Witches Galore: The Real Deal

Posted by kitperriman on December 22, 2022

PLEASE NOTE: Information below may be incorrect due to Covid-19 Restrictions. CALL BEFORE PLANNING A VISIT.

One of the most popular gift shops in the world is Witches Galore, an enchanting magic store nestled close to Pendle Hill at Newchurch-in-Pendle.

(Photo: Michael Ely)

Witches Galore

14 Newchurch Village, Newchurch-in-Pendle, Burnley, BB12 9JR, United Kingdom

(Telephone: 01144-1282-613111)

Tourists paying a visit are greeted by a coven of life-size hags, who instantly weave their charms to lure the customers within! Open seven days a week from 11am – 5 pm, Witches Galore offers an eclectic mix of information, games, and souvenirs. There are mugs, ceramic wall plaques, tea-towels, fridge magnets, and jewelry related to the Pendle Witches, alongside a variety of books based specifically on Lancashire history, and a miscellaneous collection of magic items such as tarot packs, chalices, scrying bowls, skulls, and so forth.

But unique to this store is their expansive collection of beautifully-crafted witch models. This one I ordered on-line (see below) is named after one of the Pendle Witches: Jennet Device.

(Photo: KIt Perriman)

And this doll was bought several years ago when I was in the area:

(Photo: Kit Perriman)

The individual details are amazing. I have never seen cloth-and porcelain figures of this quality anywhere else.

For a closer look inside Witches Galore check out this cute AffieFilms video with Cassie and Pippa (The Monkey Dogs). There is also some great location footage at the start and end of their short YouTube adventure. Enjoy!

(Video: YouTube)

Tradition

Posted by kitperriman on December 16, 2022

“In forgetting the past

we lose the powers from whence we came.”

(Traditional Wisdom)

(Photo: Kit Perriman)

Old Demdike’s Charme

Posted by kitperriman on December 15, 2022

A Charme to Cure the Bewitched.

(Painting: Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)

“Upon Good-Friday, I will fast while I may
Untill I heare them knell
Our Lords owne Bell,
Lord in his messe
With his twelve Apostles good,
What hath he in his hand
Ligh in leath wand:
What hath he in his other hand?
Heavens doore key,
Open, open Heaven doore keyes,
Steck, steck hell doore.
Let Crizum child
Goe to it Mother mild,
What is yonder that casts a light so farrandly,
Mine owne deare Sonne that’s naild to the Tree.
He is naild sore by the heart and hand,
And holy barne Panne,
Well is that man
That Fryday spell can,
His childe to learne;
A Crosse of Blew, and another of Red,
As good Lord was to the Roode.
Gabriel laid him downe to sleepe
Upon the ground of holy weepe:
Good Lord came walking by,
Slep’st thou, wak’st thou Gabriel,
No Lord I am sted with sticke abd stake,
That I can neither sleepe nor wake:
Rise up Gabriel and goe with me,
The stick nor the stake shall never deere thee.
Sweete Jesus our Lord, Amen.”

(Taken from Jennet Device’s testimony against her brother, James – August 1612)

(Painting: Public Domain)

Dark Magic

Posted by kitperriman on December 12, 2022

From my voluntarie Confession and Examination (April 2, 1612)

” . . . the speediest way to take a mans life away by Witchcraft, is to make a Picture of Clay, like unto the shape of the person whom they meane to kill,& dry it thorowly: and when they would have them to be ill in any one place more then the other; then take a Thorne or Pinne, and pricke it in that part of the Picture you would so have to be ill: and when you would have any part of the Body to consume away, then take that part of the Picture, and burne it. And when you would have the whole body to consume away, then take the remnant of the sayd Picture, and burne it: and so thereupon by that meanes, the body shall die.”

(Thomas Potts. The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster, 1613)

(Pictures: Public Domain)

Tarot Cards

Posted by kitperriman on December 8, 2022

Tarot Cards

Tarot Cards originated in the Middle Ages, probably in 15th Century Northern Italy.
They were first designed as a pastime to play games with.
The first cards were rare and hand-painted. They became widespread with the invention of the printing press.
By the late 18th century, Tarot Cards used for telling fortunes and special custom decks appeared.
Etteilla made the first pack of occult cards around 1789 based on Ancient Egyptian themes.
The Tarot pack is divided into two parts – the Minor Arcana (suited cards), and the Major Arcana (unsuited cards).
The four suits are usually SWORDS, CUPS, COINS (pentacles / discs) and BATONS (wands / rods / staves).
The unsuited cards are: The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Lovers, The Hierophant (Pope), Strength, The Hermit, The Chariot, Justice, The Hanged Man, The Wheel of Fortune, Death, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Sun, The Moon, Judgement, The Fool, The World, and Temperance (Angel).
There is a “spread” for every occasion. Different types of “reading” serve different purposes: A three-card reading can represent past / present/ future; a single card signifies the day ahead or can answer a specific question; a seven-card spread may represent the coming week.
Many people use Tarot Cards to guide their personal daily decisions.
Do they predict the future? Or do they merely help focus our thoughts to deal with everyday events? What do you think?

