Story, Satanic Witches, and Hell(ier)

My blog post today is about story. And I’m going to begin it by telling you a story (about story).

I like to write fiction, and I’ve been creating and writing stories for as long as I can remember. There’s something magical about the process of creating characters and allowing them to reveal the next stages in what inevitably becomes their story. For the most part, these characters are my creations, beginning as hastily plotted-out spider diagrams on whatever scrap of paper I can find and growing into themselves as I write.

By Human or Non-Human Hands?

But around this time last year, two characters began to take shape in my mind without conscious plotting on my part. I still made hastily-scribbled diagrams, but instead of being spiderlike sigils of creation, they were more like a record of beings that were already there..

I wrote them almost obsessively, unable to think about anything else. And this entire world began to take shape as I worked, growing up around the characters in a suspiciously organic fashion.

But one day around Beltane, they were suddenly gone. The world and its inhabitants no longer spoke to me. I could no longer see where I next needed to go, and so I let the project fall. Because while I could have simply invented the details and carried on writing, it felt wrong to do so.

For months I missed them like distant friends. I wanted to continue their story and spend more time in their world, and in September I got my wish.

They had returned. I could see their world once more, and their stories began to speak to me again.

But instead of jumping back into their world, I held back. Why?

Because I realized that they had returned at the same time as the acronychal Story - pleiadesrising of the Pleiades. Moreover, their Beltane disappearance coincided with the yearly disappearance of the Pleiades from the night sky. It seemed a little too coincidental, especially when the characters you’re writing are Gentry who worship the ‘Seven Queens’.

Now you’re probably wondering why I’m telling you all of this instead of simply getting into the CAOS.

I’m telling you this because I wanted to illustrate the point that story doesn’t always come from humans, and that sometimes there are non-human hands in the mix as well.

Otherworldly Media and Narrative

What do a bunch of ‘cave goblins’, Irish fairies, and a long-dead Icelandic völva spirit have in common?

If my sources are correct on this: they have all either historically been interested in modern communications technology and/or media, have already arguably exerted their influence, or have reportedly expressed an interest in doing so.

As outlandish as all of this may seem, this is not so different from the kind of otherworldly interest in creative types recorded in older sources. The storytelling bard has become the TV show writer, artists who may have painted scenes from Fairy while locked up in Bedlam, now create digitally, and famous Fairy-Firkler Morgan Daimler has been pointing out the weird waves of disinformation about Themselves online for a while.

(I mean, come on…plastic is the ‘new iron’?)

Why would humans be the only beings to adapt to an ever-changing world? Why would the otherworldly not continue to interact with and influence creative types as they have done for generations?

Sabrina Goes to Hell(ier)

Which brings me to the point of this post. Yet again, the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has angered modern Pagans and Witches. This time though, it’s the depiction of the ‘Pagans’ that seems to be the source of the greatest ire.

I have a lot of say about that ire in general. But I’m going to limit myself to making the following two points:

  • That the ‘Pagans’ are not so much human worshippers of Pagan gods, but beings that were seen as being potentially monstrous (if not outright so) by their own Pagan period peers. Yes, as unjust as a monstrous read is when it comes to figures like Medusa and Circe, that’s probably how many people at the time probably saw them.
  • That the Greendale coven now worship Hecate. Which means that they’re now technically Pagans too. (Congratulations! You no longer have to get mad that they’re Satanic witches.)

Oh and about that whole thing with Pan and the Green Man: didn’t it feel a little familiar? Kind of like we’ve seen that alliance somewhere before?

Ah right, yes. Hellier season two. Again.

And I’m not the only person to have noticed the similarities either. According to the Twitterverse there was even a tin can moment in CAOS pt 3 (that I missed, probably because I tend to watch things like sewing/knitting/spinning).

A Topsy-Turvy Story

CAOS pt 3 was a story of different factions and battlelines. The Satanic was revealed to be codependent on the Christian for not only its ascent and power, but also help in the form of Mambo Marie (who is at one point described as being Catholic as well as a vodouisante). The ‘Pagans’ were largely actually monstrous beings, ‘Robin Goodfellow’ allies himself with the humans, and the Greendale coven end up (a different kind of) Pagan anyway.

