Volume I, Issue 2, August, 1997
The Voyage Continues!
Hello, friends! Finally, the second issue of The Universal Messenger presents itself! As you probably are already aware, we have gone to quarterly publication. Perhaps in the next year we will be able to go back to our original plan of monthly publication. Right now, however, we will stick to quarterly.
As always, we are looking for quality articles from you, our readers. Please feel free to submit articles on any subject dealing with the occult, paranormal, etc. We are open to all points of view that do not contain the bashing of others' points of view. Well thought out opposing views are interesting, flames are boring! Remember, we look to present all aspects of the occult, paranormal, religion, etc. We believe in freedom of expression and freedom of opinion for all.
Happy reading!
Samantha Corfield, Editor
A Book Review by Brandi Jasmine
Tarot Looking Glass is one of those unique Tarot books that offers something just a little bit different. As the New-Age movement in general, and professional Tarot practitioners in particular move away from the "fortune-telling" and entertainment side of the craft, and begin to move towards counselling and psychology, they experience a dearth of good literature to prepare them for a serious change in their outlook towards this useful tool.
As an experienced Tarot consultant myself, I have always considered the cards as a kind of sophisticated "ink-blot" test - and Ueker takes this notion to heart in her system of reading the Tarot. Rather than choosing the cards at random (still an effective technique for forecasting) she has the client choose cards based on their attraction to the colours and symbols. This leads to a much more rich field of information for the therapist - and the distance it provides from fortune telling may provide an impetus for greater acceptance of Tarot techniques from the psychological establishment (who, with their collective interest in Jung aside, still poorly understand the concepts underlying synchronicity).
Tarot Looking Glass is a must-have for anyone who is serious about melding the art of Tarot consultation with psychological techniques.
Tarot Looking Glass by Ellen Z. Ueker 1542 22 3/4 Street Cameron, WI 54822.
1994 Mass Media Publications, P.O. Box 1198, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84110 ISBN 0-9634786-1-3
THE EGG - author unknown
Editor's note: The writing below was found scribbled around the margins of the inside cover of a very old book. SK
The Egg is not only the basic symbol of the Universe, surrounded by the primal waters, which is then encompassed by the great serpent Ouroboros which swallows its own tail in a neverending creative act to turn inside-out and then swallow its tail again reversing its previous activity by turning inside-in to then swallow...
The Egg is also what is looked upon as the human aura, its shape, when that Egg is turned upon end to stand with the larger half above, representing. The Egg is not only those things, but the primary symbol of creation, of all potential to be, of all potential of all things to be, the burgeoning void, pregnant with unknown and unimagined possibilities, those possibilities being the intaglio, the matrix which is contained within the shape and substance of the Egg, to be stamped out upon the realm of substance.
The Egg is within the Mother, the Earth, the Land, the Ground, the Soil, the lower abdomen of the adept who will carry through its full gestation to then give birth to not the potentialities of existence, but the vehicle for obtaining the final result of all those potentialities. The Egg is the alembic, the area of work, that which may be perceived and understood by only a few, and utilized by fewer yet, but yet the Egg is not only that, for the Egg can be comprehended upon many levels.
The Egg is not the psychology of a thing, although one could look at it as such, not is it the philosophy of a concept, to be considered and discussed, to be bandied about, arguing its positivities and negativities, existence or non-existence, by those who don't understand that it exists whether they believe it or not. The Egg is not an idea, imagery, used in reference as a metaphor might be, but an actual thing, a real, live piece of the cosmos existing in the here and now, whether you or anyone understands or not.
The Egg is still used as a metaphor (even though in the paragraph above it was written that it was not) for other things, to hide their substance from the worldly ones who would laugh at the truth. The Egg is more than you ever would imagine it could be, yet so simple you do so several times every day. The Egg is our secret and our substance, it is all that is, ever has been, and ever shall be. There is more, much, much more, but this writer had great need to cease before revealing that which must never be revealed. So this small scripture now ends.
Click here to own an Egg like no other!
Beliefs of Today's Witches by Kate West
The Goddess and God
Witches believe that the supreme power, deity, god-force, however you
wish to term it, is both male and female. They believe that we should
revere this force or power equally and that we should strive to achieve
this balance in our personal lives.