Sources:

“A Beginners Guide to Tarot Cards.” The Cut at http://www.thecut.com/article/tarot.cards

“A Q&A With Colleen McCann.” Goop at http://www.goop.com/wellness/spirituality/how-to-use-tarot-cards-to-guide-daily-decision-making

“Tarot.” Wikipedia at http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot

(Photo: Public Domain)

The Scrying Game

Posted by kitperriman on December 1, 2022

Since the days of the Ancient Persians, wizards, witches, and Romany gypsies and have sought for ways to look beyond the familiar world around them. Cunning folk have stared into fire, water, polished stone, magic mirrors, and crystal balls, seeking divination of hidden knowledge – visions of future events – or clairvoyant arts to find lost objects and detect criminals.

Scrying is a common Celtic practice too. It comes from the Old English word descry and means to make out dimly or to reveal the past, present, or future. Used to detect chaos, evil, good, and magic, scrying often brings a message. The seer goes into a trance and uncovers a series of hidden images, rather like a movie playing inside their skull. But the visions are symbolic and need interpreting, which is a skill that is only learned and honed over time.

Look into Kit’s crystal ball below. I see you – if you see me too then perhaps you’ve also got the gift!

(Photo: Public Domain)

My Kind

Posted by kitperriman on November 28, 2022

I have gone out, a possessed witch,
haunting the black air, braver at night;
dreaming evil

From “Her Kind” (Anne Sexton)

(Photo: Kit Perriman)

Shape-shifting

Posted by kitperriman on November 21, 2022

A shape-shifting spell from the Scottish wise woman, Isobel Gowdie:

I shall go into a hare,

With sorrow, and sigh, and much care;

And I shall go in the Devil’s name,

Aye while I come home again.

I shall go into a cat,

With sorrow, and sigh, and sudden pain!

And I shall go in the Devil’s name,

Aye while I come home again

I shall go into a crow,

With sorrow, and sigh, and convulsion!

And I shall go in the Devil’s name,

Aye while I come home again.

Adapted from Joyce Froome’s book, Wicked Enchantments (Lancaster: Carnegie, 2010)

(Picture: Public Domain)

Kit’s Crit: Waking the Witch (Pam Grossman)

Posted by kitperriman on October 7, 2022

Waking the Witch

Waking the Witch is a well-researched and entertaining history of witches, from ancient times to the present day. Author Pam Grossman hosts the podcast The Witch Wave, and in this mix of scholarship and memoir she examines the enduring connections between female power and patriarchal persecution.

Grossman also explores the myth and martyr, sister and scary monster, feminine and feminist, interpreting what it means to both practice magic, and to be accused of practicing magic in less tolerant societies. She also highlights how the word craft is used for “both making art and doing magic . . . . Artists use the power of imagination to create pieces that shift consciousness, thereby changing both the maker and the viewer,” as do potent spells [188]. She suggests that creative people have sprinkled their own individual magic in the world all throughout history.

This book is beautifully written and accessible to a wide audience on many different levels. Very informative, witty, and enjoyable!

(Photo: Kit Perriman)

Contacting The Dead

Posted by kitperriman on September 21, 2022

A séance is an attempt to contact the dead either by conjuring up manifestations of spirits, from messages relayed through a Medium, or via a Ouija Board.

In ancient times only prophets, seers, and Cunning Folk were called on to access with the world beyond death, but after Baron Lyttelton published a book called Communication With the Other Side (1760) ordinary people were drawn to the idea of “penetrating the veil” for themselves. The popularity of séances soon developed into a new religion called Spiritualism.

The early Spiritualists used a talking board at their camps in Ohio (1886), a device that became known as a Ouija Board. This tablet gave everyone equal access to the world beyond. The name Ouija was said to stem from the Egyptian word for good luck, though others have argued it is a combination of the French and German words for yes. The first commercial board was created in 1894 by Elijah Bond.

The flat board is marked with the letters of the alphabet, numbers 0-9, “Yes,” “No,” and “Good bye.” A moveable marker or planchette – usually made of plastic or wood – spells out words when the participants place their fingers on it. It is a form of automatic writing.

Over the years this form of communication has been criticized by the Church as a dangerous tool of Satan. Other users argue it is simply a harmless parlor game. And some modern day psychologists claim that the Ouija Board offers a fascinating insight into the minds of the players because they are unconsciously moving the marker according to their own secret thoughts, fears, and desires.

(Photo: Public Domain)

Sources:

Ghost Research Society. “Ouija: Not a Game,” at http://www.ghostresearch.org/articles/ouija.html

Psychicsuniverse.com. “Holding A Séance: How To Do It Sanely and Safely,” at http://www.psychicsuniverse.com/articles/spirituality/living-spiritual-life/rituals/holding-s%C3%A9ance-how-do-it-sanely-and-safely

Smithsonian.com. “The Strange and Mysterious History of the Ouija Board,” at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-strange-and-mysterious-history-of-the-ouija-board-5860627/

Wikipedia. “Ouija,” at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouija

Kit Perriman

The Hill – A Historical Novel About Witches

Category Archives: The Craft

Witches Galore: The Real Deal

Tradition

Old Demdike’s Charme

Dark Magic

Tarot Cards

The Scrying Game

My Kind

Shape-shifting

Kit’s Crit: Waking the Witch (Pam Grossman)

Contacting The Dead