interpretation, of course.

They didn't leave a

Visions of the Past note telling me."1

The Worlds Oldest Known Witch This woman is believed to have been part of
the Natufian people who occupied the region
Written By: Ravenwolf
CNT OC Member and participant in the 1st Degree Clergy at the time. The Natufians are understood to
course.
have been mostly nomadic and the last of
the known hunter gathers until they began
developing villages; giving up their
Its good to be back again with another wayfaring lifestyle. Other sites have been
segment of Visions of the Past. Just found on the West Bank in Jericho,
yesterday I was out for a drive with my wife throughout Israel, and Gbekli Tepe,
and looking at all the snow gently Turkey.
powdering all the tree branches and thinking
about what inspires me besides my
connection with nature. Then the obvious
hits me. Its the vast history behind every
Pagan tradition; its ties into other cultures
and evolution to present day.

Most of us have heard or read the research

by Margaret Murray, the writings of Gerald
Gardner or even the liturature from the
Aradian witches of Italy translated by
Charles Leland known as the Vangelo Delle
Streghe. All of these have spawned into
many different traditions over the years; but
where did witchcraft begin?

Shamanism has been around for many

millennia throughout numerous cultures and
is understood to be one of the earliest forms
of witchcraft. It is here I began to research
our magickal origins.

So how far back do we have to go? Turns
out according to archaeologist Leore
Grosman of Hebrew University of Jerusalem
the oldest remains of what is believed to be
that of a female witch dating back some
12,000 years located at the Hilazon Tachtit
cave in northern Israel. "It's an
Surprisingly, the woman found at the
Hilazon Tachtit is also home to the first
known Feast for the Dead. During the
excavation by Leore Grosman the findings
showed that the mourners finished the last
of the roasted tortoise meat and gathered up
dozens of the blackened shells. Kneeling
down beside an open grave in the cave floor,
they paid their last respects to the elderly
dead woman curled within, preparing her for
a spiritual journey.2 Sound familiar?

Today wed see this as being similar to

whats practised during a pagan funeral
ceremony, Samhain practices, Mexican Day
of the Dead, and even some wakes. Its
intriguing to see how such traditions have
spanned over thousands of years from our
nomadic ancestors to being at present day
integrated into current beliefs and ritual.
Until next time, blessed be.

1
Archaeology Archive, A Publication of the Archaeological
Institute of America, Grave of the Middle East's Oldest Witch,
Mati Milstein,
http://archive.archaeology.org/0903/abstracts/shaman.html, Last
visited: 16 Jan 2013.
2
National Geographic, Daily News, Ancient Sorcerer's "Wake"
Was First Feast for the Dead?, Heather Pringle,
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/08/100830-first-
feast-science-proceedings-israel-shaman-sorcerer-tortoise/, Last
visited: 16 Jan 2013, Last Updated: 30 Aug 2010.