Respect for all nature
Animals, creatures, plants and the world we live on, all nature in its
own state and on its own terms. Witches also utilise the elements of
earth, air, fire and water, and their attributes. They believe that we
should strive towards bringing these attributes into harmony and balance
within our own lives.
Everyone is entitled to their own Path
Witches believe we should respect the beliefs of others and not attempt
to convert people who hold different views or opinions. They believe
that, when a person is ready for the Craft they will seek and find their
own way and their own teacher(s). They do not believe in recruiting, or
indoctrinating the young.
The Wiccan Rede (rule)
"An' it harm none, do what thou will". This is the rule by which
Witches endeavour to lead their lives. That means no harm to oneself,
others or to the environment, it should be noted that 'none' includes
the self. This rule should be examined with reference to Personal
Responsibility.
Personal Responsibility
Your actions, feelings and thoughts are your own responsibility, you
cannot blame other people or the devil. Witches do not believe in the
devil, it is a christian invention. The Craft has been described as
"the thinking person's religion", as no-one will tell you what to think,
feel or believe. Similarly, you should be cautious of how much of other
peoples' personal responsibility you take upon yourself.
The Law of Threefold Return
Whatever you do, good or bad, will be returned to you in this life, or
another, three times over.
Magic
The ability to influence people and/or events by the power of the mind
or will.
Scrying
The ability to predict events, or see what otherwise might be hidden,
through divination techniques.
Celebrating The Wheel of the Year
Marking, with Ritual and feasting, the course of the year and the
legends of the God and the Goddess through the passage of the seasons.
The Cycle of the Moon
Observing the aspects of the Triple Goddess; Maiden, Mother and Crone,
through the phases of the Moon; New, Full and Waning. Again, each of
these phases is reflected in our personal lives and we work towards
bringing these elements together in a balanced whole.
Reincarnation and the Summerlands
The belief that the spirit or soul has many lessons to learn through
many lifetimes. That, between lives, we return to the Summerlands where
we meet those who have already passed on and who we have loved before.
Personal Development
That we are each responsible for our own spiritual growth and should
strive for balance in all things. We are each our own Priest or
Priestess and need no intermediary to 'interpret' the God and the
Goddess for us.
Healing
Witches practice herb lore and healing in many forms, the traditional
view of Witch as healer, teacher and mother. They make much use of
meditation, visualisation and concentration techniques.
Kate West is Co-Author of "Born in Albion - The Re-Birth of the Craft" and Writer / Narrator of Pagan Paths Pathworkings. Kate has been a practicing Witch for over 20 years and is High Priestess of a working Coven "The Hearth of Hecate" based in the North West of England.
Kate is always willing to help answer questions on the Craft and related subjects, you can contact her : E-mail Kate or Steve here.
THOUGHTS ON PROTECTION by Link (or "We Ain't Scared O' No Ghosts!")
Editor's note: I first read this magical perspective as a posting in the Pagan Digest in response to questions regarding "protection" rituals in magick practice. I found it to be fascinating and Anthony has graciously allowed us to republish it here. SK.
I see many simple actions to be the most magical. We protect ourselves in many ways. And they are all magical. Fasten your seat belt? Hmmm... Sounds like cord magic to me! If nothing else, it says "I don't want to be hurt." And those thoughts take root magically.
I find a mini-protection ritual takes place as I lock my doors. Especially the power locks of my car doors. They lock with a loud thud, a release, a focus of mental energy, and electrical too.
At work I recently received a shipment of expensive and bulky computer equipment. Since I work in a cube, open -- with no locked doors to protect valuables, I merely placed a sheet of paper atop the boxes saying "Do not remove." To me, this was a magical device. Why? -- because I said so. I believe that when we "say so" it becomes real. It takes magical form, through our thoughts & desires. Mundanely, there was nothing in that simple piece of paper that would stop a thief. But magically? The boxes stayed put!
I also put a silver pentacle on the zipper of my tent when I camp. I see the pentacle as a symbol of protection. Charms watch over things, even when you are not around.
I think the same action happens when we use a device like The Club, or any form of lock & key. We are taking a mundane action, which expresses a mental desire for protection. Sounds like magic, if you believe it is....
