Some Things I Regret From 2020 Some heavy stuff, some trivial stuff, some damn fucking ridiculous stuff that will hopefully make you smile. Dating Sites I was in a horrible place when I found myself setting up accounts on several dating sites. And I was in an even worse place when I decided that enough… Continue reading 2020 Regrets
I had been avoiding my email inbox for ages, but yesterday, when my first poem of the year was refusing to come together, I found myself sneaking in to have a peek around and found an unread newsletter from the brilliant Austin Kleon. At the top of the newsletter was a link to Austin’s 100… Continue reading 2020 In 100 Good Things
I have only ever been to Wales once. It was well over fifteen years ago, but I can still remember being silenced by the tameless landscapes, the true dark of the sky, the uncanny feeling of it being a place of otherness. I’ve been meaning to go back for ages, and now, after reading into… Continue reading The Darkest Days – Mari Lwyd
I’m a bit ashamed about how little I know of Celtic folklore, especially considering I have roots in Scotland. But who better to start my exploration with than the Celtic goddess of Winter. The Cailleach – also known as ‘The Veiled One,’ ‘Lady of Beasts’ and ‘Goddess of the Cold’ – determines the length of… Continue reading The Darkest Days – The Cailleach
Embarking on The Darkest Days project has opened up my world to dark lore I may never have otherwise encountered. With each passing day of researching and capturing with my camera the folklore, superstitions and traditions of this haunted time, I find myself becoming all the more ravenous for new knowledge, the darker and more… Continue reading The Darkest Days – Frau Perchta
More or less everything I create is centered around my sacred North. So it felt most strange today to be portraying Yuki Onna, a Japanese spirit of the snow. Strange, but ever so special. My knowledge of Japanese folklore is poor at the best of times, so it was thrilling to dig around a little… Continue reading The Darkest Days – Yuki Onna
As the days grow colder and the nights longer, the dead gather closer. During this most haunted time, candles are lit to drive away evil spirits and lure back the sun. In ages past, it was considered extremely unlucky to light the Yule candle before dusk on Christmas Eve. It had to be lit just… Continue reading The Darkest Days – The Yule Candle
For those of you who’ve been here a while, you’ll be pretty familiar with my mental health struggles. For those of you who are visiting for perhaps the first time, I should let you know that for almost a year I’ve been submerged in a depressive episode so deep and dark that at times, I… Continue reading I’m Going To Walk North
I’ve finally got around to narrating my short story UTBURD and have put it up on YouTube for your listening pleasure. For those of you unfamiliar with this tale, it tells of a mother in olden time Scandinavia who abandons her newborn in the forest. However, the child finds its way home… If you really… Continue reading UTBURD : A SHORT STORY
Celebrating the strange and the shadowy, the damned and unseen 