Welcome my dear readers, to another interview with a fellow horror author. Today we curl up with our coffees and hot chocolate to learn more about Thomas Stewart.
Why horror? Do you have a favorite subgenre in horror?
Because horror, for me, is more than a simple umbrella subgenre. Horror is an artform. Horror is the expression of oneself, one that encapsulates every emotion on the spectrum, from joy, to sadness, to fear, and triumph.
Which other horror authors influenced you the most and why?
I consider my muse to be Clive Barker, but aside from him, there’s of course, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Harlan Ellison, and lately, Aron Beauregard.
Tell me about your writing/ editing process
I write no less than 1,000 words per day as a disciplinary principal. It’s how I’m able to keep writing and releasing so many new stories at once, but how I keep my skills fresh.
What inspires you to write horror?
Mainly the disturbed nature of my own mind, always drawn to the darker, more twisted things in life.
What do you love about indie publishing?
I love that I’m not bound to any sort of guidelines or “Rules” that mean absolutely nothing at all to the minds of readers or the art of horror.
Which is your favorite horror movie or book? Which movie or book impressed and inspired you the most?
The Exorcist is both my favorite horror novel and film. The one that’s influenced me the most, I want to say, may be Dracula.
Is there any music that helps you to write?
Sometimes. It depends mainly on the nature of the actual story being written as to what the music playlist is. For example, the novel I’m working on now, my darkest one yet, bar none, is being written alongside DSBM music (Depressive Suicidal Black Metal). Sometimes, the music is merely ambiences, used to set the tone in my mind.
Do you have any special projects you want readers to know about?
As mentioned before, I’m currently working on my darkest extreme horror novel to date, I’m going to be releasing at the top of next year the sequel to one of my most infamous works, “Finding Pig Man”, and this month, I’m releasing a co-authored tome with my friend, author Post-Mortem, “Brothers In Blood Vol. 1”
I hope you all enjoyed this interview. Thomas Stewart is most certainly a rising star in the realm of extreme horror. We shall enjoy watching for his next book.
I love the dark half of the year. Technically, here the weather constantly switches between overcast and rainy to sunny then overcast. I was busy today straining herbs and oils. I conjured a bottle of calendula oil and I combined lavender with mugwort into an amber coloured glass jar. I plan to use the oils for beauty recipes and witchy things.
Speaking of witches… I want to post about a topic that deals with witches. I am familiar with the history of the Burning times, a dark stain on the history of Witches. We survived. We survived the searing burning pain of the flames and we are here now. We will never go away. We never left…We are essential. We are the bringers of light, healing, magic and the impetus for change. Witches are the movers and the shakers. Our cauldrons glow and pulse with magic and our brooms cause rains or cleanse a home of negative energy.
I really want to post about something related to witches and witchcraft. But for the sake of all involved, I am not naming names here in this post. I just can’t resist the itch to post this but I do want to protect the privacy of those included here. It is professional that way. Ok so now that that is out of the way, here we go. I participated in an online course recently about parapsychology and demonology. I am so sad that I am not included any longer. I hope to continue the studies elsewhere.
The director whose name I will not mention here has crossed a fine line. I mean he was able to obtain medical records from a person who I will not name. But then after obtaining the records, he violates the privacy of the person involved to discuss the person on his podcasts and workshops. I think that is a violation of privacy but that is only my opinion. It is certainly not carved in stone. I am sure the person involved never gave the director permission to discuss her predicament and mental health publicly and online. That is such a violation. Is she aware of that violation? I sure hope so.
Just because one person doesn’t agree with a person’s religious or spiritual path doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with that person. I am relieved to have removed myself from the courses. I am sad that I can’t attend the Symposium next year. When I reflect on it, I have to ask myself why would I ever be interested in attending? If you are Catholic or Christian or a total bible thumper, then you would have the best time ever. I saw a person in the audience wave a cross in the air. I wanted to just whip out my pentacle and swing it at him rather briskly. Or sit next to him and get all witchy in his face. But I didn’t. I am glad I didn’t because then I was just giving them what they wanted and I am better than that. I would be no better than them and that is not the point here.
The persecution will never end. It has left a dark mark in history and the recent events prove it will never go away. Now I know what parapsychology means. Now that I am aware of the meaning, I will be even more of a Witch. I mean we don’t belong in the ghetto. We are out of the ghetto now and we are never going back there. Those so called pompous self-righteous bigots who want to damn every single life form on earth that isn’t exactly like them and should then be damned for that. That is why I keep this blog. I believe that religion has its place and science does too. I like science not as much as I like art but I am sure science has its place. I don’t want to be that mean to a person and treat them like paranormal phenomena is all in their head.
We witches have our place. We are out of the ghetto and in the lime light, the spotlight where we belong. We are not going away. We will stand strong against those who oppose us. The world is changing and the really religious people like Christians, Catholics and fundamentalists don’t have much choice in it. We all have to keep pace with the change. The world religions have their place and if it makes people happy, then power to you. Satanism and witchcraft – now don’t get me wrong or get bent out of shape by my words here – I am not lumping the two together at all in any shape and form – I am just saying it’s our turn. The other world religions while perhaps valid- had their turn. Now it’s ours. Let’s make it good and memorable and magical!
The director blocked me from the courses and the paranormal page on his Facebook group. Fine. Let him. I have other roads to stroll down and other fields to frolic in. And every single road has lots of cauldrons, cats and broomsticks for me. I am free to be me there. I skip and cuddle my cat and ride to the moon. But following my own path means more room for me to be me, instead of being judged and persecuted. I just wish I could talk to that woman whose privacy was violated but if she handed her own medical records over, then maybe she was aware of what would transpire. One can only hope.
I had hoped the world had become more accepting of those who are different, on the fringe. Well change is never easy. Yet change is the only constant. I hope the change is the one most desired and results in the most positive, most accepting change. Where people of all faiths and paths embrace each other and there is no wars over it. But that is a pipe dream and a naive way to view it, I know.
