Tag Archives: Witchcraft

Witches in the Lime light )O(

Merry meet all,

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

Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

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Paranormal Investigation at spooky Hotel

Merry meet all,

Now we are past the mind blowing fun activities of October 31st, it’s time to turn our attention to other equally as fun matters. The sun is shining this morning. A chill lingers in the air. Colourful leaves are strewn over the sidewalks, lawns, gardens. It’s like Mother Nature took a paintbrush to the trees. I took that photo yesterday when I was on the nature trail. I know, the beauty of the trail stuns me too. 

The energy of autumn is still present. I am excited to share another Canadian paranormal story with you, dear readers. So grab a mocha, get comfy and enjoy!

Paranormal investigators check out old hotel in southeastern B.C.

VANCOUVER –

Paranormal investigators were at a hotel in southeastern B.C. over the weekend, checking for evidence of activity.

The group from True North Paranormal arrived at the Three Valley Gap Lake Chateau and Heritage Ghost Town in Revelstoke Friday.

Hosts of the show, from Thunder Boyz Productions, Inc., planned to make stops in the ghost town including at the historic Hotel Bellevue and the Train Roundhouse.

According to those behind the production, which airs on Amazon Prime and Paraflix, both buildings “have a huge history of paranormal activity.”

The hosts said they felt something almost as soon as they entered the hotel, which was built in 1898 in Sicamous, but has since been moved to the Three Valley Gap Ghost Town and restored.

“As soon as I entered, I had a sense of going upstairs and what I believe I’m feeling is the feelings of a lady that spent a lot of time here. She didn’t like to come upstairs,” host Karina Kozuska told CTV News.

But those behind the show say it’ll be up to those who watch the episode to decide what they think.

“We want the viewers to make up their own mind as to what we found – whether they believe it’s haunted or not,” host Jon Kozuska said.

“We’ll tell you we found stuff we can’t explain, but it’s up to you to decide.”

The husband-wife team is based in Kamloops, and say Canada is a “hot-bed” of paranormal activity. Through the show, the Kozuskas investigate reports at abandoned gold rush towns, old theatres and more.

Previous episodes include the Powerhouse and Vernon Towne theatres in Vernon, B.C., and the Kamloops Indian Residential School. They’ve also filmed in the Falkland Museum and Heritage Park, Sagebrush Theatre, city hall in Sandon, Caetani Centre and other spots in B.C.

Credit given to: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/paranormal-investigators-check-out-old-hotel-in-southeastern-b-c-1.5602136

Blessed, be, Spiderwitch

Link of interest:

The 25 Most Important Witchcraft Books Ever Published

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Never Summon what you can’t Banish

Merry meet all,

I watched The Conjuring 3 last night. Right from the beginning of the movie, the terror (at least for me) never let up. I mean wow the acting was amazing. I felt so bad for David Glatzel and Arnie Johnson. The possessions looked so real and believable. Wow what an amazing and terrifying movie. 

Ed and Lorraine Warren are in the midst of an exorcism for David Glatzel. The poor kid contorts, growls and screams. The older boy who is somehow related to the family dares the demon to possess him instead to spare the younger boy. That is where the movie and the story- and trouble really start. What chilled me was how normal the possessed victims could seem at times, as if the demon was temporarily subdued. The lawyers all refuse to accept demonic possession as a reason for the murder Arnie commits on his landlord as a motive for murder. This was supposed to be the first case and first time that demonic possession was used as a reason for why Arnie killed his landlord. 

“The Glatzel Family

The title of the movie comes directly from the nickname of the real Arne Johnson case – known as the “The Devil Made Me Do It” case. 

The Glatzels were a real family who called in help from Ed and Lorraine Warren after 11-year-old David Glatzel began exhibiting increasingly strange behavior, claiming he saw visions of an old man who appeared as a beast, talking in otherworldly voices, and displaying scratches and bruises on his body. The Warrens diagnosed him as being possessed and several exorcisms were carried out, where the family claims David levitated.

The contortions David goes through in the movie are artistic license – though it’s worth noting they’re performed by a real person, a little girl, with Julian Hilliard’s face CG-ed on top.

At the end of the movie, during the credits, you can hear the real recording of what happened.

Ed’s Heart Attack

We could find nothing to suggest that Ed had a heart attack immediately following David Glatzel’s exorcism, although Ed would eventually die of a heart attack in 2006.

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Arne Johnson

Arne was a real person and as in the movie, he was dating, and later married Debbie Glatzel, David’s sister. During one of David’s exorcisms, Johnson supposedly challenged one of the many demons allegedly possessing David and invited the demon to leave David and possess him instead. Following this incident Johnson apparently began to display odd behavior similar to David’s.

