The Poisoners of Nagyrev

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Although it arrived late compared to previous years, thanks to the endless summers of climate change, we are now in the midst of the spooky season: gloomy days, crepuscular atmosphere, the scent of fallen leaves and petrichor in the air, it is undeniable that November, the month of the dead, is here with its festivities and trail of travelling souls.

**Read our article for Samhain here.
**Read our article for Mundus Patet.

Between ghosts and ghouls and creatures of the night, today we want to tell you a story of fallen souls that reside on this side of the veil and in the human soul, the undisputed kingdom of evil.  A story that talks about witches, death and times gone by.

The story takes place under the skies of Hungary in the early 1900s, a land famous for its rich landscape, the scent of goulash bubbling in sumptuous kitchens, the fertile banks of the Danube and a past full of history and folklore - reminiscences of imperial splendour and ancient shamanic memories. The same heart of Europe that gave birth to the bloodthirsty Countess Erzsébet Báthory, a figure shrouded in history and legend, gave birth to today's protagonist: Zsuzsanna Fazekas.

The story begins in a Hungary on the brink of the collapse of the then Austro-Hungarian empire and far from its glory days: at the front, the First World War would soon claim the souls of more than 500 thousand soldiers while in the villages the women were left to themselves, carrying on, as best they could, their daily lives.

As bleak a prospect as it may have seemed, women soon found their balance in this renewed matriarchal society; at the time, the female condition was not what it is today: often, marriages were arranged by families and young women found themselves having to wed into the harsh reality of a married life without rights, an unwanted dowry of a loveless marriage. Often with numerous dependent children and farming work to carry on, some of them found consolation in the arms of prisoners of war - stationed in a prison camp near the village of Nagyrév, the main stage of our story. While the war raged on the front, a bubble was created in the heart of Hungary of independent, libertine, and sexually free women, who unfortunately found themselves sometimes with unwanted pregnancies.

And here Zsuzsanna, the protagonist of our story, comes into play.

Nagyrév was the mirror of many Central European villages of that era: a secluded and austere reality, set in the middle of the Hungarian countryside marked by rhythms in tune with the inexorable pace of the seasons.

In places like these, suspended in a liminal dimension, villagers relied not so much on the progress of science but rather on centuries-old traditions and popular remedies. In these places, in case of illness, one knocked on the doors of the elderly village healers with their mastery of herbs and knowledge of feminine mysteries.

Zsuzsanna Fazekas was one of these authoritative crones; appeared in Nagyrév in 1911, after the mysterious disappearance of her husband, she established herself as a reference figure thanks to her curriculum as an expert midwife. Like so many of them, she was also a capable abortionist - a technique then illegal and frowned upon as much as it is today but practised out of necessity for as long as anyone can remember. An extremely useful knowledge, in the libertine Nagyrév of those years: it is said that Zsuzsanna had been arrested several times, between 1911 and 1921, for having carried out numerous illegal abortions in the village.

Like many other realities that seem immutable, the Great War also came to an end. The survivors, severely affected by the experiences they lived on the front (today we could say suffering from PTSD) returned to their home village, bringing with them from the front bloody demons whom they were seeking to appease with large quantities of alcohol. As it is easily imaginable, men, often physically and mentally disfigured, struggled to find their place in a post-war society that abandoned them while women, on the other hand, experienced an intoxicating independence during the war years, which they did not want to give up in favour of an often abusive husband who had never been loved and now incapable of providing for the family.

Nowadays a confidant of the women of the village and a wise healer, Zsuzsanna decided to make her knowledge of poison path available to the villagers. Like many other healers, the woman was a dual figure: on the one hand a giver of life, on the other a bringer of death.

Thanks to a mysterious arsenic-based mixture (a faithful and undisputed ally of court intrigues over the centuries), husbands, elderly parents and unwanted children began to drop like flies - literally. The precious poison, in fact, came from none other than the boiling of fly traps. Due to having cholera-like symptoms and being the village rural with often unsanitary water sources, arsenic poisoning seemed like the perfect crime.

It is not very clear how the case became public knowledge: according to some sources, a medical student found alarming levels of arsenic in the river on whose placid banks the village of Nagyrév stood, while according to other sources an anonymous letter was sent to the director of a local newspaper. During the investigation, the police had the bodies exhumed from the village cemetery - which showed traces of arsenic. It is estimated that, over the course of twenty years, around fifty people met the same mysterious fate as Zsuzsanna's husband who died prematurely.

The Fazekas method spread like wildfire in the surrounding areas: some men residing in nearby villages reported attempted cases of poisoning which led to the shocking discovery of this series of crimes, which shook an entire nation and left an indelible mark on Hungarian history. According to some estimates, the victims amounted to up to 300 people in the area alone - but who knows how many other people succumbed to the same fate.