I've even heard stories of people who create images of their pets on the astral plane, to protect their homes. I know someone whose cat is supposedly a huge monster on the astral plane to defend the home. I'd guess that any form of watch-dog/cat is a magical act, using familiars.
lso notice that people like to put stickers on their home/car windows warning of burglar alarms. These symbols are shaped like a shield. Protection. Magical? I also notice that many police officers wear a shield, or a five or six pointed star as a badge. Protection? Hmmm....
To be honest, I never ever do formal rituals of protection. To me, the more you spend energy on protection, the more you acknowledge that a threat exists. And magiaclly, what happens when you spend your thoughts on something? You make it more real. So why worry about what "might" happen? To me, most protection rituals are like scratching poisen ivy. By adding attention & energy to a problem, you only aggrevate it, make it worse. But hey, I am not like most Pagans. I am a bit of a heretic, and a bit unconventional. I follow my heart, I ask why, and I rarely do something just because tradition dictates.
Remember, many Pagans grew up in a Christian culture. The idea of original sin and a soiled earth is all around us. As Pagans, we tend to internalize this. That is why we THINK we need to purify our sacred space. To me, it was pure to begin with. We do not need to "baptize" it to make it holy -- it is so, and will always be so.
Pagans also think we need to vacuum and dust and shower before ritual. To me, the Diety loves me regardless of a few sloppy things around the house. (People are critical, not the Goddess & God.)
I also don't view casting a Circle as "needed" for protection. In my world there are no boogie men waiting to get me! Someone very wise once told me, "I have the Old Ones in my Circle, and could have no greater protection than that."
Another idea on protection: Look at the way mother animals protect their young. Now think how human parents (especially Mothers) stick up for their kids. It seems we are not all that different from our animal ancestors afterall. We protect our young, our food, our homes. Remember that the next time you read about a political issue concerning schools, or rent control, or other basics of life/home/family/survival. (One can learn a very basic economics lesson merely by trying to take a bowl of food away from a hungry dog. He'll bite before he lets you take it!)
Thanks for asking the question. I found it very thought-provoking. I hope you enjoyed my ramblings...
- Link (Anthony)
- Suite A-211
- 203 Main Street
- Flemington, NJ 08822
- E-Mail AnthLink here.
VAMPIRES, WITCHES, and BROOMS - (Oh, my!) by Mike
Blood-sucking vampires, witches flying on broomsticks are only things that happen in Hollywood horror movies......right? Wrong! What many people do not know is that there are such things as witches and vampires but, they are not the same as Hollywood depicts them to be.
Recently the movie The Craft was released on video. It is about a group of young girls turning to a religion known as Wiccan or Pagan. In the movie these girls perform spells, fly, change their appearance, and move things with their minds.
"All of the things done in "The Craft" can be done ...people can move things with their mind, and change their appearance, but why would anyone want to focus all their energy on moving something to another place in their mind when it takes very minimal physical energy?," said Ron, a Pagan and a regular customer of the Under the Stars occult store in Plantation.
Many misconceptions about the Pagan religion exist. A "witch" comes from the word wicce meaning to bend, change, or do magic. Pagan describes a country dweller, claiming to worship nature. If people were presented with the idea of witchcraft in this manner, it might change someone’s conceptions of witches.
"People tend to think that witches do 'mumbo-jumbo' but really we do stuff relating to life and nature. We are very much into science," said Rel Davis, a minister at Unitarian Fellowship in Hollywood and a practicing witch.
Another misunderstanding refused by all Wiccans is that they do not believe in the devil or Satan.
"One very big misconception is that Wiccan people believe and worship the devil, which is not true. To be able to believe in the devil you must be Christian and we don't believe in that," said Angus McGyver, Under the Stars, occult store owner.
Samhain, also know as Halloween, is the witches' new year. Trick-or-treating , which used to in the Pagan religion "souling",during which children representing witches’ ancestors collected food and blessed the houses they visited.
There are many Wiccan people in South Florida, but since they are an unorganized group they are not noticed as much.
"There is a large Wiccan society but most of them are forced to secrecy as a result of the burning time [the time starting in the thirteenth century when witches were burnt along with anyone not acceptable to the civil authorities]," said Davis.
