Turtles, Fire, And Magic

My name is Ari. I worship the goddess Selene among others . I work with so many spirits. They are a handful. Feel free to ask me questions. ~side blog, main is the-fire-breathing-turtle~

[fangnominous-deactivated2025101]

That cryptid post is still bothering me, so I just want to make a quick PSA for all of my followers: If you live in North America or parts of Northern Europe, and you see a "weird" deer (or elk, or moose, or reindeer), it is extremely likely that particular animal has Chronic Wasting Disease.

I see panic posts all the time on this website about how creepy CWD is (and it is creepy), but what I never see included in those posts are accurate prevalence estimates. We think that somewhere around 40-50% of all cervids are affected in highly endemic regions, and even outside of endemic regions, prevalence estimates still hover around 10%. That's 1 to 5 out of every 10 deer in North America!

If you see a "weird deer", or a solitary deer that's just acting oddly (lowered head, poor coordination, seems confused), do not approach it, even just to get a better picture! Stay away! Document where you last saw the deer, and contact your fisheries and wildlife department.

Also, don't mess with vehicle-killed cervids! I know vulture culture is a whole thing, but seriously, if you do not have proper equipment to be handling biohazardous materials, and you don't know which animal part you would immediately need to excise for testing (this is a pop quiz--and if you didn't immediately know the answer then you have no business harvesting roadkill), and you don't know where to take the tissues to be tested, don't fucking touch it! CWD-afflicted animals often lose their sensitivity to normal stimuli (like the lights and noises from a busy highway), and the chances that an deer that wandered into traffic and died might have latent CWD infection is....very high.

Also: CWD can persist in the environment for years, as it is very resistant to heat, radiation, and chemical disinfectants. In fact, even if the animal you want to harvest looks "totally fine", it might not be. CWD has an incubation period of about 3-5 years in most cervidae, and guess what? It's still infectious during this time period (especially if you want to, say, harvest the bones, antlers, or other specific parts or the carcass).

If you see a "weird deer", please leave it the fuck alone and contact your fisheries and wildlife department or your local public health authority. If you see a dead deer on the side of the road, call the animal control department and for the love of all that is holy, do not touch it.

Love from,

Your friendly neighborhood infectious disease epidemiologist and cryptid lover who just wants all of their followers to be safe

[sparkylurkdragon]

To underscore this:

Chronic Wasting Disease is a prion disease. We don’t know yet if it can be transmitted to humans, but all prion diseases are 100% fatal. There is no cure, there is no treatment. Even rabies, with a functionally 100% fatality rate once symptoms start, has a post-exposure vaccine. Prion diseases don’t even have that.

Even if deer-to-human transmission hasn’t been confirmed yet, do not fuck around with this. 

You can read more at the CDC’s website.

[prokopetz]

Given that evidence suggests all extant forms of cartomancy began as card games and were only later adapted as tools for divination, doing readings with your Pokémon cards is really just respecting the history and traditions of the practice.

[prokopetz]

#alright we got an inverted mr mime here. either there’s something you’re not letting yourself see for what it is #or a milf lies in your future (via @zeroblogshere)

[breelandwalker]

Fun Facts

Easter has NOTHING to do with:

Ishtar

Ostara

Pagan holidays

A goddess called Eostre (Bede was a speculating idiot and he’s the original source for this nonsense)

Easter has EVERYTHING to do with:

The Jewish celebration of the Passover seder

The Christian celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

Nobody stole our shit. Easter was never pagan to begin with. Rabbit was considered “fish” by the medieval Catholic Church so that people could eat it during the 40 days of Lent, and eggs laid during the Lenten fast were hardboiled for preservation and then eaten during the breaking of the fast on Easter Sunday. That’s why we have bunnies and eggs.

Stop conflating Easter with pagan holidays, and get the fuck out of here with that casual anti-semitism.

Thank you and good day.

[upthewitchypunx]

All of this.

[breelandwalker]

Oh look, it’s my legacy. 😁

[worldhistoryfacts]

The olive tree of Vouves, on Crete. This tree, which has a trunk 15 feet in diameter, is at least 2,000 years old, and likely 2,900 years old, based on the graveyard found nearby. This tree likely lived through the writing of the Iliad, the golden age of Athens, the rise of the Roman Empire, and the birth of Christ – and then lived for 2,000 years after that. It still produces olives, as well!

