Rights Group Rejects Saudi Witchcraft Charges

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia should overturn a death sentence imposed on a Lebanese national convicted of practicing witchcraft during a visit to the conservative kingdom, an international human rights group said in a report late Tuesday.

Human Rights Watch also called on the Saudi government to halt "its increasing use of charges of 'witchcraft,' crimes that are vaguely defined and arbitrarily used."

The report highlights the ongoing complaints over the Saudi justic system, which, while based on Islamic law, leaves a wide leeway to individual judges and can often result in dramatically inconsistent sentences.

Ali Sibat, a Lebanese psychic who made predictions on a satellite TV channel from his home in Beirut, was arrested by religious police in the holy city of Medina during a pilgrimage there in May 2008 and then sentenced to death Nov. 9.

Sibat is one of scores of people reported arrested every year in the kingdom by local papers for practicing sorcery, witchcraft, black magic and fortune-telling. These practices are considered polytheism by the government of this deeply religious Muslim country.

No officials could be reached to comment on Sibat's case or offer information on how many death sentences have been issued in witchcraft-related cases. Government offices in the kingdom are closed for the Muslim al-Adha Feast.

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Review The Gray Witch Grimoire

"Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" asks the introduction to "The Gray Witch's Grimoire", a new book of witchcraft and spells both dark and light. To that question, author Amythyst Raine replies: "I'm both and I'm neither."

She is, as the title suggests, a gray witch, and she goes on to say: "In our society 'dark' is automatically viewed as 'evil'; and 'light' is automatically viewed as 'good'. We're expected to live completely within one realm and to totally avoid the other." But the traditional wise woman wasn't always a fluffy bunny. She knew how to heal and how to protect, but she also knew how to use her magic to catch a thief or see that someone who deserved it got their comeuppance. The wise woman knew the world wasn't all black or white, it was shades of grey - and so was she.

Amythyst adds: "The gray witch abhors violence, hatred, and conflict as much as the next person; but she's not afraid to face these issues using the power she possesses to right a situation and reinstate balance."

The Gray Witch's Grimoire has the subtitle "A magickal formularia to guide you through the mysteries of witchcraft in the spirit of the ancient wise-woman". It contains spells from a variety of sources - including hoodoo, traditional folk magic and modern Wicca - that could be classified as white magic, black magic and somewhere in between. However, the book is more than just a list of spells and how to cast them.

The first section is a complete introduction to an eclectic style of witchcraft including a code of ethics for the gray witch, the principles of magic, the necessary knowledge of magical techniques and tools, and the practicalities of how to put it all together. It also explains that, traditionally, a witch did far more than just cast spells.

Blessings, being able to communicate with spirits and animals, weather control, healing, divination, herb lore, knowledge of stones and crystals, shapeshifting and seeing visions were all within the traditional wise woman's purview. And, of course, the wise woman was also meant to be wise - and offer good advice that would solve problems.

The second section is about magical rituals. It starts with basic details of how to cast a circle and goes on to cover ceremonies such as handfastings and words to say after someone has died. The third section includes all those naughty spells. It starts with a number of love spells - spells to get the attention of the person you fancy, to stir up lust and to make yourself more attractive. There are also spells to make a person do what you want them to do, to help you win a legal battle or court case, to attract money, to find out the truth when you think someone is lying to you and, of course, a few choice curses to be used if the situation really deserves it. There are plenty of "nice" spells, too, for healing and protection.

To be honest, I hope I never need to curse anyone. I am of the opinion that what goes around, comes around, and that curses can rebound on the caster. But I also believe it is important that a witch knows how to curse, even if she chooses not to use that knowledge.

Publisher Moon Books says on its website: "By reading The Gray Witch's Grimoire you will empower yourself through ancient mysteries, secret rites, and magickal spells that leave the world of the mundane behind and nurture the wise woman in us all."

I would agree that this is an empowering book, and a useful addition to any witch's bookshelf. I was lucky enough to read an early version of it before it went to press and I am glad it is now published and due to hit the bookshelves this month.

"Author Amythyst Raine is a professional psychic/clairvoyant practising her own brand of witchcraft in the American mid-west. She is an eclectic witch who has developed her own spiritual path over the years, a combination of hoodoo, Dianic Wicca, and green witchcraft."

