1. Take everything with a grain of salt.
2. Always make time to research.
3. Never accept that you have finished learning.
4. Ask yourself if it makes sense for your path.
5. Move at your own pace.
6. Don’t put down other people’s paths. If you don’t agree, learn why and move on.
7. Only you…
The mysterious Woman of Endor is the only person in the Old Testament explicitly identified as a magical practitioner. Her account appears in the First Book of Samuel 28: 7-25. Although also commonly called “The Witch of Endor”, in terms if modern semantics, she is probably more accurately considered a shaman or a medium. The original Hebrew phrase used to identify her is Baalat ob, which literally means “Mistress of the Ob”.
What is an “ob”? Good question - but unfortunately, no one can answer if definitively. The word is not defined in the Bible: it may have been something so familiar that no definition was thought necessary. However, following the almost total destruction of traditional Jewish shamanism, the meaning of the word “ob” was lost. Scholars theorize that an ob was some sort of container or bottle used in divination or necromancy, perhaps a skin bag or something similar to the gourds used to house oracular spirits in some African traditions.
The first Latin translation of Baalat ob was “woman possessing an oracular spirit”, but the King James English translation of the Bible, published during the height of Europe’s witchcraze, uses the word “witch”. What the woman of Endor does is raise the dead so that she can communicate with them in a manner similar to that of a modern spirit medium.
Ironically, although the Bible is often used as an excuse to justify persecution of witches, the Bible’s own account of the Woman of Endor is at worst neutral. Among his very first acts upon ascending the throne as first king of Israel, Saul forbids the practice of witchcraft, divination, and shamanism upon pain of death. However, when his own political career tanks and other approved forms of divination fail to provide the information he seeks, he orders his servants to search out a female practitioner or the old arts. Saul’s missions bring him to the woman of Endor, who is able to bring up the shade of Saul’s old mentor, the prophet Samuel. Samuel is not pleased to be disturbed, and has harsh words for Saul: not only will he lose the upcoming battle with the Philistines but, within twenty-four hours, Saul and his sons will also be dead.
The Woman of Endor is not a fraud: she is genuinely able to communicate with Samuel. The information she delivers is soon demonstrated to be accurate. Significantly, she is portrayed as a woman of the community, not as a stranger. She is not depicted as a wicked witch, but as a kind woman who, having delivered unwanted news, proceeds to comfort the grieving king, urging him to eat in best Jewish mother tradition. She personally provides one of her own calves to feel the king’s entourage, even though it was this king who prevented her from plying her trade openly, presumably hurting her income.
A Book of Shadows is a personalized, handwritten book containing a witch’s spells, rituals, and wisdom. No two will be identical or even alike. The concept underlying the Book of Shadows is that for centuries, people practicing witchcraft and/or Pagan religions were persecuted, and practices had to be kept secret, for safety’s sake. (The Inquisition did not distinguish between witchcraft and Pagan religions, but equated the two.) Possession of any kind of magical or Pagan text could be grounds for conviction of witchcraft. The name ‘Book of Shadows” refers to the necessity of keeping these books safely hidden in the shadows, rather than out in plain sight. This concept is extremely controversial. Some believe the Book of Shadows tradition to be genuinely ancient. Others are convinced that the concept was invented by Gerald Gardner. For some people, that’s irrelevant: Book of Shadows are beautiful and powerful, regardless of when the concept emerged. Still others believe that if Gardner invented the tradition, then it is inauthentic.
No ancient Book of Shadows have yet been discovered, although this in itself does not prove that the tradition in not old. When accused witches were killed, it was customary for any books they owned to be confiscated and burned. According to 17th-century Venetian Inquisition records, a woman named Laura Malpero was charged with witchcraft. When her home was searched, a copy of the banned grimoire The Key of Solomon was discovered along with a private, handwritten book of spells and rituals into which Laura had copied parts of that famous grimoire. Laura’s book, which was destroyed, fits the definition of a Book of Shadows.
Also known as seals, sigils are geometric or visual designs typically enclosed in a circle and created for spiritual and magical purposes. Sigils are incorporated into spell-casting, spirit communication, and are used to make protective talismans. If you have ever seen a television character draw elaborate , highly detailed designs within circles with the intent of trapping, banishing, luring, or protection… then you have seen something akin to a sigil.
Many of the sigils incorporated into classical Western Ceremonial Magic date back to at least the time of King Solomon, ancient Israel’s wizard king. Traditions similar to these sigils exist worldwide. Examples include Vodou veves and Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs. (Hex means “witch” in German; a hex sign is literally a witch sign.) The magic of author and artist Austin Osman Spare incorporates sigils.
