Homeopathy under scrutiny

Homeopathy was in the news yesterday, with Guardian and the BBC reporting that more than a fifth of NHS hospital trusts have cut funding of homeopathy during the past two years. They say this is because there is no scientific evidence that homeopathy works, but critics say it is merely to save money.

Pulse Today gives both sides of the debate. Dr Tim Robinson, a GP and lecturer on homeopathy, giving the case in favour and Professor Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, giving the case against.

Dr Robinson says three-quarters of his patients who were treated with homeopathic remedies had postive clinical results. Professor Ernst argues there is no scientific reason that homeopathy should work and, in fact, the benificial results are no better than when using a placebo.

A few years ago, I asked my GP to refer me to a homeopathists under the NHS for hayfever treatment. I had tried everything my GP could prescribe and every mainstream hayfever pill you could buy over the counter. Most didn't help at all and those that did help a bit gave me side effects such as drowsiness and irritability.

The homeopathist prescribed mixed pollens. I felt they were of some benefit. I was supposed to start taking them regularly before the hayfever season and continue right through it. After taking them, I didn't get hayfever symptoms as early in the year as I had in the past and only found myself sneazing and my eyes watering when the pollen count was very high. The best thing was, they didn't have any side effects.

These days I take mixed pollens every year but also take regular hayfever pills when my symptoms break through. I haven't found anything that works 100%, but the combined approach of standard and complementary treatment is the best I have found so far.

To read the argument in Pulse Today and vote on whether homeopathy should be provided under the NHS, visit www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=25&storycode=4117018&c=2

You can read the Guardina article at: www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jan/30/nhs.health

My white pigeon

A white pigeon lives in my local park and seeing him always brightens my day, even if it is cold and I am on my way to work.

The current resident is probably one of a long line of white-plumed rock doves - rock dove being another name for pigeon - because I have seen him, or his ancestors, there for several years.

I have often meant to investigate the symbolism associated with white pigeons. When I finally got around to doing a bit of web searching on the subject I found the information was quite sparse.

Some sites say that white pigeons are, in fact, doves. Other sites say that pigeons, although related to doves, are a bit larger and are feral, so not the same thing even when they are white.

Doves are most famous for being the bird that, in Christian legends, Noah released from his ark. It returned bearing an olive branch and now symbolises peace.

In America, doves are sometimes released at weddings as a ritual to ensure the couple will remain true to each other. Pigeons mate for life and are extremely fertile, often raising several broods each year, so they are an appropriate symbol for a marriage ceremony. The dove is also associated with the fertility goddess Astarte.

According to The Mystical World Wide Web: "A lone white pigeon seen sitting on the chimney is not a good sign as it is associated with death." Doves can sometimes represent the soul or spirit and releasing one at a funeral symbolises the deceased flying on swiftly to the next life.

Here is a link to an excellent website with information on folklore surrounding pigeons and other birds: http://tailsofbirding.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html.

If you know any more mythology associated with white pigeons, I would love to hear about it. Please leave a comment on my blog.

Pagan Federation Imbolc ritual

With Imbolc - the festival celebrating the first signs of spring - on February 2, The Pagan Federation in London is holding an open ritual on Thursday evening.

Imbolc was originally dedicated to the Gaelic goddess Brigid. in Christian times it was adopted as St Brigid's Day.

The Goddess Group, part of Fellowship of Isis, will be performing the open ritual to honour The Bride of Spring as the wheel of the year turns from the dark nights of winter towards the lighter days ahead.

If you are attending you should bring some food and drink to share and also contemplate what you would like in the year ahead and phrase it in a positive way, such as "I will get a better job" or "I will be healthier."

The PFL Imbolc open ritual is on Thursday 31 January at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn. It starts at 8pm. Entrance is £5 for non-PF members, £4 for members.

For more information, visit http://www.pflondon.org/

Review: Good Witch, Bad Witch by Gillian Kemp

Seeing as I call myself The Bad Witch, I couldn't resist getting a copy of Gillian Kemp's Good Witch, Bad Witch: Sweet Spells and Wicked Witchery cards and book.

