The term “Widdershins” (deriving from the Old High German words widar meaning “back/against” and sinnen, “to travel”) means “counterclockwise”, “anticlockwise”, “left-handed direction” or even “coursing in the opposite direction of the sun, in the Northern Hemisphere”. The earliest use of the word, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, shows up in 1513 in the form of the phrase ‘widdersyns start my hair,’, in other words, ‘my hair stood on end,’. ‘Hair standing on end’ or ‘wild/disorderly hair’, was the meaning of the term until the late 16th century, when its current meaning became particularly popular in the Lowland Scots and Scottish Gaelic.
As the Sun was a focal point of most old religions (which is not exceptionally astounding, as primitives counted on the sun for everything from time, to health, to the assurance of harvest), coursing in widdershins was often deemed bad luck. In fact, legendary folklore has it, that demons would advance toward
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Moving in widdershins, in modern Wicca, is occasionally performed during a revocation or undoing of a spell or magickal work, such as closing a circle. The direction of widdershins can also be executed when performing banishing magick or curses. Though, casting curses isn’t particularly recommended.
Enlightening oneself on widdershins, I gather, is largely vital, as it is important (especially in spellworking) to know exactly what you are doing, invariably and consistently. One would not want to come across a spell or ritual and see “Walk widdershins...”, then start walking in a funny way or walk and exclaim “Widdershins!” the entire way, because it will not work. Or, possibly, if one were to get widdershins confused with deosil, they may end up executing something that was not in their intentions. Consciousness of these two terms, in my opinion, is
In 1939, the movie The Wizard of Oz made its debut in the United States. Based off the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the movie displays the mystical adventure of a young girl, Dorothy Gale. Beginning in Kansas on Dorothy’s aunt and uncle’s farm, the film focuses around Dorothy and her monotonous life. Shortly into the movie, Dorothy and her dog, Toto, are swept away by a twister and dropped off in the magical Land of Oz. Here she meets the Good Witch of the North, Glinda. She tells Dorothy to follow the Yellow Brick Road and find the Wizard, who can grant Dorothy her wish of returning to Kansas. Along her path to the Emerald City, where the Wizard of Oz lives, she encounters the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion.
What images come to mind when you think of witches? Many people immediately imagine a black pointy hat, bubbling cauldron, green warty skin, and Halloween. Usually the image that comes to mind is something scary and evil. Real witches do exist. Most modern witches go by the label Wiccan now. Wiccans practice Wicca, which is a nature-based religion with many different branches or denominations. The basic tenant of all Wicca is called the Three Fold Law. The Three Fold Law states that whatever you do will come back to you times three, good or bad, so do not cause harm or, in other words, “harm none”. It is kind of like the concept of karma in one lifetime. There is debate over how old the religion actually is with some saying that it is an ancient religion that pre-dates Christianity and some saying it is more modern, starting in the 1950’s with Gerald Gardener. Regardless of how old the religion is, Hollywood’s portrayal of witches often does have some kernel of truth, albeit sometimes it is hard to find.
However Vala mentions that the Sun didn’t have her “hall” yet or know her purpose nor did Moon, noted to be Sun’s companion, know its purpose yet. The Northern Europeans understandably associated the sun and moon together as it appeared that one rose at night and one in the morning and both celestial objects glowed and must’ve held a purpose or influenced life on earth.
During 1939, The Wizard of Oz made its debut in the United States. Based off the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the movie displays the mystical adventure of a young girl, Dorothy Gale. Beginning in Kansas on Dorothy’s aunt and uncle’s farm, the film focuses around Dorothy and her monotonous life. Shortly into the movie, Dorothy and her dog, Toto, are swept away by a twister and dropped off in the magical Land of Oz. Here she meets the Good Witch of the North, Glinda. She advises Dorothy to follow the Yellow Brick Road and find the Wizard, who can grant Dorothy her wish of returning to Kansas. Along her path to the Emerald City, where the Wizard of Oz lives, she encounters the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. Each
The growing practice of Neo-Paganism in America has caused many to turn their heads. The misunderstanding of the religion has caused many to equate the practitioners with the popular conception of typical "witches," that perform black magic rituals, satanic sacrifices, and engage in devil-inspired orgies. After many years, the Neo-Pagan community has cleared up many misconceptions through the showing that many of them do not engage in activities, and are rather participating in a religion, just as those would that participate in a Christian community. It's unacceptance continues, perhaps due to its non-conformity to the ideal of worshipping a Christian God. Through the use of ethnography, anthropologists and sociologists are able to present the public with a much different view than what we are bombarded with in popular media.
