Pagan Eye: The Watchstone on Orkney, Scotland

As Scottish people vote today on whether they want Scotland to become independent or stay part of the United Kingdom, I thought I would post this picture I took when I was in Orkney earlier this year.

The picture shows an impressive monolith known as the Watchstone, which is on the bank where the Stenness and Harray lochs meet, close to the Standing Stones of Stenness. It is a beautiful place, full of amazing archaeological sites.

As much as I love Scotland, I'm not going to give my opinion on how the people of that country should vote today. That is up to them. Whatever is decided, I certainly plan to visit Scotland again in the future.

My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting - seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/monoliths/watchst.htm
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/06/scotland-holiday-standing-stones-of.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/06/scotland-holiday-barnhouse-neolithic.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/07/pagan-eye-hidden-stone-circle-in.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/09/pagan-eye-last-witch-burnt-in-scotland.html

Review: Amazing Production of Macbeth in a Pub

The Weird Sisters from Shakespeare's Macbeth are probably the most famous witches on stage or screen, so how could I resist going to a production of "The Scottish Play" at a theatre in a pub not far from where I live in South London - The Bridge House Tavern, in Penge, SE20.

I find Shakespeare's portrayal of the witches fascinating. The play was written at a time when witches were feared and persecuted, and the Weird Sisters are described as "secret, black, and midnight hags" chanting "Double, double toil and trouble" as they cast entrails into a bubbling cauldron of poison. Modern-day fluffy little Wiccans they aren't, but they are also not necessarily the true evil-doers of the piece.

It is left ambigious whether the witches merely prophesy the bloody game of thrones that is to come or whether they deliberately set Macbeth on his path of regicide. Various versions of the play that I have seen have portrayed the witches in different ways - in some they seem merely mortal troublemakers, in others they are Otherworldly creatures tempting and teasing a weak-willed mortal man who would be king.

The production at The Bridge House is in some ways a traditional portrayal of cackling hags, yet powerfully acted with minimal set or props. The staging itself is anything but traditional. The theatre is in an upstairs repurposed room at the pub, with seating all around walls that are entirely painted black, as are the floor and ceiling. The audience is very close to the action, which takes place under bright spotlights and it makes for an intense experience. One not to be missed if you live in south east London.

Macbeth at the Bridge House runs until April 19 and tickets are currently available at half price (£8.75) through Lastiminute.com

Note: I sneakily took the photos showing Macbeth and the Weird Sisters without using flash. Photos are not really allowed at the play. There were obviously more than three bad witches present that night :(

Links and previous related posts
http://www.bhtheatre.co.uk/
http://www.bridgehousese20.co.uk/
http://www.lastminute.com/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/07/bad-witchs-guide-to-bad-witches.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Witches
http://www.shakespeare-navigators.com/macbeth/index.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/09/bad-witch-goes-looking-for-wing-of-bat.html

Pagan Eye: A Hidden Stone Circle in Scotland

This delightful stone circle was photographed by Claire Wickham, who lived on the Isle of Islay in Scotland for many years. I'm not sure exactly where this stone circle is, but it is beautiful.

From the photo, it looks as though it is in a sheltered spot on the edge of a beach, with a rocky cliff behind it. I imagine a small and secluded stone circle like this, hidden away from the tourist trail, would be an extremely magical place.

Thanks very much Claire for letting me your lovely photo!

My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting - seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.

The photo is copyright Claire Wickham.

Links and previous related posts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryn_Celli_Ddu
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/06/pagan-eye-rollright-stones.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/06/pagan-eye-lake-nemi-and-sacred-groves.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/06/pagan-eye-path-through-ancient.html

Festival of the Week: Burns Night

All pagans enjoy a good festival, so I thought I'd start writing Festival of the Week posts on my blog. And my first Festival of the Week is Burns Night, which is celebrated on 25 January every year.

Burns Night is held to commemorate the birthday of Scotland's national poet Robert Burns (1759-1796). Although it isn't a pagan festival, Robert Burns did a great deal to revive an interest in Scottish legends, traditions, folklore and history.

