YOU ARE THE REASON
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$LAYYYTER
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@black-dog-bones
WALPURGIS NIGHT
When witches dance around the bonfire around the empty grove within the graveyard on the eve of Beltane, they signal good news for Ol’ Turnip Head - “We are halfway through the year until Halloween!”
Copyright © John Irvine, 2025
#walpurgisnacht #walpurgisnight #walpurgisgathering #walpurgis #walpurgisfeuer #witches #bonfire #walpurgisfeuer🔥
One spell from Scandinavian trolldom that employed wild roses thorny habit for sending back evil in the name of the Devil goes thus. The person working the spell, on a Friday between the times of noon and one o’clock was to walk in silence into the wind, to find a rose bush bearing hips. The top of the bush was to be bent towards the ground with a hook and held there, while the person suffering crawled three times backwards under the briar. Each time passing under the magical arch, this incantation was to be spoken:
“All the evil sent to me by sorcerers or sorceresses,
This I now send away from me,
And back to the one who sent it, Amen!
In the name of the mighty devil Itagiths.”
-From Blood, Shadow, and the Rose. Corinne Boyer. Wyrd - Volume 3. Pg. 24.
Temptation
[ID: an illustration of a white snake offering a black goat an apple from a tangle of blue branches. their eyes are both red, and the piece is bordered in black on a mottled greyscale background. End.]
Temptation. Art by Ezra Blanchard.
Beginner Witch Tips
Fight a God. Just go for it, dude. Why not. If you fail, just keep trying until you either win or the god gives up and moves on.
Learn to cast some protective wards. That god has friends, and they're going to come for you. You best be ready.
Curse your enemies. Do it. Destroy them all. Make them pay. Everyone's like all "Don't start out by cursing people! Boo!" and I'm like, those people should get cursed too.
Try to befriend a Crow. You'll probably fail, but crows are neat.n Why not give it a try?
Pace Yourself. Like sometimes take a break, read a book, and maybe have some tea. You can't just sprint your whole way -- you gotta rest too.
Curse your enemies again. They are your enemies and they deserve it.
Buy a neat hat. Seriously, no one tells you to get a neat hat -- but you should. Neat hats are neat.
The occult is so soooo male dominated that I think as a community we should really be acknowledging female voices in the occult more. So I wanna start a chain, where we all list prominent female voices in the occult.
Personal favorite writters of mine are: Gemma Gary, Dion Fortune, Florence Farr, Doreen Valiente, and Corinne Boyer.
Keep this going if you see it!
Some women occult writers and artists that come to mind:
Benebell Wen. Occultist and Chinese Taoist tradition expert that translated the I Ching and published one of the best books on the Tarot I know (Holistic Tarot).
Rachel Pollack. Great author that wrote many important and well-known books about the Tarot, including Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom.
Josephine McCarthy. One of the founders of the Quareia school of magic together with Frater Archer. She wrote books about the Tarot and land-based magic.
Pamela Colman Smith. The artist, illustrator and occultist that illustrated the classic Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot.
Ithell Colquhoun. British Surrealist artist and writer whose association with occult groups caused her to be expelled from the British Surrealist Group.
Becoming the Man in Black
Last night, in preparation for the longest night, I went out to give offerings after holding ritual. Afterward, I dawned an outfit of all black, a large hat, and a cane of my making that has been ritualy prepared and went for a walk to drop off my gifts.
On my walk I came upon a person dressed in a bath robe wearing a children's conical wizard hat carving sigils into the snow (last picture). I slowed seeing them, deciding if I should walk by or not, but something on my shoulder told me, "Keep walking." So I proceed forward, and when the wizard saw me she froze like she'd seen a ghost. After passing by, it hit me that I looked otherworldly and dressed like the Man in Black.
It felt as though spirits used my body to place me here for her in this moment, for her to have this encounter with The Devil through me as his vessel. What an odd and truly enchanting experience
Some of my golden jackal skulls, all from my country (Bulgaria)
🌙 How To Build An Altar That Feels Like Home
When I built my first altar, it looked like a sad thrift store shelf, mismatched candles, half-melted incense sticks, a chipped mug standing in for a chalice. I was so desperate for it to look witchy, like the glossy photos in books. But it didn’t feel like mine. It felt like a stranger’s stage.
