~ Mother Goose ~
Frau Holt, or Dame Holda, was the original Heathen version of the
childhood character we know as Mother Goose. She is celebrated at Winter Tide. The goose
that she rides upon was believed to be the same as that which was ridden by the
hedgewitch
as they crossed over into the Otherworld. In the year 1956 Agnes Gerdhat
confessed that she and the members of her coven had made and used a salve so that they
could fly and dance like the snow geese that flew overhead. This salve had hallucinogenic
properties that induced spirit-flight and was made by frying together such herbs as
hellebore, tansy, and wild ginger and then mixing them with butter and an egg.
Warning: In order for your body to experience a
hallucinogenic state, it must be poisoned to one degree or another. Such things are
dangerous and should not be attempted by anyways unless they know exactly what they are
doing and have someone to watch over them while they are doing the rite. This information
on this page is provided solely as a point of historical note.
Copyright 1997 Crystal Miller, All Rights
Reserved.
