People in rural areas, small towns in the middle of nowhere often get a false sense of security from outside horrors like the Coronavirus. I spend a … [Read more...] about Small towns and the Coronavirus: Before we become ghosts … lessons on dying learned from a country graveyard
M.R. James’ ghost stories written for Christmas strike an ominous chord year round
M.R. James’ ghost stories have been making people wary of the dark for well over a century now. James helped usher in a new era of horror, taking … [Read more...] about M.R. James’ ghost stories written for Christmas strike an ominous chord year round
A Warning to the Curious by M. R. James
M.R. James is one of the best loved writers of ghost stories in the English language. An academic by nature and profession, as well as a devout … [Read more...] about A Warning to the Curious by M. R. James
Halloween on Cape Cod, digging into the history for stories of Barnstable ghosts, witches and other curiosities
On Barnstable ghosts, witches and dark history, gathered on a dark, windswept Halloween visit to one of the oldest villages on Cape Cod. The day the … [Read more...] about Halloween on Cape Cod, digging into the history for stories of Barnstable ghosts, witches and other curiosities
The Black Flash of Provincetown, MA: Folk horror and hysteria from New England echoes in the midwestern countryside
The Black Flash of Provincetown, Massachusetts terrorized the seaside New England town in the early twentieth century. Was there something there, … [Read more...] about The Black Flash of Provincetown, MA: Folk horror and hysteria from New England echoes in the midwestern countryside
The roots of American folk horror stretch way back … Fine art prints from Haunted Travels in the Hudson River Valley of Washington Irving
American folk horror stretches back to the colonial era and beyond. Native American folklore blended with the tales brought by the colonists, which … [Read more...] about The roots of American folk horror stretch way back … Fine art prints from Haunted Travels in the Hudson River Valley of Washington Irving
Haunted Travels in the Hudson River Valley of Washington Irving … The Sketch Books Volume One
Journey from Sleepy Hollow to the Catskills, exploring the folklore, hauntings and magic of this historic region Save $3.00 if you order by November … [Read more...] about Haunted Travels in the Hudson River Valley of Washington Irving … The Sketch Books Volume One
Exploring the imagination of Washington Irving and early American folklore along the Rip Van Winkle Trail in the Catskills … a photo essay
WHOEVER has made a voyage up the Hudson must remember the Kaatskill mountains. They are a dismembered branch of the great Appalachian family, and are … [Read more...] about Exploring the imagination of Washington Irving and early American folklore along the Rip Van Winkle Trail in the Catskills … a photo essay
Primrose flowers in a witch’s garden: A gift to, and protection from fairies, tokens for the dead and Evening Primrose for a moon garden
Top: Evening Primrose flowers growing in the fairy section of a witch's garden Thinking of you while out for a ramble Down by a cold frosty … [Read more...] about Primrose flowers in a witch’s garden: A gift to, and protection from fairies, tokens for the dead and Evening Primrose for a moon garden
Pagan holidays: Litha … On summer solstice celebrations, and the dangerous similarities between modern paganism and evangelical Christianity
On the wheel of the year listing pagan holidays, Litha is perhaps the most problematic. This hit home to me when I read a blog post recently, from … [Read more...] about Pagan holidays: Litha … On summer solstice celebrations, and the dangerous similarities between modern paganism and evangelical Christianity
A Henbane potion to honor Apollo, or to treat madness or induce it as part of the witch’s flying potion, April 27, 2019
An early Henbane potion was dedicated to Apollo, the Greek god of healing and disease. A Henbane potion could cure the madness brought on by those … [Read more...] about A Henbane potion to honor Apollo, or to treat madness or induce it as part of the witch’s flying potion, April 27, 2019
Lakey’s Ghost: On folklore and folk horror from the prairie, and how the legend of the headless horseman galloped westward across an ocean and a continent
On Lakey's Ghost from John W. Allen; Legends & Lore of Southern Illinois ... Until recent years it was a common custom to go calling on neighbors … [Read more...] about Lakey’s Ghost: On folklore and folk horror from the prairie, and how the legend of the headless horseman galloped westward across an ocean and a continent
The Hoe and The Rake
“It is only by enlarging the scope of one’s tastes and one’s fantasies, by sacrificing everything to pleasure, that the unfortunate individual called … [Read more...] about The Hoe and The Rake
Wild Columbine poison … this colorful flower hides darker purposes in the witch’s garden, May 5, 2019
Can you make a Wild Columbine poison for the witch's garden? Whilst reports vary, it seems that you'd need at the very least, a very high … [Read more...] about Wild Columbine poison … this colorful flower hides darker purposes in the witch’s garden, May 5, 2019
My Death
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning that the lesson today is how to die. Bob Geldof Dying is something we all face, whether we think … [Read more...] about My Death
The Secret of the Raven: At the end of Poe’s life, one finds the unexpected … hope
Poe and The Raven's lost Lenore? One of the last photos of Edgar Allan Poe and Sarah Elmira Royster Shelton, about the same time. I spent much of … [Read more...] about The Secret of the Raven: At the end of Poe’s life, one finds the unexpected … hope