I can still hope and dream. Be strong, dream. Be aware, be magical. Shine bright starlight
March is now Women in Horror Month. That is cause for celebration! Although in my opinion, it’s every month. I opted to write a post for the WIHM- Women in Horror Month. I am reposting the article here and I am so happy to see it online! The topic of my post is Badass Women in Horror Movies.
So let’s hear it for these dangerous femme fatales! Enjoy
Badass Women in Horror Movies — Heddy Johannesen
Caution: May contain spoilers.
To celebrate Women in Horror Month, this post is about the most badass women in horror movies. This is a great roundup. Women in horror used to cower in the presence of murderers or gaze longingly at the male hero’s chiseled face. They often needed to be saved. Women now have the most central role in horror movies, evolving from the damsel in distress to becoming the final girl, or eventually even the protagonist. Most of these strong female characters began as bookish or timid then revealed their tougher true natures. You might feel as if you need to keep an eye out, sitting next to some of them in an auditorium.
Ellen Ripley: Alien
It can’t be the most bad ass women in horror list without including Ellen Ripley from Alien. She is the tough as nails protagonist who set a new standard for women in horror, sci-fi and action. She single-handedly braves a ferocious alien creature that murders her crew, saved her cat and escaped the vicious creature’s claws. She is the best final girl ever.
Imperator Furiosa: Mad Max: Fury Road
Charlize Theron plays Imperator Furiosa in the movie Mad Max: Fury Road. She stands up to toxic masculinity and sets out to rescue her young charges from a cruel man Immortan Joe and leads a rebellion against tyranny.
Clarice Starling: Silence of the Lambs
Clarice Starling is a young FBI agent working on a case to catch murderer, Buffalo Bill. She forms an unlikely friendship with the fierce cannibal, Hannibal Lecter (who had been caught years earlier) as she tries to glean the inner workings of the mind of a killer. She shows true courage and unparalleled determination.
Sarah Connor: The Terminator 1 & 2
Sarah Connor starts as a waitress destined to be a mother to John Connor. She fights against brutal cyborgs that want to kill her bloodline. Her protectiveness and her razor-sharp instincts were key in her transformation from waitress to warrior.
Lady Van Tassel: Sleepy Hollow
Double, double, toil and trouble! Lady Van Tassel is definitely trouble. She has a bad grudge and strong desire for money and dominance and will use her witch powers and intelligence to get exactly what she wants. Even if that means practicing necromancy in secret and summoning the cunning and deadly Headless Horseman to cut off people’s heads. Beware.
Helen Lyle: Candyman
Helen Lyle is a grad student who has a strong interest in myths and folklore. She moves to a town filled with fear about the legend of the Candyman. She doesn’t believe it (at first). But she is soon drawn deeper into the mystery, and comes face to face with the one-armed murderer herself.
Ginger Fitzgerald: Ginger Snaps
Two sisters flirt with death. On the night of a full moon, Ginger is bitten by a werewolf and she begins to change psychologically and physically. She kills off a janitor, counselor and a local drug dealer. Her struggle with her newfound identity is a poignant metaphor for adolescence and puberty.
Alice: Resident Evil
Alice wakes up with amnesia in a classy mansion. She slowly regains her memories and battles zombies, discovering who she really is along the way. As her identity is revealed to her, so is the secret information about dangerous illegal experiments. She defies the Red Queen, who released amnesia-causing nerve agents into the lab.
Lydia Deetz: Beetlejuice
The goth clairvoyant and troubled teenage daughter is the only one to see the recently deceased Maitlands in her new home. It had been theirs before they passed away. She befriends them and helps them scare away the living, but when the Maitlands summon Beetlejuice to boot the new residents out, Lydia helps the dead couple save the day.
Laurie Strode: Halloween
A high school babysitter who just wants a normal life encounters a knife-wielding madman named Michael Myers. She’s a survivor, and she outwits the seemingly unstoppable horror movie icon, demonstrates strength and bravery throughout.
Kirsty Cotton: Hellraiser
Kirsty Cotton may have accidentally summoned the Cenobites. Instead of running scared, she makes a deal with the demons to bring them to the skinless Frank who is back from the dead, willing to murder innocent victims. When the demons begin to prey on her next, she banishes the leather clad monsters back to their own hellish realm.
Meg Penny: The Blob
Meg is not your typical teenage girl. Though she catches the attention of a local football player Paul Taylor, she is a brave and determined young woman. A mysterious asteroid lands on earth near her town, which releases a strange gelatinous substance that munches on people. Meg rescues her loved ones, learning that the blob hates cold, along the way. Armed with knowledge that no one else could figure out, she saves the town.
Carrie White: Carrie
Is Carrie a victor or a victim? You decide. A teenage girl lives at the mercy of her religious zealot mother and the bullying schoolgirls. But things start to change when she discovers she has telekinetic powers. When she is doused in pig’s blood at the prom, Carrie unleashes her fury and powers in one of cinema’s most memorable scenes. No one gets out alive.
Thomasin: The Witch
Thomasin is a good girl at the beginning of Robert Eggers’ movie The Witch. But when her baby brother goes missing, and a series of tragic events cast her as the villain, Thomasin becomes the one thing her paranoid family accuses her of being: a Witch. Rather than run from the coven of satanic witches in the woods responsible for murdering her family, she makes a pact with the devil and joins them in a bold statement about female empowerment.
Annie Wilkes: Misery
The seemingly sweet and reclusive nurse, Annie Wilkes, loves to read romance novels. She rescues Paul Sheldon, a novelist who just survived a car accident and traps him in her home. He soon discovers help is never coming. Annie wields a sledgehammer and forces him to write a new novel.
Akasha: Queen of the Damned
Some doors are best left closed. When a vampire with a thirst for vampire and mortal blood resides behind those walls, it is clear why they should remain hidden. Lestat’s violin music reawakens Akasha, and she revels in a blood driven rampage.
