✨Crossroads And Roses✨

🌹Simone/ ♓️sun ♈️moon and rising/ Solitary Witch/ mostly traditional witchcraft mixed with personal rituals/ devotee of St. Hildegard / 🌹I'm an Alsacienne-American witch, tracing my roots through christian folk magic and germanic paganism. 🔴NO RACISTS ALLOWED. If you believe in any kind of white/european supremacy, don't use my posts. You're not welcome here.

[orriculum]

self care day - sometimes the ocean’s too rough so you stay in the tub

please don’t repost this to other websites

[crossroadsroses]

🍎🎄Yule Apple Cider 🎄🍎

I know a lot of people associate apple cider with fall, but it’s always been a winter drink for me. I have one particular childhood memory of going to a nature reserve with my family during the Christmas season, there was a little outdoor tour for the kids, and everyone was given a paper cup full of cider before and after going outside.

Today, I like to take long walks during the solstice, and having a thermos full of cider or tea really seems to add to the specialness of the occasion. ~

🍎You’ll need:

-8 apples

-a half cup of sugar (or as much as you like)

-4 cinnamon sticks

-cloves

-nutmeg

-fresh or dried ginger

-(optional) a few splashes of lemon juice

🍎To prepare:

-Cut apples into quarters, there’s no need to peel or core them, but the seeds and stems can be saved for spellwork.

-Combine your ingredients in a large pot with a lid. Add just enough water to cover your apples.

-Boil uncovered for 1 hour

-Simmer covered for 2 hours

- Use a small seive to fish out the cinnamon sticks and apples from the cider.

-You can either put the boiled apples into a cheesecloth and squeeze all the extra juice into your cider...Or remove the cores and skin, and mash into ‘apple sauce’ to serve with custard. Make sure to compost waste if possible.

-Serve and enjoy! ☕️

[orriculum]

Getting ready for yule ⛄

[w33d-witch]

So perfect 😍😍

[shadow-spires]

Save The Blogs!

Okay, folks. So. Tumblr’s jumped the shark in a big way, and I’m not even just talking about indiscriminately blocking all “adult” content on a platform that IS, in fact, primarily 18+.

Many blogs, like the wonderful @blackkatmagic , that are not especially NSFW have vanished.

(And I for one LIKE being able to go to curated porn blogs run by actual people and have a chance of finding stuff to my taste, it was one of the things that kept me on this hellsite, but that’s another issue entirely.)

I know lots of people are talking about migrating, but none of us are sure to where yet. Pillowfort seems to be an option, some people are talking about Twitter. But for now, it’s a mess, and even if we knew where we were going, it’s often a huge process, and a lot of us have stuff on tumblr that ONLY exists there. One possible quick solution to save your blogs, both NSFW and personal, is to import it to WordPress. I found this solution through from frantic googling on how to save an entire blog, text posts an all. There are several apps for downloading all the pictures from a tumblr, (Plently for Windows, but only a few paid ones for mac, of which Tumbelog Picture Downloader is working for me so far) but this is the only solution I’ve seen so far that allows you to save EVERYTHING. I downloaded my NSFW blog in like 10 min. My regular blog, which is significantly larger, is in the process of importing, but I don’t anticipate any problems. I will, of course, update you if I have any.  

This tutorial I found worked really easily. http://quickguide (.) tumblr (.) com/post/39780378703/backing-up-your-tumblr-blog-to-wordpress

I put parenthesis around the .’s like we’re back in FF-Hell, just in case tumblr’s new thing about outgoing links kicks in. You know what to do.  To break it down, just in case:

 Sign up for a WordPress.com account at wordpress (.) com/start You’ll have to create an account, with your email, a username, and a password. They should send you a confirmation email immediately, check it, activate it, and you’re good to go. On the site, it will ask you for a site name. That page asks you a bunch of other information too, but you only have to fill out the site name.

Then you have to give your site a URL. If you’re lucky, your tumblr URL is still available, if not you’ll have to come up with another one, sorry.

It will tell you if that option is still available for free.

Then it will ask you to pick a plan. Free is really good enough, I swear.

Now you’re set up! You can import your tumblr! The only differences from the linked tutorial are that the Import button is now on the first level menu, not in tools.

Hit Import, then you have to follow the link for “other importers”  at the bottom, to find the option for Tumblr.

