After yet another January storm, the wind finally abated just after sunset. The weather had been particularly miserable this winter, and now that the snow has melted, the whole enchanted forest had become soggy and swampy. After being clouded for over a week, the sky finally cleared up, just in time to see the near-full moon rise over the eastern horizon. 
Hekske (the little witch) and Falke (the 10-year old witch apprentice) welcomed their friend Quintine, who had woken up from a 414 year hibernation a couple of months ago. The witches huddled together while watching the bright moon, which had a rare blue glow that night. 
After some time, Falke looked around and saw a faint light in the distance. Apparently there were more visitors on the way. Given the fact that none of the spotter owls had raised the alarm, the witches knew that they had nothing to fear from these visitors. The light came closer and closer, and after a while they could see that there were actually several lights. 
Finally they could see the contours of their visitor, a bearded man with a long cloak and a cone hat. This was obviously a wizard.
The man took of his hat and greeted the witches politely. He introduced himself as Eoin, the Irish wizard of light. And he was not alone. He was accompanied by 8 young wizard apprentices who were all carrying glowing crystals. The boys launched a myriad of floating lights in a circle around the clearing. And all mushrooms started to glow, each in a slightly different color. Eoin smiled and announced solemnly that this is the festival of lights, a ceremony which he is performing every year in January, to chase away the darkness of winter and make the forest ready for Spring.
The wizard gave 3 crystals to the witches, who held it in the palm of their hands. The crystal of Falke had a subtle yellow glow, while Hekske’s crystal had a mesmerizing pinkish glow. And Quintine’s crystal emitted a purple pulsing light. Intuitively, the 3 witches came together and brought their hands close together. And this had an amazing effect on the 3 crystals, which now really came alive. The witches just couldn’t believe their eyes …

Connect with the wizard :
https://soundcloud.com/aka_tony

Artwork by Aka-Tony & Dalle

Witchtape #184 | Guest Wizz : Aka-Tony

That spring evening, Hekske (the little witch) and Falke (the 10 year old witch apprentice) flew home after attending a witch coven in the black forest. As always, it had been an intense full moon night filled with mystic ceremonies and ecstatic dances. They were tired but happy when they touched down in the central glade of their home forest, where they received a warm welcome by Bob The Owl and many other forest dwellers.
The witches immediately went to the nymph’s pond where they took a refreshing dive in the clear (but ice-cold) water. This was exactly what they needed after such a long and intense day, and they enjoyed the view on the Japanese cherry tree in full bloom, which seemed to be glowing in the evening sun. After sunset, they saw the near-full moon rising gloriously above the Eastern horizon. The moon was really bright and clear that night, and they felt its divine power. A few minutes later, a small cloud obscured the moon and plunged the forest in darkness. Strangely, Falke noticed a faint light far away in the forest. This light disappeared when the moon started to shine again. But when the next cloud covered the moon, the same mysterious light reappeared in the woods.
The witches got intrigued, and decided to get out of the water. They unhurriedly dried their long hair and put on their immaculately white dresses, before venturing into the woods. The mysterious light had disappeared, but they intuitively sensed where they had to go. Strangely, the moonlight seemed to be showing the way. At one point, the moonlight suddenly became much stronger. The girls sensed that this must be the place. And yes, a few moments later they heard a faint ‘meow’ in the distance. And another meow… 
Then they saw it … a cute little kitten in a beam of moonlight. How on earth did this little cat end up here!? Anyway, Falke was already kissing and cuddling the beautiful little feline. The kitten was obviously still to small too be left alone in the forest, but the witches had a plan.
They brought the sweet little cat to entrance of the badger’s sett. After seeing the kitten, the guard immediately called the other badgers and soon all these ebullient animals were hugging and cuddling the little cat, who got instantly accepted by the whole clan of badgers.
The witches smilingly looked at this endearing spectacle and knew the little kitten would be safe in the badger’s sett. And it wouldn’t take long before they realized this was no ordinary cat …

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/joaras

Photo credits : Anton27

Witchtape #188 | Guest Wizz : JoaRas

Downtempo Delights - The name says it all!

