The Witches of Zugarramurdi
• Stamford Witch Trials: Kinder, Gentler than Salem
• Witch of Scrapfaggot Green: Historical Documents Evidence Witchcraft Was Once a Capital Offense
• Cats Persecuted as Familiars
• Familiars and Totems: Medieval Times: People Believed Animals Helped Witches in Evil Deeds
• Pagan Symbol of the Sun: Hitler and the Swastika

Posted by Jill Stefko

While I was writing White Witches: Cunning Folk? , I thought about the word, “cunning.” It’s usually used with negative connotations such as sneakiness and calculating. The root of this word is in the Old English, "cunnan," meaning to know, which evolved into "konnyng," denoting clever, skillful or learned. According to several thesauruses, the term is still, but seldom, used with the positive meaning. Cunning folk were also referred to as the Wise Ones, a very constructive term.

I am 1/4 PA Dutch and grew up in this culture’s “country.” As an adult that I became interested in our history and began to study hex signs, Pennsy Dutch Magikcal Art, and PowWow: Pennsy Dutch Arcane Art. What I was taught about hex signs and magickal practices were that these things were mere superstition and nonsense. Research proved this otherwise.

My great-grandparents were called Mammy and Pappy by family and others, terms of respect. She was a very wise woman and he, a PowWow doctor, as well as wise. Connection! The Wise Ones, also a term of respect used by some Native American tribes, often applied to Shamans. I have discovered that this is used by other Europeans to refer to healers and those who worked with the Universe for positive purposes.

In the process of doing research, I learned about Witchcraft Wars, Trials and Hunts in Pennsylvania and the dark side of magick and persecution in Pennsylvania. There was a sensational murder trial that caused the governor to try to eradicate PowWow. The Voodoo Murder of Pennsylvania I: Background and The Voodoo Murder of Pennsylvania II, the Crime and Trialare about this.

American Pagan Folk Protection and Pennsylvania Deutsch Grimoire have information about protective and healing magick.

Posted by Jill Stefko

While I was writing North Berwick Witches' Persecution and Witch of Edmonton, England, I began to wonder how many accused witches were executed during James’ reigns of both countries. He was James VI of Scotland from 1585 to 1603 and James I of England, 1603 to 1625. The exact numbers of victims are unknown because records weren’t always kept. Some, although accused of witchcraft, were charged with another capital crime. The Earl of Bothwell, alleged enemy of James VI, was accused of conspiring with witches, but charged with high treason for political reasons.



James was zealous about ridding witchcraft from his realms. The North Berwick witch persecution, 1590 – 1591, was responsible for witch hunts flourishing in Scotland. It’s estimated that seventy people were accused of witchcraft in North Berwick; however no records exist of the exact amount or how many were executed.



Although the number is high, it’s estimated that between 1563-1603, over 17,000 killed in Scotland.



James believed in the powers of witches.When he became King of England, the crime of witchcraft wasn’t a capital offense unless the alleged witch killed a person by sorcery. The next year, he changed this. Bewitching a person or animal carried a death penalty, even if this was done for a good purpose, like healing. It was also a crime for doctors to use a cadaver for medical research and for one to sell a corpse for this practice. This set the scene for even more intense witch hunts.



It’s estimated that, between 1600 and 1680, 40,000 people were executed for witchcraft in England. The first officially recorded one was Mary Pannel, 1603. The last ones so recorded during James’ reign, were 13 burned to death in Scotland and 2 executed in England in 1622.

Posted by Jill Stefko

While I was writing Witch of Scrapfaggot Green, I thought about the Holocaust, the persecutions of Jews and the 6,000,000 other victims: “mentally ill,” Slavs, Gypsies and homosexuals, and parallels with the witches’ persecutions. Hitler’s secret agenda was to revive Germanic Paganism and exterminate those were in his way. His extermination of Jews resulted in a global outrage he hadn’t expected, leading to his downfall. Next on his agenda were Christians. Pagan Symbol of the Sun: Hitler and the Swastika

In both cases, the groups that spawned hatred within the society and times they lived in were hunted with rabid fervor, tortured and exterminated. Religion played a major role in both outrages. Christian targets were Pagans whom they believed were in league with the devil.

History and politics has their role in genocide. Hitler established the Third Reich. When the witches were persecuted, Christianity and royalty played a key role in governing the people, the former because of its influence on the latter. During the Burning Times, between the late 1500s and 1700s, there were 12,545 recorded executions. Estimates range from 35,184 to 63,850 victims in Europe and America.North Berwick Witches' Persecution is an example of how religion and politics played a role in this travesty. Animals weren’t exempt from the terror as Cats Persecuted as Familiars illustrates.

Other examples of persecution of witches are The Witches of Zugarramurdi, Stamford Witch Trials: Kinder, Gentler than Salem, Witchcraft Wars, Trials and Hunts in Pennsylvania, The Voodoo Murder of Pennsylvania I: Background and The Voodoo Murder of Pennsylvania II, the Crime and Trial.

Posted by Jill Stefko

While I was writing Bat: A Powerful Pagan Symbol, I thought of my “bat experiences.” I think bats are cute, but don’t appreciate their flying near my face. When they walk, they remind me of mice with capes.



My grandmother had a bat that hung upside-down, hibernating, between her window and the storm window. It moved from time to time, then flew away in spring.



My first in-home encounter with a bat was when my son was fifteen. I noticed something flying about. At first, I thought it was a huge moth. Then, I realized what it really was! I yelled to my son about the bat. He threw me his fishing net, a dowel and an Army helmet.



The next encounter was years later. I worked on a psychic line then and was talking to a client. We weren’t allowed to end calls for any reason. The bat kept swooping at my face. Later, I opened the bathroom window and chased the bat in there. It finally left.



The last was when I was temporarily staying at a place until I could find an apartment. I finished drawing a picture of a bat when my roommate talked in her sleep, something about a bat being in the room. Odd…. As strange as it was, it was even eerier when I saw a bat flitting in our room.



I knew we had to open the hall window, but there was a heavy air-conditioner in it. Another woman brought her stepson and his friend over to trap the bat. It bit one of them. Before they told me about the bite, the boys opened the window and the bat was gone. I told the boy he had to get rabies shots, just in case.