Then you’ll have to sign in with tumblr, using your normal tumblr credentials. You’ll be redirected there automatically. You’ll have to allow Wordpress permissions on your blog.

Then your blogs, including all your sideblogs, will show up in wordpress.

Hit import, wait a WHILE depending on the size of your blog, and you’re done!

ALSO!!

I made my NSFW blog private for now, since I don’t know WP’s policy on NSFW.

This means that to access it, someone has to have an account and request access. But hey, part of our problem on this hellsite has been people going places they aren’t wanted, so I don’t personally see this as a bad thing. They can send a request from the landing site on your blog, you get an email, click a link in the email, and PRESTO, they have access. To make it private, go to Settings > Reading > Site Visibility. Go back and check, it took me changing the setting twice for it to actually stick. tl;dr, you can import your entire blog to wordpress in just a few steps.  I’m going to tag the hell out of this, in no particular order. PLEASE reblog this and spread the word so people know it’s an option. If you’re having trouble, PM me, and I’m happy to help.

@gallusrostromegalus @kaciart @lena221bee @deadcatwithaflamethrower

@norcumi @deandraws @morn-art, @thebisexualmandalorian @kristsune @marloviandevil @punsbulletsandpointythings @protagonistically @cris-art @elfda @fish-ghost @godtierwonder @heartslogos @haekass @iesika @incogneat-oh @itispossibleihaveissues @jaegervega @jhaernyl @the-last-hair-bender @kleine-aster @latenightcornerstore @lectorel @medievalpoc @mgnemesi @me-ya-ri @myurbandream @peskylilcritter @cywscross ,@cheshiresense @varevare @victoriousscarf @whatsmeantobe @swpromptsandasks @gabriel4sam @stonefreeak @brighteyedbadwolf @pumpkin-lith @puzzleshipper @suzukiblu @myurbandream @lacefedora @jademerien

There are a whole bunch more, but that’s a start. Please reblog the hell out of this, so people are aware of this one simple option.

[gallusrostromegalus]

For people asking how to backup thier blog

[toddnyallison]

@vermillionsketcher this might be another option for you??

[orriculum]

tarot and pendulums can get it wrong

a response to these posts of “if you don’t want to do tarot or pendulum (or general magic) for this thing, you must not really believe in magic” i’ve been seeing around lately. 

Tarot does not have a degree in law, pendulums are not a doctor. They are estimations based on a situation, and they have the ability to be interpreted differently than the answer we think we receive. 

Pendulums, at least for me, have always represented an answered that averages a question down to a yes or no. However, life is rarely that simple. There are almost always other factors. Pendulums don’t communicate as simply as we do. “Does Tommy like me?” Well, he doesn’t hate you. Maybe he even likes you as a person. But maybe not romantically, and pendulums don’t have that nuanced understanding of “like” that we do. “Does Tommy want to romance me?” Maybe, but it could totally be for a practical joke because Tommy is also an asshole. 

Tarot tells you your future supposedly, and you ask it medical questions. However, it is in part working off your own knowledge of what is going on. You may have an unknown condition, and it’s not going to tell you about it, it’s going to tell you how you’re going to live and react to things while not knowing. How can tarot tell you that you’ve got onychocryptosis if you’ve never heard of it? Besides, tarot works solely with themes, not multi-syllabic disease names. You’d have better luck divining what’s wrong with you via bibliomancy and a medical text book (don’t do that, seriously).

In short, do the tarot reading after you visit the doctor, ask it things it will be able to answer. Tarot is not so much a tool for telling the future as it is telling you about yourself. Pendulums are not so much an exact answer as they are a shrug and “it’s kinda leaning towards yes? idk man”. They are not exact answers, they’re vague advice as best. It’s foolish to treat them as cosmic instructions or divine orders.

[boannismygurl]

🎄Yule Mulled Wine🎄

This time of year is the perfect excuse to inject a little magick into the dark evenings and some steaming Mulled Wine is a delicious addition to a cosy night-in of Yule preparations :)

This recipe is scaled so it works for one 750ml bottle of red wine.

YOU WILL  NEED:

1 teaspoon crushed cinnamon sticks (warmth and protection)

1 teaspoon nutmeg (love, luck and warmth)

1 teaspoon slightly crushed allspice (fire and healing)

½ teaspoon cloves (fire, love and purification)

½ teaspoon ginger (fire, energy and passion)

1 ½ teaspoon orange peel (uplifting, the sun)

1 ½ teaspoon lemon peel (purification, the moon)

Orange & Lemon slices

5 teaspoons honey (sweetness, stability and good health)

A clean pair of old tights that you no longer need

Take the dry ingredients and the peel, combine them all and give them a little mix to start releasing those flavours! 

Take the tights and chop the feet off them - we’ll be using these as our bag to keep all the ingredients in. Cut them long enough so that you can tie the top off easily to stop everything falling out.

Add all the mixed ingredients into our newly chopped bag and give it a little squeeze.

Grab a saucepan and decant your bottle of wine into it, also adding your orange and lemon slices and your honey.

Keep on a low heat for 25-40 minutes (do not let it boil).

For that extra witchy goodness, be sure to stir some strong intent into the mixture. While I made it last night I focused on the joy, love and togetherness of this sabbat and tried injecting all those feelings into the wine ❤ 

Voila! Festive goodness for everyone :)

Enjoy, my pagan witchy babes xxxx

[exrthvibes]

[crossroadsroses]

A proud crafty witch moment! I made this little guy using stoneware clay, and my partner fired him for me in the bbq. I’m not sure if polymer clays are safe for this kind of use, but I’ll look into it!

[oldfarmhousefallfeatures]

[therainshallmakeadoor-deactivat]

**ON PLANTS : SOME PIECES OF ADVICE & LORE FROM FRENCH TRADITIONAL WITCHCRAFT**

These ancient superstitions and beliefs prove the deep respect human beings had for their environment, back to an era when we were aware of the unity of this nature.

HARVEST

- Avoid cutting the plant with a vile metal such as iron. The first mythical reason is that spirits (especially faes) abhor iron, known to repel and hurt them. Use a bronze or copper blade, sometimes even a gold or silver coin to dig up the roots. There also lies a logical, scientific explanation of a remarkable empiric coherence : iron salts quickens the action of the tannins contained in certain plants, significantly altering their components.

- Some plant spirits are not cooperative, so you’ll have to foil their harmful influence. Do not talk to anyone about your intention of picking the plant on your way to reach it, so as not to warn the spirit - thus counteracting any intention to flee it may have.

- Pluck the plant backwards to protect yourself from the spirit’s ire (this is particularly true of poisonous beauties such as foxglove, belladonna, etc.).

- Drawing a circle around the plant, using a wand or a knife, or even the finger, isolates the reaper from the wrath of the spirit while preventing it from escaping its plant host .

- It is expected to explain to the plant the intended use for which it is plucked.

- Pay a small tribute to the spirit of the plant as a salary for the effort you asked from it.

PRAYERS, PLEAS & INVOCATIONS

« Je coupe ta verdeur parce que tu purifies toutes les humeurs qui entraînent l’Homme sur des chemins d’erreur et d’injustice ; par le Verbe vivant qui a fait l’Homme sans le regretter. »

•

“I will cut your greenness, so you could purify all the moods that lead Man on the paths of error and injustice; by the living Word who made Man without any regrets.”

(Supposedly from abbess Hildegarde de Bingen, who also advocates to cut the plant with the left hand)

« Ô toi par qui s’endort la nature, toi qui fais fuir le jour et amène la nuit, toi qui nous cache le soleil, qui engendre toutes les herbes et les donne aux humains pour la guérison… Celle qui vous a créée avec vos propriétés salutaires veut bien que je vous cueille. »

•

"O thou by whom nature falls asleep, thou who drive away the day and bring about the night, thou who hides the sun, who generates all the herbs and gives them to the humans for healing… She who made thou with all thy salutary properties allows me to pick thou. ”

« Lève-toi, lève-toi, va guérir X… Je sais que tu dors, mais j’ai besoin de toi. »

•

“Wake up, wake up, and come to heal X… I know you are asleep, but I need you.”

STORAGE

- Drying a plant makes it lose a large part of its properties. Whenever possible, always favor the use of fresh plants.

- The plants are hanging in a bouquet or spread on a flat surface to dry in open air.

- Plants are stored in glass jars or paper bags once fully dried. Iron boxes and containers are of course prohibited.

- Do not keep your plants more than a year: their power slowly fades then disappears, so you will have to renew the stock every year.