This mix features guest - Barbarella for the 2nd Delight.
Enjoy the journey!

Social links:

www.instagram.com/barbarella_dj/
soundcloud.com/barbarella_dd

Barbarella

Downtempo Delights #002: Barbarella

On an exceptionally sunny day in May, a man took his faithful dog for a walk in the countryside. Unlike other days, the dog was pulling his owner towards the nearby forest, which they had never visited before. 
After entering the woods, the man got overwhelmed by the serene and peaceful atmosphere. It even felt otherworldly. As they ventured deeper and deeper into the woods, they came across a bunch of animals which you would normally never see together : deer, foxes, rabbits, badgers... 
Strangely, all these animals were flocking together without the slightest sign of animosity and they all slowly walked into the same direction. The atmosphere was so peaceful that it even felt like a procession. 
Without hesitation the man and the dog joined the procession. The deeper they stepped into the forest, the more animals joined the procession and the more serene the atmosphere became.
Then the procession suddenly ground to a halt, on a little mound near the edge of a clearing. The man saw a pond in the glade, surrounded by wild spring flowers. This place felt like heaven on earth. 
Then something unusual happened. Two young women in long white dresses slowly strolled through the flower field. They stopped at the edge of the pond. One women was around 20 years of age and had long brown hair, while the other one was a 10-year old girl with shining blond hair.
The man got a bit ashamed and looked away. He is absolutely not a voyeur. Then an owl flew to a branch next to the man, and spoke with a soft voice : ‘it’s okay to look at this spectacle. They are two witches, Hekske and her apprentice Falke. They are going to perform a spring ceremony’.
Then a third woman entered the glad. She looked really old and had long grey hair and walked with a limp. The owl whispered ‘This is Quintine, she is 439 years old and she recently woke up from a 414 year long hibernation to escape from the persecutions of the 17th century.’  Meanwhile 2 other girls welcomed Quintine with a long hug.
A little later, the youngest witch lit up a fire with a floating spark which she launched with a gentle hand movement. They put a small cauldron on the fire and prepared some kind of brew, which – after cooling down – they all shared. This all happened in such an unhurried way that it made the man lose his sense of time.
After finishing their drink, the 3 witches went to the edge of the pool, where they shucked off their long white dresses. The man quickly looked away, but the owl reassured him and told him to keep on watching, as a very important part of the ceremony was about to happen.
The 2 young witches helped the elderly witch while they slowly waded deeper into the water. When the women were deep enough, they started to swim. Or rather : float on the water. This made some ripples on the mirror-like water surface. These ripples had a soothing and hypnotic effect on the man, his dog and all the animals around them. Even the birds had stopped singing, and the forest became completely quiet. There was even no wind. It was as if the earth had stopped turning.
After what seemed to be an eternity, the witches decided to get out of the water. With slow movements, they waded out of the pond. The animals who were watching from the mound got very excited at that moment. At first it wasn’t clear why, but after a while it dawned to the man that the elderly witch was able to walk independently. Even more astonishing, her grey hair had turned red. She barely looked 25 now. All the animals first looked in awe, until they all erupted in cheers : the badgers growled, the foxes screamed, the owls hooted and all the birds sang their most beautiful song. Also the dog barked from pure joy.
And this was only the start of a long celebration which would last until deep in the night.

