Outlander: The Dream of the Scots is Alive on the Starz Network

I am the wife of the laird of Balnainn

The faeries have stolen me over again…

I promised this part of this blog was going to be about modern mythology, or at least how mythology is viewed by modern people. Outlander is a show based on a series of books by Diana Gabaldon about a woman, Claire, who travels back in time from post WWII to the mid 18th century. It’s been billed around the interwebs as a kind of Game of Thrones for chicks (more on THAT in a minute), but once you scrape off a bit of the prestige cable drama schmutz there’s a lot going on here.

Hecate: Wisdom & Witchcraft

…witchcraft celebrates pale Hecate’s offerings…

Hecate is probably the goddess most associates with witches in the popular imagination; even Shakespeare mentions her in the three witches scene in Macbeth.

Hecate originated in Thrace, as the daughter of the titans Perses and Asterea. She was part of the battle of the titans against the Olympians, and sometimes resided in the Underworld along with Hades and Persephone. Eventually, she was absorbed into the Roman goddess Diana Triformis.  Hecate has a son, named Museos, which translates to “muse man”. She was a witness to Kore’s initial descent into the Underworld, and is therefore associated with the Eleusian mysteries.

Kore: Death & Daffodils

Kore is Demeter’s daughter by her brother Zeus, and I promise not to make any more Star Wars jokes. He transformed himself into a bull, after that worked so well for Poseidon and tricked her the same way. “Kore” translates to “the maiden” and she was Demeter’s favorite child.

The story behind the Eleusian mysteries begins when Kore catches the notice of the Olympian underworld god Hades, another brother of Demeter. Here is a bunch of people that need family counseling! There are two versions of what happens next: one in which Kore falls in love with him and follows him willingly to the Underworld, and another in which Kore is kidnapped by Hades and brought to the Underworld by force. The second version is probably more familiar to most people and it is the version most obviously informed by the Judeo-Christian patriarchal attitudes of western civilization. Either way, Kore disappears.

Patriot Day: Fight ISIS with Isis

This is gonna cost me.

Today is the 13th anniversary of the other day that will live in infamy: 9/11. Everybody remembers where they were when they heard; I was at work and the receptionist came into the back office to tell us after the news of the second plane hit. We were in upstate New York and I remember going to the window to watch the sky even though we were 400 miles from the city. I remember watching the footage of the people jumping out of windows before the news networks realized what they were broadcasting. That was the bit that sent me flying out of the office to pick up my kid from school and hole up in the house.

Programming Note!

I am very slowly figuring out how this blog thing works, so please bear with me for a bit.

I’ve figured out the categories bit, so in order to find the mythology posts, there is now a Mythology category broken up into pantheon. This is where the next Eleusian Mystery post will be when I publish it, for those of you who are waiting for it.

Thing is, I keep getting sidetracked by other stuff that I want to post!! Today being 911 and the President’s speech yesterday make me want to say some things about it, so I will have that post up later today. The Kore post will follow soon after, but probably not today the way I planned it.

Thanks for being patient, and also, thanks for reading me!

Demeter: Grain & Gardens

When I began practicing witchcraft 25 years ago (ooft!) the first pantheon I worked with was the Greeks. I had been reading Edith Hamilton and Robert Graves pretty much from the moment I could understand them, and those myths were my favorite fairy tales. Many of my beginning rituals revolved around the trinity of Kore/Persephone as Maiden, Demeter as Mother and Hecate as Crone. Therefore I thought it would be fitting that my first few posts be about these Ladies. Today I’m writing about Demeter, up to the Eleusian Mysteries, which I think deserves a post of its own.

Demeter is the Greek earth goddess, representing fertility and grain of all types, especially barley. She’s one of the Olympians as a daughter of Cronos and Rhea. Her siblings include Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia and Hera.

Future Ancestor Alert: Joan Rivers

This was supposed to be a post about Demeter and the Eleusian Mysteries, but events. Check back early next week for that one.

Joan Rivers died yesterday. This may seem like an odd thing to talk about on a magick and mythology blog but hear me out.

I believe that one day people will look at some of our contemporaries the way we see figures of legend. Marie Laveau, Joan of Arc, Aliester Crowley: they were all actual people with regular lives who live on in the realms of memory. I know a guy who keeps Thomas Jefferson on his altar right next to Herne. These are what I call the Future Ancestors. More recent examples: Margot Adler, BKS Iyengar, & Robin Williams (wow, it’s been a tough summer).

The Witch is In

So now I have a blog.

I’m Lucina Starsight, frustrated writer and lapsed pagan goddess lady. I’m starting the process of leaving my mundane life behind and following my bliss. That means no more cubicles and offices, but might mean a lot more starving.

This blog will eventually tie into my Etsy store…I make essential oil blends and herbal mixes. What you’ll find here is my writing: essays, short stories, that type of thing (no, I am not a poet, so you can get your mouse pointer off that XClose icon).

My background is mainly goddess centered women’s spirituality,but lately I’ve been calling myself an eclectic Avalonian witch. I’m currently solitary, but I used to co-run a coven many many (many) years ago. You’ll find myth, magick and (sometimes somewhat tenuous) connections to current events here, as those are my main interests right now. I’m pursuing a degree in history with a concentration in mythology so you’ll see a good bit of that too.

So, come hang around a bit. I bid you hail, honor and welcome!