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Category: folk

Category: folk

A skull and a milk offering Caileachs herbarium

Category: folk

Ancestors
Scott

Who the hell is Sidhe? – Fairy Faith and Animism in Scotland. A Challenge to Divinity

This post about the fairy faith been a long time in the coming. I can only apologise for that, I have been busy researching for a new book that explores these issues in more detail. I was asked to discuss the idea of the Sidhe or Síth in Scottish culture. During research for the upcoming publication many ideas have come forward. Some of these ideas I spoke about last year at the Scottish Radical Herbal Gathering. This post develops those ideas found in the post Dead to Deity. It’s also a think piece. It presents a different narrative to what

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Finnish chord Magic
Animism
Scott

Snaim – The three knot charm

The weave, the weft and wool are part of our Scottish Heritage. It’s no wonder the use of wool made it into our folk magic heritage. The use of using three knots on a thread for the purpose against the evil eye was called a Snaim – the Three Knot Charm. (Compare Snaim with the words snaidhm, a knot, also meaning a marriage and snaidhm ne péiste which literally translate as knot of the worm and also a knotted charm for curing folks and cattle). These were used by folk practitioners and country folk to cure all manner of ills. Often

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Scotland, Loch Tay
folk
Scott

Chapbook on Scottish folk magic and herbalism (for the Scottish Radical Herbal gathering 2016)

Well, the first Scottish Radical Herbal Gathering is almost upon us and I’m very excited to be delivering a talk with them this year on scottish folk magic with a free chapbook provided. The programme for the weekend looks amazing and I look forward to hearing the contributions from others talking with anticipation. For me, it will be the first time I have talked at length about the subject of scottish folk magic and herbalism so I’m excited and perhaps a little nervous about it in equal measure. (Que the chamomile tea and kava perhaps!) As part of the presentation

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Scottish charming and divination
Animism
Scott

Scottish Gaelic Divination Prayer \ Charm – The firth

Those following along on  social media will know I have been discussing divination for a while and researching the below bit of Audio exploring authentic Scottish Prayers or charms to use as part of my divination practices. I happened across the below recording from 1950’s of a spoken charm from Uist for the Frith (I think). The Frith was undertaken on quarter days and this charm refers to that process at least I think it might do. There are many forms of divination used in Scotland and the Hag of the hills website has some great information about the different forms

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Folk magic, witchcraft, whats the difference ?

I get asked “what is a Folk Practitioner or what is folk magic?” on many occasions. I also get asked “what is the difference between what you do and what a witch does?”, “Is it witchcraft?”, “Are you religious?”, “Do you worship a lord and lady or speak to the de’il?”, “Do you follow the immanent and emanant mysteries of your gods?” and finally “Do you worship nature? Do you bang your drums and dance around?” This is no fault of anyone. Folk practices have been adopted in a lot of modern magico-religious approaches. This has caused a lot of confusion

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A graveyard of our ancestors
Ancestors
Scott

From Dead to Deity – How did the Celtic dead become gods?

I’m sitting on a train.  It’s like a liminal space, I’m not moving but rushing forward at the same time. Travelling through the amazing Scottish landscape, it’s always a joy.  Even though a brown, white and green dusk coloured blur beyond the window. The sound of the train, the rock of its carriage, always makes my mind drift.  It gets me thinking.  Back to old conversations and thoughts. I have pondered questions around animism and the dead a lot recently. In discussions, its been one of many topics raised over whisky, late into the evening. I thought the friendly debates and these unformed threads of ideas

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a mossy gravestone - Cailleachs Herbarium
Ancestors
Scott

The good, the dead, and the fairy faith – Animism and ancestors in Scottish folklore.

Winter time is always a time for me to ponder on those who have passed. Their missing faces from the celebration table hit pretty hard at this time of year. I don’t mean to be maudlin but it’s a reality we will all encounter at some point. It got me thinking. As this is the darkest time of the year, what those who came before us thought of at this time of year? What were the beliefs of the folks who saw fairies and ancestors as ever-present. Is it animism? Is it fairy faith? This is a thought piece rather

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Cailleachs Herbarium is a website exploring Scottish Folk Beliefs, Traditions, Customs and folk magic. 

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