Hanging rosemary above the doorstep, and/or above doors of the house for protection.
Sprinkling a line of dried red pepper on a windowsill, to counter a curse.
Placing a mix of dried & ground eggshells and black pepper in every corner of a room to keep out unwanted spirits.
Placing a decoration representing a witch in the kitchen, to keep away illness and to favor health.
Crafting an effigie (no matter how crude!) and make it into the guardian of your home by charging it with your intent of protection and placing it near the front door.
Crafting small witch ladders to hang around the house.
Discrete Warding for the spiritual/witchy ppl that can’t practice in the open:
Use herbs you have in your kitchen. (Rosemary, salt, black pepper, and usually anything spicy can be used to protect yourself or your home. Be careful of some spices getting wet, though. They can dye your counters/door frames 😅)
Incorporate your witches ladders/fabric wards into crafts.
Keep a broom by your main entrance.
Burn a stick of incense by windows and doors and focus on your intention (also be careful n do your research. No appropriating. No harming your animals with smoke.)
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You can write down as many correspondences as you want, memorize entire lists from someone else's blog or book or whatever, but none of it will matter if you do not understand those correspondences. It's so critically important to ask "Why?"
Why is spirit purple? Why is love red? Why is chamomile calm? Why is quartz "all purpose"? Why does cinnamon speed up a spell?
Not everything the Christians do is stolen from some anonymous pagan culture. I'm sorry y'all but the Christians did actually come up with a bunch of shit on their own.
Like, if you're looking to criticize the Catholic Church, you really don't need to make up fake pagan traditions for them to steal Easter eggs from. You can bring up the genocides.
Oh you mean them killing so many religions and subsenquently stealing ideas from many of them and most of the times they did both so much we kinda just lost track of being able to differenciate ?
There are quite literally no pagan sources the record the existence of Eostre. The story about Eostre and the rabbits was probably written in 1887. The vast majority of the supposed Ancient mythology around Eostre was probably written in the 1880s by latent German nationalist writers.
The truest and best Easter tradition is poor @Cavalorn debunking neopagan accretions around Eostre every year.
You really should read him on how extremely flawed and reductive the very concept of "pagan fertility symbol" even is.
Or, as he puts it: "What people are actually saying when they claim 'eggs and rabbits were obvious pagan fertility symbols' is 'eggs and rabbits remind us of reproduction, and those pagans were all about Fertility weren't they, so they must have been fertility symbols'. Pull up a chair while I bore you rigid explaining why this is a load of wank."
FWIW he does think it's more likely than not that there was a goddess called Eostre. In 725 the Venerable Bede notes that she was celebrated in spring ... and that's it. We know nothing else about her, not even what she was the goddess of. There are no other original sources. As for pre-Christian European sacred art using eggs to symbolise anything whatever, let alone fertility ... it didn't. At all. There are no such depictions. Not associated with Eostre. Not associated with anything.
There were good reasons for Christians to focus on eggs around Easter. Eggs were once considered "meat" and thus part of what you give up for Lent. Easter comes, and yay! You can eat eggs again!
There is, on the other hand, no primary evidence for "Ostara" at all. As a goddess, she's a conjecture -- not an unreasonable one, but not more than that. As a festival ... Ostara was invented in the early 1970s by a man who is still alive, and you can read his blog post about how he did it. (Details in the link above.)
Cavalorn touches on how disrespectful these baseless assertions actually are to the peoples onto whom they're projected here.
The Existence Of Spring Solstice Festivals With Similar Symbols In Multiple Cultures And Religions DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE ALL THE SAME FUCKING THING, holy hell do people no longer understand nuance.
Seasonal timing of festivals happened because that's how civilizations marked the passage of time for literal thousands of years. Similar symbols mark these festivals because, gosh, similar things seem to happen every year in the regions where they were created and why reinvent the wheel just because the name above the temple door has changed? It's indicative of a shared human experience, not deliberate or malicious cultural theft. (Not to mention, religions have been fighting each other and adapting/adopting each others' ideas and mythology since there were more than two camps, that is CERTAINLY not unique or original to Christianity.)
Ostara was literally created by Aidan Kelly in the 1970s. We. Have. Receipts. The existence of spring solstice observations and associated traditions featuring bunnies and eggs prior to that has fuck-all to do with Ostara being any sort of ancient holiday, because it isn't one.
It's all in the episode, there's a partial transcript here and LOTS of receipts on my Wordpress.
Bottom Line - Get past your own issues with the Church and read some actual history. I didn't spend seven years fighting this battle for a bunch of jackasses who can't tell the difference between syncretism and theft to keep carrying on this nonsense.
(Props to Cavalorn and Crypto et al. for carrying this banner. It's a heavy one. Solidarity, friends.)
The Yemenis had warned of a major escalation if the siege of Gaza isn't lifted and here it is: Israeli ships are prohibited from travelling through the entire Indian Ocean
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"Look at this video of a child disappointed at their expensive gift! Children are so spoiled these days!"