When the police knocked on Zsusanna Fazekas' doors, it was too late - holder of life and death, the midwife would never have allowed herself to be executed like any criminal, she took her own life with her own poison. Starting with Fazekas, the police discovered the other members of the "Angel Makers" group (as they were later known to the rest of the world): 26 women were sentenced to life imprisonment, 8 to capital punishment and the remaining a few years in prison. Was this finally enough to eradicate the evil in Nagyrév? Perhaps.

In the 1950s, historian Aladár Györgyey Ferenc met an old villager during his years of imprisonment under the communist regime; the peasant claimed that Nagyrév's women "had been killing their men since time immemorial."

But why witches?

Although over the centuries midwifery was considered a position of prestige, during the Middle Ages it became associated with Witchcraft and many women were thus accused and executed over the centuries - guilty many times only of simply being midwives with medical knowledge and experience with natural remedies. And with the knowledge of pharmacopoeia, also comes the knowledge of poisons and the Ars Veneficium, as we know, has always been a precious ally of women in the history of the world - from Lucusta to Giulia Tofana, to court rumours on the controversial figures of Lucrezia Borgia and Catherine de Medici (to remain only in Italy).  Zsuzsanna Fazekas was one of the many historical figures who made use of this knowledge.

In Nagyrév, as in many other European countries of the early 20th century, superstitions were deeply rooted in the local culture. The folklore surrounding witchcraft, potions and magic were a powerful influence and the Angel Makers embodied to perfection in the imagination collective the fearsome image of witches.

As much as this story may make you shudder, it is actually a cross-section of female history over the centuries. To fully understand the questionable motivations of Fazekas and her accomplices, we must first remind ourselves of the consequences of social abandonment and gender inequality: while their actions were undeniably criminal, it is vital to examine the systemic issues that drove these women to such extremes.

Nagyrév no longer inspires fear as it did hundred years ago, luckily conditions such as PTSD are now recognised and treatable and nowadays women enjoy freedom that their ancestors could only dream of; the story of the Angel Makers today remains a chilling chapter in Hungarian history, which fascinates both historians and enthusiasts of true crime. Their crimes were born of desperation, abandonment of society and the desire for freedom; by understanding the complex web of circumstances that led to their actions, we gain insight into the darkest corners of human nature and are reminded in a way of how far we have come can push to escape the chains of their existence.

♃Ludna

Pluto in Aquarius- A Dystopian Nigredo.

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In recent weeks, more than ever, it seems to be on the edge of a precipice: wars waiting to break out, wars that have been tearing apart peoples and countries for decades, wars made of weapons, made of people, of trees silhouetted against a leaden sky, of animals trying to survive among the rubble of destroyed ecosystems and rivers of vinyl chloride.

There is a heaviness in the air that seems to herald the end of the world as we know it, suspended in a liminal shadow that obscures the light of this spring sun like a toxic cloud.

The Spring Equinox has just passed and with it another astrological year has begun, but that's not the only threshold we've crossed. This year we will see another powerful change, astrologically speaking: Pluto has just entered the house of Aquarius, for the first time since 1798, where it will give us a first taste of the new age to come - then re-entering Capricorn in retrograde way on June 2023 (to return to Aquarius definitively in November 2024).

Pluto takes its name from the Roman god of the Underworld and, therefore, governs everything related to Death (both physical and symbolic) and the consequent rebirth: downgraded to a dwarf planet by Science, in Astrology it is the agent of karma for excellence. Aquarius, as we have already seen, is an extremely creative, futuristic, technological and humanitarian sign (it is no coincidence that it is represented as the Water Bearer pouring the waters of knowledge into the cosmos).

So what to expect from this astrological aspect?

With the current picture in front of us, it is difficult not to imagine a dystopian future: we live in a world where likes and followers are sold on the black market like weapons and counterfeit goods, a symptom of an increasingly accentuated virtual escapism in a virtual reality so alluring and sometimes more real than the tangible. The IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) has just published its latest report, giving an ultimatum to the human race before the consequences of an unceasing, now almost irreversible, climate change become disastrous… Considering the growing tensions between East and West, a war could have devastating consequences not only from an ethical and civil point of view but also from an environmental point of view. Neither economic profit nor military glory nor virtual reality will save us.

Pluto and Aquarius together will bring progress but not without turmoil and destruction: to get to see the rays of a new golden dawn, we must first go through the long, dark night of the soul. What is not needed, must be destroyed in order to be reborn in a new era - at the end of Kali Yuga.

