Witchy stuff

call me Morgan or whatever you want really 🔮 witchcraft / pagan related things 🔮 not Wiccan 🔮 this is a side blog so I'll follow back / like from my main 🔮 blog started 09.08.23 🔮 my big 3 are ♑♋♌ if that means anything to you

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Grounding

Grounding is a predominantly psychological method to avoid overthinking and spiraling by bringing the senses back to the body. It has a place in spirituality as a preparatory mindfulness* meditation with possible uses in developing trance states and energy work*.

*Energy Work is the act of actively interacting, gathering, sending and using energy

*Mindfulness is described as a calmer state of awareness where a person is grounded in the present moment rather than being everywhere and anywhere, often featuring focus on the bodily motions

Grounding is often used alongside centering, which often features a spiritual core that the person links themselves to in order to be focused spiritually and energetically.

Grounding Exercise 1:

For a moment, sit down and focus on the bodily senses. Feel the gravity pulling you down. Feel the air on your face. Feel the couch/chair/floor/bed. Allow yourself to become immersed in the action of feeling. Let all thoughts come and go, gently redirecting your focus back to what you can feel now in the present moment.

Grounding Exercise 2:

Place your hands under cold water or wash your face with cold water. This provides a shock to the nerves allowing you to become more present and disrupting thoughts. Cold water on the face activates the Mammalian Diving Reponse, causing deeper breathing, slowed heart rate and constriction of the blood vessels to conserve oxygen for the brain and heart.

Grounding Exercise 3: 54321 Method

Note 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing can taste.

Grounding Method 4: Box Breathing

Breathe in to the count of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Imagine that this creates a box, where the Breath forms the line. Holding the breath in and out also helps strengthening and tonifying Yin and Yang Energy.

Grounding Method 5: Tree Method (Energy Work)

Imagine that, as you are sitting down, roots begin to push out from your feet into the earth. They go deeper until they get to the center of the earth, associated with nourishing yin. As you breathe, focus on pulling the energy of the earth, feeling it like suction, up through your feet, legs and into your lower Dantien (located inside the Navel). Draw up as much energy as you need for this rite, before compressing it into a pearl and sealing it by rubbing the hands three times clockwise and counterclockwise over the stomach area, pushing the energy into the Lower Dantien.

Centering Exercise 1:

Imagine, in your heart, is an orb. This orb is the center of your spiritual microcosm, drawing energy from Heaven and Earth. Seat yourself in this orb, drawing energy from the four corners through the breath. As you breathe into this orb, it glows brighter and stronger. As you breathe out, you release any stagnant energy from your body.

Stagnant Energy Clearing 1: Pump Exercise

Release all air from your lungs and hold your breath. Folding your arms across your chest, pull in and release your stomach rapidly for a count of 9 times total. This pushes power through the body. Then breathe in, feeling the new energy rush through your body and push the stagnant energy out through your pores, feet, hands and head.

[heatherwitch]

Spells for Job Seekers

Job seeking:

Job spell / Job spell!

Opportunity spell

Visualization job spell

Spell for drawing in job opportunities and success

I have the job I want sigil

Career counselor tarot spread

For the interview:

Lucky interview bottle

Successful interview spell

Mini interview/luck spell jar

Luck for my job interview sigil

Tarot spread for interview prep and soothing nerves

Interview/performance review/presentation spell

To get the offer:

Spell jar to hasten a call back after the interview

Job offer spell

Be hired sigil

New job success:

New job protection pouch

New job prosperity bowl

Success and prosperity cinnamon poppet

The career tarot spread

Odds and ends:

Business success potion

My business ventures are a success sigil

Career, income and passion spell jar

What to include in a job spell jar

Success/prosperity spell sachet

Barista job spell jar

I am safe at work sigil

You may also like:

Housewarming magic

Travel witchery

Magic to replenish energy

Last updated October of 2025. Please check the original post for updates and inform me of broken links via askbox!

[aciddollpanic]

[youmakemenotwannadie]

[thegullwitch]

If you’re a folk, eclectic and/or chaos witch who is an adult (Not just 18+ but like, out in the adult world) PLEASE leave some kind of note on this or DM me your favorite emoji!

I’m looking for people to follow because my feed is currently 90% suggested posts and most of them suuuuuuuck!

(You don’t even need to follow me if you don’t want, I just crave content)

[without-ado]

Full Sturgeon Moon l Rami Ammoun

[miseducatedmelanicmuse]

Like a new friend!