The boxed set consists of a deck of 52 prettily illustrated cards - 26 showing good witches and 26 with bad witches - plus a book with interpretations of their meanings and an associated spell for each one.

The two types of cards represent the balance of opposites within nature - day and night, summer and winter, good times and bad times. This is something witches respect as they honour the seasons of the year and all aspects of life. We might prefer to only have happy days but we can't avoid every misfortune and there are valuable lessons to be learnt from the sad times of grief and hardship.

The cards can be used in a similar way to tarot cards, by laying them out in a spread and interpreting each in the light of the question asked and the cards that surround it.

I tried the cauldron spread of seven cards, which is described in the book. The cards show the past, present, attitudes, progress, opportunities, obstacles and outcome. I was a bit nervous in case all the cards were bad witches - I didn't want to find nothing but trouble ahead.

As it happened, a few were bad and the rest were good, but even the bad witches weren't really that horrid. The cauldron witch, for example, suggested that my plans and ambitions might be tested but I could overcome these obstacles. It also said healthy eating and avoiding toxins might help - something I agree with entirely but am not very good at doing.

The book also gives a spell for each card and one position in each reading suggests which card's spell you might want to try to help get the best outcome.

The first one I drew was the woods witch, with the interpretation that a project or desire would bear fruit. The associated spell involved writing my heart's desire on a length of ribbon and tying it to a tree. This is very much like the old tradition of tree dressing and of tying ribbons, sometimes with prayers, wishes or spells on them, to trees at sacred places. If you are going to do this, I would recommend using a tree in your own garden rather than littering a public spot.

Some of the spells associated with the bad witch cards could also be useful. I would imagine the spells to make someone return an object or to stop a toad keep asking you for a date might come in handy.

However, a few of the bad witch spells are curses and I would recommend being very wary about using them. Doing magic to give someone bad breath might seem like a harmless prank but it is unlikely to solve any problems and, particularly if they find out, could have unpleasant repercussions for you.

Good Witch, Bad Witch: Sweet Spells and Wicked Witchery can be ordered from Amazon or from Cico Books on: 020 7025 2280.

Prophetic dreams

Last week I had a disturbing dream that my home had flooded. This morning, it did.

The immediate emergency of water gushing from a broken pipe is now dealt with, having turned off the water to the entire place. I am now waiting for a plumber to mend the pipe and wondering what I could have done to prevent this if I had paid more attention to my premonition.

It isn't the first time I have had a prophetic dream. A few years ago I awoke from a nightmare that I was locked in my bedroom and then found, when I tried to leave the room, that I was in fact locked in my bedroom. The door catch had somehow broken and jammed shut during the night.

I was a teenager the first time it happened. It was back in the 1970s and I was a fan of Marc Bolan and T-Rex. One night I dreamt I was at a T-Rex concert. I awoke remembering exactly what clothes Marc had been wearing on stage and that he had coloured streaks in his hair. The dream prompted me to go into a record shop and buy their latest release. I was stunned to see a picture on the record, taken at a gig, in which Marc was wearing exactly the clothes I recalled and had the same streaks in his hair. I was certain I had never seen that picture before and felt sure my dream had somehow given me a glimpse of a real event.

Of course, all of these things could have just been coincidence. I have plenty of stressful dreams that don't come true. I'm certainly glad I don't miss my train to work as often as my dreams might suggest and I am delighted I have never suddenly realised I am naked in the middle of the high street.

But, when I have the next prophetic dream of a misfortune, it would be really nice to know how to prevent it from coming true.

Deities seen in dreams, drugs or near death

Take drugs and see your god! Or is it just an hallucination?

At The Moot With No Name this Wednesday, Dr David Luke will be talking about encounters with angels, demons and other entities after ingesting psychoactive compounds, in dreams or in near-death experiences.

The talk is entitled Discarnate Entities: Deities or Delusion? and will examine this phenomena in the light of myths, magical folklore and neurochemistry.

The Moot with No Name meets on January 30 and the event starts at 7.30pm. Entry is £2.

