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The one concept that I see that is sorely missing from Wicca and other similar religions or spiritual traditions is "evolutionary struggle"; that condition that very few of us are able to avoid in life to any comfortable degree. The struggle doesn't have to be something as overt as, for example, the film 'The Grey'. It could be fighting traffic to get to work, getting beat out've a job to someone for a bad reason (younger/better figure, the bosses friend, a major client's niece, etc.), betrayal, a false rumor, a health issue, someone unexpectedly interfering with your life, a bad neighbor, danger, a bad living condition, more month at the end of the money, the list could go on and on. It has been said that there are two types of people in the world, the predators and the prey. Certainly this would be true of animals and ocean creatures. I think for people, that statement is at least mostly true.
The below text are the words of the Goddess Diana, to her daughter Aradia, sometime prior to sending her to the earth to live as a mortal with a mission to fulfill. This text was translated by Raven Grimassi in 'The Book of the Holy Stega' (1981), from Charles G. Leland's 'Aradia: Gospel of the Witches' (1899). Clearly this would be in regard to the Catholic Church of the 14th century, and it's quite aggressive; some could obviously argue that's it's based on self-defense due to the Church's past actions and present conditions. Regardless of all of that, we all have enemies; there's no escaping it. Only the softest head-in-the-clouds suburbanite could possibly believe that they have no enemies. "Evolutionary" could be used in reference to many different considerations; however, probably chiefly the "evolution of the individual." We all "evolve"; for example, we may cringe a bit when pondering of some long-ago action or words that we offered.
The opposames called Capitalists and Socialists frequently brag about "progress" while engaging in their system-approved passive-aggression. "Progress" could be anything that anyone wants it to be. When Capitalists seek to obliterate a beautiful natural area or massively wipe out the view of mountains or a body of water for profit--forever--they would call it "progress." For that reason, I would argue that an individual or small collective keep their translation of the below text to themselves. Personally, I think it could regard numerous different things; along with a couple of personal items. It doesn't matter that much because evolutionary struggle (individual or a larger collective) is applicable to all. However, since this is a folk-based religion/spiritual tradition, it belongs to it's devoted adherents.
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"It is true that you are a spirit,
But you were created to become again a mortal;
You must go on earth
And become a Teacher,
To be a teacher to women and men
Who will receive your schooling
In the ways of witchcraft."
"You must not be like the ones of darkness,
And to the race that became
Wicked, infamous, because of their seed,
You shall not go among them."
"You shall be the first witch;
The first goddess to become a witch on earth.
You shall teach the secret knowledge of plants
To harm and to heal,
And you shall teach the ways of power
To bind and to slay the spirit of the oppressor."
"And where there is found to be a greedy peasant
That has come to wealth in this way,
Then you shall teach your witches, your pupils, how
To ruin all his harvest
With tempest, lightning and with thunder,
With hail and wind."
"And when a priest shall do you spiritual injury
By his benedictions, ye shall do to him
Double the harm, and do it in the name
of me, Diana, Queen of witches all!"
"And when the nobles or priests tell you
that you must believe in the Father, Son, and Mary,
answer them that serve only devils,
and say the true God is not your God,
and tell them to instead Diana,
The Queen of all witches!"
"You shall go on earth to teach this,
And to destroy the evil of these people.
Your poor people will suffer hunger
And work wretchedly,
And also suffer prison."
"But these are of one soul,
One good and true soul
And in the Otherworld they
Shall be happy
But their tormentors on earth shall discover
That an ill Fate awaits them in the Otherworld.
