“Mirror, mirror, on the wall”… along with “Hubble, bubble, toil, and trouble”, they’re some of the most famous words associated with magic in popular culture. Mirrors play a huge part in many superstitions. Linked to ideas around the double, mirrors can be downright creepy. Look at the age-old practice of covering mirrors in a home […]
witchcraft
Meet 3 Famous Witches of Legend: Befana, Baba Yaba & Circe
Witches continue to be an object of both fascination and fear as we roll deeper into the 21st century. On one hand, we have films like The VVitch and Midsommar painting them as stereotypical villains. The three famous witches of Macbeth are an enduring image. On the other hand, witchcraft practices are splashed across Instagram […]
The Summer Solstice: Myths and Madness of Midsummer
Today marks the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The longest day of the year, this year the UK will get 16 hours and 38 minutes of daylight. In years gone by, crowds have gathered at Stonehenge to watch the sunrise. The stones here frame the sunrise on the summer solstice, leading many to assume […]
What Charms Did Witches Use In Their Magic Spells?
Charms and rhymes characterise our memories of witchcraft from fairy tales, classic literature, and fantasy films. Do “Mirror, mirror, on the wall” or “Hubble bubble, boil and trouble” ring a bell? Many of these famous examples are invented for the purposes of fiction. But charms occupy a real place in the historical record, used as […]
#BookReview – Paganism for Beginners
One of the problems with books about a religion as broad as Paganism is that authors can sometimes take a stance that their way is the ‘correct’ way, and alternative traditions are only included as a passing afterthought. As far as I’m concerned, this kind of gatekeeping should have no place in spirituality whatsoever, especially […]
Weather Lore: A Tale of Portents and Omens
Is there a difference between lore and superstitions when it comes to the weather? Surprisingly, yes, there is. Superstitions are widely defined as being irrational beliefs. But weather lore? Jacqueline Simpson and Steve Roud explain that “[l]ore about the weather consisted mainly of practical information and advice, based on observation of nature, and transmitted orally” […]