The Devereux is at 20 Devereux Court, off Essex St, London WC2. For a map of how to get there visit: www.multimap.com/maps/?&hloc=GBWC2R%203JJ

For more details:
www.pflondon.org/html/moot_with_no_name.html

More on Scottish Myths & Legends

I started Scottish Myths & Legends on Friday and it was such easy reading I've finished it already - and it was surprisingly good. Surprising, because the book is one produced for the tourist trade, so I wouldn't have expected it to be so entertainingly written.

The tales cover a wide range of Scottish history folklore, from monsters of the lochs, through fairy mounds to Celtic heroes and horrible murderers.

A chapter on witches reminded me just how much witches were persecuted in Scotland in the past, and how they were universally regarded as evil minions of the devil. It makes me feel very lucky to be a witch today, when persecution is (almost) a thing of the past in Britain and most people realise that witches are not devil worshippers.

Here is a precis of one story from the book.

A huntsman was chasing a hare, when suddenly his pack of hounds were set upon by all kinds of animals of the forest. He realised the hare was not normal. Remembering that witches were reputed to have the power to shapechange into beasts, he decided that this must be an evil witch.

His dogs were reluctant to continue the chase, but he whipped them on cruelly until they continued. They followed the trail of the hare and eventually the most vicious of the dogs caught it and savaged it. But then the hare suddenly disappeared.

The huntsman also gave up, but seeing a trail of blood leading into the forest, he urged his dogs to track it. The trail lead to an old cottage in the middle of the wood where, through the window, he saw an old woman trying desperately to staunch the blood from a nasty wound.

He realised she must be an evil witch, who had taken the shape of the hare his dogs had chased. The hunter dragged the old woman from the house. She was put on trial for witchcraft and sentenced to death.

Thank goodness is the situation is now reversed, with witchcraft legalised and hunting being against the law.

Scottish Myths & Legends, by Judy Hamilton, is published by Lomond Books.

Scottish Myths & Legends

Tales of ghosties, ghoulies and long-legged beasties seemed just the thing to read on my train journey in to work today.

Scottish Myths & Legends, by Judy Hamilton, is a book I picked up at a charity shop a few months ago. Considering that it is Burns Night and time to enjoy all things Scottish, this seemed like the perfect time to start reading it.

The introduction explains that the book is meant to entertain - in keeping with Scotland's rich story-telling tradition - rather than be a serious analysis of the origin and sources of the stories. To be honest, I think that might be a welcome relief after finishing reading Celtic Mythology earlier this week, which was a little heavy going in places even though it was very interesting.

Burns Night

January 25 is Burns Night. It is held to commemorate the birthday of Scotland's national poet Robert Burns (1759-1796). Although it isn't a pagan festival, it is a great excuse for a celebration.

Along with Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns' writings helped revive an interest in Scottish legends, traditions, culture and history. He was a Freemason and rejected Calvinist theology, piety and social attitudes. On religion, he said: "It becomes a man of sense to think for himself."

A Burns Supper consists of haggis, neaps and tatties (mashed turnips, or swede, and potato), washed down with plenty of whisky. You can buy haggis at most supermarkets these days and some also sell a vegetarian version, which is very tasty. If you are having trouble finding a vegan haggis, you can order one at http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/.

The haggis should be brought into the room on a platter, lead by a piper and accompanied by a whisky bearer. If, like most of us Sassenachs, you can't play the bagpipes, you can download some suitable Scottish music at http://www.templerecords.co.uk/. The guests should be standing and applaud the haggis when it reaches the table.

Tradition then dictates that someone should the read Burns' poem Ode to a Haggis over the platter. You can find the words at this site: www.contractinteriors.co.uk/ecpb/ToAHaggis.htm

Certain points of the poem lend themselves to cutting the haggis, such as "His knife see Rustic-labour dight" and "Trenching your gushing entrails bright". The reader raises the haggis during
the final line "Gie her a Haggis!", to which the guests applaud and raise their whisky glasses for a to toast: "To the haggis!"

Other toasts and speeches can then be made, or you can just tuck into the haggis and whisky.

At the end of the evening everyone should be drunk enough to sing Auld Lang Syne with suitable sentiment. You can find the words here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auld_Lang_Syne.

