Category Archives: folklore
Animism & Ai: Spirit in Stone, Spring, and Silicon
From the spirit-haunted caves of Homo habilis to the glowing circuits of techno-mystics, this groundbreaking work traces the evolving relationship between humanity and the unseen forces that animate our world. Drawing from a lifetime of mythic living and academic inquiry, shaped by the teachings of Anthropologist Bruce Grindal, the magical theories of Real Magic author Isaac Bonewits, and workshops attended with psychedelic visionaries Timothy Leary and Terence McKenna, author Thomas Baurley delves deep into the forgotten, the forbidden, and the freshly reawakened. Continue reading
Haitian Horror
Experience the full text of Thomas Baurley’s classic 1989 research paper, now in a convenient PDF e-book. This edition presents Baurley’s in-depth study from Florida State University on zombies and zombification within Haitian Vodou, with focused discussion of Wade Davis’s primary research and the lasting impact of these stories and beliefs. Continue reading
Animism & Ai
If you’ve ever shouted at your stubborn laptop or thanked your car for starting on a cold morning, you’re in familiar company. Animism, the belief that objects, nature, and places can hold spirit, soul, or essence, slips quietly into daily life, often without notice. It’s in our DNA. Thousands of years of evolved belief systems around this central focus. Across ancient and modern cultures, the idea of a supreme being (or numerous Deities and/or Spirits) watching over the living world has shaped stories, rituals, and how we speak to the things around us. We also often not only give inanimate items a life force, but we also often give them a gender. Continue reading
Spirits and Entities, the spirituality of Alcohol
Spirits and Entities of Alcoholby Thomas Baurley, Leaf McGowan, Technogypsie Productions It always amazes me how the world really doesn’t understand the “root” of all things, nor pay attention to the “history” of various items or substances that they use … Continue reading
Jack Rabbit
Jack Rabbit: Lepus timidus Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Lagomorpha; Family: Leporidae; Genus: Lepusspecies: (various) common: timidus Description: Jackrabbits are actually hares, and are mammals in the leporids belonging to the Genus Lepus. They are in the same … Continue reading
Tamarisk
Tamarisk aka Tamarix Folknames: Salt Cedar, Tamarisk Description: There are over 50-60 species of flowering plants in the family of Tamaricaceae native to the dry regions of Eurasia and Africa. It was named after the Tamaris River in Hispania Tarraconensis … Continue reading
Pirates
When one thinks of “Pirates” they immediately conjure up the image portrayed by Disney and fabled adventure books of either Captain Hook and Tinker Bell, or Johnny Depp and the “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Pirates of the Caribbean is by … Continue reading
Cave of the Cats (Roscommon, Ireland)
Oweynagat Cave – Cave of the Cats – Gateway to the Underworld and the Morrigan’s Palace. Rathcrohan / Rosscommon, Ireland GPS: 53.79677, -8.31038Article/Research by Thomas Baurley/Leaf McGowan/Technogypsie Productions, 10 October 2017 One of my most favorite sites in Ireland is … Continue reading
Agate
Agate ~ Article by Leaf McGowan/Thomas Baurley, Techno Tink Media ~ Name: Folk Name: Agate Taxonomy: Locality: Description: This mineralized stone comes in various colors and compositions. Uses: Folklore/Spirituality: Believed to awaken inherent talents, transforms negativity, balancing the physical and … Continue reading
Viking Face and Body Painting
Ritual Painting of Face and Bodies in Viking Culture by Thomas Baurley, 9/6/2017 It is a controversial and well-debated subject whether or not the Vikings painted their faces and bodies. The Vikings were certainly exposed to the practice from their … Continue reading