The last time Pluto was found to transit in Aquarius, the United States rebelled against the hegemony of the British Empire and obtained its independence, signing the American constitution in 1789; in Europe the French Revolution broke out which saw the abolition of the absolute monarchy inspiring many other revolutionary movements across the continent and the decline of centuries of monastic regimes; in Haiti instead there was one of the most important revolts in history: in 1791, a group of slaves rebelled against the French colonial government thus abolishing slavery and obtaining independence as the first sovereign state governed entirely by non-white people, creating a rebellion unprecedented that inspired the movement of liberation and revision of the laws concerning slavery in so many European colonies at the time.

Obviously, we cannot predict with certainty what this celestial meeting will bring after two centuries, but we will still see the incessant Aquarian humanitarian work: we will proceed oriented towards the rights of all individuals, hopefully abandoning the current Capricornian capitalist approach.

With the recent entry of Saturn into Pisces, bringing with it the oneiric from the depths onto the physical plane, we can only hope that it can light the fuse for greater spiritual awareness and direct change towards a more equitable society oriented towards the well-being of the humanity in full respect of Nature in all its entirety.

Despite a threatening celestial vault, in this approaching storm, we must remember that power also lies in the choices we make as individuals: let yourself be stripped by Pluto's alchemical nigredo in order to proceed safely towards the East, in view of a new dawn.

♃Ludna

October 9th, Full Moon in Aries: Choose Yourself

 

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On October 9th, the Moon reaches its maximum splendor becoming full under the sign of Aries.

It is a moon that inspires us to heal, Aries is in fact the first sign of the zodiac and consequently we could consider this sky as a new beginning, a sort of reset, but we are still talking about a fire sign, a flame that frees us from impurities by burning them. If you have outstanding accounts or stagnant situations, I don’t rule out that they can be released, even if it is likely that this will happen abruptly.

The energies in circulation are very dynamic and in tension, like a pressure cooker about to explode. In conjunction with the Moon we also have Chiron, the wounded warrior, this aspect makes us want to vent everything we have inside.

Make use of these flaming energies through movement and all those actions that release endorphins: exercise, run, sing out loud, everything that allows you to lose control for a while. Hold nothing, throw it all out and then let go.

Venus, the planet that regulates love and relationships, is conjunct the Sun in Libra and is therefore very active these days. We will therefore have an eye for all those who are our close relationships, with the people we love but above all with ourselves.

Self Love, baby! The events of these days will allow us to learn more about what we want for ourselves, it's time to love ourselves and put ourselves first on the list of our priorities.

Try to think about how many times we do not believe enough in ourselves, how many times we do not choose ourselves for fear of losing the acceptance of others; Does this thought make you feel angry? Great, use this energy to correct the shot.

The anger you perceive is the scream of your inner child who is asking you not to cancel yourself for fear of rejection, you need to be aware that if you do not choose for yourself, no one else will.

Happy Full Moon!

♄Unornya

The curch of Santa Luciella and the skull with ears, Naples

 

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With the arrival of Mabon and the beginning of the autumn, we can say that we have officially entered the spooky season, what better time to talk about magical and mysterious places?

I recently went on vacation to Naples, a city that I am literally adoring, full of traditions that refer to the ancient glories of paganism.

In this city you can definitely breathe a vibrant and ancient energy and, despite the advent of Christianity has involved it like any other place in Europe, it’s as if paganism has never ceased to exist and be practiced in that place, making sure that the sacred and the profane blend perfectly.

The city of Naples boasts a history and a succession of remarkable and very varied cultures, having been, among other things, one of the most important cities of Magna Graecia and consequently a very important pole for commercial, political, religious and cultural exchanges. As a consequence of all this, we have the fact that the city hides numerous sites of esoteric interest, real wonders that perfectly express the idea of ​​popular traditions.

So I would like to tell you about one of these places: the church of Santa Luciella.

It’s a small church in the heart of the ancient city center of Naples, founded in 1327 and located at the top of the alley that in ancient Roman times they called "vicus Cornelianus" that connects San Biagio dei Librai to San Gregorio Armeno.

Over the years, between 1600 and 1700, it passed under the custody of the guild of pipernieri, ancient artists who sculpted hard stones such as Piperno. The processing of this material put the sculptor's eyes at risk, as stone chips could easily spring on his face, consequently the pipernieri began to venerate Saint Lucy, protectress of sight, making the Church of Santa Luciella their place of worship, making an association with the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Conception to which the Madonna on the high altar of the Church was entrusted.