Walking down the halls at school a person would not be able to tell the difference between one person's religion and the next. Many students practice what they want to believe, and not what they are told.
"I feel that God never intended for religion to be like this. People get so obsessed with all of the religious rules that they forget why they are that religion in the first place," said Lee Sianos, a freshmen who is Agnostic.
The dictionary defines religion as "anything done or followed with reverence or devotion." Basically this means religion is what a single person thinks to be the most important thing.
"Everyone has different beliefs, cultures,and religions.....it is up to the person to choose which to follow," said Jennifer Boehm, sophomore.
Some students think that feelings like this are part of the rebellious stage.
"I think people at this stage are experimenting to see where they fit in," said Paola Leon, senior.
On the other hand,practicing certain occult arts, such as a vampire, is not so much a religion as it is a way of life.
"If you're one of those skeptics who believe vampires belong in Transylvania or a psycho ward, then think again," said Stephen Kaplan, of the Vampire Research Center in Queens, N.Y.
Kaplan estimates that Florida has more vampires then any other state, except California.
"You'd think sunshine and vampires wouldn't mix but that's not true," said Kaplan, a non-vampire who founded the center 20 years ago. "Vampires like Florida because people wear less clothing. There's more skin to bite."
Vampires in South Florida are no surprise to Carlos Farina, a psychotherapist who analyzes occult crimes for the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
"There are more than five thousand cults in this country," Farina said. "Millions of people are seeking an answer to their identity, and that's when they become vulnerable to the cults."
The original vampire is Dracul, meaning dragon, who lived in 15th-century Rumania. He was know as a Vlad Tepes, the Impaler, because of his grisly penchant for torturing his invaders atop pointed wooden stakes. As a pre-Machiavellian warrior and statesman, Dracul warred with the Turks and was beheaded in 1476.
The word vampire itself came from Slavic origin in the word vapir meaning bloodsucker.
In 1922 the first vampire movie Nosferastu was made in Germany. Then came the 1931 movie Dracula starring Bela Lugosi.
"The blood is the life," said Lugosi's vampire in the movie.
Although vampires usually have a group they stay in so that they take each others blood instead of hunting down their victims, some do not.
"When the moon is full, there is an urge to hunt, to drink blood. It's
a hunger, an incredible, hunger," said a South Florida vampire.
THE PAGAN PATH, by Victa Corvo Penfold
Researcher and collaborator, Glynis Blackman
For more information or to purchase your own copy of this book, you may E-mail Glynis.
Editor's Note: Excerpts from the complete book: The Pagan Path will be serialized here in The Universal Messenger. If you missed Excerpt I, please refer to the Archives below for Issue I of The Universal Messenger . We highly recommend that you purchase your own copy of this great little book. We are happy to bring you Part II:
About the author: Victa Corvo Penfold, Romany artist, author, lecturer, and Metaphysician Born a full -blooded Romani 1919 in the gypsyquarters of Battersea, once known as the Metropolitan Gypsyry of London, Father was of Romani blood and mother a Romani from a circus family, Brought up in Romani traditions, Pagan beliefs and occult teachings. Upbringing in psychic beliefs led to becoming a spiritual healer Also amongst the first practitioners in the post-war field of color healing, with Ronald Beesley, Roland Hunt and Ousley, In 1960 opened a Color Healing Centre, Studied homeopathy for four years gaining a Diploma and Doctorate in homeopathic medicine, climber and mountaineer. High Priest of the Wicca, Now residing in Glastonbury but still retaining a traveling wagon on a romany site to where he occasionally returns for a while.
Excerpt II
The Great Universal Spirit exists throughout all Creation in its many forms and manifestations. Because this Spirit is far beyond the comprehension of human understanding, man has created Gods and Goddesses or Beings of high hierarchy for these manifestations, in order that he can understand and communicate with this Great Spirit by way of them. throughout time, mankind has sort for someone or something to worship,to ask for help or to call on for guidance.
