I was just wondering if there were any Women that were Spiritual, and on the path of the Goddess here tonihgt, and if so
Would you like to chat?

BB & MP
GeminiGoddess

Here's One Bit of Proof, and this is for Real!!

Malleus Maleficarum
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Cover of the seventh Cologne edition of the Malleus Maleficarum, 1520 (from the University of Sydney Library). The Latin title is "MALLEUS MALEFICARUM, Maleficas, & earum hæresim, ut phramea potentissima conterens." (English: The Hammer of Witches which destroyeth Witches and their heresy like a most powerful spear.)[1]The Malleus Maleficarum[2](Latin for "The Hammer of Witches", or "Hexenhammer" in German) is a famous treatise on witches, written in 1486 by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, and was first published in Germany in 1487.[3] The main purpose of the Malleus was to systematically refute all arguments against the reality of witchcraft, refute those who expressed even the slightest skepticism about its reality, to prove that witches were more often women than men, and to educate magistrates on the procedures that could find them out and convict them.[4]

Contents [hide]
1 Genesis
2 Contents
3 Major themes
4 Reasons for popularity
5 Consequences
6 Notes
7 References
8 External links



[edit] Genesis
This article or section has multiple issues. Please help improve the article or discuss these issues on the talk page.
It may contain inappropriate or misinterpreted citations which do not verify the text.Tagged since April 2008.



The Malleus Maleficarum was published in 1487 by Heinrich Kramer (Latinized Institoris) and Jacob Sprenger. However, most modern scholars believe that Jacob Sprenger contributed little if anything to the work besides his illustrious name.[5] Sprenger and Kramer were both Dominican friars and Inquisitors.[6]

In 1484, Kramer had tried to prosecute witchcraft in the bishopric of Trent but was blocked by local ecclesiastical authorities. Kramer requested papal support and attained it via the papal bull Summis desiderantes affectibus, which recognized the existence of witches and gave full papal approval for the Inquisition to prosecute witchcraft.[7] However, after local authorities still blocked his attempts, Kramer directed his energies to the composition of the Malleus. He drew on earlier sources like the Johannes Nider's treatise Formicarius, written 1435/37.[8] Kramer used the papal bull as the preface for the Malleus, giving the false impression that Innocent VIII had endorsed the Malleus when in fact the bull had endorsed Kramer as an inquisitor and not his (then unwritten) work.

Kramer and Sprenger submitted the Malleus Maleficarum to the University of Cologne’s Faculty of Theology on May 9, 1487, hoping for its endorsement. Instead, the faculty condemned it as both unethical and illegal.[9] Nevertheless, Kramer inserted an endorsement from the University into subsequent editions.[citation needed] The Catholic Church banned the book in 1490, placing it on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum.[citation needed]

Despite this, it became the handbook for witch-hunters and Inquisitors throughout Late Medieval Europe. Between the years 1487 and 1520, the work was published thirteen times. It was again published between the years of 1574 to 1669 a total of sixteen times. The papal bull and endorsements which appear at the beginning of the book contributed to its popularity by giving the illusion that it had been granted approval.

The Malleus marked an important turn in the approach to witchcraft. The reality of witchcraft had been denied by the church in earlier centuries but now became accepted as a real and dangerous heresy.[10]


[edit] Contents
The Malleus Maleficarum asserts that three elements are necessary for witchcraft: the evil-intentioned witch, the help of the Devil, and the Permission of God.[11] The treatise is divided up into three sections. The first section refutes critics who denied the reality of witchcraft, thereby hindering its prosecution. The second section describes the actual forms of witchcraft and its remedies. The third section is to assist judges confronting and combating witchcraft. However, each of these three sections has the prevailing themes of what is witchcraft and who is a witch. The Malleus Maleficarum can hardly be called an original text, for it heavily relies upon earlier works such as Visconti, Torquemada and, most famously, Johannes Nider's Formicarius (1435).[12]

Section I

Section I argues that because the Devil exists and has the power to do astounding things, witches exist to help, if done through the aid of the Devil and with the permission of God.[13] The Devil’s power is greatest where human sexuality is concerned, for it was believed that women were more sexual than men. Loose women had sex with the Devil, thus paving their way to become witches. To quote the Malleus “all witchcraft comes from carnal lust, which is in women insatiable.”