**Click here to read our post about Saint Lucy.

Inside the church, in the central nave, we find in fact some rather disturbing mannequins, dressed in the clothes worn by the confreres, with the detail of the pointed hood which represented faith, penance for the sins committed but above all the equality between each member who thus became indistinguishable from the others.

Closed to the public after the 1980 earthquake as it was unusable, over time it was forgotten and became a small warehouse for building materials and, subsequently, even a landfill. In 2013 a group of young Neapolitans, specialized in art history, decided to open a foundation called “Respiriamo Arte", thus succeeding in regaining possession of this piece of history, proceeding with the restoration, making it safe and allowing the access to the public again, saving this cultural heritage from ruin.

Below the structure of the church we find a cemetery, a burial place dedicated to members of the Archconfraternity and their families. The method used to treat the bodies of the confreres before the inhumation was called "draining". The corpses were in fact entrusted to the "schiattamuorto", a typical Neapolitan figure representing the gravedigger, who pierced the body in strategic points (in particular the neck, wrists and legs) to ensure that the liquids and gases contained inside could escape more quickly. The body was then placed on large tanks of holy land and left to drain, in fact, thus accelerating the drying and decomposition process. Once ready, the bodies were buried in these tanks for a certain period of time, after which they were exhumed, carefully cleaned the bones which were then deposited in the ossuary below the cemetery (an area which today is accessed through a trap door but which has not yet been explored).

The only part of the body that was preserved in this cemetery was the skull, in Neapolitan called "capuzzella".

The skulls in question were venerated according to the local tradition of the "cult of Anime Pezzentelle", or souls in purgatory.

THE WORSHIP OF ANIME PEZZENTELLE:

This tradition was born in Naples in 1656 during a plague epidemic that devastated the city and killed two thirds of the population. The dead were so numerous that, for reasons of hygiene and protection from contagion, they were placed in mass graves, outside the places of prayer and thus depriving them of their identity. Neapolitan women, moved by pity for the souls of the dead, began to adopt skulls, the capuzzelle.

 

They went down inside the cemeteries, chose one of the skulls (the part of the body where the soul was thought to reside) and began to take care of them, cleaning and washing them with fresh water that should have given refreshment and relief to the soul of the deceased while they found in the flames of purgatory.

Through these treatments, the soul of the deceased could access heaven more quickly, however, in exchange, the women asked the deceased to intercede for them in order to obtain a grace.

“Pezzentelle”, in fact, derives from the Latin word petere which means “to ask”. When the required miracle was accomplished, the women brought an ex voto and hung it in the burial place as thanks. The ex-votos consisted of metal symbols, especially in silver, which represented the grace obtained: the arrival of a child, the husband's return from the war, the healing of the eyes or the solution of a love problem. Some of these ex-votos are still visible today on the hypogeum walls.

In the early 1900s this cult began to no longer be frowned upon by the Catholic Church, which defined it as a cult bordering on paganism. In fact, according to Catholicism, it is not possible for a believer to intercede with God through the dead (as it’s done with the pagan worship of ancestors) but only through the saints.

Although in 1969 the cult was banned by the Church, Neapolitan women continued the practice, until 1980 when it stopped due to the earthquake.

In addition to the church of Santa Luciella, the main symbolic places of this cult are located in the center of Naples: they are the church of Santa Maria delle anime del Purgatorio in Arco and the Fontanelle Cemetery.

THE SKULL WITH EARS:

Among all the skulls preserved in the underground cemetery of the Church of Santa Luciella we find the famous Skull with Ears.

This skull has the particularity of having two portions of bone that have spread over time, making it appear as if it still had, in fact, the auricles (which in reality it is not possible as the cartilage is one of the parts of the skeleton which degrades faster).

The Skull with ears was the favorite of women who practiced the cult of Anime Pezzentelle, precisely because it was thought that it had the ability to better listen to prayers and requests, acting as a real link between the world of the living and that of the dead. For this reason the skull, dating back to 1600, once exhibited in the crypt has never been touched or moved.

Personally, I find that this macabre tradition typical of the Neapolitan people actually best represents the particular relationship that these people have with the afterlife and with the cult of the dead. A belief that explains to us that we should not fear or show concern towards the dead, but that it is possible to devote ourselves to them gently, preventing them from being forgotten and still keeping them part of the community.

♄Unornya

www.respiriamoarte.it

September 10th, Full Moon in Pisces: Focus on your dreams

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Tomorrow morning the Moon becomes full under the sign of Pisces. What about this lunation? let's expect some chaos, which is not always a negative aspect.