Pamela Voorhees: Friday the 13th
Pamela is burdened by teenage pregnancy, mental health issues, single motherhood and a disabled son. It is all too much for her. After her disabled son drowns, she feels a strong compulsion to murder camp counselors whether they are innocent or not.
Lucille Sharpe: Crimson Peak
Lucille Sharpe is beautiful and darkly charismatic. But don’t let her fragile beauty fool you, she survived abuse as a child and turned to her brother Thomas for love. She is an insane murderous woman. Don’t get caught in her clutches.
Jennet Humfrye: The Woman in Black
Based on the novella written by Susan Hill, the woman in black is formidable. She forever mourns the loss of her own child. She haunts Eel Marsh House as a malevolent wraith and murders all the children in the neighborhood. Her story is a tragic reminder of the horrors that can befall women.
Grace Stewart: The Others
Ah motherhood. The joys – and sorrows. Grace protects her two light sensitive children from any threat, whether spectral or real. The beautiful home is cast in darkness and secrets. But it is soon discovered that the war and the isolation it inflicted on her is too much for her. So, she smothered her two children and killed herself. They are the ones haunting the home. But once the secrets are revealed, the ghost children can now play in the sunlight.
***
Heddy Johannesen is a conjuror of Gothic Fiction. She has written for many horror magazines such as Polar Borealis, Handbook of the Dead, The Feminine Macabre, Paranormal Chronicles, Untimely Frost, Samhain Secrets, One Night in Salem, Wax & Wane: A Gathering of Witchy Tales, Witches and Pagans Magazine, Horror Novel Reviews: One Hellacious Halloween. Heddy Johannesen has 14 years of experience as a freelance writer and a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She successfully graduated from an online Copyediting Certification course through Writer’s Digest University. She is a member of the Horror Writers Association. She attended the virtual Horror Writers Association StokerCon writing convention in 2021 and in 2022. She’s a writer with a fascination for the paranormal. Find her on Twitter at @magicka66
The invasion has begun! It is inescapable. Penny has run out of play room too! Oh my what am I to do? Did I get your attention? Ok I’m referring to the invasion of seedlings that have taken over my home, Goodness there are so many plant pots in here. Burn a candle and light some incense! Play relaxing music.
This post is about how to create your own soil mixes for your own tender seedlings. You DO have young green seedlings in your apartment right? lol
Well let’s get started. I like mixing up the soil.
Ever notice that plant pots are round in shape? I like to think of the planters and plant pots as cauldrons. They have a lot more to do with cauldrons than you think. This may just change the way you garden from now on. Grab a cup of tea and join me.
I mentioned the benefits of purchasing and using good quality soil in the last post, right? There is a good reason for that. It helps your plants get off to their best start, off to the races running. or, in this case, growing. Let’s take it a step further.
Set down newspaper on the counter or wherever you choose to work in your home. Put the plant pot or seedling plant pot on the newspaper. Be willing to get your hands dirty. I love getting my hands right into the soil but that’s just me. Place a pitcher full of cold water nearby. Open the bag of soil. Next tip: I put a cloth grocery bag (plastic bags are banned here). It keeps the bag from spilling or making a mess. Just don’t forget about it but you won’t, will you?
Mix the soil into the plant pot. As you do this, envision that you are filling the pot with the energy of the Goddess. (Use a round pot for this.) You will see why now. The pot is round, so is a cauldron. The pot is deep ( well, most of them are). So is a cauldron. The cauldron is the deep earthy womb of the Goddess. The pot is too once it is full of soil. Once it is full of soil, meditate and reflect on the earthy goodness of the soil from the Goddess and the pot too. Mix that soil up in your hands. Smell it, feel it, cradle it in your hands. Visualize the energy traveling from your hands to the soil. Feel the energy traveling from the soil to you. I always do feel the energy of the soil. That is why I never wear gardening gloves. I love feeling the connection.
Stir the soil with a wooden spoon or your own eager hands. Loosen up any clumps and remove rocks. If you want, depending on what stage of growing your seedlings you are at, you can add fertilizer. Mix in bonemeal, bloodmeal, worm castings, coffee grounds or ground eggshells. Be sure to stir thoroughly. As you do, mix well and visualize. Direct the energy of your intention into the soil.
If you choose, you can put the seedling into the plant pot THEN fill it with the soil. After that, when you have centered the seedling into the pot, and placed it in deeper than it was before in the starter pot, add the soil. Be sure to visualize, direct the energy and feel the soil in your hands. Grow with love and you will get love. The DNA of the future plant is contained within the seed. So planting a seed truly is an act of magic!
Once the seed is planted, in a matter of days a cotyledon emerges, a tiny sprout. That sprout can grow into an oak tree, parsley or a pumpkin. Don’t crowd your seedlings – their tender roots need room to grow. I watched my Mother transplant over three dozen cherry tomato plant seedlings. Some of the starter pots contained up to five seedlings! They are all growing in their own pots now, much less crowded.
A plant is a living being with feelings. Treat the plant like that and you will be rewarded many times over with a plant happy to grow and bloom and/ or bear fruit or seeds! If it is thirsty, water it. If it droops, place it in more light. If it is crowded or rootbound, repot it. I can sense when a plant is thirsty. You can also use your hair dryer to blow for a few seconds on your plants. That signals to them that they should grow strong stems. If it is warm enough where you live, leave the window open. The wind that wafts in will help them grow!
I hope this post inspires you to get growing your own plants! Let me know in the comments below.
Production or should I say, construction of my dreamy winter coat has been postponed. The lining material has strangely vanished. I can’t explain it. Besides, I want a new colour for the lining material. The red I chose is in my opinion, the wrong colour. Since I have to live with the shade of brown for the rest of my life, I am purchasing a tan or camel colour at the end of the month. The ling material that I have now is too red, more like a wine or a burgundy color. I can’t wait to get back to work on it.
