Italy’s Epiphany witch is a needed sign of pandemic-era hope The pandemic showed us that our seemingly secure routines can disappear in a few days. Le Befana shows us how to adapt with grace. La Befana, the Italian Epiphany witch. Painting by James Lewicki, from “The Golden Book of Christmas Tales” 1956 While many still lament their diminished New Year’s celebrations, I take comfort in knowing that my childhood new year didn’t really [...]

As witchcraft mainstreams, it’s Halloween every day. Nearly 25 years ago this October, I attended my first full moon ritual. There, surrounded by people eager to harness the power of the celestial body, a Wiccan high priestess told me that a witch’s day begins at dusk. I understood her point — the night promises mystery — but I couldn’t relate to it.After all, my maternal grandmother’s kitchen in the Bronx bubbled with magic at nearly every hour. [...]

‘The Witch of Kings Cross’ finds the woman behind the scandal Norton is a figure who may offer a few lessons for society today, when radical personalities and movements abound. Rosaleen Norton rose to infamy in the 1950s in Australia, after a series of lurid public scandals in which she was accused of participating in orgies and satanic rituals. She was prosecuted on charges of obscenity and blamed for the downfall of a world-famous conductor. Demonized [...]