Isla Rashi - Art and Literature

45f Feminist and accomplished writer and budding fantasy artist, south west UK

[space-queen]

low-key witchcraft 🌙

for witches who practice in secret, are chronically ill, or anyone else who might need it. ♡

color magic for the clothes you're wearing for the day

meditation and breathing exercises

single card cartomancy readings - you can even use playing cards

craft sigils

use a necklace as a pendulum if you don't have one

stir intention into your drink

add magically charged ingredients to your cooking

bless pre-made meals

bless your drinking water / add sigils to the bottom of your water bottle

craft an easily accessible, easily disguised shoebox or candy tin altar

keep crystals in your pocket or on your person for manifestation

magical planning, introspection, or meditation on low spoons days

practice energy manipulation with the energy readily available around you

gather natural items from the environment and use them as amulets or talismans, depending on what they are (acorns for protection, direction, and to ward against storms, for example)

bath and shower magic for self care if you can - a washcloth or makeup wipe with a simple incantation goes a long way

set a small open container of salt in your room to absorb bad vibes

or get a small salt lamp for the same purpose

open a window to let fresh air inside to cleanse your space

use wax melts, incense, or candles for positive vibes - you can carve sigils into the wax

choose scents that align with your intent for things like sprays, perfumes, soaps, candles, etc.

collect magical water for later use (rain, storm, moon, sun, etc.)

use beads and string or thread to craft charms for protection

craft a dream pillow with calming herbs such as lavender or chamomile for restful sleep

keep a tarot card or crystal under your pillow to manifest intentions as you sleep

cast a protection spell when you go to tie your shoes or buckle the seatbelt in your car

© 2025 space-queen

[islar31]

Liking these

[yourwitchygoblin]

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ How to work with moon phases in spell work ♥

Hey guys! I'm so sorry I went radio black on you all I just kinda went down a mental spiral and then started working with Lord Apollo (its been amazing hes the best!) and well school kinda made it hard to find time but Lord Apollo has taught me that well theres no such thing as the ‘right time’ and there is no such thing as a perfect beginning, only the act of beginning.

So I have decided to write up a bunch of posts today for you guys but also myself and for my Lord!! (Lord Apollo I platonically love you and greatly appreciate working with you and so happy you came into my life to guide me.)

The moon doesn’t just look pretty—it’s also a powerful spiritual and energetic tool. Every phase of the moon brings a different energy, meaning you can time your spells or rituals depending on what you want to manifest, release, or shift.

There are 8 phases of the moon, and all of them carry unique vibes that you can align with during your spellwork.

🌑 New Moon 🌑

Best for: New beginnings, planting seeds, fresh starts

This is the time to set intentions

Great for manifesting new opportunities or change

Think of it as the “blank page” of the moon cycle

🌓 Waxing Crescent 🌓

Best for: Planning, goal-setting, motivation

Start taking baby steps toward your intentions

Build momentum, journal, visualize progress

Light spells for clarity or guidance work well here

🌔 First Quarter 🌔

Best for: Action, strength, overcoming obstacles

Perfect for courage or motivation spells

Push through resistance and take real-world action

Great time to affirm your commitment to your goal

🌖 Waxing Gibbous 🌖

Best for: Refinement, focus, adjustment

Tweak your plans, polish your spells, stay consistent

Prep for peak energy at the full moon

Use this phase to reinforce and strengthen what you’re building

🌕 Full Moon 🌕

Best for: Manifestation, power, releasing blocks

The most intense, powerful energy

Perfect for high-energy spells, attraction, or celebration

Also a good time to release what’s holding you back

Strongest time to charge your tools or create moon water

🌗 Waning Gibbous 🌗

Best for: Gratitude, reflection, sharing wisdom

Journal your wins, express thanks

Begin turning inward, spiritually or emotionally

Helpful for mentorship or spellwork for others

🌘 Last Quarter 🌘

Best for: Letting go, banishing, cutting cords

Release what’s no longer serving you

Shadow work, cleansing, and breaking toxic cycles

Cast spells for clarity, closure, or endings

🌒 Waning Crescent 🌒

Best for: Rest, healing, inner peace

Dream work, divination, and intuition-building

Gentle self-love rituals or rest spells

Clear your space and reset your energy

Moon Water Tip:

You can make moon water during any phase, not just the full moon!

New Moon water = intention-setting and internal work

Full Moon water = energetic boosts, cleansing, and spells

Each phase gives your moon water a different “flavor” of energy—use what matches your goals!

My Final Thoughts~!