Imbolc is here! Imbolc is the first of the three spring Sabbats. It doesn’t look like spring today. The sky is dark and overcast, and rain batters the houses and streets. Spring is a while yet in coming. mbolc is a pagan holiday celebrated from February 1 through sundown February 2. Based on a Celtic tradition, Imbolc was meant to mark the halfway point between winter solstice and the spring equinox in Neolithic Ireland and Scotland.
Imbolc, or Imbolg, is one of the lesser-known festivals of the ancient Celts, but it was one of the four most important festivals in the Celtic calendar. For this ancient society, the year revolved around two main points; on the one hand, since the Celts were an agricultural society, everything was based around the harvest.
On the other hand, they also had an in-depth knowledge about the alignment of the sun and stars, which history suggests had great significance for them. So their calendar was neatly divided up into four quarters, with a festival to celebrate reaching each one. The year started with Samhain at the end of October, when the harvest was in full swing, to prepare for the onset of winter.
In Celtic philosophy, light must always follow dark, so this is why their year began on such a somber note. Bealtaine at the beginning of May marked the coming of summer, the beginning of sowing crops, and the light half of the year, and was the biggest and happiest celebration. In between were Lughnasa in August, marking the beginning of the harvest, and Imbolc in February, to celebrate the beginning of spring.
What was Imbolc about?
Simply put, Imbolc was a celebration of the end of winter and the impending light half of the year.
The hardest part of the year was over; adverse weather, cold temperatures, food rationing, and of course, no warfare (an integral part of Celtic society) would soon be a thing of the past.
Farmers were getting ready to go back to work, preparing animals for breeding, warriors were picking up their weapons again, and the political and social aspects of life that had been put on hold for winter were also beginning again.
The name Imbolc originates from ‘i mbolg’, which translates as ‘in the belly’. This refers to livestock breeding season, particularly the pregnancy of ewes, which was one of the focal points of the celebration.
Because the festival was so associated with this, it’s timing often varied – it could be anywhere from mid-January to mid- February depending on the weather and the animals’ behaviour.
It also appeared to have a more spiritual significance for the Celts too, as it’s no coincidence that more than a few megalithic monuments around Ireland are perfectly aligned with the rising sun around the dates of Imbolc and Samhain.
Imbolc was celebrated all across Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man, with each region having slightly different variations in name and customs. Wales also had a remarkably similar version of the festival known as Gwyl Fair y Canhwyllau.
After the onset of Christianity in Ireland, the festival was tied in with a celebration of Saint Bridget, and transformed from a pagan one into a Christian one.
Christians used Brigid as the focal point of their celebrations to smooth the transition, as Imbolc had previously been associated with a goddess of a very similar name, Brighid. Essentially, Bridget and Brighid were the same person! As with all Celtic festivals, Imbolc involved a host of unique customs and rituals to welcome the spring, say farewell to the winter, ward against evil and promote health and wellbeing.
Imbolc was similar to Samhain and Bealtaine in that fire played an integral part of the celebrations, although not on the same scale. While at Samhain bonfires were lit to ward off evil spirits and at Bealtaine they served to offer protection and growth, at Imbolc they were symbolic of the sun’s return.
Rather than a huge central bonfire at the centre of the festivities, Imbolc was more about the home and each home’s hearth. Every home in the community would have their own fire burning right through the night, and during medieval times when homes consisted of actual wood and stone buildings rather than the wattle and daub huts of the Celts, all of the fires in the house were lit for the night. If for some reason that was not possible, it was sufficient to have candles lit in every room instead.
The Celts were always concerned about the weather (something that has lasted up until the present day with modern Irish people!), so Imbolc was an important time to read omens and attempt to predict the weather for the summer. An unusual but widely popular omen was if the weather was especially bad on the day of Imbolc, which meant a great summer was on the way. This is because one of the more malicious creatures in Irish folklore, the Cailleach, would spend the day of Imbolc collecting firewood for herself if winter was to last a while longer.
To do this, she would obviously need a bright and dry day to collect her wood, so if Imbolc was wet and windy, that meant the Cailleach had gone to sleep and winter would soon be over.
Visiting wells was another important custom for Imbolc, particularly holy wells. Visitors would walk around the well in the same direction as the sun traversed the sky at that point on the land, praying for health and wealth for the year.
Offerings were left at the well once this was done; usually coins or ‘clooties’ (pieces of cloth). Special foods were also part of the festivities, usually consisting of bannock – a flatbread cut into wedges – as well as dairy products and meat.
The early Celtic version of Imbolc was not all that different from the festival in early medieval times when Christianity was taking hold in Ireland. One of the goddesses the Celts worshipped at this festival was Bhrigid, the daughter of Dagda (the chief Celtic deity) and one of the Tuatha De Dannan, the first inhabitants of Ireland.
She is associated with many things, most significantly poetry and fertility, but such activities as healing, smithing, arts, and crafts, tending to livestock and serpents also make the cut. She is credited with creating a whistle for people to call to one another through the night.
Some legends claim that while one half of her face was beautiful, the other was horribly ugly. She is thought by many to be the Celtic equivalent of the Roman goddess Minerva and the Greek goddess Athena.
Saint Bridget, on the other hand, was not a mythical goddess but a real woman, born in Dundalk, County Louth, around the 5th century AD.
During her lifetime she became a nun, founded numerous monasteries and performed her fair share of miracles, becoming one of the foremost advocates of Christianity in Ireland. After her death, she was made one of Ireland’s patron saints (and the only female patron saint), along with Patrick and Columba. So it was a natural progression for Imbolc, the pagan festival worshipping the goddess Bhrigid, to become the Christian festival in honour of Saint Bridget. February 2nd was chosen as the permanent day of celebration.
For the Celts, Bhrigid represented the all-important light half of the year, so her presence was much revered during the festival.
