Notes on Dark Days Come to Blaenkych
By John of AllFaith (Cadifor ap Colwen)© 1989
- Note 1: I.e. Ceredwen. Return
- Note 2: Much ado is made about one's belonging to a hereditary family of the Old Religion. The truth is however that everyone belongs to such a family if they go back far enough because before the rise of christianity, as well as the earlier Zoroastrianism (which destroyed the Old Religion in Persia long before the advent of Jesus and Muhammad), and similar non-natural religions, the Earth was filled with the Old Ways. Return
- Note 3: May-Eve. Return
- Note 4: The period of intense persecution which saw over six million Wiccans martyred for their faith by the invading christian hordes. Return
- Note 5: A covendom is a circular area approximately two leagues (6 miles) across which is politically and economically the domain of a central covenstead. A covenstead is traditionally composed of six women, six men and one 'high priestess' in the spring and summer or one 'high priest' in the fall and winter. This of course, is under circumstances of self rule. Today one does what one can ;0). Return
- Note 6: The methods used to torture people until they confessed, and then based upon that confession employed in their death, varied greatly. Two common methods were burning and dunking. Burning consisted of various methods. Sometimes the victim was burned along with his or her house, in a box made of wood and grasses or tied, usually nude, to a stake or pole. Dunking was often performed by strapping the victim to a wooden plank, and then dunking their heads into a pool or similar body of water for various time periods. For instance, a person might be dunked for five minutes. If they survived it was determined they were Witches, for only one who deals with the devil could survive without air for so long. If they died, it was believes that the christian god had taken his divine vengeance. The Wicca, of course, never believed in the christian devil. Return
- Note 7: Of the Horned God Margeret Murray writes: "The earliest known representation of a deity is in the Caverne des Trois Frer'es in Arie'ge and dates to the late Paleolithic period. The figure is that of a man clothed in the skin of a stag and wearing on his head the antlers of a stag" (God of the Witches, 23). While some of Dr. Murray's research is now rejected by modern scholars, it remains clear that this is among the oldest discovered Deity representations. She and others also makes it clear that the ancient people of the British Isles honoured the Horned One as well as the Goddess. Return
- Note 8: This cave, incidentally, does exist and was established by my forbearer. It is located in a somewhat remote area near the Church of Kilrhedyn in Pembroke. Return
- Note 9: One who is not initiated into the Crafte. Return
- Note 10: The Mighty Ones are those who have been 'High Priests' and 'High Priestesses.' That is to say, those who have been ritually possessed by the God or Goddess. These are the elders of the community. Return
- Note 11: One who has attained the 9th and highest degree of magical and social responsibility. Return
- Note 12: Wicci are female Wiccans, Wicca are male Wiccans. Return
- Note 13: I.e. who accepted papal authority. Return
- Note 14: I.e. christianity. Return
- Note 15: This and similar charges are often listed as evidence in the records from the Witch trials. It was deemed satisfactory proof by the inquisitors and many people, innocent and 'guilty,' were killed due to them. This charge was also used widely in the United States. The central East Coast has many place-names indicative of this such as Witch-dunk Road near Norfolk Virginia. Return
- Note 16: Spells and charms for protection. Return
- Note 17: I.e. the christians. Return
- Note 18: Or 1 1/2 miles. Return
- Note 19: Ritual of Calming Hostilities. Return
- Note 20: Each containing 13 people, six female, six male and one assistant priestess or priest depending on the time of year. The 'High Priestess' or 'Priest' would remain the central figure to conduct the Rites. Return
- Note 21: Pronounced 'tay-ber'. These are ceremonial Wiccan drums. Return
- Note 22: By Ray Buckland. Return
- Note 23: The Cone of Power consists of the combined energies of the participants in a Rite. As these energies intensify the Cone is 'raised.' In an ecstatic state of frenzy it is finally 'released' and 'sent out' to perform some specific, group defined, task. Return
