Witches Vs Christians? Healing the Divine Feminine
- Tess Joyce
- Jun 5
- 30 min read
I recently was called to watch a recent documentary by Suranne Jones for Channel 4 about the Pendle witches of Lancashire who were sentenced to death on crimes of witchcraft in 1612. I wanted to observe some of the mainstream collective opinions and views about this subject and these are some channelled thoughts on this pertinent subject which is coming up for some reflection in the collective at the moment. Please take what resonates and leave the rest and if anything is triggering, please take this as a good opportunity to look at what that pain is relaying and its messages. Rather than project and put it on the external, a trigger can show us more about the dynamics in the subconscious and were we may need to give our attention and this blog-post does contain some sensitive material regarding historical traumas.
The documentary held quite a clear narrative about the cases as examples of oppression, used to silence the voices of women. The point was argued that the agenda may also have been political in order for the prosecutors to gain favour with King James I who was strongly against witchcraft (for example he believed he had been the victim of an attempt to sink himself and his ship.) In 1597, James had published Daemonologie describing black magic and the methods of demons.
A Teenager Confesses Her Work with the Devil
The Pendle case was quite extraordinary – spiralling from a confession by the beggar Alizon Device that she muttered a curse to the Devil to lame a pedlar who had refused to give her pins (which were apparently used for magical purpose in the 17th century) and the pedlar collapsed, likely from a stroke due to his described symptoms. Convinced of these powers she later confessed to the pedlar and a case was developed which ended up involving many family members such as her mother, brother and grandmother Demdike who had been seen as a witch for already fifty years. While awaiting trial, other family members organised a dinner on Good Friday at their home, Malkin Tower, instead of going to church - James stole a sheep to eat and community members were invited - the researchers commented that this was very ill-advised and the ‘worst thing’ they could possibly have done. Another inquiry was made into why they held this event and who attended and a further eight people were accused of witch-craft and put to trial.
A Child Speaks Against the Family
In the Pendle case, the nine-year-old daughter of the family (and Alizon’s half-sister,) Jennet Device, was used as a key witness who spoke out against her mother and family members and accused them of doing witch-craft. In the documentary it was presented that Jennet was likely influenced by the prosecutors to do this, however I’m not entirely convinced and apparently when Jennet entered the court room, her mother cursed and screamed at Jennet and had to be removed from the room. Other research suggests that the family life was difficult, especially for Jennet and that she wasn’t treated well – there were clear signs of family dysfunction but what was the root of it?
That all being said, it was quite something for her to turn against her whole family resulting in their death (although she may not have been aware of this consequence) and she accused her mother of communicating with the Devil in the form of a black dog called Ball. Now this is where I became suspicious since these details are very exact and curious. Was she fed this information by the prosecutors since the name tallies with the demon Baal, (Bael, Baall etc) that appeared in demonology grimoires which were published in the centuries before and around this case? Or was it true?
Even more curious still, it’s thought that Jennet was later accused of witch-craft in her adult years by a child who later confessed to making it up. A woman in Lancashire called Jennet Device (thought to be the same Jennet) was spared of being executed, but remained locked away, unable to pay the fees to release herself. What was this pattern and what did their souls need to learn?
In an earlier documentary produced about the Pendle witches by poet Simon Armitage, more details were presented about the case and the dynamics of the times. A key point was made regarding the silencing of Catholics in the area as well - the Justice of the Peace, Roger Nowell was an ambitious Protestant and may have wished to silence non-conformists. King James, who was paranoid about witches, had been surrounded by conspiracy – his father had been murdered and his mother, Mary Queen of Scots had been executed – later a group of Catholics tried to blow him up with the Gunpowder Plot and he was highly nervous of plots against him including from witchcraft. It was also discussed how Alice Nutter, one of the accused, was from a Catholic family and there were fears towards Catholics at that time which may have led to injustices.
Cunning Women
Simon Armitage also described that Demdike, the grandmother, was called a ‘cunning woman’ - these were practitioners of folk medicine, helpful magic or divination and were known as folk healers or wise folk who could give advice, healing or help protect people from the harms of black magic. The word cunning came from Old English meaning ‘to know.’ A minority were accused of being witches, however a distinction was usually made between the two and while witches were seen as harmful, cunning folk were seen as helpful and by and large they seem to have been left alone, with the focus of the courts being on the maleficium (evildoing) of witches.
