1 part Diary, 2 parts Book of Shadows

A blog about a thirty year old woman's journey through her pagan spirituality. Call me Harridian/Harri.

[alder-bos]

A Guide to Working with Storm Gods

Thor

Culture: Norse

God/Goddess of: Thunder, Lightning, Strength, Protection, Fertility, Masculinity, Protector of Humanity

Offerings: Hearty Foods and Stews, A Mjolnir Necklace, Acorns, Oak, Pine, Goat Meat, Rainwater, Rain scented candles, Garlic, Leeks, Onions, Mead and Beer

UPG: Thor is the ultimate hype man, and loves encouraging his followers. He’s also a massive flirt, and is surprisingly ticklish. His presence is strong and warm, and you can feel his love for you in everything you do.

~~~

Zeus

Culture: Greek

God/Goddess of: The Sky, Weather, Law, Order, Kingship, Hospitality, Father and King of the Gods

Offerings: Wine, Whiskey, Milk, Tea, Coffee, Bread, Red Meat, Scaled Fish, Fruit, Rain Water, Frankincense, Myrrh, Rain Scented Candles, Oak, Pine and Crowns

UPG: Zeus is a surprisingly kind and fatherly god. He cares deeply for his followers, though can act out at times when angered. I heard an account of a follower who was complaining about there being no rain, so he sent a thunderstorm that lasted so long they got 18 bottles of rainwater out of it. That being said, he is kind and will take care of his followers' needs.

~~~

Susanoo

Culture: Japanese

God/Goddess of: The Sea, Storms

Offerings: Rainwater, Chocolate, Crackers, Sea Salt, Noodles and Ramen, Rain scented Candles, Sea water, Fish and Sushi

UPG: Susanoo is a very active god, he’s easily angered and tempestuous. However, he is also very fun to be with. He has a regal presence befitting a god, but he is also disheveled and able to hang out with his followers freely. He is stubborn. As long as you avoid angering him, Susanoo makes good company for any weather or sea witch

~~~

Rhiannon

Culture: Welsh

God/Goddess of: Wind, The Moon, Horses, Songbirds, Gates, Horseshoes, Love, Happiness, Beauty and Prosperity

Offerings: Lavender, Soft-sounding Music, A White Candle with the Number 7 carved into it, Horseshoes, White Flowers, Apples, Working with Horses and Dogs, Practicing with Liminal Spaces and Meditation

UPG: She loves to hear her followers sing, and is a very kind and motherly presence. This is strange, but she has the exact same vibes as the song by Fleetwood Mac. Otherworldly, Witchy and Kind. Her sacred day is Monday, and her Sabbat is Beltane. Her feast is on March 1st.

~~~

Freyr

Culture: Norse

God/Goddess of: Rain, Sunshine, Fertility, Peace, Kingship, Virility, Harvest

Offerings: Honey, Grains, Gold, Antlers, Phallic Objects, Wheat Bread, Rich and Dark Beers, Pork, Apple, Barley, Nuts and Seeds, Coins, Rain Scented Candles, and Golden Objects

UPG: Freyr really lives up to his title as God of Sunshine. He’s a little bit of a worrywart with his followers, he really doesn’t want them to get hurt, bless his soul. He’s strongly associated with antlered animals, and is very affectionate and kind. Freyr is a very loving god.

~~~

Perun

Culture: Slavic

God/Goddess of: The Sky, Storms, Rain, Law, War, Fertility, Oak, Nobility and Warriors

Offerings: Meat, Ale, Mead, Golden Apples, Red and Gold Candles, Rain Scented Candles, Fowl meat (especially Rooster), Wooden Objects made of Oak, Rain Water, Arrows and Arrowheads

UPG: Perun is truly befitting the title of King. He has a very fatherly and stern presence, but never a hateful one. However, Perun does have a fierce rivalry with Veles, so it’s likely best not to mention the trickster god when communicating with him.