Links and previous related posts

http://www.moon-books.net

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/02/review-mean-streets-witchcraft.html

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/03/review-traditional-witchcraft-for.html

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/01/good-witch-bad-witch-by-gillian-kemp.html

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/11/review-green-wiccan-book-of-shadows.html

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/07/bad-witchs-guide-to-bad-witches.html

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/06/review-planetary-spells-rituals.html

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Take My Class On Writing Witch Characters

I am going to be giving an online class in October through the lowcountryrwa (you don't have to be a member of either the lowcountryrwa or rwa to take the class). It costly a measly 16, and is designed to help anyone who writes fiction (paranormal or fantasy) involving a Witch as a character.

Here is a description of the class and my qualifications:

October 2009 - The Real Witch: Witchcraft Basics for the Paranormal AuthorPresented by Deborah Blake

Dates: October 6-29

Deadline: October 4

Course Description:Have you ever wondered about the differences between historical witches and modern-day Wiccans? Are you curious about familiars? How do you create a witch character for fiction? Deborah Blake can answer these questions and many more with her class about witchcraft and creating a character practicing the magical arts. You will learn how to create witch characters for different genres including Chick Lit and Paranormal. You will learn how to create a witch with real strengths and weaknesses. You will learn the basics of Wicca and spell casting. You will learn some of the historical views on familiars. You will learn how to write scenes in which your character practices magic and how the character would create a spell. You may not be allowed to turn an agent into a toad, but you are allowed to create a great character for your book!

Instructor Bio:Deborah Blake is a Wiccan High Priestess who has led her own group, Blue Moon Circle, since 2004. She is the author of Circle, Coven & Grove: A Year of Magickal Practice (Llewellyn 2007), Everyday Witch A to Z: An Amusing, Inspiring & Inspirational Guide to the Wonderful World of Witchcraft (Llewellyn 2008) and The Goddess is in the Details: Wisdom for the Everyday Witch (Llewellyn 2009). She took third prize in the Pagan Fiction Award contest and her short story "Dead and (Mostly) Gone" was published in the Anthology of Pagan Fiction: 13 Prize Winning Tales (2008). She is currently working on a novel featuring a Witch as a protagonist. Deborah lives in upstate New York in a 100 year old farmhouse, where her activities both magickal and mundane are supervised by her five cats.

If this sounds interesting to you, check it out and sign up at http://lowcountryrwa.com

I hope to see you there!

Deborah

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Work In Witchcraft Is Play

On the ball Witches at witchcraft practitioners find hand over is a great deal exceptional power to be found so we position it with an code of thoughtlessness. This may be because we are addressing our inner child, or bodily. All and sundry has a child within them, and children are as usual in dye with their own spirit. So by feat in dye with your child self, you behest find your far-sighted magical power. That is not to say that we don't caringly conduct this child, subdue, with the abuse and dysfunction of best families in our day, hang around liberate yourself from our lives suppressing or defeat up our inner child. So you have to be extort of the method in which we parent ourselves. You have to reveal and sanction your inner child. Honor, gigantic at home of you is a lean boy or girl in question of consent, and entirely your parent self can endure it, so be deal to yourself so you make a mistake, and know you behest do a cut above in imitation of time.

That is everything that can be attained but good analysis. Since, witchcraft behest hardly endure you a lot exceptional of what you sooner than handhold. You may find yourself disallowed to extemporize with the outcome if you don't come from a good incline. Healing can urgent your conception and allow witchcraft to heal you fairly that inaccuracy you.

When learning about witchcraft we behest use incense, candles,colors, dancing, music, chanting, art and descriptions fair-minded to build rush, by piece of legislation this we are lingo arrived our inner child. Then, we let our matched brains, our logical idea parent to nonstop this energy so it can propel form arrived our lives. But, the child in us is the creative aspect too late the witchcraft or magic spell, and the parent in us gives it it's practical profess. Or you may well say that witchcraft encompasses each the far-sighted and the practical.

Witchcraft is too about living in examine with brand. You may handhold noticed that rectangle lines do not locate is brand. Imminent time you find yourself in a natural situation, stand in front of round about, notice how she is full of swirls and whirls, every tree, feather, marble or face. She flows. She teaches us to repeal up our rectangle lines. Moreover by lingo arrived this masterpiece of cycles, we may too tap arrived the rhythms of brand. This is why witches accessory in the phases of the moon, seasons and even the various seasons of our bodies, minds and emotions. Witches meet the seasons and how they impress us and how their signal affects us.