Injustices of Torture
The documentary described the rivalry between the two families who may have been competing as healers in the community which may have explained why Alizon turned against Chattox, the matriarch of the second family. The teenager Alizon claimed that her father had died shortly after withholding payment of oats to Chattox to ‘protect them from harm.’ Chattox, a blind grandmother, was accused of killing Robert Nutter through witchcraft and pleaded not guilty, however a confession she had already given to Nowell was used, which is thought was taken under torture. Yet how reliable was any evidence taken under torture? Demdike, Alizon’s blind grandmother also made a damming confession to Nowell, admitting that she had sold her soul to the Devil 20 years earlier.
Anna Göldi, the last person in Europe to be killed for witchcraft in 1782, also confessed during torture to being in a pact with the Devil. She withdrew this confession after the torture. Torture is now illegal under international law under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Torture Convention and it was formally abolished in the UK in 1640, ahead of other countries in Europe.
Alizon’s case was different however since she admitted guilt and seemed to genuinely believe that her curse to the Devil had caused harm to the pedlar. It is heartbreaking to think that a teenager who had willingly confessed and felt guilty for any error was hung to death. What’s key to note here is that some of the people of this time genuinely believed they were engaging in witchcraft and had made allegiance with the Devil.
According to this documentary, Alizon was asked if she had the magic power to restore the pedlar and she replied no “regretfully” but that her grandmother would have been able to help and others agreed. Unfortunately, her grandmother Demdike had passed away in the tiny and filthy cell where she’d been imprisoned, awaiting trial for four months.
Illustration by John Gilbert from The Lancashire Witches, 1854 showing grandmother Chattox and Anne Redferne.
Concerns about Injustice
By the time Jennet Device, the young girl who had accused her whole family was later trialled for witchcraft herself as an adult, the climate had changed and there were concerns about injustices. There had already been a trial in 1616 in which nine women had been hung to death and the boy witness had been discovered to have been a liar by King James who had investigated the case afterwards. The times were now changing with an emphasis on the need for physical, empirical evidence.
The same thing happened in Sweden for example after some children witnesses were found to be unreliable in the Katarina witch trials of 1676 in which eight people were executed and one had committed suicide in prison. By the following year, the government banned all accusations of sorcery and declared the country was forever purged of witches and the young witnesses, who were found to have given false testimony including the Gävle Boy, were executed – he was 13 years old.
Rationality and Empirical Evidence
Simon Armitage made the statement that:
“Since the time of Jennet Device we've become less credulous of magic. The more rigorous in our demand for empirical evidence in our modern technological age, we pride ourselves on our rationality and scientific understanding of the world. Some things don't change many people still believe in evil although of course where that evil occurs tends to change.”
The Material and the Spiritual
He spoke with condescension about the Church of England which is still giving exorcisms which he claims is down to fear. I hear what he is saying about rationality, but we have to be careful here because there is also the danger of falling into materialist superiority and judging religious views. We are falling out of balance in the opposite direction with the focus on the material and becoming less connected to the spiritual realms.
Those engaging in exorcism believe that they are helping someone to release an evil spirit and it is an act of healing. It is not causing harm, but is conducted with the intention of providing healing for a consenting person and is a form of rite, of white magic, requiring knowledge.
The Italian Catholic exorcist Gabriele Amorth, conducted many exorcisms over his life and claimed that the Catholic Church abuse scandals were connected to demons and priests becoming tempted by the Devil and that the high number of demons he exorcised in these times was due to a lack of faith among people and the practise of darker arts etc.
The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt, (1851–1854)
The Church of England (or Catholic church etc) also have the right to practise their healing technique and have the religious freedom to believe or know about the spiritual dimensions. In these times, we must respect the religious freedoms of people, as long as they don’t interfere with the rights or freedoms of others. It is also important to be as grounded as possible with our views – we must pay attention to our thoughts and notice if we fall into blame or victim-hood and make a demon, entity or witch the scapegoat for any misfortune in our life and projecting. If we are struggling with something, it may be a test of empowerment or it may be asking us to check any layers of ego, ancestral patterns, vice or sin.
This is not to victim shame, but I share these words with the hope of engendering more faith in God and to trust that nothing happens without reason and God can test us at times – all of it can push us deeper on our path and help our soul to grow, step into its power or become more awake to the reality of the divine in everything and help our ego come out of separation or its tendency to see separation with others. We also have to be mindful about labelling others and dehumanising or devaluing them and make the distinction between a person and their behaviour. We can see the person, yet dislike their behaviour and keep our boundaries.
