1: one that is credited with usually malignant supernatural powers; especially: a woman practicing usually black witchcraft often with the aid of a devil or familiar : sorceress — compare warlock
The word witch derives from the Old English nouns wicca Old English pronunciation: [ˈwɪttʃɑ] (‘sorcerer, male witch’) and wicce Old English pronunciation: [ˈwɪttʃe] (‘sorceress, female witch’). Thanks Wikipedia!
The origins, really, are much more complicated and mysterious, of course. For many centuries this term was used a blanket term for outsiders in society; people who didn’t fit the mould of the status-quo. Outrageously, these free spirits were often burned at the stake!
HOW RUDE?!!!
Lord knows if these were different times, we’d be right on that stake with the best of them!
Eartha Kitt does a fabulous job of playing with the stereotype and society’s perceived notions in this song, and especially give it up to bosslady1971 for a wicked compilation of witches in popular culture to go along with what is sure to be one of the highlights of your playlist!
Do Enjoy!
I’d rather be burned as a Witch than never be burned at all!!!
VIVA MAGAINE: The International Woman’s Magazine {circa. January 1977}
Cover Photograph by the iconic HELMUT NEWTON (hence, the undoubtable chic-ness of this image). Published by icons Bob Guccione and Kathy Keeton of PENTHOUSE fame, this is a prime piece of classic porn chic.
First coined in a highly influential New York Times article in 1973, porno chic describes a distinct period between 1969 and 1984 where American pornos were hitting the mainstream consciousness and pocketbooks hardcore. Andy Warhol kicked it off in 69 with Blue Movie, and films like Deep Throat, Behind the Green Door, Caligula, The Opening of Misty Beehtoven, A Night at the Adonis, and Flesh Gordon are among the films that encapsulate the Golden Age of Porn.
But it wasn’t just about the films. This period also saw a surge of amazing publishing prowess seen by magazines like PLAYBOY, HUSTLER, OUI, and of course PENTHOUSE dominated the scene, but for the first time publishers turned their attention to the female gaze, and offered pleasures like PLAYGIRL and VIVA with the male form objectified freely and openly to ease the tensions of the day.
I know it seems cliche to say, but its about the articles, too! Especially adult magazines of this period, you will find some powerful political, cultural, and historical content that just can’t be beat! Some of the articles included in this VIVA Magazine include:
The Blue Angel: Inside New York’s Naughtiest Night Club Minnie Riperton Raps About Fashion The Real Brenda Vaccaro The Naked Cowboy Dustin Hoffman & Robert Redford on set of “All the President’s Men” Do You Have What It Takes to Be Happy?
Not going to lie; what really stood out to us was the top story on the cover: HOW TO MAKE LOVE LIKE A WITCH!
The things they targeted their demographics with back in these times is fantastic! Imagine if they had published topics like this today?? People would have a fit! But, seriously we need more of this!
That’s just what makes this piece so god damn amusing. Keep pieces like this for entertaining treats for your guests- some pop culture, history, and a little eye candy.
They don’t make them like they used to …
And I always get a kick with cigarette ads from this period. They are always so special and great. Like this one:
Just out in the park picking flowers and placing them in my pretty flower basket and smoking a cigarette. . .
+LADY BE COOL+
I don’t know how things have taken such a drastic turn. It’s rather sad, really…but luckily, we do have pieces like this to remind us of these lost times.
This is a rare item especially considering the super sensual and chic Helmut Newton cover, and VIVA being of lesser popularity as PLAYBOY or even PLAYGIRL. If you have any questions? Send us a message to the.eye.of.faith@gmail.com
We are getting psyched up here, and in true E.O.F. tradition we wanted to spoil our readers with a weird and wonderful stash of creepy vintage halloween photos we have collected from scouring the depths of the interwebs…
It seems, sometimes the sheer simplicity of some of these costumes make for the creepiest outcome…although, a murderous clown will always give you the creeps especially standing behind an innocent baby bystander.
Perhaps, you will even get a little inspiration for your own costume from these crazy odd balls…
Hope you enjoy! Want to share your creepy costume with us? Email us at the.eye.of.faith@gmail.com // we would love to hear from you!
Until next time,
{theEye}
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Don’t forget…. XIXIXI gets you 25% in the {SHOP} !
When we say the name Maila Nurmi, you might not know who the fuck we are talking about. What if we were to say, Vampira? Of course!
Our current climate is so influenced and inspired by her delightful darkness, gothic glamour, and overall irreverence to almost everything! Oh, and did we mention she was friends with James Dean and Elvis??!
You might have even read our STYLE {DIVINITY} tribute to the goddess of creepy chic. Somehow in the 1950s at the height of conservative moral values, this daring Finnish actress rose to stardom with a status-quo bashing gig as television’s first last night horror show host of The Vampira Show which officially premiered on May 1, 1954!
As Vampira she retold the story of women in the media – not just prim and proper and ready to serve; the only thing Vampira was ready to serve was a bloody head on a platter for brunch. Its still hard for me to wrap my head around how she was able to get away with her gruesome take on House & Home living. All the more reason to worship this divine creature for everything she stood for.
Now, while Maila found popularity playing Vampira, she was an actress in Hollywood playing many roles. This next clip we found, we fell in love with – showcasing her talents in another rebel archetype that was taking hold in America in the 50s: the lousy beatnik.
A precursor to the hipster of today, a gateway to the free love hippie movement of the 60s and 70s. The beatnik was every conservative’s biggest pain in the ass. Like millennials of the atomic era- they were often viewed as aimless, pretentious, and overall whacky.
