From Past Samhain Feasts...

Your Halloween Party... ;D

Halloween dinners traditionally feature hardy comfort foods, and especially vegetables that are grown on or under the ground, Here's my favorite menu for a luscious Halloween feast!!!... [It's more fun if you come in costume.] >>> ***ON THE BUFFET TABLE: "Witch's Fingers" Appetizers --- Make these by getting pretzel rods, almonds and cheddar cheese spread. Get a wide mouthed glass jar. Glue the almonds on the ends of the pretzel rods with the cheese spread, coat the pretzels with green frosting, transforming them into the "fingers". Put them upright in the glass jar.

"Eyeballs On Toast" --- Boil eggs, cool, slice. Get green olives stuffed with pimentos. Slice the olives so they make little rings. Make toast, cool it, spread with cream cheese, cut each slice of toast into four little sections. Put a slice of egg on each piece of toast. Put the "eyeball," a slice of green olive, with a little pimento as the "pupil" glued in the center of the egg with a little cream cheese. Pot Roast with vegetables or Beef Stew [You can cheat with canned st ew if you like.] with baking powder biscuits. [Again, you can cheat by buying those ready-bake biscuits that come in the little cans in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.] Mashed potatoes [Of course, you can use instant ones, but if you do you can make them taste better by adding some ranch dressing or canned mushroom soup, of course, add black pepper.]. Yellow Hubbard Squash --- Remove the seeds, cut it in chunks, boil it, scrape the cooked squash out of the skin and mash with plenty of butter, sprinkle the mashed squash with powdered nutmeg and salt & pepper. Raw Carrot & Black Raisin Salad With Mayonnaise [Because it's delicious and black and orange.]. Raisin Bread with Cream Cheese. Pumpernickel Bread With Whipped Butter. Buttered Spinach [Yes, get frozen, if you like.]. Blackberry Pie [I'm not a baker, so I always buy deserts.] Chocolate Cake. Apple Cider, Cola, Orange Pop [Because they're black and orange] For The Kids. Coffee, Tea, Red Wine & Ale For The Adults. Fresh Golden Delicious Apples Piled On The Serving Table. >>> ***ENTERTAINMENT: Tell ghost stories, or read them... One of my favorite ghost story books is the paperback series "Haunted Ohio". You can probably get it from your library or on Amazon cheap. Have a costume contest, one for the adults, one for kids. Give gift certificates to cool stores as prizes.]. Or, ALL of you go Trick Or Treating. Or, put one of these wonderful movies in your dvd player, --- "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow," [May be too scary for children], with Johnny Depp & Christina Ricci, or the animated Walt Disney version, "The Addams Family," with Angelica Huston & Raoul Julia, "Beetlejuice," with Gena Davis, Alec Baldwin and Michael Keaton, "Practical Magic," with Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Aidan Quinn, Diane Weist & Stockard Channing. Or, for those who like a really dark and very adult movie, most definitely NOT for the kids, "From Hell," about Jack The Ripper, with Johnny Depp, or "The Skeleton Key," also adult dark and scary, about Hoodoo, with Kate Hudson, or "The Haunting," based on the Gothic horror novel "The Haunting Of Hill House," an adult and creepy movie," with Liam Neeson, Owen Wilson & Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Tituba...

Tituba (fl. 1692–1693) was an enslaved Native American woman who was one of the first to be accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials of 1692–1693. She was enslaved by Samuel Parris, the minister of Salem Village, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. She was pivotal in the trials because she confessed to witchcraft when examined by the authorities, giving credence to the accusations. She accused the two other women, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne, of the same crime. She was imprisoned for over a year but never tried. What happened to her after a grand jury dismissed the case against her in May 1693 is unknown. ~ Wikpedia.

Britain's Last Executed Witch May Have Survived...

