Aradia: Gospel of the Witches

Aradia: Gospel of the Witches

The Sea Priestess

A brief video about the text known as "Aradia" or "The Gospel of the Witches" by Charles Godfrey Leland. Music: Elegia Luna (Igor Dvorkin, Duncan Pittock)

http://www.facebook.com/OathBoundSecrets

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San Pellegrino Terme and "La Bella Pellegrina": The Vehmic Connection

San Pellegrino water is no stranger to the American and world market. San Pellegrino Terme, at the foot of the Bergamo Alps, has been the source for this Alpine mineral water for over 600 years. It's logo is a red or black star, usually mixed, with white added in a multi-outlined design. Many companies and institutions use a star design, and maybe that's all there is to this. However, I think that there is at least a tinge of doubt.

San Pellegrino mineral water has been produced for over 600 years. In 1395, the town borders of Mathusanash Pellegrino were drawn, marking the start of its water industry. Leonardo da Vinci is said to have visited the town in 1509 to sample and examine the town's "miraculous" water, later writing a treatise on the subject. Analysis shows that the water is strikingly similar to the samples taken in 1782, the first year such analysis took place.

So lets consider three aspects of San Pellegrino. First, the name "San Pellegrino" means "Saint Pilgrim." Second, both a black star and a multi-outlined star at least suggest what we know in America as the common barnstar or welcome star. This star is of European, mostly German/Dutch origin. It is most common here in German-American rural, agricultural, and farming communities in Pennsylvania. According to Guido von List, this particular contoured star--apparently traditionally black--was common in rural inns and road stops in German speaking countries.

The barnstar is the modern expression, maybe since the Middle Ages, of the Vehmic spiritual tradition of Europe going back into very ancient times. It has the same meaning as the Pentagram in Wicca, which is based partly upon the same very old tradition. Third, this mineral water was considered magical. Whether or not that is mere folklore, we can see a possible pattern: magical water, Vehmic star, and the name "San Pellegrino" which I will explain.

The name "San Pellegrino Terme" means something like "Saint Pilgrim spa," which may have something to do with the water. The commune is home to the "Terme".. or "baths." There is also the Brembo River, so this may all have something to do with the legend of the "miraculous water." According to legend, Aradia, "La Bella Pellegrina" (The Beautiful Pilgrim) herself, was to have visited Lombardy after the upheaval surrounding her in Tuscany. She was also alleged to have moved onto the Balkans at a later point, perhaps to evade the coming persecution.

Aradia as rugged medieval traveler?

So we have three clues--albeit not ironclad clues--but three pieces of soft evidence pointing to a link between Aradia and San Pellegrino Terme. Okay, the odds would point more against it, but it's something to ponder if you have interest in "the old religion." Did "the beautiful pilgrim" of legend make a pilgrimage to what is today San Pellegrino Terme? If she did visit or settle there, it would have been roughly fifty years before the commune apparently got its name. Could Aradia have settled there after she "got out've Dodge," and continued her life's mission in secret?

If one links all of the circumstances, I think it paints an alluring possibility, partly because it's all old circumstantial evidence. The Bergamo Alps is a large wild mountainous area, where Aradia, and presumably her followers, could hide out if need be. San Pellegrino Terme is in the southern stretches of the Bergamo Alps; yet close to the Po Valley and the city of Bergamo. Also, this location was on the edge of the east Lombard Alps, where there had been a strong pagan tradition. There were plenty of secluded mountain valleys in which to dwell, and where the old ways were not out of place. Were there further wanderings and history of Aradia lost in time?

A few Papal and Venetian state authorities seemed to suggest that there was an upsurge in "Witchcraft" in the east Lombard Alps during the late fifteenth century: "For this reason we cannot but think that there is an evil sect in this diabolical valley." This wouldn't have been much more than a century after Aradia could have visited the region. These authorities finally took action, and witch trials soon took place in both Val Camonica and the Valtellina. As to whether or not there was a real upsurge, or if it was merely the old regional tradition, their reasoning was all the pretext that they needed. Could it have really been a resurgence of the old ways, which was introduced by Aradia, that resulted in a growing synergistic movement in these isolated mountain valleys?


