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http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLE...tches.html
The popular icon of a witch is an ugly old woman riding across the sky on her magic broomstick and wearing a pointed hat. But as with all mythologies there is an element of truth behind the image. Witches did ride brooms, after a fashion, the brooms were magic, in a way, and the pointed hat was the mildest of the punishments inflicted on them for their activities!
During the time leading up to the witchcraft trials in Europe, the staple bread was made with rye. In a small town where the bread was fresh baked this was just fine, but as Europe began to urbanize and the bread took more time to get from bakery to grocer, the rye bread began to host a mold called "ergot.
Ergot, in high doses, can be lethal, a fact that led to the rise in popularity of wheat bread, which is resistant to ergot mold.
In smaller doses, ergot is a powerful hallucinogenic drug. And because the enjoyment of such things is not confined to this age alone, it became quite popular among those who were inclined towards herbalism and folk cures. It's mentioned in Shakespeare's plays, and turns up in virtually every contemporary writing of the witchcraft age. In particular, it is the inevitable central ingredient in the ointment that witches rubbed their broomsticks with.
You see, when eaten, there was the risk of death, but when absorbed through the thin tissues of the female genitals, the hallucinogenic effects were more pronounced with less ill-effects. The modern image of a witch riding a broomstick was inspired by the sight of a woman rubbing herself on the drug coated smooth stick of her broom, writhing in the throes of hallucinations, and no doubt, some intense orgasms as well. To her unsophisticated neighbors, such a sight would have been terrifying. The lack of an equivalent mechanism for men is one reason why "witchcraft" was seen as a predominantly female phenomenon. The addition of clothing to the witch is a modern embellishment to protect 'Family Values'."
In any event, what follows is a brief expansion on witches, brooms, and ergot, illustrated by woodcuts from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.
The beginnings of the flying myth.
The first stories of "flying ointments" were recorded in the early 1400's. In those cases, mention was made only that the witches dreamt they were flying. Watched all night long, the witches were not seen to actually leave, but would awake with lurid stories of far away gatherings.
While the forged "grimoires" produced by the clergy prosecutors wove lurid tales of the boiled fat of a child as the central ingredient of the flying potion, the reality is that the concoction was based on easily available herbs such as aconite, nightshade, belladonna, and alcohol.
The clergy, eager to so horrify the masses as to remove all resistance to the abuses of the Inquisition cast all witches as a threat to the children, just as Hitler would later do to the Jews, and the present government to the internet. This myth of using a child's fat for a flying potion has no basis in historical fact, but persists to this very day, and was used as a story element in the film, "Warlock".
Of all the folk drugs available to the witches, ergot was the most powerful, and the most dangerous. In use as a hallucinogen it was absorbed through the skin, most quickly through the thin tissues of the female genitals. "Flying ointment" was administered by rubbing it on a smooth wooden pole such as a broomstick, and then "riding" the pole.
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Seems somebody always has to dig up this old thing every Halloween, the least they could do is change the language instead of copying the same old ignorant stuff.
Here's another view, one that has some real research behind it http://www.pantheon.org/areas/featured/w...ter-1.html-
"Unfortunately, much of what is known about Witchcraft is based on superstitious nonsense, causing a bias toward a large group of people. This is unacceptable in today's enlightened society, when most people try avoiding bigotry and prejudice. There has never been a group of people as misunderstood as those who follow Witchcraft, or as its followers call it, the Old Religion. It is estimated that nine million people have been humiliated, tortured and murdered because the world did not comprehend their ancient way of life.
In its purest form, the Old Religion is nature worship. It is also called Wicca, or The Way of the Wise People, and the followers are far from evil - they see themselves as guardians of the Earth and servants of a nature goddess. They are connected with the seasons, the plants, the animals and the planet, and seek a balanced life. They have much in common with ecologists. True, nothing in this world is untainted, and in the long history of Witchcraft there have been those who followed Satanism, Devil worship, Black Magic, Shamanism and Voodoo, among many other cults. But besides the fact that all those disciplines profess to the ability of creating magic, they have very little in common with true Witchcraft.