That's cool. So, why did their parents upload their small child being upset online? In a public video, shared to the entire video? Why did they even save the recording?
Like. The kid in that scenario could be saying the most entitled nonsense in the world, and if their parents post it online to be publicly shamed, I'd still support the kid 100%. Thinking your child's life is a toy to exploit freely for #content is "spoiled"; when faced with mommy vlogers, kids should be demanding three PS5s and a new Bugatti, and we should be applauding them for it
This also tends to attract a lot of responses from grown adults eager to fantasize about how they'd "punish" the kid, and. If your power fantasies involve you owning an eight year old (in the metaphorical sense not the Sixpenceee sense) I don't even know what to say
Also there are a lot of expensive gifts that are really thoughtless. If an 8 year old wants a Lego set and you buy them a model train set and they get pissed about it, you’re the problem.
I don’t care that the thing was expensive, if you didn’t ask or ignored what they wanted, that’s on the parents
A lot of people seem to not realize (or care) why kids want specific things, and also that kids don't get what money is. They haven't had it beaten into them yet that they're supposed to like expensive things more than less expensive things. What they find enjoyable may have nothing to do with how expensive it is, and that fries the brain of well-off parents who care about things primarily as status symbols. The notion that someone could be happier with something that cost $20 than something that cost $2,000 infuriates them on a deep subconscious level
It's also limited by parent's lack of knowledge about tech, so they can't understand why someone who wanted a Switch would be upset if they get a PS5. It's more expensive, so clearly it's just the same thing but better in their mind. They don't know or care that their kid really wanted to play Mario and that they can't do that on the PS5, so they process it as ungratefulness
Kids also don’t have a huge amount of experience in anything, and it’s a parent’s job to teach them. This sounds incredibly obvious, doesn’t it?
Before a family Christmas celebration, when all five of us happened to be lounging around together, I announced we were playing PRESENT PRACTICE. I wrapped a toy frying pan in a muslin cloth and handed it to a child, who unwrapped it and mimed amazement. The older children and their father were all awarded points for their simulated appreciation and the baby got points just for learning to unwrap something. On the second pass we all leveled up to making a grateful comment in reaction to the particular gift, such as “this will go in my collection of frying pans” and “now I can cook one very small egg.”
For the six year old, I very seriously presented the important and tricky case study of unwrapping a large exciting box to find a single pair of socks. The child suggested a reaction of “this is great, how surprising! But,” their face changing to seriousness and the tone of giving the giftee useful feedback for the future, “I’m not very interested in socks.” They explained the utility of passing on this feedback. So, this being present practice, I received this reaction with the grace and thoughtful attention of an award-winning director, and we discussed how we would leave that part out for our more sensitive audiences.
The children also traditionally give small cheap or handmade presents to their family members. Each parent takes each child secretly in hand to prepare a present for the other parent. The six-year-old also has access to the PTA school shop, where the PTA purchase small shitty items (scented candles, bars of soap, cheap socks) and sell them to the schoolkids for £1.50 each, and wrap them on the spot. The 6-year-old carefully squeezes the value from the £10 we give them for this purpose, and squirrels away their mysterious bag of wrapped gifts like it’s a state secret. The three year old is given “pocket money,” and taken shopping. There is now emotional investment in giving; we whisper together quietly about how much people will like the gift. The three year old frequently whispers hotly into my ear about the item they chose for their grandmother (a tissue cover, lmao). The children, therefore, watch adults carefully when their own offerings are unwrapped and admired. When they see us reacting with amazement and gratitude to their gifts, it maps that pathway and lights it up. It also teaches pretty early on that giving is actually supposed to be rewarding, and is a more reliable source of cheer - as you can always control the feeling giving, while getting is tiresomely at the whim of an external giver, isn’t it? And it reinforces that a certain degree of social performance is expected.
Present Practice is a fun game to play so the kids do it to each other. It’s a funny trick to play on a parent, too. You can hand a parent something hilarious, like a potato wrapped in toilet paper, and see them try to do a Level 3 reception on it (“this will be my favorite ever potato,” I say mistily, “how did you guess what was in my heart?”)
For high-pressure present-opening situations, you can just sit back and watch, really. Even when I had to let them open USA-grandparent Christmas presents over Zoom AT the house of the British Grandparents. The children spontaneously decided to receive presents in the guise of angels. I was giving the kids wild thumbsups from behind the camera as they warmly enthused over the sentiments in the cards before even looking at the gift.
Does it sound artificial? Well, they have fun, and they’re kind, and they love giving and receiving. They’re nice and well behaved - and people love to give them presents. It’s all social performance! and you’re expecting super high-level software to run on Kid Hardware, which is like trying to program Plant Pathology 101 onto a border collie! Kind of an unfair expectation on the framework, mate!
