Allison's Witchcraft Blog

    In researching the evolution of "witchy" fashion trends, I came across an article by British Vogue entitled, "The Vogue Guide To Being a Modern Witch" . The guide begins: "October is to witches what September is to models: a moment to shine. Replace the catwalk with an ancient forest, the spotlight with moonlight and the stage is set. Didn’t you hear? Being witchy is now something to aspire to ."      In this intro, British Vogue is making Sabbaths trendy, equating them as a catwalk, a witch's time to shine. A ritual that witches used to be accused of and persecuted for is now "fashionable." British Vogue describes the modern witch's typical daytime attire according to social media as monotone or tulle dress/skirt with a chunky sweater with a wide lace collar. Her hair would be long and "feminine" with flowers and/or ribbons. At nighttime however, British Vogue says that the modern witch should get "vampy" would in...

“Please, No Witchcraft Park in Arlington”      Caelum Moor , pink granite statues in Arlington, TX nicknamed "Texas' Stonehenge" made NBCDFW news in 2009 for their re-erection. But why were they controversial enough to be taken down in the first place?       The Caelum Moor environmental sculpture park was originally put up in 1984. The designer, Norm Hines, states that his vision in these sculptures was to feel as though viewers are in the Scottish Highlands. In 1996 Windstar Properties made a deal with Arlington officials to move the statues to a new site 1,400 feet from where they were so that they could build a shopping center on the property.        This deal was argued by some, such as minister Dena Smith, who accused the sculpture park of being a religious site and wanted the deal to go a step further and completely remove the stones from the city of Arlington. Smith claimed she had seen the statue park being used by witches...

     I was driving home to Austin this past weekend with the Eagles discography on shuffle, when the song "Witchy Woman" came on. This got me thinking - how are witches typically portrayed in songs ?       Though there are countless songs that mention or are about witches, for the sake of my research and analysis, I decided to focus on a few from household names: "Witchy Woman" by the Eagles, "Witchcraft: by Frank Sinatra, "Waking the Witch" by Kate Bush, and "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac. Witchy Woman: The Eagles      Similar to many popular songs about witches, in "Witchy Woman", the Eagles depict the witchy woman as an object of desire. The first verse begins, " Raven hair and ruby lips. Sparks fly from her fingertips ." These specific lines not only describe her appearance as leaning towards a darker, more gothic vibe, but it also ties in the long standing associations with ravens in spirituality and as dark omens. The ...

      "The Good Witch of Salem" is set in Salem and centers around the good witch and her cat, Aura . Aura is able to sense when someone is in need of love and joy, and the good witch uses her powers to spread kindnes . The plot centers around Aura sensing someone is in need of kindness, so the good witch grabs her crystal ball and says an incantation, after which the crystal ball shows her a birthday party. Suddenly, a ballon pops and the good witch's vision shifts to a lonely little girl with no one to play with.       The good witch the get out her cauldron and begins making a potion with different colors, explaining that each color has a different meaning and purpose in the potion. For example, "citrine orange uplifts and brings upon new friends with love and some laughter that transcends" (Tina, 18). After finishing her potion and molding it into hearts, the good witch and Aura get on her broom to travel to the little girl in ...

“When a witch has a coven it’s normally a small thing. Witch’s covens are normally three to seven people. When it becomes thousands it’s called a hive . Y’all a part of that lady Beyhive ?” -  Tiphani Montgomery, Pastor Image: https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/beyonce-accused-of-extreme-witchcraft/     For years r umors linking Beyonce to the occult have swirled, but these rumors peaked when Beyonce's former drummer of 7 years, Kimberley Thompson, filed a civil harassment restraining order against Beyonce for "extreme witchcraft." The restraining order, which was denied, accused Beyonce of stealing intellectual property and computer hard drives, tapping her phone and controlling her finances, as well as " magic spells of molestation, the murder of my pet kitten, and magic spells on my lovers ."      These accusations seem to resonate with complaints leading to accusations of witchcraft throughout the centuries. Thompson's blame of Beyonce for...