~~~

Horus

Culture: Egyptian

God/Goddess of: The Sky, Storms, Rulership, The Sun and War

Offerings: Fowl Meat, Brass or Gold Objects, White Feathers, Dark Ale, Water, Bread, Honey, Salt, Grains

UPG: Horus is a princely figure. He is stern and reasonable to a fault, and very patient with his followers. Understanding and kind, Horus is a great patron for any weather witch

~~~

Taranis

Culture: Celtic

God/Goddess of: Thunder and War

Offerings: Wheels, Lightning Imagery, Daggers, Feathers, Baked Goods, Meat, Alcohol, Rain Scented Candles

UPG: A jovial and stern god, Taranis is kind of hard to pin down. He cares for his followers deeply and will protect them with all he has, and is kind when bestowing gifts so long as an offering is returned afterwards.

[the-farquad-star-squad-blog]

Followers!

Hey all! I’m trying to redirect my boards so if you post anything witchy like, reblog, or follow and I’ll follow each

[harridan-witch]

Stone Lore Masterpost

This is a Masterpost of all the accumulated lore that I have gathered through practice or research on gemstones, crystals, and minerals. This list can and  will change as I learn more. A

Amethyst

B

Bloodstone

C

Citrine

D E F

Flint

G H

Heliotrope:

Hematite

I J

Jet

K L M N O

Opal

P

Pearl

Q R

Ruby

S T U V W X Y Z

Note: Do not use gem or crystal magic in place of seeking professional help for physical or mental illness. Stones work best when used with medical help, not in place of.

[transloveletter]

I wanna make a masterlist of lgbt+ witches on tumblr

so reblog this if you are a witch and are lgbt+ pls!

alsoi wanna follow all of you

[grimoire-of-geekery]

Yup.  :)

[orriculum]

spellbook pdf + print available ♡

hey guys i just e-published my second witchy book, a collection of all my spells!!!! this is a neat little pocket-spell book with love spells, healing charms, glamours, potions and much more, all in one neat, organized, convenient place! if you liked my first book, i’m sure you’ll love this one too!  ♡

💌 here’s the link for the digital copy for $5.00 💌

if you have the kindle app it should be able to download there however there is also an etsy link with a word.doc if that’s easier!

🌟 here’s a link for the print copy for $7.50  🌟

♡♡♡ if you could leave a review i would appreciate that so much!! ♡♡♡

[harridan-witch]

My Purification Ritual

In just about every blog, book, or article about basic witchcraft you will find will tell you that you need to purify yourself before you invest your time in effort into a ritual. Some even suggest purification before and/or after all forms of spellwork. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this...but in the wise words of my generation:

I use a little smoke cleansing with an incense stick or a quick shower in lieu of most of my purification...when I bother to do it at all. I’m a bad witch. Meh. But, every now and then, I feel the need to do a spring cleaning on myself and get rid of all the ick that I might be carrying around with me. When my first curated box came with a big, in depth purification ritual I decided that it was time to do what I hadn’t bothered with for...a few years.

So, what is a Purification Ritual?

A purification ritual, in my experience, has two purposes. One is to cleanse your energy/aura/spirit of all the crap that has no purpose in being there. It also helps ground you in the moment, helping to alleviate you of all those nagging craptacular thoughts that can distract you while you are doing that witchy thing.

Now, really quick purification rituals are what I described above. You can wave some smelly smoke around you and use that to cleanse your aura. You can rinse off with water. Even standing in front of a fan can do the trick. It’s whatever you have time for. You can do it before or after a spell, depending on what feels right. My rule of thumb is that if you are bringing something into your life do the cleansing before. If you are trying to get rid of something, do it at the end.

This ritual is for BIG cleansing. Like...for if you think you’ve been cursed, or if your been carrying around some guilt/shame for a while, or if you are trying to get through the aftermath of a trauma, or if you are trying to refocus your energies after a long term absence. It can also be used if you’ve been in contact with someone who drains you, if you are leaving a job that is no longer good for you, or if getting out of a friendship or romantic relationship that is no longer part of your life.

The following ritual is a variation on the Wild Rituals box.

What you will need:

A bathtub

A clean bathroom

A mixture of herbs ( lavender, rosemary, thyme, basil, fennel, hyssop, peppermint, rose, and Valerian root)

A large mesh diffuser (optional, but helpful)

Purification Oil (a juice of lemon, orange, and lime work for this)

A white candle

An altar with representation of the four elements (Earth, Air, Fire, and Water), or whatever you use to make an altar.

