Paranormals/Witches...
This article summarizes how sometimes people with Paranormal Abilities were considered as Witches, ( sometimes still ), and Witches in general. Innocents killed via Superstitions, and those who follow different belief systems, ways or Religions.
Since the early dawn of time, people with paranormal abilities, in some cases, simple love or knowledge of nature - creating Herbal Remedies | Cures | Medicines - 'different' in some way, ( In the old days, a person suffering from seizures were sometimes considered to be possessed), different in their ways of thinking, Magic | Spell Casting, following a Religion such as the Druids, - Pagan, Wicca - etc., have been loved, hated, feared, praised, killed, envied, persecuted, etc., because of their abilities, or simply being or believing different or practicing anything which was not Christian Religion.
Once revered in society, sought for their curing abilities, magical incantations, and the belief that they could remove any evil, protect, heal, etc., 'Witches, Oracles, Seers, Gypsies, and other's,' were sought out for advice or help, and sometimes eliminated or outcast because of what they could do - or claim to do. ( although some preferred to be apart of the village, clan, society, etc. ).
Mostly Innocent's without the abilities, or not even following different practices,
( Witch Trials ), were killed because of the fear and envy of people, which included animals as well, ( * Cats, Snakes, Toads, Hares, and Spiders for example ), who were thought and claimed to be Witches - or servants of.
The different religions, Pagan, Druid, Wicca, etc., who followed different belief's to the Christians, ( and even within Christians ), were also sought out, called or thought of as evil, in league with Demons, or from the Devil ( i.e. Joan D'Arc ), eliminated or outcast because of their belief's, gifts, - or both.
Psychics, Shaman's, Curanderos, Witch Doctors, Pagan, Wiccan, Clairvoyant's and other people | Religion's, are more accepted these days, even though in many places this is still not so. They are still feared and killed, and again, innocent's are often killed, and more so than the ones with the actual abilities or from actually spell casting, yet are believed via superstition to be Witches. Then, there are those who claim the abilities without actually having them, giving a 'bad rap' to those who do, and usually to make a profit and scam those who seek help or advice.
On the Paranormal side - many other's hide, or deny their abilities to be or feel 'normal,' accepted in society and by family and friends, avoid persecution, ( i.e. Nostradamus ), and not feel weird, crazy, or out of place. Some feel their 'gift's' to be more of a curse, and other's are taught from little 'Not to tell anyone what they can or cannot do,' or, not believed, ridiculed, etc., to the point they 'block out' their abilities.
Many organizations, including the government and military use and employ paranormals to work for them, ( i.e. Remote Viewing ), even though the majority won't admit to it ( or being a paranormal ). It is even normal today to call a 'phone psychic,' get your palm read, go to a psychic fair, seek healing or help from a Shaman etc. - but not all who work these places are the real deal.
E-Mail groups, Forums, Message Boards, Web Sites, Books, and other means are available for those who seek to learn or improve their abilities, learn about the Religion they wish to follow - Pagan, Wicca - talk and share, and to feel a comfort and companionship amongst others. ( And still you must beware of whom you can trust or that will believe you ).
The question still lies; "Will they ever truly be accepted amongst those who don't share or have their gift's? Accept their beliefs and ways of being?" Only time will tell...
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*Familiars:
Animal Superstitions in Relation to Witches
From the book: The Enchanted World of Witches
A Soft-footed servant:
In ways both physical and behavioral, the hare was a natural ally of witches: Hares are swift and agile, able to stand on their hind legs like a person, prone to gathering in parliament-like groups, orgiastically mad in the spring, wantonly destructive of crops and possessed of a most unbeastlike cry. Some witches traveled in the shapes of hares; others had hare familiars-demonic servants in disguise.
Given the association of hares with witchcraft and magic, it is not surprising that superstition surrounded them. It was said, for example, that the sight of a hare running down a village street presaged fire and that the appearance of a white hare in a mine would be followed by a fatal accident. A hare who crossed a persons path would bring bad luck. And the very word "hare" could not be mentioned at sea, so great was the fear of the animals power.
Curiosity enough, possession of a hares-foot brought luck. This belief arose not from the hares traffic with witches but from the much more ancient associations: The hare is a notably prolific creature, and it's foot was long a sexual symbol.
A Silent Spy:
Spinner of webs, an archtrickster, and a silent and murderous trapper, the spider was tiny enough to hide in the hood of a witches cloak as a familiar and whisper instruction in her ear.
Ordinary folk said that to dream of a spider ment betrayal. To see one in the morning brought bad luck, and to kill one summoned rain. The sight of spiders terrified wedding parties because the creatures were omens of unhappy marriage. And in Switzerland it was said that the plague, with it's black sores, was spread by malevolent spiders traveling in secret from house to house.
