The Earth
THE SPIRITUAL EARTH
- Chapter 35 -
The witch trials of old
There is hardly a single person who has not heard something regarding witches. It was not too long ago that the courts conducted witch trials wherein many innocent people were dispatched in a very painful manner from this world into the beyond. How did humankind arrive at the notion of witches? We shall answer this question through a retrospective view.
In earlier times, when people lived much more simply than now, there were frequently those who had so-called second sight and were completely at home in both worlds. It would be possible to reach this state easily even at the present time if our nourishment were only simpler. Our present-day complicated, refined, and wrong nourishment causes people great harm. With their food, they corrupt and stupefy their nature to such a degree that the soul, like a bird in lime, becomes entangled and stuck, and it becomes impossible for her to reach the agility and activity that would enable the soul to have the possibility of free ascent and free flight.
What kind of food did ancient and simple people eat? It consisted mostly of legumes, which were simply boiled until soft with a little salt, and never eaten while hot. Also, simple bread made from whole grains, milk, and honey was also an ancient simple nourishment on which human beings reached a ripe old age and were continuously in possession of their second sight until the last breath of their lives.
Anyone may occasionally moderately consume some wine, but not so much as to feel inebriated.
Meat dishes should only be eaten at certain times, and never for more than seven days successively, very moderately and always from freshly slaughtered animals. The flesh of fish is healthier than the flesh of pigeons; the flesh of pigeons is healthier than the flesh of chickens; the flesh of chickens is healthier than the flesh of lambs; the flesh of lambs is healthier than the flesh of goats, and this is healthier than the flesh of veal and beef. Among the different kinds of bread, wheat bread is the best. (The wheat referred to herein does not include present-day 20th century wheat. -ED.). From the above-mentioned meats, only one kind should be eaten with a little bread during a meal; and fruit should be eaten only moderately and when ills ripe. This also applies to some rooty fruits, and always only one kind at a time.
With this nourishment, the body would never become so overweight as to become sluggish, sleepy, and clumsy to the extent that the soul finds it difficult to maintain such a clumsy machine in motion, not to mention the fact that she might better occupy herself with something else besides such labor.
Behold, in ancient times there were many people who lived in such a simple manner, and those who had their residence in the mountains had a particularly simple mode of life. That is why they were in possession of their second sight at all times; they had, by day and by night, a fully natural association with the spirits, and allowed themselves to be taught by them in many different subjects. The spirits showed them the effects of herbs, and also where one or another precious or base metal was hidden in the mountains. These spirits also taught them how to obtain these metals and make use of them through melting and forging for all kinds of beneficial purposes.
There was rarely a house in the mountains that did not have its very own house spirits, as in other houses where there were house servants. Especially in the mountains, many wise people existed who lived with the most secret forces of Nature; particularly, they associated with the spirits with the greatest familiarity, and these forces or spirits were at their disposal at all times.
When human beings from the lower regions visited these mountain people, they must have had the feeling of something supernatural and mysterious; this was particularly evident when evil-minded people quarreled with the mountain people. Such a quarrelsome person would always be taught a lesson, but that was beyond his comprehension. He then could not continue with any explanation but to say that no one could have done such a thing to him other than the devil incarnate or his accomplices.
What were the results? The villager or townsman who became aware of these matters by such an experience would immediately contact the local priest. The priest would order masses, processions, and exorcisms, for which the priest always received a considerable amount of money. Following that, he would pass the case on to the civil authorities or courts. The civil authorities would usually imprison all the inhabitants of the house where the plaintiff was supposedly bewitched. These inhabitants were burned at the stake without a trial.
Later on, this situation became even worse; all that was required was a malicious accuser. The suspected person had to stand trial before a witch court, and not until recent times did extremely ignorant mankind realize that the whole witch-hunt was nothing but shameful barbarism. However, people came from one extreme and went to the other. It is not right, as a natural human being, to associate with spirits, but it is even worse to declare the whole spirit world nonexistent.
It cannot be denied that, in earlier times, human beings occasionally contacted evil spirits and, with their help, caused local harm. But these evil ones had control, and they were proficient taskmasters for their good neighbors; they knew exactly what such evil people had on their minds. The clergy, however, cared not who was good and who was evil: all had to burn at the stake.