What to do

I waited for the night of the new moon. New moons are about beginnings and that’s what I wanted. A new beginning, a clean slate.

If your bathroom isn’t already clean, clean it. Take out the garbage, run a rag over some surfaces. Whatever you gotta do. Just get it clean. Don’t get too crazy, fifteen or twenty minutes. Cleaning your space is a great way for cleaning the soul.

Set up your altar on your bathroom counter. If there isn’t space, use the lid of your toilet seat. There is a picture of the one I used here: XxXx sans the raccoon bone. Picture what each element means to you. I asked Earth for strength, air for wisdom, fire for courage, and water for understanding.

I poured the herb mixture into the diffuser and closed it.

I used my nail to etch my name into the white candle. If your candle is small, you can use your initials, or a symbol to represent yourself.

I dabbed some of the purification ointment on it.

I let myself think of all the things that have been bothering me for the past few....let’s be honest here...years. I rubbed the candle as I did this, letting those thoughts infuse the wax. For particularly bothersome thoughts I let my nail nick the wax. When I was read I lit the candle and turned off the lights.

I ran the water in my tub and dropped the diffuser in. If you do not have a diffuser you can just pour the herbs into the water, but you will need to run the shower after to rinse them off.

I got into the tub and let the water get as high as it would go. When It was as deep as possible I shut it off and then submerged as much of myself beneath the water as I could. I’m a hefty girl, and I have a small tub, so it wasn’t a full submersion. I stayed under as long as possible and let the water leech all the negativity out of me. I splashed water over the parts of me that could be submerged, when I need a breath I came up sat up for a while and slicked the water away.

I wrote my problems in the condensation that accumulated on the wall. The I swept my hand through them. I drew the symbols that came to mind. When I was ready, I dipped myself again. I did this over and over again until I felt better. I unplugged the tub. Blew out the candle and stood int he darkness for a minute or too while I air dried.

That’s it. That’s my ritual. I put on my favorite night gown, read a comforting book, and fell asleep. It’s been pretty helpful to me so far. Feel free to use this ritual, embellish on it to make it your own through additions or other changes. I’d love to hear about your experiences. Tag me if you do. Harridan Witch

[harridan-witch]

October 10th, 2017

Tonight is the New Moon and I’m going to do a personal cleansing/purification ritual. Let’s see ho this goes.

[harridan-witch]

My Mini Altar

A couple of weeks ago I did an unboxing post about my first curated box from wild ritual. In it there were some items to make a small altar and I thought after putting it together than I could contribute to the no filter witchcraft movement.

and again.

Yes, that is an unfinished Warhammer Fantasy miniature over there. The horsey is missing its tail and I cannot find it. This altar is very small and VERY simple in comparison to the elaborate, sometimes overdone altars I have had in the past. It suits my current minimalist magical mood. Maybe I’ll dig up some pictures of that.

My altar has a jar of mixed herbs in the northernmost point representing Earth, a bit of star anise in the east for Air, a tealight for Fire, and a shell for Water. I anointed them each with a little lemongrass oil and set them up around a small painted ceramic tile with a moon on it. Next to all of that is a dream journal that I don’t use nearly enough, and in the very center is a piece of tigers eye. The Tiger’s eye is there because there is an old story about placing it next to the bed to bring abundance and prosperity into your life, and as you can see by the second picture this mini altar is like six inches from my bed. Above that is a raccoon leg bone that I received from a friend. The raccoon has a special meaning to me as it often appears in my dreams, but is also a symbol of curiosity and adaptability, which are the keystones of my own personality.

My altar cost me around $5 (not including the dream journal witch was a gift), and aside from sometimes sharing the space with my cell (the charge cable is between my dresser and my bed) this is what the space looks like.

[harridan-witch]

Stone Lore Masterpost

This is a Masterpost of all the accumulated lore that I have gathered through practice or research on gemstones, crystals, and minerals. This list can and  will change as I learn more. A

Amethyst

B

Bloodstone

C

Citrine

D E F

Flint

G H

Heliotrope:

Hematite

I J

Jet

K L M N O

Opal

P

Pearl

Q R

Ruby

S T U V W X Y Z

