https://thesteministwitch.com/nightshade-news daily 0.75 2026-11-12 https://thesteministwitch.com/nightshade-news/nightshade-news-001 monthly 0.5 2026-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/9f176d56-85d6-41e7-b34b-90669f7e25cb/Untitled+Design.png Blog - The Plant That Was Blamed for Everything (and Also Saves Lives in Hospitals) - Issue Nº 001 · Friday 13 November 2026 · The Nightshade Issue · The Almanac: First things first: The moon: new on Monday 9 November (a very special date for me for personal reasons), now a waxing crescent, about 17% lit. First quarter lands Tuesday 17 November. The sky: the Leonids (meteor shower) peak the night of 17 to 18 November, best between 2 and 4 AM, roughly 10 to 15 an hour, and the moon sets before the show, which is the one favour it has done us all month considering how pissy everyone has been lately. Full moon is Tuesday 24 November. The wheel: Samhain was two weeks ago, so the veil is still thin and the leftovers are still on the counter, at least for some people. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/455af9da-415a-4cc2-895f-fc6476a6c9fb/Untitled+Design.png Blog - The Plant That Was Blamed for Everything (and Also Saves Lives in Hospitals) - The Witch’s Index A field guide in three entries. The name. Atropa is linked to Atropos, the Fate who cuts the thread of life. Linnaeus gets the credit for the formal name in the 1700s of the plant named after the scissors. Subtle, Linnaeus. Dwale. The Middle English word dwale meant deadly nightshade, a sleeping draught, and also a stupor, a delusion, a deceiver (from Old Norse dvala, sleep, and Old English dwala, error). That is a lot of weight for one syllable, if you ask me. There is a famous medieval recipe called dwale, for a drink given before surgery. A 1999 BMJ article by the anaesthetist Anthony Carter lists a typical one: boar or sow bile, hemlock, bryony, lettuce, opium, henbane and vinegar, three spoonfuls in a potel of wine. If you look closely, there’s no nightshade. The plant lent its name to the sleeping drink in some usages, but the best-known recipe never used it. Carter called the business "dangerously unpredictable," and he thinks ordinary housewives, not surgeons, were the ones mixing it, because it turns up in household remedy books rather than in medical texts. History left the women out of the footnote, as usual. The strix. The Romans told stories about the strix, an owl-like bird of ill omen that fed on the flesh and blood of infants. Ovid describes it as having a big head, hooked beak and greyish wings. Pliny the Elder, a man who believed a great deal, shrugged and said nobody could even tell which bird was meant. A later Latin glossary used the plural to mean "witch-women," and the word walked into Italian as strega, "witch." The bird became the woman. Keep that sentence in your pocket. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/43269b21-43b2-4384-87af-dda4c581c5bf/Untitled+Design.png Blog - The Plant That Was Blamed for Everything (and Also Saves Lives in Hospitals) - The Lore Desk The sources use a word I am going to borrow: allegedly. I find this quite fitting and amusing. Allegedly, the witch Circe turned Odysseus's men into pigs with nightshade. Allegedly, a drink that induced trance went into the cult of Dionysus. Rumoured, Livia poisoned Augustus with it. Supposedly, Roman soldiers tipped arrows with a paste of it, and Macbeth spiked the liquor of invading soldiers. Reportedly, parents told children the berries would show them the Devil. (That one I believe. It works on every child. This is not parenting advice.) Modern witchcraft often pairs belladonna with Hecate and the boundary between worlds. I am still hunting the older source for that pairing, so file it under "what people practise today" rather than under history. That is a topic for another day. In this paper we talk about the lore, the science, the history, the spirituality and the intersection. https://thesteministwitch.com/about daily 0.75 2026-10-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62d86875b19f0b44212ac21b/79894a41-2291-4374-b948-448e976b0655/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62d86875b19f0b44212ac21b/978ad0d2-396c-4359-97f3-b9e40ec4cf9a/image-asset.jpeg https://thesteministwitch.com/home