Welcome Lovers of Fantasy!

Welcome lovers of fantasy, Celtic lore, and tales of the mystical!

I am a second-generation Irish-American who grew up with stories of banshees, faeries on the hill, thin places and the Sight.  In my family, the mystical and otherworldly was interwoven with sensible reality.  By "sensible" I don't mean that which is logical or practical.  I am referring to that which is understood by way of the five traditional senses: hearing, sight, taste, touch and smell.  Of course, as any good Celt will tell you, there are more than five senses and, if you allow yourself to be open to your intuition, you will become aware that there is much more to reality than those five senses perceive.

In Irish culture, there is a fascination with the supernatural.  This fascination often goes hand-in-hand with Christianity.  And why not?  For example, I believe in ghosts.  And I see nothing in my Christianity that is incompatible with that belief.  After all, as a Christian, I believe all people have souls and that there is life after death.  And what are ghosts but the souls of those who have passed on?  My mother once told me that she didn't think that heaven was "up there" somewhere.  She thought that heaven was all around us.  I liked this idea of being surrounded by loved ones who have crossed to the other side of the veil, as well as by saints and angels and God.  A couple of years ago, I went to a Celtic Spirituality workshop and discovered that this idea is not unique to my family.  In fact, it seems to be a long-held Irish worldview.  

Given my cultural upbringing, it's perhaps not surprising that my favorite literary genre is fantasy.  I love stories that take me into enchanted forests filled with dragons, unicorns, faeries and other magical beings.  I've also enjoyed the real life banshee, faerie and ghost stories that have been gifted to me from my family and friends.

This blog, then, is dedicated to exploring, remembering and celebrating banshees, ghosts and all things magical in lore and in life.

What is your favorite magical or mystical being or memory?

CF