At the end of the day, we are each responsible for our own minds and soul and our relationship with God/Creator/Universe. Or, conversely, our freewill not to believe in a Higher Power for atheists which is now possible to admit publicly in these times; whereas in previous centuries there were blasphemy laws and persecution for non-conformists. George Holyoake was the last person in Britain to be imprisoned for being an atheist in 1842. Forced conversion or worship also violates the principle of free will.
17th Century Shifts of Attitude Regarding Witch Trials
“What is shifting in the 17th century slowly and by fits and starts is a belief that you have to demonstrate something physically but if you can't demonstrate it in medicine you cannot use it as evidence in other words that there may be an invisible world of spirits around you but you have to prove physical effect in order to bring them into a law court.” Historian Ronald Hutton.
Towards the 17th century, the king had also changed and King Charles had a Catholic wife which alleviated the previous tensions and different dynamics now took priority. Yet Jennet Device’s example of a child being allowed to give evidence in court was copied and used in the famous trial of Salem in America in 1692-93 which led to the execution of 19 people including women and men, the death of one man under torture and the death of five from disease in jail.
The Salem Witch Trials
Suranne Jones also produced a second documentary with Channel 4 about the Salem witch trials. This happened in a Puritan society in America where the women were very oppressed under their strict moral principles. I didn’t agree with everything they said and the documentary got a bit politicised at times, however I could see their fears and the concerns about misogyny, and they gave the example of self-proclaimed “misogynist” and “sexist” Andrew Tate whose social media has received billions of views showing how consciousness can get distracted in these times. One researcher commented that these women were not making pacts with the Devil and how absurd she found it to have to make this point.
For atheists who don't believe in the spiritual realms, then I can see why all of this seems absurd, but this issue is complex and as was already seen in the Pendle case there were examples of women who did genuinely believe in black magic witchcraft. Her view was that the witch trials were all about misogyny and a way to silence and control women.
The absurdity of relying on spectral evidence in the Salem case was also pertinent – this involved the accusers claiming that the supposed witches had appeared to them in visions or dreams and eventually spectral evidence was banned by the governor in the Salem trials due to the potential for injustice and eventually the trials dried up due to a lack of evidence.
The Problems of Oppression
The Salem case was complex and we also have to remember that our mindset today is very different to how it was back then – women were very unempowered and oppressed with fewer legal rights, social freedom and education and could not vote - we may take for granted the rights that we have determined for ourselves in these times and it is hard to imagine their amount of oppression and powerlessness. Repressed or oppressed women may have been tempted to get power in other ways – through manipulation, or indeed through witch-craft.
I’m not as sceptical as some of the researchers that black magic witch-craft with the Devil didn’t happen at all – I think it did, but the question is why – why were those women so oppressed and silenced in society that they resorted to this? Perhaps they had been abused and their only way of seeking justice was witch-craft for example. Why did some women turn against other women – was that their only way of feeling a bit of power in society? I’m not justifying what they did, just trying to understand it more. I also feel it is terrible that women who may have engaged in any black magic witch-craft were murdered for it instead of being given the chance to repent.
Tituba (an enslaved Native American woman accused of witchcraft in the Salem trials)
by John W. Ehninger, 1902
We also have to understand the spiritual dimension and if dark spirits or the Devil were invoked then this could have had terrible consequences for those involved. Supernatural researcher Adam Mark often visits haunted and abandoned homes and in this video he can be seen communicating with a spirit which declared that it had been “conjured" and was “fiendish.” The footage is some of the most compelling I have seen with the equipment used to detect sound and energetic signatures and shows doors moving on their own and hair being lifted.
From research I have seen about the people who get drawn into Satanic craft etc. some are atheistic and ego-driven and are naive to the realm of spirits. They may conjure things as a psychological process, failing to realise that they are messing around with things they do not understand. The following is a clip from Christopher Lee warning people about the dangers of getting involved in black magic: “You'll not only lose your mind, but you'll lose your soul."
Misogyny
I do also agree that in some cases it’s likely that witch-craft didn’t occur at all and was a misogynistic tool used to silence the goddess/divine feminine (connection with nature, moon cycles, herbs, intuition, creativity etc) and that many innocent women (and men) lost their lives.
The successful herbalist and ‘cunning woman’ Joan Peterson was executed for witchcraft in a case in which Lady Powell had died under suspicious circumstances and the estate was left to Anne Levingston. Peterson was accused of bewitching Lady Powell and was offered a pardon if she would testify about the witchcraft of Anne Levingston, which she refused to do, and was hung in 1652 - she was the last person to be executed for witchcraft in London.
