A Revisionist Look at the Countess of Salisbury (Witch) [Zan Fraser]

What follows are my own observations and thinking, prepared as part of my present writing project, Prelude to the Burning Times, a look at Europe in the few centuries prior to the Great Burnings of the 1400s-1600s. It is not drawn from Margaret Murray or Gerald Gardner or any of the usual Wiccan writers upon the subject of the English King Edward III and his lover, the beautiful Joan of Kent, Countess of Salisbury- said to be a Witch.The conventional version of the story goes: in

Thoughts on Modern Paganism (Part 1) [Joe Marra]

I am writing to address several issues that I have seen in modern paganism. To give you my credentials I am a 1st degree Gardnerian, 2nd degree Druid, and 1st degree Shaman. I am currently serving in Afghanistan. I was raised Catholic but started studying other religions in the 3rd grade, starting with Greek, moving on to Roman, then to Egyptian, Celtic, and have touched on Eastern European, Native American, Norse, and the various Asian religions. I started having night terrors by age 3

The Burning of Margaret Murray [Fire Lyte]

Stop me if you’ve heard this before. There existed a pan-European, pre-Christian religion – called the “Old Religion” – that centered on a triple-Goddess and a horned God. This Goddess and God were worshipped by covens of thirteen witches who held ritual sabbats led by a High Priest and High Priestess. The Christian church waged war against these witches, killing 9 million of them in a period called “The Burning Times.” Due to this persecution, witches began using everyday household items that c