This Samhain I went to visit a place that I hadn't seen in quite a long time, even if I come in the area at least once a month. I come from the Dutch town of Helmond, and one of its most beloved spots is the Warande, an old forest and park. At the center … Continue reading Personal places of power – the Grave Island of Helmond
Author: Yv
Possible ancient precursor to the Wiccan wheel of the year? Also, happy summer solstice!
Since my visit to the Bronze Age exhibition in Leiden last winter, I'm adding some new information about this era to my website. One very interesting subject is a relatively new find of the solar observatory near the Dutch town of Tiel, which you can read about more here. The observatory has popularly been dubbed … Continue reading Possible ancient precursor to the Wiccan wheel of the year? Also, happy summer solstice!
New information about religious and spiritual beliefs in the Netherlands, from recent research by Pew Research Center
Can you be pagan without actually calling yourself pagan? That is a question that is worth pondering, considering certain developments in people’s spiritual beliefs that are not explicitly labelled as pagan, heathen and the like, but are certainly shared by pagans, heathens and witches. (With pagans, heathens and witches I mean those, mostly in the … Continue reading New information about religious and spiritual beliefs in the Netherlands, from recent research by Pew Research Center
Beautiful 1400 year old golden raven head found in England
Imagine being a metal detector searching a field and discovering two beautiful 1400 years old golden objects. It must be a thrill. Especially if one of the items is a stylized raven head in typical Anglo-Saxon style. Below is a drawing of this find, which you can see in all its splendor in this article. … Continue reading Beautiful 1400 year old golden raven head found in England
Hares in the city
While everyone in the Netherlands is discussing the wolves re-entering and reclaiming their place in our country, other animals are even entering our cities without humans so much as blinking their eyes. The same is happening in other places in Europe. Danish researchers noticed how in a couple of cities hare populations are thriving. The … Continue reading Hares in the city
Gold steals the show at Bronze Age exhibition
The Rijksmuseum van Oudheiden (RMO, National Museum of Antiquities) in Leiden is a must for everyone who loves ancient history and archaeology. It gives a great overview of the Western canon, from Prehistory via Egypt, the Middle East and Greece, to the late Roman era. I feel, but am not sure, that there is a … Continue reading Gold steals the show at Bronze Age exhibition
Inspirational fire: pagan voices, inspiration, and action
This blog is a rather quiet place. The world outside is not, hell, it seems to be on fire lately. I therefore feel that my little corner of the internet needs an update, to get by with the times. This website has mostly been about the history of paganism in what we now call the … Continue reading Inspirational fire: pagan voices, inspiration, and action
New findings on ancient skeleton ‘puzzle’
In the 1970’s in Pommerœul, Belgium, a rather puzzling grave was found. Amidst several 2nd-3rd century cremation burials, a skeleton lay with its legs in an atypical position and significantly deeper than the other burials. However, because of its place in between the cremation burials and the finding of a Roman pin near the skeleton, … Continue reading New findings on ancient skeleton ‘puzzle’
Re-Enchantment during Halloween
The American celebration of Halloween is spreading all over the Western world, it seems. At least in the Netherlands, where I live, it has reached mainstream culture. Last month, stores sold creepy decoration and many a Halloween party could be visited in your favourite spooky outfit. Halloween as American import I’ve noticed there are two … Continue reading Re-Enchantment during Halloween
Free online art history lessons!
I had fun with my art history lesson about Hekate together with a small group of attendants last week! To me this feels like a step up to do this more often. View a list of the upcoming free monthly lessons for the rest of this year. Please note that all these lessons will be … Continue reading Free online art history lessons!
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