Cases like this may have been a tool to instil fear and misogyny, to make women afraid of being seen as powerful for fear that they might get labelled as a witch by their community. This is programming used to silence and control women from being seen as powerful, but we are healing it now and by grace of God this can never happen again and hopefully Christianity can continue to reform so that the feminine and masculine wisdom is held in balance.
If, for example, a lady develops knowledge of herbs that heal, should the community suddenly denounce her as a witch? Should she stop doing this witchcraft and buy pharmaceutical products instead? Would the Bible consider this as sorcery and witchcraft? And the advertising and marketing of big pharma products would not be considered as powerful spells or programming? Who decides what is witchcraft and what is a witch and when it must be used in a derogatory sense or in an empowering feminist sense?
The King James Bible - A Spell on Women?
In the Old Testament in Exodus 22:18, it is stated:
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”
The term ‘witch’ was used in the King James Bible which was published in 1611, just one year before the Pendle witch trial! This is interesting since it doesn’t take into account the Hebrew word and culture – the Hebrew word was in fact mekhashepha which was thought to be interpreted as meaning a female who mutters or utters incantations - its thought that this referred to someone who was a threat to the established order, not someone doing healing etc. We must remember the mindset of the times and the Jewish mystery tradition of Kabbalah involved white magic practises and since Ancient Mesopotamia, witchcraft was divided into good and evil - there were three types of medicine men:
The baru or diviner who diagnosed a patient.
The asipu or magician who drove out evil spirits from the body.
And the asu or healer who used medication and charms to heal the symptoms.
The word magic comes from Magus or Magi - these were the priests of Zoroastrianism or Iranian religions who were the wise men or astrologers. In the Bible, the three Magi (three kings) visited baby Yeshua after receiving the signs in the stars and they were seen as astrologers - this is Biblical 'magic' however King James changed the word magi to 'wise men' instead. Many things have got 'lost in translation' over the centuries. Yet what was a female Magus called? They weren’t female and women weren’t allowed to be priests in Zoroastrianism and in Hebrew culture. So what were empowering terms for females in the Bible in this male dominant society? A good question...
“While the king was at his table,
my perfume spread its fragrance.
My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
from the vineyards of En Gedi.” From Solomon’s Song of Songs – a love poem in the Bible, demonstrating herbal knowledge.
The Divine Feminine in Christianity
Saint Mary Magdalene by Bernardino Luini, c.1524
Some women were called a prophetess, meaning that they shared the word of God as a channel. It was also Mary of Bethany who anointed Jesus with Spikenard oil – in the Bible it is described how anointing was done for healing or to give blessing. The Apocryphal writings, (an early canon of writing not included in the Bible,) described many miracles performed by strong women including exorcisms, baptismal rituals (purification,) healing and preaching with Mary Magdalene described as a key figure and leader in the early church. Despite this, women still cannot be ordained in some orders, including the Catholic Church. Mary's own Gospel had to be hidden and was only discovered in 1947 at Hammadi in Egypt – it was Mary Magdalene, whom Christ revealed himself to with his message at the resurrection, such was her high esteem in the eyes of God.
The gnostic text the Pistis Sophia described interactions between Mary Magdalene and Yeshua in which she shared her concerns about Peter, whom she feared hated her “gender" and her power, with Yeshua declaring to her: "Well done, Mary. You are more blessed than all women on earth, because you will be the fullness of fullness and the completion of completion." A similar pattern with powerful Mary happened and she was also given a derogatory term and labelled as a “prostitute” by the Catholic church. The mistake was only rectified in 1969, nearly 1,400 years later – quite a bit of damage.
The writings in Pistis Sophia described the fall and restoration of the female divinity of Sophia or wisdom, a concept which was also discussed in the Apocryphon of John written in Coptic in the 2nd century (just after the New Testament Greek texts) with the similar theme of Sophia’s creation, fall (creating without consent) and redemption or return to divinity. Again, we have more examples here from Biblical times of ‘magic’ as well as divine femininity.
Sophia, Mother Wisdom, by Hildegard of Bingen
Reformism - Protecting the Feminine, Nature and Animals
It must also be remembered that the patriarchal views of the Old Testament, were written in the degenerate Age of Aries when animal sacrifice at the temple etc. was frequent. This issue is still unfortunately a concern, with animal rights activists bringing to attention the need for reformism with the animal welfare issues of Muslim and Jewish communities who still slaughter animals at rituals without stunning them first. On the 9th of June 2025, the government will debate a petition to ban non-stun slaughter. North India and Sri Lanka have now banned animal sacrifice in their temples, deeming it cruel and barbaric. Why would God need offerings of blood exactly when we can give God flowers instead?
