please

brenda. 21. lesbian. witch. she/her/hers this is my personal blog. you can find posts on secular witchcraft, feminism, mental health, crystals,and art

[laughicate]

Journals, articles, books & texts, on folklore, mythology, occult, and related -to- general anthropology, history, archaeology. 

Some good and/or interesting (or hokey) ‘examples’ included for most resources. tryin to organize & share stuff that was floating around onenote.

Journals (open access) – Folklore, Occult, etc

Culutural Analysis - folklore, popular culture, anthropology – The Mythical Ghoul in Arabic Culture

Folklore - folklore, anthropology, archaeology – The Making of a Bewitchment Narrative, Grecian Riddle Jokes

Incantatio - journal on charms, charmers, and charming – Verbal Charms from a 17th Century Manuscript

Oral Tradition – Jewish Folk Literature, Noises of Battle in Old English Poetry

Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics – Nani Fairtyales about the Cruel Bride, Energy as the Mediator between Natural and Supernatural Realms

International Journal of Intangible Heritage 

Studia Mythologica Slavica (many articles not English) – Dragon and Hero, Fertility Rites in the Raining Cave, The Grateful Wolf and Venetic Horses in Strabo’s Geography

Folklorica - Slavic & Eastern European folklore association – Ritual: The Role of Plant Characteristics in Slavic Folk Medicine, Animal Magic

Esoterica - The Journal of Esoteric Studies – The Curious Case of Hermetic Graffiti in Valladolid Cathedral 

The Esoteric Quarterly

Mythological Studies Journal

Luvah - Journal of the Creative Imagination – A More Poetical Character Than Satan

Transpersonal Studies – Shamanic Cosmology as an Evolutionary Neurocognitive Epistemology, Dreamscapes

Beyond Borderlands  – tumblr

Paranthropology

GOLEM - Journal of Religion and Monsters – The Religious Functions of Pokemon, Anti-Semitism and Vampires in British Popular Culture 1875-1914

Correspondences - Online Journal for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism – Kriegsmann’s Philological Quest for Ancient Wisdom 

– History, Archaeology

Adoranten - pre-historic rock art

Chitrolekha - India art & design history – Gomira Dance Mask

Silk Road – Centaurs on the Silk Road: Hellenistic Textiles in Western China

Sino-Platonic - East Asian languages and civilizations – Discursive Weaving Women in Chinese and Greek Traditions

MELA Notes - Middle East Librarians Association

Didaskalia - Journal for Ancient Performance

Ancient Narrative - Greek, Roman, Jewish novelistic traditions – The Construction of the Real and the Ideal in the Ancient Novel

Akroterion - Greek, Roman – The Deer Hunter: A Portrait of Aeneas

Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies  – Erotic and Separation Spells, The Ancients’ One-Horned Ass

Roman Legal Tradition - medieval civil law – Between Slavery and Freedom 

Phronimon - South African society for Greek Philosophy and the Humanities – Special Issue vol. 13 #2, Greek philosophy in dialogue with African+ philosophy

The Heroic Age - Early medieval Northwestern Europe – Icelandic Sword in the Stone

Peregrinations - Medieval Art and Architecture – Special Issue vol. 4 #1, Mappings 

Tiresas - Medieval and Classical – Sexuality in the Natural and Demonic Magic of the Middle Ages

Essays in Medieval Studies  – The Female Spell-caster in Middle English Romances, The Sweet Song of Satan

Hortulus - Medieval studies – Courtliness & the Deployment of Sodomy in 12th-Century Histories of Britain, Monsters & Monstrosities issue, Magic & Witchcraft issue

Annual of Medieval Studies at CEU

Medieval Archaeology – Divided and Galleried Hall-Houses, The Hall of the Knights Templar at Temple Balsall

Medieval Feminist Forum  – multiculturalism issue; Gender, Skin Color and the Power of Place … Romance of Moriaen, Writing Novels About Medieval Women for Modern Readers, Amazons & Guerilleres

Quidditas - medieval and renaissance 

Medieval Warfare

The Viking Society - ridiculous amount of articles from 1895-2011

Journals (limited free/sub/institution access)

Al-Masaq - Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean – Piracy as Statecraft: The Policies of Taifa of Denia, free issue

Mythical Creatures of Europe - article + map

Folklore - limited free access – Volume 122 #3, On the Ambiguity of Elves

Digital Philology -  a journal of medieval cultures – Saracens & Race in Roman de la Rose Iconography

Pomegranate - International Journal for Pagan Studies

Transcultural Psychiatry

European Journal of English Studies  – Myths East of Venice issue, Esotericism issue

Books, Texts, Images etc. – Folklore, Occult etc.

Magical Gem Database - Greek/Egyptian gems & talismans [x] [x]

Biblioteca Aracana - (mostly) Greek pagan history, rituals, poetry etc. – Greater Tool Consecration, The Yew-Demon

Curse Tablets from Roman Britain - [x]

The Gnostic Society Library – The Corpus Hermeticum, Hymn of the Robe of Glory

Grimoar - vast occult text library – Grimoires, Greek & Roman Necromancy, Queer Theology, Ancient Christian Magic

Internet Sacred Text Archive - religion, occult, folklore, etc. ancient texts

Verse and Transmutation - A Corpus of Middle English Alchemical Poetry

– History

The Internet Classics Archive - mainly Greco-Roman, some Persian & Chinese translated texts

Bodleian Oriental Manuscript Collection - [x] [x] [x]

Virtual Magic Bowl Archive - Jewish-Aramaic incantation bowl text and images [x] [x] 

Vindolanda Tablets - images and translations of tablets from 1st & 2nd c. [x]

Corsair - online catalog of the Piedmont Morgan library (manuscripts) [x] [x]

Beinecke rare book & manuscripts  – Wagstaff miscellany, al-Qur'ān–1813

LUNA - tonnes from Byzantine manuscripts to Arabic cartography

Maps on the web - Oxford Library [x] [x] [x]

Bodleian Library manuscripts - photographs of 11th-17th c. manuscripts – Treatises on Heraldry, The Worcester Fragments (polyphonic music), 12 c. misc medical and herbal texts

Early Manuscripts at Oxford U - very high quality photographs – (view through bottom left) Military texts by Athenaeus Mechanicus 16th c. [x] [x], MS Douce 195 Roman de la Rose [x] [x]

Trinity College digital manuscript library  – Mathematica Medica, 15th c.

eTOME - primary sources about Celtic peoples

Websites, Blogs – Folklore, Occult etc.

Demonthings - Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project 

Invocatio - (mostly) western esotericism

Heterodoxology - history, esotericism, science – Religion in the Age of Cyborgs

The Recipes Project - food, magic, science, medicine – The Medieval Invisible Man (invisibility recipes)

Morbid Anatomy - museum/library in Brooklyn

– History 

Islamic Philosophy Online - tonnes of texts, articles, links, utilities, this belongs in every section; mostly English

Medicina Antiqua - Graeco-Roman medicine

History of the Ancient World - news and resources – The So-called Galatae, Gauls, Celts in Early Hellenistic Balkans; Maidens, Matrons Magicians: Women & Personal Ritual Power in Late Antique Egypt

Διοτίμα - Women & Gender in Antiquity

Bodleian Library Exhibitions Online – Khusraw & Shirin, Hebrew Manuscripts as a Meeting-Place of Cultures

Medievalists – folk studies, witchcraft, mythology, science tags

Atlas Obscura – Bats and Vampiric Lore of Pére Lachaise Cemetery 

[feedtheflies]

[moonlightacademy]

Bee Magick - Save the Bees

This post is dedicated to the bees, make sure you do your part to save the bees! 

Facts to increase your love for bees:

They have personalities.

They can recognize human faces.

Their honey contains all the substances needed to sustain life.

Eating Honey can make you smarter.

Honeybees can only sting once.

They beat their wings up to 200 times per second.