If there’s one thing about the underlying ‘string-pullers’ of Hellier, it’s that the history doesn’t quite add up – at least not in the usual way. Greg is sent a pdf of The Rebirth of Pan: Hidden Faces of the American Earth Spirit, a book by a man called Jim Brandon (pseudonym). It’s a wild ride through archaeology, conspiracy theory, cryptozoology, paranormal phenomena, and Crowley. Rather than the Ancient Greek figure, the ‘Pan’ spoke of in this book (a being which the author argues is actually the conscious, collective identity of the earth/contained within the earth) is an aggregate term, a way of naming what the author believes to be manifestations of this consciousness of/within the earth.

The Green Man (a being associated with this ‘Pan’ by Brandon) of CAOS is also aggregate. The ‘Pagans’ of CAOS are trying to resurrect a supposedly ancient god (that’s apparently actually a bunch of other beings masquerading in a trench coat as ‘our lost connection to nature’). In a sense, he is a manifestation of Brandon’s ‘Pan’ (with a representation of Pan serving as his high priest), set within this uniquely American story that began with colonial era diabolist witches.

And then there’s Hecate – a deity that seems to be becoming more prominent among modern Pagans at the moment, often in a protective/tutelary capacity.  Funny how she’s associated with dogs, isn’t it?

The Stories We Tell and the Fucking Zeitgeist

When people on Twitter first began to notice the similarities between Hellier2 and CAOS pt 3, one person remarked that the CAOS producers should have given credit to Greg and Dana Neukirk.

But here is the thing: both series were produced more or less concurrently. Season 2 of Hellier dropped on 11/29/19, and CAOS on 1/24/20. While there are a couple of months between both shows, there wasn’t enough time for anyone to copy anyone else. Moreover, per CAOS showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, they were filming episode six in August – roughly around the same time as Greg and Dana et al. were still filming Hellier season two.

Good humans, I give you the zeitgeist…maybe.

Or maybe instead we see non-human hands in human stories and hints of narratives yet to be shaped?

Lessons from the Story of the Time

In my little corner of the world, I’ve noticed a lot of strange things post-Hellier 2. Moreover, more than a few people have hit me up out of the blue with stories that are spookily similar.

I believe the unseen world gained a new faction, and it’s something of a ‘new kid’ on the block. Based on what I’ve seen so far of this new kid, I’m pretty sure the ‘old kids’ aren’t too happy with it. Something – a collection of beings in a trench coat masquerading as something else is trying to come onto their turf. And as humans, the creators and consumers of stories that shape the dominant consensus, we’re faced with a choice (another one).

In CAOS, the Greendale coven is given the (false) choice of joining the ‘Pagans’. But instead they choose Hecate, their ancestors (of blood and of practice), and ultimately each other.

Despite the fact that it’s a TV show, I think there’s a valuable lesson in that for witches. Because regardless of tradition, most of us already have relationships with have gods, ancestors, and other beings. Some of us also have magical siblings of sorts too. These are the relationships that have long sustained us. And even when we don’t have those things, the older beings tend to have track records that we can refer to when making our choices. Cleaving to those that are proven hael (by experience or reputation) is probably the best choice.

More Hellier Musings (Heavy Spoiler Alert!)

Two weeks. That’s roughly how long it has been (at the time of writing) since the second season of Hellier dropped on Amazon Prime. Yet since then, it’s become abundantly clear that Hellier is bringing something to the table that other paranormal documentaries do not…something that one might describe as being distinctly other.

For those of us who grew up in areas where fairy lore is still a thing, there’s much about Hellier that’s achingly familiar. However, there’s also a sense of something narrative-breaking occurring here too. When I was a kid, the stories I learned were tied up in the land. To meet ‘Granny’ Greenteeth one had to go to her tarn, and you were always more likely to come across Skriker on the moors at dusk as opposed to when walking to the corner shop to pick up a six-pack of beer. There were of course beings that you were more likely to encounter in the home (like brownies, boggarts, and whatever those beings are that jinx a house with their presence). But in general, the feeorin I grew up hearing about had their hangouts as surely as the local chav kids had a preferred parking lot.