You don’t have to follow the moon cycle to do effective spellwork, but aligning with it can boost your results

Even just being aware of what phase the moon is in can help you tune into the world around you more deeply

Working with the moon can feel like syncing with your own natural rhythm—and that’s some pretty powerful magick

[islar31]

Another very helpful summary

[s-culper]

[islar31]

Really wanting this right now... Especially with the rain coming down outside the house today, I can almost hear the waterfall

[greenwitchcrafts]

June 2025 Witch Guide

New Moon: June 25th

First Quarter: June 2nd

Full moon: June 11th

Last Quarter: June 18th

Sabbats: June 24th

June Lovers' Moon

Also known as: Aerra Litha, Brachmanoth, Dyan Moon, Flowering Moon(Ojibwe), Honey Moon, Meade Moon, Moon of Horses, Rose Moon & Strawberry Moon(Ojibwe & Oneida )

Element: Earth

Zodiac: Gemini & Cancer

Nature spirts: Sylphs & Zephyrs

Deities: Aine of Knockaine, Bendis, Cerridwen, Green Man, Ishtar, Isis, Neith & Persephone

Animals: Butterfly, frog, monkey & toad

Birds: Peacock & wren

Trees:  Maple & Oak

Herbs: Dog grass, meadowsweet, mosses, mugwort, parsley, skullcap & vervain

Colors: Gold, gold-green, orange, purple, red & yellow

Flowers: Lavender, orchid, tansy & yarrow

Scents: Lavender & lily of the valley

Stones:  Agate, alexandrite, cat's eye, chrysoberyl, emerald, fluorite, garnet, moonstone, ruby & topaz

Issues, intentions & powers:  Abundance, love, marriage, prosperity & relationships

Energy: Balance, change of residence, communication, decision making, education, family relations, full/restful energy, positive transformation, prevention, protection, public relationships, responsibility, strengthening, tides turning, travel & writing

 

Litha

Known as: Alban Heruin, Midsummer Gathering Day, & Summer Solstice

Season: Summer

Element: Fire

Symbols: Bonfire, besom, cauldron, faeries, God's eys, rosettes seashells, solar cross/sun wheel, spirals, sun symbols. & wands

Colors: Blue, gold, green, orange, red, tan, white & yellow

Oils/Incense: Cinnamon, frankincense, heliotrope, lavender, lemon, lily of the valley, musk, myrrh, orange, peppermint, pine, rose, saffron, sandalwood, spearmint & wisteria

Animals: Bee, bull, butterfly, cow crab, horse & octopus

Birds: Goldfinch, hawk, kingfisher, meadowlark, owl, robin, swallow & wren

Stones: Agate, alexandrite, aventurine,carnelian, cat's eye,citrine, diamond, emerald, fluorite, jade, lapis lazuli, moonstone, pearl, peridot, tiger's eye & topaz

Mythical: Faeries

Food: Ale, berries, bread, cheese, cinnamon foods, edible flowers, garden foods(fresh), grapes, honey, lemons, mead, milk, oranges, peaches, pears, pine nuts, pumpernickel bread, spinach, summer squash, sunflower seeds, sun-dried tomatoes & wine

Herbs/Plants: Anise, basil, betony, cinquefoil, copal, fennel, fern, frankincense, galangal, heliotrope, hemp, holly, ivy, larkspur, lemon, lemon balm, mistletoe, mugwort, mullein, nettle, rosemary, rue, saffron, St John's wort, thyme, verbena, vervain & ylang-ylang

Flowers:  Carnation, chamomile, daisy, foxglove, heather, honeysuckle, lavender, lily, marigold, meadowsweet, orchid, rose, wisteria & yarrow

Trees: Beech, elder, hazel, laurel, linden , oak & rowan

Goddesses: Aestas, Aine, Ameratasu, Amaunet, Anahita, Anuket, Aphrodite, Arani, Artemis, Astarte, Athena, Aurora, Bast, Bona Dea, Brighid, Cerridwen, Dag, Dana, Eiru, Eos, Epona, Fenne, Frigga, Gaia, Grania, Gwydion, Hathor, Hera, Hestia, Iarila, Inanna, Ishtar, Juno, Kupala, Mabd, Phoebe, Rhiannon, Saule,  Sekhmet, Solntse, Sul, Sunna, Vesta & Yemaya

Gods: Agni, Amun-ra, Apollo, Baal, Balder, Belinos, Bochina, The Dagda, Donnus, El, The Greenman, Hadad, Helios, Hodur, Hu, Huitzilopochtli, Huon, Hyperion, Janus, Jupiter, Kupalo, Lleu, Loki, Lugh, Marduk, Maui, Mithras, Oak King, Odin, , Ogmios, Orunjan, Perun, Prometheus, Ra, Shamash, Sol, Surya, Taranis Thor, Thunar, Vishnu, Woden, Xiuhtecuti & Zeus

