The inquisitors, upset at not having been invited, punish the participants of an underground party. 😄
Where are the caves?
Zugarramurdi is a small Spanish Basque village located in Navarre in the Pyrenees, near the French border.
It is home to several shallow karst caves with a stream running through them.
Zugarramurdi and its caves are famous for their witches.
Witch-hunt
The dreaded Spanish inquisition was established in 1478, and lasted until 1834.
It claimed many victims, and persecuted many people in the name of catholicism.
The Zugarramurdi trial was one of the most resounding of the inquisition.
In 1610, several families in the area were accused of witchcraft.
A total of 32 people were killed in this case:
- Burned at the stake.
- Tortured to death.
- Died in prison.
It also caused a stir because of the sloppy investigations and false confessions obtained under torture.
Who were the witches really?
Behind this persecution of so-called witches and warlocks lies a history of normal, enlightened people.
Women were particularly targeted.
Spiritual heirs of the cathars, the women of Zugarramurdi were simply close to nature and open to the subtle.
They celebrated the cycles of nature such as the full moon or the summer solstice, and knew about medicinal plants.
Sensitive to the energies of the caves of Zugarramurdi and Urdazubi, they gathered there for peaceful celebrations.
They practiced white magic, as opposed to witchcraft or black magic.
Why were women demonized?
For several millennia, matriarchal societies have given way to patriarchal societies.
Men took power and subjugated women.
Women claiming their freedom have been subjected to violence and submission.
Unconsciously, the man knows the power of the woman, and his ego perceives her as a threat.
We have perpetuated these patterns, which are firmly anchored culturally and religiously.
Injustice
In the name of the fight against paganism and witchcraft, and particularly during the reign of the inquisition, many femicides were perpetrated.
Subjected to torture, the accused confessed all the imaginary wrongs of their persecutors.
Today, women are healing the wounds of these millennia of injustice and violence.
The memory of these many innocent women is gradually being rehabilitated.
More and more, we are moving towards the rediscovery of the sacred feminine and masculine within each of us.
Conclusion
What do The Zugarramurdi caves hide?
They tell the story of innocent and free women, wrongly accused of being witches.
The memory of this masquerade invites us to awaken our feminine and masculine sides.