On Burns Night it is traditional to eat haggis, drink whisky and recite Burns poetry - usually his Address to a Haggis. You can find the words here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/robertburns/works/address_to_a_haggis/

In the UK, most butcher's shops and supermarkets sell haggis around the time of Burns Night. Haggis is normally made out of sheep's offal, onion, oatmeal, suet and spices, all minced and stuffed into a sheep's stomach. If you prefer to make a vegetarian version of haggis at home, here are links to a couple of excellent recipes:
http://www.edinburghguide.com/node/2782
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/vegetarian-haggis/Detail.aspx

The picture shows The Poems and Songs of Robert Burnsaudio CD. You can also buy The Complete Works of Robert Burns, Containing his Poems, Songs, and CorrespondenceKindle edition from Amazon for just 74p.

Previous related posts:
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/01/burns-night.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/01/mackay-bad-witchs-god-of-week.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/01/scottish-myths-legends.html

All the nines - superstitions and traditions

Today is 09/09/09 - all the nines - so I thought I'd have a little look at what that means and some superstitions surrounding the numbers 999 and 9.

For those of us in the UK, 999 means one main thing - the number you phone to get the emergency services - police, fire or ambulance. It was first introduced in 1937 in London and the UK 999 number is the world's oldest emergency call service.

The 9-9-9 format was chosen because public phone boxes at the time worked on a pre-payment coin-operated system. These phones could be modified so people could dial 9 on the rotary dial without being able to dial other numbers.

Another traditional use of the number 999 is the years a lease on property would traditionally run, although nowadays it is more common to get a 99-year lease.

There are more superstitions associated with the number 9 than with 999.

According to Are You Superstitious? by Lore Cowan, nine is considered bad luck in Scotland. The book says:

"The card the nine of diamonds is called 'The Curse of Scotland'. Two reasons are given. One, that every ninth monarch in that country was bad to his subjects, the other that the Earl of Stair wrote the instructions for the massacre of the Macdonalds on the card - the nine of diamonds."

Perhaps this superstition is why the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth repeat their spell 9 times.

Other superstitions deem the number 9 unlucky - the term "nine day's wonder" originated in the reign of Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen of England for only 9 days, the cat-o-nine-tails is a whip with 9 lashes once commonly used to mete out punishment.

However, the number 9 can also considered lucky, with sayings such as "a stitch in time saves nine" and "a cat has nine lives". It is also good to be "dressed up to the nines".

Mystically, the number 9 is highly symbolic. If the number three represents the Christian Trinity and the Triple Goddess, then 9, being a triad of threes, can be considered triply sacred.

Important Buddhist rituals usually involve 9 monks; in Hinduism, the number 9 is considered a complete, perfect and divine number that represents the end of a cycle in the decimal system; in Norse Mythology, Odin hung on an ash tree for 9 days to learn the runes.

According to Amulets and Superstitions by EA Wallis Budge:

"The Companies of the gods of heaven, earth and the underworld of Egypt contained 9 gods, and Osiris had 9 Watchers and 9 Mourners. The devouring Worms of hell were 9 in number and we have 9 repellers of Apep.

"Then we have the 9 Muses, the 9 Archons of Greece, the 9 orders of angels, the 9-fold gates of hell, the 9 days during which Satan and his angels fell from heaven... The crown offered as a prize by King Arthur had 9 diamonds in it."

In nature, of course, 9 months is the duration of the human gestation period, which seems a good reason to respect the number even if you aren't superstitious.

To test for yourself whether the number 9 is lucky or not, this morning, at 9 minutes past 9 on the 9th day of the 9th month, 2009, why not see if anything particularly good, bad or at least unusual happens to you?

If it does, leave a comment.

Links
Amulets and Superstitions
Are You Superstitious?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9_(number)#Religion_and_philosophy
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.eu/usscotfax/history/curse.html http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/08/three-broomsticks.html

The Last Witch - A Scottish Play

If you happen to be in Scotland, you might want to try to get a ticket to see a play called The Last Witch, by playwright Rona Munro. It is being performed at The Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow, on 14 August and 15 August and at the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, on 23-29 August.

The play is based on historical accounts of Janet Horne, the last woman to be executed for witchcraft in Scotland.

In the summer of 1727, in Dornoch, northern Scotland, Janet Horne was accused of being a witch, a claim she did not deny. For the god-fearing and suspicious community of the time, this was tantamount to admitting to a pact with the devil. Janet was tried for witchcraft and sentenced to death by burning.

