Trueself

Pagans, Slashers, and Wall Street Psychos: The True Story of Friday the 13th

Is it bad luck... or just the Christian church's fear of pagans?

Friday the 13th: the very phrase can send a chill (of gleeful excitement or dread, depending on who you are) down the spine. Few days of the year are so notoriously unnerving and so profoundly associated with bad luck. But where did our fear of this date come from, and why does it persist?

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Culture Feature

The Real-Life Magic of "Lovecraft Country": Interview with a Korean Shaman

There is a growing movement to reclaim indigenous Korean culture, which has normalized the role of mudangs in Korean society.

South Korean Female Shaman

Photo by Jeon Heon-Kyun, Shutterstock

HBO's Lovecraft Country recently introduced mainstream America to a witchy Korean character called a "mudang."

This is not fiction, however; mudang is a real title given to real spiritual practitioners who are in high-demand in South Korea and the Korean diaspora community. The mudang depicted in Lovecraft Country is a pale comparison to real-life mudangs today. Who knows if the producers of the show even knew that mudangs were real (although plenty of people in Hollywood are aware, and some are even starting to consult with mudangs like Jennifer)?

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Culture Feature

The New Witch's Guide to Working with Hekate

Advice from four occultists on what to do during your first month working with this dark goddess.

It may seem ironic that, during times of great turmoil, there's a great deal of soothing succor to be found in images of and traditions surrounding the dark goddess Hekate.

Hekate, long venerated in Central Asian and Greek lore as the goddess of sorcery, has been name-dropped everywhere from Shakespeare's "Macbeth," to, most recently, Dua Lipa in her latest video "Levitating."

Dua Lipa - Levitating


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Culture Feature

What "Witchtok" Gets Wrong: Most Witchtokers Couldn't Hex a Paper Bag, Let Alone the Moon

In a dystopian, Trumpian world of global pandemics, perpetual quarantine, talks of a new Civil War in America, and lack of justice for police and state brutality, magick can seem like a way to take back some power, to regain some agency.

By now, everyone and their black cat knows that some baby TikTok witches tried to hex the moon.

Of course mainstream media hopped onto the story: There was Gen Z hubris and the spooky, witch-bitch vibe all wrapped up in the holographic bow of the cool app, TikTok. Everyone focused on the hysteria that resulted from the alleged hexing, which included everything from people claiming to see dead fish wash up onshore to feeling emotionally distraught (the tides and emotions are ruled by the moon, after all):

ummm pls stop hexing the moon pls pls #witchtok #hexingthefae #hex #moon #moonwater #witch #fypwww.tiktok.com

Turns out, it was a bunch of young witches, troll-lol-lol-ing.

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MUSIC

Popdust's Spooktacular Halloween Playlist

Are you tasked with hosting a Halloween party this year? Let us help you with the music.

Howl you doing boys and girls? What's up, my witches?

Spooky season is drawing nearer, and with Halloween falling on a Thursday this year, it means that there is only one weekend to curate a spooktacular party playlist, and one opportunity to throw a fa-boo-lous Halloween party. It is no easy task, but if you want your guests to shake their BOOty, eat, drink, and be scary all night long, Popdust has just the playlist that will give your friends pumpkin' to talk about.

Itsy Bitsy Spider by Carly Simon

Have you ever heard such an elegant and moving interpretation of this spooky nursery rhyme? In this version, I wasn't rooting for the rain to "wash the spider out"; instead, Simon's mash up of the nursery rhyme with her hit "Comin Around Again" paints a darker picture. "I know nothing stays the same, but if you're willing to play the game, it's coming around again," Simon sings. The Spider's journey is a complex one: He is tenacious in his dream of scaling the water spout and is an inspiration to us all. "Nothing stays the same," little Spider, keep climbing. One day, you may just turn your dream into a reality. It's a reminder of our mortality and serves as the perfect song to kick off the night as your guests eat hors d'oeuvres and pour their first cup of spiked punch.

Follow the playlist on Spotify!