[sheydmade]

the Aos Sí: Figures of Celtic Fae Lore

by Keziah

‘Aos sí’ is a term used to encompass a complex and powerful array of figures within Irish pagan theology and Celtic mythology, figures I sometimes refer to as the Otherworld Folk and Otherkin. You’ll hear them more commonly called the Sídhe, fairies/faeries/the fae, the Good Neighbors, the Folk, the Good Folk, daoine sídhe/daoine sìthe. There are no doubt countless terms and names used to mean the aos sí, and just as many theories as to who these figures are, where they come from, and what they do.

One of the most prevalent beliefs, which is mentioned in many Irish legends, is that the aos sí are (or are related to) the Tuatha dé Danann. Others have likened the aos sí to elves and faeries. In my opinion, it’s impossible to sum up who/what the aos sí are as the term could be applied to every kind of Otherworldly spirit and figure within the Celtic realm. I won’t be able to go over all of them within this piece (just for the sake of time), but I’ll do my best to go over a fair few of them.

What Does Aos Sí Mean?

The Irish term ‘aos sí’ (which is pronounced as aes [the ae sounding like a somewhat softer version of the ay in ‘way’] shee) means ‘the people from/of the mounds.’ These figures are more commonly referred to as sídhe nowadays, though sídhe/sí (sìth in Scots Gaelic) was once exclusively used to mean the burial mounds, tombs, and other such areas linked to the Otherworld that these figures were believed to reside beneath or within. The word has now come to bear two meanings, and its far better-known use is in reference to the figures themselves rather than the mounds with which they’re associated.

What Figures Are Classified as Aos Sí?

Bean Sídhe - Banshee

The term bean-sídhe (bean-sìth or ban-sìth in Scots Gaelic) means ‘faerie woman’ or ‘sídhe woman’ and therefore could (and once did) refer to any woman that hailed from the Otherworld. However, it’s now applied specifically to a spirit who heralds a forthcoming death, traditionally by way of blood-chilling wailing and moaning.

The banshee is usually described as having the appearance of either a withered hag or young woman of incomparable beauty. The former depiction has become the most recognized nowadays. The banshee is said to dress in either a white, gray, or black flowing robe or cloak and has a very pale white complexion with redness around the eyes from weeping so much. They’re usually described as having either heaps of black or fiery red hair. Some depictions tell of the banshee standing at an ‘inhumanly’ or ‘unnaturally’ tall height, others describe them as being of average human height, and still others portray the banshee as being short. On that, the Lady Wilde says in ‘Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland’ –

‘Though some accounts of her standing unnaturally tall are recorded, the majority of tales that describe her height state the banshee’s stature as short, anywhere between one foot and four feet. Her exceptional shortness often goes alongside the description of her as an old woman, though it may also be intended to emphasize her state as a fairy creature.’

In ‘the Memoirs of Ann, Lady Fanshawe’ an encounter that Lady Fanshawe had with a banshee is described –

‘There we stayed three nights, the first of which I was surprised at being laid in a chamber where, about one o’clock, I heard a voice that awaked me. I drew the curtain, and in the casement of the window I saw by the light of the moon a woman leaning into the window through the casement, in white, with red hair and ghastly complexion. She spake loud, and in a tone I never heard, thrice, “Ahone”; and then with a sigh more like wind than breath she vanishes, and to me her body looked more like a thick cloud than substance.’

Bean-Nighe - Washer at the Ford

'Les Lavandières de la Nuit' by Yan' Dargent; 1861

Bean-nighe is Scots Gaelic for ‘washerwoman’ and is used to describe a female wraith spirit or figure, often seen as a type of ban-sìth. In French lore, they’re known as les Lavandières (‘the Midnight Washerwomen’). She is another oracle of death, said to appear at the waterside of streams, rivers, or lakes to wash the bloodstained clothes of those soon to meet life’s end.

She is often described as being thin and frail-looking, dressed in green. Some lore states that she has webbed toes and red feet. Many believe the Washerwoman also has the power to impart great wisdom and secret knowledge to people, as well as the power to grant wishes if one dares to approach her and does so cautiously. However, others believe that approaching the Washerwoman and interrupting her work will result in her cursing you or injuring you by hitting you with her washing, which is said to strike so hard it can even break one’s bones. Some Irish and Scottish lore states that if you saw the Washerwoman before she saw you, you could ask her to foretell your future, as they have the gift of prophecy.