Nowadays, some women are declaring themselves as witches, as powerful independent women, and healing this shameful pattern of the past. “Hopefully people will think of something else when they hear the word witch and they will feel like that maybe is a conversation towards feminism and female power and they will understand that the witch trials was a repression of that.” Suranne Jones.
If someone calls us a witch, what is their intention – is it to cause harm? Did they mean it in a derogatory sense or as a compliment? Was it meant as a misogynistic comment? The word witch in fact comes from the Old English word wicce meaning a female magician or sorceress whereas a wicca was a sorcerer or wizard. From the late Old English period, this type of magic was generally seen as harmful, with the practitioner deriving their power from the Devil or evil spirits; while practitioners of "benevolent magic were referred to as cunning or wise.” (Oxford dictionary.) ‘Wise women’ also appear in the Old Testament with the famous example being the Wise Woman of Abel who managed to avert mass bloodshed with her passim (skills in rhetoric.)
Discovering the Divine Feminine
Symbol of the Triple Goddess - the maiden, mother and crone archetypes (and phases of moon) often seen in paganism or wicca.
In Celtic culture, women were also druids and known as a bandrui while a banfilid was a female bard who would have displayed gifts with word and rhetoric. In Arthurian legends, priestesses were described as living at Avalon (Glastonbury) and providing healing to the injured Arthur after battle. In Welsh myth, nine virgin priestesses guarded a cauldron at the island of Annwfn (the Otherworld) while Geoffrey of Monmouth’s account of Avalon included nine sisters who were healers, capable of magic, which included Morgen, later known as Morgan le Fay. The theme of 'nine maidens' or sisters appears quite widely in various cultures. The cauldron was in fact the earlier version of the sacred cup and receptive vessel – the archetypal grail, the womb, the divine feminine, the goddess.
The elves of Tolkien lived in harmony with nature and honoured above all others the archangel/nature goddess Elbereth Gilthoniel who created the stars, as part of the song of the One Creator, the God, Eru Ilúvatar. Galadriel was accused of being a witch by the men of Rohan who didn’t understand the ways of the elves and failed to realise that the elves were protecting them from the dark arts of the enemy. It was only after meeting the elves that the men including Éomer, realised their error and recognised their harmony and beauty.
In Greek and Roman cultures the priestess played a strong role in religious life and organised ceremonies. Some were initiated in secret teachings such as the Eleusinian Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone in Ancient Greece. The Pythia was the title of the High Priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi - the name meant 'priestess of the Pythian Apollo' since the sun god Apollo, in mythology, had slain a snake near Delhi.
"The Pythia was (on occasion) a noble of aristocratic family, sometimes a peasant, sometimes rich, sometimes poor, sometimes old, sometimes young, sometimes a very lettered and educated woman to whom somebody like the high priest and the philosopher Plutarch would dedicate essays, other times who could not write her own name. So it seems to have been aptitude rather than any ascribed status that made these women eligible to be Pythias and speak for the god." John Hale
Whereas in Egypt, priestesses usually served the female deities of Hathor or Isis and the chantress would sing or dance at the temples.
Female Christian mystics throughout the centuries have also displayed magical gifts. Famous examples included Saint Brigid of Kildare who was associated with healing and protection and many miracles were associated with her including the miracle of her magical expanding cloak. Another famous female mystic was Hildegard of Bingen, a German abbess and composer who was famous for her visions. At the age of 42, she was guided by God to start recording them and she wrote on many subjects including natural medicines, botany, cures, as well as her lingua ignota (unknown language.) Her visions were often illustrated and after the Pope heard about them, she was given permission to document the visions as revelations from the Holy Spirit.
'The Church, the Bride of Christ and Mother of the Faithful in Baptism' by Hildegard of Bingen
One concept revealed in vision was about viriditas meaning greenness, lushness or vitality – the feminine creative life-force which she described was existing in everything, including in humans. “The visions of Hildegard truly surpassed the symbolism of Christianity and reached deeper into the universal realm of archetypal images common for all cultures.” James Hillman. This is an excellent talk by historian Ronald Hutton regarding the changing psychology and perceptions over the centuries regarding the divine feminine or the goddess.
Dance of Apollo with the Nine Muses by Baldassare Peruzzi
What is Magic?