The last woman believed to have been executed in England for witchcraft may have avoided the gallows, according to new research. Alice Molland was sentenced at Exeter Castle, Devon, in 1685 for "bewitching" three of her neighbours. She was presumed to have been executed in the city's Heavitree area in the same year, making her England's last executed witch. Prof Stoyle's research suggests that the court documents from the time contained a spelling mistake, and Alice Molland might actually have been called Avis Molland. He said: "Court records from the 17th century were written in Latin, and in this form it would only have taken a single mis-stroke of the clerk of the court's pen to transform 'Avicia' (Avis) into 'Alicia' (Alice)." "Almost nothing is known about Alice's life and attempts to illuminate it have failed." Molland was an unusual name in Exeter, so when Prof Stoyle saw a reference to an Avis Molland in some local archives, he was struck by its close resemblance. "I immediately asked myself, did Alice Molland ever exist? Is Alice, in fact, Avis?" According to records from the time, Avis Molland had been married with three children - but they all died. "By the time of the 1685 trial, Avis Molland was a poor, middle-aged widow, who was burdened with loss - precisely the kind of woman who was likely to be accused of witchcraft in early modern England," Prof Stoyle said. He added circumstantial evidence suggested Avis was imprisoned at Exeter Castle at the same time as the trial for Alice was listed. Avis died eight years after the supposed execution of Alice in 1693. Had there been a simple spelling mistake, the last executed witches in England would in fact be the Bideford Three - Temperance Lloyd, Susannah Edwards and Mary Trembles in 1682. "The truth is, despite all my diligent searching, we may never know for sure whether history has got it wrong," Prof Stoyle added. ~ BBC, October 31, 2024.

Song: "Superstition," ~ Sung By Stevie Wonder...

From "Bad Ass: Living & Spells," ~ The Chapter On Empaths...

SO, YOU'RE A WITCH & AN EMPATH TOO. >>> HOW DO YOU SURVIVE???... When, and if, it becomes known that you are an accomplished witch, AND an empath, you may have people "pulled" to your energy as if they attached hooks and ropes to you! Doesn't sound very nice does it? I'm just stating a fact. Of course, many of these people don't realize that they're doing this... They're in trouble emotionally and/or physically and they desperately need help. They may sense your natural extremely sympathetic nature, or if you offer words of compassion they may instantly pick up on it. Some of these folks are unconscious energy vampires; some are totally aware of what they're doing. You may have never met them, yet they want to be your absolute best friend. I'll be blunt, and honest... What they really want is for you to listen and because you are not only an empath, but also a very powerful and experienced witch, they want you, with your magick, to solve their problems, maybe give them a spell or do a spell for them that will REALLY WORK and for free, of course. (Unlike the scam readers and spell doctors, they sense that you REALLY are that rare thing, --- the real deal.) . Believe me, they will drain you, and they will expect you to always give a listening ear and wise words, or magickal advice. (This is a slightly disturbing fact you may discover if you are an empath. Troubled people are often very, very self-absorbed.) Sooo... What does a kind and caring empath do in these cases?... For your own mental and emotional health, I encourage you, learn to simply say, --- "no". Yes, that's right... NO. As much as you may be hurting for these poor unfortunates, just say "no". But, don't be surpised when you cut off their supply of your energy, that they hunt you. Still, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GIVE, GIVE, GIVE UNTIL YOU HAVE NOTHING LEFT. Protect yourself, --- say, "no". You matter too, as much as they do, as much as anyone. Learn to shield, ground and center yourself. "Re-charge your batteries;" do what you have to do to recoup your valuable energy, --- go to nature, relax with loving family and pets, enjoy your hobbies and interests, meditate, ~ otherwise, take time for yourself. It's essential for your personal health and well-being to protect your precious limited energy. ~ Copyright 2024, by Sorelle Sucere.

The Vampy-Cat... ;)

"I VANT to drink your BLOOD!!!... Uh, ~ I mean beef broth."

A Crystal Ball, ~ Or Orb???...

Hereditary Witchcraft...

Blessed Samhain!!!...

>>>

My Typical Samhain Feast... Truly a FEAST, ~ none of this little holiday dinner la-da-da, where only only main dish like turkey is made!... My menu, ~ pot roast with carrots, onions, potatoes, and turnips ( I make mine in the crockpot with burgundy wine and fresh basil, fresh dill and fresh oregano), lasagna, mac & cheese, mushroom, vegs & sausage pizza (frozen from the grocer), tossed salad (with lots of black olives), carrot & raisin salad (because it's black and orange), garlic stuffed olives, deviled eggs, baked sweet potatoes (because vegs that grow underground are traditional for Samhain), stewed apples (because apples are scared to the Lady, and there are always fresh apples at the Samhain Feast too), garlic bread, pumpernickel bread (because it's black) with cream cheese, chocolate cake and/or dark fudge brownies with chocolate chips, blackberry pie (because it's black and because of the fey, especially the Samhain Phooka, of course; he just loves blackberries!!!), apple cider and/or ginger ale and root beer for the kids, red and rose wine and ale for the adults. Yes, I would be cooking for days!!!... So worth it!!!

Song: "Is This Real?," Sung By Lisa Hall, ~ From "Practical Magic"...

A Dame Darcy Drawing For October!!!...

:D

Song: "If You Ever Did Believe," Sung By Stevie Nicks...