{WHF} {HTE} {Medium}

[lovecorekiss]

Hephaistos is more than a blacksmith

Something I see with Hephaistos is people say that he’s not applicable to most of our lives. Therefore we have to change him. And I’m calling bullshit on that. In my opinion that phrase itself is ill-informed. Such as the “Ares only cares for war” and other such notions. To combat this, here’s a post. 

We all know Hephaistos as the blacksmith. But that ignores so, so many of his aspects. Such as fire, stonemasonry, etc. Let’s start with the first one: god of fire. 

While there are other fire gods such as Hestia (fire of the hearth) and Helios (fire & heat of the sun), Hephaistos’ very name was used as the word for fire. This means that you can pray to him to keep away forest fires and the likes. This can also extend to activities associated with fire. Maybe even things such as cooking with fire. 

God of Smiths 

This one is what Hephaistos is most known for, but it’s still a useful aspect. This means working with, forging, creating, etc things with metal and tools. If you’re a blacksmith, Hephaistos can be your work patron.

God of Craftsmanship 

I believe first I should define exactly what craftsmanship is. Craftsmanship is defined as skill in a particular craft. Therefore; if you’re trying to advance in a craft — Hephaistos is the god you can reach out to. This applies to the fine arts, metalworking, jewellery, carpentry, etc. If it’s a craft, Hephaistos is the patron. Invention is what he is known for.

Hephaistos is such a good craftsman, he is describing creating life like statues — machines — that can move and sometimes even be able to breath fire. 

In myth he literally creates robots. Therefore, robotics. He also creates many things to help him with his disability. This means that it’s more than okay for disabled people to pray to him for help with accommodations and the likes. If you’re interested, check out ___

God of Metalworking 

This one is self-explanatory. If you work with metals, Hephaistos is once again here to be a possible work patron. This ranges from aspects of engineering to metal casting to jewellery making.

God of Stone masonry 

As the god of stone masonry, Hephaistos is the patron of Builders, Architects, and Stonemasons. He is very much about creating things with your hands. If you fall under any of those professions, he can be your work patron.

God of Carpentry 

This means that working with wood and building things. If you are a carpenter or need some help with carpentry tasks, Hephaistos can be there to help.

God of Sculpture 

To sculpt means to work with clay and this brings in many fields. From fine art students to potters. This also means that he governs over statue making — essentially, an aspect of worship.   

Final thoughts 

He is more than just important to our society. We are built upon technology and craftsmanship; it’s our human nature to create. It’s criminal that he’s so ignored. 

If you wish to create, to indulge in that human need, Hephaistos is the god you’re looking for. He creates the amour the heroes, the attributes and chariots of gods, beautiful jewellery, and more. I am completely in awe of him and I refuse to let him be ignored — or even worse, insulted.

Bibliography 

HEPHAESTUS - Greek God of Smiths & Metalworking. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2020, from https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Hephaistos.html

MAYOR, A. (2018). Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology. PRINCETON; OXFORD: Princeton University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctvc779xn

[eclecticwitcheryafoot]

Rotting/Decaying Herbs Correspondence

After seeing numerous masterposts about herbs, I noticed there wasn’t any mention of the correspondences when it comes to rotted or decaying herbs.  Here’s my take on this.

Anise- Use to cause a person to have nightmares, misfortune and/or relationship issues.

Apples- Use to cause turmoil between romantic partners.

Barley- Use to direct negativity and misfortune towards a person.

Basil- Use to cause fights, arguments, etc. between two lovers, two friends, two family members. Used to deter love from developing between 2 people. Use to deter customers from shopping at a business.  Use to attract negativity (place in rooms of a house for protection from negativity).

Bay- Use to cause a person to experience nightmares. Use to direct negativity and misfortune towards a person.

Birch- Use weaken protection of a person.

Blackberry- Use leaves in spells to cause for wealth to be drained or mismanaged.

Blueberry- Use to cause for a person to experience negativity and unwanted guests at their home.

Cabbage- Use to cause for fighting and arguing between a married couple.