It took me years, and many messy, candle-wax-soaked attempts, to realize: your altar isn’t an Instagram post. It’s a heartbeat. It’s your magic’s nest. It should feel like home, because it is one.
Here’s how I’ve learned to build an altar that breathes with you, one that feels like warm floors, familiar shadows, and the exact right hush of your spirit.
🕯️ 1. Know What An Altar Really Is
Strip away the fancy words: an altar is just a sacred spot. It’s where you gather your power and your gratitude in one place.
It can be as humble as a windowsill or as grand as a dedicated room. A shelf, a table, a box, all that matters is intention.
Think of it as a tiny crossroads: your body, your spirit, and your magic meet there. The rest is just trimmings.
🌿 2. Start With What Calls You
Forget the shopping list that says you must have a pentacle, a wand, a chalice, this and that.
Ask: what do you reach for when you feel witchiest? A candle that smells like your grandmother’s kitchen? A stone you found at the river? A jar of salt?
Your altar is not a museum. It’s a nest of meaning. Let it be ugly at first. Let it be real.
🔮 3. Give It a Heartbeat
I always tell baby witches: your altar’s alive if it changes with you.
Maybe you set it up on the floor for a spell, then move it to a shelf when you get a cat who loves knocking things over. Maybe you swap the flowers every season. Maybe you leave offerings that rot a little, because magic is not sterile.
Mine has bits of charred candle wicks, a cracked seashell, and a scrap of cloth from my mother’s apron. I clean it, but I don’t bleach it of history.
🗝️ 4. Make It a Conversation
An altar is not a monologue. You don’t just speak at it. You speak with it.
When you light a candle, linger. When you place a new object, ask it, “What do you bring here?” Listen. Maybe you rearrange things when they feel stale. Maybe you sleep with a stone under your pillow before giving it a spot on your altar, so it knows your dreams.
This is the bit the books forget to tell you: your altar listens back.
🌙 5. Protect It, But Don’t Police It
It’s good to cleanse your altar, blow off dust, pass smoke over it, ring a bell if it feels heavy.
But don’t let perfectionism be your deity. I once wasted hours agonizing over where to put a feather. It’s a feather, Nyra. Spirits don’t care if it’s center-left or right.
Your hands are sacred. Trust them.
🕸️ A Few Simple Ideas To Try
Place something that represents each element, but only if it feels real to you. A rock, a candle, a cup of water, a pinch of salt.
Add one thing that smells good. Scent ties your spirit to memory.
Leave an offering to your guides or ancestors, even if it’s just a whisper of thanks.
Keep a tiny cloth or broom nearby to sweep off old energy when needed.
🌒 A Final Whisper
Your altar is not a shrine to aesthetics, it’s a mirror for your spirit.
Build it slow. Let it shift. Let it hold your tears, your giggles, your burnt matches and hopeful wishes.
One day you’ll sit at that sacred little corner, a mug of tea in hand, and think: This is mine. And it will hum back: Yes. And I am yours.
— Nyra
Graveyard etiquette from a cranky traditional witch:
-Leave shit at the gate (coins, cigarettes, eggs, flowers)
-If alone go in silence, if with others speak in a hushed tone
-Wear a hat or head covering to prevent possession or bringing home unwanted spirits.
-Bring bells and/or rattles to wake the dead if desired
-Smoking in the graveyard or carrying a flame is an easy way to get the attention of the dead at night.
-Bring a knife or object made of iron should things get hairy (always bring a knife). Canes are also excellent tools for working with the dead
-have a way of gathering occult materia without being noticed by people or spirits (invisibility charms work best)
-If you're bringing spirits home with you (intentionally), don't turn around until you're across the threshold of your home
-Upon leaving the cemetery, say a prayer for the dead and wild things that inhabitant there
-When home, spread white powder (flower, salt, ect...) at the door to keep unwanted spirits out. A colander over a key hole works too.