On Imbolc Eve, it was claimed that she would visit the most virtuous homes and bless everyone who slept in them, so people would leave pieces of clothing, food, or other tokens outside the entrance for her to bless, or to entice her into the home, It was Bhrigid’s role as a fertility goddess that was most important here, but for the medieval people of Ireland, her healing powers and general protective sense were as important as well as her fertility.
The majority of Imbolc traditions regarding Bhrigid or Bridget come from this time. While the tradition of leaving small tributes to Bridget on the doorstep continued for several centuries, several others sprang up too.
Celtic Inspired Torc Pendant – Celts believed the ancient Torc provided the wearer with a mystical form of protection
Ashes from the fire that was left to burn all night long would be smoothed out and left to see if a mark from Bridget appeared, to confirm that she had visited the house. Sometimes a makeshift bed would even be made up next to the fire, in case the saint wanted to rest a while.
This tradition was particularly popular in the Isle of Man and Scotland, where there were several short rhymes to go along with the tradition, acting as a call to the Saint to come and visit – generally, they were some variation on the phrase ‘Bridget, come in to our home, your bed is ready’. In some areas across Ireland and Scotland, women played a very important part in the festivities. They would make a doll figure from rushes known as a ‘Brideog’, dress it in white and with flowers, and carry it in a procession while singing hymns and poems in honour of Bridget.
At every home they passed, they would receive more pieces of cloth or small bits of food for the Brideog. Once the procession was finished, they would place the Brideog in a seat of honour and have a feast with all of the food, before placing it in a bed for the night while they began celebrations.
The most well-known tradition, however, and one that is still practiced today, is making a Saint Bridget’s cross and hanging it in the home. These crosses were a unique symbol of the transition from Paganism to Christianity. Before, bunches of rushes were tied together and hung at the entrance to homes to welcome Bhrigid. One of the stories of Bridget’s lifetime, however, recounts how she wove a cross from rushes and placed it above a dying man’s bed.
He roused from his delirium to ask what she was doing, and on hearing what it meant, he asked to be baptised before his death.
Since then, the cross has been a symbol for Bridget, and was also a familiar symbol for the Celts, making it the perfect transition symbol for Imbolc. The cross is distinctive, with a square in the middle and each point of the cross placed at a corner of the square. Somewhere between then and now, placing a cross in your kitchen came to mean that your house would be protected from fire.
Imbolc today
Unlike Samhain, which transformed into the much loved night of Halloween, Imbolc is one Celtic festival that hasn’t quite survived through history.
Although Christians still celebrate St. Bridget’s Day in Ireland and children still learn how to make crosses at the start of February, little else remains of the ancient Celtic spring festival. However, Saint Bridget’s cross, made from rushes and hung around the home just as the Celts would have done, is as good a reminder as any to the festival’s ancient and mythological origins.
The post below is not for the faint of heart. ! Read on if you dare.
Contact with a Shadowman
Neuroscience and Paranormal Believers Have Different Theories
An Kirillova / Getty Images
A shadow person is a humanoid figure that you perceive in a patch of shadow. Some believe that they are supernatural spirits or extradimensional beings.
Most encounters with shadow people—those smoky, person-shaped entities that move around in the dark—are fleeting glimpses. They are seen out of the corner of your eye, swiftly passing across a wall or ducking around a corner. You may wonder if the rational explanation for these quick glimpses are that they are imagined or just ordinary shadows of some kind. Maybe they’re real, maybe they’re not.
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How to Conduct a Paranormal Investigation
Another kind of shadow person encounter—a close encounter of the second kind, to borrow J. Allen Hynek’s UFO classification system—is rarer and more compelling. The witness sees the shadow entity for an extended period, not merely a passing glance. It could be for a half minute, a few minutes or even more. The witness can often also detect human-like movement: the raising of an arm, the turn of a head, or walking. The witness gets a pretty good look at the thing and is able to describe it in some detail. Very often, these detailed descriptions compel the witness to ascribe an intelligence to the specter. It’s not just a shadow, it seems to be an entity that moves and even reacts with purpose.
A shadow person encounter of the third kind is rarer still: contact. In this case, the witness actually is touched or is otherwise affected physically by the entity.
The Nature of Shadow Beings
These perceptions of shadowmen often occur when you awaken partially and are in the stage of REM sleep paralysis. You are semi-conscious but your vivid dreams from REM sleep continue and you can experience hallucinations, including that there is an intruder in your bedroom. During this phase, you are unable to move or speak but your senses seem to be clear. Neuroscientists sayat least 20 percent of the population experiences these sleep paralysis episodes. Researchers have reproduced these feelings by stimulating a site in the brain’s left hemisphere.
When you are fully awake but hyper-vigilant, such as when walking alone at night, you might become fearful of any shadowy movement and imagine a threat.
Heidi Hollis wrote a book on shadow people, “The Secret War: The Heavens Speak of the Battle,” and appeared often on Art Bell’s “Coast to Coast AM” radio show to discuss the topic. She believes they are aliens and gives advice on warding them off. Shadow people have been the topic of horror movies and a 1985 “Twilight Zone” episode.
A Shadowman Encounter
Michael W. tells of his close encounter in the fall of 1998. It has many typical characteristics, including that his perceptions happened when he awoke during the night. He had just purchased a home and spent the day painting it before moving in. His friends left for the night but he decided to sleep in a bean bag chair. He awoke in the middle of the night feeling thirsty and went into the dark kitchen for a glass of water.
“That’s when I got a distinct feeling that someone was watching me. There at the top of the basement stairs and in front of the light switch, I could distinctly make out the figure of what I automatically assumed was my good friend Larry.” He called out to the figure, which didn’t respond. “I was still absolutely convinced that I was looking at a living person. My guard went up with the dangerous possibilities of who it could be.” He took out his pocket knife in case he needed to defend himself.