I’d suggest the first port of call is literally - teaching kids how to get presents.
#my god! imagine explicitly telling kids what behavior is correct rather than expecting them to intuit it!#especially if there is a wrong answer!#some kids are good at it but others - will just remember being Wrong and not knowing why#honestly Present Practice is kind of blowing my mind#holy shit! you can just tell them the rules!
WHEW Part one of Caro and John’s history and lore-dump. Obviously you can read more about them in depth in either of my webcomics Seemingly Dark and Mil-Liminal, but this has some stuff that isn’t addressed there so that’s fun! Exclusive content and you ain’t even have to be on my discord server. Part two coming some day, but not today. The formatting might be a bit awk because this was built for instagram but hopefully it’s alight, considering y’all were really the ones who asked for it haha.
Q’s below or in my ask box! Yes I love fan art, fan fics and cosplay PLEASE.
SDTRK is: You Had to Be There but the Mighty Mighty Bosstones in tradition of adding a song on my comic updates.
Does this count as a fandom throwback when it's an original story and the OP is the creator? YOU KNOW WHAT YEAH because this series doesn't get nearly as much love as it should. And it isn't even just storytelling through words, it's through images as well; I will always ALWAYS respect comic writers/artists to a degree that I can't...I can't even put into words.
I love this story, I see a lot of myself in Caro in one way or another and I know that this story came to my dash because of THE IMAGE that everyone's seen by now and attributes to their Fandom OTP or whatever but if you dig deeper theres such amazing, rich lore here. And a wonderful story.
Thank you so much for creating this story, these characters for us to enjoy!
AHH Hey this is wonderful. Thank you so so so much for this honestly Maybe it counts as Fandom because That Image that inspired me to make this Lore Dump int he first place broke containment to the point SO MUCH fandom has been projected on it that in the end i have lost complete control of it, haha! (which again, i've made my peace with, i think its neat, and im not naive enough to pretend i dont know thats why it got so popular even if it was accidental, i was drawing my oc ship haha.)
But. WHAT I'M ACTUALLY here to say, is thank you to you. For this. For the words you wrote. Cuz, yeah like, it's neat i have a popular post. Thats never happened to me before or since to that scale. But when people look and see what i was ACTUALLY doing. When they go to my page and they look at my stuff and maybe they even read the story, and they find out that its NOT their fandom like they probably thought it was...and they STILL like it. The truth of it didnt ruin it for them, they aren't disappointed... thats, well thats the most special to me honestly. And maybe i cried a little bit at this. Cuz i think i speak for a lot of original content artists and authors when i say to be perceived is terrifying, but for people to enjoy the worlds we create, well. That means everything.
If you're any kind of kitchen user, there are a few things that are usually present. Things like bread, cheese, beans, and vinegar are all things that many kitchens keep in stock. So, here is a list of some staples you may have in your kitchen, and what they mean.
Bread: health, abundance, the hearth, kindship
Beans: wisdom in choices, luck, money, divination, prosperity
White Vinegar: cleansing, purification, protection
Adding some things together melds their properties! Cooking in butter for your friends can strengthen your relationships with them, and baking bread can bring abundance into your home.
As always, do your research, practice safely, and blessed be!
Small personal addendum - I've found honey to be excellent for eloquence and persuasion as well, as in the epithet "honey-tongue" once applied to poets and bards.
I've seen an influx of people asking this over on tarot reddit
But in short there's nothing wrong with buying your first tarot deck yourself the whole 'you must be gifted it' superstition is a fairly modern invention and means nothing
Also please do not steal your first deck as I've seen people claim thats a thing and just don't
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PODCAST RECS - Debunking and Fact-Checking for Witches & Witchcraft Spaces
A collection of podcast episodes fact-checking, debunking, or just providing some clarity on modern myths, misinformation, and conspiracy theories that are frequent flyers in witchcraft and pagan spaces, both theories mistakenly touted by community members and some of the utter drivel spouted by non-witches that still affects us today. Check out these shows on your favorite podcast app!
(Updates to be made whenever I find new content. There will be some crossover with my Witches In History Podcast Recs post and some of the content will be heavy. Blanket trigger warning for violence, abuse, bigotry, sexism, antisemitism, and mistreatment of women, queer people, and children.)
[Last Updated: Dec 29, 2023]
This post is broken into three basic sections:
Historical Misinformation
Modern Myths and the People Who Create Them
Conspiracy Theories and Moral Panics
List of Cited Podcasts, in alphabetical order
American Hysteria
BS-Free Witchcraft
Dig: A History Podcast
Hex Positive
Historical Blindness
History Uncovered
Occultae Veritatis
Our Curious Past
Ridiculous History
Stuff You Missed In History Class
The History of Witchcraft
Unobscured
You’re Wrong About…
Historical Misinformation
General History of Witchcraft
Historical Blindness - A Rediscovery of Witches, Pt 1 & 2
Oct 13, 2020 & Oct. 27, 2020
A discussion of the early modern witch craze and the myths, misconceptions, and theories about witches spread by academics. Topics of discussion include the works of Margaret Murray and Charles Leland, the founding of Wicca, the emergence of the midwife-witch myth, and folk healers as targets of witchcraft accusations. Sarah Handley-Cousins of “Dig: A History Podcast” supplies guest material for both episodes.
