The Mysteries Of Cats
For thousands of years cats have held a special place in the history of religion, mysticism and magic. Worshipped as a goddess, cats were believed to hold captive the light from the sun in their eyes and were given the title, 'guardian of the temple'. The ancient Egyptians believed that cats were the daughter of their goddess Isis and gave their sun goddess Bast, the head of a cat in all their statues and drawings as a sign of their reverence.The history of cats as a supernatural animal associated with the spirit world goes back to the ancient Chinese in around 2000 BC. They strongly believed that cats brought good fortune for them and that the glow from cat's eyes could scare away evil spirits. In Siam and Burma it was believed that the souls of the departed lived in the bodies of sacred cats before moving on to the next life.
With the growth of a more structured Christian church in Europe, opinion turned against cats. During the middle ages they were seen to still have links with the supernatural but in a negative way.
Cats were persecuted and slaughtered all across Europe, leading to near extinction by 1400. Many people believed that witches transformed themselves into cats in order to carry out the work of the devil. "Queen Elizabeth I" even ordered the burning of dozens of cats to mark her coronation as a sign of purging England of witches.
During the witch-hunts in Europe and the USA many people were accused and found guilty of witchcraft simply because they owned a cat.
Halloween is the Pagan New Year and a very spiritual time for witches. It is seen as the night of the dead and an opportunity for those who practice witchcraft to honour their dead loved ones. Many people believe that cats can see spirits that humans can't and that Halloween enables them to see their loved one's spirits through their cat's eyes.