Tarot cards: The Empress, The Emperor, The Sun & Strength

Spellwork:  Abundance, empowerment, energy, green magic, faeries, fertility, fire magic, growth, love & motherhood

Issues, Intentions & Powers: Agriculture, changes, divination, endings, fertility, life, light, manifestation, power, purpose, strength, success & unity

Activities:

•Charge and cleanse your crystals in the solstice sun

• Make Sun water

• Create crafts with natural elements such as flowers

• Burn a paper with things that no longer serve you or that you are trying to let go

•  Invite friends & family over for a bonfire and/or feast

• Gather & dry herbs(and flowers) for the upcoming year

• Clean, decorate & cleanse your altar with summer symbols

• Brew some sun tea

• Circle dancing

• Take a ritual bath/shower with flowers

• Make your own sun dial

• Craft a door wreath out of flowers & herbs

• Enjoy some sunrise/sunset yoga or stretching

• Volunteer at a food kitchen or animal shelter

• Plant trees (especially ones that may provide fruit or berries to feed the wildlife)

• Watch the sunset & say a blessing to nature

• Make flower infused anointing/spell oils

• Eat fresh fruits & berries

• Participate in a handfasting or weddings

• Create shadow art

The history of Litha reveals its deep connections to ancient agricultural societies & their reliance on the sun’s power. Celebrated as part of the Wheel of the Year, Litha symbolizes the balance between light & darkness. Throughout history  customs such as bonfires, herb gathering & the construction of sunwheels have marked this festival. Today, Litha continues to be celebrated by various communities, with gatherings at sacred sites & private rituals in natural settings. It serves as a reminder of our connection with nature and the cycles of life.

• The traditions of Litha appear to be borrowed from many cultures. Most ancient cultures celebrated the summer solstice in some way such as the Celts celebrated Litha with hilltop bonfires & dancing. Many people attempted to jump over or through the bonfires for good luck. Other European traditions included setting large wheels on fire & rolling them down a hill into a body of water.

Litha is often associated with Midsummer, a celebration that extends beyond the pagan & Wiccan traditions. Midsummer festivities are observed in many cultures around the world, including Scandinavian countries where it holds a prominent place in their cultural heritage. Midsummer dances, bonfires, & feasts are integral parts of these celebrations, often accompanied by folklore & traditional rituals that honor the sun’s energy & the abundance of nature during this time.

• In the Northern Hemisphere the Summer Solstice occurs when the Sun reaches its highest and northernmost points in the sky. It marks the start of summer in the northern half of the globe. (In contrast, the June solstice in the Southern Hemisphere is when the Sun is at its lowest point in the sky, marking the start of winter.)

Related festivals:

• Vestalia: June 7th -15th-

Was a Roman religious festival in honor of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth & the burning continuation of the sacred fire of Rome. It was held from 7–15 June & was reserved as a women’s-only event. Domestic & family life in general were represented by the festival of the goddess of the house & of the spirits of the storechamber — Vesta & the Penates .

On the first day of festivities the penus Vestae (sanctum sanctorum of the temple of Vesta which was usually curtained off) was opened for the only time during the year, at which women offered sacrifices. As long as the curtain remained open, mothers could come, barefoot and disheveled, to leave offerings to the goddess in exchange for a blessing to them & their family.

For the last day, the penus Vestae was solemnly closed, the Flaminica Dialis observed mourning & the temple was subjected to a purification called stercoratio: the filth was swept from the temple & carried next by the route called clivus Capitolinus & then into the Tiber.

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Wikipedia

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Llewellyn 2025 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living

aianta.org/native-american-moon-names

Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials: Midsummer

[islar31]

Love the way the pagan and witch community share

[witch-of-snow-and-stars]

Some Advice for Beginner Witches/Advice I Wish I Got

I'm by no means an expert in anything magical or an expert witch, this is mostly just advice/tips that I wish I had had when I was first starting my practice OR advice that I think a lot of beginners could benefit from. Resources will also be linked at the end.

This is a rather long post so everything else is under the cut, but I've divided everything into general advice, spiritual practice advice, and community-oriented advice. Links to applicable sources are under Miscellanea.

General Advice/Things to Keep in Mind

Consider the mundane stuff first! Use naturally-sourced/biodegradable and ecologically safe offerings/magic components when working outside or if you're going to return something to the earth (ex. salt will kill plants/damage soil so don't do a salt circle- use crushed eggshells instead and don't bury anything non-biodegradable/naturally sourced), practice good fire safety (ffs every witchy person I've run across has at least 1 'fire incident'), make sure not to expose crystals to things they'll react negatively to (ex. pyrite in water will form sulfuric acid), etcetera etcetera.

