Top: Statue of Pan, The Eagles Nest, Northport, Long Island Your body is the church where Nature asks to be reverenced.Marquis de Sade I credit my parents with instilling in me a love for pagan sexuality. Not intentionally – they didn’t advocate any kind of sex. It’s something that was only mentioned a couple times […]
True witch legends from southern Illinois … giving Carmi’s Cato the witch the last laugh on her neighbors, and an insight into folklore and history
There’s a difference between folklore out here in the prairies of the United States, than say, the folklore of Britain. When people starting collecting the unwritten tales of small rural communities across Britain and Europe in the 19th century, our ancestors were just getting here, bringing their folklore with them. There was no folklore to […]
On paganism and the naming of gods … “Will the real god please stand up?”
Today I found myself listless, without direction. My sails were up, but there was no wind. The albatross was still around my neck. It has begun to stink. Then someone mentioned starting a religion and I thought, “I’m game for that.” My goals in life have been achieved, there’s nothing left but starting a riot […]
For the love of witches
MY FIRST MEMORY OF THE WORD WITCH happened when I was young, maybe five or six, though it’s likely I’d heard of witches in fairy tales before that. _______ We were riding through the country at night, southwest Indiana, a very German part of the state, attending a German festival in St. Wendel. My grandfather […]
Is it Halloween or Samhain? What’s the real difference and when is it?
I’ve written about this before I believe. Twice even. I get these questions every year about this time, so here’s how I see it. The historical record is in this case, a record of people looking at the historical record and not finding much. They find harvest celebrations around the end of October, but that […]
From the witch’s garden, Meadowsweet, a love potion as well as a balm for aching hearts
A look at Meadowsweet, a wildflower traditionally thought of as an omen of love. But with any love potion, it works best when love is already present from the start.
