mickey mkuse

Wicca is a modern pagan, witchcraft religion that emerged in the mid-20th century. It is a nature-based religion that honors and worships deities associated with the natural world. One significant aspect of Wiccan belief is the recognition and reverence for the changing seasons. In Wicca, the seasons are celebrated through what is known as the Wheel of the Year, which includes eight festivals or sabbats. These sabbats mark the different stages of the solar year and the cycles of nature. One important sabbat that is celebrated in Wicca is the festival of Ostara, which falls around the spring equinox.

1 author picked The Astronomer & the Witch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

His publications include The Witchcraft Sourcebook 2004 , Witch-Hunting in Scotland Law, Politics and Religion 2008 , The Devil Within Possession and Exorcism in the Christian West 2013. Perhaps a bit too lengthy, but I found it easy to glide over a few specialized sections in favor of detailed dramatizations of several key confrontations.

One important sabbat that is celebrated in Wicca is the festival of Ostara, which falls around the spring equinox. During Ostara, Wiccans honor the return of spring and the renewal of life after the cold and dark winter months. This festival is associated with various symbols and themes, including the spring goddess.

The WITCH HUNTS
(A.D. 1400-1800)
Main Contents Page

From the fifteenth to the eighteenth the centuries, many Europeans developed a heightened concern with the phenomenon of witchcraft, seeing a new sect hostile to humanity. Thus, governments and society organized "hunts" for these alleged witches: accusing, torturing, and executing thousands of people. The intensity and viciousness of these hunts varied from place to place, as did their focus on particular targets, such as women. Finally, a changed world-view, informed by the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, brought an end to these hunts for threats that did not empirically exist.

Ten Theories about the Causes of the Witch Hunts
ideas by historians about the origins of the Witch Hunts

These pages, as part of Prof. Pavlac's Women's History Resource Site, hope to contribute to a better understanding of this dreadful historical chapter of Western Civilization. These pages have been developed out of the following courses:

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Some of the site contents have been written by students, of varying ability. Some pages have been only minimally edited and may contain inadequate information. You should use these pages as only a starting point for research about the facts, scholarship and internet sites available concerning historical women. And Prof. Pavlac usually does not have much further information on any subjects beyond that which is already provided on any particular page.
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In addition to the brief summary below, this site includes the following pages which provide resources for understanding the phenomenon of the European Witch Hunts:

Brief Historical Summary of the European Witch Hunts
by Erin Nummey, 1998

The European Witch Craze started roughly during conclusion of the 15th century and peaked during the first half of the seventeenth century. The belief that women were sinful and had the power of the devil within them developed out of the Middle Ages. The Reformation further promoted the idea of a satanic kingdom of evil on earth with which to justify persecutions. Theologians sought to prove that accused witches represented the devil.

The first and most significant written cumulative concept of witchcraft available to a large audience was the Malleus Maleficarum written by Sprenger and Kraemer. It was first published in 1486 and reprinted fourteen times before 1520. The document made an important contribution to the widespread witch hunt. Most people accused of witchcraft were rural, poor, and single women. The hunts are often seen as a massive effort to keep women in their place. Women were seen as evil, and unclean people whose weakness could summon the devil for sexual intercourse.

The Malleus Maleficarum document ignited a widespread hunt for the so-called witches described in it. During the hunt, witches were accused of "impractical" and "traceless" crimes such as intercourse with the devil, unregistered babies from hidden pregnancies who were supposedly eaten or sacrificed, and even natural disasters. However there is no record of any solid evidence for any of these accused crimes.

Often these hunts were instigated by hysterical children, or nuns who accused relatives, and neighbors of these outrageous crimes. Witnesses were often bribed or threatened in order to prosecute the accused. The accused would then be tortured until they confessed. The methods of torture were very cruel and painful, and almost all who were put through the various devices would confess. In some cases the accused would die of torture, and very few survived the ordeal without confessing. However, the accused was set free if they survived the torture without a confession. After the forced confession, the trial took place. These trials were run by genuine believers of witchcraft. The aim of the trial was to exterminate the witches as conspirators with the devil. When the accused was declared guilty, they were usually executed.

Although, there are many estimates as to how many actual people were killed during these hunts, most estimates show the number well below the one-million mark. The actual number of documented executions, is generally considered to be under one hundred thousand. Of all that were executed, only a minority were men, and of those men, many are those who tried to protect accused women from the hunters.

Within Wiccan tradition, there are different deities that are associated with the energies and qualities of spring. The Wiccan spring goddess is often seen as a representation of fertility, growth, and the blooming of new life. She symbolizes the awakening of nature and the reemergence of plants, animals, and the earth from their dormant state. This goddess is believed to bring about the balance of light and darkness during the spring equinox. In Wiccan rituals and ceremonies, the spring goddess is invoked and honored through prayers, offerings, and rituals. Wiccans may create altars dedicated to the spring goddess, adorned with flowers, plants, and symbols of fertility. They may also perform dances, chants, and meditations to connect with her energy and to celebrate the arrival of spring. Different Wiccan traditions may have their own specific names and forms for the spring goddess. Some commonly recognized goddesses associated with spring in Wicca include Ostara, Eostre, Persephone, and Brigid. These goddesses are often depicted as beautiful, youthful, and embodying the vitality and rejuvenation of the spring season. Overall, the Wiccan spring goddess holds a significant place in Wiccan beliefs and practices. She is revered and celebrated as a manifestation of the life-giving and regenerative aspects of nature. Through honoring the spring goddess, Wiccans seek to align themselves with the cycles of the earth and to embrace the energies of growth, rebirth, and transformation that accompany the arrival of spring..

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