Cactus- Use to weaken the protection of the home or other properties.

Camellia- Use to cause a person financial difficulties.

Carnation- Use to weaken a person’s leadership skills, commemoration and self-esteem.

Carrot- Use to cause for a person to lose sexual desire.

Catnip- Use to direct misfortune and unwanted spirits towards a person.  Use to cause for a person to feel confused or unwanted.

Celery- Use to cause a person to have difficulty concentrating during tasks.  Use to cause a person to have difficulty falling asleep.  Use to cause for sexual desire of a person to decrease.

Chamomile- Use to cause for financial difficulties. Use to heighten curse effects.

Cherry- Use to cause a person to feel undesired or loved.

Chicory- Use to heighten and strengthen obstacles in a person’s life.

Cinnamon- Use to cause for setbacks in business or a person’s goals in career.  Use to decrease a person’s protection.

Clove- Use cause for financial hardships.

Cucumber- Use to hinder fertility.

Cumin- Use to cause a person to argue with their significant other and to cause for a person who’s been unfaithful to feel overwhelming guilt.

Cypress- Use to slow down emotional healing process.

Daffodil- Use to cause a person misfortune and to have difficulties in love.  Use to cause a person to feel isolated.

Daisy- Use to deflect unwanted attention from potential romantic partners.

Dandelion- Burn to block unwanted thoughts about a person.

Dill- Use to weaken protection of a person.  Use to cause a person to be unnoticeable and avoidable.

Elder-Use to direct negativity and misfortune.  Use to cause a person to experience a restless night’s sleep.

Fern- Use to weaken a person or location’s protective energy.

Fig- Use to cause a person to experience decreasing sexual desire and decrease protective energy of a home.

Flax- Use to cause a person to experience financial difficulties.

Foxglove- Use to cause for a person’s garden to rot.

Frankincense- Use to weaken protection and stunt spiritual growth of a person.

Gardenia- Use to cause a person’s illness to be slow and difficult.  Use to cause for a person to to feel unwanted.

Garlic- Use to weaken a person’s protective energy and to cause for a restless night’s sleep. Use to cause a person to experience a stroke of bad luck.

Geranium- Use to cause a person to experience weakened protection, romantic desire, and confusion.

Ginger- Use to cause a person financial and love life difficulties.  Use to undermine another person’s magickal workings.

Ginseng- Use to repel love and cause for a person to feel unwanted. Use to cause financial difficulties.  Use to weaken a person’s glamour magick and promote back luck.

Grape- Use to decrease fertility and to weaken mental powers. Use to cause a person to experience financial hardships.

Hazel- Use to cause a person confusion and forgetfulness.

Holly- Use to cause for a person to experience bad luck.

Honeysuckle- Bury near a home to cause for the residents to experience financial difficulties and a stroke of bad luck.

Iris- Use to weaken protection around a person or location. Use to cause a person confusion.

Ivy- Bury near home to cause for it to experience chaos and disarray.

Jasmine- Use to cause a person to experience financial difficulties. Use to cause a person nightmares and a restless night’s sleep.attract money.

Juniper- Use to weaken protective energy around a person or location.

Lavender- Use to cause a person to experience difficulties with love. Use to cause a person to experience nightmares and a restless night’s sleep.  Bury near a person’s home to cause the home to become restless and chaotic. 

Lemon- Use to cause a person to question their romantic partner’s faithfulness. Use to cause a strain between friends.

Lemon Grass- Use to cause a person’s psychic powers to weaken.

Lettuce- Use to cause a person to experience a restless night’s sleep.

Lilac- Use to cause a person to experience bad luck.

Lily- Use to cause for a person to have unwanted visitors to the home.

Liverwort- Use to drive an emotional wedge between romantic partners.  use to cause a romantic partner to doubt their lover’s dedication.

Magnolia- Use to expose a unfaithful romantic partner.

Maple- Use to repel unwanted romantic partners.  Use to cause a person financial difficulty.

Marigold- Use to weaken a person’s protective energy and to cause for a restless night’s sleep and/or nightmares.  use to cause a person to become less influential and respected and respected by peers, colleagues,etc.  Use to cause a person to experience difficulty in handling legal matters.

