Witches in Ancient Egypt

Though many scholars will quote the religion of Wicca and the practice of witchcraft as being relatively new(beginning with Gerald Gardner, father of Wicca), in many ways its roots reach back as far as prehistory. Even in the most ancient of cultures, witches, or their equivalent, have been recorded as members of ancient societies.

In ancient Egypt, just as today, witches met in covens to share what they believed were the secrets of the universe revealed through that sacred medium known as magic. The patterns of changing seasons were important to Egyptian witches, as magic was often used to determine crop cycles and other important events on the calendar. Rituals and festivals began to evolve to celebrate the seasons, especially around the time when crops were sown and harvested. Eventually, Egyptian craft began to center around the concept of the “Wheel of the year,” which was made up of eight spokes and which symbolized the four seasonal festivals and the four solar festivals which marked solstices and equinoxes. The Witches of ancient Egypt considered the day as beginning at sundown and ending at sundown the following day.

As winter began, starlight and moonlight would shine down with greater intensity than it had in the summer, and Egyptian witches began to incorporate this phenomenon into their craft. From October 31 through November, evening was regarded as an especially sacred or magical time during which to perform rituals and spells, as, according to Egyptian witches, this was the time when the line between our world and the spirit world became the thinnest. They believed that during this time, the dead could break through for a while, and may even choose to visit family for a feast before going back to the other side.

Magic was often performed at gatherings called Moon Celebrations or Esbats, which aligned with the different phases of the moon. During these gatherings, witches might practice healing magic, protection, retaliation or even simple channeling of energy. Just as in modern witchcraft, ancient witches worked in circles to ward off unwanted spirits and effects while they were so vulnerable. One of the tools often used, a ritual knife, was called a “Sacred Blade” or an “Athame.”

Though many Wiccan practices can be defined as fairly recent, many others date far back beyond modern times. Since before recorded history, human beings have been trying to harness the energy that so many feel around and inside us, which some call magic. Perhaps some of us have succeeded.