Hex Positive, Ep. 36 - Margaret Effing Murray with Trae Dorn
July 1, 2023
Margaret Murray was a celebrated author, historian, folklorist, Egyptologist, archaeologist, anthropologist, first-wave feminist, and the first woman to be appointed to the position of lecturer in archaeology in the UK. So why so we get so annoyed whenever her name is mentioned in conversations about witchcraft? Well, it all has to do with a book Margaret wrote back in 1921...which just so happened to go on to have a profound influence on the roots of the modern witchcraft movement.
Nerd & Tie senpai and host of BS-Free Witchcraft Trae Dorn joins Bree NicGarran in the virtual studio to discuss the thoroughly-discredited witch-cult hypothesis, Murray's various writings and accomplishments, and why modern paganism might not have caught on so strongly without her.
BS-Free Witchcraft, Ep 03: The History of Wicca
October 06, 2018
On this episode, Trae digs deep into the history of Wicca, and tries to give the most accurate history of the religion as they can. I mean, yeah, we know this is a general Witchcraft podcast, but Wicca is the most widely practiced form of Witchcraft in the US, UK, Canada and Australia… so how it got started is kind of important for the modern Witchcraft movement. (And trust me, there aren’t any pulled punches here.)
BS-Free Witchcraft, Ep. 28: The Burning Times
May 30, 2020
On this installment of the podcast, we tackle probably one of the more controversial topics in the modern witchcraft movement: The Burning Times. What were the actual “Burning Times,” where do we get that phrase from, and what really happened? Also, how has this phrase been used in modern witchcraft? It’s a heavy one, folks.
Dig: A History Podcast - Both Man and Witch: Uncovering the Invisible History of Male Witches
Sept 13, 2020
Since at least the 1970s, academic histories of witches and witchcraft have enjoyed a rare level of visibility in popular culture. Feminist, literary, and historical scholarship about witches has shaped popular culture to such a degree that the discipline has become more about unlearning everything we thought we knew about witches. Though historians have continued to investigate and re-interpret witch history, the general public remains fixated on the compelling, feminist narrative of the vulnerable women hanged and burned at the stake for upsetting the patriarchy. While this part of the story can be true, especially in certain contexts, it’s only part of the story, and frankly, not even the most interesting part. Today, we tackle male witches in early modern Eurasia and North America!
Dig: A History Podcast - Doctor, Healer, Midwife, Witch: How the the Women’s Health Movement Created the Myth of the Midwife-Witch
Sept 6, 2020
In 1973, two professors active in the women’s health movement wrote a pamphlet for women to read in the consciousness-raising reading groups. The pamphlet, inspired by Our Bodies, Ourselves, looked to history to explain how women had been marginalized in their own healthcare. Women used to be an important part of the medical profession as midwives, they argued — but the midwives were forced out of practice because they were so often considered witches and persecuted by the patriarchy in the form of the Catholic Church. The idea that midwives were regularly accused of witchcraft seemed so obvious that it quickly became taken as fact. There was only one problem: it wasn’t true. In this episode, we follow the convoluted origin story of the myth of the midwife-witch.
Dig: A History Podcast - Cheesecloth, Spiritualism, and State Secrets: Helen Duncan’s Famous Witchcraft Trial
July 3, 2022
Helen Duncan was charged under the 1735 Witchcraft Act, but her case was no eighteenth-century sensation: she was arrested, charged, and ultimately imprisoned in 1944. Of course, in 1944, Britain was at war, fighting fascism by day on the continent and hiding in air raid shelters by night at home. The spectacle of a Spiritualist medium on trial for witchcraft seemed out of place. What possessed the Home Secretary to allow this trial to make headlines all across the UK in 1944? That’s what we’re here to find out.
The Conspirators, Ep. 63 - The Last Witch Trial
Nov. 26, 2017
England’s official laws regarding the prosecution of witches dates back to the 1600s. Those very same laws would also remain on the books until well into the 20th century. In 1944, a psychic medium named Helen Duncan would gain notoriety by becoming the last woman to be tried under England’s witchcraft laws.
The History of Witchcraft Podcast, hosted by Samuel Hume
Witches didn’t exist, and yet thousands of people were executed for the crime of witchcraft. Why? The belief in magic and witchcraft has existed in every recorded human culture; this podcast looks at how people explained the inexplicable, turned random acts of nature into conscious acts of mortal or supernatural beings, and how desperate communities took revenge against the suspected perpetrators.