~A Charm made for a Client~
This mercurial charm was made with thread I hand spun and spoke magic into as I went and blessed by spirits within my personal court. To use the charm, speak to it about the money you wish for it bring to you and how you want it brought. Write these petitions on paper, then burn them. Feed it whiskey, honey, and oil as desired until you receive the income you want.
Rules of Ritual
〰🌫 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼.°•🌫〰〰🌫 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼.°•🌫〰〰🌫 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼.°•🌫〰
This post was inspired by another post made by @friend-crow
〰🌫 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼.°•🌫〰〰🌫 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼.°•🌫〰〰🌫 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼.°•🌫〰
When it comes to rules in magic, there's a bit of a divide. On one hand, there are certain rules accepted by the majority, and the individual, and others believe that no rules can apply to the art of magic. I'm one of the former, believing that there are rules, or laws, that apply to magic and these laws can be leveraged. So, I'll split this into two primary areas as a way to explain my beliefs in magic.
〰🌫 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼.°•🌫〰〰🌫 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼.°•🌫〰〰🌫 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼.°•🌫〰
Laws:
The Law of Contagion: An item imbued with a certain virtue or potency can directly or indirectly affect the items around it. For example, moon water is directly acted upon by the virtues of the moon. A key imbues water or powders with the quality of locking-unlocking and so on.
The Law of Sympathy: An item, made as replication or connection of a person or concept, can be used to directly or indirectly affect that person or concept. The most well known form of sympathy is either candle magic or poppets, where both have the ability to hurt or to bless. Likewise, this can be applied to concepts. A sigil is a sympathetic embodiment of a concept or idea and can be used to affect that idea or concept in the life of a person.
The Law of Being: An Item, Concept, Force or Deity does not exist until perceived as such or perceived as having an effect. Dogma can be leveraged in order to gain magical effect as it is perceived as real and able to produce psychological or spiritual change in the magician and their environment.
Law of Relation: Most, if not all spells, have a negative relationship where one force is decreased and another increased. Wealth magic decreases the energy of lack. A curse causes the appearance and attraction of destructive energies and causes the lack of beneficial energies.
Law of Resonance: Overtime, when working with an object/concept/deity, the interchange of energy will become more potent and constant, resulting in the magician being (literally or metaphorically) an extension of the deity or firmly connected to that deity which can promote possession, trance states, prophecy, visions and intercessions.
〰🌫 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼.°•🌫〰〰🌫 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼.°•🌫〰〰🌫 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼.°•🌫〰
Rules
Do not offer or promise more than you can provide consistently. It is better to pray for little than to offer too much.
Do not establish resonance with an item, concept or spirit that you don't want to work with in the long run.
Be very clear about your intentions in a spirit-person relationship, some spirits are to be served and others more inclined to temporary relationships
Offerings made are of an energetic form rather than a material form. Bhakti and Bhav are thus two major components in worship and service
Do not retain a spirit, especially angelic, for longer than hour unless you are familiar with them.
Do not summon what you cannot banish.
MAGIC FOR THE CITY DWELLER
CHAPTER ONE: WELCOME TO THE CONCRETE JUNGLE, WHERE MAGIC NEVER SLEEPS
magic isn’t just for the deep woods and moss-covered stones. it’s not limited to candlelit covens or ancient runes etched in a sacred grove. magic is where you are. in the humming neon signs, the flickering streetlamps, the rhythm of bus doors opening and closing, in the energy of walking amongst a crowd on a busy street.
urban magic is about finding the mystical in the mundane, harnessing the city’s restless energy, and using every graffiti tag, liminal space, cracked pavement, and forgotten coin as a tool for enchantment. the city is alive—a churning, breathing, chaotic organism—and if you listen closely, it’s whispering spells in the wind between skyscrapers.
this isn’t some high-brow, ceremonial magic doctrine. here, we work with sigils written on coffee shop napkins, metro card protection spells, and phone screens charged as scrying mirrors. this is magic for the streets, for the punks, for the witches in walk-ups and studio apartments, for the ones who find the divine in the hum of a dive bar at 3 AM.
