Tag: Witch

Halloween - Jack-O-Lantern
Experts, OCD Vampire, Halloween

Another Kind of Halloween: When Folklore Meets the Paranormal

Explore the darker origins of Halloween through true tales of the paranormal. From Peter Stumpp, the real “werewolf” of Bedburg, to misunderstood witches, zombie science, and a chilling vampire story from Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, this article dives into the eerie truths behind folklore, myth, and the mysteries that still haunt us today.

The paranormal has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. Even as a child, the idea that death might not be the end, that life could twist into another form on a spectral plane, kept me wide-eyed under the covers. 

The thought that the full moon could awaken something wild inside us, that creatures of the night might truly walk among us, always gave me that familiar chill I never wanted to end.

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Witchcraft - Altar - Pagan - Tarot
Cartomancy, Experts, OCD Vampire

What Is The History Of Cartomancy, And Is Tarot French?

There are many reasons why someone could get enthusiastic about fortune-telling, but what if the reader is the one who finds an obsession with the process? This little OCD Vampire is intrigued by cartomancy and what it means!

What Is Cartomancy And What Does It Really Do?

Cartomancy refers to the divination method of fortune-telling. When the deck of cards started appearing in Europe in the fourteenth century, the practice of cartomancy appeared as it required a deck of cards to proceed. This type of divination is called cartomancers, card readers or readers.

When cartomancy started, the reading would occur with a deck of regular cards called a French-suited playing card deck. It was the most popular way of reading through cards from the Victorian era to the Belle Époque.

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Unknown's avatarOCD Vampire3 Comments
Witchcraft - Pagan - Altar
Experts, Kasey Hill

What Is Wicca And What Does It Mean To Be A Wiccan

We often hear the word Wicca and directly associate it with witchcraft. But what is Wicca aside from that? Wicca is the only religion found to be witchcraft, and that sets it apart. Kasey Hill is here to explain more about Wicca!

Paganism Versus Wicca

Paganism is a nature worship-based religion offset from the traditional worldly religions rooted in patriarchal fundamentals.

One of the significant precepts for this religion is the belief in not just a single God but in a multitude of gods and goddesses depicted in history through mythological texts and oral stories.

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Unknown's avatarKasey Hill1 Comment
England - Stonehenge - Paganism - Celtic - Druidism
Experts, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire, Paganism, Witch History

The Secret Knowledge Of The Age Of Druidism

In the writing world, we often use folklore and legends. But Druids are not part of the usual characters in novels. Their secrecy might be to blame.

Why Did I Fall Into The Rabbit Hole Of Druidism

Upon research as a medievalist enthusiast, looking for various types of witches, the word Druid popped into my head. Many associate druids with fantasy or games such as Magic The Gathering or Dungeons & Dragons. But there is much more to them.

Druids are not as known as other Celtic folkloric people, such as Leprechauns, Faeries, Elves, and Trolls, to only name a few. The influence of the Celtic culture in fantasy literature is significant and provides solid roots. But druids are different.

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Unknown's avatarOCD Vampire1 Comment
Apothecary - Books - Magick - Witchcraft
Experts, OCD Vampire, Paganism, Witch History

Witchphobia Is Happening, Leading To Dangerous Hatred Toward Witches

The hate for witches goes back millennia and is still present in our time now, worse than it has been in centuries. Why are people so afraid of witches? Read to find out!

Is It The Fear Of The Unknown Or Something Else?

While I would like to believe it is only the fear of the unknown that drives people to hate witches, it’s more complicated than that. People who hate witches often are also religious. 

It’s part of those people’s education growing up to fear and hate witches. Some religious people find witches silly because they don’t know what it is to be a witch. However, others believe they know what a witch is and hate us for it.

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Unknown's avatarOCD Vampire2 Comments
Experts, OCD Vampire, Witch History

A Witch’s Path In The New Year 2024

Being a witch today is more challenging because of all the false information surrounded it. Conspiracy theories and ‘normal’ people are giving birth to a second age of witch hunt.

So Many Different Witch Paths

*** This article will not mention or discuss Wicca as a religion. ***
*** This article does not mention astrologer, psychic, or medium as a path. Not all witches are fortune-tellers or astrologers, which are their own paths. ***

Witchcraft comes in many forms and is unique to the witch’s heart. There are main paths such as but not limited to: green, hedge, hereditary, folk, kitchen, house, pagan, Norse, seer, necromancy, druid, solitary, eclectic, academia, and so many more.

Those paths mentioned above can have similarities but also uniqueness to their practice. Many genres submerge as years go by and new skills and specialties grow. 