Honeybees are the only insects that produce food for humans.

Bees don’t sleep.

All worker bees are female.

Ways to attract bees:

Plant flowers that attract bees.

Build a bee houses.

Place bee waterers and bee baths around your garden.

Do not use pesticides or herbicides of any kind.

Plants that attract bees:

Bee balm

Lavender

Crocus

Snow Drop

Wildflowers/Any native species

Catmint

Borage

Anise hyssop

Heliotrope

Sunflower

Oregano

Yarrow

Coneflower

Black eyed susan

Asters

Goldenrod

Foxglove

Marigold

Pansies

Sweet peas

Nasturtiums

Bee folklore:

It is unlucky to kill bees.

Believed to have the knowledge of the future and all secrets. 

If a bee lands on your hand, it suggests money is on it’s way.

If a bee lands on someones head, they will become successful in life. 

If a bee flies into a home, it means either good luck or a stranger is on their way. If you kill the bee it means the stranger will be bringing bad news.

Seeing a single bee will bring luck.

Bees buzzing around a child’s head foretells a happy, successful life.

Bee mythology:

Ancient Egyptian pharaohs used the bee as their royalty symbol. They believed honey bees were born from the tears of the sun God, Ra. To the Egyptians, bees represented resurrection and protected against evil spirits. 

Druids believed that bees represented the sun, the Goddess, celebration, and community.

The Greeks thought that a babies whose lips where touched by a bee would become a great poet or a great speaker. In ancient Greece it was also thought that they symbolized industry, hard work, messengers of the dead, and obedience. Honey was often used as an offering to their Gods. They also believed bees were the surviving souls of the priestesses who served the Goddess Aphrodite. 

They have been seen as a symbol of sacredness and could be associated with the Great Mother or Divine feminine. The Mother can be symbolized as the queen bee. 

In Celtic mythology honey bees had great wisdom and thought to be messengers between worlds. Honey was sacred and used in rituals.

In some cultures they can be associated with purity, health, and wealth. Some also believed bees were a symbol of the human soul.

The druids believed that bees symbolized the sun, the goddess, celebration, and community.

Deities associated with bees and honey:

Aphrodite

Ra

Vishnu

Pan

Vishnu

Cybele

Mellona

Melissa (Melisae)

Neith

Apollo

Artemis

Freya

Thor

Demeter

Bees in Magick:

Bees are closely associated with the fae and their presence in gardens which indicates blessings of fae. Encourage the bees, by putting up bee houses, hives, planting bee-friendly plants and waterers and not using pesticides. Thus, encouraging the blessings from the fae, while harming bees can anger them and cause them to seek revenge. 

The symbol of a bee can be used to seal a spell with sweetness for one who appreciates good will and a sting for one who takes it for granted or doesn’t keep his end of the bargain. 

Honey stirred into your tea can ‘sweeten’ your day. 

Honey is used often in magick to sweeten a situation.

Anointing your lips with honey will make your words sound sweeter. 

Bees in your dreams:

May be a good omen.

Bees in your dreams may be telling you to take a look at your social networks. They may be pointing toward a desire for more harmonious and functional relationships, or celebrating the ones you already have.

A visit from a bee in a dream may also be notifying you that a friend or family member needs to speak with you. You will know as this person will also pop into your mind somehow. It means call them or perhaps, that you will hear from them soon.

Dreaming of a beehive usually relates to the home and family or your business and coworkers. A happy, buzzing hive means a happy, buzzing home. It may foretell incoming abundance, and fruitful times ahead. If the bees are swarming around the hive, rather than working in it, proceed with caution. There is a lack of harmony that is interfering with productivity.

A swarm of bees may indicate that you feel that a group of people upon whose cooperation you rely is becoming chaotic and out of control. Perhaps the need to balance your own interactions with your different business and social groups for your own sanity.

Beehives bring to mind abundance and prosperity: bees seem to work hard and are rewarded by flowing stores of honey. An empty beehive, then, represents the opposite: lost opportunity and financial misfortune.