WHAT MAKES URBAN MAGIC DIFFERENT?
the biggest shift between traditional and urban magic is the environment. instead of sacred groves, we have community gardens. instead of rivers, we have storm drains. instead of bonfires, we have neon lights and power grids pulsing with raw electricity.
but just because the setting is different doesn’t mean the magic is weaker. city magic is potent as hell, because it’s charged with movement, history, technology, and millions of lives overlapping in real-time.
ELEMENTS IN AN URBAN CONTEXT:
• earth → concrete, bricks, asphalt, parks and park dirt
• air → the wind between high-rises, the whispers of overheard conversations, the endless streams of information moving across the city
• fire → electricity, neon lights, the heat of a crowded bus, a match or lighter
• water → rain pooling in the streets, sewer systems, fountains in public squares, water dripping from rooftops
• spirit → the city itself, the collective energy of its people, the ghosts in old buildings, the echoes of everyone who’s walked these streets before you
this practice isn’t about forcing the old ways into a modern setting. it’s about adapting magic so that it fits your world, your reality, your city.
THEORY & FRAMEWORK: CHAOS MAGIC, QUEER MAGIC, AND CITY SPELLS
urban magic thrives on three key principles:
1. ADAPTATION – use what’s around you. city witches need to be resourceful as hell. your “wand” can be a pen, a drumstick, or a crowbar if that’s what speaks to you (though a crowbar is a little extreme). your “altar” can be a windowsill, a shoebox, or even temporary like the back of a bus seat where you traced a sigil in the condensation.
2. INGENUITY – urban magic is subtle, fast, and often disguised. your ritual circle might be drawn in spilled coffee, your sigils hidden in street art, your glamour spells worked through fashion choices and body language.
3. INTERACTION – the city is alive. talk to it. work with the spirits of your apartment building, the crows and raven and wandering city cats who see a lot, the graffiti messages that seem to answer your questions in cryptic scrawls, street names that feel like answers to questions. trust your gut, keep watch for the synchronicity
MAGICAL SYSTEMS THAT THRIVE IN THE CITY:
1. CHAOS MAGIC: THE DIY APPROACH TO WITCHCRAFT
urban magic truthfully falls under the umbrella of chaos magic.
chaos magic is sort of like punk rock spellwork. no rules except what works. it’s the belief that magic isn’t just about ancient texts and strict traditions—it’s about belief as a tool. hacking reality, using symbols, and experimenting with what actually gets results. if something stops working you chuck it and move on to something new.
• create sigils from street signs, corporate logos, and subway maps.
• use “reality hacking” spells—like placing intent in a QR code or whispering an incantation into a social media post before it goes viral.
• swap out outdated correspondences for modern tools—your phone can be your scrying mirror, your router a beacon for intention-setting.
chaos magic thrives in the city because cities are chaotic. they’re full of random encounters, glitches, synchronicities waiting to be tapped into.
2. QUEER MAGIC: BREAKING RULES, BENDING REALITY
witchcraft has always been the domain of outsiders, rebels, and the marginalized. queer magic embraces fluidity, resistance, and radical self-expression.
• use genderfluid deities, archetypes, and spirits in your workings.
• cast spells at drag shows, pride marches, and underground raves—because those are modern sacred spaces.
• turn self-love into a spell, defying the narratives that say queer people don’t deserve power, joy, or love.
urban queer magic is loud, unapologetic, and built on the bones of those who paved the way before.
TOOLS & MATERIALS: USING THE CITY AS YOUR SPELLBOOK
urban witches don’t need fancy supplies. we use:
• 📱 smart phones – scrying mirrors, digital sigil boards, enchanted playlists
• 🎫 metro cards & transit tickets – protection charms, travel blessings
• 🗝 keys – for unlocking opportunities, closing doors that need to stay shut
• 🖋 pens & sharpies – sigil-making, graffiti spellwork
• 🪙 spare change – prosperity charms, offerings to city spirits
• 🧾 receipts – paper magic, petition spells, glamour workings
if it exists in your daily life, it can be a tool.
EVERYDAY SPELLS & RITUALS
🔮 PROTECTION SPELLS FOR NAVIGATING CITY LIFE
• “doorway ward” – rub salt along your threshold, whispering “no harm may cross this line.”