November 2nd Is The Day Of The Animals...

It is a day to appreciate ALL animals.. Even those who may be unloved...

I used to go into the woods with fried chicken for foxes and raccoons, seed for the birds... I still always leave something.

...REMEMBER... They share our wonderful and beautiful, bountiful earth with us, in balance and in peace, which they would always choose, if they have a choice. Animals were put on this earth by the same kind and loving hands as we were.

How To Celebrate Samhain...

October 31st is Samhain Eve. November 1st is Samhain Day.

(I never do spells on a sabbat. However, I have made potions on sabbats.)

Emily The Strange...

...ALL THINGS CHANGE, BUT EMILY WILL ALWAYS BE STRANGE. She lives alone in a creepy old house with her posse of four strange cats.

"Fantasia: Night On Bald Mountain"...

Still... ;)

When The Villagers Get Their Torches...

Who Was Valerie Worth?...

I disagree. I thought it was fabulous! A book with much of the spirirt of true Craft workings. I also loved the sequel, ~ "A Crone's Book Of Charms And Spells". Both are valuable to have in a witch's library.

I LOVE A Corpse Bride Costume!!!...

I don't buy Halloween costumes. I make them. The year I was the Corpse Bride was one of my favorites. I got a vintage white tulle prom gown and dyed it light gray. I added more tullle of lavender and light blue and dyed darker gray. I made a white tulle veil and dyed it gray. I made a corpse bride bouquet of gray, pale blue and pale pink silk roses, adding more trailing gray and lavender tulle and pale blue silk ribbons. It was one of my favorite costumes. ;)

Witchy Fun Puns!!!... ;)

Can you tell me witch way to the pumpkin patch?... Grab your broomstick so we can make a clean getaway... You've got me under your spell... Beware of Resting Witch Face... Halloween's not the same if I can't be witch you... Hope your Halloween is hex-tra special this year... Witch upon a star... Here I am, warts and all..... It's witchful thinking... Keep calm and carry a wand... You know what they say: If the broom fits!.. Wicked awesome... I'll be-witcha in a second!...... Looking brew-tiful tonight! Witching you a Happy Halloween... Witch and famous.... Everything I brew, I brew for you... Witcha up to?.. It's a brew-tiful day for eating tons of candy... Feeling witchy... Can't always get what you wand... I know how to drive a stick...

Those Halloween Candies We Hate, But Still Eat... ;(

A Victorian Halloween...

Beggars Night...

When I was a kid, Beggar's Night was October 30th, a night for older kids to trick or treat. ~ sometimes, even without costumes. And, sometimes on Beggar's Night tricking was done more than treating, ~ like toilet papering houses, waxing car windshields and turning Volkwagen beetles upside-down.

Witchy Good Times...

Keep Black Cats Inside At Halloween Time!!!...

Adopt A Beautiful Black Dog From A Shelter!!!...

...L@@K at that face and those adorable paws!!!... >>>

Hallie Berry's Halloween Make Up...

Mint Vinegar...

I made mint vinegar at dawn this morning, going out to snip sprigs of my delicious mint julip mint plant & some of the white flowers. I crushed it a bit to release the essence and put it in a bottle. Then, I poured warmed vinegar down over it. It will probably make up in a month or so. 😉

The Munsters...

The Day Of The Dead ~ All Hallow's Eve & The Dumb Supper...

>>> ********* ...Amid all the merriment of dressing up in costumes and trick or treating IS a much, much solemner origin...The Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de (los) Muertos) is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and remember friends and family members who have died. These celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember amusing events and anecdotes about the departed. It is widely observed in Mexico, where it largely developed, and is also observed in other places, especially by people of Mexican heritage. The observance falls during the Christian period of Allhallowtide.[1] Some argue that there are Indigenous Mexican or ancient Aztec influences that account for the custom, and it has become a way to remember those forebears of Mexican culture. The Day of the Dead is largely seen as having a festive characteristic. Traditions connected with the holiday include honoring the deceased using calaveras and marigold flowers known as cempazúchitl, building home altars called ofrendas with the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these items as gifts for the deceased. The celebration is not solely focused on the dead, as it is also common to give gifts to friends such as candy sugar skulls, to share traditional pan de muerto with family and friends, and to write light-hearted and often irreverent verses in the form of mock epitaphs dedicated to living friends and acquaintances, a literary form known as calaveras literarias. ~ Wikpedia. >>> >>> The Dumb Supper...

The Mythology Of The Black Dog...

URBAN LEGEND: The Hook Man...

Souling, ~ The Origins Of Trick Or Treat...