Hellier: Not Your Usual Paranormal TV

I’ve seen a lot of paranormal TV. I’ve basically mainlined it since it first became a thing. I remember the days when Most Haunted’s unintentionally hilarious Derek Acorah repeatedly made the pronouncement that “Mary loves Dick”, and it’s only ever been entertainment to me. I’ve never found it scary or particularly thought-provoking, and I’ve never had a sense of presence in the house after watching a show, nor had the WiFi go out before (for apparently no reason). That was new.

But it was what happened afterwards that really made me think a little more deeply about the effects of Hellier and what it potentially indicates about the otherworld and the ways in which it may interact with us now. You see, I’m beginning to think that themselves are quite interested in the potential presented by modern forms of media and technology, and if that is the case, then it’s something we should all be mindful of.

Sounds strange, right? Let me explain the chain of events that has led me to this conclusion..

Obsessions and Exorcisms

The morning after finishing the show, I found myself constantly thinking about it and fighting the urge to watch it again. The thoughts were to the point of obsession, and something about it made me take a step back. So I did what any normal internet-age person would do: I hit up Hellier Twitter to see if anyone else was experiencing the same urge to the same obsessive degree.

The replies I received astounded me. Person after person admitted to similar levels of obsession. Some were even on their third rewatch of the show. Moreover, I found that others had also experienced some degree of high strangeness since finishing the season. Tweets of strange and sometimes frightening dreams as well as synchronicities began to hint that the phenomena hadn’t ended with the final credits. A friend who had also witnessed the Michael possession I mentioned in my last Hellier blog messaged me out of the blue about Michael, and when I asked her if she’d seen Hellier, she had no idea what it even was.

Patterns began to emerge too. At least a couple of respondents found calling upon solar deities and/or performing rituals potentially connected with solar beings to be an effective remedy for the obsessiveness and as a means to clear houses. Here is where we get to the point of this post.

Hellier and Otherworldly Agency

In Hellier, I believe we are seeing a level of interactivity between the phenomenon/a and the audience that has seldom been seen before. As mentioned above, I suspect that the other have become interested in the potential of electronic media for retaking what I believe they see as theirs. Restoration isn’t just a one-way street, and we’d be fools to think it’s solely human-led. People are invested in Hellier. There is a desire out there to interact with it and continue the work begun by the team. Hell, some of the fine denizens of Hellier Twitter have already expressed the intention to begin their own investigations.

However, I’ve been a witch for a long time, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that magical preparedness is essential when encountering the othercrowd (if that’s who is behind all of this – I clearly think they are). So here are a bunch of resources I’ve put together that if used, can hopefully help to keep any of you fine folks out there safe while going about this work.

Hellier Was Just a Symptom

To look at something as a symptom suggests a wider, underlying cause. This is ultimately the conclusion/interpretation the team comes to by the end of Hellier season two, and it’s a conclusion I share.

For years now, we in the more magical corners of the Pagan and Heathen communities have discussed the Otherworld “bleeding through”. We’ve talked about the increase in encounters that many of us have experienced or been called to help with, and we’ve talked about the effects of this “bleed through” on our magic. Hell, I even got hit up over an actual case of elf shot a few weeks ago!

Some have treated this as a temporary situation – like the high tide of an ocean that will eventually ebb once more. However, many of us see this as the new ‘normal’. Things have shifted and continue to do so, and it feels like new ‘fronts’ of change are opening up all the time. (Admittedly this perspective could be somewhat skewed as I tend to be the kind of person people come to with these kinds of problems and so see more of this kind of thing by default.)

In Hellier I see a new front opening up, and like the meme magic of 2016, it’s democratized and open to any interested parties. The idea that people can be reached through media is nothing new, and so there’s a certain kind of sense that numinous powers seeking to recruit (possibly unwitting) ‘employees’ would use it. It may be utter bunk that fairies are scared of plastic (a claim I

Legoworld: Our last, best defense against fairies. Clearly.

saw this week), but I can easily see them manipulating events and energy transmitted.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Hellier winds up being one among many such symptoms.

So watch mindfully, my friends, and choose your causes wisely.