From the beginning of human existence, the Sun and the Moon were chosen to represent the God and Goddess, but the actual Gods were beyond imagining. All Creation is united by the spark within it of that which gave it existence and life. All are part of the one Great Whole. Every thought and deed you perform will have some minute effect on Creation. Man's greatest enemy is his own thoughts when uncontrolled. They give rise to illusions, weird imaginings, ill - temper, and disease. Many people are cursed by conditions their own thinking has created! When the mind has become calm and clean, the Radiant Spirit - shines forth reflecting their form and nature of itself and contacts the invisible planes. Therefore one must think and act kindly and rightly as often as one is able.
The code of the Pagan is ''Perfect Love - Perfect Trust'', and harm no one: a genuine mystic lives according to this code. e of the Old Religion believe in Karma, and that evil deeds will rebound upon the evil doer, threefold, either in this life or some future one. So the steps one must strive for are self - control, spiritual observances, opening the psychic centers, control of the senses, control of the mind, regulation of the breath, meditation and concentration - these are the steps to the attainment of Master mediumship, Set your aim at masterhood and be satisfied with nothing less.
Meditation becomes a major exercise in this as it consists of fixing the mind upon a single object to the exclusion of everything else. Concentration and meditation is absolute fixed attention, the most difficult feat for the restless mind. The Old Religion is a religion of life, and plays a very major part in the lives of its true adherents, for our belief is that there is no death. It is a basic tenet of the Old faith that we return here by our own agreement, until we are ready to move on to the next step in the long journey elsewhere, The boundaries between life and death are almost indefinable; who shall say where one ends and the other begins? People who commit acts of aggression against the Old Religion or its followers, or deliberately set out to harm them, always have such behavior followed by ill- luck to themselves.
Remember, EVERY ACTION PRODUCES A REACTION this is the Universal Law of the World. With this in mind, no real Pagan will harm anyone, even if provoked by people of another faith, for we must be tolerant of all other religions. Whatever your beliefs - none are right and none are wrong. The Old Religion appears in various forms throughout the world, and it involves a special relationship with the unseen. It attempts to control the random elements that exist throughout the Universe, it tries to scan the future and make the best of any situation. It is not for the idly curious or the foolhardy, and none should meddle in these realms unless trained in the occult arts, and even then it is wise to tread warily on the Secret Way.
We of the Old Religion do not make pacts with the Devil or celebrate black mass, nor are we followers of the rather shallow philosophies that often pass for so called ''higher teachings''. The followers of the God, Goddess, and Lords of the Universe are not ''do gooders or purveyors of uplift'', we are practical people interested in the serious study of occult powers and exploration of the unknown. Most English Pagans are honest idealists whose philosophy is based on sympathy with Nature; while its creed of ''Do what thou wilt so long as it harm none'' has become widely and seriously accepted more truly moral than lists of "Thou shalt nots".
The Craft of the Wise keeps itself a little apart, nor does it tell all of its secrets. It guards the Flame of the Lantern, so that those who are able "To Know, To Dare, To Will, and be Silent,'' may go there way by its light. An important point about the Old Religion is that it is a Craft in the old sense of the word - implying art, skill, knowledge, healing in its many forms. The word Pagan and witch has always had a derogatory meaning for orthodox society, but the pagan is not a heathen and like the witch worships nature and the mystic forces which give us life. this is true religion which originated at the beginning of time - THE CREATION OF GOD.
The word witch is usually purported to come from "WICCA" meaning "Wise", but it is possible that it came from "WITGA" meaning "a Seer" or "WITAN" to know. This was possibly derived originally from ''WITENAGEMOT'' which was a wise man or counselor who sat on the ''Public National Assembly of the Anglo-Saxons''. This could also derive from the word ''WIT'' meaning intelligence. A person cannot be made wise, they have to become wise. There are arts and skills and traditional knowledge which, used in the right way will help you to become a 'wise one'' and in turn able to help others. Many of the Old Religion are more interested in the spiritual side of life, so that material possessions mean very little to them, but books are treasured possessions.