Section II

In section II of the Malleus Maleficarum, the authors turn to matters of practice by discussing actual cases. This section first discusses the powers of witches, and then goes into recruitment strategies.[14] It is mostly witches as opposed to the Devil who do the recruiting, by making something go wrong in the life of a respectable matron that makes her consult the knowledge of a witch, or by introducing young maidens to tempting young devils.[15] This section also details how witches cast spells and remedies that can be taken to prevent witchcraft or help those that have been affected by it.[16]

Section III

Section III is the legal part of the Malleus that describes how to prosecute a witch. The arguments are clearly laid for the lay magistrates prosecuting witches. Institoris and Sprenger offer a step-by-step guide to the conduct of a witch trial, from the method of initiating the process and assembling accusations, to the interrogation (including torture) of witnesses, and the formal charging of the accused.[17] Women who did not cry during their trial were automatically believed to be witches.[18]


[edit] Major themes
Misogyny runs rampant in the Malleus Maleficarum. The treatise singled out women as specifically inclined for witchcraft, because they were susceptible to demonic temptations through their manifold weaknesses. It was believed that they were weaker in faith and were more carnal than men.[19] Most of the women accused as witches had strong personalities and were known to defy convention by overstepping the lines of proper female decorum.[20] After the publication of the Malleus, most of those who were prosecuted as witches were women.[21] Indeed, the very title of the Malleus Maleficarum is feminine, alluding to the idea that it was women who were the evil-doers. Otherwise, it would be the Malleus Maleficorum (the masculine form of the Latin noun maleficus or malefica, 'witch'), which would mean The Hammer of (Male) Witches. It should be noted that in Latin the feminine "Maleficarum" would only be used for women while the masculine "Maleficorum" could be used for either sex.[22]

The Malleus Maleficarum accuses witches of infanticide, cannibalism, casting evil spells to harm their enemies, and having the power to steal men’s penises. It goes on to give accounts of witches committing these crimes.

The Malleus Maleficarum was heavily influenced by humanistic ideologies. The ancient subjects of astronomy, philosophy, and medicine were being reintroduced to the West at this time, as well as a plethora of ancient texts being rediscovered and studied. The Malleus often makes reference to the Bible and Aristotelian thought, and it is also heavily influenced by the philosophical tenets of Neo-Platonism.[23] It also mentions astrology and astronomy, which had recently been reintroduced to the West by the ancient works of Pythagoras.[24]


[edit] Reasons for popularity
The Malleus Maleficarum was able to spread throughout Europe so rapidly in the late fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth century due to the innovation of the printing press in the middle of the fifteenth century by Johannes Gutenberg. That printing should have been invented thirty years before the first publication of the Malleus, which instigated the fervor of witch hunting, and, in the words of Russell, "the swift propagation of the witch hysteria by the press was the first evidence that Gutenberg had not liberated man from original sin."[25] The Malleus is also heavily influenced by the subjects of divination, astrology, and healing rituals the Church inherited from antiquity.[26]

The late fifteenth century was also a period of religious turmoil, for the Protestant Reformation was but a few decades in the future. The Malleus Maleficarum and the witch craze that ensued took advantage of the increasing intolerance of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation in Europe, where the Protestant and Catholic camps each zealously strove to maintain the purity of faith.[27]


[edit] Consequences
Between 1487 and 1520, twenty editions of the Malleus were published, and another sixteen editions were published between 1574 to 1669.[28] Popular accounts suggest that the extensive publishing of the Malleus Maleficarum in 1487 launched centuries of witch-hunts in Europe. Estimations of deaths have varied widely, however the more commonly accepted estimates are between 40,000 and 100,000 people, mostly women, because they were accused as witches. However, as some researchers have noted, the fact that the Malleus was popular does not imply that it accurately reflected or influenced actual practice; one researcher compared it to confusing a "television docu-drama" with "actual court proceedings." Estimates about the impact of the Malleus should thus be weighed accordingly.