A beehive can also represent a home. The fullness or emptiness of the beehive may indicate unconscious feelings about family life, marriage, children, or the house itself. Honey may represent your property or belongings.

A beehive on fire or burned bees are often interpreted depending on your emotional and physical condition. Burned bees may mean you are overcoming fear and want to take control of life and anger, are you’re progressing through life with more confidence without any fear of obstacles. Burned beehives can also mean you have lost something precious, like money, a relationship, or some valuable information that you’ve forgotten or ignored.

If a bee or a swarm of bees is chasing you in dream, it may mean there is some unsettled business or a memory that haunts you. Make sure you let it go from your mind or deal with it in order to avoid these bees.

If you dream about getting a bee sting then something may be bothering you, or you have a persistent annoyance in your life. Concerns about your relationship, career, finance, or some unknown issue is bugging your subconscious mind. Find out what it is and sort it out.

Magickal uses for Honey:

Can be used in binding spells to symbolically stick things together.

Used for offerings to fae and deities.

Can sweeten a person or a situation.

 Honey is sacred to Aphrodite.

Can be used in spells corresponding to purification, health, love, happiness, spirituality, wisdom, good fortune, fertility, 

Use certain types of honey that corresponded with your spell.

Bathe in warm water and honey to attract love.

A dish filled with honey can attract angels and beneficial spirits.

Do your part to save the bees they are an important part of our life and in our magick practices. 

May the moon light your path!

==Moonlight Academy==

Sources: witchipedia.com, kitchenwitchuk.blogspot.ca, exemplore.com

[the-traveling-witch]

How To Create A Customized Opening Ritual

There are many ways to go about beginning spells and rituals, from complex rites to simple methods such as casting a basic circle. Often there’s very little discussion of personalizing an opening rite. Instead many of us use a preset ritual or simply follow along with whatever opening rite is included in the spell we’re currently working.

While this can and does work for many people, designing your own personalized pre-spell ritual has many benefits. As with all aspects of the craft, personalizing it to match your own beliefs and priorities allows your power to flow through the ritual more smoothly, there is no disruption from going through the motions on aspects of a ritual that seem extraneous or tedious to you.

Creating continuity and stability in your craft can also be useful, along with allowing you to find a kind of ease in this aspect of your spell work it can serve as a mental and energetic “trigger”. Repeating the same ritual every time you perform a spell will build a habit that will allow you to switch quickly from any mindset into your magic working mental space. For many witches trying to perform magic when you’re “off” in some way can prove rather frustrating and giving yourself a switch can prevent these frustrations and streamline your spell work.

FREE BONUS: GET THE DOWNLOADABLE LIST

Get the FREE downloadable list with 50 ideas and suggestions for your rituals!

DEFINING YOUR RITUAL

When writing any sort of personal ritual the first thing you must do is clarify your intentions. Ask yourself, what do you want out of your pre spell ritual? What do you need? Your ritual should not only meet your personal beliefs and sense of aesthetic but also your functional needs and style of spell casting. A poorly designed ritual will quickly become a nuisance and end up cast aside.

The first thing to consider is the desired length of your ritual. Will it need to be short and succinct so that you can perform it quickly before small spells? Or do you prefer to have more preparation and solemnity about your spell work? How long does it take you to prepare mentally to perform a spell? Keep this in mind as you assemble the pieces of your ritual, too many or too few steps and you could find yourself with a ritual that doesn’t suit your needs appropriately. If you’re unsure of what you may need in this area start small. You can always add to your ritual as you become more comfortable with it but starting with a mammoth of a ritual could very well end in you abandoning the ritual altogether.

In addition to the length, the complexity of your ritual should be carefully considered. Are you interested in using lengthier incantations or will you be performing wordlessly? If you want to be able to memorize it then you should only make it as complex as your memory will allow. If you will be performing the ritual from your grimoire every time you use it then feel free to create something more elaborate.