Imagine you are walking through the woods, it’s chilly and from a distance you hear a chanting floating across the wind. The sound has an eerie lulling sound, urging you to follow the new melody. Your curiosity gets the best of you so you follow the noise. You enter a clearing and witness a group of individuals around a fire, chanting and dancing. What is your first impression? Have you stumbled upon a satanic cult? Or maybe are you witnessing a vibrant, misunderstood religion. Wicca, is a religion very commonly misunderstood to be affiliated with the devil and rituals containing black magic. To the uneducated mind, this is what we think when we hear the word Wicca, or more commonly known as Witch.
This line of the Wiccan Rede refers to casting a circle. When we cast a circle we are creating an energy field for protection, this keeps any unwanted energies from interfering with our magic.
The sun has been an endless source of inspiration, both physical and spiritual, throughout the ages. For its light, warmth, and the essential role it has played in the maintenance of the fragile balance of life on earth, the sun has been honored and celebrated in most of the world's religions. While the regeneration of light is constant, the relative length of time between the rising and setting of the sun is affected by the changing of the seasons. Hippocrates postulated centuries ago that these changing patterns of light and dark might cause mood changes (9). Seasonal downward mood changes of late fall and winter have been the subject of many sorrowful turn-of-the-century poems of lost love and empty souls. For some, however, “the relationship between darkness and despair is more than metaphoric (6).
Casting a circle is one of the most basic magickal acts that a Witch does. Circles are used for rituals and sometimes magickal workings. A circle does a number of things. Most importantly, it protects the practitioner(s) from spirits, negative energies, and other nasty things out there. With that in mind, please be sure to practice with extreme care and be sincere in what you are doing. Abide by the Wiccan Reed* and you should be fine. The circle also serves as a sacred place in which to do ritual workings like sabbat celebrations and certain spells. The circle keeps the energy in a contained area so that it can be concentrated and strengthened as much as possible before it goes out to do its job. So without “further ado” here is how...
The controversies that surround Wicca start with its exact origin. There are some who believe that it has its origins in Witchcraft due to the similarities between the two. Witchcraft itself is a Pagan practice [polytheistic and non-Christian, Muslim and Jewish in origin] that began with the Celts around 700 B.C. As the movie The Burning Times depicts, the region during this time period was primarily a rural culture so the Celtic traditions were based completely on Nature. Their months were even named after trees and their festivals revolved around the solstices and equinoxes (Steiger). A polytheistic religion, they worshiped a host of female and male deities and are most notably associated with the concept of Goddess worship, a strong belief in the divinity of the female (Burning Times). These paganistic beliefs and rituals gradually over the centuries combined with other European religious practices, such as magic, potions, and ointments for healing, to form what we call in modern times Witchcraft. Groups who did not hav...
Evoke; not to be confused with invoke, is to call upon and to summon [a spirit or ethereal being]; to call forth, as per Witchipedia. The term Evoke is used to refer to when a practitioner is trying to ask for help in a spell or ritual from a higher being and/or deity; it is to bring forth an extra source of power that exists outside of yourself, to aid you in your spell work, as per Patti Wingington of Evoke & Invoke.According to Arnaud Thuly , Evoke “comes from the Latin ex vocare, meaning to call forth without” – in other words to participate, not to possess. This also extends to casting a circle of protection, which is a practice used by many witches to ensure their protection against any ill willed beings.
Page 299). However, the Church said it was the wrath of God. The priests explained that people had sinned which included sins of greed, sins of pride, sins of thieving, sins of envy, sins of lying and sins of anger. An uncommon cause was that people thought that the movement of the stars would tell when plague struck while some places even belie... ... middle of paper ... ...
"And the sun was white, as though chidden of God,"(2) This is indicative of the modernist approach to light as being too harsh and not a positive factor. Chidden means scolded, rebuked, or even blamed. God is not looking favorably upon these people.
A fairy tale is seemingly a moral fiction, intended mainly for children. A lesson in critical analysis, however, strips this guise and reveals the naked truth beneath; fairy tales are actually vicious, logical and sexual stories wearing a mask of deceptively easy language and an apparent moral. Two 19th Century writers, the Grimm brothers, were masters at writing these exaggerated stories, bewitching young readers with their prose while padding their stories with allusion and reference: an example of which is "Rapunzel." Grimm's "Rapunzel" is packed with religious symbolism, which lends a new insight to the meaning of this classic story.
Throughout much of the Glass Menagerie there is symbolism. Weather the symbolism is in the name Blue roses, which Jim calls Lora, or the unique glass unicorn. The Glass Menagerie, written by Tennessee Williams, consists of a brother. sister, and a nagging mother. “In his drama, the Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams uses symbolism in order to develop multi-faceted characters and to display the recurring themes of the play. These various symbols appear throughout the entire piece, and they are usually disguised as objects or imagery” Within the story Williams hides many hidden meaning or symbols. Symbols are the used to represent an underline meaning, instead of come out and saying it. There are two main symbols that show up in the play; the glass menagerie, and the fire escape.