What a wonderful time for a celebration!  The harvest is done, mid-winter is passing, and day light is on the increase with the promise of warmer weather ahead.    Traditionally, people around the world people have chosen to celebrate this season by exchanging gifts with one other.   One of the myths of how this custom began is based on the story of the Wise Men from the East who visited Jesus and presented him with three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.   Though little is known about these wise men, their visit is portrayed in every Christian nativity scene throughout the world.   In this article I hope to share with you what we know about these wise men and how they influence my choice of a craft name.

First, the wise men are only mentioned in one New Testament book of the bible, Matthew (2:1-12).   In original Greek, Matthew calls the men who came to visit Jesus magoi, the plural of magos.  The word Magi is the Latin form of the plural.   The Greek philosopher Herodotus tells us that the term Magi was the title given to a priestly caste of Medes that was the dominating religious influence in the lands of Persia, Media, Assyria and Babylonia located east of Jerusalem.  At the time of the birth, these Magi had established themselves as ancient, respected and influential priests and scholars that had survived numerous empires.  During the time of Jesus’ birth, the Magi formed the upper house of the council of the Megistanes whose duties included the election of the king of the Parthian empire.  Though there is no evidence that they were ever kings, carols notwithstanding, the Magi’s who visited Jesus obviously had some status as they were able to obtain an audience with Herod.

Philo of Alexandria, an ancient Greek/Jewish philosopher, described the Magi as scholars, philosophers, seekers of truth and of science and medicine.   They were known for their skills in astrology, astronomy, and dream interpretation therefore they were sometimes regarded as magicians or sorcerers.  Today they are traditionally called wise men.   I find it interesting that the word “Witchcraft” is said to have derived from the Old Anglo-Saxon word wicce-craeft which means "the craft of the wise."   Also, the word magi was translated in other books of the bible to mean sorcerer or sorcery.     It is disappointing that the world struggles with the idea that magic and wisdom might have a common foundation.

The Jewish people and these Magi had common ties stemming from the Babylonian conquest and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar during the 6th Century BCE.   During this exile many of the Jews became influential members of the courts in Persia.  In fact, the Book of Daniel tells us how Daniel rose in influence to become the Rab-mag, or the chief and lord of the Magi.  Though the word Magi has been translated as wise “men,” women Magi may have existed.  In fact, the Church of England in 2004 actually changed their prayer books from saying “Wise Men” back to Magi in order to be more gender neutral.   

The Bible does not mention how many wise men there were, it only states that there were Magoi (plural).   The popular opinion today is that there were three since there were three gifts.  There is no indication though that these were the only gifts or that more than one person might have given him the same gift.  Historical legends and Christian art have actually reflected as few as two and as many as eight.  There are numerous names attached to the three wise men with the most common dating from the 7th Century C.E. of Gaspar or Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. 

Though Christian philosophy has attached its own meanings to the gifts that were given, I thought it would be interesting to see what pagan associations might exist.   First we have gold, which is often identified as the symbol of the sun and the God, as well as purity of spirit and eternity.  Gold is ruled by the Sun in planetary astrology and as a result is an assertive, energizing element associated with the Fire Elemental.  Next we have frankincense and myrrh.  Both have been used in incense and to give blessing, cleanse, and aid us in meditation and spiritual opening.  The aroma of frankincense is said to represent life and the Judaic, Christian and Islamic faiths have often used frankincense mixed with oils to anoint newborn infants and individuals considered to be moving into a new phase in their spiritual lives.  The smoke from incense has been identified as a psychoactive drug that relieves depression and anxiety in mice.  Myrrh was the most valuable of the gifts, considered to have five times the value of gold.  It was used in perfumes and often burnt to mask the smell of charred corpses on funeral pyres in the Roman Empire.  It was also used in Eastern and Chinese medicine to help with circulatory problems, nervous system disorders, uterus problems and rheumatic complaints.  I will leave it to each of you to determine what each of these gifts might have meant.

It was around this time of year that I thought to dedicate myself to studying Wicca more intensely, so I sought to find a craft name that would reflect this pursuit.  It was during this search that I chose to adopt the name of Gaspar.  First, there is the obvious association between the Magi and magic.  The very word Magic is derived from Magi.  The Magi’s skills in astrology and divination are still considered important skills in conducting magic and pursuing wisdom in the pagan community.  Second, the foundation of world’s largest religions can be traced to the theology derived by these priests.  I like to believe that Deity speaks to us in many ways and that all religions might just be different paths toward the same end.  Next the Magi were scholars and by using one of their names I symbolize my feelings toward the importance of education.  The Magi also symbolizes a person that was searching and on a journey in the quest to find Deity.  Lastly, I chose Gaspar because this was the easiest Magi name to pronounce. 

In closing, I hope that your holidays were wonderful and that each of you find what you seek.