Unobscured, Season One - The Salem Witch Trials
Welcome to Salem, Massachusetts. It’s 1692. And all hell is about to break loose.
Unobscured is a deep-dive history podcast from the labs of How Stuff Works, featuring the writing and narrative talents of Aaron Mahnke, horror novelist and the mind behind Lore and Cabinet of Curiosities.
As with his other series, Mahnke approaches the events in Salem armed with a mountain of research. Interviews with prominent historians add depth and documentation to each episode. And it’s not just the trials you’ll learn about; it’s the stories of the people, places, attitudes, and conflicts that led to the deaths of more than twenty innocent people.
Each week, a new aspect of the story is explored, gradually weaving events and personalities together in chronological order to create a perspective of the trials that is both expansive and intimate. From Bridget Bishop to Cotton Mather, from Andover to Salem Town, Mahkne digs deep to uncover the truth behind the most notorious witch trials in American history.
Think you know the story of Salem? Think again.
Witchcraft Practices
BS-Free Witchcraft, Ep. 43 - “Lilith”
Jan. 29, 2022
Host Trae Dorn discusses the ongoing debate over whether or not it’s okay for non-Jewish witches to incorporate Lilith into their practices. Is Lilith closed? Is it cultural appropriation? There’s so much misinformation in New Age and poorly written witchcraft books on Lilith, it’s hard for some witches to get a clear picture. It’s common to run into folks on social media talking about Lilith as a “Goddess,” which she very much isn’t. Let’s dive into the origins of the folklore surrounding this figure, and we’ll let you decide whether or not it’s okay to work with Lilith. But, uh, spoiler – we don’t think you should.
Historical Blindness, Ep. 106 - Lilith, the Phantom Maiden
November 22, 2022
Host Nathaniel Lloyd explores the evolution of the figure of Lilith, from Mesopotamian demon, to the first woman created by God, and back to a succubus mother of demons. It’s a tale of syncretism, superstition, forgery, and a dubious interpretation of scriptures.
BS-Free Witchcraft, Ep. 55 - Lucky Girl Syndrome and the Law of Attraction
January 28, 2023
Trae takes a look at one of New Age spirituality’s most toxic philosophies - The Law of Attraction. The history of the idea is discussed, where it came from, and how this dangerous combination of prosperity gospel, purity culture, and victim-blaming has come back in a major way to a whole new generation as “Lucky Girl Syndrome.”
Hex Positive, Ep. 19 - The Trouble with Tarot
August 1, 2021
Tarot and tarot-reading have been a part of the modern witchcraft movement since the 1960s. But where did these cards and their meanings come from? Are they secretly Ancient Egyptian mystical texts? Do they have their origins among the Romani people? Are they a sacred closed practice that should not be used by outsiders? Nope, nope, and nope.
This month, we delve into the actual history of tarot cards, discover their origins on the gaming tables of Italy and France, meet the people who developed their imagery and symbolism into the deck we know today, and debunk some of the nonsense that’s been going around lately concerning their use. The Witchstorian is putting on her research specs for this one!
Stuff You Missed in History Class - A Brief History of Tarot Cards
Oct. 26, 2020
How did a card game gain a reputation for being connected to mysticism? Tarot’s history takes a significant turn in the 18th century, but much of that shift in perception is based on one author’s suppositions and theories.
Hex Positive, Ep. 23 - The Name of the Game
November 1, 2021
Bree delves into the history, myths, and urban legends surrounding Ouija boards. Along the way, we’ll uncover their origins in the spiritualist movement, discover the pop culture phenomenon that labeled them portals to hell, and try to separate fact from internet fiction with regard to what these talking boards can actually do.
Our Curious Past, Ep. 20 - The Curious History of the Ouija Board
August 18, 2023
Host Peter Laws explores the history of the “talking board,” which was wildly popular in the early 1900s, until something happened that would tarnish its’ reputation for good.
Ridiculous History - Brooms and Witchcraft, Pt. 1 & 2
Oct. 13-15, 2020
Most people are familiar with the stereotypical image of a witch: a haggard, often older individual with a peaked hat, black robes, a demonic familiar and, oddly enough, a penchant for cruising around on broomsticks. But where did that last weirdly specific trop of flying on a broomstick actually come from? Could the stereotype of witches on broomsticks actually be a drug reference? Join Ben, Noel, and Casey as they continue digging through the history and folklore of witchcraft - and how it affected pop culture in the modern day.
Historical Blindness, Ep. 116 - The Key to the Secrets of King Solomon
May 02, 2023
Host Nathaniel Lloyd continues his occasional series on the history and mythology of magic. In this installment, he looks at the development of the story that the biblical King Solomon was actually a flying-carpet-riding, magic-ring-wielding wizard and alchemist who bound demons to do his will. The origins and content of the legendary Key of Solomon are also discussed.
