Column: the Gifts, and Tricks, of the Crow

Walking through a high school campus just before lunchtime, I noticed four crows busily searching for scraps of food lying in the grass. One lucky bird had found a particularly large morsel and was enjoying its meal bonanza. Then, one by one, the other three lifted off and vacated the grounds to perch on the nearby building, staring down at their feasting friend. At that moment, the lunch bell rang, and the final crow abandoned his jackpot without hesitation and joined his companions on the roof, moments before the students came streaming into the area, hungrily searching out their own meals. It is easy to write this off as coincidence and anthropomorphization.

“Mummers Tale” Puts Pagan Twist on “A Christmas Carol”

CHICAGO, Ill. –Theatergoers who live close to the Windy City will have a special treat this year from the troupe Terra Mysterium in the form of “A Midwinter Mummers Tale.”  The play is being described as “an original folk adaptation of Charles Dickens’ beloved classic A Christmas Carol.” Those who are familiar with the classic story of redemption for Ebenezer Scrooge will no doubt find the theme familiar, but this is really an entirely new play. It draws upon spirits and gods in a way that might be more familiar to the modern Pagan than the average consumer of winter holiday entertainment.