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In pre-Olympian Greek mythology, Medea is the daughter of Hecate, and held a fearsome reputation. Although Hecate is the regional (ancient Greece/Asia Minor) term for the proto-European "Almother," Medea is distinctly Greek; as Aradia, daughter of the regional "Almother" Diana, is distinctly Tuscan/Italian. This older Greek mythology was occasionally conflated with the later Olympian pantheon as in 'Jason and the Argonauts'. In the following excerpt from the book 'Witchcraft Out of the Shadows' (Ruickbie; 2004), I saw a powerful parallel with the image of the Teutonic Goddess Freya riding a chariot carried by two large cats:
A chariot drawn by winged serpents conveyed her across the night sky, leaving broomsticks to more humble witches. At midnight, with her hair flying and dancing barefoot under the stars, she howled her threefold incantations. She invoked the forces of darkness - the very night itself and infernal Hecate - and the forces of nature - the gods of the forest, of the earth, wind and water...
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9-12-15 ADDITION: The 1963 film 'Jason and the Argonauts' featured the mythological Hecatean priestess Media prominently, played by Nancy Kovack. This was a rare portrayal of what really had been a regional outgrowth of "European witchcraft," or at least an attempt to show even a marginal speck of respect for it. Again, this mythology was a conflation of the "old religion" with the Olympian tradition; in this case, in the form of the hero Jason.
This mythology, as well as the ample history of the Old Religion in Greece, is covered in the book 'Witchcraft Out of the Shadows'. European witchcraft had truly been "European," having been present in every corner of the continent at one time. Having originated from the Jason-Media myth and its portrayal in ancient Greek tragedies and literature; there have been many plays, operas, ballets, works of art, films, etc. based on the mythology.
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The tradition that Leland invokes in Aradia is an idealistic tradition of the people. Unbound by the historical accuracy or literary criticism through the character of Margherita Taluti, who is herself unbound through the mask of Aradia, he attempts to give voice to a deeper current of thought running through the cultural narrative. Just as the African Diaspora Traditions easily slide between Christian saints and African gods, Aradia presents the picture of a living tradition that invokes the Spirits by their Signs without regard for any cultural designations. These are not the civilized gods of Empires, but the unrefined forces of Nature herself.
Despite the hesitation of some contemporary pagans over the use of the name Lucifer in the text, the marriage of Lucifer and Diana is not necessarily an amalgam of Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman traditions. In Latin Lucifer can be interpreted as “Light Bearer” an epitaph for Apollo (also called Φοίβος, Phoibos, “radiant”) who is the brother of Artemis, Artemis being another name for Diana. With Italian being so close to Latin, it may be that the use of Lucifer actually predates the Christian tradition.
Another appellation given to Apollo is “born of the wolf”, and in pre-Hellenistic times (as Jake Stratton-Kent points out in his work Geosophia) Apollo had a definitive role in Cthonic (underworld) rites. The designation given in Aradia of Diana’s husband with “one who of old once reigned in Hell,” may be a subtle clue that it is this Cthonic Apollo, the Oracular Apollo, who is being called upon.
The Invocation to Aradia hints at this when it says, “may there be one of three signs distinctly clear to me: the hiss of a serpent, the light of a firefly, the sound of a frog” The Serpent was sacred to Apollo, and the connection of the firefly to the “light bearer” is self evident, the frog is sacred to Hekate, a Cthonic Greek goddess who, like Diana, is connected to magical rites and nocturnal pursuits.
If this seems a bit academic for folk wisdom, it may very well be. Leland’s recounting may be every bit as free as his critics contend. In his work English Gypsy Songs he laments that none of the Romany he spoke with could give an adequate representation of their tradition. “Not finding what I wanted, I had given up the intention of forming such a collection, when the perusal of a few excellent Romany ballads by a friend who may fairly claim to be among the ” 
deepest” of the deep in the language, as well as others by Professor Palmer and Miss Janet Tuckey, suggested to me the idea that poetry, impressed with true Gipsy spirit, and perfectly idiomatic, might be written and honestly classed as Romany, even though not composed by dwellers in tents or caravans. The experiment was made, great care being taken to avoid anything like theatrical Gypsyism, or fanciful idealization.”
