This site is still moving in. (Really. I simply need more hours in the day, to update websites, continue my research and write books.)
I’m restoring the articles from my old site.
Thanks for your patience while I’m adding content. There are many articles — previously published here — to distribute among this website, FaerieMagick.com, and HollowHill.com.
Ireland has a long history of shapeshifters.
One of the earliest was Fintan, husband of Cessair, grand-daughter of Noah. Cessair and her family fled the approaching Deluge and settled in Ireland, but only Fintan survived.
Fintan changed shape several times, first becoming a salmon, then an eagle, and then a falcon.
Another early Irish tale describes the long [...]
Glastonbury, England, is one of the most magical sites on earth.
Glastonbury’s unique history covers many centuries. Since the Middle Ages, Glastonbury in Somerset has been considered a most likely location of Avalon, the final resting place of King Arthur and Guinevere.
However, Glastonbury’s mystical and spiritual history starts far before the era of Camelot.
Glastonbury, the Isle [...]
This is a reprint of my 2002 article about connections between gods and saints.
Recently, I read Luisah Teish’s book, Jambalaya. In it, she explains Afro-American spiritual traditions, and how they survived by adopting Christian terms and identities. She focuses on the Voudou of New Orleans, but also relates to Yoruba, Santeria, [...]
… and a partridge in a pear tree?
Most of us recognize the song that starts, ‘On the first day of Christmas…,” but how many know the real origin of those famous twelve days?
Are they Christian? Are they Pagan?
And, when do the twelve days start, anyway? Do we celebrate the beginning of them, the conclusion, [...]
Yule has a colorful and varied history in Celtic countries. The following is an overview of some of the most interesting lore.
The word ‘Yule’
Yule is a word with uncertain roots.
We know that it was used in 11th century England, when the country was under Danish rule. There are no English records of the word before [...]
Today, we often think of “Yule” as synonymous with “Christmas,” and in a way, that’s true.
However, today’s Pagans celebrate Yule as the pre-Christian holiday, when the Sun appears to be reborn.
Winter Solstice
Traditionally, Yule is celebrated around December 22nd at the Winter Solstice. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is celebrated on June 22nd.
The word “solstice” [...]
Babylon, which means “the Gate of God(s)”, was the capital of Babylonia, in southern Mesopotamia. Some claim that it was also the site of the Bible’s “Tower of Babel.”
Today, we most often associate Babylon with its leaders Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar, as well as the the Epic of Gilgamesh.
HAMMURABI
Babylon was the most important Middle Eastern city [...]
Imbolc is one of the first major festivals of the calendar year.
It was originally associated with the goddess Brighid of the Tuatha De Danann. (Her name can be spelled many different ways.)
The name Imbolc (pronounced like “imm-MELK”) sometimes appears as Oimelc and Imbolg (“imm-BOLK”), as well as other spellings.
Imbolc refers to the lactation of the [...]