Luke's

I was scrolling on YouTube to find videos on witchcraft to see what I could write about, when I stumbled across a video of Mother Shipton… and she might just be one of the most fascinating figures I’ve looked into. Here is a little bit about her story and why I think it is so interesting. Ursula Sotheil, her real name, was born in 1488 in a cave near Knaresborough, England. The story goes that Ursula’s mother was a mysterious young woman with no known husband and rumors swirled that her father might have been the devil himself. Born during a thunderstorm (of course), Ursula reportedly had a crooked nose, wild hair and a strange appearance- everything is pointing towards witch already. But what really made Mother Shipton famous were her prophecies. She supposedly predicted the Great Fire of London, the invention of cars and even airplanes. One of her most famous lines is, “Carriages without horses shall go,” which people interpret as a vision of modern vehicles. Unlike many accuse...

 We’ve touched on it earlier in this class, but I wanted to dive deeper into a couple of plants I didn’t know much about: henbane and yew. Henbane is a toxic plant with yellow flowers that witches supposedly used to make flying potions. People believed it could cause hallucinations or even send someone into a trance, which might explain why it was linked to witches “flying” on broomsticks. Allegedly, ancient rituals burned henbane seeds to summon visions or communicate with spirits. Another interesting part about it, is it was said to grow on graves- which is symbolic of connecting with the otherworld. The yew tree, which is also seen as a graveyard plant, is considered both a protector of the dead and a bringer of immortality. Every part of the tree is toxic. Ancient Druids made wands out of yew wood for magical rituals. This was seen in Harry Potter, actually, as Voldemort’s wand core is yew wood. This adds up since it represents both death and power. These two embody the d...

 Over Thanksgiving, my grandfather played a Frank Sinatra song. I know a decent amount of his songs, but never heard this one. I was surprised when I started listening to the lyrics and heard him singing about Witchcraft. Since then, I wanted to research the meaning of the song. Sinatra used witchcraft as a metaphor for the seductive power of love. The song’s lyrics transform witchcraft from something fearsome into something enchanting: “Those fingers in my hair, That sly come-hither stare, That strips my conscience bare, It’s witchcraft.” Within these lyrics, the “witch” is not a villain but instead a bewitching figure whose power lies in charm and seduction. Witchcraft flips the narrative of historical Witchdom in Salem, presenting the witchy figure as alluring and desirable. This reflects mid-20th-century attitudes toward magic, which had begun to shift from fear and superstition to whimsy and fantasy in films and music. This song not only describes love—it embodies the m...

 I decided to try the ancient art of Oomancy—divination with eggs. So, I went to my refrigerator, grabbed an egg and filled up a glass of water. The last “ingredient” you need is an open mind. Armed with these, I set out to uncover what secrets the egg might hold about my life. Once I cleared my mind, as tradition advises, I cracked the egg into the glass of water. I must say, watching the egg whites slowly spread and form shapes in the water was mesmerizing- I had never done this before as I am usually only cracking eggs onto a hot pan. At first, I wasn’t sure what I was looking for. But as I observed the patterns, I noticed what looked like tiny cobwebs rising off the egg. There were also several bubbles floating at the surface, and the yolk appeared to be surrounded by a jagged edge. After a few minutes, here were my three biggest takeaways when interpreting my egg and doing research on what the symbolism meant.              The cobwe...

11/12/2024 Yesterday morning I was scrolling through The Weather Channel app to look at the temperature for the day, when I stumbled across a headline titled “Witch Storms”. One, I had never heard of that phenomenon; and two, because of this class, I wanted to learn more about them. During late October and early November, the Midwest and Great Lakes prepare for the arrival of these so-called witch storms. These storms are intense extratropical cyclones, known for their gale-force winds, heavy precipitation and large temperature drops. Because of this, they have earned the eerie nickname from the "Witches of November." Witch storms occur when warm, wet air from the south collides with cold, dry air from the north, creating a low-pressure system. While rooted in meteorology, the term conjures a connection to folklore and the dark history of witchcraft. As seen in readings, videos and in class, the association between storms and witches isn’t new. In the Salem trials, weat...

As a Kansan, The Wizard of Oz has always been a familiar part of Kansas’s culture. I have only seen the film once though, and it was when I was in grade school- I thought it was corny... no pun intended. But since taking this class, I decided to rewatch it and do some research on the symbolism of witches throughout the film. The films portrayal of Kansas as a quiet, dark world stands in contrast to the vibrant land of Oz. One personal connection I made early was to Dorothy- a laid back, down-to-earth Midwesterner. Though the movie is often celebrated for its imagery of home and adventure, let’s take a look at how witches and magic are portrayed within. The contrast between the Good Witch of the North, Glinda, and the Wicked Witch of the West is an obvious one- very stark. Glinda embodies beauty- wearing pink and sparkles and offers guidance to Dorothy. While the Wicked Witch, well it’s pretty obvious with her green skin, offers a menacing demeanor and represents evil. This dichotom...