• Strange Terrain: The Fairy World in Newfoundland
• Making Witches: Newfoundland Traditions of Spells and Counterspells

Profile at Memorial University Press

Barbara Rieti has an MA in Folklore from the University of California at Berkeley and a PhD in Folklore from Memorial University. In addition to Strange Terrain, she is the author of Making Witches: Newfoundland Traditions of Spells and Counterspells (McGill-Queen's, 2008). During this research, she raised John Rieti-Lovelace, now a producer at CBC. Following these projects, she came to prefer drawing to writing. After weathering thirty-four years in St. John's, she moved to Victoria, BC with Martin Lovelace and their cats.

Quoting from Amazon because I haven't found a lot about her elsewhere. I'd guess she's mostly retired. Hopefully still interested, and still writing.

Barbara Rieti’s study began in 1983 when she met a young man who told her that he had been followed by the fairies. Subsequent research drew on the hundreds of archival accounts of fairies and on Dr. Rieti’s own fieldwork on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. Rieti describes the specific contexts in which fairy experiences are recounted and the manner in which they are told, keeping the storytellers at centre stage. She also highlights themes such as connections between fairies and nature, and the relationships between fairies and people. Comparative material sets the subject in historical and international context and demonstrates the remarkable tenacity of these old yet persistent tales.

Drawing from her own interviews and a wealth of material from the Memorial University Folklore and Language Archive, Barbara Rieti explores the range and depth of Newfoundland witch tradition, looking at why certain people acquired reputations as witches, and why others considered themselves bewitched. The tales that emerge - despite their seemingly fantastic elements of spells and black heart books, hags, and healing charms - concern everyday affairs and reveal the intense social interdependence central to outport life. Frequently featuring women, they provide fascinating new perspectives on female coping strategies in a volatile economy.

GoodReads - Barbara Rieti

Human babies can produce “Witch’s Milk” shortly after their birth. It odd, but true, and not something to be alarmed about.

While a baby develops in the womb he/she is exposed to a lot of estrogen. Estrogen causes the Mother's breasts to swell and get ready to produce milk for the baby. The baby, being directly attached to its Mother, also has estrogen in its body. Sometimes this causes the baby's breasts to swell and after birth they can leak what looks like milk. Its just short term, gone in a couple of weeks as the estrogen leaves the baby.

Of course, in the Middle Ages, people did not understand how or why this happened. It seemed to them witches must cause this. Intending to use the milk as a particular treat for their familiars, demons, or anything else that looked a little suspicious. Some parents created baby sized rag dolls to sleep in the crib with the baby, hoping to trick the Witches.

Which makes me wonder... were these the first rag dolls? It seems possible.

Quiz - Discover your Witch Archetype I've been eclectic for a long time, no real surprise with the results. Others may like to take a look.

Eclectic Witch

You are the grand curator of magic, weaving diverse traditions into an ever-evolving personal tapestry.

Your strength is synthesis—adapting what resonates and releasing what doesn’t. You have a broad field of study and comprehension.

Options to explore

Kindred Paths: Solitary Practitioner • Integrative Mystic • Syncretic Priest/ess

Suggested Deity & Archetype Allies: Hermes • Iris • Saraswati• Plant Spirits/Silma • Household spirits • Genii Loci

Suggested Areas of Study: All areas of study • Local folklore • Spirit-of-place offerings • Pre-Wiccan craft history • Comparative myth • Personal-gnosis journaling • Cultural exchange ethics

Originally written (by me) for The Crying Clown Zine (c. 1998)

Tis the season for ghosts to haunt, vampires to suck (blood that is), werewolves to howl,and witches to fly. Or is it? Most people have put Santa and the Easter Bunny away with the broken decorations and the egg you didn't find till the next year. Yet the idea of a witch in black from head to toe, with a black cat, casting her spells with the twitch of an eyebrow is still around. I don't cast spells, I don't like to wear black but I do admit to a fondness for cats.

Oh the wonder and the power of being a witch able to whip out a spell to make your life simpler, easier and so much better... Put that idea away with dear old Santa. Wiccans do not take the powers they study that lightly. To weave your magick you have to carefully consider the many strings attached before you even begin creating neat little rhymes to conjure with.

The Wiccan Rede: If it harms none, do what you will. The Rede is the heart of Wicca, it is the theme song, the top icon on your screen and the apple of many a witchy eye. However, there are as many definitions for 'harms none' as there are Wiccan Paths. Harm none includes yourself, your neighbor who yells when you cross his lawn, the guy/ girl you desparately wish would give you more than a second glance, your pet lizard, the ant you stepped on last week and the planet you step on every day. It includes everything you can touch, see, feel, hear, smell and think. Did I leave anything out? It includes that too.

Harm none is a huge responsibility. At some point magick will infringe on free will. It is up to you to decide if it is harmful. Some Wiccans will use love spells. I see this as manipulation and that rubs my version of harms none the wrong way. Manipulation does not respect the free will and rights of another person and is harm to that person. Of course, the easiest harm none definition would be black magick. White magick: works in harmony with the life forces of the universe and harms no one. Its goals are spiritual such as self knowledge, and for the good of all such as healing. Black magick is: causing change (in reality or in consciousness) for the purpose of causing either physical or non-physical harm to yourself or others, and is done consciously or unconsciously.

Every action causes a reaction, a pull on the strings attached. This is the basis of the 'threefold law'. Simply put, everything you do (negative or positive) will come back to you times three. This is all wrapped up in karma and other strings upon strings upon strings upon strings. Keep things simple with your own version of 'harms none'. Judge carefully what strings you are pulling and tangling in the magick you choose to weave.

Black is almost considered a witch uniform but no where in any 'rule book' does it say Witches, Wiccans or any Pagans must wear black or be forever black balled, black listed or have their names blackened. (I just couldn't resist). True black is a mystical colour but the wearer won't suddenly have magickal powers or secret knowledge. Power and knowledge can be gained through study and work. As for the cat thing... I'm training him to be my familiar, of course!

Happy Halloween/ Merry Samhain!