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S2 E5 Mesopotamian Magic & Mary Easty
Mesopotamian Magic
Ancient Mesopotamia was a place of ancient culture. They developed domestication, animal herding and agriculture somewhere around 8000 BC. The civilization itself lasted from 3000 BC to almost 500 BC. On top of being a powerhouse of civilization it was also a place of magic, witches, sorcerers, exorcists, and diviners. There were many types as you can see. Often a witch or sorcerer would specialize in one thing. Keep in mind that science, medicine, and magic were still considered to be one and the same, so your doctor might try to placate an angry god as well as give you herbs for sickness.
The Mesopotamians wrote a ton, leaving us with the likes of the Epic of Gilgamesh, culture and society texts, as well as almost 30% of those texts being about magic (this would have included occult stuff as well as things explaining magic and how it was done).
One such text is called Maqlú. Written on nine tablets it’s name means ‘burning’. It was done somewhere around 700 BC. Nearly 100 incantations are written on the first eight tablets while the last gives directions for a ritual to help an exorcist and their patient. This ceremony includes the burning of a figurine representing a witch to dispel the effects of the magic of that witch.
Rather than witch trials and hunts, it was customary to create one or two (man and a woman just in case) to represent the witch thought to have cursed or bound the patient. It was believed that witches tricked the Gods or Goddesses, posing it as a genuine need. The ceremony to reverse that magic was to show the Gods that they’d been tricked and then it was believed that the bad magic would be cast back to the one who did it in the first place. It was not customary to find out or directly represent the witch (even if the source was suspected) as it was thought that being an innocent unaware was ideal. It was also not customary to accuse someone of witchcraft, as the penalty for failing to prove someone a practitioner of black magic was the same penalty as practicing black magic yourself, death.
There was also the reading of celestial omens, these mostly pertained to the King and the kingdom. One text called the Enuma Anu Enlil, has around 7000 omens written in the text.
One of the specialist diviners of ancient Mesopotamia were the bārû. They read the liver of a sacrificed animal to make predictions.
All in all the records show that magic, Gods, and Goddesses were a part of everyday life in ancient Mesopotamia.
Mary’s History
Mary Towne Eastey (bap. 08/24/1634 - 09/22/1692)
Her maiden name was Mary Towne, the daughter of Joanna Towne and William Towne. She was born in Yarmouth, England. Mary and her family arrived in America somewhere between 1638 and 1640. Landing first in Northfields (part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony) and later in 1651 moved to Topsfield, Ma. Fifteen years later she married Isaac Eastey in Topsfield, Ma. Isaac had bought a piece of property which later became one of the largest of the town’s farms. He was a farmer and a barrel maker. They had eleven children together. She had eight brothers and three sisters, two of which were also condemned as witches in the Salem witch trials. One was Rebecca Nurse and the other Sarah Cloyce.
Mary’s widowed mother had been accused for the use of witchcraft, however, she never went to trial for the crime. But it was later said that witchcraft was passed down through the family, “mother to daughter”. The rumors began with the Gould family after Joanna (Mary’s mother) came to the defense of a local minister who had been accused of excessiveness, which angered the Gould family. The Gould family were close friends with the Putnam family who became the main accusers in Mary Easty’s trial. There were other noted disagreements between the two families, to put it mildly.
The Trial
Mary Towne Easty’s trial began on 04/22/1692, after one of her accusers claimed that Mary had control of her. She mimicked Mary’s movements (while in trial) when Mary put her hands together, further saying that until she unclasped her hands she (Mercy) could not undo her own and claimed that when Mary tilted her head she was trying to break the girl's neck. Mary was also accused of having sent her specter to Mercy Lewis’ bed (her main accuser) and had been fondled by the ghost.
John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin were the magistrates in her trial. John had some doubts about these condemnations and questioned whether or not the girls felt sure they were charging the right person. You see, Mary was seen as pious and was well respected in the Salem community. When Mary was asked about these accusations she responded with, “Sir, I never complyd with Satan but prayed against him all my dayes, I have no compliance with Satan, in this… I will say it, if it is my last time, I am clear of this sin.” It is unknown as to the why, but Mary Easty was allowed to go home on May 18th, two months later. However, she was arrested again on May 20th after Mercy Lewis once again claimed Mary’s ghost was plaguing her. Other girls backed Lewis’ claim. Easty was imprisoned for the second time at which point Lewis said the hauntings had ceased. After being in chains for several months thereafter she was hanged on 09/22/1692. Her final condemnation occurred on 09/09/1692.