The Pagan should study all the books which he finds useful, but to be cramped by book learning is bad, to draw constant stimulation from them is good. Some books are worthless, some are valuable, but discrimination in all matters should be part of a mystic's training and development. Although there must be a balance between book learning and actual practical work, it is important that the follower of the Old Religion must develop his feeling for Nature at its source - everything from Primeval to Einstein ha s something in it for its seeker. A mystic works with essences behind the elemental forces methodically, with exact knowledge of what he is doing, quite often alone, seeking the ''Door without a key'' - the Door without a Key being the Door of Dreams by which the sensitive can escape into the unknown, especially when life is hard. It is a World of Illusion, of Magic, by Astral Projection, for the sensitive need silence, inner peace and freedom from distraction, the basic aim being Spiritual Development and the expanding consciousness. Magic is for the few because it can be a rigorous and lonely path.
For those who are prepared to follow the Pagan path, one must remember that the keys to the unseen realm are not free they must be paid for, and sometimes the price is high, perhaps higher than we are prepared to pay. The Key is waiting for all who earnestly seek it. But usually when one has opened these doors, there is no turning back. It can be best summed up in this Wiccan invocation:
O thou who standeth on the threshold between the pleasant world of men and
the terrible domain of the dread Lords of the Outer Spaces,
hast thou the courage to make the assay?
For I say verily it were better to rush on my blade (the Ritual Dagger)
and perish than to make the attempt with fear in thy heart.
If you take but one step on this path you must arrive inevitably at the end; This path beyond Life and Death. Two good things are necessary in occultism, right motives and right associates, Good intentions are not sufficient protection. Also it is never wise to learn to open the Door to the unseen, unless one learns how to close it and Lock it. Life is strange and many things happen that are stranger than fiction, but stranger than this can happen to those who move in occult circles.
There are a great many forces moving like currents in the unseen and we are drawn into these, according to our temperamental affinity for them. Nothing rests, everything moves, everything vibrates, everything flows in and out, everything has its tides, all things rise and fall, the pendulum swing manifests everything.
To Be Continued.
A SPELL TO CONTROL THE WIND by Josh
Here is a spell I developed. It's used to calm and stop the wind:
while outside in the wind, sink your mind back, try to feel as one with
primal forces as you can, and repeat:
I call upon the spirit of air to cease it's turbulence.
to be as calm as the serene, rolling hills of earth,
to be as calm as the gentle, unbroken ocean,
to be as calm as the soothing flame of a candle
I call upon the spirit of air to be as calm as it's elemental brethren.
While saying this, envision a blue-ish energy wasping from your hand (whichever hand you choose) and floating off into the air, like smoke. Repeat incantation until the wind is still.
I've found that after anout two recitings, the wind usually stops (or at least is greatly reduced) and it stays as such for as long as I keep reciting the ritual, and usually 1-2 minutes after I stop.
Let me know how it goes! E-mail Josh.
Love Potion #9 - provided by Samantha Corfield
Immortalized in songs and movies, Love Potion #9 is considered by some to be a myth. Let me assure you, it is not! And, the time to make Love Potion #9 is coming upon us - September 9.
Please be aware that this is a very powerful potion and should not be used lightly. It is important to make it exactly according to the instructions below:
9 oz. sweet red wine
9 basil leaves
9 red rose petals
9 cloves
9 apple seeds
9 drops vanilla extract
9 drops strawberry juice
1 ginseng root, cut into 9 equal pieces
By the light of 9 pink votive candles, put these nine ingrediants into a cauldron on the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month of the year. Stir the potion nine times with a wooden spoon, each time reciting the following magickal incantation:
LET THE ONE WHO DRINKS THIS WINE
SHOWER ME WITH LOVE DIVINE.
SWEET LOVE POTION NUMBER NINE
MAKE HIS/HER LOVE FOREVER MINE.
Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heatand let it simmer for nine minutes. Remove the cauldron from the heat and allow the potion to cool off.
Blow nine times upon the potion, bless it in the names of nine love-goddesses,* and then strain it through a cheesecloth into a clean container. Cover and refrigerate it untill you are ready to serve it to the man or woman from whom you desire love and affection. (Do not allow anyone other than your beloved to look at, touch, or drink the love potion!)
A word of warning: This potion is extremely potent and should be used with caution. Its results can be very intense, long-lasting, and often difficult to control or reverse. So please be absolutely sure before you give it to an intended lover that he or she is the right one for you, and vice versa.
*Inanna, Ishtar, Astarte, Hathor, Nephthys, Aphrodite, Venus, Freya, Arianrhod.