[edit] Notes
^ The English translation is from this note to Summers' 1928 introduction.
^ Translator Montague Summers consistently uses "the Malleus Maleficarum" (or simply "the Malleus") in his 1928 and 1948 introductions. [1] [2]
^ Ruickbie (2004), 71, highlights the problems of dating; Ankarloo (2002), 239
^ Ankarloo, 240
^ Russell (1972), 230
^ Broedel (2003), p. 20.
^ Russell, 229.
^ Bailey (2003), 30
^ History of the Malleus Maleficarum by Jenny Gibbons
^ Trevor-Roper (1968), 102-105
^ Russell, 232
^ Russell, 279
^ Broedel, 22
^ Broedel, 30
^ Broedel, 30
^ Mackay, 214
^ Broedel, 34
^ Mackay, 502
^ Bailey, 49
^ Bailey, 51
^ Russell, 145
^ Maxwell-Stewart, 30
^ Kieckhefer (2000), 145
^ Kieckhefer, 146
^ Russell, 234
^ Ankarloo, 77
^ Henningsen (1980), 15
^ Russell, 79

[edit] References
Ankarloo, Bengt (ed.); Stuart Clark (ed.) (2002). Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Volume 3: The Middle Ages. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812217861.
Bailey, Michael D. (2003). Battling Demons: Witchcraft, Heresy, and Reform in the Late Middle Ages. Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 0271022264.
Broedel, Hans Peter (2004). The Malleus Maleficarum and the Construction of Witchcraft: Theology and Popular Belief. Manchester University Press. ISBN 0719064414.
Flint, Valerie. The Rise of Magic in Early Medieval Europe. Princeton University Press. Princeton, NJ. 1991
Hamilton, Alastair (May 2007). "Review of Malleus Maleficarum edited and translated by Christopher S. Mackay and two other books". Heythrop Journal 48 (3): 477-479. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2265.2007.00325_12.x .
(payment required)
Henningsen, Gustav. The Witches' Advocate: Basque Witchcraft and the Spanish Inquisition. University of Nevada Press. Reno, NV. 1980
Institoris, Heinrich; Jakob Sprenger (1520). Malleus maleficarum, maleficas, & earum haeresim, ut phramea potentissima conterens. Coloniae: Excudebat Ioannes Gymnicus.
This is the edition held by the University of Sydney Library. [3]
Kieckhefer, Richard. Magic in the Middle Ages. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, England. 2000
Mackay, Christopher S. (2006). Malleus Maleficarum (2 volumes). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521859778. (Latin) (English) (bibrec) (editor's home page)
Volume 1 is the Latin text of the first edition of 1486-7 with annotations and an introduction. Volume 2 is an English translation with explanatory notes.
Maxwell-Stewart, P.G. (2001). Witchcraft in Europe and the New World. New York: Palgrave.
Ruickbie, Leo (2004). Witchcraft Out of the Shadows. London: Robert Hale. ISBN 0709075677.
Russell, Jeffrey Burton (1972 repr. 1984). Witchcraft in the Middle Ages. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 0801492890. (bibrec)
Summers, Montague (1948 repr. 1971). The Malleus Maleficarum of Kramer and Sprenger, ed. and trans. by Summers, Dover Publications. ISBN 0486228029.
Thurston, Robert W. (Nov 2006). "The world, the flesh and the devil". History Today 56 (11): 51-57. (payment required for full text)
Trevor-Roper, H.R. (1967). The European Witch-Craze: of the sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries and Other Essays. New York: Harper Collins.

[edit] External links
Malleus Maleficarum - Online version of Latin text and scanned pages of Malleus Maleficarum published in 1580.
Malleus Maleficarum - Full text of the 1928 English translation by Montague Summers. His 1948 introduction is also included.
A disclaimer says: "Please note that we at the Malleus Maleficarum Online project are not scholars or experts on the subject."
[hide]v • d • eWitch hunt

