Wed 28 Jul 2021 - 8:20 by Jexxston
Cats Magic as familiars & totems.
Throughout history, cats magic was honoured and praised by many traditions, while other times hunted as devil’s minions or even considered a source of endless bad luck and biblical havoc! Yet these fluffy, small, domestic animals have been chosen to be humans’ companion since the beginning of our Civilisation or maybe it was the other way around. Humans chose them because of their playful and cheerful attitude towards them and by their habit to hunt and chase away vermin who threatened human society by spreading diseases or destroying crops like mice and snakes.
Lore of Cats Magic.
This ability was considered sacred to the ancient Egyptians, who identified the Goddess Bastet (a.k.a. Bast) with the lovely and familiar face of a domestic cat. The story involves the Great Battle between the Great God of all, the Sun God Ra against the horrific Apophis, the celestial venomous snake who wants to devour and destroy Ra.
At first, Ra creates and summons Sekhmet, the Divine Lioness and sends her to defend him and destroy all the Rebellious ones. Ra noticed that “she who dances on blood” was too fierce and he called her back. Instead of Sekhmet, she now sends the less violent and more protective to humans, Bast. Fighting for centuries against Apophis, Ra decided to cast a powerful spell and “teleport” them both in the darkest abyss where she will continue to defend Ra and the whole creation keeping the demonic serpent forever weakened and unable to come back.
Isis Magic prevails.
Isis, the Great Goddess of Wisdom and Magic also loved and protected cats. Therefore cats where not supposed to be hurt by anyone as it was considered a crime in the divine eyes of Bastet. The love of the Egyptians for their cats was so monumental that they even created sarcophagus for their favorite animal. Egyptians corresponded cats to Sun until the Greeks expanded and Bast was later associated with Goddess Artemis (Diana) who was a Moon Goddess.
Artemis loves cats too.
Cats Magic is also important in Ancient Greece too! Artemis was believed to turned into a cat and hid behind the moon, so that the fierce demon Typhoon would not find her. Since then, she was also associated with cats. To Artemis though, all the animals are sacred. Hecate, another Lunar deity, who was accompanied by dogs, was also believed to “utilise” cats in order to contact the spirits of the dead. In one story she takes Galanthis by her side, a woman who Hera, the all might Queen of Gods, turned into a cat as punishment for interrupting her plan to stop Hercules from being born. Hecate felt sorry for the poor creature and she took her as her beloved companion.
Nordic Tradition and Freya.
In Norse theology, Freya the Goddess of Beauty and Magic, has all the cats under her sacred protection. Even her chariot is drawn by cats (lovely huh?). While Cerridwen”s white cats attend the magnificent Goddess as her angels, sending messages to Earth or doing the Goddess”s errands.
According to the Jewish Lore, Lilith the first and infamous “Eve” refused to bow to Adam and she was cast away from Paradise. She later transforms into “El Broosha”, a black cat who hunts looking for babies (sons and daughters of Adam) to suck their blood and drain their energy. In Dark Medieval Ages cats where identified with the face of all demons, not just Lilith. In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII issued a papal bull, which condemned to death all cats as unholy spirits including their human companions. Numerous cats and humans where burned alive.
What is the Mask of Evil?
Such was the fury against witches & cats during these years, that people wore masks to cover the back of their hands hoping to fool the Devil himself when transformed into a cat. It was believed that cats would also attack from behind and this mask could frighten them enough.
Christianity and Cats. A dark history.
However in Christianity, despite the mysterious bloodlust of the Dark Ages, where thousands of cats were indeed burned and slaughtered as considered companions of witches or witches themselves, Saint Gertrude of Nivelles is believed to be the Matron saint of cats. She is invoked to cast away mice and rats.
The last Pope, Benedict XVI, was famous about his love and affection for the strays of Rome and all the world”s. It is also noted that his house in Germany is “guarded” by a Cat statue (interesting, isn”t it?). Much earlier when Pope Leo XII held the Vatican throne 1823-29 there was a cat named Micetto. As a lovely kitten, Micetto hid in Pope”s papal sleeve peering out with his cute face at those being given audiences.
Cats in Islam.
In Islam things start to become complicated as by some scholars cats are revered and by some others black cats (along with black dogs, toads and snakes) are amongst the favorite animals a Djin (demonic spiritual being who we should always avoid any contact) can transform into.
What’s the Maneki Neko?
In China & in Japan cats are considered to be often mischievous and thieves, yet they also possess magical powers. They often believe that if their tail is sharp they tend to become “demons” if not raised properly. Of course there is also the Maneki Neko (Japanese: 招き猫), which literally means the “beckoning cat”, a common Japanese lucky charm, talisman believed to bring good luck to the owner and the house.
Cats were always considered to possess magical powers and aid Witches and Mages to achieve better attunement to the higher realms. In Witchcraft it is strongly believed that cats can see the other planes and notice spirits, spiritforms and other entities. There are numerous stories – old and new – where a human notices his/her cat act strangely only to understand lately that this was all because of the presence of a certain spiritual entity. This is probably why cats where traditionally chosen by witches to accompany them.
Literature, theatre plays, TV series and blockbuster movies created a complex image of our domestic cat, embodying magical powers – both good and evil – which can or cannot be easily noticed. From “Alice in Wonderland” we see the Cheshire Cat who can appear and disappear at will and in the famous TV series “Charmed” their beloved cat is actually a human transformed in this cute animal, while in “Witches of the East End” a powerful witch can transform into a cat at will.
