Our homes were round once – a sacred circle. Imagine. A home with no corners. A roundhouse. Folk say the Romans made houses rectangles and introduced the cross-cutting corners of bureaucracy. The ideal Roman city was a regular grid of streets dividing square building plots or insulae. From here, the Insulae became a public marketplace. The Basilica was located on one side, and on the other, the Council Chamber and Civic Offices. You can’t provide hierarchical order without squares. There’s equality and the ‘chaos’ of equity in circles. The roundhouse, the meeting place of communities. There were very few large …
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In Scottish cosmology, sacred waters such as our sea and rivers are more than elements; they are animated by their own spirits and present to us gateways to profound wisdom, spiritual insight, and personal power. Water is life and wise rulers go out their way to protect it. This connection is pivotal in folk belief and folk magic and reflects deeper poetic metaphorical narratives about transformation and our ability to change. Seas and Rivers are never the same shape twice, constantly shifting. By examining Scottish and Gaelic tales and traditions, we see how water acts as a catalyst for growth, …
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In the mountainous highlands and rugged borderlands of Scotland, the ancient belief in the evil eye, known as the “uncannie eye” or “ill eye” still lingers, casting a shadow over folklore and daily life. For centuries, Scottish folk have whispered of the malicious power carried by envious glances, capable of withering crops, souring milk, or striking down livestock. Rooted in both Gaelic and non-Gaelic traditions, the evil eye, air-an-cronachadh has been blamed for misfortune, illness, and mysterious deaths, making it a central theme in Scottish folk magic. From rowan charms to self-deprecating blessings, generations have crafted rituals and protections to ward off …
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Deforestation is a global problem. One caused by human action – a tiny fraction of our native forests remain in Scotland. Human connection to the history of deforestation in Scotland is complex. Every now and again, when you saunter amongst the peat you may come across a great stump of gnarled oak or pine, buried deep in the bog. Bog wood. The ghost of a forest once was. Bog wood is used in a few of our folk magic practices but not many. Sometimes the Bog wood will be charred and burnt black when found and begs the question how …
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Fastern’s E’en or Fasterns Een is a festival in Scotland, held on the Tuesday before Lent, otherwise known as Shrove Tuesday. Fastern E’en comes from Scots. Fastern’s E’en is also known as fastern-, fastren(‘s)-, fasten(‘s)-; fasting’s- (Sc. 1750 W. McFarlane Geneal. Coll. (S.H.S.) II. 138), festern(‘s)- (ne.Sc. 1952), festerns-even (Kcd. 1700 Black Bk. Kcd. (ed. Anderson 1843) 119), festereven (Abd. 1829 A. Cruickshank Poems 34), fosterneen (Cai.7 1950). The form fasten alone is found (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.) and the variant comb. fastern’s night (Sc. 1805 Scott Last Minstrel (1821) IV. vi.). In English Fastern’s E’en is known as Shrove …
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Scottish healing wells or stroopie wells hold a deep and long history. Stroopie comes from the Gaelic word tobar-shrùbaidh meaning healing well the last word shrùbaidh sounds like stroopie. We know from archaeology and other deposits throwing of gifts and offerings into bodies of water, wells, bogs, lochs, rivers and springs has been going on for a very long time and its still present in some living traditions today. Water is also part of the ideas of Scottish Cosmology and deep reverance in our myths and lore. In Scotland a lot of wells once associated with healing have been associated with …
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Dàir na Coile is a fascinating tradition one we have very little written about. Dàir na coille I have come to love though. Its a counterpoint to consumerism – an invitation to pause and links back into the cyclical idea nature and our dead returning on the wind and brining in new life for spring We are in the deep of the dark months of the little sun, of long shadows, storms and misty valleys. Moving into darker times comes with so much hype and pressure today but it wasn’t always like this. This year with endless war coverage and …
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Introduction – Celtic cosmology To understand why Scottish folk practice includes a focus on nature – earth, sky and waters spirts and its animated world we need to understand the roots of this island and its associated cosmology. This post explores Scottish cosmology and “Celtic” and Gaelic cosmology ideas and hypothesis in an attempt to unpick some of the more modern elemental systems found in Scottish folk magic. Scotland is a small part of a larger nation and has been influenced by many different cultures- some though war and raids some through colonisation and settling and then the march of …
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Marysmass, Mary’s mass, Féil-Moire (Mary’s day) the Big St Marys Feast or the Assumption day happens on the 15th of August. Personally, I think it’s a great example of the syncretic nature of Scottish Folk practices and pre reformation kirk activities. The festival itself dates to the medieval period and apparently even back to the 7th century. In the publication Ancient Church Dedications in Scotland, James Mackinaly, 1910, mentions “certain festivals instituted from time-to-time formed landmarks in the growth of the Virgin’s cultus. Among these maybe mentioned the Feast of the Purification or Candlemas (2nd February also related to Brid and Imbolc), …
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I’ve been chatting about wormeries and worm farms on social media for a few days and folks have been asking how to make a wormery or a worm farm and what the benefits are. I’ve had a wormery or worm farm for over 5 years and they are great for fellow nature enthusiasts who care about permaculture and sustainability! If you’re passionate about sustainable living and gardening, then you’re in for a treat. We’re going to explore the world of wormeries and why they’re so fundamental to have. Plus, I’ll guide you through a step-by-step process to build your very …