Mint- Use to repel unwanted sexual urges.  Use to cause a person to experience financial difficulty.

Mistletoe-Use to cause a person to experience misfortune, nightmares while sleeping and weakened protection. Use to cause for couples to fight.

Mulberry- Use to cause for a person’s magickal work to backfire or be negated.

Oak- Use an acorn from an oak tree to cause for a person to experience a deduction in sexual desire.  Use to cause for a person to physically and mentally “feel their age”.

Orange- Use to cause for a person to come across as being bland and dull.

Orchid- Use to cause a person financial and social/interpersonal difficulties.

Pansy- Use to repel unwanted feelings associated with love.

Parsley- Use to repel unwanted sexual desire.  Use to cause a person to experience a decrease in lustful thinking.

Peach- Use to cause a person confusion and forgetfulness.  Use to prevent emotional attachment.

Peppermint- (See Mint).

Pine- Use to weaken defenses against negativity.

Raspberry- Use to decrease protective energies around a home or person.

Rice- Use to cause for a married couple to argue.

Rose- Use to repel an unwanted lover or romantic partner.  Use to cause a couple to argue and fight.

Rosemary- Use to cause a person to experience a restless night’s sleep and nightmares. Use to cause a person to experience difficulty in learning new information and become confused.

Rowan- Use to cause a person’s divination skills to become weak and confusing.  Use to cause for a person to become weak, unlucky, and experience misfortune. Use to increase spirit communication.

Rue- Use to cause a person to become love-struck and confused. Aids in curses.

Saffron- Use to repel lustful feelings.

Sage- Use to cause a person confusion and misfortune.

St. John’s Wort- Use to cause a person to feel unwanted.  Use to repel unwanted romantic partners.

Sassafras- Use to cause a person to experience financial difficulties.

Spearmint- Use to deter lust.

Strawberries- Use to cause a person to feel unwanted or unloved.

Sugar Cane- Use to deter unwanted love and attention.

Sunflower- Use to hide the truth from a person or within a situation.  Use to cause a person misfortune.

Thyme- Use to cause a person to experience nightmares. Use to cause a person to be avoidable and unnoticeable or to cause a person to receive overwhelming amounts of unwanted attention.  Use to decrease energy level and cause for a person to become fearful and afraid.

Vanilla- Use to decrease lust. Carry a vanilla bean to cause a person difficulty in maintaining energy and memory.

Vervain- Use to cause a person to experience chaos and instability.  Use to cause for wishes made to be unheard.  Use to cause friends to become enemies.  Use to repel unwanted lovers.

Violet- Mix with lavender to repel unwanted lovers and sexual partners. Use to cause a person to have difficulty sleeping and have an increase in their anger.

Willow- Use to repel love. Use to cause healing of a person to be slow.

Wintergreen- Use to cause healing of a person to be slow.

Wormwood- Use to cause a person to experience mechanical difficulties. Use to repel an unwanted romantic partner.

Source: My personal grimoire

[luxautemnox-deactivated20200706]

This…this was one of my all time favorite posts

Wear gloves and mask when handling!

[fireturtlepagan]

It’s getting close to that time of year again so here is a reminder that menorah candles are for Jewish people not for us witches (unless of course you are a Jewish witch). 

[kamlo]

friendly reminder that gypsy is a slur and if y'all gadjo keep saying it i will fuck u up :-)

[kamlo]

gadjo (non romani/roma people) can and Should reblog this, btw

[whichwitchami]

I wanna get a cute witch hat.

But should it be black ie a stormy gray? Gandalf color almost

[fireturtlepagan]

Hm either would be cute 🤔

[whichwitchami]

Right? But at $15 I don't need 2.

Black is classic, but dark grey is a little more of a twist

[fireturtlepagan]

Get both the one you don’t like could be a Christmas present 👀

[whichwitchami]

Aight. I'll get the gray one

[fireturtlepagan]

Also you should send me a link.

[whichwitchami]

I wanna get a cute witch hat.

But should it be black ie a stormy gray? Gandalf color almost

[fireturtlepagan]

Hm either would be cute 🤔

[whichwitchami]

Right? But at $15 I don't need 2.