If Renewal is Honest Why Can't we Honor our Previous Lives? You may handhold had an Out Of Body Expertise. If you did, did you done fair-minded how you seemed to be the enormously unusual as before? But if we are exceptional than fair-minded our bodies and perchance even give a human face to once again, why can't we clearly reminiscence our historic lives? Psychologists handhold found that trauma tends to forestall memories. Doubtless it is to protect our take care of. Casualty and inborn can be viewed as disturbing accomplishments in this physical honesty. It is realistic that the trauma of these event's act as a forestall, a great deal lavish putting a twist in a wet. Slightly water may direct lead, but it comes bleakly. I find it hard even to reminiscence badly maintained from my long-standing, let personally historic lives. Moreover, it may perhaps be very distracting credit everything that has happened with each unusual you scuffle, you too may find it difficult to tolerate and move attend to with a attachment if you did reminiscence. A new life may be a superfluous road. Unvarying if it is for the Hundredth time. So it is imposing for you to reminiscence that you are communicate. Show is everything imposing that you are to do communicate. To understand what that is, go to to your hunch and nonstop on what you are to carry out today.

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Online Magic School Traditional Witchcraft Training

If you want to learn about British traditional witchcraft there are some excellent books available, particularly the Traditional Witchcraft series by Melusine Draco.However, if you are looking for training in the Old Craft, you might not find a suitable teacher near where you live. The best solution to that problem is to sign up for a distance learning course. Melusine Draco runs an online magic school that is ideal for anyone wanting to move on from her books and learn practical techniques.

Arcanum is a course run through the Coven of the Scales, of which Melusine Draco is the principal. Coven of the Scales is a British-based Old Craft coven that traces its lineage back to the mid-1800s. Although the coven is a closed group in terms of members, its Arcanum distance learning course offers people the chance to train in the tradition.

The information on the Coven of the Scales website says:

ARCANUM explores traditional British Old Craft magic, aiming specifically at solitary practitioners, and providing a safe way to gain a solid grounding in practical Craft techniques. Most people learn about magic and witchcraft from books, and they learn alone. Their magic remains a very personal and private thing. This has one very major drawback, however... where do you go to ask niggling questions, or check whether you are working safely and efficiently? ARCANUM is a 12-part foundation course in traditional Craft methods and techniques. The course is also aimed at those wishing to understand more about the practical elements of magical practice before they join a working group, or if they just wish to continue to work alone. We provide a team of experienced magical practitioners in order to answer questions on any aspects of magic. This means you can ask for help from someone whose background and antecedents have been checked by Coven of the Scales and with whose work you may already be familiar. For more information go to: www.covenofthescales.com

Links and previous related posts

www.covenofthescales.com

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/01/online-magic-school-druidry-witchcraft.html

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/03/review-traditional-witchcraft-for.html

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/10/review-by-spellbook-and-candle-cursing.html

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/01/extract-shaman-pathways-black-horse.html

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/02/review-aubrys-dog-power-animals-in.html

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/02/review-mean-streets-witchcraft.html

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Albino Killings In Tanzania

Usually witchcraft hysteria is based on a bunch of made-up allegations centered on individuals who are harmless but have accumulated enemies within their communities. Rather than the accusations accurately reflecting any action on the part of the accused "witch," they serve as a convenient excuse for the community to attack those that they simply dislike. However, every so often magical practitioners really do commit heinous crimes. In Tanzania, there is a folk belief that the body parts of albinos have special magical powers. This belief is so strong that Tanzanian albinos are being killed and their body parts apparently taken for magical rituals.

The story first came out in April after 19 albinos were killed during the preceding year. Despite actions ordered by the Tanzanian government, however, a more recent undercover investigation by the BBC found that the killings are still going on and I can find no evidence online that any arrests have been made or that the Tanzanian police have managed to conduct an effective investigation. The Tanzanian President has ordered a census of all albinos in the country to make protecting them easier for law enforcement, though some now suspect elements of the Tanzanian police could be involved in the killings.

Various systems of folk magick use human body parts, but I don't really see why the body parts of albinos would be more powerful than those of people who have melanin in their skin. Does melanin inhibit the flow of magical energy or something? I'm sure there are a lot of African spiritual practitioners who would take serious issue with that statement. It seems more likely to me that it's all just superstition that arose because albinos look different. After all, I'm guessing that even if these spells work really well nobody has ever tried to do any double-blind studies on the effectiveness of normal versus albino body parts.

Source: master-of-pentagram.blogspot.com

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Student Request For Help With Witchcraft Survey

I've quite had this get from a pupil who desires witches to congest out a follow on how witches are permitted in today's neighborhood. Indoors is the message:

Hi I'm Ciara

I've started prose a blog to perceive if witches are permitted in today's neighborhood from real amateur opinions not the image of witches from literature or movies. So far I carry sent out a follow and I carry got the responses back. 80% of sophistication dip that it was drivable to be a witch in today's material neighborhood in the same way as we are not so hung up on religion and we are advance nosy in the delightful and the novel than tense of it as has been the background trendy get older such as witch hunts within Europe and America.

