To Live and Let Live

Feminist Witch. She/Her. Queer.

[creature-wizard]

Tales of Times Forgotten articles on ancient polytheism, atheism, witchcraft, Christianity, & other historical topics everyone should read

Misconceptions about the Witch-Trials

Debunking the So-Called “Dark Ages”

Was Giordano Bruno Really a “Martyr for Science”?

Who Was The First God?

Did Ancient “Pagans” Really Worship Nature?

Was the “Green Man” Really an Ancient Pagan Deity?

Misconceptions about the Library of Alexandria

Modern Stereotypes About Ancient Civilizations

Ancient Greek Misogyny

Why Did The Patriarchal Greeks And Romans Worship Such Powerful Goddesses?

Did the Ancient Greeks Really Believe in Their Myths?

Did the Ancient Greeks Ever Climb Mount Olympos?

What Evidence Is There for Atheism in Ancient Greece?

No, the Romans Did Not Just “Steal” All the Greek Deities

What Was the Conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity Really Like?

Things That Did Not Cause the Fall of the Roman Empire

No, Transgender People Are Not a Sign of Cultural Collapse

Christian Adaptation of Pagan Iconography

Greek Writers Quoted in the New Testament

No, the Christian Cross Is Not Based on the Egyptian Ankh

Just How Pagan Is Christmas Really?

No, Santa Claus Is Not Inspired by Odin

The Long, Strange, Fascinating History of Santa Claus

The Origins of the Christmas Tree

The Not-So-Pagan Origins of Easter

No, Easter Is Not Named After Ishtar

No, Groundhog Day Is Not of Ancient Pagan Origin

Here’s How We Know the Canonical Gospels Were Originally Anonymous

Lucifer Is Not a Name for Satan!

Was Jesus Copied Off the Egyptian God Horus?

Was Jesus a Communist?

What Does the Genesis Creation Story Mean?

Is Everyone Really Born an Atheist?

No, There Isn’t a Conspiracy to “Hide the Truth” about Ancient History

Who Are The Illuminati Really?

The Ancient Astronaut Hypothesis Is Racist and Harmful

The Truth about Atlantis

What Do Conservatives Really Mean When They Talk about “Western Civilization”?

The "Hero's Journey" is Nonsense

Jordan Peterson Does Not Understand Mythology

Jordan Peterson Does Not Understand Ancient Languages

No, Public Universities Aren’t Dominated by Evil Atheist Professors Seeking to Destroy Students’ Faith

[bunniope]

not my labyrinth not my minotaur

[reimenaashelyee]

Familiar Series | Owls Shop: Straunge Wunder

[fumbletongue]

Methods to Bond with Deities

[herbal-witch]

Research: Reading lore, studying history and focusing on how others have bonded in the past can deepen your own bond.

Offerings: Leaving gifts or foods you've made or cooked shows passion and effort that many deities seem to appreciate.

Divination: Using tarot cards or pendulums or writing or dreaming can be way to interpret deities.

Journals: Whether for yourself or for your deity journals are a good way to review past experiences.

Crafts: Whenever making something by hand the time you spend and efforts you put in the details help make connections.

Exploring: Places you discover might feel closer to those you want to know better.

Hobbies: Gardening, writing, or even cooking can be both offerings and activities you share with your deities.

Sharing: Talking to others about their deities can reignite passion and help you realize your own feelings.

Shrines: Having a specific place to do these activities can help you focus on them.

Prayer: It doesn't have to be formal or it can be a well known prayer simply reaching out is simple and often rewarding.

[daddyfuckedme]

[putamagic]

Offerings for the Goddess: Hekate

These offering ideas can of course be changed depending on what you have available to you, what you can make and what you connect with but these are just a few of the items I find work best for me when I give offerings to the goddess of crossroads, witchcraft and so much more!

items labeled with * are things I find are extremely well received

Edibles

Breads 

Cakes - lit with candles especially 

Pomegranates *

Wines

Honey

Cinnamon

Garlic 

Onion

Milk - I prefer warmed milk but I’m not aware if She has a preference 

Chocolates - I usually offer dark chocolates 

Non-Edibles

Roses

Lavender 

Poppy seeds

Dandelions 

Blood - I’m only listening this because it’s worked wildly well for me but DO NOT ATTEMPT if you do/have struggled with self harm of any kind or are easily made ill due to the sight of blood. Hekate understand you cannot give Her your essence and she values your mental health and well being more than anything you could ever give her!!! she will love and protect you reguardless!!