Though the bean-nighe are usually accepted as spirits and members of the Fae Folk, there are some other beliefs as to the origin of the Washerwomen. One such belief is that this is what becomes of the spirit of women who die prematurely during childbirth. Others say that to avoid becoming a bean-nighe after death, a woman must make sure that all her clothes have been washed and there was no dirty laundry left behind.

Most commonly the bean-nighe is associated with foretelling the deaths of warriors before battle, as she is apparently most often sighted at such times and with heaps of washing to do.

Dúlachán

The Irish dúlachán, dubhlachan, or dullahan, meaning 'the dark man,' is a male figure within the Fae Folk, a headless horseman whose steed is black as night. Some tales say he carries his head, face fixed with a horrifying grin, in his hand and some stories depict both the dúlachán and his steed as being headless. Other stories say he does not ride on horseback but drives the Death Coach – a black coach drawn by black horses (sometimes said to be headless themselves) that would go to collect the dead and take them from this realm to the Otherworld.

from Thomas Mayne Reid's 'the Headless Horseman;' 1865.

The dúlachán is said to use a whip made of bone, often described to be of human spine, and his clothes or cloak (or the covering of his coach bench in the version in which he drives the Death Coach) is allegedly made from human flesh.

It is said that the dúlachán riding by was a portend of one’s impending end; and sightings of the Death Coach are believed to foretell death. It is also believed that if the dúlachán utters someone’s name, they instantly die.

Ghillie Dubh

Ghillie Dubh or Ghillie Du is a figure from Scottish Highlands folklore, a faerie man believed to live (or to have lived) in a birch wood in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland, within the area of Gairloch and Loch a Druing, where he is said to have been spotted in the latter part of the 18th century.

He is described as being of small stature, having messy dark hair, and wearing clothes of moss, leaves and grass. It’s generally said that he was quiet, good-natured, and gentle. One tale states that he rescued a local child that had wandered into the woods and gotten lost, took care of the child for the night, and escorted her safely home the next morning. Many who lived in the area claimed to have seen Ghillie Dubh.

Unfortunately, Ghillie Dubh has not been spotted since shortly after he rescued the local child, when the laird, Sir Hector Mackenzie of Gairloch, invited a group of hunters to track and shoot kind-hearted Ghillie Dubh. As the tale goes, though the group searched all night, they never found Ghillie Dubh, and Ghillie Dubh was never seen in the area again.

Clúrachán

A relative of the leprechaun, the clurichaun (or clúrachán) is a solitary member of the Fae Folk known for his love of the drink. He’s said to steal from wine cellars, taverns, pubs, and breweries and is particularly hard to rid from such establishments. Even if the owner of such a place moved locations, the clurichaun could simply hide away in a barrel cask and go along for the ride.

They’re said to wear red clothes and fine shoes, and to carry a magical purse or pouch. Some tales say that the purse never runs out of money and will always be full. Other stories say that the purse contains a single shilling that will always return to the purse no matter how or where it was spent. They’re also said to be guardians of hidden treasure.

from T.C. Croker's 'Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland;' 1825-1828

Such a figure has many names – the Cluricaune in County Cork, the Lugirgadaune in Tipperary, the Loughery Man in Ulster, and the Lurichaun or Luricaune in County Kerry.

Fear Dearg

The fear/fir dearg or far darrig (meaning ‘Red Man’ in Irish) is another faerie figure. These characters, sometimes called Rat Boys are most commonly described as being portly and hairy-skinned and having skinny tails and long snouts, like those of rats. Their preferred pastime is making mischief and pranking, though their idea of pranking is what mankind would see as horribly cruel, such as stealing babies and leaving changelings in their place.

Alp-Luachra - the Joint-Eater

The alp-luachra is a type of water sprite. Some lore describes it as being difficult to see or invisible, while other tales say that it could transform itself into a small newt and could be consumed when drinking water from a stream or spring. They would also wait for one to fall asleep beside such a water source, turn themselves into a newt, and then crawl stealthily into the mouth of the sleeping person.

If the alp-luachra was ingested one would suffer terrible stomach aches, hunger, and intestinal ailments, and they cannot put on weight.