Yet I have seen Christian monks in Greece in modern times condemning yoga as well as Christians online dismissing martial arts and yoga for example as witch-craft which invites in demonic spirits. When I do yoga, my intention is for well-being and health. It gives me flexibility and releases tension from muscles – it gets me moving and the energy and circulation flowing and I become focused on the present. If people want to label this as witchcraft, are they labelling it so in a negative sense? And why? It seems like irrational, fearful thinking to me and judgemental of the spiritual and religious freedoms of others. It is the authority of the soul which is in charge, not a random stranger who may act superior morally and look down on others by giving them derogatory labels.
Everything and anything could be labelled as witch-craft and we must remember that every word is in fact a spell! The key is intention and whether we are serving God, or the ego and only we can know this. Everything in this universe is about intention. Are we coming from ego or the heart – is it authentic or not? Are we under God, or are we misaligned and giving our energy to something dark? If it’s from ego, do we see ourselves as a powerful witch or wizard and refuse to see that magic comes from a Higher Power then ourselves? When we live from the heart, life reveals its magic.
The Bible is full of miracles, particularly through Yeshua and the disciples, which sound exactly like descriptions of ‘magic,’ as well as the magic of the three Magi who interpreted the stars – the definition of miraculous is seen as “supernatural” with the world miracle described in the Cambridge dictionary as being:
“an unusual and mysterious event that is thought to have been caused by a god because it does not follow the usual laws of nature."
The definition of magic (etymologically derived from Magus) from the Cambridge dictionary:
“an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source.”
What is the difference? Both acknowledge that the cause is supernatural and not human in origin? We know that the miracles of Yeshua were acts of divine intervention, yet why or how is this different from 'white magic'?
Drawing by Dante Gabriel Rossetti of King Arthur and the Nine Sisters of Avalon
Misunderstandings and Judgement
A point was made in the Pendle witch documentary that it often seems to be a derogatory term to call a woman a witch but calling a man a wizard is usually seen as a compliment. We need to come together and heal the wounds against the divine feminine which have affected both women and men. A lot of collective conflict I can sense in the fabric of UK consciousness seems to be the opposing views between Christians and witches or pagans – essentially the question is about are they serving God or are they serving the ego? We need to honour spiritual unity and heal the division - one God, many paths. We must also be careful of making projections since in some circumstances we may in fact be projecting our own shadow onto others.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5
Recognising The Magic of the Divine Feminine beyond the Demonisation
A lot of this comes down to a fundamental misunderstanding regarding the repression of the divine feminine and wisdom in touch with the magic of nature, the moon, cycles and rhythms – the divine feminine can get dismissed as ‘witchcraft’ as if this is a negative thing. I recently watched a video about an excellent Christian speaker who makes really good videos about Biblical interpretation, but I was surprised to see her make a video about crystals and how she almost threw a crystal in the “garbage” dismissing it as “new age nonsense” which might have “demons attached” until she saw the beauty in it and kept it as a beautiful creation of God and explained how crystals are revered in the Bible in: Proverbs 8 1, Lamentations 4:7, Job 28 19, Revelation 22:1, Revelation 4:6 and she also described how the breastplate of the Levitical high priest had 12 crystals.
I was really surprised by a her casual attitude towards throwing things away as “garbage” and how she had to explain to people to see the beauty in things and that you need it checked by the Bible first to see whether it is "garbage" or not - this is the kind of programming we need to address since it's so insidious we may not notice. She shared her belief that “Satan’s ambassadors” and “new agers stole gemstones and distorted them” and the fear that Christians can’t enjoy crystals or they will be put in the “new age bucket” and her intention with the video was to set the record straight that crystals are in the Bible and it is ok for Christians to have them. All of this sounds like a soup of judgement from her friendship circle. Why would these Christians be acting in such judgemental ways about such insignificant things at the end of the day? Also if the term 'new age' is used about crystals in a derogatory sense, are they implying it is Satanic? Or non-conformist, or feminist? Because there is a difference! The 'new age' label is unspecific, what do people mean when they say it? And is it possible to be 'old age' - could we ever mimic the psychology of people from 2,000 years ago and why would we want/need to? What age exactly would the person like to go back to?
She also declared that crystals don’t have energy or healing powers and dismissed these views as “witchcraft and idolatry” – she was later informed by someone in the comments section that some crystals are in fact piezoelectric and used in computers. We could also mention that everything is made of waveform energy in our quantum reality and crystals are no exception! God is not limited, and God can heal through people, through nature and through crystals. I can see how there may be issues if a person mistakenly thinks it is the crystal doing all the healing rather than the divinity within the crystal, however, I cannot see how it would be against Christ to believe that God/Christ can also heal through crystals. Crystals are not man-made, they are made by God and we should be humble in respecting that we cannot understand God’s ways and place limitations on God’s power. Crystals should always be cleansed after purchasing them of course, yet remember in the healing power of God rather than living in any hysteria or fear.