A raucous-voiced herald:
Sooty-feathered and harsh of voice, the crow was a fit familiar to witches, prized for it's ability to fly and spy. Villagers feared this carrion eater, for it was a messenger of mortality. A fluttering crow around the window or one that flew thrice over the roof, meant Death was on it's way. Simply to see the bird flying alone could bring bad luck, and crows rising in a flock from a wood sometimes presaged famine.
A pair of sinuous helpers:
Anciently inimical to each other, the serpent and the cat were favorites of witches. The serpent seems to have played a familiar role: While it could serve as a familiar, it was chiefly valued for it's fearful aspect and it's link to Satan-useful in repelling the curious, who might interfere with a witch's business. To dream of a serpent signified that someone has a grudge against the dreamer.
The cat, on the other hand, was surrounded by speculation. It's pupils-narrow slits in the daytime and luminous black globes at night-linked it to the moon and emphasized it's power to see into the future. Cats were said to suck the breath from infants at night. And cats forecast the weather: When they scampered and cavorted, wind was on it's way; when they washed their ears; rain was coming; when they sat with their backs to the fire, they awaited frost and storms.
Except in northern England, where it was thought lucky to own a black cat, (but unlucky to meet a strange one), black cats were the most common embodiments of Satan. As for cats that served as familiars-rather than as transformations of the witches themselves-they were usually brindled.
Belled and beribboned dancers:
Ugly and venemous though it was, the toad seems to have been among the most cherished of witch familiars: The creatures were dressed in velvet by their mistresses, ornamented with bells and encouraged to dance.
Common folk both feared and valued them. Toads were burned because the horns on their foreheads marked them as agents of Satan and because witches used toad spittle to concoct ointments that conferred invisibility. On the other hand, toads were admired for their ability to hear distant thunder long before the human ear could catch it, the sight of the little creatures making their way to safe water provided a reliable indicator of approaching storms. And very elderly toads-rarely glimpsed-carried precious jewels in their heads, effective antidotes to poison.
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Joan of Arc
(1412-1431)
Joan of Arc, in French, Jeanne d'Arc, also called the Maid of Orleans, a patron saint of France and a national heroine, led the resistance to the English invasion of France in the Hundred Years War. She was born the third of five children to a farmer, Jacques Darc and his wife Isabelle de Vouthon in the town of Domremy on the border of provinces of Champagne and Lorraine. Her childhood was spent attending her father's herds in the fields and learning religion and housekeeping skills from her mother.
When Joan was about 12 years old, she began hearing "voices" of St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret believing them to have been sent by God. These voices told her that it was her divine mission to free her country from the English and help the dauphin gain the French throne. They told her to cut her hair, dress in man's uniform and to pick up the arms.
By 1429 the English with the help of their Burgundian allies occupied Paris and all of France north of the Loire. The resistance was minimal due to lack of leadership and a sense of hopelessness. Henry VI of England was claiming the French throne.
Joan convinced the captain of the dauphin's forces, and then the dauphin himself of her calling. After passing an examination by a board of theologians, she was given troops to command and the rank of captain.
At the battle of Orleans in May 1429, Joan led the troops to a miraculous victory over the English. She continued fighting the enemy in other locations along the Loire. Fear of troops under her leadership was so formidable that when she approached Lord Talbot's army at Patay, most of the English troops and Commander Sir John Fastolfe fled the battlefield. Fastolfe was later stripped of his Order of the Garter for this act of cowardice. Although Lord Talbot stood his ground, he lost the battle and was captured along with a hundred English noblemen and lost 1800 of his soldiers.
Charles VII was crowned king of France on July 17, 1429 in Reims Cathedral. At the coronation, Joan was given a place of honor next to the king. Later, she was ennobled for her services to the country.
In 1430 she was captured by the Burgundians while defending Compiegne near Paris and was sold to the English. The English, in turn, handed her over to the ecclesiastical court at Rouen led by Pierre Cauchon, a pro-English Bishop of Beauvais, to be tried for witchcraft and heresy. Much was made of her insistence on wearing male clothing. She was told that for a woman to wear men's clothing was a crime against God. Her determination to continue wearing it (because her voices hadn't yet told her to change, as well as for protection from sexual abuse by her jailors) was seen as defiance and finally sealed her fate. Joan was convicted after a fourteen-month interrogation and on May 30, 1431 she was burned at the stake in the Rouen marketplace. She was nineteen years old. Charles VII made no attempt to come to her rescue.
In 1456 a second trial was held and she was pronounced innocent of the charges against her. She was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV.
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