Naturally, a good old village witch, who had to make a living selling her products and services, was a bit of a ham. While she could simply live and work in a clean cottage full of fragrant medicinal herbs, it looked much more convincing if she had a skull and a few bones on a shelf. It wouldn't hurt if her trusty cat was all glossy black rather than a tabby. The sound of a bubbling cauldron had a good effect. And the broom looked better if it was a bit charred by fire. The customers could imagine her flying out of her chimney, cackling gleefully to herself as the sparks almost caught the broomstick. The image was good for business.
But when the great Witch Craze began in earnest, and the witches lost their places as the village doctors to become the enemies of the Church, people no longer knew what was true and what was not. It was all a mix, anyway. Take the old broom, for instance. A witch never really rode it through the air, of course. Where did this bizarre story come from?
The answer is surprisingly simple. Witches used long, dark wooden poles to perform a special fertility dance. They rode the pole as if it was a hobbyhorse, and jumped as high into the air as possible. They believed that the higher they jumped, the better the crops could grow. Sometimes they "rode" the poles to their nightly gatherings, jumping up and down all the way. Occasionally the neighbors saw them, though they wouldn't follow them too far, as ordinary folks were superstitious and afraid of the dark in those days. The neighbors couldn't quite understand what the witches were doing, singing and jumping like that. Could they be preparing to take off and fly? It seemed very likely. Of course all the witches' doings were secretive, it was part of the Old Religion. They had to do something with this pole between festivals. So what better way to hide its purpose than to disguise it as a broom? All you had to do was to tie a few twigs and branches around it, and there it was, ready to sweep your cottage.
The Old Religion existed since the Stone Age. In a tradition that old, there have to be some rituals and forms of worship that may not appeal to everyone. Witches are aware of it and keep their practices to themselves. With very few exceptions, such as Sybil Leek or Aleister Crowley, who for various reasons made it their business to be known openly as witches, you won't know who they are. Secrecy is essential, because even in today's enlightened society, with all the laws against witches repealed, the presence of a witch still produces anxiety in a community, sometimes even direct persecution. Imagine if suddenly it becomes known in your hometown that the owner of the grocery store, or the plumber, or the lawyer who lives across the street, is a practicing witch. Imagine if it is your doctor, or the principal of your school. They will not be burned at the stake, of course. But the town, most likely, will either stop using their services or demand their resignation. It has happened many times.
The secrecy makes it difficult for those who have an open mind and truly want to understand. Who are these elusive people? What do they really believe in? Where have they originated? Do they have inherited traits, giving them paranormal, psychic powers? Do they cause harm to anyone? One thing is clear. From our earliest history, from the very beginning, the witches have been with us.
There are certain caves, at archaeological sites dating 30,000 BCE, located in the regions between Russia and Spain. On the walls, and even on the ceilings of some of them, there are many carvings and paintings of easily recognizable animals, mostly bisons, antelopes, horses, bulls and deer. They are beautifully and realistically executed in both black and colored scenes. The artists were good observers and could draw the animals with amazing accuracy. However, there is also a repeated representation of a mysterious creature, who could not have possibly roamed the plains with the animals. He is half man, half animal. His face is human, but he has large horns adorning his head. He is covered with fur and has a tail, but he stands upright and his feet and hands are human. His eyes are large, sad, wise and very human. Many archaeologists agree that he is the image of a sorcerer or witch, a powerful member of an ancient pagan religion. His followers probably believed that he was a "shape changer," a man who could make magic and change at will to an animal form. This school of archaeology believes that Western Witchcraft is a continuation of this pagan religion.
Other theories are a lot less likely and if considered each by itself, only partially explain the complicated origin of Witchcraft. Some people believe that witches were indeed in league with the Devil. This is an outdated, primitive approach, particularly for those with a scientific turn of mind, and a healthy skepticism about the existence of such an entity as the Devil.
