Yvonne Aburrow's Blog, page 68

The Gift of Naughtiness (video)

A story of Old Father Christmas, Joulutonttu, Krampus, and the spreading of the spirit of magic, mystery, and rebellion.

The splash screen image is me doing the voice of Krampus.

Filmed by Bob Houghton, story by Yvonne Aburrow, music by Borrtex (Christmas Eve).

Yuletide entertainments

A friend on Facebook just asked what films people recommend to get in the mood for Yuletide.

Here are a few that I have watched or listened to and really enjoyed over the years.

Mabinogi (2002)

This is not specifically a Yule tale, but it is a wonderful piece of animation, and a great retelling of some of the key stories of the Mabinogion. It’s also available as a graphic novel. It’s not available for sale, but someone has uploaded it to YouTube.

Solstice, by Alison McLeay (1985)

This was a...

Spiritual nourishment

Spiritual and religious experiences can vary, as William James described more than a century ago. He described how different types of people get spiritual nourishment from different styles of religious practice, and in the process probably contributed to an increase in tolerance of religious diversity.

When examining our own spiritual experiences, or seeking out spiritual experiences, I find it helpful to identify experiences that are nourishing in the long-term, rather than just providing a...

“Strange Magic – Essex Witches #1” by Syd Moore -odd but fun

An interesting-sounding book, reviewed by Mike Finn.

Mike Finn's Fiction

In “Strange Magic” Rosie Strange inherits the Essex Witch Musem from her estranged grandfather and finds herself pulled into skullduggery involving violent occult practitioners, a race against time to save a young boy’s life and a gruesome treasure hunt.

This is light, fast, often funny read that draws much of its humour and most of its originality from the fact that Rosie Strange is an Essex Girl from generations of Ess...

Witchcraft Traditions

When Gerald Gardner coined the term “the Wica” (originally spelt with one c), he seems to have intended it to refer to any and all witches. Subsequently, the term has come to be used by some people to mean only witches initiated into Gardnerian and Alexandrian Wicca, and has been used by others to mean anybody who identifies as Wiccan, and a whole spectrum of meanings in between those two terms. This can make it confusing for people to understand what is meant by any individual using the term...

Reflections on Scythian art

Recently, we went to see the magnificent exhibition of Scythian art and culture at the British Museum in London. You can see some more of the exhibits here.

Stag plaque, 400-300 BCE, Scythian, western Asia, Cleveland Museum of Art [CC0 Public Domain]

Panther plaque, Krasnodar region, circa 700 BCE. Photo by Sailko [CC-BY-SA 3.0]

As I have done many times before, I found myself reflecting on what it is that I love about this kind of art. I love its stylized curves and lines, the expression on...

Connecting with place

One of the key elements of Pagan thought is connecting with the Earth, Nature, and/or the land. As a general thing, Wiccans seem to focus more on Nature, Druids seem to focus more on the Earth, and Heathens seem to focus more on the land. however, there are always individual exceptions to these generalities. I have always felt very attached to the land around me, especially hills and ranges of hills.

The Pagan revival began, in part, because people felt alienated from Nature by the Industrial...

Autumn Equinox

HAPPY MA—

Just kidding! Happy Autumn Equinox!

As usual at this time of year, heated discussions break out all over social media about whether or not this festival should be called “Mabon”.

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Review: Casting a Queer Circle

Thista Minai (2017), Casting a Queer Circle: Non-Binary Witchcraft. Hubbardston, MA: Asphodel Press.

Aimed at everyone who finds that binary and heterocentric approaches to witchcraft do not fit actual lived reality, this book is an outstanding guide to crafting an inclusive, non-binary approach to ritual. It contains a complete system of magic, ritual, symbolism, festivals, and ritual roles, all designed to be inclusive, safe, creative, and genuinely transformative.

The author states that t...

Accessible circles

There are several activities that happen in Wicca and other Pagan traditions that might make our rituals inaccessible.

That doesn’t mean we can never do those activities: it does mean being aware of the needs of participants, preferably by asking them in advance what their needs are.

The great news is that an activity or resource that is accessible is better for everyone, because everyone has some needs that are not met by inaccessible resources. I am a web developer and I specialize in user...