64: Black Annis: The Hag of the Blue Cave

This week we are doing a short meditation to connect to your shadow goddess. The purpose of this meditation is to meet and converse with a goddess who embodies your shadow self in order to help you understand, heal, and reclaim the parts of yourself you've hidden rejected. 

Deep in the hills of Leicestershire, something stirs in the dark with blue skin, iron claws, and a taste for flesh. In this episode, we descend into the chilling legend of Black Annis, the child-snatching hag said to haunt the caves of Dane Hills. Where did this terrifying tale begin? Was she a twisted echo of a Celtic goddess, or a cautionary tale invented to keep children inside after dark? Join us as we unravel the myth, the history, and the lingering fear that keeps Black Annis alive in the minds of locals even today. You might want to keep a light on... and your windows shut.

 What if power didn’t mean domination, but care? What if society was built not on hierarchy, but on balance? In this episode, we explore why the matriarchy matters—what it really is, how it differs from patriarchy, and why it’s essential for humanity today. We’ll journey through matriarchal cultures, uncover how patriarchy has silenced the Divine Feminine, and discover why restoring matriarchal values is key to goddess spirituality, sustainability, and collective healing. This is not about women ruling men,  it’s about creating a world rooted in cooperation, intuition, and reverence for life itself. Please enjoy this episode on why I think Matriarchy matters. 

In this episode, we journey into one of the Bible’s most enigmatic and controversial stories: the tale of the Witch of Endor. Found in 1 Samuel 28, this mysterious woman is summoned by King Saul on the eve of battle to call up the spirit of the prophet Samuel—an act strictly forbidden under Israelite law. Was she a true medium? A cunning illusionist? Or a misunderstood spiritual figure caught in the crossfire of politics and prophecy? We’ll explore the historical, theological, and cultural context of ancient necromancy, unpack the deeper meaning of Saul’s desperation, and examine how this story has influenced everything from medieval witch trials to modern pop culture.

Who was Empusa,  the terrifying, shape-shifting figure whispered about in the night by the ancient Greeks? In this episode, we dive into the haunting mythology of Empusa, a spirit of Hecate said to stalk travelers and seduce men, appearing with a single brass leg and the power to transform at will. But beyond the fearsome imagery, Empusa reveals deeper truths about the ancient psyche: the dangers of unchecked desire, the power of feminine mystery, and the ways societies projected their fears onto women and the night.  We’ll explore her place in Greek myth, her connection to Hecate, and how she reflects larger archetypes of shadow and transformation that still resonate today. This is not just a story of monsters, but of the human soul wrestling with shadow, temptation, and the unknown. 

This week we are visiting the infamous Salome.  Salome is a historical and biblical figure most commonly known for her role in the execution of John the Baptist. She was the daughter of Herodias and the stepdaughter of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee and Perea during the time of Jesus. Her story is most famously recounted in the New Testament, where she is not named directly but is traditionally identified as the young woman who performed a dance, often referred to as the "Dance of the Seven Veils," for Herod Antipas at his birthday celebration. Pleased by her performance, Herod promised to grant her any wish. At her mother Herodias’s urging, Salome requested the head of John the Baptist on a platter, leading to his execution. Though the Bible does not name her, the historian Flavius Josephus identifies her as Salome and provides additional historical context about her life, including her marriages to prominent figures of the time. Over the centuries, Salome has become a symbol in literature, art, and opera, often portrayed as a seductress, though this image is largely shaped by later interpretations rather than the original biblical account. Primary Source Accounts Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, Chapter 5. Josephus provides the historical genealogy of Salome, her marriages, and her role as a Herodian princess — with no mention of John the Baptist’s death. The Gospel of Mark (6:17–29) and The Gospel of Matthew (14:3–11) – These are the earliest Christian sources for the beheading of John. Both describe “the daughter of Herodias,” but never name her. Early Christian and Patristic Interpretations Origen (3rd century CE), Commentary on Matthew, interprets Salome as symbolic of lust and corruption, beginning the moralizing distortion. John Chrysostom (4th century CE), in his Homilies on Matthew, presents the dance as sinful spectacle, reinforcing the trope of women’s bodies as gateways to evil. Later Christian & Cultural Amplifications Medieval Christian imagination – Salome is increasingly fused with Herodias, Jezebel, and archetypes of sinful women. Oscar Wilde’s Salome (1891) – Reinforces her as the archetypal femme fatale, later adapted by Richard Strauss into the infamous opera (1905). Modern Feminist & Scholarly Reinterpretations Schaberg, J. (2002). The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene: Legends, Apocrypha, and the Christian Testament. Continuum. (Discusses how women like Salome and Magdalene were distorted through patriarchal lenses). Levine, A-J. (2001). A Feminist Companion to Mark. Sheffield Academic Press. (Challenges patriarchal readings of women in the gospels, including Salome). Taylor, J. E. (2001). The Immerser: John the Baptist within Second Temple Judaism. Eerdmans. (Places the Baptist story in historical context, reminding us of its political backdrop). Kraemer, R. S. (1992). Her Share of the Blessings: Women's Religions Among Pagans, Jews, and Christians in the Greco-Roman World. Oxford. (On the roles of women like Salome in ancient Judea).