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/beni-jacksen

Photo credits : Boiko Olha

Witchtape #189 | Guest Wizz : Beni Jacksen

That morning on the day of the summer solstice, the little witch woke up in a cool and damp forest. With her eyes still half-open from a good night’s sleep, her heart suddenly skipped a beat from excitement when she realized the next night there would be a full moon, which meant she’ll participate in the monthly witch coven (which always happens in a different location and in the ever-changing company of two other witches).
After finishing her daily inspection round of the muddy woods, the barefoot girl washed her feet in a little stream, said goodbye to the forest dwellers, and flew into the unknown. She knew she would – as always - reach her destination by simply following her inner compass.
This time she flew straight from Flanders to the South (even slightly to the South-West) and it was a really long flight. Never before had she ventured into this direction. After flying all day long over a variety of lush green landscapes, she saw a mountain range in the distance. She realized these must be the Pyrenees, which she knew from the stories of elder witches. Soon she was flying higher and higher through a valley which became narrower and narrower. Sunset time was nearing and the little witch realized she had to stop somewhere for the night. When reaching the highest ridge of these mountains, she spotted a couple of friendly griffon vultures. For a while she joined the two majestic birds who were soaring high above the mountain peaks. The little witch had never seen such elegant birds in flight. She also noticed the shape of the mountains was very different from the Alps (which she had seen a few times already). The peaks were not as high and had a much rounder shape than the sharp and angular mountain ridges of the Alps. The griffon vultures invited the girl to the spot where the whole group spends every night, which was a green and almost horizontal meadow just below a beautiful dome-shaped mountain top. It was a wonderful vantage point to observe the glorious sunset. When looking around, the witch spotted the impressive silhouette of an Ibex standing on the very top of the nearby mountain. Despite the distance of half a mile, the witch could clearly see his extremely long horns curving backwards, and she admired the proud and authoritarian posture of the animal. This was obviously an alpha male. The griffon vultures told the witch that these Iberian Ibexes had been introduced in the Pyrenees by humans a few years ago, as a replacement for the endemic Pyrenean Ibex which had gone extinct around the year 2000. And the species is now hesitantly starting to thrive again, with 3 young calves being born during the last couple of weeks.
A few minutes after spotting this impressive animal, the mountain range was covered in darkness, only lit by the rising full moon and millions of bright stars (easily the brightest starry sky the girl had ever seen), while the temperatures rapidly plunged below the freezing point and a thick fog engulfed the whole mountain and they were surrounded by complete silence … Mother Earth was holding her breath …

Connect with the wizard :

Story written by Hekske (originally published on the 16th of May 2021 for Witchtape #94)

Photo credits : Serhii Yurkiv


Witchtape #193 | Guest Wizz : Damjan Vojtovic

That sunny morning in July, Hekske (the little witch) woke up in her home forest, which was exceptionally lush and green after some good rains. Since one week, the rain had stopped and the forest was really sunny and pleasant. While she was still stretching her body before getting up, her friend Bob The Owl flew by in a hurry, warning her that there was an intruder in the forest. That was really strange, as humans are strictly barred from entering these woods by guard animals. The girl quickly slipped into her immaculately white dress and followed the owl. Within minutes, she saw the ‘intruder’. It appeared to be a little blond girl, around 9 years of age (which was by actually the witch’s own age when she arrived in the forest 10 years ago). Judging from her clothes, the girl was obviously human, yet she seemed to feel herself very much at ease in the woods, and she was playing and giggling with a family of squirrels.
The little witch approached the girl, who didn’t get scared when she saw her. For a few seconds they looked at each other and it struck the witch that this child had all the typical traits of a witch : sparkling eyes, a shiny soft skin and a character nose. Her pale blue eyes were beyond mesmerizing and seemed to be the gate to a vast inner universe. The little girl felt immediately comfortable with the witch and they engaged in a long tender hug. Despite the fact that they were unable to talk to each other, they immediately felt a strong bond between them … which strangely seemed to have started centuries ago. When walking through the forest, all animals got very curious and wanted to say hello to the new little blond girl. The witch requested the weaver birds to sew a tiny white dress for the girl. One hour later the dress was ready and the child was very eager to try it on. She looked incredibly cute in the immaculately white dress and all the forest animals uttered a collective ‘awwwwww’. She also had to shed her sneakers as witches always go barefoot. The first steps were a bit hesitant but once she felt the soft clover of the central meadow, the girl started to dance spontaneously, and she played with the butterflies. Soon the place was filled with laughter and giggles. The child had never been so happy in her whole life. Her human life had been a true ordeal with both her parents falling prey to drug abuse … and she was really determined to live a pure life far away from substances and all other vices of mankind, devoting her life to mother earth.
Next, the girl got introduced to the nymph (who is protecting the little oak tree which is destined to become the future mother tree of the forest) and they all took a dive in the nymph’s pond, where the little girl played with the dragonflies. For the rest, she simply enjoyed floating on the still water surface and looking at the little white clouds flying high in the blue sky. Despite being very playful, the girl also had the ability to be very peaceful and serene, just like a real witch.
The day quickly passed and soon nighttime fell. A family of dunnocks had made a soft bed of moss for the blond girl, but she preferred to snuggle with the little witch and got ready for her first night in the open air. The child was wondering why it was so dark, but she forgot about all that when she looked up in awe at the stars and the train of the milky way, which were clearly visible from the enchanted forest. And that’s how she slowly drifted away into a blissful sleep … her very first night in the open air … her very first night as a witch …

