A daily zen, self love, reflection gratitude journal

 

Sequel to The Doll- From The Ashes: Book Five

With the destruction of Margaret, her coven and more importantly, the doll, Queenie was looking forward to a well earned rest but her peace was rudely shattered by a visit from a distraught Paul Goodfellow, the local vicar.

Tamar, her arch enemy, had been the victim of a vicious attack shortly after their visit to her cottage and as a result was now in a coma.

A reluctant visit to her sick bed leads Queenie and Sybil on an urgent quest to find Tamar’s library of ancient occult manuscripts.

They found the answer they were seeking within one of these texts and what the elderly sisters found made Queenie’s blood run cold.

"They stared helplessly at the woman in the bed.

‘Oh no, poor Tamar,’ groaned Queenie and clumsily took her clenched fist. ‘As much as I detested her I wouldn’t have wished her to go like this.’

At the old woman’s touch the cold rigid fingers relaxed beneath Queenie’s wrinkled hand, the stiff digets slowly uncurled one by one revealing in the palm of Tamar’s hand a small twist of paper.

‘What’s that?’ asked Sybil leaning forward.

Queenie glanced from the paper to the sleeping woman’s face then silently flattened out the thick yellowing scrap of paper; it looked like it had been torn from the corner of a page. There were a few symbols and printed words on the paper but this was not what caught Queenie’s eye. It was the sight of her own name scrawled across the corner of the scrap of paper."

Available for pre order now

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CYM8CGHF

Black Cats and Halloween

   It’s nearing that time of year when pumpkins and all things witchy start cropping up, well, saying that Halloween goodies have been available to purchase in the shops for weeks now, jostling on the shelves next to the Christmas decorations!

And of course the image of the Black Cat  will be appearing on decorations for this Halloween time. 

Pet shelters refuse to re-home black cats at this time of year due to the practice of sacrificing the poor pussies, so it is advisable to keep your black cats safe during Halloween celebrations.

 In an effort to dispel these myths and superstitions surrounding the black cat National Black Cat Day is celebrated annually on October 27th.

Of course they are battling hundreds of years of folklore, good and bad concerning these animals. Most of this folklore is so ingrained in humans one has to wonder whether it will ever disappear from our lives.

I found this while researching the subject of cats, not too sure about the validity of it though as it seems so barbaric.

During the 16th century cat burning was part of the entertainment at the Midsummer Fair in Paris. In 1758 the Benedictine Dom Jean Francois wrote an account of the spectacle. A stage was built so that the merry makes could lower a net containing dozens of cats into a bonfire; this became known as The Great Cat Massacre.

Other celebrations took place at the summer solstice where citizens  danced and  jumped over the flames and threw  in objects of magical powers ( see below) to avoid disaster and obtain good fortune for the coming year. A favourite object to throw in were cats, either tied up in bags, suspended from ropes or tied to a stake. During this time Parisiens apparently incinerated cats by the sackful while the ‘cat chasers’ of Saint Chamond would set a cat alight then chase the poor creature through the streets.

Fortunately these practices were abolished in the late 1700’s.

In Ypres, Belgium the residents threw cats from the Cloth Tower until it was outlawed in 1837. Apparently it was to signify the rejection of Paganism and the worship of Frejya.

The custom started again in 1938, luckily toy cats were thrown from the tower not the real thing!

More than 3,500 women and children plus their cats were murdered in the witch hunts of 16th and 17th century Scotland. Many were convicted on flimsy evidence such as owning a black cat, making herbal remedies and possessing a wart...

But you will be pleased to know in 2004 that 81 of them had been pardoned in a special ceremony in Prestonpas; no withes hats or broomsticks allowed at the event though.

Considered lucky and unlucky depending on your point of view and where it is encountered. Walking towards you is considered lucky but if one crosses your path that is extremely unlucky. Some people were so superstitious that they would return home if a black cat crossed their path, especially if they were involved in dangerous occupations.

In Wales however it is a different matter;  black cats are traditionally believed to be good luck especially if one deigns to live in your house. They are also considered to be good weather predictors.

The black cat has often considered to have certain powers, probably why it is always linked with witchcraft. A stray black cat, especially at night, would be avoided as it could be a witch in disguise, or a familiar or even a demon disguised as a cat.

From the early 13th century all black cats were treated with suspicion. Which was rather unfair as there were more black cats than other colour due to the black gene being more dominant in the cats DNA. To make them seem even more spooky they have golden irises due to the high melanin pigment.

During witch trials both in Europe and in the USA the so called witches best friend, or familiar as the witch finders declared, would be burnt alongside the poor unfortunate women.

The idea that the cat had special powers probably originated in Egypt with the Cat Goddess Bastet. Depicted as a woman with a cats head she first appears in the third millennium BC.