To rid oneself of an alp-luachra, it is said one must eat an abundance of very salty food and take no water to wash it down or quench the thirst it will deliver. Some lore says that the alp-luachra will then fling itself from the sufferer’s body via the mouth. Other tales say that you must first lay down to sleep by a spring or stream. The alp-luachra will then crawl free from your mouth whilst you slumber. Otherwise, it will die of thirst in your body.

Cait-Sìth – the Faerie Cat

The Scottish cait-sìth or cat-sìth means ‘faerie cat’ and refers to a spectral figure that haunts the Scottish Highlands. It’s said to resemble a very large black cat with a white spot on its chest. Their size is said to be so big that they can be mistaken as being a large breed of dog.

It’s believed that when you spot a cait-sìth, it will arch its back and its hair will stand upright. It may also hiss or let out a low yowl. If that behavior isn’t enough to tell you to keep your distance, let this be – it is said that the cait-sìth has the power to take one’s soul. In fact, the belief that it is unlucky for a cat to pass over a corpse or recently filled grave is linked to the cait-sìth. In the Highlands, it was thought said cat may have been a cait-sìth in disguise, come to try and steal the soul of the deceased before any god could lay their claim.

It is also believed that the cait-sìth has the power to curse you and will do so if on Samhuinn night you do not leave a saucer of milk out for them as an offering. If you do, they’re said to bestow blessings upon the household.

While the name leads one to include this figure as being of the Fae Folk, there is some lore that states otherwise, saying that this spirit is actually a witch transfigured into the form of a cat.

Cù-Sìth – the Faerie Hound

The cù-sìth (Scots-Gaelic) or cú sídhe (Irish) is a faerie hound or Otherworldly hound. In Ireland, it’s said to dwell in cliffy, mountainous areas, where it can be found having made a den in the clefts of the rocks. In Scotland, they can be spotted in the Highland moors.

They’re described as being able to move in absolute silence, which aids them in hunting, something they’re said to be quite good at. When they do bark, they bark three times and the barks are exceptionally loud, so loud that they can be heard from miles and miles away. Those who hear the barks must reach safety by the third bark, else they will die of fear.

The cù-sìth is said to have a shaggy coat of fur, which is often described as being dark green in color, and they, like the cait-sìth, are much larger than their counterparts of our own realm. The cù-sìth has been described as being as big as a cow.

Ci Annwn

The above mentioned cù-sìth is not unlike the Welsh Ci Annwn (‘Hound of Annwn’). Annwn is the Welsh Otherworld, ruled over first by Arawn and later by Gwyn ap Nudd, the King of the Fair Folk.

The Ci Annwn (Cŵn Annwn when pluralized) is a huge, white spectral hound with red ears and is believed to be a portend of death. It’s said to see one, especially to see one headed your way, means that death is to come.

These dogs are said to hunt near and on the mountain Cader Idris/Cadair Idris in County Meirionnydd. If you’re in that area and you hear the howling of Annwn’s hounds, your death has been foretold.

the Tuatha dé Danann

Many people count the Tuatha dé Danann as a whole among the aos sí, some see specific members of the Tuatha dé Danann as befitting of the modern understanding and use of the term the Sídhe, and others would describe the Tuatha dé Danann as the forefathers of the aos sí, seeing the aos sí as descendants of this mighty tribe. There is so very much that we could explore with the Tuatha dé Danann, their ascendancy to power and their reign over Ireland, their rivals, their many deeds and adventures, but I promise I will write a separate piece dedicated to a more thorough look at the Tuath Dé. For this blog, I’m going to try and keep it short and sweet and give a general explanation and idea of who they are.

Tuatha dé Danann means ‘the People of Danu’ or ‘the Tribe of the Goddess Danu’ – Danu being an Irish ancestral goddess sometimes depicted as an earth goddess and sometimes associated with the goddess Anu. The Tuatha dé Danann are an incredibly powerful Irish tribe of deities. They’re also called the Tuath Dé, meaning ‘the Tribe of Gods’. Most commonly, they’re seen as gods and goddesses. Some, though, think them spirits, and others see them as mythological representations of ancient kings and queens of Ireland.

According to the Lebor Gabála Érenn, the Tuatha dé Danann came to Ireland in dark clouds that moved over the land and descended upon Sliabh an Iarainn in Connacht. The ‘dark clouds’ are interpreted as describing the clouds of smoke that billowed up from the ships that the Tuatha dé Danann traveled to Ireland in, ships which, according to legend, the tribe set aflame in order to prevent themselves from being tempted to leave this land they had newly come to. Eventually they ascended to rule over Ireland, a reign that met its end after a lengthy conflict with the Milesians (who are often interpreted to represent the Celts, the Irish people, and the Christianization of Ireland or the establishment of a ‘post-pagan’ idea of Ireland).

