Seeing Bats

Bats are misunderstood because of the folklore dealing with vampires. However, bats are highly social creatures; they love to congregate with their family in huge numbers inside caves. They often hang upside down inside their cave (also called a roost), and only emerge at dusk to feed on insects (a common time for insects to stir). For this reason, the bat has come to symbolize rebirth because they go “inside” their cave which represents going within, and then they emerge at dusk, and this is seen as being reborn from the womb of mother Earth.

If this animal totem has appeared to you in your dreams or in waking life perhaps it is a sign that it is time for you to go within. It might be time to take some time off and go on a vacation and bring a journal with you, or even just try meditation as a way of becoming quiet and allowing your true self to speak....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been expanded and moved to my new website, Sigils Symbols and Signs, and can be found in its entirety here: Bat Symbols, Mythology and Lore

Thanksgiving Lore

There isn't much to be found when it comes to omens, signs, and superstitions surrounding Thanksgiving. Here are a few tidbits from various sources,,,

I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website Divination (hosted at shirleytwofeathers.com) and can be found in its entirety here: Thanksgiving Divinations

Snowdrops Lore

Snowdrops are often assigned to the month of January, and I'm not sure why because these little flowers are  also known as “Candlemas Bells”.  February 2nd is Candlemas (Festival Day of Candles), and Imbolc.  The ancient festival marks the midpoint of winter and some recognize it as the last day of the forty day Christmas season.

I'm sorry to do this to you but, this post has been moved to my new site, Magickal Ingredients, hosted at shirleytwofeathers.com, and can be found in it's entirety here: Snowdrops

More Michaelmas Customs

Blackberries:
The one Michaelmas custom that survives to this day is that you should not eat blackberries after the 29th of September. There is a very good reason for this custom, namely that by this time of year blackberries are tasteless and watery.

Other fruits, particularly nuts and rose-hips also have customs associated with Michaelmas. For example, 'Hipping Day' in Yorkshire, or Michaelmas pie in Ireland (Made of apples)...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another and moved to The Pagan Calendar, it can be found here: Michaelmas - The Christianized Mabon

Michaelmas Lore

• If you eat goose on Michaelmas Day, you will not be short of money all year round.
• A Michaelmas rot comes ne’er in the pot.
• If St Michael brings many acorns, Christmas will cover the fields with snow....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another and moved to The Pagan Calendar, it can be found here: Michaelmas - The Christianized Mabon

Celtic Cricket Lore

THE crickets are believed to be enchanted. People do not like to express an exact opinion about them, so they are spoken of with great mystery and awe, and no one would venture to kill them for the whole world. But they are by no means evil; on the contrary, the presence of the cricket is considered lucky...

.... I am so sorry, but this post has been combined with another and moved to my new website, The Powers That Be. It can be found here: Cricket Magick and Lore

The King of the Cats

Here's a great cat story from Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland, by Lady Francesca Speranza Wilde, published in 1887.

A most important personage in feline history is the King of the Cats. He may be in your house a common looking fellow enough, with no distinguishing mark of exalted rank about him, so that it is very difficult to verify his genuine claims to royalty. Therefore the best way is to cut off a tiny little bit of his ear. If he is really the royal personage, he will immediately speak out and declare who he is; and perhaps, at the same the, tell you some very disagreeable truths about yourself, not at all pleasant to have discussed by the house cat...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Widdershins, and can be found in its entirety here: The King of the Cats

Thirteen - What does it mean?

Thirteen has long been regarded by many as an unlucky or inauspicious number. The Kaballa, for example, says that there are 13 spirits of evil. It's still considered unlucky to have 13 people sitting down to dine because it is a reminder of the Last Supper, where Christ was betrayed by one of the 12 disciples who were eating with him, Judas Iscariot.

Similarly, in Norse mythology, when an honorary banquet was held in Valhalla for Baldur (god of nobility, redemption and admirable strength) among other twelve Norse gods. Loki (the trickster) came to the banquet as the uninvited thirteenth guest. Afterwards, we learn Baldur was slain by Hoor who, to execute the god, was given a magic spear by Loki....