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Unknown's avatarOCD Vampire1 Comment
Experts, Halloween, OCD Vampire, Paganism

What Is The True Purpose Of Halloween

Pagans, witches and goths alike were all Hollywoodified and categorized as people who sacrifice for rituals and speak to the devil. Halloween is no exception to the rule. So, what is Halloween?

The Horrible Reality That We Live In

When scrolling around on social media, I came across one person who said she posted a picture of herself in a Halloween costume. Nothing alarming, but then she mentioned Christians trying to tell her that Halloween is a day of sacrifices for Pagans and witches.

I don’t take well to people who spread wrong information. That is because I know how much damage it could cause. The truth and solid facts are important because they can hurt a group of people or anything that isn’t responsible for the lies being spread.

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Gothic Medieval Castle Remains
Experts, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire, Witch History

The Most Brutal Witch Trials Were In Scotland

The Witch trials happened all around Europe and not just in North America. In fact, there was a place worse than Salem, and its name was North Berwick in Scotland.

When Witchcraft Had No More Place

On Halloween night in 1590, the East Lothian people suffered the accusation of witchcraft. It occurred in St. Andrew’s Auld Kirk in North Berwick.

The Witch Trials lasted for two long years, and over seventy victims underwent the consequences of high treason. The accusations knew no boundaries as the 5th Earl of Bothwell also received the charges.

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Mabon - Fall - Witchcraft
Experts, OCD Vampire, Paganism

The September Equinox We Know As Mabon

Fall is many of us’ favourite seasons. We wait for the turning of colours, the temperatures lowering, the rain coming in, the smell of the earth swirling in the wind mixed with hot beverages and comforting perfumes of cinnamon and cloves. So, why not celebrate Mabon, too?

The Wheel Of The Year Stops On Mabon

The Wheel of the Year is a holiday calendar quite precious to us Witches who practice Nature celebrations. Many of us know Samhain due to many movies and Yuletide going through a revival with the Frozen franchise and Krampus.

But if we go in order and remain with the big eight celebrations it starts with the Winter Solstice called Yuletide, then Imbolc, followed by the Spring Equinox called Ostara.

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Pilgrims Going To Church by George Henry Boughton
Experts, OCD Vampire

The Contradictions Of Increase Mather in The Salem Witch Trials

It is the Fall season, and here at Gothic Bite Magazine, we celebrate the Witch Age early for our Fall season, from September 1st to November 30th. So, let’s start this Witch Age Season with Increase Mather, an enemy of Witches!

Puritans Leading To The Salem Witch Trials

We all know about the Salem Witch trials of 1692. The darkest and most horrifying Witch trial in North America. It is also one of the darkest pages in the history of the United States of America.

In the State of Massachusetts, Salem was a more considerable territory and differently shaped and Puritans populated the village. But what do we know about Puritans? The term isn’t often used or is linked to the thought of pilgrims and the first colonies of what would become the United States.

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Unknown's avatarOCD Vampire3 Comments
Beltane - Pagan
Experts, Kasey Hill, Paganism

Midsommar The Real Festivity And Not The Horror Movie

Midsommar is more than a horror movie taking place in Sweden but is a pagan practice going back centuries and is practised to this day, gaining popularity every year.

The Summer Solstice 

June twenty-first is the cross-quarter day of the Summer Solstice, or as some call it, Midsummer and Litha. It is the longest day of light in the year, with the shortest night of darkness as the northern pole of the Earth tips toward the sun. It marks the first day of summer astrologically and the midpoint of summer beginning in spring. 

The growing season is in full bloom as farmers tend to their summer crops. The Solar God and Goddess are sprinkling their blessings of fertility all across the land. The first day of Summer coincides with the sign of Cancer.

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Beltane - Pagan
Experts, Kasey Hill, Paganism

Beltane, An Ancient Pagan And Wiccan Practice On The First Of May

The First of May is the Beltane Day for those who practise witchcraft or are Pagans. It is part of the Wheel of the Year. But what is Beltane, and how does one celebrate it?

A Little History

Beltane, also known as Cétshamhain and Lá Bealtaine, is the last of the spring fertility festivals. It is the mark of the end days of spring and the beginning of the summer days to come in June. 

People would douse and relight their household fires from the bonfires of Beltane. Beltane and Samhain divide the year into two primary seasons. Beltane is the summer—Light part, and Samhain is the winter—Dark part, marking the passage into the growing and resting seasons. 

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Unknown's avatarKasey Hill1 Comment
Microphone - Podcast - Interview
Experts, Indie Community, Interviews

Gothic Bite Magazine Interviews Their Writer, Becki Kolodziej

At Gothic Bite Magazine, we love welcoming new patients to become part of our asylum. We question them and learn about them. It doesn’t matter what creative field they are part of because they’re our patients now. This week, we welcome Becki Kolodziej.