Robert Calef, author of More Wonders of the Invisible World, remarked that Mary Easty’s final words were “as serious, religious, distinct, and affectionate as could be expressed, drawing tears from the eyes of almost all present.”
Later she and seven others were dismissed from being the “eight firebrands from Hell” by Cotton Mather. Some of Mary’s last words were that of wishing for the witch trials to come to an end.
Her sister Rebecca Nurse also was hanged, on 07/19/1692, unlike Sarah Cloyce who was later released in 01/1693. Calef also quoted Mary’s document to the judge as saying, “I petition your honours not for my own life for I know I must die and my appointed time is set but the Lord he knows it is that no more innocent blood be shed…. The Lord above that is the searcher of all hearts knows that as I shall answer at the Tribunal seat I never knew the least thing of witchcraft”.
Later in November, Mary Herrick (not one of any of the people who testified or made accusations against her) said that she was visited by Mary’s ghost who said she was wrongfully hanged and was innocent of her charges. She spoke with Reverend John Hale about this matter. Herrick said she came to right the wrong on Mary’s behalf. Mary Towne Easty’s family received 20 pounds in compensation for her wrongful death in 1711.
Magic wands
Wands as magic tools, whether in fiction or real life have been around for a long time. Wands in modern times are used by occult and magic practitioners, The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Thelema, and Wicca. They are used to collect direct, and release personal energy in spells and rituals, in a gentler way than an athame (a ritual dagger). They are associated with fire and summer in tarot cards, but some associate wands with air in ritual. Often, but not always wands are made from wood, but you can find rock(like selenite wands), bone, metal, or clay. Now a little history looks to be in order.
The Red Lady of Paviland, originally thought to be a woman but was later found to be a young man, was buried some 30,000 years ago with a wand among other things.
In the Middle Kingdoms of Egypt hippopotamus tusks, that are naturally curved and then split in half after being taken from the hippopotamus, were used in birthing ceremonies. This may have been to appeal to the hippopotamus Goddess of childbirth Tawaret.
Wands also appeared in the stories Homer, the Greek writer. Three God/esses used them. Hermes with the caduceus, which put people to sleep or woke them up; Athena which was used on Odysseus, to make him old then young again; and Circe to turn Odysseus’ men into pigs.
In the 1st century A.D. a wand was a well known symbol of magic in Rome.
Even Jesus Christ was depicted using a magic wand, on several sarcophagi in the 3rd and 4th centuries.
Wands were brought into ‘everyday’ magic via the Latin grimoire The Oathbound Book of Honorius during the 13th-century. Later in the 16th century wands were used in The Key of Solomon, which was very popular with occultists for a long time.
The mid 1800s saw the writing of Philosophie Occulte, by Elphas Levi which inspired the founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to use the wand as one of their main tools in ritual.
An 1888 English translation of The Key of Solomon inspired Gerald Gardener, the creator of Wicca, to use the wand and other tools.
In modern times wands are used in British governmental ceremonies to represent the power of their office and of course in magical rituals both religious and otherwise.
Tarot
The Ten of Wands. This card is speaking to the weight of the world being on our shoulders during this bountiful phase. It may seem like we have to be the ones to keep everything in balance. We’ve worked so hard to create the realm we choose to live in and it’s difficult to see any one thing fall away. So we manage, we micromanage, until we’ve worn ourselves out. Does the burden rest solely on us?
Everything has to be in its specific place in order for things to run smoothly, or so we think. It is true, of course, to a certain degree. However, leaving room for spontaneity and creative forces is equally important and there’s little chance of doing that if it's under constant scrutiny. What we’ve created will still flourish if we relinquish some of our control. Releasing and trusting in the process will be helpful at this time of abundance. Look at how you might be over-seeing things too closely. In what way can you open yourself up to receiving assistance and allowing others to partake in your venture? How might this be helpful?
Please rate us on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you’ve found us. Also come join us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. We’d love to have you!
EVERY "like" "rating" and "follow" make a huge difference!