“Then in an instant, the shadow moved forward in my direction. I lunged forward with the knife extended outward. I saw the shadow move into my arm as if deliberately trying to impale itself on my weapon, and it kept on coming!” He screamed and the entity continued straight through his body.
“I spun around in a circular motion 180 degrees. I saw the shadow moving at an almost leisurely pace away from me. It proceeded through the large kitchen, into the adjoining dining room, and finally through the wall that would have led outside if it were a door.” He finally turned on the light switch. Wide awake now, he searched the house, found nothing, and evacuated to his old apartment for the rest of the night.
He never had a repeat of that encounter while living in the house. Of note, he said he wondered whether he was thirsty due to the paint fumes. A rational explanation would be that those could have been an influence, as well as an episode of a hallucination associated with sleep paralysis. He wondered if it might be associated with the address ending in 666 and that the house was aligned with magnetic north.
I am happy to share my blog post from the Horror Writers Association annual blog event. I hope you enjoy it!!
Halloween Haunts: Paranormal Halloween by Heddy Johannesen
Halloween casts a dark spell on us. October enchants the young and old as spirits roam free. The veil between the worlds is thinnest now. I have a keen and strong interest in the paranormal. I would happily work as a paranormal investigator if I could. I have researched the paranormal as much as I can. I also am clairvoyant and clairsentient. This has helped me to study the paranormal and spirit world.
I was sitting with a friend in my kitchen one summer night. We chatted for hours. The night was hot, so we drank colas to keep us cool. It was quiet and peaceful. Or so we thought. We had a good talk. I was holding a cola in my hand. I looked from Stefan to a spot in my kitchen. I don’t know why but something made me glance in that direction. I wish I didn’t to this day.
I glanced at the wall by my back door. It happened so fast. My heart leapt to my chest. A dark black shadow person with sharp pointed nails or fingers appeared and walked straight into my cupboards. Stefan saw the way I was staring. He didn’t see what I saw. He should be thankful. The dark shadow was wispy, transparent, and generated an aura of evil. It moved with speed and in an unusual way. This being was clearly not from our dimension. I have yet to learn where it came from and why it chose my apartment.
My heart jumped at the sight of the eerie shadow person. I wish I knew how it got in my home and what it was doing there. I haven’t seen the being since. I wish I knew why it chose my apartment. I may have to live with never knowing why and accept that I may not receive the answers to that in the way I want to. They don’t communicate the way that we wish they could. They are beyond death.
Stefan asked me what I saw. I told him. My heart pounded. We did an energy clearing to banish that bad spirit. I was and still am truly puzzled. I have no idea why the spirit chose my home other than that I am clairsentient. That attracts spirits and shadow people. That is the only explanation I can think of.
Stefan and I placed crystals above doors, and on window ledges. I smudged the house with sage. We sprinkled salt on the windowsills and below doorways. I privately don’t think that did any good. The shadow person entered my home. It may have helped to a small degree.
I have many questions. Is my home a portal for spirits? I have a strong feeling the Otherworld is not a place we would enjoy. They will exist for eternity. The more the veil between the world thins, they can cross over into our realm and even in our dreams.
Ghosts, demons and shadow people are attracted to people with low vibrational energies. If you are struggling with addictions, are abused, or depressed, you are a target for the lower vibrational spirits. If you use a Ouija board, you draw them toward you. They don’t hear your voice, but they can sense your vibrational signal from afar. You send an energetic signal. That is what the demons or earthbound ghosts’ sense from you. You may be unaware of it but they sense it. I own a few Ouija boards that I sprinkle with salt and know how to psychically defend myself from them.
The veil between the realms of the living and the dead is thinning. The most common times is Halloween. Paranormal investigations and ghost hunting tools are becoming popular.
I am trained in paranormal investigating. I live in a haunted town with a dark bloody history. I investigate haunted restaurants here and even my own home. If you are keen on the paranormal, you must shield yourself to avoid unwanted energies from attaching themselves to you. Once you have mastered psychically shielding yourself, you need faith and belief in a Higher Power. Call on your ancestors to help you. A strong heart is your greatest weapon should you encounter a malicious entity. Concentrate on a psychic shield around you. Set your intention that you will not be affected by an evil spirit.
Gather the tools you need that have protective properties. Hematite, labradorite, smoky quartz, clear quartz, or tiger’s eye are suitable. Pentacles, runes, gemstones, white and black candles, dragon’s blood ink and even black salt are potent tools for ghost hunting.
Be sure your batteries are fully charged. Entities drain the energy out of batteries so take extra with you. Bring a flashlight, cab fare, wear sensible footwear, and a good friend. Do not go alone. Ghost hunts occur at night. Be careful.
Other ghost hunting tools to add to your collection are a K-II EMF Meter, a spirit box, a digital camera, and a way to measure the temperature of a room. If a spirit is present, the temperature in a room can become ice cold. That is good evidence of the presence of a spirit.
If you do a ghost hunt at a location first obtain permission from the owners to visit the place. Ask them if they believe the home or business is haunted and what odd occurrences they’ve noticed. Take notes and be polite to the owners.
Do research on the history of the building. A ghost hunt does not involve the glamour and scares the way Hollywood portrays it. It often means sitting in the quiet dark with your equipment waiting for evidence of things that go bump in the night.
When you are at the location, it is important to seek evidence rather than an experience. There is a distinction between the two. Later, as you are analyzing what your EMF meter or spirit box detected, the memory of you screaming at a spirit to appear at your command is not considered evidence. The evidence that you collected based on scientific methods is far more valuable. It builds your reputation too.
It is acceptable to be objective of the homeowner’s claims that their home is haunted. They may like the fancy more than the fact. Offer to do the investigation anyway and be polite. Later, you can turn down an appointment or a follow up if it ends up the home was not haunted at all.
Respect the spirits. They cannot be conjured at will. If the ghost or negative entity is causing serious problems for people, then recommend a local church to aid in banishing the spirits from the home. Don’t attempt it yourself.