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I have written a lot about my views on Scottish spirituality and folk belief before, but I’ve never really spelled out the position – why of things. I’ve explored Scottish cultural appropriation and appreciation through a story you can find here and I’ve touched on Scottish cultural appropriation a wee bit here but having been sitting with these ideas and thoughts for as long as I’ve been writing about it, I feel now is a time to be bit more prescriptive about my feelings around this and where I find myself positioned in these discussions. I no longer want to …
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Folk devils and saints in Scottish folk magic occur time and time again. Folk devils are tied to stories in our land and demonise our past folk traditions. Saintly spirits (along with folk devils) are called up for healing, cursing, childbirth, protection, and everyday life. Other stories tell how we could call upon them to place ourselves into the devil’s care as a form of initiation. Folk devils and saints are the agents in a lot of operative folk magic. Scottish Folk Magic Practitioners embrace them as part of a syncretic approach to folk magic quite rightly as sometimes this …
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Dreaming Bread and Skyrie Stanes was the Taibhsear Collective’s first event. It took place in November 2018 at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, and focused on exploring Scottish folk magic and traditions. It also tied in with the launch of the Taibhsear Collective’s recorded album of Scottish folk tales and songs, Tales of the Taibhsear. This event was a day long celebration of Scottish folk magic, lore, legends, and community traditions. It took place on Old Halloween, and brought together academics, storytellers, artists, and specialists from diverse fields including folklore, animism, the fairy faith, herbalism, and traditional crafts. They shared …
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Skelling, Skeklers and Guising: Exploring Liminality was the Taibhsear Collective’s 2nd event. It took place at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh in November 2019. This event was all about celebrating Scottish folk magic and community traditions exploring and relating to themes of liminality, Samhuinn, (Halloween), costuming, guising, and winter’s start. This two day event was dedicated to exploring the themes of autumn, Samhuinn, and liminality, and celebrating Scottish folk magic and community traditions. Saturday evening was filled with performances from storytellers from the UK and Europe, followed by live music from Burd Ellen, Lizabett Russo, and Heir of the Cursed. Sunday …
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The Taibhsear Collective hosted the last in their trilogy of explorations into Winter customs. Together we explored the rich tapestry and weave of Winter’s Last online over the 23rd and 24th January 2021 through presentations and a 4 week long programme of workshops. We immersed ourselves in the chill of winter, exploring the home and hearth, domestic protection, Gillean Chullaig, winter traditions, and the spirits we have come to associate with the long-time darkening cold of Scotland. All contents of the event was filmed and is currently hosted. This is for folk who may not be able to attend in person or …
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The Taibhsear Collective came together in 2018 to make Tales of the Taibhsear, an album of stories and songs based on Scottish witch trial records and the 18th century collecting work of James MacKenzie. The Collective was formed of musician Debbie Armour of Burd Ellen, storyteller Amanda Edmiston of Botanica Fabula, and author and researcher Scott Richardson-Read of The Cailleach’s Herbarium, who are all passionate about Scottish folk magic and community traditions. When their Kickstarter campaign for Tales of the Taibhsear raised more than three times its target, the extra funds were used to organise their first event exploring magic …
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We are looking for people like you to help protect vulnerable or at risk community or folk heritage sites such as wells, springs, ancient monuments, cairns, meeting places, caves and more all over Scotland. You might be wondering what our expectations are for members, site monitors and custodians. Below we’ve done our best to answer your questions as best we can. If you still have questions please just contact us and we’ll answer them for you Download the membership Leaflet What’s the difference between a member, a site monitor and a custodian? We want everyone to be involved with the network and …
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At the very heart of what we do as a voluntary collective network are our values. The woven land network values underpin everything we do and everyone who volunteers for us operates within them.
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You might be wondering what our expectations are for members, site monitors and or a site custodian. Below we’ve done our best to answer your questions as best we can. If you still have questions please just contact us and we’ll answer them for you. What’s the difference between a member, a site monitor and a custodian? We want everyone to be involved with the network and for it to take as little or as much time as our collective volunteers are able to provide. Some people might just like to know what’s going on and and attend some of our events …
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We are looking for people like you to help protect vulnerable or at risk community or folk heritage sites such as wells, springs, ancient monuments, cairns, meeting places, caves and more all over Scotland to be site monitors or custodians. You can get involved in many ways such as volunteering your time to help monitor sites in your area or supporting our other activities. In exchange we can bring you together with other like minded folk, provide training, support meet up‘s, and our collective can help in the work required at the site to conserve it. We want you to be …