your friendly neighborhood scottish chaos pagan

brigid devotee, worshipper of lady morrigan and lord loki (he/they/she) recovering tiktok witch

[inside-absinthe-dreams]

Sometimes paganism looks like ranting to the gods about everything whilst doing the laundry

[buildingunderstanding]

This is going to maybe sound silly, but genuinely, I think Loki would have such a blast with cosplayers. Especially the folks who are really dedicated to the art and go all out with hair and makeup and all those things. Dedicated cosplay is about the closest human can come to shape-shifting and I think that delights him to no end.

[alexikakoss]

this is your daily reminder that water is NOT a lazy offering! the gods appreciate anything you can give to them, and it's more about the intention than the physical offering anyway.

[space-queen]

alternatives to smoke cleansing [for spaces] 🫧

🫧 sound

music, bells, pots and pans, singing

🫧 liquid

charged or blessed water, alcohol, vinegar, essential oil sprays

🫧 scents

candles, essential oils (diffused)

🫧 physical cleaning

sweep

vacuum

wipe down

*make a blend of cleansing herbs, sprinkle around your space, and either sweep it out the back door or vacuum it up and dispose of the contents

🫧 simmer pots [for the steam]

🫧 rearrange your space

🫧 open your windows

🫧 visualization + meditation

🫧 sun, moon, or starlight

🫧 rain + storms

🫧 the elements

earth - salt floor sweep

air - breath and wind

fire - heat and sunlight

water - see above

🫧 salt

place a bowl of salt in the main room of your home

🫧 crystals

place in the center or corner of the space you want to cleanse

♡ luna / space-queen

[twilightmagick]

Be okay with celebrating things on the wrong days!

You are allowed to prioritize your everyday, mundane life as needed.

Be okay with celebrating things on the wrong days!

The "old traditions" didn't rely on the calender as we use it. You don't have to either.

Be okay with celebrating things on the wrong days!

Don't set yourself on fire for the warmth of others. Do what you need to do and celebrate or practice when you are able to.

Be okay with celebrating things on the wrong days!

[blairstales]

How To Get Free Books On Folklore

I do not believe in gatekeeping knowledge, so this post will be sharing how I get all my folklore books for free, legally.

To explain, when a book gets over a certain age and the copyright is not upkept, it falls under “public domain.” When that happens, many different websites will provide those books as a free download.

This is not restricted to one type of book, either. You can grab anything from Sherlock Holmes to history books, to folklore, and more.

If you are looking for a specific book, you may have to check more than one source, so I suggest bookmarking more than one website.

Example Websites:

Internet Archive

Project Gutenberg

Google Books

Open Library

Electric Scotland (Scottish books)

Sacred Texts

National Library of Scotland: Ossain Collection

Forgotten Books

Hathitrust

For me when I download a book, I then upload them to my Google library so that I can use the search functions as well as bring up the books anywhere, but a popular PC option isCalibre.

If you are interested in Scotland-specific folklore, I do have some suggestions of books you can start with.

Scottish Folklore Books:

(link) A Dictionary of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures by Katharine Briggs (1976)

(link) Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs by James M. Mackinlay (1893)

(link) Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland by John Gregorson Campbell (1900)

(link) The Peat-Fire Flame: Folk-Tales and Traditions of the Highlands and Islands by Alasdair Alpin MacGregor (1937)

(link) Notes on Folk-Lore of the North-East of Scotland by Walter Gregor, M.A. (1881)

(link) The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries by W.Y. Evans-Wentz (1911)

(link) Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland by J. Maxwell Wood (1911)

(link) Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland by John Gregorson Campbell (1902)

(link) Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs by James M. Mackinlay (1893)

(link) Folk-Lore From The West of Ross-Shire by C.M. Robertson (1908)

(link) The Fairy Mythology / Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various Countries by Thomas Keightley (1850)

(link) Popular Tales of the West Highlands by John Francis Campbell (1862)

(link) Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales by Sir George Douglas

(link) The Scottish Fairy Book By Elizabeth W. Grierson (1918)

(link)

(link) Popular Superstitions of the Highlands By W Grant Stewart (1823)

[0freak0]

Crystals? Nah I just carry a handful of slimy river rocks in my pockets for luck, this one's name is Norm.