Incense

Frankincense *

Lavender *

Jasmine *

Citrus - especially orange 

Dragons Blood

Others

keys *

Candles 

Tea Lights 

Bones 

Fires - i.e. bonfires *

Oil lamps 

Lavender *

Crow/Raven/Owl Feathers - only feathers naturally fallen off 

Statues of Her and Her sacred animals *

Poetry, literature, and music you heavily associate with Her **

[twelfthremedy]

Hecate offerings

For larger altars:

Round cakes decorated with candles

Fish (red mullet and salmon) and cured meats

Red wine and mead

Garlic

Honey

Milk

Breads

Crescent shaped sweets

Pomegranates

Raw eggs

Mushrooms

Dandelion tea

Large candles

A cauldron

Imagery of dogs such as statues, toy dogs, paintings, etc.

Incense (lavendar and myrrh are great)

Graveyard dirt (ask before taking! Do your research before gathering please.)

Snake skin

Animal bones

Mugwort

Wands

For smaller/hidden altars:

Almonds

Foxglove

Mint

Sage

Yew

Rose petals

Lavendar

Cypress and willow leaves

Frankensince

Obsidian

Quartz

Seashells

Black dog fur

Dog nail clippings

Images of dogs (pictures, personal drawings, dog plushies, etc.)

Keys

Personal offerings (nail clippings, hair)

Anything relating to the moon (pictures, keychains, personal drawings, etc.)

Crow, raven, and/or owl feathers.

Actions:

Helping and being friendly to dogs

Donating blankets, food, toys to animal shelters in her name

Volunteering at an animal shelter

Devoting time at night to her (meditate, talk to her, just have some silence for her, etc.)

Sharing your expierences, especially painful ones and your anger or sorrow with her

Study herbs and planting herbs in your garden

Having rituals or casting spells during a dark moon and invoking her

Taking care of graveyards and keeping them clean

Holding a feast for her and having all her favorite foods and drinks

Please feel free to add more, these are what i've personally collected and also what i have thought of.

[aphrodites-gem-deactivated20220]

Hekate

Hekate or Hecate is a goddess apart of the greek/hellenic pantheon. She is most often shown holding a pair of torches or a key. In later times, she was depicted triple form.

Associated With

Cross-Roads

Entrance-Ways

Light

Magick

Witchcraft

Knowledge of Herbs & Poisionous Plants

Ghost

Necromancy

Sorcery

Dogs

Serpents

Pole-Cat

Keys

Hekate’s Wheel

Crystals

Obsidian

Jade

Quartz

Offerings

Cake

Local-Fruit

Animal Products

Fruit

Roses

Oak Leaves

Mugwort

Sage

Frankincense

Lavender

Keys

Crystals

Bones & Sea Shells

Personal Hair Clippings

Devoting Spells

Rituals

Volunteering

[breelandwalker]

Secular Celebrations - Beltane

Beltane comes next, that little threshold holiday between late April and early May, the “spring fling” of our year. Mayday festivals have been around for centuries. Mentions of similar celebrations date back to the Roman Floralia and the Greek Maiouma, which is recorded as far back as the 2nd century BCE in the reign of Emperor Commodus. We also see similar festivals with things like bonfires, dancing, sweetheart rituals, and Maypoles all over Europe, and particularly in the British Isles. In some places, it’s connected with the Feast of St. Walpurgis (most notably the German Walpurgisnacht), and in others, it’s evolved into a kind of warm-weather romp that celebrates the month of May and the full flower of springtime. So there’s a lot of room for interpretation and a lot of activities to choose from if you’re celebrating this holiday as a secular witch.

The overarching theme of the day is definitely love. Love magic, sex magic, love divinations, marriage predictions, renewing of vows...it’s all there. There’s a reason besides the weather that May is the most popular month for weddings, and this might be part of it. So if you’re of a mind to work with any of that, DO IT. Cast spells to find love, attract a sweetheart, reconnect with your current partner, or if you’re single, maybe have a fling. Bring a little extra romance into your life. Just make sure you observe consent and common sense, and practice safe SEX as well as safe hex.

If you’re not interested in any of that, you can also work magic for self-love. Often in our conversations on love magic, we leave out that all-important relation with ourselves. Beltane is a great time to rediscover this. It can be a celebration of yourself and your own power and your own journey. Pamper yourself a bit. Have a home spa day, take a ritual bath, do whatever it is that makes you feel strong and gorgeous. Because spoiler alert - you ARE strong and gorgeous. A-bip-bip-bip...yes you are. Yes. You ARE. Even when you don’t feel like it, you’re an amazing person and the world is a better and more interesting place because you’re in it. So celebrate all the things you love about yourself - your mind, your creativity, your skills, and particularly your body, even if it’s uncooperative or a work in progress. Celebrate your strength and your ongoing metamorphosis into the person you want to be. Whether that journey is mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical, you are not the same person you were last year, and your progress deserves recognition.

Celebrate your communal and familial bonds as well. Connect with the people who make you feel loved and cherished and uplifted. If you can’t attend a party, maybe have a virtual game night or a socially-distanced movie marathon. If you’re working on coming out of your shell, this is a good time to maybe take a step in that direction, even if it’s just a small one.

