Cate Tollison - Witchcraft Blog

Most people have a similar experience with dreams. You have an extremely memorable dream that feels completely real and then 5 minutes after you wake up, you forget it. Dreams are a phenomenon that many scientists and psychologists have strived to understand, and while there is no scientific evidence that dreams actually mean something or tell something about a person, many people believe that dreams are an insight into a person's personality and subconcious mind. Dreams are a result of our brainwaves while we sleep and can be induced by a variety of factors like stress, medications, memory consolidation, alcohol, sleep deprivation, and many other factors. Dreams often serve as a "rehearsal" for something that will occur during the daytime. I have become a lot more aware of my own dreams lately and when I seem to dream the most. A lot of times I dream before an exam or a big presentation the next day. Sometimes I have literally answered questions that I come up for myself...

 With the upcoming arrival of one of my favorite holidays, Halloween, I thought it would be fun to discuss a topic of Halloween and witches and how they have become so closely related. When I was little, I was probably a witch for halloween at least 3 times. My mom thought it was the cutest thing. I wore a long pointy hat, a purple sparkly skirt, a stuffed cat sitting on my shoulder, and of course my broomstick. But why did witches begin to become associated with Halloween? What is the origin of this extremely popularized and child-appealing holiday?  Halloween originated around November 1st in the Celtic countries of Ireland and Scotland. It was originally a holiday that marked the transition to winter - a time that many Celtics considered to be a connection between the physical world and the spiritual world. The Celts believed that the spirits of the dead could come back to life because of this close connection of the physical and spiritual world. People would wear costumes ...

A characteristic image of a witch that many people have is a woman hunched over a cauldron stirring in frog legs or bat wings. There is a rich history of Pagan traditions and European folklore, but the origins of potion making stem from practices of herbalism and medicinal properties. Throughout history, women have been the primary caregivers responsible for the ailments for illnesses. Traditional practices of herbal medicine have been passed down throughout history, and many still uphold their believed medicinal properties. When witchcraft began to be ostracized, a woman who practiced herbal medicine was associated with making potions or creating something magical. Many of the substances used did have benefits for people, and some could be dangerous or if they were used improperly. This created an idea that some of the "potions" that were made were part of the foul play of witches.   Today, modern witchcraft is greatly associated with potion-making. With witches in popular t...

It sounds crazy to base the whole outcome of your week based on what you read in the stars, but many people fervently believe in how the alignment of the planets will determine the fate of their week, month, and year. In fact, astrology has been a common method to predict people's futures and serve as a source of cosmic guidance since ancient times.  Astrology dates back thousands of years to ancient civilizations like the Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans who wanted to understand the meaning of the stars and cosmos, and how it affected life on Earth. Early records can be found dating back to ancient Mesopotamia where religious or authoritative figures would use the movement of the planets and stars to predict various weather patterns and make beneficial decisions during ruling and leadership. Astrology was originally not used as something to determine personal fate and future, but instead was used as a tool to promote a fruitful harvest and rulership. Overtime, astrology became more...

           In the 1960s, a movement emerged based on the principles of enlightenment and spiritual fulfillment. It rejected the religious and traditional concepts set in place at the time and embraced more non-Westernized ideas. These people believed that a new age of peace and harmony was on the rise and it is still being practiced to day with as many as 60 million followers (Lipscomb 284). It takes on an attitude of a life-long journey of finding the highest version of yourself spiritually and emotionally. A lot of its belief stem from the beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism. In New Age beliefs, there is more than one single truth and truths to every religion, which is why they are pantheistic. They also believe in the rise of a matriarchal society that will end create a more pure and innocent world.      In attainting the highest version of themselves, New Agers believe that we as a human race are all united as one, and that we have a spiritu...

     You will find a street performer in pretty much any big city. Some are playing instruments, some dancing, and some are doing so-called magic tricks. I have never believed in any such magic. In fact, there was a couple tricks I learned as a kid from my peers and had a lot of fun presenting my magic to my friends. The thing that I always knew was that there was some trick or reasonable explanation behind all of it. There was no "magic", but rather usually an optical illusion or something that mathematics could explain instead of something magical. Sometimes when I see performers on the streets doing their cool tricks, I wonder what exactly they are doing to execute such a performance, and if there is any training that goes behind it. Some people are so adamant that what they are doing is magical, that they convince others to believe it as well.       From my readings, I have discovered that magic tricks did not just come about recently, but ins...