And onto... Serbia?

Excerpt from page 224 of 'Hereditary Witchcraft: Secrets of the Old Religion' by Raven Grimassi:

I found it also interesting to note that 'Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath' by Carlo Ginzburg contains a passage that may be a historical reference to Aradia. On page 189 he speaks of a Pagan sect known as the Calusari, who, during the Middle Ages (as late as the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries), worshipped a "Mythical Empress" whom they sometimes called "Arada" or Irodeasa." The Calusari also used the term "mistress of the fairies" for her, just as the followers of Aradia called Diana the "Queen of the Fairies." There are certainly some very close similarities here, and we may be seeing a form of worship that evolved from the one Aradia founded over 100 years earlier.

According to the original legend of Aradia, she left Italy at some point in her quest and traveled out of the country. Serbia, the home of the Calusari, lies a short distance across the Adriatic from Central Italy, and travel by ship was not uncommon in that era. When Aradia left Italy she would not have traveled west to France because the Papacy was established there at the time, and Aradia was still being hunted by the Church. It would have been too dangerous to have gone to northern Europe because witches were being burned or hanged in that region (Italy did not begin the burning of witches until after the time of Aradia). So, in fact, an eastern exodus would have been the only logical action that Aradia could have taken. At the very least, there is a striking coincidence between Aradia's Witches and the Calusari of Arada.

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Thoughts upon the Festival of Thesmophoria - Part 3

Subliminal occult symbols flashed on live tv during MLB game

We all likely have our own opinions of the "who, what, when, where, how, and why" of this, but I just wanted to look at the symbols that they used. In other words, what do they think is racy? Actually, you don't even have to play the video because it's all right there. It's curious that they used a "board" against a background, rather than just a white screen with the signs on it. Perhaps they should hire me for this, since if I was the designer I would have used a Freemasonic/Saturnian black-cube square with the outer black/white squared pattern slightly visible, and with the signs in white within the black-cube. Actually I'm not "Saturnian," but more of a "Sun and Saturn equalist."

Right off the bat, it's clear that they have a mixture of ancient symbols from northern Europe to India. The one lone political/non-spiritual symbol is the Communist Hammer and Sickle. Since the sickle is a Druidic/pagan symbol by itself, I guess that partly qualifies it. Hmm, no Swastika? I guess they couldn't put "both," despite the fact that the banksters had a field day funding them both back in the day. It's interesting that they used the Teutonic Valknut since they seem to hate anything northern European. They have both the Pentacle Star and the Inverted Pentagram Circle, which seems to suggest a difference between them.. in their minds. There is a difference, so some element of honesty there.

They have some signs which are generally thought of as Celtic. Most of the rest are Freemasonic, Alchemical, and Hermetic symbols; with a few overlapping Egyptian signs thrown in. The interlocking keys design is used by the Catholic Church, but perhaps there could be an earlier origin. Of course they have the quintessential, worldly-yet-omnipresent, All-Seeing-Eye, and also Aleister Crowley's Unicursal-Hexagram used to symbolize his dark Egyptian magical system called Thelema. However, no Saturnian Hexagram? C'mon, you gotta have the Swastika and the Hexagram (aka Star of David)... those are the funnest ones! Ironically, the two were linked at one time in the deep past. Personally, I no longer view either one of them as connected to their modern assignment.

Who said dinosaurs are all gone?

Crocodiles are leftovers from the age of dinosaurs. They provide a good clue as to how large reptiles moved and behaved. Large cats vs. crocodiles and alligators provide a good example of the historical mammal-reptile struggle. Sharks are also a leftover from the dinosaur period.

Tying your heritage together

One's heritage, in it's numerous facets, doesn't have to be compartmentalized. Whether it's ethnic, spiritual, family, regional, or personal... it can be gently bonded together. I had mentioned the

example of Paige Montague (Sionnach the Celt) who is a Celtic Neo-Druid with Odinic influences. She may produce a video wearing a Hammer of Thor necklace and with a Scottish flag present. Although we so-often hear terms like "Irish Catholic," you can just mix it the way you want to mix it. You can even combine symbols to make something of a personal arms. In a way, she has in a sense "grown up on YouTube"; and I think she could be a great leader at some point. In my way of thinking, she really gets it.


