As a nervous and superstitious child, I was convinced that the English countryside was stalked by escaped wild cats and phantasmic black dogs. Whether this notion could be tied to some deep-rooted connection with my ancestors that channelled my psychic awareness or the fact that I was exposed to the 2002 film ‘Dog Soldiers’ too early as a child one Christmas Eve, I couldn’t tell you.
Read MoreThere’s a quote from Jeremy Bentham – “Stretching his hand up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet”. I think that this is true of many of us.
Read MoreWe’ve reached the magic seventh instalment of ‘Sacred England’, our series that seeks out mythology in English places – but what even is mythology, anyway?
Read MoreWomen have always faced judgement, and have had disproportionate emphasis put on their relation to men; labelled as virgins or whores, nurturing mothers or wicked stepmothers, dutiful wives or cheating Jezebels. Heaven forbid we should just be allowed to exist in our own right.
Read MoreDo you remember when we went on a witch-hunt? I spoke of folklore being a huge sub-section of English myth – at least when comparing our tales with different, perhaps more prevalent, mythologies.
Read MoreHoneymoon’s first began in 19th century Britain. Newlyweds would travel to visit various relatives who had been unable to attend the wedding, which sounds dreadful and certainly not as relaxing as lying on the beach in the Maldives.
Read MoreThe veil originates from brides wearing them in ancient Rome to protect them from evil spirits. And the garter? Traditionally tossed as “proof” that the couple have consummated their marriage...and worse, the groom has to stick his head up the bride’s dress to remove it with his teeth in front of everyone. I mean, I consider myself pretty sexually liberated, but I am not sure that I want my family and, specifically, my husband’s family to see that.
Read MoreBeing Wiccan isn’t about the fancy altars or acquiring vast amounts of knowledge. I know that it requires me to just exist in the world, and harm none. All I have to do is be present, and find joy in the world – and if that’s in the middle of a supermarket, then so be it.
Read MoreAt 15 months old I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It gave my parents quite a fright to put it mildly. I almost died. So now I need to manually regulate my blood glucose levels. You can’t calculate the right dose of medicine if you don’t know where you’re starting from. That is where blood glucose monitors come in and they have come on such a long way in the 20 years I have been using them!
Read MoreHow can we imagine so much about the past? The answer is simple: through the stories left behind for us. Both ‘The Elfin Knight’ and ‘Scarborough Fair’ tell the story of a woman who’s about to marry a mysterious man. The wedding doesn’t have to go ahead – but only if she completes certain impossible tasks. The situation sounds hopeless.
Read MoreHave you chosen something meaningful for your geeky and nerdy partner yet? I have come up with my top ten ideas for the best geeky gifts that I would have ever dreamed of, and if they excite me, I am sure they would also enthuse all my fellow nerdy friends out there.
Read MoreI am the kind of person who hears a thud in the night and automatically goes to poltergeist instead of burglar. If I need to use the loo in the wee hours of the morn (pun intended), then I try to wait until after 4am. This is because I once heard that ghosts are most likely to appear between midnight and 4 o’clock in the morning.
Read MoreEver wondered about the origins of Valentine’s Day? For the studious readers out there, you are in for a treat with this list of fantastic facts about the Lovers’ day.
Read MoreMillennia ago, Britons – also known as Celts – shared what is now the UK with other peoples like the Romans, Vikings, and Anglo-Saxons. Theirs was a Pagan society; spiritual lives centred on the natural world. Different bodies of water, for example, were valued for their healing properties and viewed as portals to the Otherworld.
Read MoreHappy Holiday Season, everyone! From Halloween to Hanukkah and beyond, we're well into the annual period of wintry festivities. Whichever you choose to celebrate, I hope you enjoy yourselves and stay safe. For Christmas, I'm looking at some familiar tropes of this time from across English culture. Join me as I travel through history, exploring the folklore behind some of our favourite traditions.
Read MoreBack in December 2020, I tripped and fell into Bullet Journal Instagram. As someone with a creative streak I don’t indulge in nearly often enough and a crippling need for order and organisation, I’d found the answer to a question I didn’t realise I was even looking to answer. I knew, then and there, that I needed to join the Bullet Journal revolution.
Read MoreThere are over 200 types of magic mushrooms in the world, now that is a lot of magic mushrooms! If you’re not familiar with the nature of magic mushrooms, you’re probably wondering what makes a magic mushroom, magic? The key to this mind altering/expanding little group of fungi, is its grouping.
Read MoreEnglish myth is a curious being. Compared to, say, that of Ancient Greece, which gives origin stories to real-life flora and fauna from across the world, our tales often involve more local variations.
Read MoreAs more and more people embrace being a cat lover, in this article Julie-Anne Thorne, Holistic Cat Therapist, explains how cats can mirror our emotions and even health conditions.
Read MoreIt’s the holiday that, nowadays, seems to pay homage to America; it’s often a commercialised, over-the-top affair that gives a flavour of US life to those across the globe. With how the day has evolved over time, it’s origins have certainly become overshadowed by more recent customs that have transformed tradition into scary fun.
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