Witchy Stuff n Things

[desolatus]

Victor Nizovtsev

[blossomrosie]

AQUARIUS SUN VIRGO MOON GEMINI RISING ARIES VENUS SCORPIO MARS AQUARIUS MERCURY  

( @tosaunteratsonder )

[ilmafirin]

I promised I'd show off this little baby. It's my offering jar for Venus. (Side note, I tend to think of her more as Venus who I feel has a more earth-based and maternal quality that doesn't usually come through with Aphrodite.)

I used a jar of shells from Dollar Tree - the shells represent Venus, of course, and were an appropriate offering for her in Rome (at least early Empire, which is my specialty). I added pink salt and rose quartz, both of which have similar properties for love, self love especially, and the salt has added protection properties. Rose petals are both for love and a symbol of Venus. I threw in some pink opal for healing emotions (I use Venus a lot for a place to come back to after shadow work). Finally, I added some cedar leaves and berries. Cedar can be used for protection and healing, but more importantly, this one comes from a tree growing just outside my apartment that graciously dropped a little branch right beside my car one day, and I feel it ties me to the land here and helps with grounding in general.

[ilmafirin]

My theme for the month of February is self love, so I set up my altar to support that.

My cloth is a dish towel with a mimosa recipe. If you couldn't tell, I really like using dish towels as altar cloths. I like their size and texture for this.

Since I haven't posted my main altar yet, I should probably give a tour. I always have my "athame" (a resin knife I bought from an artist) and a representation of the elements. The shell and bird are regulars for me and I switch out the candle and stone (a red amethyst this time). I also usually keep my abalone and sage stick handy.

I just got the wax warmer. I'm experimenting with burning birthday candles too start my devotionals/meditations and I like to set them in this to keep the wax contained. I also just got the incense burner. My other one is upright and I'm hoping this will do a little bit better at catching the ashes.

I try to have the mirror out. This time I added some crystals to add to the theme: rose quartz, clear quartz, amethyst, and selenite.

Just for this theme, I have the wooden roses, cosmetics jar (this was my grandmother's), and string of heart lights.

The green jar had some dandelion seeds in it from a dandelion I saw growing on January 2 after a particularly bad couple of days. It reminds me I don't have to be in anyone else's timeline.

The last jar is an offering jar to Venus. I don't consider myself a pagan because I don't believe in them as real divinities but just personifications of what they represent. The jar is more to tap into that energy for myself, but more on that in another post.

[ilmafirin]

My Imbolc altar was pretty simple. The altar cloth is a red dish towel. I went for white and light blue flowers as well as lambs ear, which all give me that spring in winter vibe (all repurposed from my wedding). The milk glass vase I got from my mom years ago when she was cleaning out her cupboards and I absolutely love it and use it whenever I can. I also went for plain white taper candles but supplemented them with a winter candy apple candle (it made me think of sweet things in winter, which I feel fits the theme) and some tea lights that I zhuzhed up with some rosemary oil, heather, angelica root, and tiny carnelians in my Himalayan salt holder. There's also a piece of carnelian on the altar to represent the sun and warmth. I put out the seeds I plan to plant to infuse them with my intentions. I also put my little pink cow with them - when researching Imbolc, I came across someone talking about how cows were a great symbol for it, and I thought perhaps it was a bit more appropriate for modern times than goats or sheep. I made an offering of some blackberries as well as some Imbolc incense I found on Etsy.

Not pictured here was the pumpkin bread and beef stew I made.

[ilmafirin]

My altar at work. I wanted it to be low-key so that I can have something to re-center myself but not screaming, "Witch here!" I wanted everything on it to be things that were gifted to me or free to me. I succeeded in that with everything except the small dragon figure and the 2 crystals, but I've also had those for years, so at least nothing new was purchased.

I started with the idea of representing the elements (very important to me) with animals. Then I added 2 if each of them because I'm a big sucker for the number 2. I also liked that the owl is a little planter that I could add offerings to if I feel like it.

I added the plant since I'm always a fan of growing things in altars and this was given to me by my best friend before she moved out of state, so it holds a lot of positive energy for me. I added a second pot that might get a resident later but for now is just a second to the larger pot.

The jester was added as a representation of the Fool and a reminder not to get too bogged down with stress.

I added the 2 crystals after meditating with them after a particularly stressful day. I felt like their energy played well if each other. I think they are citrine and opalite, but they could be big glass marbles for all I really know.

I'm still looking for something to put behind it. I'm thinking pictures of my departed cats right now, but maybe something else will spark an idea.