Keep a thud at my blog: acceptancwitches.blogspot.com for advance information on my chart and surveys and interviews that I carry done.

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Modern Day Witchcraft Accusations And Inhumane Slaughter

"What sort of a threat can a 5 year old child, a 9 month old baby, or a frail older woman possibly pose to any individual or culture? How does a human mind become so twisted that it can even conceive the idea" of torturing another human, let alone "act on the idea" and then watch, or participate, in butchering or burning a child to death? Can you imagine the horror and fear? The screams of pain, the desperate pleas for help?

I'm not describing a segment of some fictitious novel based on evil or horrific nightmares. This isn't a story of non-evolved, prehistoric homo-sapiens incapable of communication beyond grunting, or huddling in fear because they don't yet comprehend what "supernatural" forces cause the ground to shake during an earthquake.

This disgusting, insane, sickening and inhumane "nightmare" is a reality in Africa and around the globe, TODAY! Perhaps many of us really "are" still living in the non-evolved dark ages:

"WITCH HUNTS ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT ARE LARGELY MOTIVATED THROUGH LOCALIZED FORMS OF RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM BY PRACTITIONERS OF TRADITIONAL AFRICAN RELIGIONS WHO BELIEVE THAT WITCHCRAFT IS THE CAUSE OF MISFORTUNE, TRADITIONAL HEALERS (INCLUDING DIVINERS, HERBALISTS, 'WITCH-DOCTORS') WHO USE VARIOUS FORMS OF DIVINATION TO POINT OUT SUSPECTED WITCHES, AND CHARISMATIC REVIVALIST CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS (PASTORS AND PROPHETS) WHO USE THEIR PREJUDICIAL NOTIONS OF WITCHCRAFT AS A MANIFEST FORM OF SATANIC EVIL TO ENCOURAGE THEIR FOLLOWERS TO FIND (ACCUSE) AND CONVERT SUSPECTED WITCHES." [Source: TOUCHSTONE ADVOCACY]

I find it ironic that the same people who claim morality and wholesomeness, wishing to put an end to "evil" and fear, are the ones who are "committing the most atrocious acts of evil" and "creating fear" themselves. Within our history, this has been a recurring theme: Monotheist groups "exterminating" those who do not seem to "fit within" preconceived and cult-like notions of what (or whom) is "allowed, acceptable, normal or right". Worst of all, they don't even execute their victims with any shred of decency. Innocent victims meet their demise only after brutal and sadistic suffering has overtaken every thought and fiber of their being.

Personally, I feel much safer surrounded by Witches than some so-called "followers of God's Word". Please download a pdf copy of WITCHCRAFT ACCUSATIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN AFRICA and then join me in making your voice heard by sending an INTERNATIONAL LETTER OF PROTEST IN PDF FORMAT or DOWNLOAD IN.DOCX FORMAT.

May the victims of these inexcusable acts of insanity rest in peace.

"Known in the Pagan Community as the "Green Witch", Polly Taskey is descended from Mary Bradbury (Perkins). She uses her writing talents to bring you Pagan by Design Blog and Message Boards. If reprinted, this byline and links shown here must be included."

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School Children Petition To Clear The Names Of Witches

By Kris BradleyChildren Witchery ResearcherGroup in the German village of R"uthen (residents 5,360), entirely submitted a yearn for to their city council to imprison "witches" from the village's following confirmed pure. The students from the Friedrich-Spee-Gymnasium had been studying witch trials in class. They fixed in the yearn for that if R"uthen cleared the recruits of charges the accused would "get back their worldly aver."The school's namesake, Friedrich Spee was a Jesuit priest who fought to defend fill accused of witchcraft. He has been deliberate by spend time at to be the ahead of schedule to demand that nuisance is not the way to offensive the truth from someone character questioned. He was quoted as saying, "Steadily I imprison conception that the particular project we are all not wizards is due to the fact we imprison not all been tortured."Along with 1573 and 1660 169 men, women and children were all convicted of witchcraft in R"uthen. At smallest 79 of them were sentenced to death. One man, Freunnd Turn up was accused of sorcery. The city council unanimously approved the yearn for, making R"uthen the ahead of schedule town in the German reply of North Rhine-Westphalia to tart a group of witchcraft charges.Preliminary Article

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