Pagan

Amantia muscaria and Santa: Botany After Dark Podcast, Episode 7 (Sources and Notes)

Amantia muscaria and Santa: Botany After Dark Podcast, Episode 7 (Sources and Notes)

Amantia muscaria mushrooms have an intriguing and sometimes contradictory ethnobotanical history. In today’s podcast episode, we’ll be diving into their purported connection to jolly old Santa and his team of magically flying reindeer.

Why Bats?: How Nighttime Pollinators Became Spooky

Why Bats?: How Nighttime Pollinators Became Spooky

If you are at all like me, you’ve wondered a time or two why bats, pumpkins, and the like have become associated with Halloween, Samhain, All Hallows Eve, or otherwise associated with the season. This is not going to be an exhaustive description, so feel free to share further lore in the comments, but it will cover a wide range, but today we will be discussing our beflighted mammal friends.

Botany Book Club, Epi 1: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs

Botany Book Club, Epi 1: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs

The contents itself, while somewhat difficult to navigate at first, is informative and useful, each herb entry containing information for that plant’s common, scientific, and folk names, associated gender (masculine/feminine), ruling planet, element, and sometimes deity, and associated magical uses, rituals, and powers.

The Wreath as a Herald of Fortune

The Wreath as a Herald of Fortune

Wreaths weren't always a thing to put on your door during the holidays.  In many places, they still aren't.  While door-hanging wreaths have now been adapted for any season, they used to be more akin to celebratory laurels or flower crowns. 

Under the Harvest Moon

Under the Harvest Moon

This time of year is about reaping what was planted in the growing time.  Look to your Springtime goals, dear reader, and see what you have accomplished.  Do you still need to do more on certain projects?  Are there others that have fallen dormant but you still hold on to? 

Apples of Mabon

Apples of Mabon

In Celtic traditions, this time is called Mabon, and is the second of three harvest festivals. It is also sometimes called Alban Elfed, Cornucopia, the Wine Festival, or the Apple Festival (among other names).