After you return home, cleanse yourself and your ghost hunting equipment of any lingering energies. Ghost hunts can stretch on for hours. It’s important to rest and ground and center yourself afterward.
Be careful when you use Ouija boards. Have salt and sage at hand and bid the spirits farewell when you complete your sessions. Believe in your power whatever faith you believe in. Your faith in your power is your most powerful tool. It will guide you on your new hobby or career exploring the paranormal. I hope you enjoyed this article. Keep an open mind to the paranormal. Have a deep faith in a Higher Power and faith in yourself.
I don’t know why the spirit was in my apartment that night. I may never know. I do know that spirit manifestations are on the rise. We can protect ourselves from any negativity and be curious about the Otherworld. It is the final frontier for all of us.
I’m a member of the Horror Writers Association. My writing has appeared in The Feminine Macabre, Handbook of the Dead, Ghosts, Spirits and Spectres Volume 2, Samhain Secrets,Untimely Frost-Poetry Unthawed,One Night in Salem, Wax & Wane: A Gathering of Witchy Tales, The Dark Ones: Tales and Poems of the Shadow Gods, and Witches and Pagans Magazine.
I cleaned my broom closet this week. The closet desperately needed to be cleaned. I didn’t clean the closet floor in months. I thought I smelled something off, like a dead mouse. Turned out to not be the case. I removed everything- by that I mean, lots of cloth bags, the recycling bin, the 2 glass cloches, a lamp, tote bins, plastic boxes, a big heavy bookcase, a tall plastic stand with clear plastic drawers. I was quite tired after all that heavy lifting. I swept and mopped the floor then sorted through it all. I returned everything but the bookcase and the junk/ trash to the closet. Now I have more room and order. My Mom has the bookcase which I took to her apt today via cab. She also has the old laptop, keyboard, charger and mouse. My whole place is more organized and clean. I love it!! I emptied a tote bin of ancient belongings I don’t care about.
I believed for a long time that my closet was haunted. But I spoke with a guy I know after showing him a photo of my closet. He believes there is nothing nefarious down there. He thinks the broom closet just has trapped energy that is hemmed in and can’t move. I hung a pentacle and gemstones in a pouch down there. I used salt and sage in the closet. My EMF meter would glow too. It lit. up. Then I was forced to debunk my theory about the EMF meter when I realized that it lit up because of the power box, not spooks being the cause.
That said, a power box is not usually a reason for why I feel followed as I climb the steps up to the main floor. I show photos of my broom closet to mediums and psychics and they believe that there is something – a spirit, an earthbound ghost in the closet. Some people have gone far enough to tell me they think there is a demon down there. I don’t believe that. I am willing to believe there is a spirit but it is not demonic. Here’s why.
The energy is contained, hemmed in. A demon cannot be trapped. A demon will likely go anywhere it damn well pleases. The energy is contained and has been that way all the time I have lived there. If you think this through, it really makes no sense. Not all spirits or ghosts, forerunners etc are demons. If you ever have a demon in your home, you would know it. They are like insects, they make themselves known. So I don’t believe it is a demon. My cat sits down there and she is calm. If you do have a demon, your cat will hide under the bed and never come out, no matter how much you coax it. Animals are exceedingly attuned to energies and far more psychic than we are. So if she is calm, I am calm.
Some nights I see the spirit always in that one spot, practically staring back at me. Other times, it is not there and everything feels calm. Some people are quick to conclude it must be a demon. They never take the time to think it through. I just watched a little part of Ghost Adventures. This woman claimed that her home was haunted by a nasty – ok nasty-demon. She had moved to stay with a relative. Bad move there. The entity was then free to do as it willed. It didn’t sense a threat. She also took people in who had serious mental problems and had severe addictions. What a dumb woman. I am talking heroin addicts. Again, bad move. I mean she was dumb. My mother took boarders in but she screened them and made them give her glowing references. No heroin addict is going to have a clear record or give a glowing reference. Then she wonders why she has such serious issues. There was no demon, she just had serious issues. My mother would never have taken in a heroin addict. I wonder what that woman was thinking. It’s clear she wasn’t thinking. I have seen a shadow person in my home but I think that something more serious was going on there.
I think they were wasting their time. But they are clearly as gullible as her. Most people want something to cry about. I can give an example here. These people for whatever reason- and don’t ever do this in your home- nailed ouija boards to the walls of the building. I would NEVER do that. Ever. This one tenant then claimed that a demon had infested itself to the building. However, when I entered to offer help to the guy, I did feel a nasty energy there. The very second I entered, I felt it. It hit me like a huge wave. So perhaps there was something in there. But I found his later claims hard to believe. I needed to see it to believe it. But then I am that way about everything. I am impatient and stubborn and not so gullible.
That woman I mentioned above would just be fair game for a bad entity. I felt bad about how she found her husband lying dead. Ouch. Entities can prey on a person feeling vulnerable. She was operating on a much lower vibration. Entities can sense that. It is a beacon to them. Oh yes they do pick up on that. It is like the glow from the lighthouse for ships that have to make port. That shines very bright to them and it is irresistible. If something did haunt her to wreak havoc in her life, it found her signal. I would taste bad to an entity because I know how to shield myself. She still deserves a hug.
I have studied psychic development and psychic shielding. I am a much harder target for a nasty entity to feed off of. I wish that woman had studied what I did and knew what I know. She would be much happier and if she used her brains, not let heroin addicts move in. I mean C’mon. That only leads to problems. I hope she works everything out in her life. Then her vibration will be higher.
Witchcraft is shrouded in mystery. We were and are persecuted. It is not what people think. People only see what they want to see, not the facts. That woman in the show is a perfect example. She saw what she wanted to see: oh my god my home is overrun by demons. Well maybe. Lots of bad stuff was happening which would draw them to her. But if Witches are so bad, which isn’t true, then why are we the ones who know how to psychically shield ourselves from such negativity? Again, the endless and needless persecution. If people used their brains and learned how to shield themselves, they would be faring much better in life- but Ghost Adventures would be out of work,. People need to believe they are being attacked to get to appear on the notorious show. Heck, the ghost hunters don’t even shield themselves. They let themselves get affected. Oh it’s proof. It seems sadistic to me.