You don't need to get all new specialty equipment or a ton of things to start your spiritual practice. You may want to but you by no means do you have to. A lot of everyday items that you may already have can perform magical uses, so just use the things you have until you run into specific items you may want to add to your practice (ie you might make an alter out of things you already have and then switch out elements with new preferred items as you get them). Honestly things might work better if you use older/mundane items you have a close connection to.

Similarly, you don't need to go and get the most expensive things for your craft either. If you're wanting to splurge on anything, splurge on safety supplies (fire safety supplies or anything that will make your practice more safe practically are good places to start) and workhorse items that you will be able to use frequently long-term. This doesn't have to be a major strain on your budget and shouldn't be a financial burden to you.

Magical/Spiritual practitioners DO NOT all believe the same things. Spiritual practices/Spirituality is more of an umbrella category that encompasses many different practices (or practitioner communities) rather than a specific belief system/community and most practitioners ascribe to schools of practice or systems of belief and combine those systems with their own unverified personal gnosis (typically called UPG). Overlaps in beliefs or practices happen fairly regularly, but will be different for different practices.

You can learn something from most practitioners, even if they come from a different belief system or practice (disclaimer: do not take from/try to practice closed practices/religions, I am not telling you to do that). By this I mean that other practitioners will probably have different bases of knowledge and perspectives that may be of help to you even if they come from a different type of practice. Personally, if I'm struggling with understanding a specific concept or I'm having issues linking something up within the rest of my practice, hearing someone else's viewpoint or seeing how they link/incorporate different aspects of their practice can be a catalyst for working through those issues

Take care of yourself. Look into spiritual psychosis and what to look out for, and and try to not fall down the rabbit hole of convert fervor. Most people are not expecting you to have your entire practice nailed down within the first week (tbh your practice will probably change and evolve throughout your life), so take your time and go at a pace that's sustainable for you. You'll probably even have rest/break periods of low/zero engagement in your practice, and if that happens that's fine too!

Magic Advice & Spiritual Practice Tips

I would recommend starting where you are most interested or start working with what you're most inclined towards. For example, don't start with candle magic if you're more interested in plant magic just because it's more recommended for beginners. You're more likely to be able to genuinely engage with and enjoy your practice if you have a connection with what you're doing. Personally I started with astrology and crystals, and then got into divination work with pendulums and tarot before expanding into everything else I do because that was the path my interests aligned with. Your path is probably going to be different, and that's great!

However, if you're looking for easy places to start, I do have recommendations based on how easy they are to access and incorporate into your everyday life. Kitchen witchcraft is pretty easy to start with assuming you already cook (or would like to learn how) and can become very intuitive once you have a good grasp on cooking and magic. Small bits of glamour magic or sigil work can also be easy to do since you're already bathing/clothing yourself (charming clothing and toiletries is fairly easy and beginner friendly). Cartomancy can also be a solid way to go, since a cheap or DIY'd tarot deck or a playing card deck can be fairly accessible for most people. Pendulums, runes, and bone throwing kits/magpie oracles can also be DIY'd easily or bought depending on your preferences.

Incorporate the knowledge and skills you already have! A lot of practical skills you may already have can be of practical application to your practice. I've also found that my magical understanding of concepts is deepened when I understand how things work on a mundane level.

Going along with that last point, I think skill building/skill use can have devotional applications (if devotional actions are part of your practice). Ex. if you worship a deity that is associated with craft or a particular skill, you can absolutely dedicate your pursuit of knowledge in that skill or dedicate a project to a deity/spirit of your choice. Alternatively, dedicate that skill building to yourself or your practice (for example, dedicate the creation of a homemade alter cloth to an alter or towards the growth of your craft/practice)

I have found that there's a lot of advice regarding cursing and doing magic when your experiencing heightened emotions. Personally, I'm curse neutral I don't really do them (I've just never felt the drive to) but I have no issue with them. Do as you will, but be prepared to deal with whatever consequences may arise (tbh this is good general advice for your practice). Regarding doing a working when you're in a heightened emotional state, I would just say in my experience that doing magic in that state can lead to impulsive actions or not thinking something through. Do whatever you're going to do, but maybe calm down or proceed with caution for best results is all I'm saying.

Sometimes the best thing to happen with a working is for it to fail. Maybe you were working with something you shouldn't (like a closed practice that wouldn't pertain to you), or it's something you wouldn't be able to handle, or maybe it's something that would end up being regrettable if it actually worked. There are a lot of reasons why something not working can be for the best, but that is sometimes the best outcome for a working (even if you don't realize it in the moment).