The Last Witch was commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival and is on at The Citizen's Theatre, 119 Gorbals Street, Glasgow, G5 9DS Scotland tomorrow night and on Saturday. For tickets, call the box office on 0141 429 0022. For more details, visit the website http://www.citz.co.uk/

The play will be later performed at the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, on 23-29 August. Call the box office on 0131 473 2000.

I very much hope The Last Witch makes its way to London.

Links
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/aug/09/rona-munro-edinburgh-festival
http://www.huliq.com/13/84815/witch-flies-glasgow-theatre
http://www.citz.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Horne
http://www.historylinks.org.uk/Dornoch18.htm

MacKay: The Bad Witch's God of the Week

It is Burns Night on January 25, commemorating Scotland's national poet Robert Burns, so I thought it would be a good idea to choose a Scottish deity as The Bad Witch's God of the Week.

The problem is, there aren't many specifically Scottish deities to choose from.

Modern Scotland is an amalgamation of the ancient Picts who lived north of the Firth and Clyde rivers, the Brythonic people and also some Irish settlers who brought with them their Gaelic culture and mythology. Very little is know about Pictish gods and goddesses, and it is difficult to tell which Brythonic and Gaelic deities were exclusive to the area now called Scotland and which were worshipped elsewhere in England, Ireland and Wales.

So, I have settled for MacKay, a character from Scottish folklore who is thought to include aspects of an earlier fire god, as my God of the Week.

The legend goes that MacKay, head of Clan MacKay, was trying to start a fire one dark and wintry night so that his clan could cook their food. Glimpsing the lights of faeryfolk dancing in hills, he decided to capture one of the tiny sparks so he would never again struggle against the wind and the rain to get a fire going. It took him many a long day and night, but in the end he was successful.

However, when the fairies realised what had been stolen, they were so angry they vowed to tease humankind forever with their elusive lights, but never again be caught. That is one origin of the idea of faery fires that entice men into the hills and glens, then lead them astray, lost forever, never to get close to what they seek.

The motto of Clan MacKay is Sons of Fire, and that is also supposed to be a translation of the ancient name's meaning.

If you are celebrating Burns Night with a traditional haggis, neaps and tatties, I hope your cooking fire lights quickly and you don't have to resort to the unfortunate antics of old MacKay.

Links
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/01/burns-night.html
http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/scotland/welcome.php?
http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/Celtic/deities.html
http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=189601
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_MacKay
http://www.magickaschool.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9967&sid=4076614723d6355c4e757daa48b47d38

Finlaggan

I'm still having a great holiday on the Isle of Islay in Scotland. Yesterday I visited Finlaggan, a small island within a loch that was the home of the MacDonalds, Lords of the Isles, in the middle ages.

The ruins on the site show habitation from the middle ages until quite recently. One of the ruins is a lovely chapel that still has a peaceful atmosphere despite the wind rushing through its broken wall.

Windy weather is normal on this island, being on the edge of the Atlantic, but it has been warm and sunny for most of the week so far. A local man, who I got into conversation with outside the general store, thanked me for bringing the good weather - although I certainly hadn't mentioned doing any weather magic before I came :)

Getting into conversation with strangers here is easy though - everyone is friendly. It is the norm to smile and say hello to people you pass or when you go into a shop or bar. I have never found London to be quite as hostile as some people make out, but the friendliness here in Islay is something I will miss when I return home.

Wish you were here!

I'm posting this from an internet cafe overlooking the sea on the Isle of Islay in Scotland. Many months ago I was invited here on holiday with a group of friends but I had no idea how beautiful the island is. What's more, this week the island is hosting its annual Malt and Music festival.

Last night I went to a whisky tasting followed by a ceilidh. I do have a soft spot for a good peaty single malt, but back in London I probably wouldn't bother to go to an evening of traditional folk dancing. Here, the small village hall was packed with people - local and tourists, from children to the elderly - and everyone had a fantastic time.

Much of the rest of my holiday here has been spent walking along gorgeous sandy beaches and through countryside rich with wildflowers. There is plenty of wildlife to see too - hares, grouse, oyster catchers and hen harriers are just a few of the animals and birds I've spotted. I'm looking forward to seeing otters, which are apparently relatively common around the island.

I'm having a great time - the weather is wonderful - wish you were here!

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.