Dig: A History Podcast - Plastic Shamans and Spiritual Hucksters: A History of Peddling and Protecting Native American Spirituality
July 24, 2022
In the late 20th century, white Americans flocked to New Age spirituality, collecting crystals, hugging trees, and finding their places in the great Medicine Wheel. Many didn’t realize - or didn’t care - that much of this spirituality was based on the spiritual faiths and practices of Native American tribes. Frustrated with what they called “spiritual hucksterism,” members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) began protesting - and have never stopped. Who were these “plastic shamans,” and how did the spiritual services they sold become so popular?
Holidays
Hex Positive, Ep. 28 - The Easter-Ostara Debacle
April 1, 2022
Host Bree NicGarran puts on her Witchstorian hat once more to delve into the origins of both Easter and Ostara and to finally answer the age-old question: which came first – the bunny or the egg?
Historical Blindness, Ep. 28 - A Very Historically Blind Christmas
Dec. 18, 2018
An exploration of the origins of Christmas traditions, with special guest Brian Earl of the Christmas Past podcast. (There is also some mention of Christmas witches!) Further installments of this series explore additional Christmas traditions and iconography which have been falsely claimed to have pagan origins as well as the myths surrounding the history of Christmas itself. (Eps. 47, 63, 84, & 132 in December of subsequent years)
Modern Myths and the People Who Create Them
Ed and Lorraine Warren
You’re Wrong About…Ed and Lorraine Warren w. Jamie Loftus
November 8, 2021
Special Guest Jamie Loftus tells Sarah about Ed and Lorraine Warren (of The Conjuring and Annabelle fame). Topics of interest include Connecticut as a locus of scary happenings, New England uncles, and psychic communication with a tearstained Bigfoot.
Dig: A History Podcast - The Demonologist and the Clairvoyant: Ed and Lorraine Warren, Paranormal Investigation, and Exorcism in the Modern World
Oct 3, 2021
In the 1970s, Lorraine and Ed Warren had a spotlight of paranormal obsession shining on them. In the last decade, their work as paranormal investigators–ghost hunters–has been the premise for a blockbuster horror franchise totaling at least seven films so far, and more planned in the near future. So… what the heck? Is this for real? Yes, friends, today we’re talking about demonology, psychic connections to the dead, and the patriarchy. Just a typical day with your historians at Dig.
History Uncovered, Ep. 92 - The Enfield Haunting That Inspired "The Conjuring 2"
Oct 25, 2023
The Enfield Haunting began with a bang. Literally. From 1977 to 1979, an unassuming North London home was the site of near-constant paranormal activity, from knocking sounds and moving objects to disembodied voices and the terrifying alleged possession of one young daughter of the Hodgson family. But how much truth was there to these happenings? And since the Warrens got involved briefly and subsequently touted themselves as experts on the case (and made money from talking about it), how much of what we think we know reflects the actual events?
"Paranormal" Literature
You’re Wrong About…Winter Book Club - The Amityville Horror, Pts. 1-3
Dec. 20, 2021 - Feb. 6, 2022
Sarah tells guest host Jamie Loftus about the Amityville Horror, how it’s a Christmas story, and buying murder furniture might not be such a great idea. Further highlights include Jodie the Demon Pig, poor insulation and terrible parenting as evidence of a haunting, lots and lots of sunk cost fallacy, and how the book kind of debunks itself.
You’re Wrong About… - Michelle Remembers, Pt. 1-5
March 26, 2020 - April 30, 2020
Intrepid hosts Sarah and Mike delve into one of the foundational texts of the Satanic Panic - “Michelle Remembers.” A young woman spends a year undergoing hypnosis therapy, which uncovers repressed memories of shocking and horrifying abuse at the hands of a Satanic cult. The book became a foundational text for both mental health professionals and law enforcement attempting to grapple with an alleged nationwide network of insidiously invisible child-abducting cults. The only problem is…none of what Michelle remembered ever actually happened.
You’re Wrong About…. - The Satan Seller, Pt. 1-5
June 28, 2021 - August 9, 2021
Sarah and Mike return to Camp You’re Wrong About for another Satanic Panic story hour. This time, the summer book club explores Mike Warnke’s 1972 “memoir” about joining a demonic cult, rising through the ranks of Satan’s favorite lackeys, his sudden downfall and redemption, and the California hedonism that made him do it. This is followed by a discussion of the Cornerstone Magazine exposé that brought the facts to light and thoroughly discredited Warnke’s story.
American Hysteria, Eps. 64-66 - Chick Tracts, Pts. 1-3
March 20 - April 03, 2023
In his own lifetime, Jack Chick was one of most prolific and widely-read comic artists in history. His company, Chick Tracts, published hundreds of millions of copies of pocket-sized bible comics, filled with lurid illustrations of cackling demons, wicked witches, and sinister cults, all hell-bent on corrupting any hapless mortal they could get their hands on. These tracts were meant to be left where they might be found by a sinner in need of salvation, with a scared-straight morality-play approach to Christianity that contributed in no small part to the period in the late 20th century we now call the Satanic Panic. (There’s also a follow-up two-part episode about one of Chick’s “occult experts,” who claimed to be, among other things, a real-life vampire.)