I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Sigils Symbols and Signs, hosted at shirleytwofeathers.com and can be found in its entirety here: Thirteen

The Folklore of Falling Stars

Some scholars speculate, based on common legends between various cultures around the globe, that the old practice of "wishing upon a shooting star" originates from a time when people believed that the gods would occasionally open the dome of heaven to peek in on what the mortals were doing on Earth. This opening of the dome released a star, and if one made a wish while there was still light, and before the dome slammed shut, the gods might hear and grant the wish.

In Switzerland, it was though that shooting stars possessed the power of God and could ward off pestilence....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Widdershins, and can be viewed in its entirety here: The Folklore of Falling Stars

Falling Stars

Falling stars have traditionally had a myriad of metaphysical and spiritual meanings behind them. Stars are, in particular, frequently associated with the idea of the human soul. In the Teutonic mythology of central Europe, it was believed that every person was represented by a star which was attached to the ceiling of the sky by the threads of fate. And when Fate ended your story on earth, she would snip the thread attaching your star and it would fall, presaging your death....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Magickal Ingredients, and can be found in its entirety here: Falling Stars

New Moon Lore

Almost every culture believed that if the New Moon came on Monday (Moon-day) it was a sign of good weather and good luck.

Two new moons in one month were said to predict a month's bad weather.

Any new moon on a Saturday or Sunday was said to predict rain and general bad luck....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: New Moon Magick and Lore

50 Fishy Superstitions

Here is a nice collection of folklore and superstitions about fish:

1. A certain bone in the head of a fish will bring good luck, if kept on your person. 
2. An empty fish tank means bad luck financially.
3. When a pet fish dies, something bad was deflected from the owner or household.
4. To ensure good luck and safety, a fish should always be eaten from the head toward the tail.
5. It's a bad sign to get married when the fish aren't biting.
6. Throw back the first fish you catch then you'll be lucky the whole day fishing.
7. If you count the number of fish you caught, you will catch no more that day.
8. Sometimes fish fall during a rain....

... I am so sorry, but this post has been moved to my new website, Sigils Symbols and Signs, and can be found in its entirety here: 50 Fishy Superstitions

Mother Goose Magick

Old Mother Goose, when
She wanted to wander,
Would ride through the air
On a very fine gander.

Today, Mother Goose is limited to the nursery, her rhymes intended to entertain only the youngest, least sophisticated children, yet Mother Goose's namesake bird links her to a host of powerful spirits: Aphrodite, too, rides through the air on a goose. The bird is sacred to Egyptian Hathor and Roman Juno, both valiant protectors and advocates for women....

... One thing is certain... if "she" were one individual, she was passing down oral history, lore and adages... from people of other eras. In the early days, before they were "collected" into the somewhat familiar form of today; these rhymes were actually methods of preserving history, customs, lore and fears for the common man....

Here is a short grimoire of Mother Goose spells, charms, chants, and divinations, taken from the 1916 edition of "The Real Mother Goose."

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Mother Goose Magick

Bull Superstitions and Folklore

Symbolically, the bull stands for nourishment through its slaughter or sacrifice. Insight into the past. The ability to stand your ground.

Dreaming of bulls could mean: Fertility of thoughts, ideas, possessions, makes the mundane and earthy more fertile, new ideas need to be expressed, teaches stability w/o stubbornness, assert feminine energies for balance. May demonstrate the necessity for a balance diet. Are you being forthright in your intentions? Are you willing to stand your ground in life matters? Bull can give us skills needed for expressions of strength. 

If you dream of cows or bulls chasing you, it means someone is very jealous and wants to hurt you. Alternatively it could me that you are "full of bull" (or they are).

As a lucky omen, it is said that if you hide in a bull's pen, you will have immunity from lightning. Also, if you see nine cows in a shed with a gray bull next to the door, and all of them lie on the same side, you are in luck, because you will be granted one wish.

Weather lore says that when a bull roars and stamps its feet, rain will grace the fields. Also, bulls' horns are a good symbol in meditation for motivation. Carvings of bulls are blessings, good for gardens and other protected places.

