I’d have loved to celebrate Lùnastal last week, but the corn harvest doesn’t start until September down here. Right now, it’s still high summer and the idea of a “first harvest” totally conflicts with the character of the season. The better first harvest holiday date for me would be on Labor Day weekend: corn is… Continue reading A Fall Holiday Procession in South-Central Appalachia
Author: thecunningwif
An ageless forest spirit. A whole ass Virginian mountain witch. You can also call me Heidi. Animism, polytheism, folklore, spirit work, & witchcraft. She/her.
Community, Culture, and Identity in Western Polytheism
I believe in using the gifts of our ancestors – our familial, cultural, and local ancestors – to honor them, our Gods, and other spirits. These gifts are our cultural heritage that ought to be treasured and preserved, even as we make necessary changes in the present to create better futures.
Walpurgisnacht 2022
The last frost date marks the final battle between the frost spirits and the goose women. The latter fly through the air on their wild hunt, chasing the frost spirits underground.
Rosmerta of Roanoke: Our Lady of the Valley
Roanoke is a liminal place, a place of travel, crossroads, and temporary rest and sustenance along a much greater journey. The Mother of Roanoke seems to me a liminal Goddess of journeys and crossroads as well as hospitality.
Homes Within the Earth: Death, the Afterlife, and the Soul
Gravesites deserve to be cared for, frequented, and enjoyed. They should be places that inspire warmth, love, and feelings of interconnection, while also allowing for the very natural feelings of grief that come with all transitions.
Bad Ancestors: Folklore, Ritual, and Responsibility
Our ancestors — regardless of their characters and actions — can teach us and help us make the world better than it has been.
The Light in the Underworld: “The Moon” by the Brothers Grimm
Perhaps the spirit of the moon still passes between the worlds, waking the dead from their dark sleep for brief periods. Perhaps we can more easily speak to the dead on new moon nights, when they rise under its pale silver light.
Magical Animals in European Folk Tales and Lore: Chickens
When we look closely at European folk tales and medieval lore, we see that chickens very much had a significant place in European folk magic.
Old Frick, the Devil’s Grandmother: Goddesses in Folktales and Lore
Old Frick is a complex, mysterious figure in Brandenburgian lore, sometimes fearsome, other times helpful.
All Hallowed: A Contemplation in the Darkening Time
A vision of life after death, seen as a continuation but changing life in the landscape.
The Wind's Eye 