History Uncovered, Ep. 95 - Roland Doe, The Boy Who Inspired "The Exorcist"
November 15, 2023
In 1949, priests performed an exorcism on a boy referred to as "Roland Doe," aka Ronald Hunkeler, in a chilling ordeal that became the real-life inspiration for William Peter Blatty's 1971 book, "The Exorcist," and the movie adaptation released in 1973. But what really happened during this alleged exorcism and was there any proof of the claims of alleged demonic paranormal activity surrounding the events?
You're Wrong About... - The Exorcist (with Marlena Williams)
December 27, 2023
Marlena Williams, author of "Night Mother: A Personal and Cultural History of the Exorcist," joins host Sarah Marshall to discuss the little possession movie that changed America forever. Was the set cursed by Satan himself, or plain old 70s misogyny? What makes a country going through a cultural upheaval embrace stories about the Devil? And - the most critical question of all - do Ouija boards really cause possession?
Conspiracy Theories and Moral Panics
Secret Societies and Antisemitism
Historical Blindness, Ep. 14 - Bloody Libel
December 12, 2017
An exploration of one of the most destructive myths in history - the blood libel, or the false accusation that Jews of the Middle Ages and beyond ritually murdered Christian children, a lie that host Nathaniel Lloyd traces back to its’ roots in medieval England and the murder of one Young William of Norwich.
Historical Blindness, Eps. 56-57 - The Illuminati Illuminated
September 15-29, 2020
A contemplation of the modern conservative conspiracy theory of a “deep state” leads host Nathaniel Lloyd back to the dawn of the modern conspiracy theory, the Enlightenment, when the ultimate conservative conspiracy theory was born as an explanation for the French Revolution: The Illuminati!
Historical Blindness, Eps. 38-40 - Nazi Occultism, Parts 1-3
July 2-30, 2019
An exploration of the dark roots of Nazi occult philosophies, from a neo-paganism preoccupied with the Nordic Pantheon, to a folksy back-to-the-land movement that evolved into a nationalist sentiment, to an ideology of racial supremacy all tied up with contemporary myths and pseudoscience.
(The host is careful to note with clarity and vehemence at the start of each episode that this series IN NO WAY approves of, promotes, or supports this ideology and Nazism is roundly condemned at every turn. It’s not an easy listen, but understanding how and why this bigotry continues to be a problem in pagan spaces and how to recognize it is very important.)
TL;DR - Fuck Nazis. No tolerance for genocidal fuckwads.
DIG: A History Podcast - Werewolves, Vampires, and the Aryans of Ancient Atlantis: The Occultic Roots of the Nazi Party
Oct 17, 2021
Modern movie plotlines which portray Nazi obsessions with occultism might be exaggerated for dramatic effect, but they aren't made up out of wholecloth. The NSDAP, or the National Socialist Worker's Party, was a party ideologically enabled by occultist theories about the Aryan race and vampiric Jews, on old folk tales about secret vigilante courts and nationalist werewolves, and on pseudoscientific ideas about ice moons. In this episode, the hosts explore the occult ideas, racial mythology, and 'supernatural imaginary' that helped to create the Nazi Party.
The Satanic Panic
American Hysteria - Satanic Panic, pt 1 & 2
Dec. 10 2018 - Jan. 07, 2019
This two-part episode covers perhaps the most mystifying moral panic in US history, the 1980s and early 90s ‘Satanic Panic.’ For this episode, Chelsey covers the rise of organized Satanism beginning in the late 60s, as well as the adversarial countercultures of the hippies and the metalheads, and their apparent Satanic crimes that would be hailed as proof of their evil, as well as proof that teens, as well as children, were in serious moral peril. Satan was allegedly hypnotizing the youth with secret messages in backwards rock songs, teaching them occult magic in Saturday morning cartoons, and causing suicides through a popular role-playing games, all while helping religion blur into politics for good.
For part two, Chelsey will cover what came next, a serious investigation into an imagined network of Satanic cults ritually abusing children in daycare centers all over the country. Chelsey will try to understand this shocking decade in history, why it really happened, and the cultural issues it was really about.
BS-Free Witchcraft, Ep 10 - The Satanic Panic
April 27, 2019
The Satanic Panic of the 70s, 80s, and 90s shaped the Modern Witchcraft Movement in a lot of unexpected ways. Its effects still ripple through a lot of our sources, so in this installment of the podcast we’re digging into this extremely weird part of American history. It’s a bit of a doozy, after all.
BS-Free Witchcraft - Ep. 32: A New Satanic Panic?