• “metro shield” – imagine a glowing energy bubble around you before stepping onto public transit.
💰 PROSPERITY & SUCCESS SPELLS
• “lucky coin” – pick up a found coin, say “bring me fortune,” and carry it for a week.
• “resume enchantment” – anoint your job applications with cinnamon for luck before sending.
💡 HACKING REALITY WITH CHAOS MAGIC
• “digital sigils” – set a sigil as your phone wallpaper and charge it every time you unlock your screen.
• “parking spell” – whisper “open the way” as you search for a spot—watch as one appears.
🌀 COMMUNITY SPELLS & URBAN COLLECTIVE MAGIC
• “city-wide sigil work” – drop the same symbol in different places and see what manifests.
• “full moon offerings” – leave a quarter at a crossroads to honor the city’s spirits.
THE CITY IS YOUR ALTAR
this is your grimoire, your spellbook, your guide to turning the city into a magical playground. don’t just live in it—work with it, enchant it, let it enchant you back.
magic is everywhere, babes. you just have to know where to look.
Jasper's Energyform Zine
Hey. I made a zine about thoughtforms, servitors, and energyforms. It's free. It's yours now. Print it out. Eat it. I don't care. Just don't pretend you wrote it when I did all of this and screamed at the formatting and paid for Canva shit to accomplish this.
Download it as a PDF here.
12 Things You Need to Know About Traditional Spells
Why are traditional spells so goddamn weird?
There is no black or white magic.
Elements That Make a Spell Truly Powerful
5 Signs that a Spell Book is Authentic
The Power in Witches’ Hair
Spell Ingredients in Traditional Witchcraft
We do not cast spells against haunted places.
Do not mistake grimoires for journals and scrapbooks.
We call it the Ritual of Wandering.
Shielding is entirely pointless.
Gold and Silver in Witchcraft
Why Blood Magic is Powerful
Writing Will into Water
While most of us are familiar with burning and burial as means by which to make physical then manifest our wills, there is another method that I employ with some frequency: writing will into water.
It's a simple process (and made more complicated, if so desired). All you need is: a basin, water, and a writing implement (a finger works perfectly fine). With the water in your chosen basin, take your instrument and write on the water's surface just as you would on paper. Employ word, symbol, or what have you, imparting your desire into the water.
To the water, you might add any number of herbs, curios or other liquids. Wine or spirits make a good medium if you would like to impart your will into the very offering itself. For something more nefarious, you could add herb and/or scrap, cover and let the admixture ferment/rot, then leave it for the sun or otherwise release it. If your mixture poses no threat to the local environment, pouring your water into a lake, stream or river is a good option. Especially if your water came from that same source. Also, being mindful of modern water treatment and waste management systems: the water we pour down the drain is collected, treated and returned to us. This method might be used to affect persons who share the same treatment facilities as we do in nigh a direct way. But then, as we know, all water is connected at the end of the day, so perhaps that layer adds very little...
Even still, imparted water can be used much more directly on both self or others: as consumable, either as drinking water or as ingredient in food/beverage. Tea is, of course, a great option what with the endless possible inclusion. But then, that's all Kitchen Witching 101, isn't it?
Personally, I like the evaporation method the most. I enjoy the symbol of it: my will being reduced to its most potent form, then taking to the air to join with the clouds and the heavens, finally returning as precipitation. I think it suits my nature. But I think returning water to its source is also a powerful image. Joining it back with the current or body now carrying your will with it.
Just as with water, you can match the instrument and basin with your desire or the specifics of your practice. Perhaps you'd like to carve a stylus out of a certain wood, or use a rusted nail, or a feather, or bone. All perfectly fine options. Perhaps you'd like to use a cauldron or a ceramic bowl or your 1990s glass, promotional Batman Forever mug featuring nipple-suit George Clooney from McDonald's. Do whatever, do you.
None of this is likely new to most of you, but just something I wanted to speak on as I leave my cup on the table out back for the sun to drink.
reading greek magical papyri for fun (as one does) and i am thrilled to know there are not one but two spells invoking the bear constellation that claim to "accomplish anything"