Pit Bull vs. Bobcat.... WHO WINS??

Some Pit Bulls owners have even bragged about how their Pit have killed cats. Okay, lets see it.... Pitbull vs. Bobcat.... I guess the image sorta gives it away...





There is no Pit Bull in the world who could raise a paw to a fully grown, wild Bobcat... with superior power, lightening speed, and razor sharp fangs and claws.


Raven Grimassi on Coast to Coast AM Monday evening ("Moon's Day")... Tonight!

He's going to talk about a great subject which has been covered here, connecting with ancestors and familiar spirits. While a Ouija board can be very dangerous, connecting in a natural way will not result in unwanted entities... only those which you already have a soul linkage to. It will be a Full Supermoon tonight as well!

From CoastToCoastAM.com:

Divination/ Evolution

Date:	Monday - October 26, 2015
Host:	George Noory
Guests:	Matt Ridley, Raven Grimassi

In the first half of the program, neopagan scholar and award-winning author of over twelve books on witchcraft, wicca, and neopaganism, Raven Grimassi will discuss his work using divination to navigate the Earth plane and pierce the veil to contact spirits and beings from other dimensions. 

In the latter half, author Matt Ridley will detail his latest work on defining how trends emerge. He will argue against conventional assumptions that major scientific and social imperatives are dictated by those on high and, instead, will make the case for evolution in the universe as well as in many facets of our society and culture. 

Website(s):

• houseofgrimassi.com
• mattridley.co.uk

Book(s):

• Old World Witchcraft
• Grimoire of the Thorn-Blooded Witch
• The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge

The Druidic Temple of Mona

I'm currently reading the book 'Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A Complete History' (Ruickbie; 2004), and I keep finding myself wanting to put excerpts here which are very applicable; which I did recently with the Greek legend of Medea. I found another which I can't resist. To start with, after the first chapter regarding the "Old Religion" as it existed prominently in pre-Olympian Greece (and after), chapter two is entitled 'East of Midgard: Witchcraft, Magic, and Religion Amongst the Pagan Tribes of Northern Europe'. He talks about the Germanic and Gaulish tribes, and it's fascinating to ponder the interaction between these two similar cultures. It also shows how the "Old Religion" existed within the ancient Odinic German societies. It's obvious to me the cultural overlap between the magical traditions of the proto-Europeans and the incoming Teutons. For example, the Druidic traditions developed as the two merged together; and the later Germanic invasion in the east reflected the more Teutonic spirituality.

In the subsection 'The People of the Oak', based mostly on the works of the Roman historian Tacitus, the Druids are shown to be nothing less than the "doctors, poets, priest and astronomers" of the Gaulish culture. When the Roman Emperor Claudius outlawed "Druidry" in 43 CE, it took about fifteen years to wipe it out by force. Since it was an oral tradition, little is known about it today. A few small reminders exist today, such as the mistletoe during Christmas; although it had an entirely different significance to the Druids. "...the Greek philosopher Dio Chysotomus (c. 40-112 CE) compared them to those other great mystical castes of ancient times, the Persian magi, Egyptian priests and Hindu brahmin." Apparently some Alchemists believe that the Druids were part of some type of "mystery school network" which existed from Greece and Egypt, to Phonecia, to Persia, to India, and even to China. It took years of training to become a Druid or Druidess.

Although so little is known of the Druids, it was beautiful to read about how they held court in special "sacred groves" of oak trees. I imagined groves of grey barked oak trees in Lake County, California where I spent summers when I was a child. It was almost like the oak trees possess a certain nurturing energetic quality. Even today, when I'm in some special remote place--morning, day, late afternoon, twilight, or evening--with nobody around, I find it incredible that nobody is there to enjoy the priceless feeling, sights, mood, and tranquil energy. Perhaps the Druids knew something that we don't know? I wanted to put in one more small but important excerpt that validates something that I've suspected for a good while now:

"Julius Caesar had broken their (the Druids) power in Gaul by 58 BCE and in 60 or 61 CE the Roman legions laid wast to their holy sanctuary of Mona (Mon) on the island of what is now called Anglesey (Wales). Tacitus describes how black-robed druidesses urged on the Celtic warriors and cursed their Roman attackers with great shouts and screams. The Romans were terrible in victory and having won the field of battle, destroyed the sacred groves and massacred the druids. As a spiritual and political force they were finished and gradually declined into obscurity."