As in the movie, Debbie worked at a dog kennel and her employer was also her landlord. Unlike in the movie, where he’s called Bruce (played by Ronnie Gene Blevins), in real life his name was Alan Bono. On the day the murder was committed, Arne and Debbie were with Arne’s sister Wanda and Debbie’s 9-year-old cousin, Mary. They had been out for lunch with Bono who had been drinking. Later on an altercation took place where Bono grabbed Mary, and Arne ordered him to release her. Debbie apparently tried to deescalate the situation but Arne started growling like an animal then pulled out a knife and stabbed Bono to death. As in the movie, Debbie was a witness.

The Disciples of the Ram

The Disciples of the Ram aren’t real but they might be loosely inspired by real cults such as the Manson family –  this lot appeared first in the movie Annabellewhich is a fictionalized backstory of the doll (which is a real doll that was kept in the Warren’s artifact room).

Katie and Jessica

The murder of Katie by Jessica and Jessica’s apparent suicide afterward never happened, and the film doesn’t give a massive amount of backstory about these two. However, DC Comics has launched a new book titled DC Horror Presents: The Conjuring: The Lover #1, which specifically focuses on Jessica and how her possession comes about. It works as a direct prequel to the movie.

Kastner and the Occultist

Certainly no mention of these elements of The Conjuring:The Devil Made Me Do It were ever brought up in the real case. These parts of the film lean into the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, implying that David Glatzel was deliberately cursed by a devil worshipper looking to gain great power. It’s a fun bit of horror, which nods to other genre films and allows the Warrens to have an adventure with an actual antagonist rather than making the film a courtroom drama.

The Court Case

It is true that Johnson’s lawyer – a man named Martin Minnella – did try to present possession as a defense but the judge wouldn’t permit it. Instead Arne’s lawyers went for a self-defense plea. He got convicted of first degree man-slaughter, was sentenced to 10-20 years in prison and served five.

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Michael Taylor

In the movie Ed Warren mentions to the lawyer that there had been a British case in the past where demonic possession had been considered a factor. The name Ed mentions is Michael Taylor. Taylor was part of a religious group in Ossett in the UK, who in 1974 began behaving weirdly. After a time, a decision was made that Taylor must be under the influence of a demonic presence and an exorcism was carried out. Vicars said he was possessed by 40 demons, and over an eight-hour exorcism they managed to rid him of most them, though they apparently didn’t manage to get those pesky last few – leaving those representing insanity, anger, and murder behind.

Sent home to rest before the exorcism would be completed, Taylor went to his house and brutally murdered his wife. Though details of the exorcism were discussed in court, Taylor was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and rather than arguing he was actually possessed, the defense placed a level of blame at the feet of the religious group.

Carl Glatzel Jr.

Not mentioned in the film is the fact that some years later, David and his older brother Carl filed a lawsuit against Lorraine Warren and writer Gerald Brittle who co-authored a book about the case, titled The Devil in Connecticut, after it was reprinted in 2006. Carl claimed that the possession was a hoax, that his brother was mentally ill, and that the Warrens had concocted the story for financial gain, convincing the Glatzels that it would make them wealthy and help get Debbie’s boyfriend out of jail.

Lorraine Warren and Brittle stood by their work, with Warren pointing out that six priests had agreed David was possessed. Debbie and Arne supported the Warrens’ version of events

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is out now in cinemas.

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Rosie Fletcher

I enjoyed the movie The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made me Do it. I hope you all have a chance to watch the film too. I had to see it alone. That was not easy. I mean I wasn’t alone in the theatre. I just went to the movie alone. I wish I could have snuggled up next to my date – not that I have one. I would have felt tons better. The terror never lets up. I found parts of it even funny, like when Ed Warren transforms into a version of Jack Torrance, chasing Lorraine Warren down dark tunnel. Patrick Wilson is not only damn hot but a wicked actor who deserves an Oscar for his acting in this movie. 

The Conjuring 3 had a new director. I think that more horror movies should be made by that director. He knows what he is doing. I am sure that the movie would have been far less terrifying if it was directed by Wan. Grab some popcorn, and see this movie. It will make you leave the lights on all night. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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Cerridwen the cauldron

New Cauldron- Cerridwen

 

Merry meet all,

I finally have my large cauldron home. I’m proud to own such a beauitful cauldron. I plan to do many magickal spellworkings with the cauldron. The cauldron is so big and heavy that I had to take a cab to get it home and even then, it was hard carrying it up the steps to the door and to my apartment. 

I have already cleansed and dedicated the cauldron. The cauldron is home in time for Samhain. What witch doesn’t want a big cast-iron cauldron to work spells with? I do, I do. The cauldron is shown in the photo above. The cauldron is also already pre-seasoned. 

The cauldron is a symbol of the Goddess, the womb of the goddess, and representative of mystery, magick, the water and fire elements. A Witch can scry using water or oils in a cauldron. A Witch can burn incenses and resins too. I am sure I will have many wonderful magickal workings with my cauldron. I named her Cerridwen, which I feel is appropriate. 

It’s 33 more days to Samhain! I will be prepared!

Blessings,

Lady Spiderwitch

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