The Tuatha dé Danann are said to now reside within and rule over the Otherworld, their agreed upon place of dwelling in the terms laid out in a treaty with the Milesians. The Tuath Dé are still known, however, to walk among the living and influence the lives and affairs of those within our own realm.

While I would love to describe and explore the individual members of the Tuatha dé Danann, I don’t want this section to become incredibly long and painfully out of balance with the rest of this piece. I’ll instead touch on a few figures perhaps most heavily associated with the Fae Folk or with the more modern understanding of the Sídhe.

Clíodhna

Heroine, goddess, and faerie queen.

Said to be the most beautiful woman in the world.

Goddess of beauty and love; patron goddess of County Cork.

Goddess of sovereignty in Munster.

Reigns as queen over all the faerie women of South Munster.

Has three birds whose magical songs have healing powers.

Served as banshee (foretelling the deaths of the members of the house and clan) to the MacCarthys.

Was the faerie lover of Ciabhán, John Fitzjames, Earl Gerald Fitzgerald, and Caomh.

Also called Clídna the Fair, Queen of the Banshees, the Faerie Queen, the Faerie Queen of Munster.

Badb

Ancient shape-shifting goddess, death-bringer, and war fury.

Goddess of war, battle, madness, death, and prophecy.

Associated with banshees.

Associated with the cry and song of crows.

Also called Badb Catha (‘the Battle Crow’).

Macha

Goddess of sovereignty of Ireland (particularly within Ulster), thus associated with the land, fertility, guardianship, and the selecting of kings.

Associated with horses.

Sometimes described as a goddess of war and battle.

Associated with warriors on horse-back or warriors who used chariots.

Considered a ‘faerie lover’ or ‘faerie wife’ in her tale with the farmer Cruinniuc.

Mór-Ríoghain or the Morrígan

One of the best-known and most revered (and feared) Irish goddesses.

A shape-shifting goddess of war, battle, death, victory, and fate.

She’s also seen as a goddess of magic and an oracle, and many magical practitioners devote themselves to the Morrígan or seek her matronage in their work.

Also called the Phantom Queen, the Death Queen, and the Great Queen.

Note: There is some debate surrounding the figures of Badb, Macha, and Mór-Ríoghain, which have been called as a collective trio the Three Mórrígna. Some see each as an individual goddess on her own, though related to one another as sisters. Then there are those who see the goddesses as being three sides of one goddess, an idea that has been popularized especially within Celtic Neopagan, Wiccan, and Neo-Druidic schools of thought.

Sources and Further Reading: ‘Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland’ – Wilde, Lady Jane ‘Beside the Fire: A Collection of Irish Gaelic Folk Stories’ – Hyde, Douglas ‘Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore’ – Monaghan, Patricia ‘the Great Queens: Irish Goddesses from the Morrígan to Cathleen Ní Houlihan’ – Clark, Rosalind ‘Gods and Fighting Men: the Story of the Tuatha De Danann and of  the Fianna of Ireland’ – Gregory, Lady Augusta the Irish Pagan School – www.irishpaganschool.com ‘Lebor Gabála Érenn: the Book of the Taking of Ireland’ -MacAlister, R.A. Stewart Lora O’Brien – www.loraobrien.ie ‘the Memoirs of Ann, Lady Fanshawe’ – Fanshawe, Herbert Charles

[vilelithium]

𝔵𝔵

[greenstitchwitch]

Lúnasa 2025 ☀️

I've been very inconsistent with my practice recently, but I felt a real pull to do something for Lúnasa. I'd planned everything I wanted to do but I didn't manage to achieve it all for some reason or other, like wanting to wake up and watch the sunset, but I'm happy with how the day has turned out.

I've predominantly worked with Áine for a couple of years now, and I've felt like I had to do more devotional acts and dedicate more time recently, so I got my nails painted in a way that reminds me of her and I've designed and made a bandana/veil with Áine in mind and August 1st as the deadline. I'd love to create and share the pattern for it if people are interested in making something similar!