Look for ways to evolve your practice and think outside of the box! Experiment with new applications of different working (like glamour magic to be forgettable/unnoticeable instead of noteworthy), involve new components if they make sense (ex: enchant some ink if the working has a written component), or make your own correspondences based on how things work for you

I have found that location can effect a working quite a bit (and effect you if it backfires). One of the more helpful pieces of advice I've gotten is if you're planning on doing a bainful working/cursework/negative working, don't do that where you live/exist regularly (like your job). Like, if you're wishing bad luck towards someone you don't want to have it backside on you where you sleep and live (working off property at least or at a crossroads world be ideal in this case). Similarly if one was to do a beneficial spell regarding sleep, do that at your home in your bedroom.

This also applies to community advice but: if you come across someone else's working, I would advise that you not tamper with it unless you have to. Beyond not knowing what it's for/affecting, the working may have hazardous components you aren't aware of (sharp bits, mold, toxic/allergic reaction causing substances, etc)

Community Advice & Relationship Building

Like any group of people, magic/spiritual communities can have bad/malicious actors within them, typically in the form of grifters, different types of alt-righters, and cults. I would recommend learning to spot and avoid alt-righters and nazis quickly as the alt-right loves magic & occult spaces and they will try to recruit or radicalize you if they get the opportunity. Familiarizing yourself with ways to spot grifters, red flags for cults, and common symbols/red flags of by the alt-right in magic/ occult spaces is important (learn quick and early and then stay up-to-date on that information for the safety of yourself/others).

You can make your practice as private or collaborative as you'd like, but having friends or community connections is nice! Being friendly and polite will generally go a long way to meet people and see if you would want to try to form connections within different practitioner communities online and offline.

In person locations/events might be a good but unreliable venues for meeting local practitioners, getting supplies, and learning new skills for your practice. Your local shops (depending on availability in your area) will probably have a mix of customers, but there's a decent chance there are regulars that you can meet and maybe form relationships with as well. Metaphysical shops, independent groups, and even areas/towns will also sometimes put on events/meet-and-greets/workshops that can be a fun way to connect with practitioners in your area.

Being friendly and respectful will get you pretty far with creating relationships in different magical spaces/communities. Reaching out to other people (online or irl) can be a good way to network and learn new things

Miscellanea

The Witch of Wonderlust's offering cardigan video here. She also has a plethora of educational videos on her youtube channel

Frankie/ChaoticWitchAunt on youtube also has done good educational content. They primarily do Italian-American folk magic and tarot and I've learned quite a bit from them

@breelandwalker and her show Hex Positive are also wonderful resources.

@friend-crow and @windvexer are also two great witchcraft bloggers

thetarotguide.com has some great guides for the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot cards, the card guides are quite detailed and well written. There is also a small but not insubstantial community of tarot/oracle reviewers on YT that is a nice resource if you are wanting to get a new deck

I've also found the work of Jason Miller to be quite informative. Miller had published multiple books and what I've read of his work had been quite enlightening.

Not to plug my own stuff, but my #tarot musings tag, my witchy recipes, a workshopping correspondences post, charm necklace post, and star jar workings might be some fun and easy places to experiment. I also quite liked my

For more experienced people, please add any advice you'd want beginners to know! For beginners, I hope this helps a bit! Thanks for reading💜

[windvexer]

If I had read this when I started practicing it probably would have saved me at least 2 years of grief

[islar31]

Love this and the spirit it's shared in

[book-of-forbidden-knowledge]

Some Basic Occult Terms You Should Know

If you're a newbie occultist, you might feel a bit thrown off by all of the arcane terminology and magibabble that your books will start throwing at you. Here's a list of all the most important and/or most misued terms, and what they're supposed to mean. (If you're a fantasy writer and you want some authentic occult terms to use for your magic system, this might be useful for you, too!) I have a list of occult fields and divination methods here, so I'll leave them off this list.

Altar: Your working space for ritual. It's called an altar because magic is (usually) an inherently spiritual endeavor — you are communing with grand cosmic forces, of one kind or another. A basic altar consists of your magical tools, candles (for vibes), and images or statues of whatever spirits you're working with. (Spelled altar with an "a," not alter with an "e." An alter is a headmate or a personality in a DID system.)

Athame: A ritual knife, specifically one used in Wicca. It's mostly used for directing energy, rather than for cutting things. (Sometimes, a knife or sickle that is used for cutting things is called a boline.)

Apotropaic: Referring to protection magic. An apotropaic charm is a spell meant to keep bad stuff away. Amulets are apotropaic talismans.

Astral: The spirit world. The astral plane is the literal or figurative "above" in "As above, so below." "Astral" can refer to ethereal or spiritual beings or "energy." Sometimes magic is called "Astral Light," like the Force in Star Wars. Astral projection is traveling through the astral plane during meditation, by sending one's spirit or astral body away from one's physical body.

Besom: A witch's broom, specifically a traditional broom made of twigs tied around a pole. It's just an old term for a broom. (Witchcraft likes to make use of Old and Middle English words.)

Baneful: Describes any kind of spell designed to harm or inhibit another person. Also called malefic (as opposed to benefic) magic.

Banishing: A spell that is designed to force unwanted vibes out of a space. Usually performed at the beginning and end of a ritual, so you can begin with a "blank slate." It's like hitting the magical reset button. Also good for managing negative emotions. The best-known banishing in Western occultism is the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. A banishing can also be a type of baneful working that forces a person's influence out of your life.

Binding: A spell that is designed to prevent a person or entity from acting. A binding spell can prevent a person from harming themself or others, or prevent a spirit from misbehaving.

Charm: A generic term for a spell, especially one represented by a physical object or phrase. A lot of charms are inscriptions or symbols written on paper and kept on one's person.

Conjuring: A spell or ritual that summons a spirit. Invocation and evocation are both types of conjuration.

Correspondences: Magical properties of things existing in nature, e.g. colors, crystals, plants, animals, elements, planets. They were once called occult virtues, and were a staple of Renaissance magic. They're like the building blocks of a spell or ritual, and they can be used as tools to align natural forces with the magician's intent.

Curse: A baneful enchantment, a spell designed to cause harm to another person. There's lots of different types of curses, and lots of reasons to cast one. Sometimes the word hex is used interchangeably.

Demonolatry: The practice of worshipping demons, as opposed to demonology, which is the study of demons or any magical working involving demons. Some magicians prefer to bind and command demons rather than worshipping them, but demonolators treat demons the way pagan witches typically treat gods.

Divination: Acquiring information by magical means. There's thousands of different methods. Some of the more popular ones are cartomancy, reading cards, cleromancy, casting objects like stones or dice, and scrying, staring into a blank object like a mirror or a crystal ball. Astrology is a kind of divination, too.

Ego Death: A particular type of mystical experience, in which one becomes "submerged" in the infinitely vast presence of God or the Universe, and briefly loses one's sense of self. It can be traumatic the first time one experiences it, which is why it's compared to or symbolized by death. Subsequent times are usually much more peaceful and enlightening. A prerequisite for most mystical traditions.

Egregore: An entity created and sustained by a group of people, a collective thoughtform.

Elements: Much of Western esotericism is based around the four classical elements, Earth (🜃), Air (🜁), Fire (🜂), and Water (🜄). They're better understood as the four states of matter: solids (🜃), liquids (🜄), gasses (🜁), and plasma (🜂). Each one is understood as a spiritual force, with its own correspondences and areas of life that it governs. Much of Western magic involves harnessing their influence.

Enchanting: Imbuing an object or place with magic. The magic of the enchantment will last much longer than the duration of the ritual.

Evocation: Calling a spirit to appear before you within a ritual space, a more correct word for summoning. Ideally, a successful evocation will cause the spirit to manifest before you in some way (though you might need a scrying mirror in order to see it).

Familiar: A personal spirit that aids a witch or other magic practitioner. Distinct from a servitor in that it is an external entity that helps the witch of its own accord, not one that the witch themself has created. Traditionally shaped like an animal, but not always. (Lately, the term has become popular as a word for a witch's pet or animal companion. Lots of people use the word "familiar" to refer to pets that aid with magical workings. Traditionally, though, familiars are spirits, not actual animals.)

Fetch: A witch's astral body (or servitor) sent forth to do their bidding.

Glamour: A type of enchantment or illusion spell that changes the appearance of something. In real life, glamour spells won't literally change the physical appearance of a thing, but they will change people's reactions to a thing, e.g. casting a glamour on yourself can cause other people to perceive you as being more attractive.

Grimoire: A book of magic (as opposed to a book about magic). There are lots of mysterious magic books that circulated in Europe in the Middle Ages and early modern period. These books are full of spells, rituals, and weird symbols meant to conjure spirits, gain secret knowledge, and control other people. Modern grimoires are books of practical spells and rituals for experienced practitioners, as opposed to theory or how-to guides. Most occultists also keep a personal grimoire to record their own spells and rituals and their results. (In Wicca, a personal grimoire is called a "Book of Shadows.")