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/nikolas-gagarin

Story written by Hekske (originally published on the 13th of June 2021 for Witchtape #96)

Photo credits : Ironika (Irina Alexandrovna)

Witchtape #194 | Guest Wizz : Nikolas Gagarin

That cool morning in July, Hekske (the little witch) and Falke (the witch apprentice) woke up in their home forest in Flanders. As it was raining, they were not in a hurry to get up and lazily huddled together under their moss blanket until the sky cleared. After preparing some herbal tea, the girls suddenly got into a flying mood. This was quite strange, as witches normally only fly out on full moon days to participate in a witch coven. Anyway, Hekske and Falke decided to surrender to their deeper instincts and took off from a clearing in the forest. As always, the witches knew they would reach their destination by simply following their inner compass.
This time, they were heading eastwards and soon they were flying over the rolling hills of the Eifel mountains. Soon afterwards, the girls felt they had reached their destination and gently touched down near the edge of a forest, where they were welcomed by a skulk of red foxes. Hekske and Falke hugged and kissed all the playful foxes.
The vixens and their female cubs led the witches to a forested hill named ‘Kesselchen’ where they found an old cauldron. Sara, the eldest vixen, explained that this kettle had belonged to Antonia, a witch who had protected the foxes during the Middle Ages. This cauldron is being used once a year during the annual vixens ceremony, which was due today. The witches took the kettle with them, while the foxes showed them the way through the dark and misty forest. They stopped near a pond with a mirror-like quiet surface.  The vixens all jumped into the water without hesitation, while Hekske and Falke slipped out of their immaculately white dresses and waded into the cool water. Foxes rarely take a bath, but when they do, they show their most playful side. Sara explained that this is a holy pond in which the vixens take a bath only once a year, on this holy day.
After getting out of the water and patiently drying their fur until it was shiny and fluffy, Sara filled the cauldron with crystal-clear water from a nearby well (Brünnchen).
The vixens continued trotting to the venue of the ceremony. The route was like a pilgrimage and followed exactly the same path for centuries, passing many holy places, like a row of 8 tall oak trees named ‘Hocheichen’, and a hill named ‘Flugplatz’ where they were welcomed by a kettle of sparrow hawks. On each of these stages, more foxes joined the procession until the group had grown to over 100 vixens.
They went down to a valley where they reached their destination : a dark forest named ‘Fuchsröhre’ (fox hole). This is the holiest of holy places for the vixens. The forest is dominated by ‘Antoniabuche’, a giant 500 year-old beech tree. The foxes led Hekske and Falke to the tree, and when the girls touched its bark, they could feel the loving and caring energy of Antonia. And they also got visions of the recipe of a magic potion. Like in a trance, Falke told the vixens to find all ingredients, which included raspberries and black berries. The foxes found all berries, mushrooms and spices. The vixens looked in awe while the witches patiently prepared the magic potion. And after the brew had cooled down, all the female cubs were allowed to lap up a few drops while the elder witches sang some age-old songs. This was their coming-of-age ceremony and now the cubs duly belonged to the sisterhood of vixens. 
After this solemn ceremony, all foxes showed their most exuberant side and started to cheer and dance until late into the night. The witches felt the playful and ebullient energy of the vixens and joined the ecstatic dance. 
This truly was the most magical night of the year …