En.wikipedia.org Mary Easty
:/https/historyofmassachusetts.org/mary-easty-salem/
https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/mesopotamian-witchcraft-0011494
http://www.essential-humanities.net/history-overview/world-history-timeline/
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/magic/hd_magic.htm
https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2014/09/witchcraft-in-ancient-mesopotamia/
https://thecreativecottage.net/make-a-magic-wand-from-wood/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wand
View all episodes
By Tatjana Riedel, Sylvia Short
3
22 ratings
Mesopotamian Magic
Ancient Mesopotamia was a place of ancient culture. They developed domestication, animal herding and agriculture somewhere around 8000 BC. The civilization itself lasted from 3000 BC to almost 500 BC. On top of being a powerhouse of civilization it was also a place of magic, witches, sorcerers, exorcists, and diviners. There were many types as you can see. Often a witch or sorcerer would specialize in one thing. Keep in mind that science, medicine, and magic were still considered to be one and the same, so your doctor might try to placate an angry god as well as give you herbs for sickness.
The Mesopotamians wrote a ton, leaving us with the likes of the Epic of Gilgamesh, culture and society texts, as well as almost 30% of those texts being about magic (this would have included occult stuff as well as things explaining magic and how it was done).
One such text is called Maqlú. Written on nine tablets it’s name means ‘burning’. It was done somewhere around 700 BC. Nearly 100 incantations are written on the first eight tablets while the last gives directions for a ritual to help an exorcist and their patient. This ceremony includes the burning of a figurine representing a witch to dispel the effects of the magic of that witch.
Rather than witch trials and hunts, it was customary to create one or two (man and a woman just in case) to represent the witch thought to have cursed or bound the patient. It was believed that witches tricked the Gods or Goddesses, posing it as a genuine need. The ceremony to reverse that magic was to show the Gods that they’d been tricked and then it was believed that the bad magic would be cast back to the one who did it in the first place. It was not customary to find out or directly represent the witch (even if the source was suspected) as it was thought that being an innocent unaware was ideal. It was also not customary to accuse someone of witchcraft, as the penalty for failing to prove someone a practitioner of black magic was the same penalty as practicing black magic yourself, death.
There was also the reading of celestial omens, these mostly pertained to the King and the kingdom. One text called the Enuma Anu Enlil, has around 7000 omens written in the text.
One of the specialist diviners of ancient Mesopotamia were the bārû. They read the liver of a sacrificed animal to make predictions.
All in all the records show that magic, Gods, and Goddesses were a part of everyday life in ancient Mesopotamia.
Mary’s History
Mary Towne Eastey (bap. 08/24/1634 - 09/22/1692)
Her maiden name was Mary Towne, the daughter of Joanna Towne and William Towne. She was born in Yarmouth, England. Mary and her family arrived in America somewhere between 1638 and 1640. Landing first in Northfields (part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony) and later in 1651 moved to Topsfield, Ma. Fifteen years later she married Isaac Eastey in Topsfield, Ma. Isaac had bought a piece of property which later became one of the largest of the town’s farms. He was a farmer and a barrel maker. They had eleven children together. She had eight brothers and three sisters, two of which were also condemned as witches in the Salem witch trials. One was Rebecca Nurse and the other Sarah Cloyce.
Mary’s widowed mother had been accused for the use of witchcraft, however, she never went to trial for the crime. But it was later said that witchcraft was passed down through the family, “mother to daughter”. The rumors began with the Gould family after Joanna (Mary’s mother) came to the defense of a local minister who had been accused of excessiveness, which angered the Gould family. The Gould family were close friends with the Putnam family who became the main accusers in Mary Easty’s trial. There were other noted disagreements between the two families, to put it mildly.
The Trial
Mary Towne Easty’s trial began on 04/22/1692, after one of her accusers claimed that Mary had control of her. She mimicked Mary’s movements (while in trial) when Mary put her hands together, further saying that until she unclasped her hands she (Mercy) could not undo her own and claimed that when Mary tilted her head she was trying to break the girl's neck. Mary was also accused of having sent her specter to Mercy Lewis’ bed (her main accuser) and had been fondled by the ghost.
John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin were the magistrates in her trial. John had some doubts about these condemnations and questioned whether or not the girls felt sure they were charging the right person. You see, Mary was seen as pious and was well respected in the Salem community. When Mary was asked about these accusations she responded with, “Sir, I never complyd with Satan but prayed against him all my dayes, I have no compliance with Satan, in this… I will say it, if it is my last time, I am clear of this sin.” It is unknown as to the why, but Mary Easty was allowed to go home on May 18th, two months later. However, she was arrested again on May 20th after Mercy Lewis once again claimed Mary’s ghost was plaguing her. Other girls backed Lewis’ claim. Easty was imprisoned for the second time at which point Lewis said the hauntings had ceased. After being in chains for several months thereafter she was hanged on 09/22/1692. Her final condemnation occurred on 09/09/1692.
