Tag Archives: ritual

Sympathy for Sympathetic Magic

Posted on January 7, 2024 by Nathan

Into the Windwracked Wilds, by A. Deborah Baker – The third book in the Up-and-Under series sees Avery, Ziv, the Crow Girl, and the Drowned Girl Niamh continuing their journey. This includes their getting swallowed by a mosasaur, who is … Continue reading →

Posted in Alchemical Journeys, Alchemy, Animism, Authors, Christianity, Fundamentalism, Greek Mythology, History, Magic, Mythology, Norse, Oz, Religion, Roman, Roman Empire, seanan mcguire, up-and-under | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s Against My Programming to Impersonate a Deity

Posted on June 25, 2023 by Nathan

SPOILERS for all four things covered here! The Invitation – There’s another movie of this title that came out last year and is about vampires. This one, from 2008, is about a cult. A guy named Will, whose son died … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Christianity, Conspiracy Theories, Cults, Families, Gender, Monsters, Music, Prejudice, Relationships, Religion, Robyn Hitchcock, Star Wars, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Impure Evil

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Nathan

One Bible verse I’ve heard a fair amount recently is from Isaiah 5:20: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Conspiracy Theories, Current Events, Education, Gender, Language, Philosophy, Politics, Prejudice, Religion, Sexuality | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Washing Your Sins Away

Posted on May 20, 2023 by Nathan

One recurring theme in Greek mythology is that of ritual purification for someone who’d committed a crime. There’s a pattern in some stories of a person doing a heinous act, being exiled from their home, and going to someone in … Continue reading →

Posted in Greek Mythology, History, Magic, Mythology, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Spring Queen and the Demon Queen

Posted on May 20, 2023 by Nathan

The Madman’s Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History, by Edward Brooke-Hitching – This was one I bought based on an Amazon recommendation, or something of the sort. It’s not what I would have expected from … Continue reading →

Posted in African, Art, Authors, Book Reviews, Conspiracy Theories, Economics, Egyptian, Fairy Tales, Feminism, Food, Greek Mythology, Greek Philosophy, Hellenistic Greece, Hinduism, History, Islam, Judaism, Language, Libraries, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Philosophy, Relationships, Religion, Robert Rankin, Socialism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Devil’s Busy Decade

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Nathan

I had heard of the phrase “Satanic panic” before (hey, it’s very catchy), and had some idea of what it entailed, but I thought it was worth looking into a little more. While there are many components, the phrase largely … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Conspiracy Theories, Cults, Fundamentalism, Games, Magic, Music, Mythology, Religion, Satanism, Wicca | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

In the Garden of Sweden

Posted on July 25, 2019 by Nathan

Midsommar – SPOILERS! Ari Aster’s second film is a folk horror piece that ties in with a fictionalized version of Swedish paganism, and also comments on breaking up and mental illness. The outdoors parts take place entirely in the light, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cults, Holidays, Humor, Mythology, Norse, Relationships, Religion, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Moving to a Magical Monarchy

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Nathan

Happy birthday, Ozma! It seems common among Oz fans to consider Ozma to be, in a way, our monarch, and Oz as a place we’d like to escape to someday if it were at all possible. C. Warren Hollister’s essay … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Politics, Religion, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Stations of the Flag

Posted on September 18, 2016 by Nathan

I don’t follow sports, so I doubt I ever would have heard of Colin Kaepernick’s decision to remain seated during the national anthem before a football game if it hadn’t been all over the news. But I did see a … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrities, Christianity, Current Events, Fundamentalism, Games, Politics, Prejudice, Religion, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

I Have Learned the Value of Human Sacrifice

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Nathan

Human sacrifice is a quite controversial subject, as a lot of the information we have on it was provided by enemy cultures that might have been trying to slander other groups. It kind of seemed to me that people who … Continue reading →

Posted in Greek Mythology, History, Judaism, Mesoamerica, Middle East, Mythology, Religion, Roman Empire | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments