I am

and this is witchcraft

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Hello and welcome to Folk Magic Friday! 🖤

✨ Today is Friday the 13th. A perfect date for this post as I want to write something about slavic superstitions and old wives tales. And, as we all know, there is always something true in all old wives tales. Well, there was a reason they were told. I will also tell you something about making your own lucky amulet for days like this

✨ Most popular, still believed in and practised are:

red ribbon tied on baby's crib/trolley/hand as a lucky charm and for protection from evil powers or hexes

gathering of straw or branches placed under the roof of the house under construction

swallow's nest on your roof brings luck, be good to them

welcome newlyweds with bread and salt

burning and drowning effigy of Marzanna (I wrote about this here --> https://www.facebook.com/groups/487888341893851/posts/697057317643618/ )

eating mushrooms and poppy-seeds on Christmas - poppy was a connection with Nawia, slavic Nether. All Christmas dishes were typical for funeral meal

worshiping and being respectful for storks, waiting for their come back at the beginning of spring

divination by wax, especially for singles that are looking for love, at Saint Andrew's Day

no welcome or goodbye on the treshold of the house as it brings bad energy - always do this either in or out of your house

three kisses in the cheeks as a welcome and goodbye - for health, luck and prosperity

if you're pregnant don't go under or across any strings, ropes or wires as it may make umbilical cord tangled on your baby's neck

building a wayside shrines next to crossroads for protection

✨ As a protection from evil powers and bad luck Slavs made their own amulets called nawęza. It was little pouch with things closest to the person that was wearing it. Nawęza was wore as a necklace or was tied to the belt. Old Slavs usually put in their amulets animals fangs, feathers, magickal stones (especially hag stones), shells and herbs.

✨If you want to make your own nawęza, you can make it with little pouch with little things that make you feel powerful, safe or brings you luck. There are three types of nawęza:

❤️ nawęza of love - put there the closest things that belongs to the love of your life: hair and nails. Add two tangled red ribbons, rose quartz, mugwort and lovage. Spray it with musk oil and keep close with you or sew into your partner's clothes.

💎nawęza of wealth and prosperity - put there few wheat grains, acorns, some money, wallnut, leaf of mint and sunflower petals. Keep close with you.

🌿 nawęza of cleansing - put there garlic, quartz, sand, little piece of salt (not grinded), St John's wort and marjoram. Keep close with you or put under your pillow.

✨ Good thing to put on your own nawęza is magick symbol. It may be typical slavic symbol or symbol of your beloved goddess/god/entity. Typical for slavic nawęza would be one of these symbols:

Swarga/swarożyca/swarzyca or kołowrót (turnstile) - symbol of Swarog, the divine blacksmith. This symbol is also a slavic uroboros, snake eating his own tale. Arms of swarga are going on and on in the circle like sun and moon. Eight arms are a reminder of eight holidays important for slavic witches through the year. It was common symbol found above the doors or on cribs. It protects from evil in forms of illness, demons and bad luck.

Triskelion - known for Celts but also for Slavs. It was believed triskelion is a symbol of Weles, known as Three-headed god. Weles is a god of Nawia, to which leads a spiral way which was a metaphore of life.

Six-petal rosette - most popular symbol of Perun, the god of thunder, but also warriors. It was a protection from thunders and lightnings, placed inside the house, mostly on roofs or windows. Wear this symbol when you need to feel your inner strenght (for example before important interview).

Lunula - known for ancient Romans, but also for Slavs. It's a symbol of Mokosza, Mother Earth, patron of all women. It's good for love spells and rituals, helps with beauty and protects from health issues typical for women.

Symbol of Veles - a letter V that makes a triangle with added horns. God of Nawia, patron of cattle, god of magic and divination. It was also believed that a bear is an incarnation of Weles, so you can also use a bear paw as his symbol.

Hands of God - symbol of Perun, it is believed that four arms of this symbol are four powerful hands of Perun and each is reaching for each side of the world. It's used as a symbol of protection and inner strength.

Sun Cross/Solar Cross - symbol of Świętowit, most important god in Slavic pantheon. He is a god of all creation, the world maker. Circle means Earth divided by four seasons. It means the beginning of the world. Wear it when you need calm, harmony and inner peace.

Would you like to make your own nawęza? What would you put in your magick amulet? Tell me in the comments 🖤

And have a great Friday the 13th! 🐾

Iga

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Let’s chat about ways to make spells that are biodegradable/made with naturally occurring materials so we are not inadvertently harming Mother Earth.

Things you can use to contain spells that are safe for the earth - the rinds left over from your melons or fruits, cotton or wool cloth scraps (no synthetics), paper without any waterproof coating like wax or plastic. Brown paper bags work excellent. Use cotton or hemp to tie it shut or paper tape to tape it up. (do not use wax to seal it unless its beeswax)

Many spell ingredients are natural materials anyways, but here are some you should avoid if your spell will be going outside for any reason. GLITTER! Glitter is a micro plastic and it is so bad for the environment. If you want to add color or shine to your spells use mica powders which are naturally occurring, or get glitter that is biodegradable. Wax, most candles bought today are a mix of petroleum based, soy and palm wax. All of these are heavily processed and will not break down in the environment. Beeswax is the only naturally occurring wax you can get candles in that's safe for disposal outside and should only be done sparingly if at all.

Lastly, I know it is a common practice to bury a jar spell when you are done with it, but we live in modern times and you can also just throw them in the trash can! If you need to bury a jar to keep it working, consider where and how far deep you will bury it. Glass though naturally occurring doesn't exactly decompose, it just eventually becomes small particles like sand. That takes hundreds of years to happen, be good to the earth ❤

Feel free to add to this in the comments!!!

Felicia

[andthisiswitchcraft]

🌸BELTANE☀️ begins today and lasts thru tomorrow.

Beltane is hands down my favorite sabbat to celebrate.

Beltane means “Godly fire”

It’s position on the wheel of the year marks the peak of spring and the dawning of summer.

Depending on how you celebrate and worship, Beltane celebrates the union of the god and goddess that created the earth and humans as we know it. For others, it represents the nourishing fertile energy on the earth right now. (Northern hemisphere) where flowers are in bloom, animals and insects are at their peak of makin babies, and life is flourishing.

However you celebrate, and whoever you worship, one thing is true, Beltane celebrates LIFE. Earth energy is at its peak, sexual energy is burning everywhere.

The Goddess at her peak fullness, the purest manifestation of growth and renewal.

Many traditional festivities include cleansing fires, hand fasting, “going a’maying” (I’ll get to that 😉 ) feasts, wish box and egg charms, baking for family and community.

What’s going a’maying? Glad you asked!

This was a thing for newlyweds or couples wishing to conceive children, going off into the woods, having sex and collecting various herbs and twigs and berries to adorn the home with to welcome fertility and abundance in the home.

Now, since I doubt most of you will be holding traditional celebrations of walking your cattle thru smoke and going to crowded bonfire parties- I’ll go over some modern ways to celebrate this holy day!

- divination with yourself and your spirit team reflecting on your goals. All sabbats hold strong spiritual energy and Beltane is one of the strongest days to connect with spirits.

- S E X!!! Sex with your lover(s) or yourself. Today is the absolute best day Sex Magick manifesting abundance, growth, BABIES**, wealth, prosperity. Today’s key element is primal energy and sexuality is one of the most primordial energies we have as humans.

- gardening! Assuming your agricultural zone is free from risk of freeze- go plant your shit today. I’ll be gardening all weekend getting my food forest ready for the grow season here in the valley of Oregon. A great task to include your kids with and teach them about growing your foods and herbs, what today is all about (the G rated version)

- baking and cooking and starting medicines.

Bake and cook offerings for your deities and your family. Make treats to share with others. Another great task to include with your children.

- cleaning and resetting your altar spaces.

- set up than ancestral altar and leave a plate for the spirits who protect you.

- leave offerings for the elemental spirits around you.

- make a wish box! Much like a “spell jar” or talisman, a wish box is a lucky charm we create today to reflect what our goals and wishes are for the coming year. Include a petition, herbs and berries and rocks, whatever tickles your fancy and keep this box on your altar or in your room as a physical reminder of the goals you are working for. Another great option for kid inclusion for today.

- make a fire! Safely of course- don’t start a wildfire. Let the smoke cleanse you.

Whatever you do today, I hope you enjoy the energy that is here this week. Beltane offers us the energetic support to achieve what we truly need and desire in this earthly realm. Life can be so hard and trying, and often defeating. Take time today to switch up your mindset from a scarcity mindset to an abundant mindset and give thanks for the good and the beauty the earth provides to us.

Goddesses: flower goddesses, fertility goddesses, hunt and cattle goddesses, fire goddesses, maiden mother and crone goddesses, love goddesses.

Gods: love gods, sexual gods, gods of the hunt, gods of fire, gods of the sun, gods of the forest and fatherhood.

Colors: pink, red, yellow, silver, green, white and brown.

Flowers and herbs: hawthorn, juniper, frankincense, ylang ylang, lilac, jasmine, neroli, copal.

Tell me folks, what are you doing today and tomorrow?

Kittee

[andthisiswitchcraft]

For Folk Magic Friday, let's go over how to write a petition and what it is. This is taken from a blog post I found. I'll post the link below as well.

"Petition is a fancy word for prayer; and in the sacred arts we do a lot of prayer making. When someone commissions ritual work or orders a devotional candle one of my first questions is: what is your petition? What I have found over the years is that people often have a strong idea of what they want but they don’t know how to state it simply and with ease.

In my experience the most effective prayers are simple words, straight from the heart, and sharply focused on one single intention. That is the petition you want to write, that is the prayer you want to make. Here is one way to create it:

Ask:

What is the ONE most important thing to me about this situation/person/relationship/project/idea/dream?

What is my biggest fear around this situation/person/relationship/project/idea/dream?

What quality do I need to cultivate in myself to meet that fear head on?

Then, work with the following structure:

Dear/Blessed/Beloved (insert name of Deity, Cosmic Force, Nature, or Universe), my intention is that I (answer to the first question).

I recognize that I am afraid of (answer to the second question), and I ask/request/pray/believe that I will grow in (answer to the third question) so that my intention has, is, and will be fulfilled in the best possible/deepest/wisest/most beautiful way.

Amen/Thank you/So it is/It is done"

Taken from: https://brianasaussy.com/write-petition/

Felicia

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Hello and welcome to another Folk Magic Friday! 🖤

Last week I was asked about intruments that were made back in the time. I did my research and oh, this topic is huuuuge! First I tought I'm not gonna write about it today BUT, I had better idea. I'm gonna write about it in parts, because there are so many informations one post will be just too long.

So, let's begin! 🖤

SLAVIC INSTRUMENTS PART I

The begginng of slavic instruments starts with first, kinda primitive, whistles and pipes made of lilac leafs or ivy. Reed pipes made of wicker bark or willow bark, hazelnut tree, bird bones, pig tusks, goose feather or herbs from swamps. Used mostly by village kids and shepherds 🎷

Next were clarinet horns. Made from goat or cattle horn, it has a few holes for playing with fingers, like a typical clarinet 🎷

Most impressive was 4 meters long wooden flat trombita, also known as ligawka or bazuna. Kind of an alpine horn. It was used for communication between mountains, mostly by Hutsuls and Górals, to announce deaths and funerals, but also happy events like weddings. Gorals call them fajer (sound similar to "fire"). Biggest trombita in the world was made by Józef Chmiel (Joseph Chmiel) and it was 8,35 meters long 🎷

Another wooden instrument is Mazovian Ligawa. 1 meters long and formed like a horn. It was mad from two pieces of wood - spruce or alder, glued together with wax. It also had decorative ornaments made from roots.

Australian didgeridoo is made in similar way 🎷

Third, and also interesting, is Kashubian bazuna. Formed more like a long and slim trumpet, from 1 to 2,5 meters long. It was made of birch, maple, alder or willow. People used whole branch - it was divided for two pieces, pealed from bark and drilled inside, then connected with wicker or iron rings. Mouthpiece was made from lime tree.

Bazuna was mostly used by fishermen as a signal instrument. They played it when mist was coming, big wave or another danger. Sometimes used by shepherds. People also played bazuna on special events, like New Year celebrations 🎷

As you can see, all three instruments are connected, but they were made different in different parts of the land, depends on needs and terrain. They are still in use, Górals are very strong in their traditions, you can see that very clearly in Zakopane and in Carpathians 🎷

Last horn, also used for communication, was horn made from buffalo horn. It was used by hunters in forests. This specific horn was also mentioned in Mickiewicz's poem "Pan Tadeusz" ("Master Thaddeus, or the Last Foray in Lithuania: A Nobility's Tale of the Years 1811–1812, in Twelve Books of Verse"). Today this kind of horn is called french horn (waltornia, from German - Waldhorn) 🎷

That will be all for part I. Tell me what do you think about that 🖤 Can you guess what will be in part II?

Iga

[action]

When Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three charges surrounding his murder of George Floyd, the conversation found on Tumblr (and elsewhere online) reflected two major points:

This is not justice being served. There is no justice in the face of murder, and if there were, it certainly would not be found within the American carceral system. The verdict stemming from this trial will not stop the violence and oppression Black people face at the hands of an over-policed country.

“Black people don’t need reminders that Chauvin’s guilty verdict doesn’t mean the fight is over. It’s okay to celebrate small victories.”

These truths are not at odds with each other. They can, and will, co-exist.

Take a moment today to celebrate George Floyd and his beautiful family. Keep his little daughter in your mind and hearts. If you want to feel a bit of relief that at least one person was found guilty for their hateful, heinous crime—please do so. And then remember that it was just one person. Remember that if you are an ally and an accomplice, you must not stop learning. You must not stop fighting for real justice.

Accountability for police killings is rare:

Since 2005, 140 law enforcement officers have been arrested for on-duty manslaughter and murder. Only 8—5%—have been convicted.

And that doesn’t account for the 98% of police killings where there were no arrests for murder or manslaughter.

Black people are three times more likely to be killed by police

And then yesterday, roughly one hour after Nancy Pelosi thanked George Floyd for “sacrificing” his “life for justice,” police in Columbus, Ohio shot and killed 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant.

That is not what justice looks like.

Rest in power, George Floyd.

Rest in power, Ma’Khia Bryant.

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Hello Witches!

This week, my rock is this beautiful cobalt blue with veins of sparkly white and little gold specks. The blue is 100% opaque but the white seems to have some translucence.

🌊 🌊 🌊

It’s Lapis Lazuli! Lapis is associated with Taurus, Libra and Sagittarius; the throat and third eye chakras; water and the north in feng shui; the planet Venus; and the goddesses Isis and Venus. It is a combination of minerals including lazurite, calcite and pyrite. It is a very popular stone to use for communication and inner awareness.

Lapis lazuli has a long history of being used in ceremony, art and protection against the evil eye. Babylonians used it for jewelry, beads and amulets. Ancient Egyptians called it the “stone of heaven” and used it in funerary masks, jewelry, statues, and other art. Hebrews used it on ceremonial robes. Renaissance artists used ground lapis to paint ultramarine skies and water.

Lapis works with the throat chakra to enhance clear verbal self expression and truthful communication. It opens the third eye, allowing inner vision and connection to the spiritual realm. It also offers psychic protection by returning negativity to its source. It also helps soothing emotional grief and melancholy.

Michelle

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Hello my pretty magickal souls 🖤

On today's Folk Magic Friday I'm gonna write something about slavic magical herbs. I've picked three most known magical herbs.

🌿 Artemisia Vulgaris - mugwort.

Very important herb which was tied to dresses or belts as a protection from curses and magic in general. Second thing about mugwort was that old Slavs believed in it's power which was attraction of love and desire. Mugwort was in every flower crown that was made at Kupala's Night.

Now mugwort is recommended for stomach problems and menstrual cramps. Helps with indigestion and also supports our liver's functions.

🌿 Betula L. - birch.

By old Slavs birch was called a tree of health, femininity and rebirth. Birch trees were praised by all spring time. People believed these trees were full of magic and were sacred. At that time even name of March (in Polish - Marzec) was different and was in honour of birch - Brzeźń (birch in Polish is brzoza). People gathered around birches and performed rituals connected with rebirth of nature in spring, femininity and delicacy. They even hit each other in a funny and playful way with birch little branches which was for fertility and good harvest in upcoming season.

The Catholic Church took that tradition and at The Feast of Corpus Christi birch branches are always at altar. At the end of procession you can take one branch home for good harvest and fertility.

Birch is also used in herbal medicine, it's very helpful with UTI. Birch also has detoxifying properties for our blood circulation system. And also it's very helpful in therapy for psoriasis and seborrhea.

🌿 Tilia - lime tree.

In Slavic mythology also known as "the sacred tree of Slavs". It was important in a lot of rituals. Under the lime trees were performed rituals and dances. Old Slavs loved to rest under this tree because it was believed that lime tree can give you prophetic visions and dreams. Oh, and also a perfect nap. And because of that old Slavs were also making coffins from tilia. It was believed that coffin like this will give your soul rest and peace.

Now lime tree is best known for it's honey taste and sweet teas, perfect for running nose and cold, but also for UTI. Recommended for sore throat, flu, quinsy and state of nervous agitation.

But also! Dried lime tree's flowers are amazing as incense and has honey, soothing aroma 🐝

That's all for me now. Let me know how do you use these herbs 🌿

Iga

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Hello Witches! Your friendly AnarchoWitch admin is here with What Rock is This?

Today’s stone is this sphere that reminds me of Jupiter. It’s metallic dark grey with bands of deep red, ochre yellow, and browns. It is opaque with tiny sparkles.

🐞 🐞 🐞

It’s Tiger Iron! Tiger iron is associated with mainly the root chakra but also the sacral and solar plexus and Leo. It is a combination of hematite, brown tiger’s eye and red jasper, so it has the properties of those stones along with its own.

Tiger iron is a very protective and grounding stone and a supreme healer. It pulls excess energy into the lower chakras centering you and providing a boost of self confidence.

Michelle

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Blessed first day of the waxing moon 🥰🌝

In #MoonGardening now is the best time to begin gardening tasks like sowing seeds, especially for leaf crops like lettuce and herbs. Tonight I spread my flower seeds that need a cold snap to germinate. Luckily one of the last freezes of the season begins tomorrow for me, just as the moon is beginning to wax. Once the weather warms up I have other flowers and herbs that must germinate in warm weather and I'll wait until after the beautiful warm weather to sow these seeds.

The reason the waxing moon is the best period to germinate seeds and harvest certain crops is because the moon is drawing water up from the Earth. Your seeds will have all the water they need to stay moist. When the moon is nearly full harvested herbs and fruits will be at their plumpest and juiciest, full of their most wonderful healing qualities! The particularly wet ground during this time also encourages slugs and snails to come out of hiding so they can be moved to a more agreeable location than your garden.

Amber

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Let's talk tektites, more specifically impactites. These are glass pieces formed from a meteorite impact. These could be made directly from the heat of the impact or residual radiant heat. Since they are created from an impact, the pieces go flying and are found across a large area. One of the most famous is moldavite, which is from an impact in Moldova, and has a distinctly greenish color. The green color of moldavite is the result of aluminum compounds in the earth that got absorbed into the silicates when the impact occurred. However, moldavite is really expensive because of it's popularity, and because of it's popularity, restrictions have been placed on mining this mineral. It's so popular there is a market for fakes.

The great power of moldavite is it's connection to the heavens, it's formation being the result of a meteorite impact. But there is nothing particularly special about moldavite that other impact tektites don't have. An emerging popular substitute to moldavite is Libyan Desert Glass, which has a citrine color, a brownish to greenish yellow (pictured). These you can get in much larger pieces for a much lower cost than moldavite, and they pretty much have the exact same spiritual qualities as moldavite. They pretty much are just like moldevite, including minute bubbles and ripples on the surface. The only difference is it isn't green, i.e. it doesn't have traces of aluminum oxide in the silicate crystalline structure.

Unlike moldavite, there is a much larger quantity of Libyan Desert Glass between Libya and Egypt. It is a lot easier to find, and therefore less destructive to the environment to mine for... in fact, it barely needs to be mined, unlike moldavite which needs extensive mining. Furthermore, it has been used for thousands of years, from tools to sacred objects. It has been deemed as useful as obsidian and as sacred as lapis lazuli.

So if you're looking for something like moldavite but isn't as expensive or as likely to be a fake like moldavite (there are still black markets for fakes, but less of an issue than moldavite), consider Libyan Desert Glass or almost any impact tektite.

Franklin

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Hello Witches! Your friendly AnarchoWitch admin is here with What Rock is This?

This week, my crystal is milky white, somewhat translucent and grows in a very regular, thin, straight grain.

🐁 🐁 🐁

It’s selenite! Selenite is associated with the crown and higher crown chakras, Taurus, and the goddess Selena. This is a powerful stone for connection to your guides, your higher self and Christ consciousness and grants access to past lives. It offers protection from the angelic realm against negative energies and clears energy blockages in the etheric body. It also opens, clears and activates the crown.

Selenite enhances dreams, intuition and psychic abilities. Its calming energy quells chaos, reducing stress and bringing mental clarity and tranquility.

Selenite is named after the Greek lunar goddess, Selena. Its white light matches that of the moon, so you can charge other crystals with that same energy by placing them on top of a selenite slab.

Note: selenite is a soft material, so it should be handled with care and kept dry. Water will damage selenite.

Michelle

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Happy #kitchenwitchinwednesday !!!

This weekend I made a lavender chiffon cake and decorated it with candied violets!

For the cake I just used a regular chiffon cake recipe and added a tablespoon of ground lavender from my garden instead of vanilla. Delicious with a cream cheese frosting!

But CANDIED FLOWERS! That's the special treat here!

Gather fresh violets free of pesticides, of course. Take one egg white and mix it with an equal amount of water. Dip the flowers in the mixture. I use the fork to keep the petals flat when I pull them out. Next coat them in sugar and place them face down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Set them in a warm place to dry. I preheated my oven to it's lowest setting, turned it off, and then placed the baking tray inside with the door cracked a bit. They were dried in a couple of hours but I made the cake the next day and gave them even more time.

Other wonderful flowers to candy include roses, dandelions, carnation petals, honeysuckle, and lilac to name just a few!

Grow your own flowers from seeds to ensure they aren't treated with pesticides or buy from a local organic nursery!

Amber

[andthisiswitchcraft]

For those looking for an example of a ritual to gain a familiar spirit that is not a long drawn-out procedure like in the Ars Goetia or Grimorium Verum, here is one from a Secreti that was supposedly written by Heinrich Agrippa (text dates to circa 17th century), in which any spirit is conjured and made into a familiar. As will be noted, one can "simulate" the full procedure onto paper, as if one did it with a child, which indicates the flexibility of folk magical practices. Further it should be noted that the familiar is accurately treated as a spirit servant here, rather than just a pet.

To Make Any Spirit Familiar

"Burn some olive tree root as you would charcoal and grind it into a very fine powder and mix with some very old olive oil, which should already have thickened with time and rendered into a balm like substance. Make a thick black coloured paste out of this balm, similar to printers ink and spread it in the shape of a square onto the palm of the left hand of a virgin child or a pregnant woman. Then with a stylus or a new pen, write the word 'East' on the Mount of Mercury, making a little circle around it. Then write the word 'South' on the Mount of the Moon, which you should also enclose with a circle in a similar way. On the Mount of Venus, write 'West' and on the Mount of Jupiter, write 'North,' drawing a circle round each of them.

Then with a lit candle made of blessed wax, call and conjure any Spirit that you wish and he should appear to the person whose hand has been prepared in this way and she should see everything in her hand. By repeating this ritual often, you should also gradually see the same thing on the hand of this person, although you yourself may not be innocent. She should now be able to write on her hand but immediately afterwards, you should scrape off all the coloured paste that has been smeared on her hand, including the circles as well as all the writing and place them onto a piece of virgin parchment in the shape of a circle. Or you could even apply a layer of veneer on the hand, so it looks like it had been prepared.

You should then be able to call the Spirits onto this paper, who should respond to you readily, and the virgin girl should be able to hear them by putting the paper to her ear. Then gradually, with some skill and being attentive, you, too, should be able to hear the Spirits and you should be able to hear them at any hour and without candles, day or night and obtain from them, whatever you want."

("Secrets Taken From Agrippa" as found in "A Collection of Magical Secrets" by Skinner and Rankine)

Franklin

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Familiars: what are they?

This is something that comes up every once in a while and lately has been coming up a lot, so we should discuss familiars. It is largely thanks to modern commercialization of misconceptions from the European witch trails that we get our current misunderstandings of familiars. So let's breakdown the history and perceptions of familiars to get a better grasp of them.

Familiars are a kind of tutelary spirit, a non-corporeal intelligence that a witch/magician summons and binds to themselves. In a way, they are like a servant to the witch, but under some conditions. For instance, the magician needs to appease their familiar to keep its company. If a familiar feels that the magician has violated the terms of their pact, they will leave and may even harm the magician. Likewise, if the magician were no longer happy with the services their familiar provided, or they felt their familiar was leading them into danger, they would banish them or call on another spirit to send it away forever. Ultimately, assuming a good bond has been made, the familiar will stay with the magician for the remainder of the magician's life, as familiars do not die. They're spirits, so they don't die. They will assist in magical practices, teach, heal, fetch money, fetch mightier spirits to help, et al. In return the magician will give shelter, food, water, and whatever else the witch-familiar compact may have an agreement on.

The oldest and closest thing we have to the modern idea of a familiar are the household gods of the ancient world. Even as cities developed, individual households had their own gods. It isn't until much later that we see cities and states develop their own "household gods" or gods of the city.

Prior to the Romans there does not seem to be much of a distinction between household gods and the larger religion gods. But the Romans had three different names for these sorts of spirits that give us some clear distinctions of the perceptions these people had of their gods: genius loci, dii familiares, and lares. The genii loci were "spirits of place," and were spirits that governed and protected a specific area, such as a neighborhood, a crossroad, a forest, etc. Genii loci that governed a household were called lares. These were the household gods that residents set up shrines to just inside the doorway, a common practice to this day. Then there were the dii familiares, which were something like the lares, but watched over the whole family, as the family did not always stay in the home, but expanded, moved, went to the market, etc. If these household gods were not kept happy, they would leave the house and family, leaving them unprotected, and may even come back to harm them.

We see evidence of this in the Bible, particularly in Genesis where Rachel steals her father's household idols. Eventually there would be state genii loci, lares, and dii familiares, such as Roma personified as a goddess in her own right. Hermes was also a genius loci, usually at crossroads. Enodia (Hecate) was another crossroads genius loci. However these two gods become more state religion deities with their servant spirits watching over crossroads. Jehovah is very much like this with the ancient Israelites, even having a pact, i.e. the Covenant, of which the Ark of the Covenant was a fetish object to house God.

However, truly the oldest idea of a familiar is the personal daimon or demon, a specific daimon that is assigned to each person at birth. The oldest complete example of conjuring a personal daimon is described in the first portion of the Greek Magical Papyri, a collection of magical spells and rites dating between 1st century BC to 5th century AD. This rite details how to conjure a daimon that will be bound to the magician, and will teach and guide them, dine and sleep with them, and be with them until the end of the magician's days. Socrates himself may have had something like this when he refers to his daimonion, a "divine something" that advised and guided him, but never controlling him.

This personal daimon becomes a central feature of western magic. In Byzantine magic, such as in the Hygromanteia, the daimon becomes something akin to the dii familiares, though distinctly personal to the magician and the same familiar can be passed from master magician to apprentice (such as Dr. Faustus to his pupil). All grimoires been the 13th and 18th centuries have a rite to conjure a familiar or to conjure a spirit to bring a familiar. A great example of this is in the Ars Goetia where several demons are listed as being good for bringing familiars. Similar examples are found in spirit registers such as in the Grimorium Verum. Even folk magic includes ways of gaining a familiar, and the rites are usually a lot more simple than the formal ceremonial magic of the Renaissance grimoires. These are found in various Secreti or books of secrets (see for instance Treatise of Magical Secrets and Mixed Cabala, trans. by Rankine and Skinner)

Our current conceptions of a familiar come from the witch trails of the 16th and 17th centuries. Prior to this time period magic was not exactly forbidden. Magic was usually something that was tacked onto other charges, usually treason. Since magicians held their reputations via rumors and recommendations, and rumors are what Oliver Cromwell sought to destroy, thus witchcraft enters the courtroom thanks to such rumors of magicians. As witchcraft becomes chargeable on its own in the 16th century, we see players like Matthew Hopkins enter the stage. These "witch hunters" were nothing more than opportunistic assholes who used Cromwell's methods of hunting via rumors. Anything could be used as evidence of a witch, and townsfolk often used these opportunities to get rid of someone they didn't like by accusing them of witchcraft. Most of the people, usually women, though there were plenty of men tried as well, who were accused of witchcraft were not actually witches. They could just be lonely old widows that have a dog or a cat to keep them company.

Familiars, or rather pets, were a common way of determining if someone was a witch, since that was part of being a witch. However, people back then had pets like anyone today. So these women who were seen as unusual and therefore a witch, had their pets used as evidence against them. And really, they were like many of us: they had a close relationship with their pets, talked to them, really cared for them, took them everywhere with them. This all sounds strangely like a familiar, and to opportunists like Hopkins, it was the perfect rumor to locate a "witch." But really it was just an excuse to kill a quirky old woman no one liked who lived alone and loved to talk to her birds, and someone else probably really wanted her land.

Much of this pet as a familiar has become sensationalized today. In a way, yes, you can conjure a familiar to inhabit the body of your pet. In the Renaissance, possessing an animal with a spirit was no big deal. Today that would probably be seen as unethical to your pet. But there really is no need for this, as a spirit will physically appear to a magician at their command, and can even take on familiar forms such as a dog if the magician requests it. It is not uncommon to see in Renaissance grimoires a portion of the conjuration includes the magician stating, "appear to me in a pleasing form."

Further, it's borderline animal abuse to truly treat your pet like a familiar. A lot of energy is exhausted by familiars to be your servant, but they're spirits and can usually handle it, and if they can't, they go get you a bigger stronger spirit to handle it. Pets cannot do that, and they shouldn't have to. To truly use your pet as a familiar will most likely harm them in the long run. Pets should be treated like family, not your magical teacher and conduit.

In practice, the familiar can be almost any kind of spirit. In the Abramelin rite the familiar is called the Holy Guardian Angel, a divine heavenly entity assigned to each person at birth. In the Faustian tradition, the demon Mephistopheles is Dr. Faustus's familiar. In the Christian tradition, the Holy Spirit acts as a sort of familiar to Jesus, assisting Jesus with his miracles, and according to Paul raised Jesus from death. But familiars can also be souls of the dead, such as ancestors. In fact, the lares and dii familiares may have been ancestors of that family/household that always stuck around to watch over everyone, and later became deified.

So while our pets are very important to us and can even be a bit magical, they are not the same as a familiar. And in many ways it's wrong to say they are. It takes something that was viciously used to torture and kill lonely old women and sensationalizes it into an aesthetic, rather than a way of life, a devotion, and a compact you keep and renew each and every day with the same entity. And to make your pet an actual familiar is abusive. Having a tutelary spirit (or several) is central to western magical practices, but it is not the same as having a pet. If you want to get a pet, get a pet. If you want a familiar, there are hundreds of ways to conjure one up and make a lifelong pact with it.

The reason this is important to understand and differentiate is so you become a better pet owner and a better witch.

Franklin

Image: Matthew Hopkins, "Witch Finder General" (a title he made up) investigating witches and their familiars.

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Hello Witches! Your friendly AnarchoWitch admin is here with What Rock is This?

Today’s specimen is a composite of opaque black and translucent brown with like iridescent black shards that flash blue in the light. They remind me of tourmaline but flash like labradorite. There are also small copper/gold specks all over.

🦓 🦓 🦓

This is a learning moment. I thought that this was astrophyllite. Doing some research, I found out that astrophyllite is often mislabeled nuummite or arfvedsonite. After reading about the differences and comparing the internal structures in photos, I have concluded that I own an arfvedsonite tower. I’m keeping a paragraph that I already wrote about about astrophyllite because why not? I’ll link to the comparison in the comments.

Arfvedsonite is associated with Gemini and the throat and crown chakras. It was discovered by Johan August Arfwedson, who also discovered lithium. Arfvedsonite breaks up energy blockages and promotes the flow of energy. It gives us the courage to be proactive in tasks that are placed on us. It also helps internalize your emotions while you need to be strong for others and then release them once you are in a safe space.

When Arfvedsonite opens the throat chakra, it allows feelings and emotions to flow freely. This is a great stone for self healing and peace of mind. It’s calming energy reminds us to live in the present. It helps with compassion, empathy, emotional understanding and coping with PTSD. This stone helps find opportunities and new beginnings to open up the path to your life purpose and form a clear vision of what you want in life.

Arfvedsonite also promotes mental enhancement and spiritual awakening. It brings psychic visions that provide warnings to help you navigate your journey.

Astrophyllite is associated with Cancer, Scorpio and Capricorn and the crown chakra. The name comes from the Greek woirds “astron” - star and “phyllon” - leaf. It is a great companion for astral travel, enhances intuition and raises vibrations, aids in meditation, eases anxiety and helps with coping with change.

Michelle

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Hello my pretty souls 🖤

Today on #kitchenwitchinwednesday I'm gonna share with you my very simple recipe for very tasty cookies 🍪

You will need:

🍪 200g of butter

🍪 two yolks

🍪 300g of flour - I used 250g of flour for baking shortbread (type 450) and 50g of traditional wheat flour (type 550)

🍪 100g of sugar - sugar from sugar cane, but use what you like 😊

Because there is a lot of butter you can put anything else you like and make these cookies more spicy ✨

I added also:

🍪 coconut chips

🍪 chopped dark chocolate

🍪 raisins

I don't recommend to mix all ingredients by your hands. I put it in the mixer, but you can use a knife as well.

If you also like to add raisins, add them at the end, when all ingredients will become one dough. Best thing is to put them in bowl with milk and one spoon of honey (or id you want something different, a glass od rum) for a couple of hours because they will burn and turn hard and bitter.

First let flour and butter connect with yolks, add some sugar and coconut chips. When dough will be smooth then it's time for rolling and cutting cookies.

I divided my dough for two parts. One was rolled and covered with chopped chocolate, to the second one I added some raisins (as much as you like) and mixed it one more time for a second, then rolled and cut and covered with chopped chocolate.

I turned oven on 180°C and put there cookies for ~20min, check them from time to time, they're easy to burn. I kept my first part of cookies too long and they were, well, more crispy 🙈

If you don't want to waste rest of the eggs, you can also make lemon meringue. To whipped egg whites add some sugar and at the end squeeze half of fresh lemon to it.

And that's all 😊 Simple and quick. Let me know what do you think about it! 🖤

Iga