Step into the enchanting world of the arcane with the latest Curated Witch. Delve into the nuances of pagan words often misused and misunderstood, unravel the mysteries of Yule and the long dark hours of the Winter solstice, and explore the intriguing question: Did Byzantine Christian Icons Conceal Pagan Gods?
Learn the ancient art of hedge witchery to navigate the winter season, and uncover the fascinating origin of black cats in superstition and witchcraft. Dive into Greek mythology to discover the most famous sorceresses. A review of a new book explores the historical trials that shaped our perception of witchcraft.
For tarot enthusiasts, find guidance on choosing a signifier card. Learn how to harness the power of moon phases in your magical workings and find out when the full moons occur in 2024.
Join us on a mystical journey with a firsthand experience at a Witches' Market in a new country, and witness the snowy spectacle of St Nicholas leading a parade with the devil and grim reaper in tow through Czech villages.
Finally, for the modern witch, discover witchy video games to add a touch of magic to your digital escapades. I'm not much of a games person, but these two might win me over.
Click on the titles to read the articles.
Paganism
Often I hear, “You’re a witch! So you’re Wiccan…” This is only the beginning. This is how they relate the two. Words such as witch, warlock, heathen, spells, ritual and even, yes, Pagan and Wicca have different meanings than what’s taught. First off, before I even get into that, I’m going to jump back to “warlock.” No, men practicing Witchcraft are not warlocks, they are witches, just like women. The English version of a Scottish word, Warlock, on the other hand, means oath breaker. This is something few Pagans would want to be associated with or called.
A candle light spiral made of lavender, sunflower petals, oranges, and lemons Photo by Jia (Sophia) Buck
Dec. 21, 2023 is the longest night of the year.
This night is known as the winter solstice. For most cultures, it was celebrated as a night of renewal and birth, right before the days began to grow longer. In modern-day pagans tend to call the celebration of the winter solstice Yule.
Credit: Ministry of Culture
Credit: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
That the peoples of the ancient world worshipped statues and figures of their gods is well known, but newer evidence suggests that they also commissioned portraits of their gods to be venerated in their own homes, not unlike Orthodox Christian icons.
Moreover, during the transitory period between late antiquity and the early Medieval period, pagan worshippers may have concealed their religious practices by commissioning pagan portraits that could be mistaken for Christian icons.
Witches
Winter can be one of the more difficult months to feel connected to the natural world, because modern life is at odds with what is happening in nature. . . Winter is the opposite – a time for slowing down, increasing darkness, and rest.
No wonder so many of us struggle with the Winter season. After the beautiful decorations of Winter Solstice / Christmas are gone… everything can start to feel a bit dreary.
So how do we tap into the power of the Hedge Witch in order to see us through?
In Egypt, they were venerated as gods and in the Medieval they were associated with witches and demons.
If there’s an animal associated with misfortune and the occult, it is the black cat. Since ancient times. Black cats have been related to all types of misfortunes and their connection with bad luck precedes it. The association between black expenses and the negative increased during the Middle Ages. So, black cats were associated with witchcraft. Women who had cats were considered witches and even Pope Gregory IX considered the Cathars an impious sect that bred black cats, but why did it change?
Daedalus and Pasiphae, Lemaire-Poussin, 17th century. Source: AKG-Images
In Greek mythology, powerful sorceresses were often depicted as malevolent figures, but not every mythological witch had ill intentions.
Witchcraft and sorcery, sometimes also referred to as “pharmakeia,” relates to magic, working with herbs, potions, and the ancient healing arts. Although the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece all had unique powers and magical abilities of their own, there are a few figures that stand out as the most famous sorceresses in Greek mythology.They are Circe,
Hcate, Medea, and Pasiphae.
Witch Trials
In the wake of the dropping of proposed legislation in Scotland to pardon those unfortunate women convicted of witchcraft, Robert Shiels reviews the latest book to consider witchcraft trials of the past – and present . . .
Professor Marion Gibson of the University of Exeter has used, most interestingly, 13 trials to tell the global history of witchcraft and witch-hunts. As well as exploring the origins of witch-hunts through some of the most famous trials from the Middle Ages to the modern era.
The Telegraph also reviews the book in its article Women of the Night, calling it a riveting exploration of dark facet of human society, tracing its evolution through 13 seminal trials spanning centuries and continents.
Tarot
Public domain image by petr sidorov via UnSplash.
When giving a Tarot reading, many Practitioners use a card referred to as the Significator or Signifier to represent the Querent. So, how does a Reader go about deciding which card to use?
What follows are some options. By the way, these options by no means whatsoever represent all of the things a Reader might take into account when assigning a Significator. Seasoned Readers will have developed their own tried and true methods, but if you’re just starting out you may find some of these options helpful.
Miscellaneous
Back in October, I had the chance to participate in a local oddities and curiosities market. I wasn’t sure if there would be space for me as a Witch, if it was something the organizers had contemplated, but, surprise, there was already one tarot reader! I applied as a tarot and oracle reader, and as a sigil crafter, and finally got accepted.
I’ve been looking for . . . a community of darkly-inclined people dressed in white, with piercings, tattoos, crazy hair, fascinated by death and the occult, interested in the darker side of nature and graveyards. You get the idea. And then I found it!
With devil and grim reaper in tow, St Nicholas leads parade through snowy Czech villages
The full moon is magic. . . And, when it comes to magic, one of the most potent times to set an intention, manifest your desires, or do a spell is on the full moon. So, when is the next full moon?
This article proves the full moon calendar for 2023 and 2024, the astrological sign each full moon falls in, and the Farmer’s Almanac names for those moons.
If you’re looking to manifest something or trying to do magical work with a certain intention, some witches find it useful to work with the moon phases. Some practitioners believe that timing their spells with the full moon will enhance certain energies, while working with the new moon will bring in others.
Witchy Video Games
Start your life as a witch and travel central Europe's nature with your cottage. Roam forests and swamps, collect plants, craft magical supplies for villagers and customize your ever-growing home.
Play as an aspiring Slavic witch on her journey to master the art of witchcraft while travelling the countryside with her companion cottage: a colossal, ever-growing chicken-legged home that players must build, customize and expand over the course of their adventure.
Manage a tea room between worlds
The Game Awards Edition showcase, Kitfox Games (Boyfriend Dungeon) is eager to announce their next internally developed game, Loose Leaf: A Tea Witch Simulator!
Loose Leaf: A Tea Witch Simulator is an occult sandbox game about brewing tea and reading tarot cards. You play as a witch managing your own tea room where you discover new brews and guide your troubled customers in a haunted world. Provide your regulars with the advice they need along with the perfect, witchy beverage to accompany it.