But again, it comes back to the mystery. I believe- and this is just me, that everyone on earth is entitled to learn how to psychically shield themselves. Everyone. I wish it was more common knowledge. Then if there were nasty entities hanging around, the entities would find themselves faced with a challenge. Unfortunately, that is not the case. That’s sad. You don’t need to be a Witch to study psychic development. It would benefit people in many ways, some of which are mentioned in this post. I hope that more people do get the chance to study psychic development. It is a natural thing to do and it takes a bit of hard work, but the payoffs are amazing. It’s the difference between a friend handing you $5 or the lottery jackpot. Don’t you want the jackpot? I do. They would have to let go of their temptation to stigmatize psychic development and witchcraft. As if that would ever happen.
I don’t believe that my broom closet is haunted by a demon. It could be haunted or it more likely is just trapped energy. I did sprinkle holy water in it which did help. It has not harmed me so it is not that nefarious. Until something nasty happens, and I may be waiting a long time for that, I will just chill.
I am more qualified than most to conjure spirits. As I have demonstrated above, I am more practical and psychically trained. I have been trained in mediumship, psychic development and psychic shielding. I have done a lot of meditation work, trance work, visualization, etc. I would never nail an ouija board to my walls or use an ouija board in a warehouse at midnight for shits and giggles. I take it seriously. When you don’t respect it, that is when you have problems.
Last night a mouse appeared by my front door in the hall. Penny tore after the terrified mouse like a bat out of hell. I heard squeaks and saw something small and grey running for its life. Not that I blame the mouse. Penny is one cute cat but she is also a huntress by nature. Sometimes I forget that.
I am so excited!!! It’s great owning a new computer monitor and printer et al. But that’s not the best news!!!! I am attending the virtual StokerCon of May 2021. Oh my gosh I can’t wait. I wish I could attend the real StokerCon but I am just grateful enough for the virtual event!!
A friend of mine on Facebook is a paranormal investigation Ghost Trackers UK.
Ghost trackers UK TV show team are Scott Lee Bower Host lead paranormal investigator Psychic medium. Scott lay Paranormal investigator cameraman trance medium. Kerrylee Whetren Paranormal investigator Spiritual Witch. We are a small group of friends that love the Paranormal that love searching for Paranormal activity in and around the UK as well as helping people in need with paranormal problems Hauntings We do spirit clearances for people Our mission is to investigate and film any activity we may catch for our show for you to watch we are Ghost trackers UK TV show.
I have watched a few episodes on YouTube. What is so chilling is that they are so authentic. I have witnessed orbs, and they’re equipment not working, and cold spots. Scott Bower is a very nice person. It is just the three of them- his team and they go on paranormal investigations and genuinely experience the paranormal. It is not as flashy and stylish as Ghost Adventures but I enjoy watching Ghost Trackers for their authentic encounters. I mean I wish I had a team of investigators with me when I want to go ghost hunting.
I have more good news. My article about my own haunted hometown of Halifax will be published in The Feminine Macabre by SpookEats. This is the second reprint of my article. The journal The Feminine Macabre is an all women journal devoted to all things paranormal. I am happy to be included in the journal sure to be jam packed with spine tingling stories. The first Volume will have a foreword written by Patti Neghri of Ghost Adventures! My story will appear in Volume 2. I shall. keep you posted. Volume 2 will be released this August.
Ostara is the next turn in the Wheel of the Year. Spring inches closer and closer. Ostara is the spring equinox. From here on in, we can bid the dark half of the year farewell as we embrace the lighter half of the year. I am eager to start gardening. Ostara is the time when night and day are in equal perfect balance. I look forward to Ostara, the second spring Sabbat in the wheel of the year.
Imbolc is almost here! I can’t wait for spring. When I step outdoors, I am hit with a bone chilling blast of cold air. I do have to leave the house sometimes. I don’t have to like the cold. Spring is a long way off but we can now anticipate its ‘return.
I recently introduced even more order into my apartment. I went to an office supplies store, Staples, and bought two black plastic stackable crates. From the way they were placed on the shelf and that there were just two crates waiting for me, I knew they were meant for me. I grabbed them and carried them through the store. I bought purple hanging file folders- black and purple, of course! I now have my files all organized and I gave the two dozen now empty binders to my Mom. She appreciated the binders very much and I am glad because now the binders have a new good purpose.
The best thing to come out of this lockdown and Covid was the reorganizing of my home. It is in way more order than it ever was before. I do believe the last section here is the broom closet. I have more space down there but it is far from perfect. I plan to donate a lot of stuff to Value Village where I work. I also bought a cool black wire box decorated with flowers to store my manuscript in. I have to get busy editing my ghost story now that I am under contract. But with my home in way more order, I am sure that won’t be a problem.
Clutter is a sign of excess. It is good to round up all the ‘clutter’ and then donate it. Donating items to a thrift shop prevents the items from ending up in landfill. That is one great thing about Value Village;- all that stuff would be in landfill otherwise.
I bought a white candle in a beautiful white marble candle holder. The flame glows nicely and is burning steadily. I may be speaking for myself here but I will miss the dark half of the year. Now we turn to the lighter half of the year. But I revel, I thrive in the darker half of the year. I do miss my garden. With Imbolc creeping up on us, we can now turn our attention to starting seeds indoors and such.
Once I see sprouts in my garden poke through the soil, I will be missing my garden. It’s all I will care about. I wish you all a merry magickal Imbolc.
Please do not steal or copy from this blog. If you do, be prepared to be stomped on by the Fates and karma for your bad character. I can be reached at :
heddyjohannesen @ gmail.com