Valais witch trials (1428-1447) · Formicarius (1475) · Malleus Maleficarum (1486) · Trier witch trials (1581-1593) · Witches of Warboys (1589-1593) · North Berwick witch trials (1590) · Fulda witch trials (1603-1606) · Køge Huskors (1608-1615) · Basque witch trials (1609) · Aix-en-Provence possessions (1611) · Pendle witch trials (1612) · Witches of Belvoir (1619) · Würzburg witch trial (1627-1629) · Ramsele witch trial (1634) · Loudun possessions (1634) · Bury St. Edmunds witch trials (1645, 1662, 1655 & 1694) · Louviers Possessions (1647) · Kirkjuból witch trial (1656) · Vardø Witch Trials (1662-1663) · Torsåker witch trials (1675) · Bideford witch trial (1684) · Salem witch trials (1692-1693) · The Burning Times


Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malleus_Maleficarum"
Categories: 1487 books | Christian texts | Inquisition | Supernatural books | Occult books | Witchcraft

VooDoo, is Belief, a Heratage, a Culture,a Path, a Faith, a Way of Ones Lives, Passed down from Generation to Generation ,Apprentices carry on the Knowledge for the Future.

Good Morning!!!
Im so Happy to be back!!
I hope everyone of the Wonderful Pagan/ Wiccans are doing Great!!!
Hope everyone had a Blessed Beltane!
If there any here in the DFW of Texas, please let me know, I have put together a Gathering of Goddesses Women) and it will be next week May 15, 2008.
So please contact me for info....
Im going to post it on my profile in a few, so you can check there as well.

Love & Light
GeminiGoddess

Merry Meet,
As you can tell, I don't live my life by the Bible.
If is said to be Rich is a Sin i the Bible So. What kind of Rich they are talking about?
Is is Rich in Money, Rich in Love, Rich In Happiness, Or Rich in any other Emotion or such thngs in life, that we are most Happiest.
Now how could that be a Sin?
To be Rich in anything is Great.
Im Rich in my Knowledge of my Faith.
That makes Me Enlighted and Happy, is that a Sin too?
Just as any Christian would be Rich in the beliefs of Jesus, I guess that would be concidered a Sin too?...
Just my thoughts, not try to get people angry..
Love & Light
GeminiGoddess

The Nine Principles of the Goddess
1. I acknowledge that there is one Goddess in essence, Creatrix of all existences; Her forms are infinite, She manifests Herself in our love, and we are all Her lovers.

2. Treat all beings with reciprocity, for the Goddess lives in them as well as in us.

3. Tolerate other religions and do not compel others to join the circle of the Goddess: the Goddess will draw those to Her who are ready and hear Her call.

4. Worship Her by restoring balance to Her planet.

5. Eat mostly grains, vegetables and fruits, so that there will be enough food for all; when you eat thank the Goddess, the provider of all energy. It is not forbidden to eat animal flesh in moderation, but when you do so you must thank the animal that you eat as well.

6. In the circle of the Goddess create consensus while respecting diversity of opinion. On the path of the Goddess there are many paths.

7. In your home create a sacred space for the Goddess to please Her. Meditate on the Goddess three times a day, at rising, at noon and at sundown.

8. Sexuality is Her sacrament; enjoy this gift and bless those who you share it with love and affection. Remember that overcoming jealousy is the cause of cessation of the cycle of rebirth.

9. Announce the religion of the Goddess to the world through good works, honest words and selfless acts of beauty and love.

To set out on the path of the Goddess, you need only recite the first principle three times, and say three times 'blessed be'. The Goddess will enter your heart and you will feel her love, and when that happens you are in the circle of the Goddess.




By:Book of Goddesses

Good Night!!

BB & Mp
G.G.

Once upon a time, there were two Witches. One was a Feminist Witch and the other was a Traditionalist Witch. And, although both of them were deeply religious, they had rather different ideas about what their religion meant. The Feminist Witch tended to believe that Witchcraft was a religion especially suited to women because the image of the Goddess was empowering and a strong weapon against patriarchal tyranny. And there was distrust in the heart of the Feminist Witch for the Traditionalist Witch because, from the Feminist perspective, the Traditionalist Witch seemed subversive and a threat to "the Cause".