For more information on Burns Night visit:
www.rampantscotland.com/know/blknow_burns_supper.htm

A biography of Robert Burns can be found at:
www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/robertburns.html

Celtic Mythology

The stories surrounding the ancient gods of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales are as rich as those concerning the Greek or Norse pantheons but are not as generally well known.

I have always loved the tales of King Arthur and his knights, been a big fan of fairy stories and, as a child, enjoyed a book on the exploits of the Irish hero Cuchulainn.

However, the stories we are most familiar with today have little resemblance to the original versions of the tales and I had always felt that, as a modern day pagan, I ought to learn more about them.

So, when I found a copy of the book Celtic Mythology, published by Geddes & Grosset in 1999, on a deserted beach one wintry morning I felt I really ought to read it (as mentioned in A Bad Witch's Blog: Reading Matter earlier this month).

Having now read it, I can say I am delighted to have it on my bookshelf.

The book was a bit daunting to start. It is 480 pages long and doesn't have many pictures. I also found the first few chapters, on the history of the Celtic people, a bit heavy going. Once past that, however, the book is a delightful retelling of the legends of the ancient gods and people of the British Isles with references to the early manuscripts in which the tales are found.

Celtic Mythology tells the story of the arrival in Ireland of the people of the goddess Danu, the Tuatha de Danaan, and their overthrow of the even older gods of the race of Partholon. It goes on to describe the wars with the Fomorii, the coming of mortal men, the exile of the gods and the rise of Irish heroes such as Cuchulainn and Fionn through to Christianising of Ireland.

There are, apparently, fewer sources of information on the ancient gods of England and Wales than on the Gaelic deities. However, sources such as the Mabinogion reveal many stories about the children of Don and the children of Llyr, deities which were worshipped by our ancient ancestors. These are beautiful tales of love, deceit, treachery and battle such as that of the flower maiden Blodeuwedd who, with her lover, tried to kill her husband Lleu and was punished by being turned into an owl.

Celtic Mythology also digs deep into the background of the Arthurian romances to find ancient forms of the story, in which Arthur - or 'Artur' - is a combination of a real Celtic chief and an Celtic divinity who waged war against the underworld.

An appendix provides a 150page dictionary, which is very useful for looking up the gods, goddesses, heroes and sites that figure in Celtic legends.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to read the stories of our ancient gods and find out more about the origins of the legends of the British Isles.

Celtic Mythology is available through Amazon

Talk on stone circles

The Megaliths Of Armenia is the title of a talk tomorrow evening at The Devereux pub in London.

Armenia is an old and mysterious country with megaliths and stone circles that are believed to predate Stonehenge. Dr Paul Newman has spent considerable time there recently and was shown megaliths that are almost unknown in the West. His talk will include photographs taken at various sites.

The talk is on 23 January and starts at 8.30pm, upstairs at the Devereux pub, 20 Devereux Court, off Essex St, London WC2. The doors open at 7.30pm. Ticket price £2. The talk is organised by The Secret Chiefs, London’s longest-running pagan talks forum.


Links:
www.pflondon.org/html/secret_chiefs.html

Wolf moon

On January 22 there is a full moon.

According to different naming traditions it can be called the Wolf Moon, the Ice Moon, or even the Quite Moon.

I love these evocative names. I can understand how native Americans or even the medieval people of Britain would have heard the wolves howling outside their village on a January night and given the name of these wild creatures to the month's full moon. The modern-day pagan name of the Ice Moon seems lovely too, making me think of the night sky seen through frosted window panes.

I'm not totally sure why the ancient Celts are supposed to have called it the Quite Moon. Perhaps it should really be Quiet Moon? If anyone can shed any light on the history of this name, I'd be delighted to find out.

For more information about moon names and the magical significance of the full moon, follow these links:
www.pagancalendar.co.uk/
www.pagan-heart.co.uk/articles/moonnames/moonnames.html
witchcraze.moonfruit.com/lunarmonths/4526627125
pagan-magic.co.uk/shop/moon-phases-a-27.html?osCsid=db16cdf4e05cfc0e79990eca4af8f5e
www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_moon
tacircle.morbidlemon.co.uk/index.php?action=fullnews&showcomments=1&id=12

Magical mead

I was watching the BBC's adaptation of Lark Rise to Candleford last night. In it, the Lark Rise matriarch Queenie Turrill, played by Linda Bassett, brews a luck potion from mead.