There are many correspondences in Aradia to beliefs common to European and early American folk magic which Leland would have been familiar with through his extensive reading and passion for the “occult.” The Charm of the Stones Sacred to Diana is surprisingly similar to the seer stone used by Joseph Smith for treasure hunting and scrying while dictating the Book of Mormon. Leland’s niece recounts that he, “not only studied witchcraft with the impersonal curiosity of the scholar, but practiced it with the zest of the initiated,” so it would not be surprising if a bit of his own practice seeped in to the reworking of Margherita’s account of Italian witchcraft.
In fact Leland, in his memoirs, tells of his own ownership of such a stone, only he calls it a “voodoo stone,” and based on the timing of the tale he tells (at the end of the Civil War) his possession of it predates by many years his time in Italy:
“Now, to-day I hold and possess the black stone of the Voodoo, the possession of which of itself makes me a grand-master and initiate or adept…”
– Memoirs, Charles Leland
Similarly the Conjuration of Diana which calls for water, wine and salt, bears resemblance to invocation techniques used by folk magicians discussed in George Oliver's book from 1875, The Pythagorean Triangle: “It appears that in the time when conjurers could profitably exercise their art, they used to raise spirits within a circle nine feet in diameter, which they consecrated by sprinkling with a mixture of holy water, wine, and salt; that they might be protected from any onslaught of the fiend.”
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Prayer to Diana.... Goddess of the Hunt
Lovely Goddess of the bow!
Lovely Goddess of the arrows!
Of all hounds and of all hunting
Thou who wakest in starry heaven
When the sun is sunk in slumber
Thou with moon upon they forehead,
Who the chase by night preferrest
Unto hunting in the daylight,
With thy nymphs unto the music
Of the horn-thyself the huntress,
And most powerful: I pray thee
Think, although but for an instant,
Upon us who pray unto thee!
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| Goddess Diana |
Video from 1980
Dr. Evelyn Paglini handles and deciphers very dangerous unearthed demonic artifact in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. I wasn't able to imbed it. Give it a look.
WLS Channel 7 - Eyewitness News - "The Curse Of The Evil Devil Stone" (1980)WLS Channel 7 - Eyewitness News - "The Curse Of The Evil Devil Stone" (1980)
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Stregheria Wiki
"I foresee that a day will come, and that perhaps not so very far distant, that the world of scholars will be amazed to consider to what a late period an immense body of antique tradition survived in northern Italy, and how indifferent the learned were regarding it; there having seen in truth, only one man, and he a foreigner, who earnestly occupied himself with collecting and preserving it."
--Charles Godfrey Leland 1899
This site is operated by initiates of Italian witchcraft in conjunction with author Raven Grimassi.
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Aunte Aislinn
Dr. Evelyn Paglini's entire estate has been auctioned off; however her whole personal occult book collection is being auctioned off by one company called occultauctions on ebay... here is the link http://stores.ebay.com/occultauctions/The-Paglini-Collection-/_i.html?_fsub=5245711016
I plan to bid... hope I win, just thought I would share!
the paglini collection
Voice of Evelyn Paglini
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Links from this series
Remembering Evelyn Paglini
Remembering Evelyn Paglini - Part II
Remembering Evelyn Paglini - Part III
Remembering Evelyn Paglini - Part IV
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Remember the names of the past... ancestors and heroes
I had mentioned another time that there wasn't anything that would truly leave a lasting legacy for Dr. Paglini's work. I should have clarified that there is a huge legacy, but it will apparently remain something more "underground" within those circles. She was part of a long tradition, which makes her a little different than others who have a following. With those popular individuals it's more of a thing which disappears when the person is gone. Evelyn's "craft"---the deeper metaphysical science---is still out there within those circles. Had she wished to write books, then it would be like Madame Blavatsky's huge complex books. I assume that she didn't want to just put all of that out there.
There's a difference between a student and a fan. A fan will usually forget; while a student or someone with a deeper connection won't forget. Her work will go on, just not in the public eye. I wish I could add more to that, but I can't. I guess it's a bit like Leo Martello. Martello is definitely remembered, but just not as much as one may expect. I always thought that it was a powerful gesture to hold a gathering in someone's name. It should always be remembered that she was one of the world's leading authorities on the subject of Parapsychology, as well as "one of the most powerful witches and psychics of all time."