This clip taken from the iconic Beat-era classic “The Beatnik Generation” features Maila Nurmi pissing off a couple of squares with her off beat poem sporting a short blonde haircut and a rat on the shoulder; she completely oozes this infamous generation’s vibe to the max! Its very comical…and tell me she doesn’t look a bit like Katya Zamolodchikova ?!
Anyways, we thought is was all too fitting for The Eye of Faith and had to share! Lets keep empowering the brave, and blessing the bold, and letting people be the best they can be inside and out!
Let us all be a bit more like Ms. Nurmi, shall we?
“A chance to sit quietly and find out who you are; where you’ve been and where you’re going.”
-Ira Levin, Rosemary’s Baby
{published in 1967}
I called this an interlude because of its sauntering sweet nature between the high stakes and drama that is”Rosemary’s Baby”.
Polanski’s iconic film had many claiming he had beckoned the murder of his glamorous superstar wife, Sharon Tate just months following the film’s release, with this chilling tale of a wife sold to a coven of witches to give birth to the child of Satan!
The myth of the curse on the film was further perpetuated when John Lennon was murdered just outside the historic and now notorious Dakota building (below) just across the street from Central Park in New York City.
in·ter·lude
noun \ˈin-tər-ˌlüd\
3. a musical composition inserted between the parts of a longer composition, a drama, or a religious service
So enjoy this brief interlude, and sail away with this new vintage classic. . .
She was a seductive woman and the first woman in Greek mythology. Made from Earth to punish Prometheus for his overreaching and theft of the sacred fire, her youthful curiosity led her to opening a mysterious jar, the “Pandora’s Box”, that contained all the evils of humanity, releasing them into the wild.
According to the myth, she closed the jar leaving only HOPE inside.
Thanks, Pandora.
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It’s an age old tale going back to Ancient times, but the story is still permeating our landscape to this day.
Was Pandora just curious, or did she have a bit of a wild streak? You know how they say if your parents say not to do something, you’re going to do it. A little work of the Rebel Spirits, perhaps?
We wanted to make a {PHOTO BLAST} dedicated to the ultimate bad girl, and the many incarnations we saw of her. So please, enjoy!
If you’re looking for horror, sex, and a little intrigue look no further than this incredible cult classic from 1964: Hiroshi Teshigahara’s “Woman in the Dunes”. This art house film that could would garner Teshigahara an Academy Award nomination for Best Director in 1967 (he was beat by Robert Wise for “The Sound of Music”).
It’s a strange story, one first told by Japanese author Kôbô Abe (who also wrote the film’s screenplay) in the hugely successful novel by the same name. This is 1960s cinema at its finest and absolutely darkest. It’s also the kind of film that you wish was made now; a film that is provocative, lingering, sexy, intellectual, and above-all screams style!
So if you enjoy films with a core, and our thirst for the strange you’ll definitely appreciate this one. There’s little blood, and definitely no ghosts, but there’s definitely something creepy that lurks with you long after the movie has ended. Trust us on this one and grab a copy from Amazon today!
“The most frightening thing in the world is to discover the abnormal in that which is closest to us.”
Poor little hysterical witch! In the middle ages you were in conflict with the church. Now it is with the law.
Title Card: “Häxan (1922)”
We really ought to be saving this one for our own private inspiration board, but a higher wisdom has urged us to share. We swear!
This sinisterly beautiful Style {WISE} is from the archives of cinema history. Back to the days of the silent film, where the power of imagery ruled supreme.
The film is the 1922 Pseudo Documentary Art-House Horror Silent Classic, Häxan (pronounced “hek-sen”). Imaginations soared through creative interpretations of alleged real-life events right up through to the early twentieth century. The Swedish Film was directed, written, and starring Benjamin Christensen as the Devil himself.
Ultimately comparing the hysteria of contemporary (1921) women with the behaviour of the witches in the Middle Ages; the film concludes that they are very similar. Hey, we never said a peep! {click here for more}
Title Card: Centuries have passed and the Almighty of medieval times no longer sits in his tenth sphere.
Title Card: We no longer sit in church staring terrified at the frescoes of the devils.
Title Card: The witch no longer flies away on her broom over the rooftops.
Title Card: But isn’t superstition still rampant among us?
Title Card: Is there an obvious difference between the sorceress and her customer then and now?
Title Card: We no longer burn our old and poor. But do they not often suffer bitterly?
Title Card: And the little woman, whom we call hysterical, alone and unhappy, isn’t she still a riddle for us?
Title Card: Nowadays we detain the unhappy in a mental institution or – if she is wealthy – in a modern clinic.
Title Card: And then we will console ourselves with the notion that the mildly temperate shower of the clinic has replaced the barbaric methods of medieval times.
What’s most fascinating is the way they amp up the already iconic images we have in our mind when we turn our thoughts to the idea of witchcraft, the frenzy of the medieval times, and the rugged decay of the Medieval Times. All these elements are intensified and, almost glamourized, for the silver screen in a way only the 1920s could make happen.
Wouldn’t it be great to see more powerful imagery like this come to the forefront today, while still staying beautiful ? Perhaps some of you beauties will find some inspiration to take with you after your visit here with The Eye of Faith.
Häxan: Witchcraft through the ages, is a true experience for the eyes and ears, with music beautifully composed by Emil Reesen.
Seemingly a silent horror sensation, but truly a documentation of modern man.
So much faith is thrown into the blind eyes of God, as fellow man takes judgement and punishment upon himself.
Just a little something-something to get those juices flowing!
{MAILA NURMI & ELVIS PRESLEY GOOFING OFF}