Robert Calef, author of More Wonders of the Invisible World, remarked that Mary Easty’s final words were “as serious, religious, distinct, and affectionate as could be expressed, drawing tears from the eyes of almost all present.”
Later she and seven others were dismissed from being the “eight firebrands from Hell” by Cotton Mather. Some of Mary’s last words were that of wishing for the witch trials to come to an end.
Her sister Rebecca Nurse also was hanged, on 07/19/1692, unlike Sarah Cloyce who was later released in 01/1693. Calef also quoted Mary’s document to the judge as saying, “I petition your honours not for my own life for I know I must die and my appointed time is set but the Lord he knows it is that no more innocent blood be shed…. The Lord above that is the searcher of all hearts knows that as I shall answer at the Tribunal seat I never knew the least thing of witchcraft”.
Later in November, Mary Herrick (not one of any of the people who testified or made accusations against her) said that she was visited by Mary’s ghost who said she was wrongfully hanged and was innocent of her charges. She spoke with Reverend John Hale about this matter. Herrick said she came to right the wrong on Mary’s behalf. Mary Towne Easty’s family received 20 pounds in compensation for her wrongful death in 1711.
Magic wands
Wands as magic tools, whether in fiction or real life have been around for a long time. Wands in modern times are used by occult and magic practitioners, The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Thelema, and Wicca. They are used to collect direct, and release personal energy in spells and rituals, in a gentler way than an athame (a ritual dagger). They are associated with fire and summer in tarot cards, but some associate wands with air in ritual. Often, but not always wands are made from wood, but you can find rock(like selenite wands), bone, metal, or clay. Now a little history looks to be in order.
The Red Lady of Paviland, originally thought to be a woman but was later found to be a young man, was buried some 30,000 years ago with a wand among other things.
In the Middle Kingdoms of Egypt hippopotamus tusks, that are naturally curved and then split in half after being taken from the hippopotamus, were used in birthing ceremonies. This may have been to appeal to the hippopotamus Goddess of childbirth Tawaret.
Wands also appeared in the stories Homer, the Greek writer. Three God/esses used them. Hermes with the caduceus, which put people to sleep or woke them up; Athena which was used on Odysseus, to make him old then young again; and Circe to turn Odysseus’ men into pigs.
In the 1st century A.D. a wand was a well known symbol of magic in Rome.
Even Jesus Christ was depicted using a magic wand, on several sarcophagi in the 3rd and 4th centuries.
Wands were brought into ‘everyday’ magic via the Latin grimoire The Oathbound Book of Honorius during the 13th-century. Later in the 16th century wands were used in The Key of Solomon, which was very popular with occultists for a long time.
The mid 1800s saw the writing of Philosophie Occulte, by Elphas Levi which inspired the founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to use the wand as one of their main tools in ritual.
An 1888 English translation of The Key of Solomon inspired Gerald Gardener, the creator of Wicca, to use the wand and other tools.
In modern times wands are used in British governmental ceremonies to represent the power of their office and of course in magical rituals both religious and otherwise.
Tarot
The Ten of Wands. This card is speaking to the weight of the world being on our shoulders during this bountiful phase. It may seem like we have to be the ones to keep everything in balance. We’ve worked so hard to create the realm we choose to live in and it’s difficult to see any one thing fall away. So we manage, we micromanage, until we’ve worn ourselves out. Does the burden rest solely on us?
Everything has to be in its specific place in order for things to run smoothly, or so we think. It is true, of course, to a certain degree. However, leaving room for spontaneity and creative forces is equally important and there’s little chance of doing that if it's under constant scrutiny. What we’ve created will still flourish if we relinquish some of our control. Releasing and trusting in the process will be helpful at this time of abundance. Look at how you might be over-seeing things too closely. In what way can you open yourself up to receiving assistance and allowing others to partake in your venture? How might this be helpful?
Please rate us on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you’ve found us. Also come join us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. We’d love to have you!
EVERY "like" "rating" and "follow" make a huge difference!
En.wikipedia.org Mary Easty
:/https/historyofmassachusetts.org/mary-easty-salem/
https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/mesopotamian-witchcraft-0011494
http://www.essential-humanities.net/history-overview/world-history-timeline/
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/magic/hd_magic.htm
https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2014/09/witchcraft-in-ancient-mesopotamia/
https://thecreativecottage.net/make-a-magic-wand-from-wood/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wand