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More related links
Mystical Blend/Dr. Evelyn Paglini website
Dr. Evelyn Paglini facebook
OccultAuctions.com
The Paglini Collection
As the Paglini Collection Auctions come to a close, we would like to say
thank you to all of you who bid and participated in honoring Dr. Evelyn
Paglini! Occult Auctions although sad that the Paglini adventure is
nearing it's end, is excited for new beginnings and what the future has
in store! Check back often as we have a whole new world of items for
you to enjoy starting next week!
Occult Auctions on ebay
Occult Auctions on ebay (items)
Occult Auctions on ebay (The Paglini Collection; actually I think this has all been sold out and it reverted to the regular auction items)
Occult Auctions on ebay (final 5 Paglini items; books with certificates of authenticity)
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Hans Holzer 1920-2009
I noticed one of Dr. Paglini's books was one authored by the late Hans Holzer, an American paranormal researcher and author, born in Austria. He wrote well over 100 books on supernatural and occult subjects. Upon searching him on Amazon.com, I found some very interesting subject titles, and you can get them for a buck or two. He also wrote about the famous Amityville case, which has been the subject of a lot of television documentaries recently. All of these subjects seem to be converging and gaining much more interest, which is exciting. There are also many Hans Holzer interviews on YouTube.
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The legend of Aradia, and specifically of La Vecchia Religione in general, are subjects which I have not gotten around to covering a lot on this blog as of yet. Today is--at least officially--the 700th birthday of Aradia, but I didn't want to clumsily put together a last minute overview of everything. I just wanted to mark this date for her, who I believe was a real person at least. The birthdate could be something of convenience, falling on the Festival of Diana.. her Mother according to legend.
Happy birthday Aradia!
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I left his post at the Traditional Stregheria forum at Yahoo Groups a couple of days ago.
Strege/native pagan values/symbols incorporated into early Catholicism
There are a lot of examples from mostly Odinic or other northern European traditions, and a lot of other places, which are well documented, but I wanted to focus on ancient central Italy and outward.
1) "Mary as a Goddess" - Clearly, many Catholics wish her to be a goddess. So
many are very devoted to this idea. She is referred to as the "Queen of Heaven," I think, pretty obviously, based mainly upon the Goddess Diana. They were so spiritually imbalanced that it's not so difficult to see how this developed over time.
2) "Law and Justice" - I believe that the idea of--within a family--the Father
symbolizing "Law" and the Mother symbolizing "Justice," is a pagan-value which was adopted into the social fabric of the early Christian Church. That concept was, however, cut short beyond the family (Man=Law/Woman=Justice). I once even heard a Protestant gloat about how wonderful that "Christian value" is.
3) "Solar Cross" - This is another obvious one, with the early church adopting
pagan solar wheels as crosses to aid in religious conversions.
4) "Trinity symbols" - There are numerous examples of this, too many to regress off hand...usually variations of the triquetra and triskelion... and also aiding in religious conversions.
5) Misc symbols - The common six-pointed cross is possibly based on the
rosette/sun of the Alps symbol and a lot of other regional hexagram styles (aka "hex signs"). The eight-pointed cross is pretty clearly based on the wheel of the year. The Vatican sun symbol is a no-brainer, and there's even one with a standard Christian cross with an upward-pointing crescent moon under it.
6) Science - There were five-pointed symbols in ancient Europe, just not as
stylish as the Sumerian hexagram (aka Pentagram). The five points ARE science itself! So we have today the Hegelian Dialect of closed-minded religion (anti-nature/knowledge) and closed-minded science (anti-spirit) driving us into the future. Certainly the church feared knowledge as evil for so long and still maintain a "block" to spiritual knowledge, and modern science denies the metaphysical "fifth point" of the Vehme.
Some of these concepts were a deliberate attempt to convert the pagans, while others were crossed over in a cultural manner by officials and concerns lower down in the organization it appears.
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