Patient Name: Becki Kolodziej

Hello all. I am Rebecca Kolodziej, a writer and poet from Wales in the United Kingdom.

I’ve always loved to write since a very young age. Horror has been a massive part of my life. I love creating spooky things by drawing, writing, and even crafting. I like to learn about horror by reading as many books as possible.

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Medieval Dungeon - Torture
Experts, Paula Phillips

The First Witch Trial In The British Isles

In the history of witch trials, we can go as far back as the beginning of Christianity and later on Catholicism. Being part of the church didn’t even ensure your safety among your people. History is cruel to those who dare be just a little different.

Women And Witchcraft

Throughout history, we have read about the various women who, back in the early days, suffered persecution and accusation of witchcraft. When anything wrong seemed to happen, they were the ones to blame. 

The women were at fault, and they viewed it as suspicious if it happened more than once. The suspicion turned towards the idea that the female must be at fault and a witch.

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Unknown's avatarNZGeekChic2 Comments
Experts, OCD Vampire

The Moosham Castle The Cruelest Trial In Witch Hunt History

When we think about the European witch hunt, we think about the mediaeval period, but what if I told you one castle hosted children as its primary victims?

The Moosham Castle Purpose

The Austria spur castle can sit over a Roman fortress’ foundation. A spur castle is a term used to indicate a mediaeval fortress resting on the spur of a hill or mountain as a defence mechanism.

Another example is the Poenari Castle in Romania, which belonged to Vlad the Impaler. Usually, the only weakness of such a castle resides where the hill links to the spur from which it projects. It also means that the spur castle would have three sides by steep hillsides for the best protection.

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Unknown's avatarOCD Vampire1 Comment
Skeleton - Bones
Experts, OCD Vampire

Anglo-Saxon Dangerous Dead Burial In Nottinghamshire

In the Middle Ages, the rise of many beliefs creeping out of ancient folklore surfaced. One of them is the vampire, alongside witches that were common and werewolves. In modern times, when digging in the ‘old country,’ one might find rather strange burials.

The Middle Ages Fortune-Tellers

Back in Medieval Times, people didn’t have meteorologists to explain Mother Nature’s behaviour. They didn’t have the luxury of biologists telling them not to drink stagnant water. Instead, people had other ways to explain diseases and poor crops.

People of the Middle Ages often tried to find someone to blame, and it would come from dark places. With the Church spreading its wings across Europe, witchery was the popular belief. 

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Unknown's avatarOCD Vampire2 Comments
Deer - Autumn
Experts, Kasey Hill, Paganism

Paganism Is Growing, And So Is Mabon

We often put aside pagan practices for the commercial ones that spread throughout all stores and houses. However, after centuries, for the first time in forever, Paganism is pushing back and here’s a holiday for you!

How Holidays And Celebrations Happen In Paganism

The Wheel of the Year is split into eight segments called Sabbats. They honour the Moon Goddess and the Sun God while celebrating the cycle of life of the sun. They focused the eight Sabbats of the year on the Solar Rites of Wicca. As life comes and goes, the Wheel represents it.

The Sabbats comprise the four “quarter days” known as solstices and equinoxes. So, the other four days include the four midpoints in between, known as the “cross-quarter days.” The embryonic growth, the birth, the life, and then the death of the Sun God portray nature’s seasons and the life of a Wiccan.

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Unknown's avatarKasey Hill4 Comments
Blood - Plasma
Experts, OCD Vampire, Paranormal

The Vampire Disease From The Dark Ages To Today

The Vampire Disease. Many people heard of it but do people really know what it is? Or what it means to the people who live with it? I have the illness at a mild level. Here’s how it goes!

Beware, Vampires Are Out Of The Coffin! Really, Read The Warning!

This article contains graphic descriptions of the medical condition widely spread as ‘Vampire Disease’ and its symptoms. The following article is an in-depth dive into the illness and what it implies, and what it is like for people like me to live with this condition.

If you are sensitive to medical tools, treatment, and physical descriptions of diseases, I recommend skipping this article. Because the illness can relate to mental disorders, I also recommend ensuring all readers are comfortable with the nervous system and brain illnesses.

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Unknown's avatarOCD Vampire2 Comments
Experts, OCD Vampire, Paranormal

A Real Vampire Burial

It was customary to bury them differently than people. Back in the day, when populations believed in witches, werewolves and vampires, one was never safe from gossip or vampires.

Vampires In All History

The word vampire might have had various meanings throughout human history, but it did travel the world. Since the dawn of time, creatures with mortal bites have made it into legends and folklores. But what about a real vampire burial?

Find in all civilisations known to humankind, even those that never met, a vampire-like creature made it into history.

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