The 'man in sapphire blue' by Hildegard of Bingen, depicting the healing energy of Christ
Have you also noticed how some people will dismiss the spiritual or religious views of others as “nonsense” rather than just respecting their differences? Or some will insist that theirs is the only true religion. This is a form of superiority. Or fundamentalism. In another video, I saw a man also describe how Christians should not be using healing crystals since it is a form of idolatry by worshipping false idols “you’re putting them before God.” One of the responses in the comments was excellent: “Crystals have a certain frequency by design from our creator as a gift to help us along the way. I never put my faith in a crystal but give thanks to my creator who made these uplifting crystals for me. Keeping our chakras balanced would be so much better for us than running to a pharmaceutical solution. I wonder what your thoughts would be on taking blood pressure medication...That’s putting your faith in a pill and not God. And it’s not from God.”
Just as a side note, this blog-post is not an attack on pharmaceutical products when they are genuine and there are good medicines and healthcare out there, however the issue is about conflict of interest and the huge amount of medicine being sold for profit, serving the ego and not the soul.
Disconnection from Nature - the Divine Feminine
This unaligned patriarchal and disempowering view towards nature and the divine feminine of some Christian sects is what needs to come into balance or we will continue to have a dumbed-down world, separated from nature and not even questioning it. Pagan or druid pathways often have high knowledge about the solar and moon cycles and celebrate the solar events in the Wheel of the Year – here the divine feminine knowledge of the cycles are honoured, bringing the individual into alignment with the rhythms of the cosmos and the stars. This is not “nonsense” but based on ancient ancestral wisdom and knowledge.
We must be mindful about labelling things or accusing others and as John said in John 7:24: "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” It is not wise to judge a book from its cover without even reading it - we should not judge another's spiritual path with superiority. We must be discerning if someone is causing us harm of course, however we must respect the religious freedoms of others and everyone's own unique and authentic path.
Queen Guinevere's Maying by John Collier, 1900
I was quite surprised for example by a Catholic acquaintance who recommended that I didn’t celebrate May Day since it has been “hijacked” and promotes demonic practises. Although I could sense she meant well for me, I told her that I use protection, but that it’s important to me, and that it honours the cycles of nature. May Day/Beltane has historically been very important for farmers to ensure a good harvest and protect the animals – people understood the importance of honouring the land and the Mother. If we allow fear to dictate our lives, then we can distance ourselves and fall under the disempowering patriarchal narratives which have sought to repress the feminine and disconnect us from nature and the land and from our ancestral culture.
The irony is that some Catholics actually do celebrate May Day with Mother Mary honoured as the Queen of May with a practise known as ‘May Crowning.’ However, ignorance can keep us disconnected. Many, if not all of the major Christmas celebrations are a Christianisation of older pagan ceremonies based on astrological markers – these are the solar events of the ecliptic known as the Wheel of the Year. Christmas takes place over the Winter Solstice, Easter is calculated based on the full moon after the Spring Equinox and All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween) takes place at Samhain for example. I spoke about this process of syncretism in the following video which can be viewed here.
Healing the Disconnection - Finding Her Voice
Ignorance can be a pitfall – I have seen a visitor in Glastonbury declare ‘witchcraft’ as they were pointing at a star on a building for example – I am guessing that they mistook it as the symbol of the inverted pentagram instead which is commonly used as a sign of Satanism. We also have to remember that there are some pyramids of knowledge in this world – some people may get involved in organisations and are lower down in the pyramid and completely unaware of what is happening higher up the organisation. Issues can be complex.
It doesn’t mean we should be naive and uneducated about the dark either and put our head in the sand – as a wise friend once said: “if we don’t know about the dark, how will we know what to pray for?” Yet we must also check in with our Higher Self - sometimes we need to focus on the light and keep our focus there and it is all individual.
Likewise, some witches and pagans also need to address their shadow side and of course black magic and the dark arts is a concern for obvious reasons. Yet we all must find our own authentic spiritual path and examine where we may hold judgements against others. Some witches or pagans may hold anger against Christianity regarding the unfair murders or persecutions of the past or about feminine repression or hypocrisy, for example the church child abuse scandals or the labelling of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute and the need to hide her gnostic text which wasn’t included in the Bible – a form of silencing of the female voice?
