Night Battles: How the Benandanti Fought Witches During the Sabbath
The benandanti were an agrarian fertility cult in Northern Italy in the 16th-17th centuries who claimed they would leave their bodies and fight witches 4 times each year.
Many religions and cultures have a belief in witchcraft and magic which usually involves using supernatural forces to do one’s bidding. In early modern Europe, this belief led to widespread witch hunts and has fueled contemporary pagan, witchcraft and modern magickal movements in the 20th century & modern era. Read articles on witchcraft and magic below.
Kabbalistic Interpretations of God: Ein-Sof and the Sefirot
Kabbalists believed that there is a gap between how mankind can understand God and what God actually is. This unknowable aspect of God is called Ein-Sof.
Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah
Mysticism is not new to Judaism. It dates back at least to the 6th century BCE with Ezekiel’s visions of the divine chariot (called merkavah mysticism) in Isaiah. In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. …
Mystic Profile: Francis of Assisi
When a voice told Francis to go and "repair my house," he started a new Order devoted to a life of poverty.
Mystic Profile: Bernard of Clairvaux
Another popular mystic of the 12th century, Bernard was born in 1090 and entered the monastery of Citeaux to escape the corruption of the world.
Mystic Profile: Hildegard of Bingen
At a time when very few woman were literate and held status, Hildegard wrote over 300 letters and was widely respected for her mystical visions, medical knowledge, and musical compositions.
What is Mysticism?
Mysticism is difficult to define, largely because it encompasses so many different practices and beliefs - from Catholicism to Kabbalah.
How The Catholic Church Gradually Lost Power
With corruption plaguing the Catholic Church, Reform movements, science, and the rise of literacy gradually chipped away at its power.