Another theory is based on the belief that all the witches' activities are based on nothing but hallucinations. Smearing their bodies with hallucinogenic drugs could account for flying dreams, images of savage demons and other interesting details of their Sabbaths. Undoubtedly some covens did use drugs. There will be a chapter in this book, devoted to the flora and fauna associated with Witchcraft, and it must be admitted right here that not all plants were grown just for healing. Belladonna, Monkshood, Datura, and Nightshade were often used at the festivals, and they were hallucinogenic when properly prepared. But they were only a small part of the activities, mostly recreational in nature or an aid to altered states of consciousness. Dismissing the entire proceedings as hallucinogenic dreams is, at best, an oversimplification of a very complex subject."
Thanks GR for that article. I really like to hear this as apposed to the other.
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GR, I had no idea the story wasn't true. It sounded true and that's why it was posted. Thanks for posting another view on the broom. :)
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I don't mean to be contentious here but...
The truth is that it is essentially true . Please point out the falsehood in the article.
The flying on the broom was a reference to astral traveling and yes,most definitely,sometimes with the help of hallucinogens.They were after all knowledgable in herbs and how to use them.
The broom used to be left outside a door of a home if the woman of the house wasn't home thus the reference to traveling on a broom.
From the posted source above.
Another theory is based on the belief that all the witches' activities are based on nothing but hallucinations. Smearing their bodies with hallucinogenic drugs could account for flying dreams, images of savage demons and other interesting details of their Sabbaths. Undoubtedly some covens did use drugs. There will be a chapter in this book, devoted to the flora and fauna associated with Witchcraft, and it must be admitted right here that not all plants were grown just for healing. Belladonna, Monkshood, Datura, and Nightshade were often used at the festivals, and they were hallucinogenic when properly prepared. But they were only a small part of the activities, mostly recreational in nature or an aid to altered states of consciousness. Dismissing the entire proceedings as hallucinogenic dreams is, at best, an oversimplification of a very complex subject.
http://www.pantheon.org/areas/featured/w...ter-1.html-
While I'll agree that many witches are simply innocent "tree huggers and herb growers" many go much, much further and I know that as fact.John Todd did too.
Below is from a Wiccan site:
In Medieval times the belief that witches rode brooms was prevalent even though such an act was only ever once mentioned in European witch trials.
Accused witches on trial said they could fly with the aid of Flying Ointments (hallucinogenic plants mixed with a fat base and absorbed into the skin via pulse points)
Jean Bodin, a 16th century demonologist was close to the truth when he maintained that only a witch's spirit could fly, not her physical body.
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Wicca is a modern movement with no familial tradition going back through the burning times, it is a modern movement that seeks to recreate a Druid belief system. This is very different than traditional witchcraft that has been passed down through umpteen generations.
And as for John Todd, there may be a high priest of Wicca or some other tradition but there is no such thing as a high priest in traditional familial witchcraft. This is like saying Madonna is a true representative of the Jewish faith because she follows the Kabbalah.
With what do I exactly disagree? Just about all of it - that witches used ergot when many other hallucinagens were available if desired, the idea that hallucinogens were used at all when they are not at all required for out-of-body experiences, that they were ingested by use of the genitals (that's really sick), that they were rubbed on the genitals by using a broomstick (that's even sicker).
The only statement I can agree with is this: "The clergy, eager to so horrify the masses as to remove all resistance to the abuses of the Inquisition cast all witches as a threat to the children, just as Hitler would later do to the Jews, and the present government to the internet. "
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Further, Wicca does not mean Way of the Wise People . That is simply Wiccan propaganda. The term Wicca is from the Old English word wicce the plural being wiccan. This predates 890a.d and the Laws Of AELFRED and indeed is ancient.
The Catholic Church fashioned itself somewhat on "the old religion" traditions,which ,btw, included human sacrifice, in order to appease the "pagans" and more easily gain "converts". Thus the pantheon of saints etc. It as a way in which to control the people from many small groups to an organized larger group.
So really what does the the wafer and wine or body and blood of Christ represent?
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Ok. I give up. I'm not going to argue with you. You win. Bye.
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The veracity of the article was questioned and I responded with what I know from experience and some research.
I wasn't out to win.It's unfortunate you feel this way.
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