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/tobi-alain

Photo credits : grusgrus444

Story written by Hekske on the 27th of July 2025

Witchtape #195 | Guest Wizz : Down from another Town

It was the full moon day of August, and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. After some good rains during the last few weeks (ending a long dry spell), the forest was fresh and green once again, and summer flowers were blooming everywhere. There were even some penny buns popping up at the foot of some trees.
Normally, Hekske (the little witch) and Falke (the witch apprentice) always fly to a witch coven on all full moon days. But strangely, they didn’t feel any urge to fly on that sunny day. It was clearly a sign that mother earth wanted the witches to celebrate the full moon in their home forest. The girls decided to visit Lalita, the nymph who is protecting the little oak tree which is destined to become the future mother tree of the forest. 
The witches always love to listen to the stories of Lalita’s epic 3-year journey from the rainforest of the Malay peninsula all the way to this forest in Flanders. This time she told many stories about her long odyssey through the Arabian desert, wandering from oasis to oasis and especially savoring the stunning starry skies every night. 
The witches were so spellbound by Lalita’s stories, that they hadn’t noticed that the sun was already going down. It was high time for their evening bath in the nymph’s pond, which was dug by the clan of badgers who live in a circular sett underneath the future mother tree. As tree nymphs never go further than 300 steps away from the tree they are protecting, the forest animals have done their best to make Lalita’s life as comfortable as possible.
The girls slipped out of their immaculately white dresses and waded into the cool water. It is always a lovely sight to see Falke’s shiny blond hair, Hekske’s long brown hair and Lalita’s raven black hair just above the mirror-like water surface, before dipping under water.
When they resurfaced a few minutes later, Falke spotted the rising moon over the Southeastern horizon. The girls were instantly spellbound, as the silver white moon was brighter and clearer than ever. It made Lalita think back to the sultry starry nights in the middle of the Arabian deserts. 
The girls dipped under water again and lazily floated around, until they noticed that the moon was hovering above their heads. The soft light was reflecting in Falke’s blue, Hekske’s green and Lalita’s dark brown eyes. The moon descended even further, until she was hanging just one foot above the water surface, right in the middle of the 3 girls. They had never seen the moon from this close, and it felt as if they were floating in space, surrounded by the moon, the planets and the milky way. They lost all sense of space and time and just felt the strong and loving energy of the universe. The girls were so mesmerized that it was impossible to tell whether this precious moment lasted for minutes or hours.
After what seemed like an eternity, the girls slowly returned to their senses and felt the water touching their skin again. When they opened their eyes, they saw they were back in the nymph’s pond. And the moon? She was back in the sky again, shining brightly with a soft silver-white light and getting ready for a new cycle …

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/iris_anahata
Performed at the Musence Portal at the Hive Festival.

Photo credits : Ironika (Irina Alexandrovna)

Story written by Hekske on the 10th of August 2025


Witchtape #196 | Guest Witch : Iris Anahata

On the first day of September, Hekske (the little witch) woke up in a cool and damp forest. With her eyes still half-open from a good night’s sleep, her heart suddenly skipped a beat from excitement when she realized the next night there would be a full moon, which meant she’ll participate in the monthly witch coven. She woke up Falke (the witch apprentice) and after drinking their morning tea, they got into a flying mood and flew into the unknown. They knew they would – as always - reach their destination by simply following their inner compass.
This time they flew to the North-West and after a long flight over the North Sea, they finally saw a rugged coastline with white cliffs. And after flying for a few more hours over a variety of lush green landscapes, they finally sensed they had reached their destination at the edge of a huge forest, where an old witch was waiting for them. She introduced herself as Fiona, and after a warm welcome hug, the girls followed their guide deep into the woods until they reached a pond with a mirror-like surface. The witches slipped out of their immaculately white dresses and waded into the crystal-clear water. This place was incredibly still and quiet. The witches were just lazily floating on the surface, looking at all these shades of green around them and soaking up the serene energy.
The mood was so relaxed that the witches only got out of the water when the sun was going down. To their bewilderment they found out that their white dresses had been replaced by 3 green dresses. Intuitively, they knew which dresses belonged to each witch. Falke was immediately drawn to the short dress with the frisky spring colors, while Hekske fell instantly in love with the emerald green dress with the mysterious patterns, which was matching perfectly with her bright green eyes. The witches tried the dresses on and magically all were a perfect fit. 
Fiona (now wearing an elegant dark-green dress) led her guests to a nearby apple tree, which was bearing so many fruits that the branches were hanging down. The girls all picked a green apple, and ate it with great appetite. This was easily the best apple Hekske had ever tasted. And after eating the fruit, she felt even more connected than ever with the lush surroundings.
After this, the witches lied down on the soft moss at the foot of a giant oak tree, when they sensed an unusual presence. Falke opened her eyes and saw a green viper next to her. She knew she had nothing to fear from this snake and stretched out her hand. Soon the curious viper was slithering over her body before curling up on Falke’s belly and seemingly falling asleep. This meant that Falke was not only a dragon tamer but also a snake charmer. She spent the whole night with the beautiful snake on top of her, and the next morning she kissed goodbye to her new friend. Time had come to fly back to her home forest in Flanders and tell a lot of new stories to all the forest dwellers …