I've made more of an effort to get outside and appreciate the sun this summer, and tried to be more present in these moments. I also set up a small altar again, although I don't think it's permanent and I'm happy with it being for this celebration only. I did a tarot reading and I felt a lot more open about my practice compared to how I've felt in the past, so I felt the need to share this post.

Happy Lúnasa everyone ☀️

[blackcrowing]

Can you recommend some books on Irish Paganism? I know so much of it can't be known because of Christian attempts to stamp it out, but there must be something of merit out there? Also, I see so many books about Paganism that cherry-pick from other world religions. I don't want to be accused of cultural appropriation, so I'd just like books that focus 100% on Irish polytheism, if you please!

I would love to!

So first I'm going to point you to a pretty comprehensive list that used to be on Tairis, which I didn't know had lost its domain but I was stills able to find the list on the wayback machine

Now that list is INCREDIBLY extensive, but I will note a few of my personal recommendations to start with

📚 Celtic Cosmology and the Otherworld by Sharon Paice MacLeod

📚Ireland's Immortals: a History of the Gods of Irish Myth by Mark Williams

📚Cattle Lords and Clansmen by Nerys Patterson

~Most~ appropriation you're going to run into when it comes to Irish paganism is from wiccan based ideas bleeding into 'main stream' eclectic practice but once you get a good foundation in Irish cosmology and a little history it becomes MUCH easier to figure out if what you're looking at is factual or if they did a quick google search and accepted the information they saw at face value

[forest-woman]

[isabelofwraithmarsh]

So, You Wanna Study Irish Mythology?

One of the questions I get hit with a lot is “If I’m getting into Irish Mythology, what sources do you recommend?” It’s a sad, sad truth about the field that a lot of really valuable info is kept locked away in books and journals that the lay person wouldn’t know about (and then we wonder why information about the field is so bad.) So, I decided to compile a list of sources that I’ve personally used and found helpful in my time. It’s not a complete bibliography because, frankly, that would take up a TREMENDOUS amount of space and you’d be scrolling forever to find what you wanted, and I don’t AGREE with every single thing they say, and it’s by no means exhaustive (keep in mind: scholars from all over the field use mythological texts to study things as diverse as law, geography, tribal names, material culture, etc. and here I’m mainly focusing on sources that are JUST mythological-focused) but they’re a good starting point to forming your own opinions. The journal articles are, tragically, generally kept confined to academia, but….perhaps….if you were to ask around, someone might be able to provide you with a copy. As a whole, Celticists tend to be quite generous when it comes to sharing articles. 

List subject to change, check back as time goes on to see if I’ve added anything. Also, as always, feel free to either drop me an ask or a pm if you’re curious about digging further into a given text/figure. I can’t act as a consultant on a religious question; I’m a very firm atheist with all the spirituality of a dull spoon, except with the existence of ghosts. My interest in the Tuatha Dé is purely scholarly; all that I can say is what I know about these topics from the perspective of the medieval sources, but I can definitely do my best on that one front, and I won’t reject anyone who has a different interest in the Tuatha Dé from contacting me. 

This list only deals with the Mythological Cycle, not the other strands of the literary tradition that is generally if not uncontroversially referred to as “Irish Mythology”. For Fenian Cycle traditions, a similar bibliography has been compiled by Dr. Natasha Sumner of Harvard, here. 

Editions/Translations of Texts (many of these are available at UCC’s CELT archive or on Irish Sagas Online): 

Tochmarc Étaíne, Osborn Bergin and Richard Best 

Cath Maige Tuired, Elizabeth Gray (If you can and you’re serious about the field, I highly recommend getting the actual Irish Text Society Edition, which includes a wonderful index of every time a given figure shows up in other sources. An absolute must for a mythographer.) 

Lebor Gabála Érenn, J.R.S Macalister, 5 vols. (The entirety of this is available on archive.org. Personally…while the rest of it is obviously important and worthy of study, if you’re interested in just the mythological stuff, I recommend Volume IV, which includes both the Fir Bolg and the Tuatha Dé. Unless you really, really want to read five volumes of medieval Irish pseudohistory, the last volume of which was finished posthumously.) i ii iii iv v

The Metrical Dinshenchas, Edward Gwynn. (5 vols.) (These are difficult, with many scholars outright ignoring them except when absolutely necessary. These are in a later form of Irish, which means that, while some of the contents in them could very well be Pre-Christian in nature, they very much do reflect a later medieval world. Some of them are just as much about contemporary politics as they are about mythology, and many of them also bring in content from the Ulster Cycle and the Fenian Cycle. My personal favorites to look up are Tailtiu, Carn Hui Néit, Duirgen, and Carmun, though there are MANY others.) i ii iii iv v

“The First Battle of Moytura”, John Fraser (Note: It’s a VERY late text, with the question of the Fir Bolg/Tuatha Dé battle and how far the tradition really goes back being one that’s very important to keep in mind. It’s a personal favorite of mine. But it’s very late.)

