Ritual Reads

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โญ FOLKLORE FRIDAY: AstrologyAstrology is not as old as science. For most of history, astrology was science.Tycho Brahe, ...
05/06/2026

โญ FOLKLORE FRIDAY: Astrology

Astrology is not as old as science. For most of history, astrology was science.

Tycho Brahe, who compiled the astronomical data that enabled Kepler's laws, was a practising astrologer. Johannes Kepler himself cast horoscopes. Galileo taught astrology at the University of Padua.

The separation of astronomy from astrology happened only gradually from the 17th century onward โ€” as the scientific method demanded different kinds of proof.

The desire to find meaning in the movement of stars is very old. The need to distinguish that desire from empirical description is comparatively recent.

Are you a sceptic, a believer, or somewhere in between? ๐ŸŒ™

๐ŸŒ€ GENRE EVOLUTION: Weird FictionIn the early 20th century, something strange happened between Gothic horror and Lovecraf...
03/06/2026

๐ŸŒ€ GENRE EVOLUTION: Weird Fiction

In the early 20th century, something strange happened between Gothic horror and Lovecraftian dread.

Weird Fiction.

Writers like Algernon Blackwood (The Willows), Arthur Machen (The Great God Pan), and William Hope Hodgson pushed genre into new territory โ€” horror without a definable monster, dread without a rational explanation.

Blackwood's wilderness became sentient. Machen's ancient forces didn't menace โ€” they simply didn't notice humanity.

It was the literature of the wrong feeling โ€” the one you can't name, only sense.

The New Weird of Miรฉville and VanderMeer owes everything to these early experimenters.

Have you read any Weird Fiction? Where would you start? ๐Ÿ“š

01/06/2026

๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽƒ๐Ÿฒ Your next read after Laurie Gilmore's seasonal romance stories! โœจ

๐Ÿ”ฅ MYTHOLOGY MONDAY: The PhoenixThe Phoenix is one of the only myths that appears independently across Greece, Egypt, Chi...
01/06/2026

๐Ÿ”ฅ MYTHOLOGY MONDAY: The Phoenix

The Phoenix is one of the only myths that appears independently across Greece, Egypt, China, and Arabia โ€” each culture finding the same story without borrowing it.

In Greek myth, the Phoenix lived for 500 years before burning on a nest of spices and rising from the ash. In Egyptian tradition, the Bennu was a solar bird associated with creation itself. In Chinese mythology, the Fฤ“nghuรกng symbolised harmony and imperial virtue.

Same creature. Different meanings. All arriving at the same mystery: that ending can be another word for beginning.

Which fictional Phoenix moment hit you hardest? ๐ŸŒ™

29/05/2026

๐Ÿ‘ป๐Ÿฆ‡๐ŸŽƒ This is a must-have for any horror fan - a history of horror throughout the ages, exploring fact and fiction!

๐Ÿ“š FOLKLORE FRIDAY: GrimoiresThe word grimoire comes from the Old French grammaire โ€” grammar, a book of letters. And in a...
29/05/2026

๐Ÿ“š FOLKLORE FRIDAY: Grimoires

The word grimoire comes from the Old French grammaire โ€” grammar, a book of letters. And in a world where literacy was rare, a book of any kind was already a little magical.

Grimoires โ€” books of spells, rituals, and magical instruction โ€” have a history stretching back to ancient Egypt. The Greek Magical Papyri contain spells blending Egyptian, Greek, and Jewish magical traditions from as early as the 2nd century BCE.

The Key of Solomon, one of the most famous medieval grimoires, claims to be wisdom written by the biblical king himself. It circulated in manuscripts across Europe from at least the 14th century, copied by hand, passed secretly between practitioners.

The most dangerous book was the one you weren't supposed to have.

Which fictional grimoire would you most want to (carefully) open? ๐Ÿ”ฎ

๐Ÿ“š AUTHOR SECRETS: The InklingsOn Thursday evenings, a group of Oxford academics would gather โ€” sometimes at Tolkien's ho...
28/05/2026

๐Ÿ“š AUTHOR SECRETS: The Inklings

On Thursday evenings, a group of Oxford academics would gather โ€” sometimes at Tolkien's house, sometimes at the Eagle and Child pub โ€” and read their work aloud.

The Inklings included J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield. They argued fiercely about religion, myth, and literature. They changed each other's minds.

Lewis credited Tolkien with persuading him back to Christianity. Tolkien credited Lewis with persuading him to finish The Lord of the Rings when he wanted to abandon it.

The Lord of the Rings. Abandoned. Rescued by a friend at a pub.

The writing group has a richer history than anyone gives it credit for. ๐ŸŒ™

27/05/2026

๐ŸงŒ๐Ÿ—ก๏ธ Your next read if you loved Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman! โœจ

๐ŸŒพ GENRE EVOLUTION: Folk Horror RevivalSomething happened to horror in the 2010s.It went back to the fields.The Witch (20...
26/05/2026

๐ŸŒพ GENRE EVOLUTION: Folk Horror Revival

Something happened to horror in the 2010s.

It went back to the fields.

The Witch (2015). The Ritual (2017). Midsommar (2019). A wave of films โ€” and a corresponding wave in fiction โ€” returned to the oldest fears: isolation, ritual, community that closes ranks.

The countryside. The forest. The village that has its own rules and doesn't care about yours.

Critics called it "elevated horror." Folk horror fans called it a homecoming.

The term folk horror itself was popularised by the British academic Adam Scovell in the 2010s โ€” though the tradition runs back to the 1970s trilogy of Witchfinder General, Blood on Satan's Claw, and The Wicker Man.

What's your favourite folk horror novel? ๐ŸŒ™

Address

Victoria House, 46a High Street
Whitchurch
SY131EQ

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

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+441948411170

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