This is a festival of flowers and fire, fertility and fun, so anything you want to do that involves any of those things would be appropriate. Have a bonfire, if you can do so safely, or light up some candles. Make flower crowns or garlands. Add greenery to your home decor. If you haven’t already planted your garden, or if your starter sprouts are ready and the final frost has passed, get them in the ground. Do some growth magic to help them along. Dress in something that makes you happy and comfortable. Put on your favorite music, dance around the house, and sing like you’re on your very own Broadway stage. Make your favorite foods, maybe experiment with making wine or beer or short mead if you’ve ever wanted to give that a shot. Make candied flowers or candied fruit peel.

Go on a picnic, if the weather allows it. If you’re partial to wildcrafting, gather wild herbs and flowers for your magic, always observing permission to harvest and best practices for your local ecosystem. That means whatever you want to pick, make sure you’re allowed to do so, whether on a spiritual level or on a practical one. Don’t go raiding state parks or your neighbor’s flower garden; you probably don’t have permission to take plants from these places. Take only what you need and don’t pick anything you can’t properly identify or anything that’s endangered. Make sure you label everything too; it saves time later and helps you remember what you’ve picked. I suggest bringing a pocket field guide to local flora to help you out. And while you’re out there, hug your favorite tree. If you have trees or shrubs on your property, decorate them with ribbons and streamers, give them a good drink of water, and thank them for all the oxygen. (Just make sure you take these decorations down and dispose of them properly before they become litter.)

Meditate on your passions. Think about your causes, all the things that put a fire in your belly. Think of what makes you feel happy and fierce and free. Rededicate yourself to the things that matter to you, whether in your witchy practices or your personal life, or the social and political causes that you feel most passionate about.

-from Hex Positive, Ep. 011 - Secular Celebrations (Nov 01, 2020)

Other Posts In This Series:

Imbolc

Spring Equinox

Beltane

Midsummer

Lughnasadh

Autumn Equinox

Samhain

Yule

If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop.

The Hex Positive podcast is a proud member of the Nerd and Tie Podcast Network.😊

[ex0skeletal-undead]

Magical Research by Iren Horrors

This artist on Instagram

[breelandwalker]

Simple Moon Spell - One Dozen Wishes

Intent: To create a jar of potential wishes, to be used as needed.

Materials:

Small Jar

Whole Bay Leaves (12)

Moonlight

In addition to their usefulness in spells for protection, wisdom, and healing, bay leaves are a potent ingredient for wishmaking. This spell does not specifically create a wishing spell, but it prepares a small supply of leaves for future spellwork, using the fulfilling energy of the full moon to pre-charge the component.

Obtain a bag of whole bay leaves. These can usually be found in the spices and seasonings aisle at the grocery store, or you can order them from a botanical supplier if you wish. Prepare a clean, dry jar with a lid as you see fit. Select twelve leaves, as whole and unbroken as possible, and place them into the jar. Cap the jar and leave it to soak up the moonlight on the next full moon evening.

When you have need of some wishmaking magic, take a single leaf from the jar, write your wish upon it, and use it in your spell. The use of the leaf depends on your casting method - you can include it in a jar or sachet charm, cast it into fire or water, or bury it to help your desired results grow, to name just a few.

Use the leaves as needed and when the supply is exhausted, you can pick twelve new leaves and refill the jar.

Happy Witching! 🔮🍃

[whimsigothwitch-deactivated2026]

On the evening of July 31 to August 1, it is Lughnasadh (Or celebrated around this time), the first harvest festival of the year. With Lughnasadh we celebrate the fertility of Mother Earth and that what we have planted can finally be harvested.

The name 'Lughnasadh' comes from the Celtic sun god Lugh, the sun is common during lughnasadh, this is symbolically placed on the altar, or the warm colors and sunflowers can be found. From now on, the sun will set earlier, and the days will be shorter.

Correspondences for Lughnasadh; Symbols | Sun symbols, corn dolls, corn, breads, fruits Colors | yellow, gold, green Spells | Prosperity, abundance and harvesting Crystals | citrine, onyx, carnelian, cat's eye and aventurine Herbs and flowers | sunflowers, calendula, poppy, rose, basil Food | Bread, fresh local fruits, vegetables, nuts and oats How to celebrate | make corn pops, go outside and enjoy the sun and nature, harvest local vegetables, fruits and flowers, bake bread.

[nonbinarypastels]

[Image Description: A black color block and pink color block in a vertical row with text that reads “protect queer jewish people / don’t allow antisemitism to exist in queer spaces”]

[ao3commentoftheday]

Thanks for giving me a chance ❤

[hagoftheholler]

Your local forest hag is here to remind y'all that a little can go a long way. So stop coating your candles thick with herbs. You do not want a fire hazard. Save the herbs and spices for seasoning your food.

[spitblossoms]

[oracle-fae]

embroidered bridal veil