Baile in Scáil, Kevin Murray (Thurneyson also did an older edition that’s more readily accessible, hence why I linked it here, but Murray is the most recent and up to date.) 

“How the Dagda got his magic staff”, Osborn Bergin 

Oidheadh Chloinne Tuireann, Richard Duffy (This is an Early Modern Irish text, so it was written down comparatively late. That doesn’t mean that there’s NO mythological content here, it’s a personal favorite of mine, but it means that it very much reflects the cultural context of around….the 15th-17th century or thereabouts. It’s very chaotic, very violent, and the heroic figures are….not….heroic.) 

Scél Tuáin Meic Chairill, John Carey

Echtra Nerai, it’s available in a fairly recent translation by John Carey in Celtic Heroic Age (pub. 2003) , listed below, though Kuno Meyer also did an edition/translation for it that I’ve linked to here. 

Books: 

Proinsias Mac Cana, Celtic Mythology (Personally, I’d recommend this one first - It’s designed for someone who isn’t a specialist and, while a lot of what he’s saying has been disputed back and forth, it’s still a handy primer and will get you into the myths.)

John Koch and John Carey, The Celtic Heroic Age (Once you have an idea of what you’re looking at, I recommend this one, since it’s a sourcebook. A TON of material from across the Celtic world, featuring classical sources, medieval Irish sources, and Welsh, all of it in one place.) 

Mark Williams, Ireland’s Immortals (I personally recommend you read this one after you read CHA, giving you a bit of context for what Williams is saying here.)

O’Rahilly, Early Irish History and Mythology (note: A lot of what he says here is no longer considered recent in the field, but his knowledge of his own sources is, frankly, without any other peer. Use with a grain of salt)

John Carey, The Mythological Cycle of Medieval Irish Literature

Kim McCone, Pagan Past, Christian Present

Koch, Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia

Articles: 

John Carey, “Myth and Mythography in ‘Cath Magh Tuired’”

John Carey, “Donn, Amairgen, Ith and the Prehistory of Irish Pseudohistory”

Proinsias Mac Cana, “Aspects of the theme of King and Goddess in Irish Literature” 

Máire Herbert, “Goddess and king: the sacred marriage in early Ireland.”

Gregory Toner, “Macha and the invention of myth” 

Elizabeth A. Gray, “Cath Maige Tuired: myth and structure“

Thomas Charles-Edwards, “Tochmarc Étaíne: a literal interpretation”

Tómas O’Cathasaigh, “Cath Maige Tuired as Exemplary Myth” 

Joseph Nagy, “Close encounters of the traditional kind in medieval Irish literature” 

Mark Scowcroft, “Leabhar Gabhála. Part I: the growth of the text” 

Mark Scowcroft, “Leabhar Gabhála. Part II: the growth of the tradition”  

Joseph Nagy, “‘Talking myth’ in medieval Irish literature.”

John Carey, “The Location of the Otherworld in Irish Tradition” 

Máire Bhreathnach, “The sovereignty goddess as goddess of death?“

John Carey, “Notes on the Irish war-goddess.” 

Veronica Philipps, “Exile and authority in Lebor gabála Érenn” 

Kevin Murray, “Sources of Irish mythology. The significance of the dinnṡenchas” 

[glitterandwitchcraft]

Some little things I've learned over a decade of witchcraft:

If you are feel called to work but are tired/drained, sit outside. Take in all the energies around you. Nature can help charge you

Every witch does a little bit of a bunch of types of magic but sticks mainly to one or two in general. You usually won't be eclectic forever. You'll find what magics work best with you.

Never be lazy or cut corners with spirits. Always be respectful and always tell them to leave when you're done

When you see a plant or ingredient with a long list of properties, there are different things at play. Season of collection, the part of the plant, the health of the plant, etc all play a role in impacting which properties it will carry.