The word Mòn meant "Moon" to the ancient Camunni. In the Camunian dialect, Al Camònega means "Val Camonica," and "mòn" is present in many words in the Lombard language and Camunian sub-dialect of Brescian; likely always having some tie-in to an old phrase with a moon-connection. There is a Camunian village called Monno in Italian, but was actually called "Mòn" in the Lombard language. It literally meant "Moon," and perhaps was the site of some forgotten temple to the moon goddess. Also, as I am somewhat ashamed to admit, the word "Mòna" in Camunian--which was very likely the actual, now forgotten, ancient local name of the moon goddess--is a vulgar and slanderous name for a woman.

I have long suspected, based on what little information I have come upon regarding ancient mostly central European languages, that the proto-European word for moon was "mòn." Also, more importantly, the word for the ancient moon goddess was "Mòna." Lombardy was once part of Cisalpine Gaul, and the ancient Camunni were a very ancient proto-European people. The Welsh, like Basques and Camunians, are also a very ancient proto-European people. Wales is where this "holy sanctuary of Mona" was located. It seems to suggest that the words and spiritual concepts of Mòn and Mòna were of pre-Celtic proto-European origin. In other words, the European-wide "Old Religion." Going back to the last glacial movement, where the northern two-thirds of Europe was covered by a mile high sheet of ice, this goddess had a common origin.

The Gaulish Mòna, the Greek Hecate, the Roman Diana, the Venus of Willendorf, etc., were all of a common origin if you go back far enough. People just can't wrap their minds around the fact that the true-Mediterraneans and original Teutons arrived later. Before there were Greeks, Germans, English, etc., there was this type of "European native" and their spiritual tradition. The origin of the "Old Religion." Of course, even before Christianity, it was being merged, marginalized, and sometimes altered. For example, there was likely Alchemical influence during the Middle Ages. The word "mòn" became "moon," and the Roman-Latin "Luna" and "Lunar" replaced it in scientific and spiritual reference. Also, the "horned god" was the "father god" of the Old Religion all over Europe from Cyprus to Scotland.

Cernunnos and Mona were later local manifestations of this "god and goddess" in Gaul. Much earlier manifestations of this same "god and goddess" were "The Sorcerer" and the "Venus of Willendorf." When we go back the far in time, we must suspend our idea of geography somewhat in order to comprehend that time period. So have we finally solved the problem of finding an ancient "European name" for the Almother? Regional names, such as Hecate, only seem to confuse the issue. As for the Alfather of the Old Religion, the late Stewart Farrar used the name "Karnayna," although I don't know at this time if this was based on any ancient word or concept. I had discussed in that earlier article the problem with adopting names from local traditions, since people often just can't separate that particular locale with the larger concept. 

"Heathen" is a good working example of the "reappropriation" of a word to fit a larger concept; while the word "Asatru" has run into problems, as people can't seem to forget it's regional Icelandic roots. It then becomes "an Icelandic religion" in some people's minds. The name "Mona" would be a good candidate for reappropriation, since it is generally just a given name and a word present in non-Indo-European languages due to it's simple pronunciation (likely to develop in various languages). "Máni" was a Norse, and probably Saxon, "moon goddess." Máni means "moon" in old Norse and Icelandic. In this somewhat parallel northern tradition, there was a "sun god and moon goddess" called "Máni and Sól." This seems to clearly show the proto-European tie-in within Norse paganism.

This tie-in is not Odinic, but a regional Norse connection to the Old Religion, which I have long suspected. I could not be certain, since "Norse witchcraft" could have developed on it's own. It is much more likely an older holdover, with Odinic influence. The author of 'Witchcraft Out of the Shadows' is Leo Ruickbie from the UK.

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