- Note 24: As far back as we look we find that some Wiccans have performed their Rites nude (skyclad), while others have been robed. The Charge of the Goddess, a traditional post-Christian era text which Charles Leland presents in his Aradia: Gospel of the Witches but which clearly predates that work, states that "Ye shall be free, and as a sign that you are truly free, you shall be naked in your Rites..." (the Charge is presented at the end of this paper). People such as the questionable Wiccan evangelist ( a clear contradiction in terms!) Gerald Gardner maintains that one must perform all Rites skyclad. It must be argued however that if ritual nudity indicates one's freedom, it cannot be imposed without rebuking that freedom. Personally, I Work both ways, depending largely on the weather and the purpose of my Work. There does seem to be some benefit in ritual nudity in certain Rites, for instance, when one requires the strongest, purist and most directed use of Energy for some unusual task. Otherwise, the need is simply to Work in a completely free environment in comfort. What, if anything, is worn is irrelevant. Return
- Note 25: The Horses of the God Hu Gadarn were the origin of the popular hobby horses. Return
- Note 26: I.e. clockwise. Return
- Note 27: Beings of Light who are often seen to twinkle in the wake of the wooden horses. They appear as flashes of light which dart about during some Rites. Their presence has been commented on by the Sioux, Lakota, Cherokee and other Native American tribes as well as the British Wicca. In Welsh Witchcraft there are special Rites to honor the Lights. Return
- Note 28: There is only one Old Black Stone though it appears in many forms. Return
- Note 29: Wicca/Wicci who are possessed by the Sacred Couple. They are the 'High Priestess' and 'High Priest' of the Covendom or their representatives. While in the trance state they are considered non-different from the Goddess and God. Return
- Note 30: These are traditional ritual offerings which are eaten by those assembled. The christian eucharist undoubtedly is a christianized version of this ancient Wiccan Rite. Return
- Note 31: Which is to say, a vulnerability to psychic influences. Return
- Note 32: In many traditions, on Beltain or May Eve those who had received a partner of the opposite sex from the Goddess through this or similar methods went into the fields and copulated in order to bring fertility to crops. This was considered a religious event wherein the couples participated in the sexual union of the Lady and the Lord. Children born of these unions were considered especially blessed and became the children of the entire community. Upon adulthood, they were often chosen for positions of authority in the Wiccan administrations. Return
- Note 33: I.e. one year. A year is composed of thirteen lunar months. Return
- Note 34: This is a reference to the Welsh Mabinogian. The hounds or Cwm Annwm (hounds of Anwfn), which the christians later demonized into the Hounds of Hell, often led people on the Wiccan equivalent of the Vision Quest. They also warned of ill omens. Return
- Note 35: The 'High Priestess' is viewed as the Goddess Incarnate during Rites, as the 'High Priest' is considered the God. Return
- Note 36: Among the Pagan peoples only a few were Wiccans or 'priests' and 'priestesses.' Sacred calls seldom come to those who are not. This event therefore indicated the 'calling' into the mysteries of his people. It is a profound responsibility to accept the mantle of the Wic. Our friend is understandably hesitant to respond. Return
- Note 37: The Hounds of Annwfn. Return
- Note 38: Now Saint George's Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. Return
- Note 39: Throughout the British Isles strange stories are told about the Mists or fog which blankets the islands. According to legend, Avalon, the abode of the Lady and Lord of Apples, mysteriously vanished into the Mists to escape the christian persecution and ritual thefts and to provide a safe haven for mystics and other Wiccans. Tradition says it still exists and many claim to have visited it. When christianity is someday replaced by the Old Religion Avalon will return and its occupants will restore the Ancient Ways. Return
- Note 40: This is the Sacred Mountain of the Welsh Traditionalists. Legends abound about the exploits of the Gods and Goddesses upon these sacred heights. Return
- Note 41: The Dream-world is considered a real place, as real as this physical world, perhaps even more so. Return
- Note 42: I.e. the christians. Return
- Note 43: This Charge of the Goddess is perhaps the most famous Wiccan Document. The origin of the Charge is uncertain. It appears to be post-christian, at least in its present form. The references to freedom seem to indicate liberation from both christian oppression and so-called morality. Charles G. Leland, in his Aradia: Gospel of the Witches was, I believe, the first to make the Charge available to the general public. Return
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