THE POET'S COVE
This month we are thrilled to introduce a new feature - The Poet's Cove. Come on all you good, bad, and mediocre poets, show us your stuff!. Thanks again to Anthony for starting us out with his poetry.
Old Ones, Dear Ones, Standing Stones Ancient time piece, ancient thrones. From Solstice to Solstice and all in between Beloved King joins beloved Queen.
Old Ones, Dear Ones, to the North Hear us now, please do come forth.
Old Ones, Dear Ones, to the East Join us now, please share our feast.
Old Ones, Dear Ones, to the South Share our kiss, mouth to mouth.
Old Ones, Dear Ones, to the West Be one with us, oh sacred guest.
Standing Stones from times of Old Ancient witness to secrets untold. Throughout time, we've come, we've passed But your Circle endures and lasts.
Link (Anthony) - See contact information above.
Romancing the Stigmata
An opinion, by Samantha Corfield
Bleeding wounds in the same position as those of Jesus Christ at his death, wounds that remain fresh for years often flowing blood, unearthly physical abilities; this is the stigmata defined by the Catholic church as, "...participation in the Passion of Christ in a way that is shown outwardly by marks on those parts of the body where Christ bore His wounds. It is a charisma or supernatural gift." Although the stigmata has been claimed by thousands, only a paltry few, 321, have been accepted by the Catholic church since the first documented stigmatist of the 13th century, St. Francis of Assisi.
A heretic of sorts, I have been a practicing Catholic since birth as well as having beliefs rooted in Voodoo, Witchcraft, Santeria, etc. As an adult, I began to take my Catholic training and mold it into a more usable form, something I could believe in, something I could actually use in every day life. Thus began my trek into the shadows of other religious tenets. However, one part of Catholicism just wouldn't go away in my mind; the stigmata. Those documented cases of people, most of them women (at a ratio of 7:1), who develop deep wounds that developed from no documentable trauma. Wounds that drain blood on a regular basis. Wounds that never heal. The fact that this happens almost exclusively to Catholics, only 4 accepted cases of non-Catholics, fascinates me even now.
As an awestruck and romantic child in the third grade at St. Anthony Padua School on Canal Street in New Orleans, I was obsessed with "The Stigmata." It was a gift from God, only a special few were chosen to bleed for Jesus. I stayed on my knees in church for hours, staring at my hands, willing them to bleed, willing them to lift me from the mundane, separate me from the ordinary, set me apart, make me special...please. Nothing. I was not one of those chosen to bleed.
How irreverently jealous I was of St. Francis of Assisi! Animals AND The Stigmata. Widely accepted as the first documented stigmatist, his was the standard by which all stigmata were to be later judged (even though he was a man and most stigmatists are women, sexism alive and well even where bleeding wounds were concerned). And, the standards for a true stigmata are indeed rigorous: The wounds must not be mere surface marks - they must be deep and gory. They must not vanish in a short period of time or if they do, they must recur over and over. They must remain fresh and non-infected without any medical treatment. And, when they bleed, they must bleed fresh, uninfected blood.
Well, so much the better, I suppose, that I couldn't muster up those bleeding wounds. In retrospect, it doesn't seem nearly as palatable as it did back at St. Anthony's. Oh, yes, and I forgot one thing, the suffering. In order to be declared a true stigmatist by the Church, you must suffer the Passion of Christ (his suffering and death on the cross) on a regular basis and this must be documented. Yikes. No thanks. Okay, so I was fresh off my first Holy Communion, white dress, and all that, but what was I thinking??
However, even today, several of the more occult aspects of the stigmata fascinate me. Many other things accompany the stigmata: An ability to go for days, weeks, months, and sometimes years without earthly food, the ability to prophesize, the ability to read secret desires of others, and the gift to find the Blessed Sacrament (blessed communion wafers) when hidden. Other criterion include seemingly infinite periods of mystical religious contemplation leading to religious ecstasy witnessed by others.