daily 0.75 2026-10-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/55d202f0-d35f-4c34-8045-fe57d1c704b5/CF145A4E-A048-4483-8E7B-5A1E882B26D4.PNG https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/ff4547eb-2dac-450b-abd9-bd87d0f303da/IMG_9243.jpg https://thesteministwitch.com/https/thesteministwitchasme daily 0.75 2026-10-30 https://thesteministwitch.com/theirelandwing daily 0.75 2026-11-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/1780932030.925362-APRTEUCFNHSPOZLCXGLA/imgg-gg3p-BC-DQ-M-1f0d43cb.png Ireland Retreat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/1780932030.571772-JQLKEAXTRLPAMOZUWRZV/imgg-gg3p-BC-DQ-S-cef24ac4.png Ireland Retreat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/1780932031.11286-ZBCPULHSCKQTWCTIVHHM/imgg-gg3p-BC-DQ-U-4232d553.png Ireland Retreat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/1780932031.011044-HQYJCWTPVIDSHAHUIARE/imgg-gg3p-BC-DRJ-9a3ac480.png Ireland Retreat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/d71185ba-e974-49b4-91f7-8ecc4286cab3/ballinderry-park-manor-house-drawing-room-04.png Ireland Retreat Traditional living room with a burgundy leather Chesterfield sofa, antique wooden sideboard, framed artwork, houseplants, and flowers on a coffee table https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/f8d20c9a-64e5-4494-ac40-e2754e07374e/ballinderry-park-coach-house-bar-and-kitchen-02.png Ireland Retreat Rustic home bar with wooden counter, stools, flowers, liquor bottles, kitchen appliances, and vintage whiskey signs and vinyl records on the wall https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/93f4a864-b71b-487e-8160-68f7ab559a87/ballinderry-park-coach-house-living-and-dining-07.png Ireland Retreat Cozy rustic living and dining room with a set dining table, leather seating, fireplace, and arched glass doors https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/933be1c1-04b5-4f61-a784-7d6e7c005215/ballinderry-park-coach-house-coach-house-outside-01.png Ireland Retreat Historic stone building with dark green doors, arched windows, satellite dish, and potted shrubs in a gravel courtyard https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/f01504ab-b209-4d7e-b200-bcec943416a5/ballinderry-park-manor-house-dining-room-04.png Ireland Retreat Elegant dining room with dark blue paneled walls, antique portraits, gilded mirror, fireplace, wooden dining table, and floral centerpiece https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/9d5397e6-5b53-4a2e-b850-8c6fadf5c2d6/ballinderry-park-manor-house-yellow-room-05.png Ireland Retreat Warm wood-paneled room with two curtained windows, antique mirror, framed artwork, writing desk, chair, and vase of yellow flowers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/3aca5f05-c633-42b6-9b33-d079cab64a80/ballinderry-park-manor-house-yellow-room-07.png Ireland Retreat Elegant beige-paneled bathroom with a white bathtub, toilet, framed artwork, and towel rack. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/f9418bc6-3d7b-49d9-8a17-31cbd57b5473/ballinderry-park-manor-house-entrance-and-hallways-13.png Ireland Retreat Traditional entry hall with a white paneled door, coat rack, flower vase on a round table, patterned rug, framed artwork, and potted plants https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/3bf0d836-ba79-4743-8f5c-39d20ebe09fc/ballinderry-park-manor-house-entrance-and-hallways-09.png Ireland Retreat Elegant traditional sitting room viewed through open paneled doors, with framed artwork, upholstered chairs, a patterned rug, and dark wood floors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/d10c095a-d8dd-4649-9460-76eea82be863/ballinderry-park-manor-house-entrance-and-hallways-16.png Ireland Retreat Elegant sitting room with three tall windows, two floral upholstered armchairs, potted plants, and a large patterned area rug. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/b872c405-e097-4542-b971-dfd7f32931d6/ballinderry-park-manor-house-drawing-room-03.png Ireland Retreat Elegant paneled room with an ornate black marble fireplace, framed landscape painting, antique candlestands, and decorative artwork. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/a35be24d-86b4-43fd-957b-387e9350e126/ballinderry-park-manor-house-drawing-room-02.png Ireland Retreat Traditional living room with ornate black marble fireplace, burgundy leather sofa, armchairs, patterned rug, artwork, and a flower-filled coffee table https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/4df485f4-9382-409e-bf7b-19c627afc8f6/ballinderry-park-manor-house-library-04.png Ireland Retreat Traditional home library and study with wall-to-wall bookshelves, leather armchairs, globe, desk, computer monitor, and patterned rug https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/6fd067e7-9a8d-408c-9441-9996c2561625/ballinderry-park-coach-house-bar-and-kitchen-03.png Ireland Retreat Irish-themed home bar with ornate wooden cabinets, liquor bottles, copper still, Guinness signs, and a kitchen counter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/74f74065-947a-46a5-87d1-b2ba5cd0e0f6/ballinderry-park-coach-house-private-terrace-03.png Ireland Retreat Outdoor seating area with cushioned wooden chairs, fire pit, and canopy beside a stone wall overlooking a grassy field https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/4941bd82-2b53-47da-bb03-338fbddb472f/ballinderry-park-manor-house-grey-suite-06.png Ireland Retreat Traditional bedroom with a floral bedspread, paneled walls, framed artwork, wooden side table, and tall curtained windows https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/08b0ace9-064c-4538-aec3-374ce7fa2347/ballinderry-park-coach-house-the-curlew-north-bedroom-05.png Ireland Retreat Antique wooden vanity with tri-fold mirror, upholstered chair, floor lamp, and decorative tray in a bedroom https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/904c75a6-0707-44c4-925f-c63e11c99bb6/ballinderry-park-coach-house-the-grove-family-bedroom-04.png Ireland Retreat Cozy bedroom with a brass-accented blue metal bed, white bedding, bedside lamp, and window https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/c32800d9-756e-41d4-8d9f-8f8e2deb24b7/ballinderry-park-coach-house-the-heather-middle-bedroom-03.png Ireland Retreat Cozy bedroom with a neatly made bed, floral quilt, bedside tables, warm lamps, and framed landscape artwork. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/ec4e8091-e76a-4f26-9419-6f4d86396e90/ballinderry-park-coach-house-the-curlew-north-bedroom-04+%281%29.png Ireland Retreat Bright bedroom with a neatly made bed, folded towels, bedside tables, lamps, striped curtains, and a teal-framed window. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/ed17afeb-756b-4ac6-a707-d8e14197640f/ballinderry-park-coach-house-the-hawthorn-ground-floor-bedroom-03+%281%29.png Ireland Retreat Bright bedroom with a double bed, white bunk bed, green and white bedding, striped curtains, and dark wood floors https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/90713f79-883f-46e4-aea2-d79e89a94913/ballinderry-park-coach-house-the-grove-family-bedroom-08+%281%29.png Ireland Retreat Bright bedroom with a blue-and-gold bed, white bunk beds, orange accents, wardrobe, and green-framed glass door https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/ba38fac3-571b-4570-b922-77a8d97b3daf/ballinderry-park-manor-house-dining-room-01.png Ireland Retreat Historic interior with an ornate white doorway, blue paneled door, framed portrait, artwork, wooden floors, and a hanging tweed coat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/8d4cde1a-7792-40d6-bffd-e0473f2df4c4/ballinderry-park-hot-tub-06.png Ireland Retreat Outdoor wooden hot tub spa beneath string lights and a canopy, surrounded by plants, towels, wine, and lounge chairs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/29b0ae08-c8a5-4798-8d6d-5932278381d7/unnamed.webp Ireland Retreat Historic stone manor house silhouetted at dusk beneath a blue sky with contrails https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/c2a79a5d-00c0-4215-a64a-acb700fa2d78/images.jpeg Ireland Retreat Canvas tent-like structure among leafless trees and grassy vegetation under a clear blue sky https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/41120d43-d302-4672-b919-f53c7854951c/glamping-interior.png Ireland Retreat Cozy boho tent interior with a bed, woven basket of dried flowers, candles, and floor picnic setting https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/c39e2487-b59c-4a49-877b-d26461bc264d/manor-golden.png Ireland Retreat Historic white stone manor house surrounded by autumn trees and a gravel driveway https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/5693c1d8-827a-4321-b1a2-fe544b1b8de3/Untitled+design.