Connect to the artist :
https://soundcloud.com/poizonivy_music

Photo credits : Valentina Zavgorodniaia

Story written by Hekske on August 31st 2025

Witchtape #197 | Guest Witch : Poizon Ivy

Hekske (the little witch) and Falke (the witch apprentice) gazed at the bright light of the near full supermoon and they were already feeling excited about their next witch coven. But this month, their bodies started to feel ticklish one day earlier than normal, so the witches decided to take off and fly in South-Eastern direction, following their inner compass. The girls flew much further than ever before, to a land which was much warmer than their home forest in Flanders. It was also drier, yet way more varied and diverse, a mosaic of Mediterranean shrublands interspersed with lush green valleys with olive and fig trees, which the girls had never seen with their own eyes before.
The girls flew straight towards a low mountain range, which was greener and cooler than the coastal areas. Then they saw a woman waving at them at the foot of an old tree. Hekske and Falke sensed that this woman was a witch and that they had reached their destination.
The witches gently touched down and got a warm welcome from the witch, who introduced herself as Suha. She pointed at the olive tree and told her guests that the tree had the same age as herself… a bit over 2000 years!!
Hekske and Falke looked in disbelief at each other and realized that the history of this part of the world goes much further back in time than in Western Europe. In fact, this area is the cradle of the sisterhood of witches! Suha explained that they were in the middle of the lush green Ajloun Mountains. For a long time, she was the only Palestinian witch left in the area, and she admitted that it was too much work to take care of all the trees. But now a new generation of witches is rising up. Suha pointed in the distance where 6 young witch apprentices were running towards them. The girls were full of energy and fire and gave a lot of hugs to their European guests. Soon these young witches would be ready to take care of the trees in all corners of the Levant, replacing non-native plants by native species, in order to restore the original ecosystem of this part of the world.
Then one of the girls pointed at the sky and they saw 3 witches flying towards them. These were all friends of Suha: Mona from Mount Druze, Hannah from Mount Carmel and Juliana from the Beqaa Valley. The people from this part of the world rarely get along these days, but inside the sisterhood of witches it’s all friendship, respect and love.
Suha led her guests to a nearby river, where they all slipped out of their white dresses and took a refreshing bath in the crystal-clear water, after which Suha gave new dresses to all her guests and to the 6 apprentices. These long dresses were all white with beautiful green, black and red patterns along the seams. Suha and the 6 girls had been working for 10 days to stitch these dresses together. They all tried their dresses on, and miraculously these were all a perfect fit. After this, Mona took her bag and pulled out another surprise: she had brought apricot paste from Syria (which is known to have the finest apricots in the world). The women immediately started preparing Qamar al-Din, a sweet traditional apricot juice. 
And Suha had also prepared ma’amoul, which are semolina cookies filled with figs, dates and pistachios from nearby groves. All the girls enjoyed these delicious cookies with Arabic coffee and a touch of cardamom. 
The women had such a great time that they hadn’t noticed the sun had already gone down. This would be the start of a long and unforgettable night, full of mystic ceremonies and ecstatic dances…

Connect with the artist :
https://soundcloud.com/samerodehh

Photo credits : Oxana Belorus

Story written by Hekske on the 12th of October 2025

My Head

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