This is a revised, updated edition of a blog I wrote 5 years ago now with added Jocelin of Furness.
One thing that modern paganism struggles with is history, both its context and accuracy. Many things that are taken as fact in paganism today are not actually supported by historic material, and many things that are believed to be ancient are really modern. This isn’t always a judgment on…
There are multiple passages in the Cath Maige Tuired which are not translated in the popular English version we have to work with, that is those by Stokes and Gray. One such passage is the prophecy given by Firgol mac Mámais, a druid of the Tuatha Dé Danann, before the battle. Stokes omits the passage entirely. Gray includes only the opening of: “Then Firgol mac Mámois, the druid, was prophesying…
It is generally understood in modern folklore that the Fair Folk cannot be seen unless they choose to be or unless a person has some special ability or power to see them. The idea of the Good People being able to go unseen by mortal eyes is well accepted but not necessarily well understood and can often lead to discussion of the related subject of whether or not the fairies have physical forms….
For many people dreaming can be an important aspect of spirituality. We dream, and after waking we seek meaning in our dreams. We look for interpretations, we try to decode symbols, we puzzle out each incident and occurrence, every word and conversation, seeking deeper meanings either from our subconscious or from higher powers using our sleeping mind to speak to us. And yet at least from a…
Aided Óenfir Aífe
Cía fochann araro marb Cú Chulainn a mac? Ní hansae. Luid Cú Chulainn do forcetul gaiscid la Scáthaig n-Úanaind ingin Airdgeme i l-Letha co ndergéni súithi cles lea & luid Aífe ingen Airdgeme cuici & ba torrach forácaib & asbert fria no bérad mac.‘Bíd ind ordnasc n-órdae so acut’, ol sé, ‘corop coimse don mac. In tan bas coimse dó, táet dom chuindchidsea i n-Ére & nacham berad…
There’s a new round of blogs and online commentary about how ‘real witches don’t hex’ going around, spurred it appears by the recent call to hex a public figure and the support and backlash that garnered. The public call for mass hexwork got a lot of attention and the response across social media has been strong – not only about the subject of the hex and whether its appropriate to hex a…
If I had to guess I’d say the biggest pagan conference in America is probably Pantheacon, an event that happens each February in San Jose California. I had attended my first Pantheacon in 2015 and honestly didn’t think I’d go to another since traveling to California is a bit of a challenge for me, logistically and financially, but somehow I found myself back there again this year. It will be my…
Hexing is one of those things that some people feel comfortable doing and others disagree with. This post isn’t about the ethics pro or con, but purely offering some safety tips for people who may feel motivated to hex and who are not well versed in the practice. Like any other magical specialty it is a niche practice that requires its own study – in my opinion – to do well. And like most magical…
This is a shorter piece from the Cath Maige Tuired, but it’s one of my favorites. In it the half-Fomorian, half-Tuatha Dé Danann Eochaid Bres has been named king after Nuada lost his arm in the battle with the Fir Bolg, and Bres is proving to be a poor king. As the text says ‘ar nibtar beoluide a scenai uatha. Cid menic notistais niptar cormaide a n-anaulai’ [because their knives were not greasy….
One of the things that witches in Ireland and Scotland were known for was shapeshifting, particularly into the form of hares, although some other shapes were noted in folklore as well including weasels. From a modern perspective there is a tendency to interpret these stories literally, and indeed some of them clearly indicate a literal transformation, such as we see in the ‘Witch and Hare’….