The Traditionalist Witch tended to believe that Witchcraft was a religion for both men and women because anything less would be divisive. And although the Goddess was worshipped, care was taken to give equal stress to the God-force in nature, the Horned One. And there was distrust in the heart of the Traditionalist Witch for the Feminist Witch because, from the Traditionalist viewpoint, the Feminist Witch seemed like a late-comer and a threat to "Tradition". These two Witches lived in the same community but each belonged to a different Coven, so they did not often run into one another. Strange to say, the few times they did meet, they felt an odd sort of mutual attraction, at least on the physical level. But both recognized the folly of this attraction, for their ideologies were worlds apart, and nothing, it seemed, could ever bridge them.

Then one year the community decided to hold a Grand Coven, and all the Covens in the area were invited to attend. After the rituals, the singing, the magicks, the feasting, the poetry, and dancing were concluded, all retired to their tents and sleeping bags. All but these two. For they were troubled by their differences and couldn't sleep. They alone remained sitting by the campfire while all others around them dreamed. And before long, they began to talk about their differing views of the Goddess. And, since they were both relatively inexperienced Witches, they soon began to argue about what was the "true" image of the Goddess.

"Describe your image of the Goddess to me," challenged the Feminist Witch. The Traditionalist Witch smiled, sighed, and said in a rapt voice, "She is the embodiment of all loveliness. The quintessence of feminine beauty. I picture her with silver-blond hair like moonlight, rich and thick, falling down around her soft shoulders. She has the voluptuous young body of a maiden in her prime, and her clothes are the most seductive, gossamer thin and clinging to her willowy frame. I see her dancing like a young elfin nymph in a moonlit glade, the dance of a temple priestess. And she calls to her lover, the Horned One, in a voice that is gentle and soft and sweet, and as musical as a silver bell frosted with ice. She is Aphrodite, goddess of sensual love. And her lover comes in answer to her call, for she is destined to become the Great Mother. That is how I see the Goddess."

The Feminist Witch hooted with laughter and said, "Your Goddess is a Cosmic Barbie Doll! The Jungian archetype of a cheer-leader! She is all glitter and no substance. Where is her strength? Her power? I see the Goddess very differently. To me, she is the embodiment of strength and courage and wisdom. A living symbol of the collective power of women everywhere. I picture her with hair as black as a moonless night, cropped short for ease of care on the field of battle. She has the muscular body of a woman at the peak of health and fitness. And her clothes are the most practical and sensible, not slinky cocktail dresses. She does not paint her face or perfume her hair or shave her legs to please men's vanities. Nor does she do pornographic dances to attract a man to her. For when she calls to a male, in a voice that is strong and defiant, it will be to do battle with the repressive masculine ego. She is Artemis the huntress, and it is fatal for any man to cast a leering glance in her direction. For, although she may be the many-breasted Mother, she is also the dark Crone of wisdom, who destroys the old order. That is how I see the Goddess."

Now the Traditionalist Witch hooted with laughter and said, "Your Goddess is the antithesis of all that is feminine! She is Yahweh hiding behind a feminine mask! Don't forget that it was his followers who burned Witches at the stake for the "sin" of having "painted faces". After all, Witches with their knowledge of herbs were the ones who developed the art of cosmetics. So what of beauty? What of love and desire?"

And so the argument raged, until the sound of their voices awakened a Coven Elder who was sleeping nearby. The Elder looked from the Feminist Witch to the Traditionalist Witch and back again, saying nothing for a long moment. Then the Elder suggested that both Witches go into the woods apart from one another and there, by magick and meditation, that each seek a "true" vision of the Goddess. This they both agreed to do.

After a time of invocations, there was a moment of perfect stillness. Then a glimmer of light could be seen in the forest, a light shaded deepest green by the dense foliage. Both Witches ran toward the source of the radiance. To their wonder and amazement, they discovered the Goddess had appeared in a clearing directly between them, so that neither Witch could see the other. And the Traditionalist Witch yelled "What did I tell you!" at the same instant the Feminist Witch yelled "You see, I was right!" and so neither Witch heard the other.

To the Feminist Witch, the Goddess seemed to be a shining matrix of power and strength, with courage and energy flowing outward. The Goddess seemed to be holding out her arms to embrace the Feminist Witch, as a comrade in arms. To the Traditionalist Witch, the Goddess seemed to be the zenith of feminine beauty, lightly playing a harp and singing a siren song of seduction. Energy seemed to flow towards her. And she seemed to hold out her arms to the Traditionalist Witch, invitingly.