Holy Women at Christ's Tomb (c. 1590) by Annibale Carracci.
As we move out of the Age of Pisces into the Age of Aquarius, reformism and reflection is vital regarding the feminine voice. The divine feminine or yin principle in the universe is reflected in humans in the right hemisphere of the brain, associated with emotions, intuition and creativity. Those who are disconnected from their feminine side may struggle with their emotions or get stuck in the analytical logical left hemisphere for example. The key is to find balance.
Some Christians may fear witches and dismiss it all as Satanic. Fear can make people think irrationally and not judge a situation on its individual basis. For Christians who dismiss witchcraft and yet pray regularly, why are your prayers sacred and the prayers of white witches or pagans not sacred? Every thought can hold magic, frequency and power and this is what magic is. Every prayer is a word. Every word is a spell. We must watch our spelling.
When I do readings, I do not do it to satisfy the ego of a client but I ensure that it is to channel messages from their Higher Self. The intention is always for the client to feel more empowered and connected to the divine. The readings are not for curiosity and the ego to examine the future, but to look at pertinent messages relevant for their psychology in the present moment and areas of growth, from God and their spiritual guides.
All is Energy, Frequency, Vibration
The process of the spiritual path involves the awareness that we do not live in a world of matter, but a world of energy, frequency and vibration – this tallies with science and the quantum understanding of reality. We realise that our thoughts, words and actions carry a vibration and have an impact on our reality – our actions and words ripple. When we align to the magic of the universe and open up to possibilities, we allow God’s magic to flow through us and can see change and transformation and the power of miracles. When we close off to the magic, we may resist the power of transformation in our own lives.
"“But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”” Luke 8:46-48
Yeshua had many gifts and his miracles were magical. Gregorian chants are enchanting. Churches hold their own rituals. We must take responsibility for our words and what we share – are they empowering or are they oppressive or harmful?
'If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.' Nikola Tesla
The parts of a wave function of the quantum state of one particle. We live in a vibrating universe of energy.
Redemption and Restoration
If an individual has been pulled onto the path of darkness then they may get involved in negative thoughts, blood sacrifice, energy vampirism, dark arts, black magic or chaos magic etc. Because they are not aligned to God, they resort to stealing energy from others which unfortunately may involve the vulnerable. They may invoke dark spirits or even the Devil. This involves causing harm to others and we need to watch out for this in society. Yet nothing goes unseen by God and everything is recorded in our Akashic records. If you have experienced attacks of dark arts or black magic then there are prayers for justice – God always delivers justice – it may not necessarily be in a court room, but it is always delivered and is made known.
If we have followed the path of light, we surrender more deeply to our soul, to a Higher Power, to God. When we offer our prayers up to God, we truly recognise and understand that it was God all along, working through us and behind the scenes and our faith is rewarded with gnosis. We recognise the divine within, in us and in all things and that we are part of something massive. Layers of ego get integrated and we may get shown our layers of resistance, arrogance, pride or other sins.
Yet if we have followed the path of darkness, and have played around with 'magic' to satisfy the ego or out of ignorance, we may become aware that something dark has been behind the scenes, and that our ego was a puppet on a string to a darker puppet-master, a dark spirit. This uncomfortable realisation could either result in a continuation of this pattern, despite knowing that one is especially trapped under another master and facing one’s karma (cause and effect,) or undergoing repentance, purging and spiritual growth.
Maria Magdalene (1899), icon by Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, Russia -
here she is depicted as bearing myrrh. The Eastern Orthodox Church (found in Russia, Greece and East Europe) never called Mary a prostitute and honoured her as the 'Myrrhbearer.' According to the Gospels, Mary and some other women went to the tomb carrying myrrh and other spices to anoint Yeshua's dead body.
Trust in the Divine
The deeper realisation still is that every face is in fact a face of God – the harsh face is there to tempt, test and challenge us and to ignite spiritual lessons and growth. At the end of the day, we are all responsible for our own lives and we should not try and change others unless they are causing harm to others (or themselves in certain circumstances.) We must respect the religious freedoms of others according to their human rights, but we also must ensure that any dark practises that cause harm to others are also brought to attention. In this way, we can find more trust in our society and trust in God to guide everyone on their true and authentic spiritual path.
In these times there is much to feel grateful for and women now have freedom, power and rights that our ancestors could only dream about. We can luckily collect herbs from a hedgerow and not feel at risk of being labelled as a threat to society - these are good times indeed and although I speak with some humour here, there is also some truth in this.
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