Two books by Doreen Valiente, a history of antifascism, a collection of SF shorts by N K Jemisin, and some light porn involving Morris dancing.
Paganism
How to set up a Wiccan altar
There are as many different ways to set up an altar as there are Wiccans, but I can give some useful hints and tips for a working altar.
BIPOC Pagan Reading List
A reading list of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) authors covering Paganism, the occult, astrology, Tarot, and Indigenous spirituality.
Note that the deities of African diaspora religions can only be contacted through those religions and not via other religions. And that Indigenous life ways and spiritual practices are specific to their cultures and should not be culturally appropriated.
I’ve put out a call on Twitter and Instagram for more books to add to this list, and I will post updates (as I do with the Queer Pagan Reading List).
Frederic Lamond, 1931 – 2020
Frederic Lamond, 1931 — 24 May 2020.
Very sad news. I first met Fred in the 1990s and I have many happy memories of him. I also have all of his books. We had great conversations about Wicca and other things and he told me stories about the early days of Wicca. Usually this was around the campfire. I have lit a candle for him. I was also on several mailing lists with him (in the era before Facebook). We wrote a piece together on secrecy in the Craft, which is included in my book (with credit to him).
He will be warmly greeted in the Summerlands by those who are already there. Condolences to Hildegard and the coven. Blessed be.
My Magical Thing
As mentioned in Notable and Quotable 22, Julian Vayne is doing a series of interviews in which magical practitioners share the story of one of their magical things.
Happy Beltane
Happy Beltane everyone. Up the May!
Idylwild Morris performing Bonny Green Garters for your viewing pleasure!
My first “public” Morris dance
UPDATE: and here we are performing Hal-an-Tow, a traditional May Morning song from Padstow, Cornwall.
Folklore Against Fascism
One of the highlights of my week is the Folklore Thursday hashtag on Twitter. I’ve not had time to look at it for a few weeks though, so it seems I missed the occasion when some völkisch fascists tried to hijack it, much to the horror of the regular participants.
One of them accordingly started a second hashtag, Folklore Against Fascism, and several participants tweeted about their opposition to fascism and commitment to inclusive folklore.
Notable and quotable: Earth Day
It’s Earth Day today, and the significance of it being in the middle of a pandemic, when Nature is getting a brief respite from the depredations of industry and big oil, has not been lost on people, I hope.
Notable and quotable: coronavirus (4)
Reflections on lockdown, the necessity of seeing trees, mending the cosmic egg, seeing the Earth from space, the ancient British mythology of plague, soul values, a poem that made me cry, and making meaning from the pandemic.
Notable and quotable: coronavirus (3)
As coronavirus lockdown continues and the case count spirals upwards, people are getting more anxious and in need of community support. Here’s another roundup of coronavirus posts.
