Bone Songs Chronicle for September 19, 2021

Witchcraft/Paganism Curated News

Trigger Warning: some of these stories speak to several kinds of abuse. I am not responsible for the content. I share for educational purposes, and want you to be forewarned. Read the news at your own risk. Some of it is cool!

• Beware The Witch’s Curse of Love and Lightnin’
• Fascinating objects that tell story of Scotland’s witch hunts go on show
• Salem Witches and Global Trials
• The Ugandan Man Who Turned Into A Woman On His Wedding Day
• Column: Living with the Locals
• Mayor of Columbus regrets having a pagan meeting in Rosh Hashanah
• Chicago witchcraft store owned by 2 brothers invites customers as spooky season approaches
• South Africa: Witchcraft – Lawmakers Are in a ‘Catch-22’ Situation
• Elderly Man Murdered & Buried Over Suspicion Of Practising Witchcraft In Ganjam, 4 Detained
• 5 Things I Had to Unlearn as a Pagan
• Satanic Panic: Exhibit at the Buckland Museum takes a spooky look at pop culture

This Week’s Tarot: The Nine of Wands

Key words/phrases: Resilience, courage, persistence, test of faith, boundaries.

The Nine of Wands comes as a sign that even in the face of adversity, you stand tall and strong. You may be on the edge of exhaustion, but you are resilient, persistent, and ready to do what it takes to get to the finish line. This card may also come when you feel battered and bruised, having endured significant challenges and struggles along your path. Just when you think you are making progress, you suffer another setback. The Nine of Wands asks you to trust that this is merely a test of your ‘grit’ and resilience, and know that every time you overcome an obstacle, you are getting stronger. You have the inner resources necessary to overcome any difficulty you encounter, even though it may seem impossible at the time. See this Nine as an assurance that you will eventually prosper if you maintain your position. And, if you do not succeed at first, then try again.

The Nine of Wands encourages you to keep pushing – you are so close to the finish line. Even if you want to give up, this is your final challenge before you reach your goal, so don’t let go of your hopes and dreams when you are so close to making them a reality. Stand firm in the face of your challenges, and you will achieve your goal.

Others may try to oppose your plans, make things difficult for you, or even attack you for what you are putting out into the world. Often, they do it because they’re jealous of your success or are projecting their own insecurities and fears on you. Don’t let them get to you. You are a change-maker, and you have a vital message to share in this world. Don’t dim your light because of others’ insecurities.

This Week’s Totem: Badger

Key words/phrases: Determination, aggressiveness, independence, persistence, and fearlessness.

The badger is the giant of the weasel family. Those with this totem should study the weasel as well. The badger is gray, black, and buff, with a white stripe from the nose to the back of its head. This in itself is very symbolic of how open it is, the keeper of much light and knowledge of other animals and the Earth.

The badger may look fat, but it is muscular and powerful. Its outer skin is loose, so it is difficult for bites from other animals to injure it. Its own jaws are exceedingly strong. The jaws are the symbols of powerful expression. This ties the badger to mysteries of the “word” — particularly the magic of storytelling. “I would ask you to remember only this one thing,” said Badger. “The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them. If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive. That is why we put these stories in each other’s memory. This is how people care for themselves.”

The badger is a remarkable digger. Fast and quick, it can dig beneath surfaces easily. It can out-dig a ground hog or a mole, moving rapidly through the Earth. This ties them to all earth spirits and gnomes of lore; and, also hints at the ability to see beneath the surface of all things and people. Badger lives in an underground complex of burrows that are called “earths”. Badger has several living chambers, along with latrine and storage chambers. These earths hint at the stories beneath the outer, the inner places, and homes of the outer world.

Badger is active both day and night, and is a carnivorous animal, living primarily on rodents such as rabbits, gophers, mice, squirrels, and other underground dwellers. Badger eats many crop-consuming rodents, and will often store the animals or parts of them in his/her earths. Because of this Badger can be thought of as the keeper of other animals’ stories.

Badger is basically an unsociable animal. Badger does not “relate” well with others–even his/her own kind. This might be why stories are its symbolic means of communication.

It is often easier for those with Badger Medicine to relate through stories than to have to do it directly.

Young badgers, usually 2-3, are born in May or June. The family always separates in the fall, when the young and the father move to find their own homes. Sometimes the father will help with the raising of the young, but as a whole, Badgers are loners and solitary. They are comfortable within themselves and are very self-reliant. They can teach this or help those with this totem to teach it to others.

The dachshund (badger dog) was bred specifically to hunt and dig after the badgers and to chase them out of the burrows. Dachshund owners probably have some Badger Medicine or can easily connect to it.

Because it is such a powerful digger, the badger has knowledge of things beneath the earth. This includes minerals, roots, and other plants and herbs. This makes the badger also a dynamic healer. Sometimes the badger healer is overly aggressive, but the technique is usually effective. Badger can teach the long forgotten knowledge of roots and their mystical and healing powers.

The badger is bold and ferocious, and never surrenders. If Badger has come into your life,
you should do some examination. Are you or those around you not digging deep enough? It may indicate a need to get beneath the surface. It may reflect a time of greater connection to the earth and its animal spirits. It may be telling you to draw upon the stories that intrigued you and held you fast during childhood. They may be symbolic of things going on or about to go on in your current life. Whenever badger shows up, there will be opportunities to develop self-expression and reliance. It speaks of a time to begin to tell a new story about yourself and your life.

• If Badger is your totem: You are tenacious, bold, love being alone/solitary, can ‘sniff out the truth’ easily, and are extremely loyal to those you consider family.
• If you have encountered Badger recently: You are being asked to take on the traits of Badger for a specific period of time- usually around 6 months.
• If you dream of Badger: prepare yourself to face a challenge or enemy head on.

This week, the seasons change in both hemispheres. Here, in the north, we move into autumn. South of the equator, they’ll see the awakening of spring. It’s time for us to begin thinking of endings, and make preparations for the thinning of the veil between the worlds. Ancestral heritages will be honored, and we shall commune with our beloved dead.

To me, that’s the most comforting of all… communing with those who have gone before me. I’m an ancestor-in-training, after all. I’ll be with them sooner than I’d probably like, and my hope is that my descendants will also honor me after I’m gone.

For now, I’m choosing to eke out every single drop of life I can get, and honor each season I’m allowed. I am happy to welcome autumn’s arrival. May your harvests be full.

Sláinte,

Alexis, The Bone Song Witch