Note: Do not use gem or crystal magic in place of seeking professional help for physical or mental illness. Stones work best when used with medical help, not in place of.

[harridan-witch]

Believing in Magic

Sooner or later, you are going to doubt yourself.

You are going to think its stupid to bang the pots together to get rid of negative energy spirits. You are going to hold up a vial of lemongrass oil and roll your eyes at yourself for anointing a new stone with its cleansing power. And, if you are like me, it’s going to happen more than once. I’m going to tell you that it’s okay.

Lately I’ve been thinking about witchcraft. Not just all the stuff involved, though I’ve been thinking about that too, but the ins and outs of how I, for lack of a better term, cast spells.

Whenever anyone finds out that I’m a witch they automatically get an idea in their head. Some imagine that I run around the woods naked, some think I sacrifice children, and others get a Hollywood image in their head that falls somewhere between Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic. Now and then this bothers me, but in all fairness I can’t blame them. Our society has a knee jerk reaction when the word ‘witchcraft’ is brought up, myself included.

Ultimately what this imaginary person is wondering is whether or not I believe in magic. And man, sometimes I have to ask myself that. Do I honestly, truly believe that waving around my mahogany wand imbues this spell I am casting with strength and longevity? Do I think that I am pulling elemental energy from from the four corners of the universe in the hopes that they will help me get over my writer’s block? Do I think making a sachet of the appropriate herbs and stones helped my friend get through a long term illness?

Most days, yes. Others? Not so much. But why?

When I was a little girl I absolutely believed that the wind came when I called it. That the trees spoke to me. That the ocean understood the message I wrote in the sand. When I was young I believed wholeheartedly in wishing on the divinity of the stars, and that the moon’s light could heal my tears. As an adult it’s not so easy. As a witch, and practicing pagan of seventeen years --more than half of my life-- it’s a lot harder.

Why? Is it because I am “wiser” now? Or is it because I’ve committed the most atrocious crime ever and grown up? Is it because I’ve seen things, or because I’ve failed? I dunno. Probably all of it.

So what can I, and for that matter you, do?

First you have to look at your results. Did your spellwork accomplish the goal that you intended, even if it didn’t match exactly what you expected? Has casting a spell, doing a meditation, energy work or whatever you want to call it, helped you? Even just a little? Even if the only thing it did was help you feel like you were doing something proactive? Then that’s all that matters.

If you need to take a break, reevaluate what you are doing, why you are doing it, and even how, that’s fine. That’s normal. If you feel dumb banging pots together or wave some incense or just roll your eyes at the negative energy and tell it to go away.

I guess what I am saying is that its healthy to doubt, to wonder, to analyze; but don’t let it turn you away from something that makes you happy.

[bloomsbury]

a quick witch sketch

[harridan-witch]

Stone Lore: Ruby

Rubies are a pink or red stone made from the mixing of gem quality corundum (aluminum oxide), making it a variety of sapphire. It gains its red color from the addition of chromium. Ruby is one of the Cardinal Gems, gems that are considered more precious above others, along with Amethyst, Sapphire, Diamonds, and Emerald. They are found in Burma, Myanmar, Thailand, Australia, India, Namibia, Scotland, and others. The most expensive ruby in the world is known as the Sunrise Ruby, and was sold for over thirty million dollars. It received its name from a poem of the same name by Rumi. It has a hardness of 9.

Associations: Courage, passion, physical beauty, attraction of lust, sensuality and sexuality.

Element: Fire

Planet: Sun

Healing: sexual organs and fevers

Season: Summer

Time of Day: Noon, or within an hour of sexual activity

How to Use It:

We all need a little courage sometime. Rubies are the best gemstone for it. I do not recommend rubies for small needs, but large ones. Not only because they are expensive (though that is a factor) but because rubies are, bare none, the most powerful stone for courage. If you need courage to remove yourself from an abusive situation, to leave a job that is crushing you, to reveal a life altering secret to friends, family, or a partner, this is the stone I recommend. Ruby, in my experience, can also be a little persnickety, so using it for something small might cause it to backlash.

Ruby is also a passionate stone. Wearing a ruby during a date that you want to end up as a sleep over can help you. Wearing a ruby during the act can help you be especially passionate.