We will have a Moon quite close to Neptune, a planet also dominated by the sign of Pisces, all while in the same hours Mercury begins its retrograde motion in Libra, it’s all a bit immersed in a cloudy blanket these days, consequently our thoughts and judgment will not be particularly accurate. Fortunately, the Sun in Virgo helps us to adjust the shot a little, preventing us from doing damage.

It is time to focus a little less on the practical side and more on what our dreams and goals are, at the same time giving it a more realistic dimension, avoiding flights of fancy that can lead us to excess.

Visualize what you want to achieve several times, giving free rein to inspiration, which will be greatly favored by the energies of these days, let new ideas come to you.

One of the main characteristics of the sign of Pisces is compassion: remember to dedicate time to this practice which will set in motion a lot of positive energies. Taking care of others, even with just a good word or a compliment, which may seem obvious to you, are actions that will greatly raise your vibrations and those of others.

Precisely because the energies of these days seem to be hidden by a misty veil and everything seems unclear to us, also thanks to Mars which in these days is particularly active and can make us act impulsively, it is time to devote ourselves to the development of one's intuition, that voice within us that always sees everything clearly and that knows exactly how to behave. So learn to feel, to listen with your body, use all the means you have to increase your perception in addition to the classic senses.

Happy full moon!

♄Unornya

27th August, New Moon in Virgo: Plan your Future.

 

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On August 27th, we just had a New Moon in Virgo.

As each New Moon, it marks the beginning of a new cycle, wanting to remind us more than ever that we can shape our destiny. Ruled by Mercury, Virgo is the sign of the virgin, an energy that invites us to heal and heal ourselves, grow and recognise the value of our intuition: the choices we make every day, define us as people and of which we are fully responsible, the future is in our hands.

So, we have to ask ourselves: what do we want to focus on? How can we achieve this?

Trivial questions at first glance, but they can propel us towards the future we hope for - benefiting from this propitious moon phase and the extraordinary analytical influence of Virgo.

Virgo also teaches us that we can offer something beautiful to the world; by finding our place as healers we can contribute to a more evolved society. We are more inclined to help our loved ones, but be careful not to lose sight of your boundaries, keep them well anchored to the ground!

Be also careful not to fall into the trap of the most ferocious self-analysis, the aspects already oriented to the meticulous precision of this sign will be further amplified by the quadrature with Mars, just entered Gemini in retrograde motion where it will stay there for seven long months.

In this aspect, Mars teaches us to explore infinite possibilities and talents with dynamism, while also bringing with it indecision and ambiguity that can couple badly with Virgo's attention to detail - running the risk of becoming obsession and an incapacitating sense of self-criticism.

Instead of being carried away by the mercurial currents of these two signs into the unknown and finding ourselves overloaded with information (Mars in Gemini) and stress (Moon and Sun in Virgo), try to remain firmly anchored to the ground and channel the propitious energies of the sky in a way to build the foundations of our future projects.

♃Ludna

August 12th, Full Moon in Aquarius: Let your true self free

 

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Tomorrow we will have a Full Moon under the sign of Aquarius.

Both the Sun and the Moon form a square aspect with Uranus, which being a planet linked to Aquarius becomes in this situation particularly active: we will feel unwilling to endure anything that limits our freedom and hinders our independence and we will be tempted to subvert the whole system of our life, there will be the desire for a drastic change, especially with regard to things that have been tormenting us for a while.

It is known that with the full Moon our emotions take the reins of our mind, with this lunation they will be even more overwhelming and we will have no problem shouting our needs and our intentions to the world.

The dominant themes of this full moon will be: independence and rebellion, we would like to feel unconventional, especially in the way we relate to our community and in social events, even our way of conceiving relationships with others could undergo a change of course more akin to our unique personality.

Furthermore, Aquarius is strongly characterized by a humanitarian energy aimed at the well-being of the community and the planet, an energy that, let me tell you, is at least necessary in a historical period like this in which concern for the fate of our ecosystem MUST move something before it's too late. We therefore welcome all those drives that can lead us to a greater respect for Nature and a better connection with Her, even more so if we consider ourselves spiritual people.

This Moon is also conjunct Saturn thus influencing all that is our structure and our sense of responsibility. Often Saturn is seen as an bad planet, which brings unpleasant movements in our life, but the truth is that with the help of Saturn we continue on our path for real, as if we had a strict father to guide us and who teaches us discipline, but it is thanks to this discipline that we can achieve and make our dreams come true!

With Saturn in Aquarius conjunct the Moon, the time comes to ask ourselves: Are we really living authentically and respecting ourselves? It is therefore time to get rid of all those constructs that we have self-imposed to better blend in among others, let's get rid of old habits and recover a new structure, because only through the continuous search for the true self can we have total freedom.

Happy Full Moon!

♄Unornya