We didn't get to see how effective the potion was in the episode because much of it gets spilt before it is drunk, but mead is said to have many magical properties - particularly associated with love and good fortune in marriage.

Mead is made from honey, water and yeast, although it is sometimes flavoured with fruit juices, and tastes like a rich wine.

The term 'honeymoon' comes from the ancient tradition of drinking mead at weddings. It was supposed to be a potent aphrodisiac and boost fertility as well as increasing the chances that the first child would be a son.

With Valentines Day approaching, why not get a bottle or two? You could also have a go at making your own, although it won't be ready for drinking in time for this February 14.

Here are some links on the history and magic of mead, mead recipes and where to buy mead:
www.wyrdwords.vispa.com/heathenry/mead/index.html
www.empathys.co.uk/197.html

www.kernowharvest.co.uk/subprod/ninemaidens-cornish-mead-0001484.aspx

Surviving January

I think January is the worst month of the year. It is cold, wet and grey.

At least we're more than half way through it, but the warm weather and light evenings seem a long way off.

However, there are a few things that help:

Make the most of daylight
If I can, I get out when it's sunny - or at least when it isn't tipping down with rain. I find sunlight, a change of scenery and a bit of exercise make me feel a lot more cheerful.

Wear something bright
I find putting on a bright jumper and fighting the urge to wear black every day makes me feel a little brighter too.

Stay in bed
Sometimes, all I want to do in the dark months is stay in bed, pull up the covers and escape into a novel or watch the TV in my bedroom. And that's quite OK.

Make plans for summer
Having something to look forward to, such as a holiday, helps me realise that the dark months will end.

Eat chocolate
Yes, I know January is supposed to be the time for going on a diet, but I think that's daft. Leave the diets until spring. The Catholic idea of abstaining for Lent - just before Easter - might not be theologically appropriate for a witch but the timing is better than dieting just after the start of the new year. I wouldn't say only eat chocolate, though. I do try to eat plenty of fruit and veg too, to keep healthy.

What are your best tips for surviving January? Feel free to leave a comment on A Bad Witch's Blog.

The Bad Witch has moved

I've got a new address for A Bad Witch's Blog. It is http://www.badwitch.co.uk/

If you go to the old address - http://www.badwitchblog.blogspot.com/ - it should forward you automatically to the new address. However, you might prefer to add the new address to your address book or Livejournal friends list.

The reason I have switched addresses is that my blog was not being recognised as a UK site, so if you searched for A Bad Witch's Blog in Google and selected 'UK sites only' nothing came up. As I live in London and many of my posts are only relevant to other people in the UK, I felt it was important that people could find my blog by searching for UK sites. However, it might take a few days for Google searches to catch up with the change of domain.

If you have any problems accessing the new site, or anything strange happens, please can you let me know either by leaving a comment or by emailing badwitch1234@gmail.com

The Bad Witch's Guide to Work.

Work sucks. Avoid it. That's my advice.

Do what thou wilt. Tell your boss where he can stick your job, walk out and find something more satisfying to do with your time.

Except that things are obviously not as simple as that, are they? Most of us need to earn money to pay the bills.

Over the past few months I have read a pages and pages of emails and blog entries from friends who are not enjoying their jobs one little bit but, for one reason or another, can't leave.

Sometimes, however, there are ways of changing things. We just need to look for them.

A couple of people I know decided they could earn enough money to live on without working five days (or more) every week. They asked their boss if they could go part time. The answer was yes - and they are happier as a result.

I'm not always good at taking my own advice, though, and in the past I have spent far too long in the same job, being overworked and under-appreciated.

Now, I am just about to start a new part-time contract, working for a firm I did freelance work for last year. The people seem nice, the pay is OK and working part time will allow me to do more of the things I enjoy, such as writing my blog, taking photos and being a witch. At least, that's what I am hoping.

