Spotlight on Witchcraft II: A Samhain Sabbat

Samhain (pronounced so-wen) is generally considered to be the Pagan New Year, celebrated by witches (Wiccans) in the Northern hemisphere. (Since the celebrations are tied to nature, Samhain is celebrated at a different time of the year in the Southern hemisphere). 


Samhain is associated with harvesting and thus the time when plants stop their growth. Often called the festival of the dead, it is the time when witches believe that the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest. 


I had the fortune of spending Samhain with witches in Salem. Based on my amateur estimate there were about 200 in attendance of the Samhain Sabbat at Gallows Hill Park. 


Most were wearing black cloaks, some were wearing costumes that would be more associated with Halloween rather than Samhain. 


(That's to be expected, some witches believe that you should dress as something you wish to emulate in the new year for Samhain. So if you want to perceive yourself as more powerful you can dress up as Thor.)


I met up with a group of witches in front of Nu Aeon, a magical supply shop, and from there we walked to Gallows Hill Park where 19 people accused of being witches had been hanged in 1692 (or at least one of our guesses where this happened).

Celtic Knot

During this walk, volunteers were asked to carry banners, such as a naked Artemis, Celtic Knot, and the wheel of Hecate.

At the beginning of the walk, I heard shouts of Jesus! Jesus! directed at us. 



The walk was approximately 1.6 miles and through virtually every residential area there were people were recording our walk with their cell phones. 

Wheel of Hecate

When my group arrived, there were already some people there doing ritual preparations. Some were drumming and some were drawing a magic circle with what I suspect to be sea salt. 


It was chilly, but not too cold. The trees in the park were starting to turn different shades of orange, red, and yellow. It looked like autumn; it looked like harvest time. 



People already in the circle left the circle to come greet us so that we could form the circle with everyone. I saw people walking slowly through an arch adorned with fall colored plants similar to one that might be used for an outdoor fall wedding. 


As I got closer there were gatekeepers in black robes, many hiding behind mirrors. They were tasked with asking questions prior to our entrance into the circle. 


One woman sprinkled water on me with a feather and asked me what I was going to leave behind (remember its the Pagan New Year). I answered doubts. 


Next there was a pair of women with mirrors, one of which asked me who I was and how I served humanity. I answered that I was a writer and I served humanity by being fair to those I write about.


These were deep questions and with an estimated 100 people behind me waiting to be let through, it was more pressure than I expected. But, I did manage my answers relatively quickly and was allowed to enter. 



Finally after being asked to gaze into a mirror I was allowed through the threshold and enter the circle. 



It took some time for everyone to go through this ritual, so I stood there observing for some time before anything happened. 


During this time priests wearing colorful robes greeted everyone in the circle. One of them was passing  around Dandelion seeds to remember my ancestors. (Remember the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest on this day). 


Once everyone was in the circle we did what was called a spiral dance. (Well most of us walked). But as we did so we interwove with other parts of the circle while chanting/singing:

We are a circle

Within a circle

With no beginning

And never ending 

After this, it took us some time to reform the circle. Also, at the request of the leaders we formed two circles. 


After this rearrangement was done we asked the Guardians of the North, East, South, and West to protect the circle separately and in a singsong chant. 


Then we asked protection from the Horned God and the Triple Goddess (remember Wiccans have a duotheistic theological system)


While we had the protection of the circle we were asked to recall our ancestors and feel their presence with us. When allowed I like to at least attempt to immerse myself in the experience. So I brought to my mind my grandfather. 


And I did remember.  I do not think this is magic, if by magic you mean supernatural; but rather a psychological effect. I remembered how he would give me high fives. 


I remembered him watching Westerns usually with John Wayne. He complained that at the beginning of a movie the good guy couldn't shoot, couldn't fight, and had 4 shots in his 6 shooter, but at the end of the movie he was deadly accurate, fought well, and had 10 shots in his 6 shooter. 


Then we were asked to say out loud what we wanted for the future. I did not respond to this, but many others did. Some of the answers were: peace, love, harmony, religious tolerance, and the like. 


