Imagine this: the year is 1692 A.D., and you are a very spry 60 year old who goes by the name of Bridgette. Along with your third… Read more “Cotton Mather, Bridgette Bishop and the Witches of Salem: Give a God Man Power…”
Category: Alchemy and Mysticism
The Mapmaker, the Alchemist and the Island of Magnets: Rupes Nigra
Yes, magnets are cool, but there’s also something downright magical about them…
A Transylvanian in Ireland: Dracula’s Celtic Roots
So, What’s In A Name? Sometimes, what was an odd bit of cultural theorizing becomes mainstream; C.K., or common knowledge as it’s known in academic circles. A… Read more “A Transylvanian in Ireland: Dracula’s Celtic Roots”
The Last Egyptian Pharaoh and the Tarot, or: the Alexander Romance and the Sola Busca
Many people are introduced to Tarot as an ancient tool, a divining device whose history is blurred in the haze of antiquity, having been transmitted from Egypt… Read more “The Last Egyptian Pharaoh and the Tarot, or: the Alexander Romance and the Sola Busca”
the Demonization of Morgan La Fey: A Timeline
In recent decades, there has been a pop cultural and feminist reclamation of Morgan La Fey, savior and nemesis to King Arthur. This re-appropriation is historically grounded,… Read more “the Demonization of Morgan La Fey: A Timeline”
Waterfall Demon Princess: Raising the Bones of the Dead
Imagine this: your father was a powerful Samurai, who led an unsuccessful revolt against the emperor. And so, in the (Western) year 939 C.E., the Emperor had… Read more “Waterfall Demon Princess: Raising the Bones of the Dead”
Chickens for Christ, Books Bound In Blood: The Magical, Murderous Mayhem of Mary Bateman, the Yorkshire Witch
Mary Bateman nee Harker was many things: a servant girl, a dress maker, a fortune teller… She was also a compulsive thief, a religious charlatan, and an… Read more “Chickens for Christ, Books Bound In Blood: The Magical, Murderous Mayhem of Mary Bateman, the Yorkshire Witch”
The Fool: Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
If the Major Arcana of the Tarot is mysterious, then the Fool is the Mystery of All Mysteries. For one thing, there’s the assigned number. Remember that… Read more “The Fool: Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost”
How (not) to Convert the Pope: the Curious Cause of Abraham Abulafia
Imagine this: the year is 1280 C.E. You are forty years old, and you’ve spent the last twenty of those years traveling and studying. And now, through… Read more “How (not) to Convert the Pope: the Curious Cause of Abraham Abulafia”
Colors for Kings and Queens: Heraldry
We’ve looked at color from an Alchemical stance before, specifically in the shifting color phases found in the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone: Black to White, Yellow… Read more “Colors for Kings and Queens: Heraldry”