Will you be needing tools for your ritual? Tools can be exceptional additions to any spell but they can cut down on the portability and spontaneity of your spells. If you don’t often perform spells spontaneously or away from your main work space then tools can add a more tangible feel to your ritual which many people find helpful.

How many people will be involved in your ritual? If you work alone then this is simple and you only need to consider your own desires when building your pre-spell rite. If, on the other hand, you work in a group or coven you may wish to consult the other members of your circle or even build this ritual with them.

Now that you have an idea of the general kind of ritual you’ll be creating it’s time to start adding in the individual components. All of the following suggestions are excellent additions to an opening rite but you can elect to use only a few of them or none at all if your imagination and inclinations draw you to some other form of ritual. These are simply some of the basic building blocks of opening a spell.

CLEANSING YOUR SPACE AND SELF

Cleansing is a regular part of most ritual openings. It removes any stagnant, stuck or unhelpful energies that might get in the way of your spell work as well as ensuring that the room is properly prepared in more commonplace, earthly terms. There are two types of cleansing that should be considered for your ritual: cleansing your space and cleansing yourself.

Preparing your space may seem like a mundane task, tidying up isn’t necessarily the most magical act, but it can be incorporated into your ritual. Cleansing your workspace, both physically and energetically can be an important first step if it isn’t something you take the time to do otherwise. Energetic cleansing removes stuck or unwanted energies from the space, ensuring a clean slate for your spells.

There are many ways to cleanse a room in this manner, for example, you could sweep your ritual space with a besom, cleanse the room with burning herbs or incense, tidy your altar, or even create a crystal grid to cleanse the room over a period of hours if you like. Other ideas include sound clearing with bells or singing bowls, visualizing white or gold light filling the space, or opening windows to allow fresh air in.

In many traditions cleansing yourself before performing magic is an indispensable step. Smoke cleansing may also be used for this purpose but other methods to consider include ritual bathing, washing the hands, feet and/or face, changing into clothing reserved for your spell work, performing meditations, using crystals or even taking a ritual meal or drink.

SETTING THE TONE

This part of your ritual is largely for aesthetic purposes but it can absolutely have an effect on your personal sense of power in your ritual. When setting the tone there are many ways to go about achieving your desired feel; music, candles, incense, the level of lighting and the decor of the room you’re in all play a part in setting the tone for your ritual. If you aren’t picky about this sort of thing you can eschew this step altogether or simply leave it as a blank space to be filled based on your current whims. If it suits your practice you may also consider changing your ritual aesthetic based on the seasons, moon phases or holidays.

Building energy for your spells and rituals is an act that isn’t always included but it is one of my favorites.  This step gets you thrumming with energy, unlocking channels in yourself and in your surroundings that may stay stagnant the majority of the time. In many circles this is achieved with drumming, chanting or other kinds of music. You can also draw up energy for your rituals using dance, guided meditations, visualizations or releasing energy from charged objects.

Get the FREE downloadable list with 50 ideas and suggestions for your rituals!

CONSECRATING

Consecration is a ritual step for religious witches. It’s the process of dedicating your tools and/or magic work space to your gods, should you have any. This process can vary greatly depending on your religious leanings and which gods you worship or work with so I won’t be giving much detail on this. Some witches choose to consecrate once, some choose to consecrate on a regular basis (every full moon/solstice/etc) or on an as-needed basis at each ritual. If you do involve gods in your witchcraft and would like to learn more about consecrating I would suggest looking into the specific traditions associated with your particular gods or deities.

In the same vein, invoking your gods may be an important part of an opening rite however, if you aren’t religious invocation may still play a part in your ritual. Often spells may include spirits or energies that need to be summoned (or perhaps politely invited) to your ritual. As an example, calling the four corners involves invoking the elemental energies of fire, air, water and earth and their corresponding cardinal directions. If there is an energy, spirit or being that you work with regularly this is the time to call it to your aid. Often an offering may be appropriate as thanks.

PROTECTING YOUR SPACE

The act of protecting your ritual work space is perhaps considered one of the more important aspects of designing your own opening rite. Casting a circle is certainly the most commonly known form of protection but there are many other ways to protect your ritual space.