Don't call on spirits unless you have confidence and control

Be careful with sea/water magic. Get into it gently and slowly until you have the energy figured out because it can get out of hand quickly.

Adding a little pinch of magic into your breakfast can make a major difference in your day.

Your personal emotions/feelings over something will impact a work

Planting some plants is good, not only to have a garden, but the dirt helps cleanse you too. Get all dirty and muddy. It's good for ya

Not all trees are nice

The more you listen to your intuition, the easier it will be to tell it apart from your anxieties and worries

Incense is very easy to make which is why it's usually cheap to buy. But you can find a million tutorials online on how to make your own personal incense which is great if you want a spell to take effect over a while but also want to infuse the fire energy in it.

The more you work with something the better feel you get for it. Cinnamon goes in almost everything i cook and most of my spells because me and cinnamon just get right along

Your path is yours and no one else's. It will look like yours and no one else's

[anarchautistic]

Nervously, I pull from the tarot deck. It's the Nine of Clocks. My fate is revealed to me: It's my bedtime, and I gotta go to sleeps

[2024-grimoire-challenge]

Previous Prompts

Here is post you can find all of the previous prompts for the entire year!

January Week 1 - Intorduction

January Week 2 - Definitions

January Week 3 - Energy Sources in Witchcraft

January Week 4 - Deeper into the Elements

January Week 5 - Rules, Morals, Philosophies

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February Week 1 - Energy Work

February Week 2 - Types of Magic

February Week 3 - Types of Magic 2

February Week 4 - Types of Magic 3

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March Week 1 - Symbolism and Traditions

March Week 2 - Spell and Ritual Outline

March Week 3 - Traditions, Associations, Tools and Symbols

March Week 4 - Deeper Ancestry

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April Week 1 - Astrology

April Week 2 - Planetary Magic

April Week 3 -Other Celestial Stuff

April Week 4 - More Star Stuff

April Week 5 - Cosmic Wrap Up

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May Week 1 - Diving into Divination

May Week 2 - Divining Deeper

May Week 3 - Divination Wrap Up

May Week 4 - Changing it Up

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June Week 1 - The Wheel

June Week 2 - Transitional Periods, Energies, Entities and Places

June Week 3 - Circles and Other Shapes

June Week 4 - Grand Ideas

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July Week 1 - Dreams, Astal Work, Life and Death Philosophies

July Week 2 - Various Magics

July Week 3 - The Magic of Metals

July Week 4 - Different Types of Magic

July Week 5 - Magical Hodgepodge

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August Week 1 - Looking Inward

August Week 2 - Magic In the Mundane

August Week 3 -Using Your Senses

August Week 4 - Sixth Senses

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September Week 1 - Bubble Bubble, Toil and Trouble

September Week 2 - Alchemy

September Week 3 - Crystal Grids

September Week 4 - Altars and Workspaces

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October Week 1 - Laws of Magic

October Week 2 - The Fae, Cyrptids and Mythological Creatures

October Week 3 - Science and Magic

October Week 4 - Witchy Things

October Week 5 - Gettin' Crafty

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November Week 1 - A Hodgepodge

November Week 2 - Family, Politics, Privacy and Storage

November 3 - Banishing, Glamours, Color Magic

November 4 - Turning Magic Back

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December Week 1 - Shadow Work, Discernment, Synchronism, Seasonal Depression

December Week 2 - Utilizing What You Have

December Week 3 - Revisiting Traditions, Magical Timing, Magic with Medicine

December Week 4 - Looking Back

December Week 5 - Looking Ahead

Final Prompt

Bonus Prompts

Seasonal Magic

Other Perspectives

Eclipse Magic

Magic in the Mundane

Kitchen Witchery

Book Design Ideas

Drying Herbs

Superstitions

Crossroads and Liminal Spaces

Magical Salts and Waters

Witchy Calendar

Relationship Magic

Utilizing Technology

Associations

Holiday Prompt

Imbolc

Ostara

Beltane

Litha

Lughnasadh

Mabon

Samhain

Yule

Witchy Vibes Playlist

[greenstitchwitch]

Finally set up a deity journal section of my digital grimoire and it's got me thinking about my practice to the point where I want to write and write and write about it so I can try to make sense of what I think... I don't know how to define my practice but I think a huge brain dump about what I believe and the progress I've made and what I feel drawn to and how I want to identify is only going to help me untangle it all

[greenstitchwitch]

that's something I guess