Using rubies in physical beauty rituals is bound to give the spell work an extra zap. Blessing and wearing rubies will not change your appearance, but it will help people notice the things about you that are appealing to them.

Keeping ruby with you during a social situation can help you attract those who harbor lustful feelings.

Rubies are always more powerful when around sensual situations.

[harridan-witch]

October 10th, 2017

So, it’s been eighteen days since I began my journey to reestablish my pagan path. It’s been...interesting. What I have discovered so far: I like stones. Like, I really like stones. It’s nothing I was ever really into before, but the more I work with them, the more I discover an appreciation for them. I got a bonus for exceptional work for a client, and, since I believe this came from a little spellwork I did with some gem magic, I’m going to take part of that and reinvest it in my craft.

The rest is going towards bills and seeing Bladerunner. Don’t judge me, cyberpunk is my jam.

I’m also going to try the purification bath that I got in the wild apothecary curated box. We shall see how that goes. Thinking I might try to do a year and a day thing, I’ve done it once in my life, but now? I dunno. I’d have to put forth a LOT of effort.

Paganism is beautiful, paganism is hard. @dreamelly Good to know I’m not the only witch over 30 around here. Hashtag: wise witches~

Also, if anyone has a gemstone they want me to do a post for, let me know.

[earth-horn-blog]

How to witchcraft

light those

stab this

carve that

shake jar

say the thing

[thecarvingwitch]

6. Knock pans together

7. yell

[lumiberry]

8. Collect items that are completely useless but you need them anyways.

[singingsparks-deactivated201503]

9. Stare very intensely at objects.

[idontusemycauldron-archive]

10. Awkwardly position your hands on it.

[stormwaterwitch]

11. Bury the thing. 12. Burn the thing.

[fish-buns]

13. Salt

[earth-horn-blog]

Salt everywhere

[magical-little-fawn-deactivated]

14. Plants

[deactivated-this-account-deacti]

15. Cook everything with lots of herbs and the ‘good spoon’.

[littlewitchlingrowan]

16. Jars 17. “Work you little shit”

[canadianwanderingpagan]

18. Mumble to self in public

19. Wave hands

[blackbearmagic]

20. Point while staring intensely and feeling things

[here-be-vultures-blog]

21. begging the universe to help you make this shit work

[folieamagique]

22. have a pile of rocks because you can never have enough pretty rock 

[mumblesandthings]

23. Simultaneously have too many and not enough jars.

[witchcraftthedarkarts-blog]

24. Light candle 25. Scream at it

[teacupsandcauldrons-deactivated]

26. Proceed to burn your hand on that candle for the 5th time this week.

[harridan-witch]

27. Wonder if store bought really IS fine and then buy it anyway.

[pandatiger-blog1]

[harridan-witch]

Stone Lore: Hematite

Hematite is the mineral form of a particular type of iron, (Fe2O3) if you were feeling super curious. It is usually black-gray (as pictured above) and when tumbled it is very reflective. It can also form in a brown or red-brown color, it is in fact it is red form that gave hematite its name due to the greek word for blood. It has very weak magnetic properties and has been used historically to increase blood flow due to this property. It has a hardness number between 5 and 6, depending on its exact composition.

Associations: logic, grounding, focus, cleansing toxic emotions, night magic, star magic.

Planet: Mars

Healing: Blood and circulation

Time of day: Night, especially moonless nights

How to Use It:

If you are having circulation issues, especially in the hands and feet, wearing a bracelet or anklet of hematite while going on a walk or doing any kind of exercise can help increase blood flow.

If you are having a hard time staying grounded, or coming down from what I call meditation high, I suggest keeping a piece of hematite within arms reach so that you can pick it up when you are having troubles coming back to you.

If you, like me, have problems focusing, wearing a hematite necklace against the skin, or playing with it when you are paying attention can keep you from drifting into daydreams.

To cleanse toxic emotions write your emotion that you want to get rid of on a piece of hematite with a white out pen. Wait for it to dry and then slowly use your nail to scrape off the emotion. Another way to do this is to write the emotion on hematite in permanent marker and then throw the stone away. Best done on moonless nights.

Any ritual done at night is enhanced by the use of hematite, unless that ritual is supposed to help you come up with new ideas. Hematite blocks new things.