Throughout history, cats magic was honoured and praised by many traditions, while other times hunted as devil’s minions or even considered a source of endless bad luck and biblical havoc! Yet these fluffy, small, domestic animals have been chosen to be humans’ companion since the beginning of our Civilisation or maybe it was the other way around. Humans chose them because of their playful and cheerful attitude towards them and by their habit to hunt and chase away vermin who threatened human society by spreading diseases or destroying crops like mice and snakes.
Lore of Cats Magic.
This ability was considered sacred to the ancient Egyptians, who identified the Goddess Bastet (a.k.a. Bast) with the lovely and familiar face of a domestic cat. The story involves the Great Battle between the Great God of all, the Sun God Ra against the horrific Apophis, the celestial venomous snake who wants to devour and destroy Ra.
At first, Ra creates and summons Sekhmet, the Divine Lioness and sends her to defend him and destroy all the Rebellious ones. Ra noticed that “she who dances on blood” was too fierce and he called her back. Instead of Sekhmet, she now sends the less violent and more protective to humans, Bast. Fighting for centuries against Apophis, Ra decided to cast a powerful spell and “teleport” them both in the darkest abyss where she will continue to defend Ra and the whole creation keeping the demonic serpent forever weakened and unable to come back.
Isis Magic prevails.
Isis, the Great Goddess of Wisdom and Magic also loved and protected cats. Therefore cats where not supposed to be hurt by anyone as it was considered a crime in the divine eyes of Bastet. The love of the Egyptians for their cats was so monumental that they even created sarcophagus for their favorite animal. Egyptians corresponded cats to Sun until the Greeks expanded and Bast was later associated with Goddess Artemis (Diana) who was a Moon Goddess.
Artemis loves cats too.
Cats Magic is also important in Ancient Greece too! Artemis was believed to turned into a cat and hid behind the moon, so that the fierce demon Typhoon would not find her. Since then, she was also associated with cats. To Artemis though, all the animals are sacred. Hecate, another Lunar deity, who was accompanied by dogs, was also believed to “utilise” cats in order to contact the spirits of the dead. In one story she takes Galanthis by her side, a woman who Hera, the all might Queen of Gods, turned into a cat as punishment for interrupting her plan to stop Hercules from being born. Hecate felt sorry for the poor creature and she took her as her beloved companion.
Nordic Tradition and Freya.
In Norse theology, Freya the Goddess of Beauty and Magic, has all the cats under her sacred protection. Even her chariot is drawn by cats (lovely huh?). While Cerridwen”s white cats attend the magnificent Goddess as her angels, sending messages to Earth or doing the Goddess”s errands.
According to the Jewish Lore, Lilith the first and infamous “Eve” refused to bow to Adam and she was cast away from Paradise. She later transforms into “El Broosha”, a black cat who hunts looking for babies (sons and daughters of Adam) to suck their blood and drain their energy. In Dark Medieval Ages cats where identified with the face of all demons, not just Lilith. In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII issued a papal bull, which condemned to death all cats as unholy spirits including their human companions. Numerous cats and humans where burned alive.
What is the Mask of Evil?
Such was the fury against witches & cats during these years, that people wore masks to cover the back of their hands hoping to fool the Devil himself when transformed into a cat. It was believed that cats would also attack from behind and this mask could frighten them enough.
Christianity and Cats. A dark history.
However in Christianity, despite the mysterious bloodlust of the Dark Ages, where thousands of cats were indeed burned and slaughtered as considered companions of witches or witches themselves, Saint Gertrude of Nivelles is believed to be the Matron saint of cats. She is invoked to cast away mice and rats.
The last Pope, Benedict XVI, was famous about his love and affection for the strays of Rome and all the world”s. It is also noted that his house in Germany is “guarded” by a Cat statue (interesting, isn”t it?). Much earlier when Pope Leo XII held the Vatican throne 1823-29 there was a cat named Micetto. As a lovely kitten, Micetto hid in Pope”s papal sleeve peering out with his cute face at those being given audiences.
Cats in Islam.
In Islam things start to become complicated as by some scholars cats are revered and by some others black cats (along with black dogs, toads and snakes) are amongst the favorite animals a Djin (demonic spiritual being who we should always avoid any contact) can transform into.
What’s the Maneki Neko?
In China & in Japan cats are considered to be often mischievous and thieves, yet they also possess magical powers. They often believe that if their tail is sharp they tend to become “demons” if not raised properly. Of course there is also the Maneki Neko (Japanese: 招き猫), which literally means the “beckoning cat”, a common Japanese lucky charm, talisman believed to bring good luck to the owner and the house.
Cats were always considered to possess magical powers and aid Witches and Mages to achieve better attunement to the higher realms. In Witchcraft it is strongly believed that cats can see the other planes and notice spirits, spiritforms and other entities. There are numerous stories – old and new – where a human notices his/her cat act strangely only to understand lately that this was all because of the presence of a certain spiritual entity. This is probably why cats where traditionally chosen by witches to accompany them.
Literature, theatre plays, TV series and blockbuster movies created a complex image of our domestic cat, embodying magical powers – both good and evil – which can or cannot be easily noticed. From “Alice in Wonderland” we see the Cheshire Cat who can appear and disappear at will and in the famous TV series “Charmed” their beloved cat is actually a human transformed in this cute animal, while in “Witches of the East End” a powerful witch can transform into a cat at will.