Paganistan: Notes from the Secret Commonwealth

In Which One Midwest Man-in-Black Confers, Converses & Otherwise Hob-Nobs with his Fellow Hob-Men (& -Women) Concerning the Sundry Ways of the Famed but Ill-Starred Tribe of Witches.

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Why Widdershins

Witches have always been widdershins people.

Down the millennia, we've put up with a certain amount of guff on this account, even back in pagan times.

But everyone needs a little widdershins now and then.

It's applesauce time right now. The thing about apples is, only the whole ones keep. The bruised, the blemished, the ones with broken skins, will never last the winter.

So you cut them up and cook them down with a little salt and cider. Then you run them through the food mill.

Around and around goes the food mill. It's a collar with a screen on the bottom. You turn and turn the handle, always with the Sun; the applesauce trickles out into the bowl beneath, and the screen catches the stems, skins, and seeds.

But after a while, the screen clogs up. The stems, skins, and seeds get packed in place between screen and blade, with nowhere to go.

So you kick into reverse. You turn the handle widdershins a few turns. This cleans the screen, and then you can get on with your deosil work again.

Every society, every life, needs a little periodic widdershins. It keeps things running smoothly, keeps things from getting clogged.

That's why we need our witches.

 

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Tagged in: deosil widdershins
Poet, scholar and storyteller Steven Posch was raised in the hardwood forests of western Pennsylvania by white-tailed deer. (That's the story, anyway.) He emigrated to Paganistan in 1979 and by sheer dint of personality has become one of Lake Country's foremost men-in-black. He is current keeper of the Minnesota Ooser.

Comments

  • Tasha Halpert
    Tasha Halpert Sunday, 19 November 2017

    Nice piece. I love making applesauce, YUM! and the widdershins turnng is good for clearing, like it is supposed to be. Ah, you are clever! Thanks for your writings, Tasha

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