With that in mind hematite is great for focusing on the projects that you do not want to abandon. If you are having trouble finishing a paper, or a piece of artwork or a novel or a paper for school purchase or get two pieces of hematite. Bless them by putting them out during the night. Place one piece of hematite on the medium you are using (your pens/paints, your laptop, or the books you are studying from) and one piece in your pocket/on your person. This will tie you to the project and keep you working on it.

To energize hematite leave it in starlight. 

[harridan-witch]

Gem Lore: Opal

Opal is am amorphous form of silica based gemstone with a high hydration content, usually between 3% and 12%. It is unique in the fact that the colors opal can come in covers the spectrum of colors; Colorless, white, yellow, red, orange, green, brown, black, blue, pink; and can be opaque, semi opaque, and transparent. There are precious versions of opal, which has close packed lattice structure. This allows diffraction and interference which is what causes the play of color for which precious opal is known. Common opal is not as iridescent as its more precious cousin, but is no less useful in the realm of witchcraft. Opal is found the world over, but Oregon and Nevada, Australia, Ethiopia, and Mexico are the main sources for this gem. Due to the amount of hydration that is in opal it’s hardness can go anywhere from 1 to 5.

Personal note: I was told for a good portion of my life that if you were not born in October you cannot wear opal because it will bring you bad luck. I have discovered that this is absolutely ridiculous and entirely the fault of a novel, Anne of Geuerstein. It was written by Sir Walter Scott and during the course of the novel a drop of water hit her necklace, removes the color, and shortly after (spoiler alert) she is accused of being a demoness. In 1829 this was a bad thing. The people of the era took this to mean the opal was bad luck and the opal market of Europe was decimated because of this. The idea that opals are bad luck is, like the story, a work of fiction.

Associations: I did a color post a little while ago, and I think that it needs to be taken into consideration when picking out opal. However, you must add emotion to the color. Opal is an incredibly emotional stone. Because of this it is tied to romantic attachments, anxiety and depression, marriage and fidelity. It is also the best stone for blocking hexes from others, especially those cast in a fit of temporary emotion.

Element: Water. Water. Water. Water.

Planet: Venus

Healing: Eyes and vision.

Season/Time of the Year: Spring, and any heavy rain storm season.

Time of day: Dawn

How to Use It:

All forms of emotional healing. Whether you are doing a ritual, a meditation. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is the color. If you are experiencing anxiety for a new job a piece of white/colorless or a piece of green opal set on your altar can help you heal.

If you have some communication anxiety and need to make a phone call or set up an appointment carrying a piece of yellow or blue opal while doing this can help.

If you are trying to get past some family drama making a wrapped necklace with a piece of orange opal can help. Use the crafting as a meditative experience, and then give the jewelry to one of the people involved.

If you lied and you wish to come clean to someone about it, wearing a piece of blue opal can help you during the conversation. Turning it into a piece of jewelry or other item and giving it to the person you were dishonest with can help heal the rift that happened because of dishonesty.

If old memories are getting the best of you taking a piece of colorless or purple opal and placing it beneath a pile of burnt ashes can help you get past them.

For this last one we are going to get a little real. This is immensely personal, and I am issuing a content warning for sexual assault. I will be putting it below a break for those who are not okay with reading about such things. There is nothing else at the end of this post.

Several years ago I experienced a sexual assault. I got through it but was surprised by how difficult it became for me to be intimate with someone afterwards. It was something that I wanted to overcome, but therapy was not helping for me. Nothing against my therapists, but I was basically told ‘get over the trauma and you’ll be fine’. Not really helpful for me. So, I turned to two things; a very understanding partner, and magic. If you have an emotional issue with sex that you have a desire to overcome I suggest a spell using red, pink, black, and/or white opal. I took several pieces and placed them in a mason jar. I added a few items to the jar that reminded me of the assault and wrote down the words and phrases that were triggering to me, in particular. Then I buried the bitch. I am not going to say that it was easy, because I dug a deep hole until my hands had welts from the shovel. I buried the jar, and then I planted an oak tree over top of it. I can’t say that it fixed me instantaneously, but I no longer panic, freak out, and cry before or during a sexually intimate moment.