In Egypt all black cats are believe to be descendant of Bastet and are thought to possess  supernatural powers. Perhaps because of this  it was considered to have the power to cure ailments.

Many ancient remedies often use body parts of a cat for a cure all; from rubbing a stye with a cats tail, eating a stewed black cat to cure consumption, drinking its blood to bring good health and of course a  burned and ground down cats head to cure eyesight!

Perhaps the above are some examples of folklore we can dispense with!

There are other less painful, for the cat, to treat illnesses. According to some, human illnesses can  be transferred to a cat or dog by placing your finger in the animals ear until your affliction is gone. It supposedly will reappear in the cat.

Another strange superstition which I have never heard of before is that cats cannot be left alone with a corpse. They are excluded from the room where the corpse is laid out to prevent them jumping over or onto the corpse. In some case if this did happen the cat would be killed instantly otherwise it would bring bad luck: the soul of the dead person would be in endangered or the next visitor to view the deceased would be the next to die.

As well as being unwelcome near the deceased they are also unwelcome around babies as it was always thought that cats could suck the breath from a new born.

This superstition is said to have originated with Lilith, the dark goddess of Hebrew mythology, Adam’s hated first wife, who according to Hebrew tales was a vampire.            Her name is usually translated as “night monster.” She took the form of a huge black cat called El-Broosha, and in that form sucked the blood of her favorite prey, the newborn infant.

There was a  cult associated with Lilith which survived up until the late 7th century. The evil she threatened, especially against children and women in childbirth, could be counteracted by the wearing of an amulet bearing the names of certain angels.

 

After much tweeking and proof reading

More Faeries and Folklore of the British Isles

has been published and is now available on Amazon.

First published in 2006 by Arris, Faeries and Folklore of the British Isles became a popular and must have handbook for all lovers of English folk and faerie stories. Meeting with critical acclaim from sources across the country, it was shortlisted by a major broad sheet newspaper as one of it's 'top 10 xmas presents for 2007'.

Following the success of Faerie and Folklore, I published Faerie Flora, a guide to plants and their connection in folklore to the world of faerie.

The popular Psychic Sisters series followed along with a number of illustrated children's stories.

Now for 2023 I have returned to the world of Faeries and Folklore with this new, updated edition. With 192 pages of new content and illustrations 'More Faeries and Folklore is available worldwide through Amazon.

A superbly illustrated introduction to the host of mythical beings who inhabit the British Isles. These wonderful tales of the faerie world have been gathered from all corners of the country, from Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, to the Scottish hills and down to the tip of Cornwall.

Many of the folk tales can be traced back to Celtic times and have been passed on orally, from old wives tales to the spell binding stories we were told as children.

County by county the book explores the different types of creatures from the faerie world, where they may still be found and their customs and habits.  

There are also wise tips on how to protect against faerie magic.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CCWYFKLP

World of Magic Myth and Legend Zazzle shop

Taa daah!

Pleased to announce my new shop on Zazzle

 The place to shop for all faerie lovers

from t shirts, to phone covers, cushions etc

 

                                        https://www.zazzle.co.uk/store/magicmythlegend

More Faeries and Folklore of the British Isles

In a few weeks time the revised and updated edition of 

More Faeries and Folklore of the British Isles 

will be available from Amazon.

"These wonderful tales of the faeries world have been gathered from all corners of the British Isles- from Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, to the Scottish hills and then down to the tip of Cornwall. Many of the folk tales can be traced back to Celtic times and have been passed on orally, from old wives tales to the spell binding stories we were told as children.

County by county Elizabeth Andrews explores the different types of creatures from the faerie world, where they may still be found and their customs and habits.

There are also wise tips on how to protect yourself against faerie magic."

Since the publication of the first edition I have heard many times why did you forget this county and that faerie? So I decided that I had better go on another faerie hunt!

This edition has many more pages, information and illustrations in a larger format.

I hope this edition will be as popular as the original.

I will announce the publication date when the final draft has been finalised.

The Witch and the Rollright Stones

 The Rollright Stones.

A Bronze Age site, the stones are widely believed to be a King and his Army that were turned to stone by a local Witch.

The circle of stones is a 100 ft in diameter, to one side stands the King stone.

This was a conquering  army that marched as far north as Little Rollright until the King came upon a local wise woman.

She told the King that if he could see Long Compton within seven strides he would be King of the whole country.

Taking the seven steps up the hill his view was obscured by a mound, jubilant, the Witch turned the King and all his men to stone.

And there they still stand waiting for somebody who has enough strong magic to break the spell.

The Witch then turned herself into an Elder tree  close to the stones to stand guard against the spell being broken.

This site is also a favourite spot of the Oxfordshire faeries. 

At certain times of the year ,at the full moon, the stones will come to life and perform strange dances

 with the Faeries . Then they will dance down to a nearby spring for a drink to quench their thirst.