All you need is love...

Valentine's Day is approaching and the subject of love is in the air. There is a lot of folklore surrounding love dating back to time immemorial, here are a few known things aside from the better known red roses and chocolates:

- To dream of a dove is a signal of success in love
- Certain gemstones are connected to love, Onyx  represents a joyous marriage, Diamond signifies       victory in love and Jasper indicates reciprocated love.
- If you dream of a number 6 or of something in sixes it foretells of love.
- Touching a wedding ring to an aching tooth meant the pain would be relieved through the power of the love held within it.
- To attract a lover, ashes from the hearth could be sprinkled on the path or road leading up to the front door.
- Turquoise is a lucky stone for lovers, thought to be because blue is considered the best colour to wear when first meeting your love.
- To find an Ash leaf with an even number of points was considered lucky, make a wish and place it under your pillow to dream of your future partner.

So although the modern day Valentine's is somewhat commercial, there are many ways love was celebrated and foretold in the past, and possibly even ways to attract that special someone!

Knots in History and Folklore

Knots have been used throughout history for symbolic, magical and practical applications beyond the simple fastening of objects; in fact Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian mentioned the use of knots as early as the year 400BC. We all know the old wives tale that tying a knot in one’s handkerchief when thinking of something should help us remember it, but what else have knots been used for? 

One of the longest used and more familiar uses for knots was their use by travellers, sailors and soldiers. It is said they would leave a number of simple knots in a cord or rope with their loved ones at home to signify when they would return from a journey, one knot would be loosened each day and when the last one was undone, the man would return. Dates, numbers and seasons have been tracked, marked and logged by using knots as time markers in a similar way,  for centuries, lunar cycles, equinoxes and solstices were noted and predicted by knot work by pagan astronomers and Inca astrologers for example. 

In the world of magic, knots have great importance as a tool and symbol. Tying a knotted rope around a sick person, patch of land or at a certain time of year to attract weather would bind an illness, emotion such as grief or trap an element, when the spell was cast or the time had passed, releasing the knot would free whatever it was the people of the time were trying to trap. Love knots are another well-known example of a magical use, to bind two people together a willow branch would be tied in a knot on a waxing moon then was hidden until the desired relationship had blossomed, the branch would then be returned to the land with thanks. 

In medicinal folklore, knots are mentioned too, Pliny the Elder the great Roman herbalist and naturalist recommended knot magic to heal difficult ailments; knots would be tied onto a cord or string of certain types during rituals with an incantation uttered as each was done to increase the potency of the cure. In Celtic and eastern artwork, the graphical representation of knots such as the triquetra, drawn with incredible accuracy represent the importance of the symbolism, no beginning, no end, eternal pathways of energy. 

Aside from their practical uses and the boyhood challenges of tying complicated ones, knots have a much wider significance, whether in art, folklore or the working world, they are interesting creations with a lot of history. 

What is Neo-Paganism?

The term "Neo-paganism" encompasses a very broad spectrum of organizations, groups and beliefs. A neo-pagan (sometimes referred to simply as ‘pagan’) religion is a relatively modern faith which has been reconstructed from philosophies , symbols and practices of a much more ancient religion, particularly those influenced by the pre-Christian values of Western Europe that include a wide range of beliefs such as animism, polytheism and pantheism.

The word "pagan" comes from the Latin ‘paganus’, originally meaning "country-dweller" or "rustic" but the term ‘neo-pagan’ appeared first in the 19th century in reference to Renaissance and the classical revival where culture was challenged with a new way of thinking. It has found particular growth in the USA and Britain, but also in many parts of Europe. 

Many neo-pagan religions observe spirituality that is very modern in origin, while others tend to focus on trying to accurately revive traditional, ethnic religions as can often be found referenced in historical texts and in folklore worldwide, these group often reject the ‘neo’ part of the title as it is seen to modernise their objective unnecessarily . The largest neo-pagan religion today is ‘Wicca’ – a form of modern witchcraft, but there are other significantly sized neo-pagan faiths which include Neo-druidism who draw on several belief systems and inspirations from the ancient Druids and Germanic Neo-paganism which has really grown since the 1970s. 

The fundamental beliefs of neo-pagan faiths are those of peace, ritual, tradition and a reverence for nature, although many groups practice polytheism – a belief in multiple deities – the figure of a ‘Mother Earth’ or ‘Gaia’ goddess is usually the most revered, associated with fertility, growth and rebirth. The misguided, ignorant view  of many is that ‘Satanism’ or ‘devil-worship’ is involved in pagan rituals, these are fundamentally Christian ‘inventions’ and have no recognition in the belief systems of any pagan faith. Many neo-pagan religions incorporate the use of ceremony and magic into their ritual practices and these are more often than not observed outdoors to encompass the power of nature and the moon. There seems to have been a sort of neo-pagan revival in the 1960s and 1970s - Wicca especially was influenced by feminism. 

During the 1980s there was the popular use of the term ‘new-age’ to describe neo-pagan groups and many festivals began to appear to bring people together. Today, any new religion that encompasses nature-worship and/or pantheism (the view that the nature and God are as one) are grouped under the umbrella term of neo-paganism. The development and rapid growth of the internet in the 1990s has aided the spread of the religion throughout the world as people from different countries communicate and share their beliefs on a wider scale. 

The Aberdeen Witch Trials.

(Taken from my original article http://www.spiritualliving360.com/index.php/the-aberdeen-witches-4200/) 

Many have compared the ‘Aberdeen Witches’ era of history to the famous Salem Witch Trials in America, it was a time of persecution, accusation and terror for women who were practitioners of healing, those who had lived to an old age or those that simply ‘looked like a witch’. 

From 1563, it became a criminal offense to practice witchcraft. King James had an obsession with witchcraft, so much so he wrote a book on the subject which he called  ‘Daemonologie’, he developed a compulsion for hunting witches and rallied groups of witch finders to help in his quest, they consisted of ministers and elders of the reformed church along with general citizens who became embroiled in the craze. Many of these so called  "witches" were nothing more than elderly women, people did not generally live long in the 16^th century and longevity was seen as being achieved by magic, other women such as midwives and village healers were also taken for trial. The charges they faced ranged from casting spells on animals, turning milk sour and using enchanted foods to entice young men, it was very much a case of ‘your word against theirs’ when it came to the trials, who would the public believe – a highly respected minister or an old woman?

Many of the accused women actually "confessed" to the charges of witchcraft, simply because the punishment was easier to take than the methods of torture the witch hunters used to get the information, thumb screws, the ducking stool and red hot leg-irons were some of the reputed instruments they had to face. Even if someone was arrested on suspicion of witchcraft and was eventually found not guilty the damage would have been done, they would still be branded with the mark of the witch and be banished from Aberdeen. The ones found guilty by whatever bogus methods the witch finders could exploit were first hanged and then burned on the renowned ‘Heading Hill’ where many criminals came to their end, in fact there is still an early version of a guillotine there today.

A total of at least twenty-three women and one man - Colin Massie who was accused of being a warlock - were charged and executed for witchcraft during this time, countless others would have been captured if they hadn’t been able to escape into the surrounding area. It is a famous and dark period in Scottish history, but gives an insight into the mindset of the day.