Black is classic, but dark grey is a little more of a twist

[fireturtlepagan]

Get both the one you don’t like could be a Christmas present 👀

[battlecrazed-axe-mage]

This set comes to us from a collab between Lucky Hand Dice and Heartbeat Dice! It’s got cute little heart inserts and shimmery glitter–I just wish the hearts were a little easier to make out! They’re a little indistinct unless they’re at the exact right angle.

[whichwitchami]

I wanna get a cute witch hat.

But should it be black ie a stormy gray? Gandalf color almost

[fireturtlepagan]

Hm either would be cute 🤔

[hogtown-gdc]

[greekwitchchild]

VANILLA YOGURT CAKE

a cake to bring love, peace, luck and a happy home

GATHER:

vanilla yogurt (i used as much as i felt it needed. just add a bit at a time)

vanilla extract

60g self raising flour

60g sugar

60g soft butter

1 egg

a splash of water

Light a few candles and play some music to set the mood and intention that matches the correspondences of the cake

Mix the egg,butter,flour, extract and sugar into the bowl - it should make an almost dough

Keep adding the yogurt until it slowly becomes a cake consistency. Add a few drops of water to help - stop when it’s slightly thicker than a normal mix

Add it into a bake proof container and smooth it flat - make are to work clockwise and set intention

cook at 180^c for 25 minutes and then take it out and let it cool

The cake is quite a moist, sticky and dense one but that’s what makes it so lovely. Enjoy

[soulofthebloodofthewolf-deactiv]

honestly missionaries are evil. the idea of traveling the world to tell people Who Didnt Fucking Ask that their beliefs are wrong in the hopes that theyll adopt your beliefs seems sinister

[kittyinhighheels]

The Christians in the notes whining are so absolutely stupid

[ajunlost]

I don’t even want to talk about how they specifically target poor people and hold basic necessities over their heads in exchange for faith.

[cowboymalewife]

“I read about an [Inuit] hunter who asked the local missionary priest, ‘If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?’ ‘No,’ said the priest, ‘Not if you did not know.’

‘Then why,’ asked the [Inuit] earnestly, ‘did you tell me?” -Annie Dillard

(edited to remove slurs/dated language)

[bullydyke-deactivated20210902]

My culture and our religious practices (Inuit) have been decimated by Christianity and I fucking hate pretending its a neutral thing.

[piya-re]

Christians in the notes still don’t get it. They’re saying that missionaries aren’t that bad bc they’re just trying to save all ppl and they’ve started quoting bible verses and whatnot but here’s the thing: I. Don’t. Believe. In. That. Like your beliefs and scriptures are non applicable to me (and everyone else who isn’t Christian, or at least abrahamic) bc we’re not christian and I literally don’t care if you think we “need to be saved from Satan” or smg bc frankly, it’s not your business and that “well meaning, innocent” intention is still forcing your religion onto us. OP is right. Missionaries are evil. Leave other religions tf alone.

[wiisagi-maiingan]

One half of my family is Native Christians via forced conversion.

The other half is white Christians, including missionaries.

I can tell you that missionaries don’t just invalidate other religions (mainly indigenous religions) to try to convert people, they blatantly hold valuable resources hostage to convert people.

They’ll provide books to communities with low literacy rates… but all the books are bibles or otherwise Christian-centric.

They’ll host free meals for the whole community… but the people have to attend a church sermon before they’re allowed to have food.

They’ll host events and groups for kids… but all the education and activities are about Christianity.

Missionaries blatantly take advantage of scared and vulnerable communities, who are like that because of Christian colonialism, to forcefully convert them and kill off their religions and cultures.

[seananmcguire]

Honestly, the belief that if you know about God and don’t accept Jesus as your savior, you’ll go to hell is why I consider all missionaries to be arms of a death cult.  You’re trying to guarantee that everyone who isn’t exactly like you burns forever in the fiery pit.  How is that an act of goodness or benevolence?  How is that kind?

Introduce hell as the stick and “sharing the goodness of God” is no longer a carrot.  It’s another stick.

[fierceawakening]

This is my big problem with any Christians who believe in hell, or believe that only their religion is the right one. Once you do that, salvation isn’t love… it’s an abuser honeymooning. It’s literally “you wouldn’t deserve this if you did what I want.”