In this episode, we dive into the luminous world of goddess candle magic — where flame becomes devotion, spellwork becomes sacred, and the divine feminine is invoked one spark at a time. Learn how candles can act as portals, prayers, and offerings when aligned with goddesses like Hecate, Brigid, Isis, and Aphrodite. Whether you're crafting your first altar or deepening a long-time practice, we’ll explore color correspondences, goddess-specific rituals, and practical ways to infuse intention into your flame. Because when the divine feminine meets fire, transformation follows. Thank you for listening!

What can we learn from a goddess who carries ten different names? In this episode, we explore the power of epithets, the sacred titles, descriptive phrases, and symbolic names given to goddesses across cultures. From “Athena Parthenos” to “Isis the Great Enchantress,” these names are more than poetic flourishes, they reveal roles, realms, and relationships that deepen our understanding of the divine feminine. We’ll uncover how epithets preserve forgotten aspects of goddesses, challenge one-dimensional archetypes, and offer modern listeners more nuanced ways to connect with sacred identity. Because in the end, a goddess with many names shows us how to embrace the complexity in ourselves. Thank you for listening!

Hi Folks! This week we are doing a very short meditation to connect with your ancestral circle.  Connecting with one's ancestors is considered an essential practice in many spiritual and psychological traditions, especially in the context of ancestral healing, which refers to the process of addressing and transforming inherited trauma, unresolved emotions, and patterns that have been passed down through generations. The importance of this connection lies in the understanding that individuals are not isolated beings but are deeply embedded in family systems and cultural lineages.  By acknowledging and working with the emotional and energetic imprints of ancestors, people can begin to release inherited burdens, such as grief, fear, shame, or survival-based behaviors, that may unconsciously shape their present lives. Ancestral healing invites people to consciously engage with their heritage, not only to uncover wounds but also to reclaim the strengths, wisdom, and resilience of those who came before them.  This process can lead to profound personal transformation, greater self-awareness, and a sense of rootedness. It also fosters collective healing by breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and restoring a sense of continuity, belonging, and identity. Ultimately, ancestral healing is important because it helps repair the unseen threads that connect the past to the present, allowing individuals and communities to move forward with clarity and purpose. 

This week I am sharing the story of El Naddaha. El Naddaha is a folkloric figure from Egyptian mythology, often described as a beautiful, ghostly woman who emerges from the banks of the Nile River, particularly at night, to call out to men with her haunting voice. Her name, which roughly translates to "The Caller," reflects her role as a siren-like entity who lures unsuspecting victims to their doom, typically resulting in their mysterious disappearance or drowning. El Naddaha is deeply rooted in rural Egyptian oral traditions, particularly in Upper Egypt, and serves as both a supernatural cautionary tale and a reflection of social anxieties around femininity, desire, and the dangers of the unknown.  Scholars have interpreted her as part of a broader spectrum of Middle Eastern djinn and female spirits that combine allure with peril, acting as both moral warnings and symbols of liminality (El-Aswad, 2010). Her legend has been explored in modern Egyptian literature and film as well, particularly by writers like Ahmed Khaled Tawfik, who helped reframe her mythos for younger audiences (Tawfik, 1993). As a cultural symbol, El Naddaha embodies the tension between tradition and modernity, as well as the persistence of myth in contemporary Egyptian identity. References: El-Aswad, E. (2010). Religion and Folk Cosmology: Scenarios of the Invisible in Rural Egypt. Praeger. Tawfik, A. K. (1993). Ma Waraa Al-Tabi’a [Beyond Nature] Series. Cairo: Modern Arab Association.