Incantation: Magic words, especially spoken (as opposed to written) spells.

Invocation: Calling a spirit to give you some of its power, either by lending its attention or influence to your magical working, or by physically possessing your body and mind. The latter type of invocation can be partial, meaning you share your body/mind with the spirit, or total, in which the spirit possesses you completely. Don't attempt total invocation alone! Total invocation needs a group ritual, so that other people can tell you what you do and say while possessed, and keep you safe. (Besides, partial invocation is intense enough as it is.)

Left-Hand Path: In Western occultism, the Left-Hand Path is an umbrella term for traditions that take an iconoclastic or self-interested approach to magic. LHPers tend to resent dogma, question taboos, and place emphasis on one's personal power or divinity over unification with the Divine or service to others.

Magic: It's impossible to properly define "magic," with all of its nuances, in a list like this. So I'll give the short version: One famous definition is Aleister Crowley's, "causing change in accordance with Will." This is a pretty broad definition that includes anything done with intention. A more academic definition of magic is "heterodox ritual behavior." Personally, I prefer "harnessing spiritual or supernatural forces to cause desired change in one's life."

Mysticism: The practice of facilitating direct interaction with the Divine, i.e. meeting God face-to-face, in order to acquire spiritual knowledge. Mysticism is taxing and comes with a real risk of insanity, so, it requires a lot of diligent study and mental discipline for most people.

Necromancy: Originally, necromancy referred to a type of divination, which involved calling the spirit of a dead person to ask it questions. (The "Speak With Dead" spell in D&D is a great example of traditional necromancy.) Lately, though, "necromancy" has come to refer to any kind of magic involving the dead. (Be respectful! Dead people are still people.)

Patron Deity: A god or goddess that takes a personal interest in you and your spiritual development. You can't force a god to take interest in you, so you may or may not have a patron deity. If you don't have one, don't worry, you can still do magical work with gods! See this post for the rundown. (Btw, the feminine of "patron" is patroness, not "matron." "Matron" means something different.)

Pentacle: A type of circular talisman inscribed with a sigil representing a spirit or planet, used to evoke its influence. Typically worn as a pendant. Also refers to a pentagram (five-pointed star) in a circle.

Poppet: A doll made of clay or cloth used to represent a person in a spell. In pop culture, poppets ("voodoo dolls") are best known as cursing tools, by being pricked with pins or otherwise harmed in order to harm the person. But there are lots of potential uses for poppets beyond that! For example, they can also be used as healing tools by being stuffed with herbs, or taken care of like a sick person. A type of sympathetic magic.

Projection: Pushing one's own magical power or intention out of one's body, using one's wand or dominant hand. Astral projection is pushing one's spirit out of one's body. A projection is also a type of illusion that creates the appearance of something that isn't there (as opposed to a glamour, which disguises something that is there).

Right-Hand Path: In Western occultism, the Right-Hand Path is an umbrella term for traditions that adopt a formalized structure, and/or place emphasis on mystical union with God and achieving enlightenment. The RHP tends to be more community-focused, as opposed to the LHP's radical individualism. RHPers also care about order, and working according to established traditions.

Servitor: An entity created by the magician. Usually, servitors are "programmed" to perform specific tasks, like magical robots. A servitor created by a group of people is an egregore. A servitor with its own personality and agency is sometimes called a tulpa, but this word is appropriated from Tibetan Buddhism, so I tend not to use it. (My personal spirit insists that he is not a tulpa. Also "tulpamancy" drives me up the wall — "-mancy" means divination, people!)

Sigil: An abstract symbol or glyph meant to represent the desire or intention of the magician. Can also be a generic term for magic symbols or seals in grimoires. Sigils have ancient roots, but the practice of turning one's desire or intention into an unreadable symbol is a modern one. Sigil magic streamlines the process of casting a spell, making it simple, but more difficult, because you have fewer tools and gimmicks to do the heavy lifting for you. (Technically, a sigil does not have to be a symbol — it can be a mantra or incantation, a song, a series of dance steps, etc. as long as it abstractly represents the desire.)

Sympathetic Magic: Magic that affects a target by acting upon a symbol of the target, like using a poppet to represent a person, or using a rose to represent the influence of the planet Venus. Anything you do to the symbol, you do to the target. The magical connection between the symbol and the target is called a "sympathetic link." Correspondences are often used as material representations of immaterial things, like luck or love or protection. By acting upon the material object, you affect the immaterial thing.