After this someone returned wine, bead, and milk to the earth as a sacrifice and then offered a dumb supper (a supper offered in silence) to our ancestors. 


This was a minimalistic dumb supper, in that we were only tasked with staying quiet for a few moments. Unlike more elaborate dumb suppers. 


At the end we asked the Guardians, the Horned God, and the Goddess to go in peace. And it was remarked by one of the leaders who went by the name Gypsy that they were blessed to live in a place where they could practice their magic openly. 



Then the leaders praised the police escort for accompanying us on our way back to Salem. 


They passed out pentacle cookies and we lit candles to further honor our ancestors on our walk back. The lit candles were placed at a grave site in further remembrance at the end of our walk back.


(I will give analysis and recap of Wicca in my final post.) 

Spotlight on Witchcraft I: Review of The Power of the Witch by Laurie Cabot

In this series I take a look at Wicca or Witchcraft. As always I will start with a book summary/review, after that my future posts in this series will cover my recent experience in Salem for Samhain (pronounced so-wen, seriously exactly like that, so--wen). 



Laurie Cabot is the official witch of Salem, mother of two witches, and author of several books, including The Power of the Witch: The Earth, the Moon, and the Magical Path to Enlightenment, Celebrate the Earth: A Year of Holidays in the Pagan Tradition, and The Witch in Every Woman: Reawakening the Magical Nature of the Feminine to Heal, Protect, Create, and Inspire.


(Her titles are long, but at least she uses the oxford comma). 


First, what contemporary witchcraft isn't. It isn't Satan worship or Satanism (actually Satanism isn't usually Satan worship). Wicca isn't (usually) a group gothic women dancing naked under a full moon. 


They don't have black masses that invert the Catholic mass (that actually is Satanism, though typically these black masses are usually a 'symbolic revolt'). It isn't spinster or jealous women casting evil spells.


What witchcraft is, will be the subject of this post, at least as represented by Laurie Cabot in The Power of the Witch. 

Book Summary:

• Witchcraft or Wicca, is a craft, something that is done, not just something you believe.
• Witches create new rituals based on their principles and beliefs.
• Witchcraft is a science, with methods that are repeatable and consistent.
• Witchcraft includes the use of various objects for magic including, crystals, wands, and herbs.
• Some magic can be done without items, such as psychic diagnosis or finding parking spaces. 

Extended Summary and Analysis:

Practices:

Seriously finding parking spaces seems to be a recurring theme for Cabot. There are four separate stories about using magic to find parking in The Power of the Witch. 


But how does magic work? (Finding parking would be a useful spell for virtually any college student who drives to campus) 

Remember how I told you that magic is scientific? Well the first thing you need to do is get yourself into an alpha brain state, which is characterized by being awake and relaxed. This is "the scientific basis for magic" (pg. 182). 

