Do you have a favourite black cat? Mr Mistoffelees from Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats maybe or Behemoth from The Master & Margarita – perhaps Pluto from The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe? The Christmas or Yule Cat is a gigantic black cat that only appears at Christmas Eve when everybody is asleep…
Raising Demons for Fun & Profit
I always wanted to be in a Satanic ceremony, what with all the chanting in Latin and robe-wearing and calling upon dark forces, shrouded in clouds of incense. It seemed so glamorous! The only snag was that I suspected serious Satanists were going to be lacking a sense of humour and were probably into the…
Super Strawberry Moon lucky horoscopes for you
There’s a full moon rising on Tuesday June 14th and it’s set to be one of the most significant lunar events of 2022. Gaze into the moon and see what Fate has in store for you! The moon rules over the subtle, subconscious and intuitive aspects of the self and its wax and wane reflect…
Knuts Party, or Death of Christmas
A Knuts Party or Knut’s Dance is a tradition in Sweden (and apparently now in Hackney) on St Knut’s Day (13th January) which marks the end of Christmas and the festive season. It is also known as “Dancing Out Christmas” or “Throw Out The Tree”. We have at home long celebrated the end of the…
Season of the Brownie Witch Cult
When I was a child, I joined the Brownies, which turned out to be a huge mistake. Huge! Brownies are the section in the Girl Guides organization for girls aged 7-10, and its purpose is to turn grubby little brats into good little girls. If I’d realised that, I wouldn’t have touched it with a…
Pap and Gruel and Invalid Foods
I read a lot of old novels during lockdown when I was on furlough, and they have reminded me that there are a lot of traditional sickbed foods designed to help you recover from illness which you don’t hear much about any more.
I’m not talking about the really nutty stuff like using salted owls flesh to treat gout or mixing ox gall and urine to relieve sciatica – I mean just classic invalid nourishments which have been used for centuries.
Can they still do us good today and help us get through this pandemic, which will be going on for a while despite what people say?
Lets check in with some medical doctors, and see what they think.
A Haunted House
In December 2019 a well respected family lawyer of my acquaintance moved to a house in Vicarage Road in Birmingham with her husband and their two teenage daughters. They began to experience paranormal activity in the house. This is their story, recounted from our WhatsApp messages. All names have been changed to protect their anonymity.
Scare Yourself To Death With Cheap Thrills
It’s been a strange year, and it doesn’t look to get more normal any time soon, despite what the current lockdown guidelines say. Here’s an option for entertainment in the home if you can’t get out. Why not make yourself a cocktail and download a terrifying immersive audio experience to test your emotional limits to…
Fight the Flu
Would you like to glow with health and vitality? Does this seem impossible to you under the current conditions? If you’ve been feeling flabby, ill, or exhausted, read on. You are not alone. I’ve been talking to Dr Nathan Curran, who doesn’t think it has to be that way. He’s here to help us get…
A Handy Cut-Out-And-Keep Charm Against Covid-19
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues with the virus mutating and forming different strains, we need to find new methods of protection. We’re become accustomed to signing off emails with Stay Safe instead of Best Wishes or even Love, but if you really want to stay safe, you need to do more than just wear a…
The New City Witches Cocktail Coven 