February 27, 2021
A couple of years ago, we did an episode on the history of the Satanic Panic of the latter half of the twentieth century, but recent events have led us to ask - could it be happening again? It’s very possible that we are at the start of a new wave of satanic panic, and QAnon is just the latest symptom of a larger problem.
Occultae Veritatis, Case #014: Satanic Panic of Martensville
Jan. 28, 2018
Today the hosts cover one of the various Satanic ritual abuse scandals that happened close to them. Is it full of hot air and false allegations? Yes. Yes it is.
Occultae Veritatis, Case #097A & B: Dungeons, Dragons, and the Satanic Panic
Dec. 07, 2019 - Dec. 15, 2019
Dungeons & Dragons, introduced in 1974, attracted millions of players, along with accusations by some religious figures that the game fostered demon worship and a belief in witchcraft and magic.
There are people in the witchcraft and pagan communities that really need to come to terms with the fact that pagan isn't the universal term for everything that isn't Christian (or Jewish, or Islamic). Hinduism isn't pagan. Buddhism isn't pagan. Hoodoo isn't pagan. African traditional religions aren't pagan. Many regional folk practices aren't truly pagan. The list goes on. It's more of an insult than an identity for some of these groups.
To explain better: witchcraft individually isn't pagan. If a person decides to incorporate their pagan religion into their witchcraft practice, then sure, it can be pagan. You don't have to be pagan to practice witchcraft.
The whole "trans women can't get periods because they don't have uteruses" terf rhetoric is almost funny to me knowing that male dogs can have false heats and false pregnancies when their bodies produce excess estrogen
to those wondering How someone without a uterus can have a period: it actually has very little to do with the organs!
Estrogen is a set of instructions that your body follows. when it's in constant supply at the right levels, your body will start picking out a schedule for when it needs to release a few other hormones, and start squeezing the ever-loving shit out of the MUSCLES that it expects to be around those organs.
Remember, bleeding is only a small part of a period. the main symptoms are muscle cramps, pain or discomfort in the lower abdominal area(because of the cramps), irregular bowel movements(because of the cramps), needing to pee more(because of the cramps), bloating, craving specific foods, nausea, and fluctuations in energy levels & nutritional needs. none of that requires a uterus or ovaries; even the bloating is only PARTIALLY from being full of blood.
this is also why cis women born without functioning reproductive systems(i.e. womb is just scar tissue, neither ovary actually works, developed a third kidney instead of a uterus, that kind of thing) can still have periods throughout their life. as long as they're producing lots of estrogen, it's gonna happen!
Can confirm first hand as someone who's had a hysterectomy: I may not bleed anymore, and my cramps are lessened, but it's ll mostly still there every month. I used to be one of those "But how can they have periods without a uterus?" and now that I myself don't have a uterus... oh. Like that. Ok.
Hey uh, fully support the overall point being made here, but can we please stop making blanket statements about which period symptoms are the most major/important ones? Just like, as a general rule?
For some of us, bleeding absolutely is the main symptom, and other stuff is minor or even nonexistent. It's absolutely worthwhile to have a broader understanding of what symptoms can look like, & that bleeding is not the defining trait of a period. But what we really don't need to do is minimize bleeding just so we can replace it with a different standard of what True Periods are.
Every person is different. Symptoms vary and that's ok! Your specific constellation of symptoms doesn't make your period more or less of a period. Bleeding is not required! Cramps are not required!
And at the end of the day, the most important thing: your period (or lack thereof) does not make you more or less of your gender!
For me personally cramping can get a bit uncomfortable and yeah I may have to take ibuprofen or something similar from time to time, but my cramps have never ever gotten as bad as the bleeding, which before BC lasted 2 weeks (I didn't cramp for 2 weeks though) also the two-three years before I went on BC my cycle was swinging from 50 to 60 days and there is basically no cycle-tracker that allows you to put in a cycle over 35 days, so I had a lot of sitations of bleeding through my underwear and on my trousers because I couldn't tell when my period would come
Being on BC (the pill in my example) did make the bleeding better for the time being (except for the very long breakthrough bleeding which they don't tell you about at the Dr, AND the one time when I found two pieces of white tissue in my pad, and they definitely don't tell you about THAT one)
So yes, while I do feel bad for anyone who has worse cramping than bleeding, I can't really empathize, because mine has never been that bad or worse than my bleeding.
I recently got off BC because I want to start a family, so how my cycle will be once the body has started producing its own hormones, only time will tell.
Seconded. I basically never have cramps. My main period symptoms are tender breasts and diarrhea - not exactly glamorous but it is what it is. Periods are highly individual.
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I wouldn't use them for anything baneful, personally. For me, they're representative of Saturnian forces, time, cycles, death and rebirth, mostly because of the cicada's interesting and intense life cycle.
I would genuinely like to know who to blame for making these children so disconnected from the concept of imagination that they think the simpler explanation for what they’re doing is that they’re projecting their consciousness into one of infinite realities where fictional characters are real.