Tramping over a bull's balls, according to superstition, brings good luck.I am not sure if this legend applies to bull's balls in general, or is only applicable in Milan, Italy, where there is a mosaic of a bull on the floor in the Gallery Vittorio Emanuele II. It sports the coats of arms of the four capitals of the Kingdom of Italy. The tradition goes that placing your right heel on the bull’s balls and then spinning around inside the Turin emblem, brings good luck. 

When it comes to old time remedies, nothing beats a bull's testes as an aphrodisiac. Drinking bulls blood will revitalize the drinker’s blood as well as giving him the strength and power of the animal. According to an ancient roman text:  “For every hardness, melt bulls’ grease with tar, and lay on; it will make lithe and nesh all the sores and the hard flesh.” In the days of Pope Adrian VI, a plague was stopped by sacrificing a bull to the devil.

Collected from various sources

What You Should Know About Snakes

While researching snakes, I came across this nifty little tidbit. It's a list of do's and don'ts when it comes to snakes.

A. Don't cross a snake's path unless you slide or shuffle your feet.
B. You'll have leg aches - other diseases - bad luck.

A. Don't eat in front of a snake.
B. When you get older, your throat will close.

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Widdershins, and can be found in its entirety here: What You Should Know About Snakes

Cinnamon Cures and Remedies

Cinnamon is one of the all time great "go to" spices when it comes to old herbal remedies, however it is rarely used alone. Most often, cinnamon is used as an added ingredient to herbal teas or other preparations. Because of that, most of the entries here are recipes with many other ingredients. It is likely that the addition of cinnamon is often for flavor, however it does have a warming effect on the body and may add punch to the prescription.

Some of these remedies are benign and might actually work, for example: cinnamon tea for a cold and the lovely tea for indigestion. Others might be downright dangerous - check out the cures for Blindness and Syphilis. As always, if you decide to try one or more of the following remedies, please use common sense and educate yourself beforehand. Remember, these cures are old and were used in an era of ignorance and superstition....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Folk Medicine Remedies and Cures, and can be found in its entirety here: Cinnamon Cures and Remedies

Day of Bad Omens

According to the old Roman calendar - today is a day of bad omens. So, I thought it would be appropriate to post this excerpt from a little book called Signs Omens and Portents in Nebraska Folklore, published in 1933:

Signs of evil portent are among the most common of surviving folk beliefs in Nebraska. In number and currency they rival the popular omens concerned with weather and marriage and they are regarded with perhaps a greater degree of seriousness than signs of the latter type....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Day of Bad Omens

Something Fun For Walpurgisnacht

This is a series of vintage postcards from Paris, printed in 1910 depicting a Witches Sabbat.

Here's one, the rest can be found on my new website, More Cool Pictures, here: Something Fun For Walpurgis Night

Easter Monday - Dyngus Day

The spirit of Poland's Dyngus is captured in this description from the Poznan region during 1800s:

Poland's Dyngus, or Smigus, Day is said to hark back to the baptism of the founder of Polish Christianity, Prince Mieszko I (c. 935 - 992), and his entire court, on Easter Monday, 966. Dyngus is an ancient celebration which is still observed both in country villages and the big cities, with singing, pranks, visiting friends' houses, and the custom of dousing.

The custom of pouring water is an ancient spring rite of cleansing, purification, and fertility – at this time of year ...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Easter Monday - Dyngus Day

St Paul's Day Lore

Today (Jan 25) is St. Paul's day, a festival of the Roman and English churches in commemoration of St. Paul. This day is thought to be prophetic as to the weather of the year:

• "If St. Paul's day be fair and clear, It doth betide a happy year; If blustering winds do blow aloft. Then wars will trouble our realm full oft; And if it chance to snow or rain, Then will be dear all sorts of grain."


• In Germany when the day proved foul the common people used to drag the images of St. Paul and St. Urban in disgrace to duck them in the river.... 

I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, hosted at shirleytwofeathers.com, and can be found in its entirety here: St Paul's Day