[tiny-witchling-creature]

magic doesn’t have to be complicated. rub an essential oil on a candle and light it. that person who’s been annoying you? write their name on a piece of paper and freeze it. fill a bowl with saltwater to cleanse your room. find a rock, imagine that it’s whatever you want to banish from your life, and throw it really hard into the street (…don’t hit a car). make a wish on a dandelion or a birthday candle. drink some lemonade for cleansing and positivity. tie a colored ribbon around your bedpost or doorknob. put some flowers on your nightstand.

a spell isn’t more effective just because it involves a bunch of ingredients and incantations and details.

[wisteriamoonlight]

This!! Also, I have a bunch of funky socks so what I usually do is match the intention of the sock to the type of day that I want. Like, if it's rainy outside, I'll either wear my Duck With Cool SunglassesTM socks to stay afloat and enjoy the small things OR my GoldfishTM socks to go with the flow and feel deeply. But anyways yeah!! Mundane magick can be equally as effective as elaborate spells!

[tiny-witchling-creature]

that is literally the coolest idea i have ever heard omg

[crowdoespaganism]

currently mourning the loss of my culture due to Christian retcons

[blackcrowing]

Blackcrowing's Irish Pagan Festivals Master Post

Samhain Festival

Samhain Authentic Foods

Imbolg Festival

Imbolg Authentic Foods

Bealtine Festival

Bealtine Authentic Foods

Lughnasadh Festival

Lughnasadh Authentic Foods

When is the 'New Year'?

My kofi

Art Credit - Familiar_flower

[lightofthemagdalene]

Bealtaine (not Beltane) is pronounced ‘Beeowl-tinna’. It does not originate the neopagan wheel of the year. It is one of the four Irish fire festivals.

If you’re celebrating it this year, regardless of your tradition, please take some time to research the roots of this holiday. Do your part to help reverse some of the damage done by the neopagan appropriation of this holiday by learning and incorporating some authentic Irish tradition into your celebrations.

Good luck with decolonizing your practice!

[homewardskies]

Hey, don't be afraid of things that challenge your faith. Seriously, don't.

Either they'll give you a new perspective on things, or you'll become more secure and confident in your current beliefs. But avoiding the hard questions leaves you in an echo chamber with half-baked ideas and an insecurity in yourself. Step out of your comfort zone so you have room to grow.

[twunkish-cleric]

Witchcraft and paganism can seem so complicated but genuinely most of it is just this

[crowdoespaganism]

I'm a pagan

I kill every plant I try to grow

I forget about equinoxes and solstices

I forget to pray to my deities

I end my spells with "because I fucking said so"

I forget to charge my rocks and crystals

my altars end up covered in shit that doesn't belong there

I have to look up what cards mean, six years into my practice

I forget I practice paganism

I'm a "bad pagan"

but I'm still a pagan

[crowdoespaganism]

there's no right way to be pagan, my friends. If you grew up in a Abramhic religion like I did, chances are you have this imposter syndrome about if you're really a pagan or not.

remember:

the gods love you.

the wind, the trees, the water love you.

the earth loves you.

they won't stop loving you

[crowdoespaganism]

I'm a pagan

I kill every plant I try to grow

I forget about equinoxes and solstices

I forget to pray to my deities

I end my spells with "because I fucking said so"

I forget to charge my rocks and crystals

my altars end up covered in shit that doesn't belong there

I have to look up what cards mean, six years into my practice

I forget I practice paganism

I'm a "bad pagan"

but I'm still a pagan

[riddle-me-witch]

I am pagan because I am not made to bow. I am not pushed to my knees, my deities do not demand my deference or blind trust regardless of what they do to me.

I am allowed (encouraged even) to set boundaries with my deities.

I chose them, and they chose me in turn. They did not determine that I belonged to them.

They see value in me beyond my worship of them or devotion to them.

And most importantly, I do bow. But I CHOOSE that posture. They earn it from me. I worship them because they're divine, and lovely, specifically to ME. And they give me what I wish for, rather than gifts I never asked for but am somehow still indebted because of.

I am pagan. I am respected by my divinity.

[inside-absinthe-dreams]

In mythology Loki is associated with knots and nets. There is a myth in which he invents the fishing net (and the gods immediately use it to chatch him, of course).

Does this mean that wearing fishnet stockings is a devotional act?