Comparison of the different types of brain states.  Cabot believes that all magic must be done while in this brain state. So the first advice she gives for anyone practicing magic is to learn how to induce this state in yourself.  Cabot endorses two ways to get yourself into an alpha state. The first, crystal countdown, involves imagining various number and color combinations in the following sequence with your eyes closed: red 7, orange 6, yellow 5, green 4, blue 3, indigo 2, and violet 1. Then count down from 10 to 1 to deepen the alpha state.  Then you say to yourself "I am now in alpha, and everything I do will be accurate and correct, and this is so" (pg. 185).  Once you are experienced with the crystal countdown method, there is a faster way to go into alpha. Since you can't close your eyes while driving around looking for a parking lot, this quicker method is what you would use to find parking.  While in alpha you can perform you magic, including charging items in a magic circle, psychic diagnosis, or creating potions.  Beliefs: Generally witches recognize the Horned God and the Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother, and Crone) as the main deities.  This is called a duotheistic theological system, because there are two Gods recognized equally.  The Horned God represents the male part of divinity and the Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother, Crone) the female part. They can be called upon for protection for magic circles.  While Cabot admits that Wiccans can see examples of the relevant archetypes in many traditions, she herself takes the vast majority of her examples and stories from Celtic traditions.  Also, she claims that her style of magic (and presumably most contemporary Wiccans) originated with the ancient Celts. (Though she leaves open the possibility of other styles of magic) Wiccans celebrate holidays based on the Celtic calendar and think of time as a turning of the wheel.  The most recent turn was Samhain (Oct. 31), the Pagan New Year. It is the point in which the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest, thus it is the best time to communicate with your ancestors.  There are seven other sabbats: Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh (or Lammas), and Mabon. All are characterized by a changing of nature. Morality: The principle: An (if) it harm none, do what ye will. Is the key moral code of most Wiccans. This means that curses are usually forbidden and that any magic you do must be given thought as to not harm.  For instance, if you have someone that is somehow making your life miserable there are magical solutions. However, you must be careful. According to Cabot all spells should end with some version of 'that is correct and for the good of all,' (page 217).  Analysis: It was Gerald B. Gardner who "...claimed to have discovered a coven in England that had followed the Old Ways rather continuously..." (pg. 81).  Thus, witchcraft is at least partially a reconstruction. It was not the English coven who revived these (literally) pagan practices, but someone who was taught by them. Given that Wicca is a reconstruction and given that the description of witches in Medieval Europe is vastly different than the self-description of contemporary witches, her usual identification with them is questionable.  I am only aware of her addressing this topic once and it is embedded in commentary about the Salem Witch Trials. She says whether they were witches or not, we should adopt them as such because they died for our freedom (pgs. 78-79).   She is not quite as careful to make this distinction in other places however. Consider this passage: During the Burning Times 80 percent of the millions of people who were executed for practicing Witchcraft were women. Even today most practitioners of the Craft are women... (pg. 15). Nothing in this passage disavows the connection between those executed as witches during the Burning Times and contemporary witches. The comparison even seems to be encouraged. This missing link in the historical connection does not mean that contemporary Witchcraft is somehow inferior or inauthentic. It's just that I personally question whether or not it is as thoroughly connected to the past as they would sometimes like to claim.  Bottom Line: I sincerely believe that for the individuals who practice Wicca that these people are being authentic. That is they are 'true believers' or perhaps more accurately 'true practitioners' (in the sense that they believe that the magic they practice has true effects in the world).  And their beliefs and practices are not completely divorced from history, but rather that the links are thinner than in some other religions.  However, many religions often overemphasize their continuity with the past. For instance, Christianity in America used to be primarily Calvinist and the majority believed in predestination; now that is no longer the case. Yet no politician talking about America's Christian past will stress these theological differences. In short religious authenticity is not derived solely from history, but rather in the seriousness in which people practice their religion.  My next post will feature a description and commentary on a Samhain Sabbat in Salem, Mass.

Spotlight on Christian Science III: My remaining concerns & confusions

In this post I was able to call in a favor from a friend who is a practicing Christian Scientist to clarify his position on some of my remaining confusions. I want to emphasize that these responses are his alone and may not reflect the totality of Christian Science. (Also, no single individual reflects the totality of any religion)


I also want to emphasize is that reading a primary text, such as Science and Health, is different than reading a theology or philosophy book. Primary texts have a history of interpretation, something that must be taken into account for any serious attempt at understanding a tradition. This is one of the reasons you need to talk to people to understand particular religions more fully. 


(All quotes unless otherwise specified are from Mary Baker Eddy's Science and Health, the textbook of Christian Science)

Confusion 1: Body

I am unsure whether the human body counts as physical or spiritual in Christian Science. 

I think of the body as material, perhaps that is a sticking point that I am just not able to get over, but as I type this my physical fingers are striking the physical keys. Yet it is an "erroneous postulate" that man has a material body (pg. 92). 

There does seem to be a body though: "Become conscious for a single moment that Life and intelligence are purely spiritual... and the body will then utter no complaints (pg. 14)."

Even Jesus has a "true flesh and blood" (pg. 25). 

When I wrote about there being no body in the first post of this series. I was attempting to contrast the idea that traditionally Christianity unites body with soul in their concept of a person (though this is swiftly changing based on the increasing popularity of cremation). 