I don’t think everyone who follows a supposedly “literal” interpretation has thought this through, so I’m not gonna say I think most people literally wish abuse on others. But when people don’t think this through I’m very troubled by it, and kinda worried for them.

If that’s how your religion defines love, do you know toxic love when you see it.

[blessed-with-hope]

To all Hellenic Polytheist worried about not being able to give offerings because they don’t have an altar:

And altar is a TOOL for worship, not a requirement. An offering or libation can be made anywhere at any time if you’re comfortable, it’s only important that you are present. I eat my offerings while watching YouTube and it still works, my Gods have not told me they’re upset with my methods and I doubt they’d be upset with your’s either.

Having an altar is a wonderful thing, and I’m sure most of us closeted hp’s would die to have one, but for the time being, center your worship on YOU, not on an offering bowl or a statue. You make the worship happen, not the altar, you are the one worshipping the Gods, not the altar.

[thegrapeandthefig]

I’ve been asked about this yesterday. Just so you all know, I’ve spent 3 years without an altar and things went just fine. During that time I had a plant on my desk that served as “altar”, I’d put whatever libations I had in front of it and, if it was nothing harmful to the plant, I’d discard it by pouring it on the soil. 

Just make yourself a setting that’s appropriate to you, your living environment and limitations if you have any. 

[matriarca-inodora]

Very important points!

[piristephes]

Very important points indeed. You do not need an altar to share a moment, make an offering or to pray to the Theoi.

Although I would encourage it to be done on a more focused state that you can dedicate towards the Gods. Stop a bit and pray to the Sun to Helios, pour water/milk in a plant as libation in the name of Demeter, the Gods will see you regardless of you having an altar or not.

[honorthegods]

In the ancient world, as now, there were multiple reasons people might not have had a personal altar, yet the gods heard the prayers of the poor, the homeless, the imprisoned, and the enslaved. 

I was homeless for a short time, and I worshiped without an altar for 20 years. There were many occasions when all I had to offer the gods was my reverence respect, and affection, yet the gods heard my prayers.

“The gods do not need sacrifices, so what should one do to please them? Acquire wisdom, it seems to me, and do all the good in one’s power to those humans who deserve it.”

— Apollonius of Tyana, circa 15 – 100 C.E.

[nonbinary-hawke-deactivated2021]

Also I talked about this on my other blogs but it bears repeating.

Dreamcatchers are not witchy. They’re not magical. Their only spiritual meaning is that they were taught to us by an Ojibwe mythological figure to protect our children when they’re out of her reach. They’re essentially glorified and blessed baby mobiles.

[nonbinary-hawke-deactivated2021]

If anyone is reading this and taking it as permission to go out and make your own dreamcatcher or buy one from a non-Native artist, please rest assured and know that I hate you.

This post is about the misappropriation of dreamcatchers and the ways that they’ve been removed from their context and turned into something they’re not, which is the direct fault of them becoming popular outside of Native communities. They may not be some huge, sacred, ceremonial thing but they are still an important part of Ojibwe culture that has been stolen from us and used as a way for settlers to profit off of bastardized Native traditions.

Stop buying them from non-Native creators. Stop making your own if you’re not Native. Stop tattooing them on your body. Stop making jewelry with them. Stop printing them on clothes or home decor. Just fucking stop.

If you do buy one from a Native creator (preferably an Ojibwe person), don’t have it on a wall. A dreamcatcher should traditionally hang over the crib or bed with both sides uncovered, or in a window. It should be positioned so that the light of the rising sun touches it to burn away what it’s caught. If that’s not possible, just try to put it somewhere that the sun will hit at any point in the day.

If the child you’re buying it for is prone to bad dreams or nightmares, buy a dreamcatcher with a bead in the web, representing a spider, as extra protection. Some people will add more than one bead, so if you feel like it’s necessary, ask if that’s an option. Try to buy one with at least feather hanging from it because that’s how the good dreams are released from the web, by dripping down the feathers.

Some traditionally made dreamcatchers fall apart or collapse in on themselves after a year or so. It’s not because they’re badly designed or whatever, it’s because they’re something that children are meant to grow out of needing so they aren’t built to last.

Support Native artists and businesses.