"A soul, a soul, a soul cake... Please, good missus, a soul cake!... An apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry, any good thing to make us all merry!... Bless this house and master, and the mistress also, and all the little children who 'round your table grow, the horses in your stable, the dog at your front door... Happy tidings and good wishes, I wish you ten times more!... Go into your cellar and see what you can find... If your cellar is not empty, I hope you will be kind... I hope you will be kind, good missus, I hope You will be kind!... If your cellar is not empty, I hope you will be kind... My shoes are very dirty... My cloak is very thin... I have a lttle pocket to put a penny in... If you haven't got a penny, a ha' penny will do... If you haven't got a ha' penny, then god bless you!... Then, god bless you, good missus, then, god bless you!"

Simona Kossak...

Have you heard of Simona Kossak? She was a scientist, ecologist, and an activist who fought to protect Europe's oldest forest. She was also a fascinating person. The locals called her a witch (an experience that Nya from Witterkin knows well), because she chatted with animals and owned a terrorist-crow, who stole gold and attacked bicycle riders. She spent more than 30 years in a wooden hut in the Białowieża Forest (Poland), without electricity or access to running water. A lynx slept in her bed, and a tamed boar lived with her under the same roof. Simona Kossak was born on October 27, in 1943. Image: Simona with her creatures photographed by Lech Wilczek ~ From "Weird And Unusual Things," by Randika Madhumalby. . .

Elvira, ~ Mistress Of The Dark...

URBAN LEGEND: Spring Heels Jack...

Mother Shipton...

The Twisted Origin Of Jack-O-Lanterns...

Song: "Witch Doctor," Sung By David Seville...

Bell, Book And Candle Soundtrack...

Very Noisy And Adamant Siamese & The Adorable And Talented PYE-wacket!!!... =^-^=

>>> The cat who played Pyewacket in "Bell, Book And Candle" won a Patsy Award for best animal actor, ~ the equivalent of an Oscar.

CAMPY: "The Craft," ~ you mess with magick; you WILL pay!!!...

...Forever after she will dwell, a madwoman shrieking in a cell... >>>

>>> The make up look from the movie... >>> Fun Facts...

The Legend Of Lizzie Borden...

"Elizabeth Borden took an ax, and gave her father forty whacks... And, when she saw what she had done, she gave her mother forty-one."

The Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast...

Going BATTY!!!...

>>> >>> >>>

"Witchcraft," & "That Old Black Magic," ~ Sung By Frank Sinatra, ~ +++...

...From the sensational movie "Bell, Book, And Candle"... (I think you can see it on youtube.)

...Too funny!!!... ;) >>> >>> ...And, how to taunt a bitch... (Cackle.) >>> ...What???... Allergic to Pye???... ;) >>> >>> ...So hilarious!!!... Hermione Gingold as the "mail order sorceress" makes a disgusting potion for Shep to drink to destroy Gillian's hold over him...

>>> ...And Gillian falls in love and ruins the whole thing!!... :O

>>> >>> >>> The summoning spell... >>> Marriage???... (Kim Novah is still alive, and in her nineties.)

The Witch As A Temptress, ~ A Sorceress, ~ Ha-HAAAAAAA!!!!!!...

...What if she's also royal???!!!...

"Voodoo," ~ Sung By Godsmack...

From The Gothic Movie "The Piano"...

...I read the book that was made from the film, ~ loved that too!!!...

Witches Music...

More Gothic & Witchy Junk Journals...

Is Alcatraz Haunted???...

Glorious Red Hair Has Long Been Associated With Witches...

... And, ~ yikes, not necessarily in a good way!!!... Of course, in Olden Times, ~ those horridly, horridly ignorant times, the beauty of redheads was their downfall among the incredibly cruel and brutal inquistors of the Church. But, one regular citizen who positively LOVED red hair was Cyrano de Bergerac.

>>> He wrote: "A brave head covered with red hair is nothing else but the sun in the midst of his rays, yet many speak ill of it, because few have the honor to be so. Do we not see that all things in nature are more or less red? Among the elements, he that contains the most essence and the least substance is the fire, because of his color. Gold hath received of his dye, the honor to reign over metals and of all planets the sun is most considered only because he is most red. The best-balanced constitution is that which is between phlegmatic and melancholy. The flaxen and black are beside it - that is to say the fickle and obstinate, between both is the medium, where wisdom in favor of red-haired men hath lodged virtue, so their flesh is much more delicate, their blood more pure, their spirits more clarified, and consequently their intellects more accomplished, because of the mixture of the four qualities."