Weather superstitions

I watched BBC1's The One Show last night and saw weather girl Carol Kirkwood conducting a scientific study to find out if cows really do lie down before rain, as superstition suggests.

She monitored the movements of a herd of cattle for a day and also recorded the rainfall. She found that the cows did sit down before a shower started.

I'm not a bit surprised. If I had to stay out in the open for hours every day I think I would learn to become very observant of signs of changing weather, which is how much ancient weather lore and superstitions developed.

I know I would also become very observant of the weather if I was one of the unlucky people once more facing threats of floods after the severe downpours this week. Although I live in a part of London that has never been flooded, I have still checked the Environment Agency's website to find out if my house is at risk.

You can find details of areas under flood warning , and what to do if you are, at: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/flood/

A site on ancient methods of predicting the weather:

www.naturealmanac.com/archive/predicting_winter/predicting_winter.html

For more about weather superstitions, visit:

www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/weather_superstitions

Crop circles

Tomorrow, The Moot With No Name will be hosting a talk entitled Crop Circles for Fun and Profit.

Darren Francis will be exploring the various theories on how crop circles are created, whether they are entirely man made or if there is something more mysterious behind their origin.

The talk is on January 16 and starts at 7.30pm. Entry is £2.

The Devereux is at 20 Devereux Court, off Essex St, London WC2. For a map of how to get there visit: www.multimap.com/maps/?&hloc=GBWC2R%203JJ

For more details:
www.pflondon.org/html/moot_with_no_name.html

Dancing in the orchards

An early evening rainstorm and lack of a ticket nearly stopped me going to the wassail run by Hunters Moon Morris at Middle Farm, in East Sussex, on Saturday. I'm very glad they didn't.

When I arrived, at about 7pm, the entertainment was going strong with morris dancing and drumming. And if the term 'morris dancing' makes you think of old blokes hopping from foot to foot and waving white hankies around, think again. Hunters Moon Morris puts on something much more theatrical and wild.

With blackened faces and wearing clothes made of rags and tatters they leap around, whooping and bashing sticks, to put on a carnival-like display. It seems more like a war dance than an ancient fertility rite - although that is what is it supposed to be.

The drumming display ended by leading a torch-lit procession down into the heart of the apple orchards. A huge bonfire was set ablaze while libations were poured to the apple trees and everyone was invited to sing the Wassail Chant:

Oh apple tree we honour thee
in hope that you will bear
the blessed fruit of Avalon
at harvest time each year.
Each golden apple you bring forth
a gift to Aphrodite
has at its heart a pentacle
the symbol of her mystery.
Your blossom heralds a springtime
your leaf brings summer shade
Let Samhain's harvest cup be filled
with cider freshly made.
When winter's cold encloses you
in wind and rain and hail
then we'll return each year to bring
our grateful thanks - wassail!

For more information see the Hunters Moon Morris website: www.huntersmoonmorris.co.uk/ or contact 01323 769848.

Middle Farm is at Firle, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 6LJ. For more information about Middle Farm, visit www.middlefarm.com/

Potions and poisons

I've recently come across a fascinating website called Old Time Remedies, which contains recipes for potions, elixirs and antidotes our ancestors used or, at least, were told to use.

A disclaimer on the site says: 'These remedies are listed only for information and amusement. They are not to be construed as medical advice, nor are they recommended for use.' Highly entertaining many of them are too, although some, such as honey for a sore throat, hardly contain bad advice.

The website reminds me of Forgotten English II: Intoxicants and Potions, by Jeffrey Kacirk, which I was given as a gift by a thoughtful friend a few years ago. However, I would rather try most of the potions described on Old Time Recipes than the dubious treatments described in Kacirk's accounts of things people used to dose themselves with.

The contents of Album Nigrum is one of the most icky scraps of knowledge I wish I hadn't learnt. Album Nigrum is, apparently, the Latin name for a cure-all concocted from the excrement of mice and rats - once used both internally and externally as a remedy for many ills. Yuck!

For more information on old remedies, visit http://www.oldtimeremedies.co.uk/ and you can view the set of knowledge cards on Amazon.

