Throughout history, witches
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witches:
brujas
have not enjoyed a good reputation. Even today, those who follow pagan religions are often considered to be eccentric or even mad. However, a growing number of people in the UK are seeing modern-day witches in a new light. They understand that witchcraft
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witchcraft:
brujería
and black magic are two very different things.
persecution and execution Fear and hatred
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hatred:
odio
of witches grew during the religious tensions in England in the 16th and 17th centuries. Henry VIII’s Witchcraft Act
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act:
ley
of 1542 made witchcraft punishable
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punishable:
punible
by death, and a series of subsequent acts led
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to lead:
conducir
to the persecution, torture and execution of many women and some men.
Over time
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over time:
con el tiempo
, people more or less stopped believing in witches. However, attitudes towards witchcraft remained negative, and in the 18th century those claiming to cast spells
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to cast a spell:
hacer un hechizo
were considered con artists
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con artists:
timadoras
and fined
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to fine:
multar
or imprisoned. In reality, many of those who were called witches were likely to be wise
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wise:
sabias
, older people with a knowledge of herbs, healing
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to heal:
sanar, curar
and the ways of
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the ways of:
cómo funciona
the earth. It is this interpretation of witchcraft that thrives
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to thrive:
prosperar
today.
pagan witchcraft The New Forest in the south of England has long been associated with witches. One of the reasons for this is its connection with Gerald Brosseau Gardner, a civil servant
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civil servant:
funcionario público
, writer, anthropologist and amateur archaeologist. Gardner is famous for being the father of Wicca, a modern religious movement also known as ‘pagan witchcraft’.
When Gardner retired in 1936, he settled down
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to settle down:
establecerse
in Highcliffe-on-Sea near the New Forest. There he claimed to have come into contact with a group of witches who initiated him into the New Forest Coven. This, he believed, was a witch-cult
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cult:
secta
of pre-Christian origins that had been present in the forest for generations. Gardner quickly established himself as their leader, supplementing their rituals with ideas borrowed
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to borrow:
tomar prestado
from Freemasonry
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freemasonry:
masonería
, ceremonial magic and the writings of the infamous occultist Aleister Crowley.
sybil leek Wicca successfully spread to other parts of the UK as Gardner initiated a number of high priestesses
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priestesses:
sacerdotisas
who then initiated new members. Gardner even claimed that the New Forest witches had helped prevent the Nazis occupying Britain during World War Two by holding
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to hold:
celebrar
a ritual that directed the words “You cannot cross the sea” at Adolf Hitler’s brain.
Perhaps more important to the authentic work of New Forest witches was Sybil Leek, a famous white witch who lived in the village of Burley. Sybil was a life-long advocate of altruistic witchcraft, writing many books on the occult, palmistry
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palmistry:
quiromancia
and astrology. According to Sybil, white witches believe there is magic all around us and seek
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to seek:
buscar
knowledge beyond the range
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range:
gama
of ordinary perceptions.
mother earth There are now thought to be around a hundred covens
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covens:
aquelarre
in the New Forest. Their members believe in the healing powers of nature, our connection with Mother Earth and the principle that we should harm
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to harm:
herir
nothing and no-one. Far from being considered frightening
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frightening:
aterradoras
or eccentric, the beliefs of these witches are gaining ground
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to gain ground:
ganar terreno
for the respect they show for our planet, its inhabitants and the preservation of its resources.
Culture
White Magic: Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog
A pesar de siglos de persecución, de la magia blanca tiene una larga tradición en Inglaterra, especialmente en las zonas rurales más conectadas con la naturaleza. Una bruja nos explica cómo se practica hoy en día.
Rachel Roberts, Rachel Roberts
