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
history
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!
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
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
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!
Zwarte Piet/Black Pete, a short history+update on the cultural debate
As many undoubtedly know, the celebration of Sinterklaas has been the centre of a heated cultural debate in the Netherlands in the past years. It was not so much about Sinterklaas himself, but mostly about his help, Zwarte Piet - or Black Pete in English. According to some (and later many) Piet was sorely in … Continue reading Zwarte Piet/Black Pete, a short history+update on the cultural debate
National witch monument – a ritual of commemoration
In the last couple of weeks there has been a lot of discussion among Dutch witches, pagans and heathens about the initiative of the “Nationaal Heksenmonument”, the national witch monument. I wrote a bit more about it here. In short, this project is meant to commemorate the people who died in the Netherlands during the … Continue reading National witch monument – a ritual of commemoration
A national witch monument in the Netherlands
The face of witchcraft has greatly changed throughout the centuries. The last few decennia, it has grown fast as a (for some religious) way of life, as a form of Art. Some people however see witchcraft merely as superstition and then there are some who still see witchcraft as of the devil. Worldwide, people still … Continue reading A national witch monument in the Netherlands
Witch hunts are not of the distant past
I just finished the Dutch translation of Monica Black’s A Demon-haunted land: witches, wonder doctors, and the ghosts of the past in post-WWII Germany. Up until then I thought that Western belief in witches in the twentieth century and later was either based on wicca or based on individual cases of wise women or cunning … Continue reading Witch hunts are not of the distant past
Read The Left Eye Of Odin (Or Right) on the Norse Mythology Blog
"He is the fury that stirs poet, artist, dancer, and musician as they enter into a deeply creative state in which they lose track of time and mundane situation. When the guitarist is so concentrated on improvising in the moment that she doesn’t afterward remember making any conscious musical decisions, Odin is there. When the … Continue reading Read The Left Eye Of Odin (Or Right) on the Norse Mythology Blog
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