Wassail

Wassail, which now means either a delicious drink of mulled cider or a blessing of the apple orchards, originally comes from an Old English term 'waes hael', meaning ' be well'. Both the drink and the blessing are traditions associated with this time of year.

Last January I went to a fantastic wassail celebration run by Hunters Moon Morris at Middle Farm cider orchards, in Firle, East Sussex. There was much drinking of cider, great entertainment and toasting of the apple trees - both by alcohol and an enormous bonfire.

I was very pleased to discover they are doing it again this Saturday, although it was so popular last year they have been forced to make it a ticket-only event due to health and safety considerations.

The wassail starts at 6pm with a barbecue, drinks, morris dancers, drummers and a mummers' play. This will lead onto a torch-lit procession which will wind its way to the orchard to wassail the apple trees. Afterwards there will be a party in the barn.

For more information and to buy tickets see the Hunters Moon Morris website: www.huntersmoonmorris.co.uk/ or contact 01323 769848.
Middle Farm is at Firle, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 6LJ. For more information about Middle Farm, visit www.middlefarm.com/
For more on the history of wassailing, visit: www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/wassail.htm
Here is a link to a wassail recipe: www.history.uk.com/recipes/index.php?archive=31

Update on Erick Wujcik

Back in December I mentioned that someone I know and respect has a serious form of cancer.

Erick Wujcik, the creator of a roleplaying game based on the Roger Zelazny book Nine Princes in Amber, was diagnosed as having pancreatic cancer which has spread to his liver. The disease is normally fatal.

However, Erick has started to have treatment for the condition and the news so far is as good as can be expected.

Erick wrote in his blog:

Monday, January 7th, 2008 was the date for my second “aggressive” chemotherapy session, and it started with great news.
First, it seems that the first session was a success. Epic news considering that the expected rate is something less than 20% effectiveness (and even less for the rare form of cancer they finally diagnosed from my biopsy).
Second, the blood tests indicate that my liver is back to operating within accepted norms. Since the numbers were getting better even before the first chemotherapy, it seems that all the well wishes, positive thoughts, prayers and meditations of my loved ones must be having an even greater positive effect. Thank you all!

You can find Erick's blog at www.47rpg.com/blog/

Livejournal friends

Blogger has recently introduced a feature that lets you add blogs as friends on other services, including Livejournal.

If you have a Livejournal account and want to add A Bad Witch's Blog as a friend, just go to 'manage friends' and type 'badwitchblog'. Then, click on 'badwitchblog' in your list of friends to choose how you view it. The best way is probably to choose the option 'add this feed to your friends list'.

Early blooms

Despite the cold weather of recent weeks, primroses have begun to bloom outside my house.

My front garden is something of a sun trap, but January still seems rather early for spring flowers.

I'm not an expert gardener so I don't know if this is particularly unusual and I'd be very interested to find out.

If you have seen primroses flowering elsewhere, let me know and leave a comment below on my blog.

Turning over a new leaf...

Twelfth Night has come and gone, the decorations are down and many people are left with a sad, bare tree they don't know what to do with.

In centuries past, people would heft the remains of their yuletide greenery outdoors and ceremoniously burn it to get rid of the old and usher in the new.

Nowadays, that would not be considered very friendly to the environment. Neither is dumping your old tree in the street, like the one I photographed earlier today.

Most boroughs run schemes to recycle unwanted Christmas trees. If you don't know where to take yours, phone your local council.

For details on how to recycling your yule tree if you live in London, visit:
http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/whatson/christmas-tree-recycling-feature-545.html

For further information on recycling yule trees and other festive waste, visit:
http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/InformationSheets/ChristmasRecycling.htm

Demonic possession

Tomorrow night Treadwell's is hosting a lecture on satanism, sadism and sex with the devil in Elizabethan England.

Professor Philip Almond of the University of Queensland, author of a new book
The Witches of Warboys, will be talking about Early Modern belief in devils and demonic possession.

Although there were fewer witch hunts in England than in the rest of Europe, fear of witches and demons still led to some horrific cases of persecution. Professor Almond will talk about people's beliefs at that time and how they treated supposed victims of possession.

Philip Almond is Professor Emeritus of Religion in the University of Queensland and is respected for his work on the history of religion.

