Two years ago, at a pagan gathering near Atlanta, Ga, during a Seiðr ritual the god Loki made a stunning entrance. The Volva (the oracle who, in a trance state, connects with Otherworld beings to answer questions for and give messages to attendees) was suddenly possessed by the god, dancing and laughing in a manner […]

When our ancestors stepped outside, they saw a world teeming with spirits. Trees, stones, rivers, plants – all were embodied by living beings that could visit good or ill upon the human population. All “objects” or material phenomena were seen to have agency – they acted independently and made their own free choices. Our ancestors […]

It’s hard to describe everything Freyja is. To me – and I’ve done a lot of research to come to this conclusion – she is the sun, the Great Goddess of northern Europe that appears in so many guises. A goddess of life itself, of death and fate and witchcraft. When my husband and I […]

A few things Appalachian natives do not love: First, “skinwalkers” aren’t a thing here, that’s a Navajo legend out west. A whole lot (but not all) of what’s scary in the wilderness here is humans doing things they don’t want noticed. Second, a whole lot of what gets passed around as “Appalachian” magic (especially online) […]

The magic practiced in the backwoods of Appalachia for the past few hundred years has been, by necessity, one that used what the practitioner had to hand. Before we had the internet, we had no way of getting our hands on specific crystals or herbs laid out in some ancient European grimoire. Outside of maybe […]

Science has found a lot of proof in recent years of what our Ancestors knew all along: Nature is our greatest healer. “There is mounting evidence, from dozens and dozens of researchers, that nature has benefits for both physical and psychological human well­being,” says Lisa Nisbet, PhD, a psychologist at Trent University in Ontario, Canada, […]

Before the Christianization of Scandinavia, there was a major offering every 9 years at holy places such as Uppsala. If you’re familiar with the show Vikings, this event is depicted in the first season, when Ragnar takes Athelstan with his family to the sacrifice with the intention of offering him as one of the 9 […]

As someone with a significant amount of trauma, most every deity I encounter gets a write up about it eventually – either in how they experienced it in the lore, or how they work with human survivors today. Loki Laufreyjarson dealt with trauma on an almost unfathomable level. CW: violence against (mythological) kids Loki as […]

It began, as far as I can consciously tell, with John Beckett’s article about Loki’s message at this year’s Mystic South conference. As I read his report of the Trickster’s words I began to feel a tug. A spark if you will. Up till now the only deity that’s really held my attention has been […]

It’s been just over a year since we signed the papers and finally settled down on a mountaintop in western North Carolina. Sometimes I drive around town and still marvel that I’m here, on the very mountain that I used to feel protected by as a child. Last year at Lughnassadh, we were still digging […]