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/d96c1b8f-151d-4d6b-8e3f-f7649200081c/IMG_1449.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/b19d78e3-ed45-4a0c-9420-5d0197dac76c/manor-golden.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/7bc7b509-02c8-48a0-8e65-b776b4ff2d0b/IMG_1421.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/cbc1e8b8-2e3e-4ae2-b35b-2a2f565166e3/IMG_1374.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/654089d4-7f5f-44e0-a170-734737975cf6/540269015_122203546934271137_1188170021903180967_n.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/383424a5-8b75-48ef-85be-552b8d64138b/IMG_9236.jpeg https://thesteministwitch.com/home-1 daily 1.0 2026-11-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/55d202f0-d35f-4c34-8045-fe57d1c704b5/CF145A4E-A048-4483-8E7B-5A1E882B26D4.PNG https://thesteministwitch.com/theirelandwing-1 daily 0.75 2026-11-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/1780932030.925362-APRTEUCFNHSPOZLCXGLA/imgg-gg3p-BC-DQ-M-1f0d43cb.png The Arcane Athenaeum https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/1780932030.571772-JQLKEAXTRLPAMOZUWRZV/imgg-gg3p-BC-DQ-S-cef24ac4.png The Arcane Athenaeum https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/1780932031.11286-ZBCPULHSCKQTWCTIVHHM/imgg-gg3p-BC-DQ-U-4232d553.png The Arcane Athenaeum https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/1780932031.011044-HQYJCWTPVIDSHAHUIARE/imgg-gg3p-BC-DRJ-9a3ac480.png The Arcane Athenaeum https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/1794433730228-VSX5SQG8ZDSNAQALNLZ4/unsplash-image-J2_nIEkIpRM.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/1794433730228-VSX5SQG8ZDSNAQALNLZ4/unsplash-image-J2_nIEkIpRM.jpg https://thesteministwitch.com/store daily 0.75 2026-11-07 https://thesteministwitch.com/store/digital-products monthly 0.5 2026-11-07 https://thesteministwitch.com/store/p/the-peculiar-post monthly 0.5 2026-11-12 https://thesteministwitch.com/store/p/the-peculiar-post-3nlwb monthly 0.5 2026-11-12 https://thesteministwitch.com/store/p/shared-room monthly 0.5 2026-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/1ac725ac-c1c5-4a55-84a6-1fda3f7298f9/ballinderry-park-coach-house-the-hawthorn-ground-floor-bedroom-03.png Store - Shared Room - Ensuite - ballinderry-park-coach-house-the-hawthorn-ground-floor-bedroom-03.png https://thesteministwitch.com/store/p/shared-room-f3ep2 monthly 0.5 2026-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/ef473191-c699-4da3-a892-b227a4c3ac6f/ballinderry-park-coach-house-the-grove-family-bedroom-08.png Store - Shared Room Upper Bunk - Ensuite - ballinderry-park-coach-house-the-grove-family-bedroom-08.png (Copy) https://thesteministwitch.com/store/p/wjh92chx3nky2saydoxfg9g55qkrsj monthly 0.5 2026-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/de891e3f-8665-46d3-a1f3-17b10c3efa68/ballinderry-park-coach-house-the-curlew-north-bedroom-04.png Store - Private Room - Ensuite - ballinderry-park-coach-house-the-curlew-north-bedroom-04.png https://thesteministwitch.com/store/p/wjh92chx3nky2saydoxfg9g55qkrsj-ab7k5 monthly 0.5 2026-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/a41fff82-dc3b-4f16-af40-3a08897726e2/Screenshot+2026-11-11+at+9.50.25%E2%80%AFPM.png Store - Private Glamping Room - Shared Bathroom - Screenshot 2026-11-11 at 9.50.25 PM.png https://thesteministwitch.com/store/p/wjh92chx3nky2saydoxfg9g55qkrsj-ab7k5-2dahd monthly 0.5 2026-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/3efeb415-cc5c-4331-a5d0-1a1a8c8f786b/Screenshot+2026-11-11+at+9.49.37%E2%80%AFPM.png Store - Shared Glamping Room Lower Bed - Shared Bathroom - Screenshot 2026-11-11 at 9.49.37 PM.png https://thesteministwitch.com/store/p/wjh92chx3nky2saydoxfg9g55qkrsj-ab7k5-2dahd-lb2yy monthly 0.5 2026-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ae146d83104a35db839d849/a185928f-f4d8-457f-8128-d4492b64cf0d/Screenshot+2026-11-11+at+9.47.36%E2%80%AFPM.png Store - Shared Glamping Room Upper Bed - Shared Bathroom - Screenshot 2026-11-11 at 9.47.36 PM.png