The talk, entitled The Theatre of Demonic Possession in Early Modern England, is at Treadwell's 34 Tavistock St, Covent Garden, London, on Tuesday 8 January. It starts at 7.15pm. Tickets cost £5.

For more information, visit:
http://www.treadwells-london.com/lectures.asp

Recycling

One of my resolutions this year was to declutter and to find new homes for at least four things each month.

I've made a start.

Earlier this week I offered a telly that I hadn't used for ages and half a bag of cactus compost on Freecycle.

Freecycle is a network for people who want to give things away - or get stuff for free - with the aim of encouraging recycling and reuse.

You have to apply to join your local group, either through Yahoo Groups or via the Freecycle website, then you can post messages offering items or asking for them. The only rule is that you must not ask for money or offer any. Everything must be free.

Here is the address for Freecycle London on Yahoo: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/freecyclelondon
For more information about Freecycle visit: www.uk.freecycle.org/

I've also handed in an ancient mobile phone to my local library, which is collecting them for charity, and given a pair of old glasses to an optician who sends them to developing countries for reuse.

Then I took a mustard yellow scarf to a charity shop. I had been given it for Christmas and it had never been worn but mustard yellow is just not a bad witch's colour :)

On course

I've signed up for an evening class at my local adult education centre - not in a subject that is exciting, just something that will be useful for my work.

However, when I looked through the programme of courses available I was surprised to find that many of them would be very useful for a witch. At prices starting from £15 for a one-day Saturday course up to about £70 for 10 weeks, I could study life coaching, botany, counselling, massage, reflexology or yoga.

Looking at London as a whole, I found 71 courses in meditation, 47 courses in Reiki, quite a few courses in tarot reading, one course in astrology and two courses in folklore. A Saturday course entitled The Green Man in Literature and Folklore, being run by City Lit in March, looks particularly interesting and I may just sign up for it.

Visit the Floodlight website to find courses all over London on:
http://www.floodlight.co.uk/

To find out more about City Lit visit:
www.citylit.ac.uk/

Celtic Mythology: Reading Matter and a Mystery

I woke up this morning eager to get on with my plans for 2008. Or, at least, worried that if I didn't make a start soon I never would.

One of my new year resolutions was to read at least one book a month on a pagan theme and my January reading matter will be Celtic Mythologypublished by Geddes & Grosset in 1999.

There is something of a mystery behind how I got my copy.

One cold and windy January morning this time last year while I was walking along a deserted beach in East Sussex I saw a book sticking out of the shingle. Naturally, I picked it up. I found that it was a hardback edition of Geddes & Grosset's Celtic Mythology - in perfect condition apart from a slightly creased and muddied corner where it had stuck in the beach.

The logical, and most likely, explanations for it being there is that some other walker had dropped it, but I could see no one around to try to return it to. The fanciful side of me likes to imagine that the book was there by some strange magical circumstance and that I was meant to find it. And, presumably, read it.

A year later, I'm about to start.

Before I do, here are my first impressions. It is lengthy - 480 pages - and doesn't have many pictures. This is definitely not a coffee table book.

I found a reader's review on the Amazon website, which says it is heavily based on an early 20th Century text by Charles Squire and so is a bit outdated.

It definitely looks heavy going, but I am sure I will learn plenty of interesting and useful stuff when I get on with reading it. I plan to make a start today.

Celtic Mythology is available through Amazon.

New Year's Day

It's a grim, grey day for the start of 2008 - not what I was hoping for at all. I wanted it to be crisp and clear and to go for a lovely walk. Instead I'm huddled indoors trying to get the energy to deal with the clutter and mess left over after the festive season.

Witches are supposed to be able to offer good advice in all circumstances, but I'm a bad witch and I don't have much advice to offer others in the same situation.

However, I can pass on two very handy tips other people have told me:

To get bubblegum or chewing gum out of clothing (or the carpet or sofa) rub butter into it. It makes the gum soft and pliable and much easier to just wash out, no matter how hard it had set.

To get red wine out of the carpet, sprinkle salt all over it and then hoover it up. Alternatively, pour white wine over the red wine stain.