"To my knowledge, the last person to be charged under any laws concerning forms of “witchcraft” was Z Budapest in 1975. She was charged and found guilty of violating a Los Angeles municipal code against fortune telling. After nine years of appeals the ruling was overturned as going against freedom of religion." Today i completed the section in my book about the Inquisition. I thought it interesting that the above took place in my life time. I also found it interesting that witchcraft went from being not real around 900 CE to a very real heresy around 1200 CE, and then back to being not real again in 1951. Thoughts?

As @Hannah Semple pointed out yesterday in her comment on our weekly theme post, a lot of superstitions appear to reinforce common sense. I think this can be true of a lot of them. There are also a lot that leave a person thingking "what the holy heck is that all about?" Many superstitions are based in cultural beleifs that someone outside of that culture wouldn't understand. I did some rabbit hole digging on weird superstitions this morning, and these are the oes that stood out to me: Witch Windows - at one point it was a practice to install 1 window in a house tilted or crooked. This was because it was believed that witch cannot fly into a tilted window, trherefore keeping them out of your home. Chewing Gum - In Turkey people are discouraged from chewing gum after dark, because it turns into the flesh of the dead after sundown. Pillows - If you sleep alone, you shouldn't have extra pillows on your bed because it invites spirits/ghosts to sleep with you. What is your favorite Weird Supersition?

Initiation: on page 42 (of my edition) Buckland talks about the validity of "Self-Initiation". The fact that some traditions do not consider them valid, to the extent that they discount any tradition that allows them. Even today some British Traditional Wiccan tradtions like the original "Gardnerian" do not recognize slef-initiation as valid. This is because they are designed specifically to be iniatory, lineaged traditions. That doesn't mean that all self-initiation is not valid. I like how Raymond Buckland states this issue: "If you are sincere; if you wish to become a Witch and to worship the old gods; if you have no ulterior motives ... IT IS VALID. and don't listen to anyone who says it is not." What are your thoughts on this topic? Have you been through a dedication or initiation? Did you do it on your own, with your teacher/Priest/ess, within an entire coven? If you haven't, is it something you want to do eventually?

This week's theme is "OMENS & SUPERSTITIONS". We'll be talking about different types of omens and supersitions. Mini Affirmations Ritual - every Monday Stitch & Witch - Tuesday Premium Members Live Class - Wednesday Check the calendar for you local times. Let's start our week with a discussion: How do you know if something is an OMEN or MESSAGE for you? Is every feather you find a message? Is a black cat crossing your path really bad luck? Does ever coincidence mean something? What are YOUR thoughts on the matter?

Tools: In the start of Lesson 3, Buckland mentions that it's best if you can make your Athame (tools in general) yourself. He even goes into "kitchen blacksmithing" like it's just as easy as making a box of mac & cheese. (sorry but this was my first impression of his instructions). While it really is best to make your own working ritual tools, in reality not everyone has the ability to do that. Have you made any of your own tools?