From opposite sides of the clearing, the Witches ran toward the figure of the Goddess they both loved so well, desiring to be held in the ecstasy of that divine embrace. But just before they reached her, the apparition vanished. And the two Witches were startled to find themselves embracing each other.

And then they both heard the voice of the Goddess. And, oddly enough, it sounded exactly the same to both of them. It sounded like laughter.


Copyright © 1986, 1998 by Mike Nichols

Merry meet,
I would like to start this thread for all the Open Minded People of Paganism / Spiritualist/ and other Faiths of Like Minds.

I would first like to introduce myself.

My name is GeminiGoddess,
I have been a practicing Pagan of over a Decade, and have a Coven here in Texas.
I am looking for more people of my faith,to chat with and have intelligent conversations of subjects dealing with Faith.

Please no bashing of others oppions, and faiths and beliefs.
Thats where the Open Mind comes in LOL
I will be on and off here and there, but I will check back as much as I can.
Please lets try to keep this thread at the top!!!

Brightest Blessings
Love & Light
GeminiGoddess

Merry Meet to you also.
I hope your evening is going well.
Blessings
G.G.

Well Jesus was a Man, a Healing man at that and as a healing man was known,as a Shaman.
The Suffering he went through was real pain.
He is remembered for his love of life and others, just as the God/Goddess intended him to be, but still that ? who is the Goddess/God?
We will know when we get there
Just a quick view of my thoughts not meant in a bad way at all.

Well this came from a group I have on msn that I have had about 3 yrs open, the parts about blood, well, I have to admit I too am a HP and have used my Blood in Ritual but that was to bind our Coven of Sisters when we first started the Coven, in Recognition of the Goddess and her name and to be a peace with the earth and others.

I have NEVER, though, used blood of any thing or any one else in Ritual. Never.

As far as the Power of one and the power of more , well there is alot of power and energies in alot of people together, but I have had just as good or not even better results of my magick being by myself, the intent was so strong, I could act out if I wanted, in my own room,in my own personal space.
But all in all I have had some very intense Rituals by myself.

As far as performing any type of magick while ill, it isn't a good idea because your intent may be fogged, or it may not have even enough energies if sick to send to right space, and it would take more from you if it wasn't potent enough to reach it's goal, than just laying back and mentally tring to cleanse yourself.


Love & Light
GeminiGoddess

Merry Meet All,
I finally got moved and Im back up online.
Just wondering if any Pagans / Wiccans/ Spiritualist/ Open Minded People would like to chat.


Love & Light
G.G.

ok well you all have a wonderful day.
Be back another time..
BB & Mp
GeminiGoddess

Morning All!!!
Now I know there a Pagan or 2 here. I looked and the last post that I saw about Paganism or Wiccan was days ago.
Whats up
Where did u all go?????
Love & Light
GeminiGoddess

Merry Meet
May you be Blessed by the Goddess!!!
GeminiGoddess

I was just wondering if there was any female or male that woudl like to attend a Full Moon Ritual tonight, but it is going to a Guided Meditation to Kali, Goddess of Destruction and rebirth, and the God Shivra, He is also of Destruction.
It is a meditation to help you get rid of the things you want to stop, to give you the strengh to try.
So if any of you are interested hit this thread up now, and I will let you know where it is.
But hurry doors close at 8pm!!!


Love & Light
GeminiGoddess

The way I see it is, in the church, temple or what it is called, it is a non profit organization.
I speak for the Pagan / Wiccan Temples out there that I know of, and the UU Churches.
They have to have help in some way to keep the doors open for the ones who wish to continue worshipping there, a place to still come too.
If they received no monies, they would have no help keeping the place of worship open.
Now for other Churches, in which I never in my life attened,like Christian, Baptist etc.
I was told they frown upon you if you don't give monies. Or you wont be help by the God if you don't contribute. Now that is not right, but to help out where you worship, I can see, and I understand.
Morgages just don't get paid out of thin air, Or Do They..lol J/K
BB & MP
GeminiGoddess

Pagan / Wiccan

Dang I missed alot
Blessings All