One of the more recent official stigmatist documented by the Church, Teresa Neumann, was said to prophesize many events recorded and kept in secret by the Catholic Church; some of which are still to come and are kept in secret records in the Vatican. And, she was put to the Hide-and-Go-Seek-the-communion-wafers test over and over, finally convincing the Church of her true stigmatism. Her wounds remained fresh for over 40 years, bleeding clean blood on a regular basis. Legions of medical doctors and psychiatrists failed to explain her wounds, her mental abilities, or her documented abilities to go without food. A woman of average education and intelligence, when the stigmata was visible she was able to speak in terms of the most illuminated literati, predict future events, and calculate complex problems. At times when her stigmata was healed, she reverted to the average intelligence shared by us all. She died in 1962, still a medical mystery.
The stigmata does not always take the same form: For some it is only palm or foot wounds, for others Crown of Thorns head wounds, and still others display the side sword wound. In some stigmatistSs the palm and foot wounds may even manifest hardened flesh and tendon that forms itself into the shape of a nail. Often the stigmata comes and goes with the wounds healing almost before one's eyes, only to reopen again on significant days: Good Friday, Easter Sunday, etc.
Many stigmatists have displayed incredible psychic powers during the times of their stigmata being visible, only to have those powers disappear completely during times when their wounds are healed. Other stigmatists have displayed an incredible ability to heal when the wounds are visible, and absolutely no ability to heal when the wounds are dormant. This phenomenon has been studied by psychiatrists and psychologists and finally chalked up to "religious hysteria" in an anemic effort to explain the unexplainable.
Even the churches most favored stigmatists, such as Italian Georgio Bongiovanni, a simple Italian family man, alive and well today, and Padre Pio (who died in 1968 after 50 years of suffering the stigmata and is currently being considered for sainthood by the Catholic church), have been poked, prodded, questioned, and examined head to toe, inside and out, with no clear medical or psychological explanation coming forth from the world's finest universities and medical institutions.
Georgio Bongiovanni has also been the recent subject of several "debunking" groups set upon declaring him a charlatan. Each of the groups has come away unable to debunk Bongiovanni's stigmata and his abilities related to the stigmata. Many of these groups have published statements and apologies, declaring him free of any charlatanism connected with his stigmata. Bongiovanni travels the world lecturing.
Today, it has become widely accepted that The Stigmata is a supernatural phenomenon, one that defies a true scientific explanation. Even the mental ability to cause a psychosomatic wound, as has been documented in some cases, does not explain the other abilities of the stigmatists. So, what does The Stigmata represent: Is it the supernatural form of Christ reminding us that he suffered and died for our sins? Is it some other supernatural representation sending a message of such power and glory that we are unable to comprehend it, and so the message keeps getting sent again and again, its messengers left bleeding and suffering for years while we try to break the code? Or is it simply the religious hysteria of a few mentally ill individuals calling attention to themselves by bleeding for 50 years at a time?
I simply can't accept the latter, but in a way, I can't accept the other explanations, either. What I do believe is that these individuals are both blessed and cursed. "My" Jesus was a great teacher and scholar, a man who lived a long time ago, spoke his beliefs,and was killed for political reasons: The Martin Luther King/Malcolm X/John F. Kennedy of his times. Had he been killed in the 60's...today he would be fodder for the "X-files" conspiracy theories. I am in awe of his ability to manifest himself even today in this fashion. But, I have no plausible explanation, no clever rhetoric to blow these people out of the religious water in which they swim.
Thus, I must simply accept the unacceptable and believe that some message awaits us in The Stigmata, one that we have yet to decipher and one that will wow us in the way no message has before! I welcome your opinion on this phenomenon and will be happy to publish it here in The Universal Messenger.
A Closing Note from Sam
If you missed the first issue of The Universal Messenger You can click here to access it!
Although it was a long time coming, we hope you enjoyed this more ambitious effort. As always, we welcome your comments, letters, and opinions as well as your article and fiction ideas. I look forward to your feed back on our second issue. E-mail Sam here!
Please be aware that this newsletter is of an occult and spiritual nature. No information presented here is either proven or disproven and the reader accepts all responsibilities of any resultant effect from any and all material presented herein. No claims of ANY kind are expressed or implied.
See you next time! Sam
(c) Copyright, The Universal Messenger, Samantha Corfield, 1997: This publication is protected under U.S. Copyright Laws. Individual authors have retained all rights to their articles.