***

(Appreciatively sourced and translated from BERTON H., Sorcellerie en Auvergne, Éditions De Borée, 2003. All rights reserved.)

[slytherinnpride]

[yourwitchmama]

Tips for the Dark Half of the Year

Winter is coming quickly. A lot of people see this time of year as bleak, depressing, or just boring. Here are some tips to stay attuned to nature during these months.

❄️ Go outside. Even if it’s cold, the trees are bare, and the only colors are muted and dull. We often think that summer is the only time to enjoy the outdoors—the only time to hike, meditate outside, etc. In winter, there are no lush green trees or balmy days filled with sunshine and the smell of flowers. While summer is intoxicating, winter is a time to contemplate and reflect. Go outside. Feel the cold. Feel the mud and the dead grass and the chilly wind. Listen to how quiet it is. Understand that the dark half of the year is a time of silence, stillness, and death. It’s natural to have an aversion to these things, but take some time to sit down and just listen. Breathe. Feel the reality of silence and death around you. It’s a sobering experience, but also a very insightful one. If you have any fear of death or quiet, now is the time to go sit with those things as they appear in nature and just meditate with them.

❄️ Eat cozy foods. It’s cold outside—warm up with hearty soups, stews, homemade bread, and root veggies. Warm spices and hot drinks will keep you feeling grounded. This is a wonderful time of year to practice kitchen witchcraft—focus on coziness, family, protection, and rest.

❄️ Study magic! The Dark Half of the year is devoted to self-reflection, rest, and contemplation. Snuggle up indoors with a fluffy blanket and devote some time to studying magic and witchcraft with a hot cup of magically-brewed tea.

❄️ Think spirits are sleeping along with all the greenery? Think again! The Dark Half of the year, in many cultures and spiritual traditions, is considered extremely spiritually active. Deities like Odin, Berchta, Hekate, and spirits such as elves and ghosts are very active this time of year. You can choose to honor them if you want, or practice various spirit-working techniques. If you’re into necromancy or divination, this is a wonderful time of year for those things.

❄️ Be kind to local wildlife by installing things like bird feeders outside your home. We modern humans may have an easy time of it in winter, but animals struggle to survive during these months. Any bit of kindness will be much appreciated.

❄️ Nurture your fire energy. During winter, it’s easy to internalize the cold and take on its characteristics—sluggishness, sleepiness, a foggy-headed feeling. Some crystals that are great for winter include golden rutilated quartz (aka Venus hair), citrine, carnelian, obsidian, and garnet. All of these crystals contain a strong fire element as well as offer grounding qualities, mental clarity, and protection.

❄️ Go out and forage for magical ingredients! Melted snow is extremely purifying and can be incorporated into spells for purification and cleansing. Icicles can serve as temporary wands, especially in spells that require a strong water element. The ash from bonfires (or hearth fires) can be used to make black salt. Fallen branches can be crafted into wands. There may be nothing growing this time of year, but you can get creative and still find magical ingredients in unexpected places. Just be respectful and don’t collect from places where it’s illegal!

This is by no means a comprehensive list—these are just some ways I’ve celebrated the colder months. I hope they’re helpful in any way!

[crossroadsroses]

Hell yes to the kitchen witchery!!!!!!

I personally like to walk through or watch falling snow to help with grounding and centering myself.

[moons-moon]

[newblogisjacindaelena]

{ North Cascades }

[saras-scrapbook]

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

[dumbbbunnnyy-deactivated2021021]

“bitch, be gone” powder

ingredients:

cinnamon

cayenne pepper

black pepper or black salt

rosemary

sage

garlic salt

chamomile

instructions:

combine, grind, and sprinkle around doors and windows to banish unwanted energy and to prevent the entrance of these energies in the future

edited on 6-26-17

[orriculum]

My friend was shuffling a new tarot deck and she said excitedly “I cant wait to see what sort of bond I have with this deck!” And then the first card she pulled was the fool

[circegrimoire]

yall really gonna expose me like this huh

[orriculum]

what else am i gonna do

[rabdoidal]

[darinharrfath-deactivated202210]

But the fool is a card of beginnings!

It was welcoming you in the tarot language!!!

UNGRATEFUL!!!

[circegrimoire]

This is a joke post and the next person to try and correct me on tarot owes me $20 up front