My confusion: the word body implies a materiality or at least corporeality. If all we are is spirit why talk about the body; i.e. why does Jesus have "true flesh and blood?"

Response:

Remember the dream section in Science and Health, Eddy states that we have bodies in dreams, that's how we do things in the world. Healing is a side effect of realizing our spiritual nature, not the goal. But corporeal flesh and blood are not Truth; we are fundamentally spiritual. 

Addendum: This tweet from Christian Science probably best explains it.

Confusion 2: Death

In Christian Science death is an illusion:

"DEATH. An illusion, the lie of life in matter; the unreal and untrue; the opposite of Life....Matter has no life, hence it has no real existence. Mind is immortal. The flesh, warring against Spirit; that which frets itself free from one belief only to be fettered by another, until every belief of life where Life is not yields to eternal Life. Any material evidence of death is false, for it contradicts the spiritual facts of being. (pg. 584)"


Death may not even be necessary for immortality:



"Then being will be recognized as spiritual, and death will be obsolete, though now some insist that death is the necessary prelude to immortality (pg. 90)"


Yet the dead MAY be stuck on life and be part of the mortal plane:


"If the departed are in rapport with mortality, or matter, they are not spiritual, but must still be mortal, sinning, suffering, and dying. (pg.78)"


Eddy does believe that this is unlikely. And in the event that the departed do communicate with the living, they are too stuck on materiality and are not fully immortal or spiritual. 


My confusion about Death is dual. 



1) If death is ever not a necessary prelude to immortality, can we live for ever on this existence or do we get raptured, etc...? 



2) Why say death is completely illusory? If after someone's existence in this world ceases they are no longer able to communicate with the living is this not a significant event that needs a name? Thus, why not reinterpret death rather than calling it an illusion?

Response:

(After sometime talking about it). The exact possibilities of life after the dissolution of the material body are not important in Christian Science. Granted re-incarnation is not a possibility, but the fact that Eddy talks about ghosts and other possibilities is simply to say if there are ghosts then they are still mortal because they have not yet fully realized that their true nature is spiritual. 

Confusion 3: Atonement

There are various theories concerning how atonement works in Christianity. However, the vast majority of Christians today believe (in some form) that we are primarily saved through God's grace through Christ. (Though Catholics generally emphasize works more than Protestants).

In Christian Science, atonement comes slowly and Christ's crucifixion only seems important because we were shown Truth.

Christ's resurrection was primarily (perhaps only?) a demonstration of the power of Christian Science. Unsurprisingly, Christ is called the "way-shower" (pg. 30). 

This demonstration means, not that we are saved by grace, but that we have been shown a way to go. This way will be very difficult and requires much repentance.

For instance, a music teacher demonstrates technique in order to teach music, but the student must practice themselves (analogy adapted from pg. 26). Christ used his sacrifice to demonstrate (teach) the principles of Christian Science. 

My confusion: is Christ's crucifixion necessary for individual atonement and salvation, if it was used primarily as a demonstration? Could we teach ourselves Truth, like someone can study music on their own?

If so it would have more in common with the moral influence theory of atonement that was more popular in early Christianity.

Response:

Atonement in the traditional Christian sense is not an accurate word; but she does talk about at-one-ment. This means the responsibility is that people have to work to get closer to God, instead of vice versa. Christ was a person who understood the principles of Christian Science the best; perhaps the only one (so far) that got it right. But he also said that greater works will follow you, his resurrection was a demonstration. 

Final Word (for now):

I do not hesitate based on my own judgment to categorize religions. I do recognize that I am entering into a contested internal debate. However, outsiders have to make sense of the religious landscape as a whole and we cannot do that without forming judgments.

Delving deeper into Christian Science theology, I think its theology is definitely Christian. Though probably it's own branch. 

One good way to decide how a theology and religion should be classified is to look at its problems and solutions, similar to Stephen Prothero's approach in God is Not One.

The problem of Christianity is sin and salvation is the solution. 

Granted this is not quite as straightforward with Christian Science, because it increases the relevance of sickness as a problem. However, the solutions are the same, repentance and salvation.