Let's talk ghosts! Do you believe in them? Why do we find stories about spirits from every culture around the world? Do you think spirits of the deceased are different than other kinds of spirits? Have you ever had a ghostly encounter? What was THAT like? Why are so many ghosts Victorian and not from more modern times? Why do you think some places are more "haunted" than others? I have my thoughts on all these topics, but want to hear yours first!

Forgot to set out your scarf for St. Brigid to bless last night? That's ok - there are different opinions on the right day to set it out, so feel free to put it on your windowsill tonight - or tomorrow! White is traditional, but I don't think a goddess cares to much about that sort of thing - I put out the ones I wear the most, so the blessings will travel with me!

He keeps it in his bedroom so I had missed it until this trip.

Have you been folkloring this week? If so, how? I certainly have been! I started out the week in community with a full moon ritual Sunday night (it was the wolf moon). It was fun, powerful and we had snacks and cocktails after (folkloring is fun!). I connected with my ancestors, my circle and the land around me. I then set up an altar to a new deity that called me to work with her and I intend to do weekly devotions. Finally, I made taramasalata for the first time ever. My father's family came from Greece, so I feel strong ties and making a traditional dish like this made me feel connected to them (and it was delish!). How about you - how have you been folkloring?

I just got an email from a list I am on about growing your podcast. The basic gist of it was that you can't just grow audiences anymore, you need to look a growing community (which we all know that here!), The thing that surprised me was that the sender said that community pretty much had to be in person. They were talking about walking clubs, local book clubs, craft clubs - but it had to be local. Which to me sounds crazy. First - the email was about podcast growth - how are you going to scale with only local members of your physical community? Second - unless your group has to involve some kind of physical touch, what is wrong with online connection. I have taken classes, been to storytelling events, attended online conferences and presentations, participated in rituals, made friends and generally connected with like-minded communities. Certainly we need to connect to the land around us, our ancestral land and the people that share that land with us. But we also need to find our tribes and the internet gives us a way to do that. Rather than going to a noisy pub or sitting in a dark theatre not talking to each other, we are connecting in various communities and building ties through shared stories, practices and beliefs. And that is what folklore really is. The internet is the new campfire where we gather, tell our stories and build our tribes together. I would love to hear your thoughts this and the deep connections you have made here or elsewhere on the interwebs. I know I wouldn't be here if I hadn't met @Jill Hart !