There are many ways to cast a circle, in some methods the circle is physically drawn with salt or a cord, in others the circle is denoted with four candles or other markers denoting the cardinal directions, in some the circle is only held in the minds eye. Typically the circle is cast by walking the perimeter clockwise three times, speaking a protective incantation or perhaps simply using your will to create a barrier against unwanted energies coming into your space. Your protective circle may also be used to keep anything in your circle from getting out depending on what sort of magic you have planned.

Other forms of warding are equally effective, my personal preference is using a guardian (add link) to protect my space. With this form of warding I include an offering to the guardian in my opening rite.

When deciding how to protect your ritual space you should decide what you will need from your wards. If you are working by yourself they can be quite simple, working with a group may call for something more complex or even multi-layered. For example, you may wish to protect your ritual space against the emotional baggage of other members of your circle, for this you could erect a ward designed to “hold” these energies outside of the circle until the members leave again.

Another consideration is whether or not your wards should be permeable and to what degree. Perhaps a designated “door” in the ward might be prudent to allow members to leave for the bathroom or in the event of an emergency without breaking your circle. Would you like certain spirits, gods, or energies to be able to come and go at will? Your wards can be designed to allow this to happen.

In many practices it’s considered an absolute necessity to ward your ritual space in some way. There are no grand rule makers in the world of witchcraft though. You are the witch. You hold the power. You make the rules. If this practice feels too rigid, doesn’t speak to you, or doesn’t serve your personal purposes then omit it. No one can decide what you should or should not be doing in your craft except for you.

When you have chosen what you wish to include in your ritual it’s time to start fitting the pieces together. The order I have presented these ideas in is not necessarily the ideal order for your ritual. Play with your opening rite and rearrange it as you see fit, a smoothly flowing ritual is a beautiful thing and well worth the time and effort it takes to create.

Hey everyone! I’ve moved all of my best witchcraft resources to my new blog, many of my old posts now have downloadable upgrades and new information added. I’ll be posting new witchy material over there weekly, if any of you have topics that you’re particularly interested in learning about let me know!

FREE BONUS: GET THE DOWNLOADABLE LIST

Get the FREE downloadable list with 50 ideas and suggestions for your rituals!

[skellydun]

[thatemeraldkid-deactivated20180]

Emoji Spell For 2017 To Be Prosperous and Pleasant

↪😊💚🌼💵🌟➡20👤17⬅🌟💵🌼💚😊↩

Likes charge, Reblogs cast

(The person in the middle represents you)

[femcassidy]

i think what’s wrong with me is that i don’t live secluded in a hut in the woods. i don’t bang enough rocks against enough things. i just haven’t forged any swords

[artistsalley]

[weaux-deactivated20170327]

*sprays rose water on 2017*

[cryinglittlepeople]

did someone saaaaay witchsona week??

I’m a friendly body part harvesting witch

[minions420]

shoutout to me for still not having my driver’s license

[reithewitch]

Ayeee

[sinneroftheverse]

This is the money frog reblog for good luck and many crickets

[frogsuggest]

money can be exchange for goods and services

[annabelgat]

My cat and I doing our thing! A wonderful illustration of Chochosan and I by Michael Kusmiercyk, you can find him on tumblr here: @eventfieldvibration

[kehmy]

Inktober - Day 3 - Familiar

[aesthetichtml]

[auntie-witch]

the blair witch is just a faery who wants to be left alone. fight me on this

[youhavereachedurfinaldestination]

*The motion sensor trigged air freshener in the hall goes off with no one near it*

Me: My name is Zak Bagans. Lead investigator of the Ghost Adventures Crew. I never believed in ghosts until I came face to face with one. So I set out on a quest to capture what I once saw onto video….With no big camera crews following us around, I am joined only by my fellow investigator Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin. The three of us will travel to some of the most highly active paranormal locations, where we will spend an entire night, being locked down from dusk until dawn….Raw…Extreme…These are our Ghost Adventures.