Talisman: A spell in the form of an object. There's lots of different kinds of talismans: magic words or sigils written on paper, enchanted jewelry, pentacles, natural objects with their own magical properties (like crystals or feathers), packets of herbs and other ingredients, etc. An amulet is an apotropaic talisman. A talisman has to be the spell itself, so, magical tools are (mostly) not talismans.

Theurgy: Deity work. Magic or mysticism involving the invocation of deities, or the practice of casting spells with the aid of a god or goddess. Mystical theurgy attempts to acquire knowledge of the universe by contemplating the Divine, eventually reaching unification with it.

Thoughtform: A thought or idea that is projected out into the universe so that it will manifest physically. The more coherent the thoughtform, and the more willpower behind it, the easier it will be for it to manifest. Thoughtforms are based on the idea that thoughts alone have some degree of existence, even agency. Everything man-made began as an idea in someone's head...

Trance: An altered state of consciousness. Most kinds of magic require one to be able to enter a trance state at will. There are lots of methods of entering a trance state, in broadly two categories: inhibitory trance, which creates an altered state of consciousness by physically restricting the body or mind, and excitatory trance, which creates an altered state of consciousness by overstimulating it.

Unverified Personal Gnosis: The divine messages or insights that a mystic receives during ritual or trance. They're unverified because they don't really hold water for anyone but the mystic themself. (It is not a good idea to go around insisting that your revelations are the infallible word of God and everyone should listen to you.) Shared Personal Gnosis is when multiple mystics have similar experiences or revelations. Verified Personal Gnosis is when your experiences or revelations are attested in historical sources.

Ward: A type of apotropaic spell that protects an area, like a kind of spiritual shield.

[islar31]

Lovely summary, good aid

[divine-crows]

Anecdotes on How to Incorporate Art and Magic Without Failing

I love creating things, and I equally love being in tune with my spiritual side. I find that when I try to mesh the two I quickly feel burnt out both from the mental planning it takes for projects, and partly from having to pour in so much energy into every ounce of what I create. I dabble in traditional drawn art, crochet, knitting, and embroidery. As a result, my tips will be more focused on those areas, but I hope to provide some help to those interested in art magic regardless of their chosen art format.

Without further ado- here are some tips on how to increase your success in art magic based on my personal experience.

1. Do not get caught up in weaving in every little feeling and detail.

When I first started my art magic journey, I would get caught up in making sure I completely focused on my intent while I was creating my works. Since most spells emphasize how important it is to maintain focus on intent, I was under the impression that my journey into art magic would apply the same principle. However, I found that this was hard to maintain and would lead to me getting frustrated with my wandering mind.

Instead, I would advise as approaching it as being in a meditative state. You let your mind ebb and flow-- you acknowledge the thoughts and you let them go, occasionally thinking of the intent of course.

2. Utilize symbolism (numbers and colors aplenty)

This is my solution to my issue with focused intent. Whenever I include colors, animals, or numbering I use it as a tool to focus my intent. For me, it enables my mind to wander freely, while still having piece of mind towards the intent. I mainly use animal and plant symbolism along with color symbolism, but there are plenty of other things you can incorporate.

3. Working in Spell Elements Beforehand and Afterhand

Sometimes I like to start a project by reciting a chant before I begin a project. Typically it'll be a sort of enchantment I'll plance on the tool used to create the project, and following up with a sort of spell to incorporate that enchantment to the art I made. You can also ground yourself before you make art, or you can craft a spell to seal the intent into the artwork.

4. Listening to Music that Matches your Intent.

If you're like me, you probably enjoy having something else to focus on while you work. Putting together a playlist with songs that capture the emotions you want to pour into your spell can be perfect for that reason.

5. Take Breaks from Art Magic to do Things Just for the Sake of Doing It

It's easy to stress over making everything perfect and doing everything in some contrived "proper" way, but I find that when I worry too much that's when I lose sight on what makes my art feel magical. Sometimes that means setting down a piece to do something else, sometimes that means making silly fanart, and sometimes that means I don't touch anything art related for a week so I can find purpose again.

Your art is a reflection of your soul, or it can be a reflection of the world and people around you. It's messy, it's ugly, it's beautiful, it's perfect. All at the same time. Give yourself room to just enjoy yourself every once in a while.

6. Let Yourself be Spontaneous

I'm the type of person where I always have an idea of how things should be in my head-- which also means I can't stand it when things don't quite work out in my favor. In cases of doing art magic, I've found that the best thing I can do is listen to my gut instinct even if it means doing something way different than I would normally want to create. Try out abstract art, incorproate junk into your paintings, try a new medium!

[islar31]

Very helpful pointers

[k-marzolf]

"Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.”

[islar31]

I am always Your black cat my Mistress Raven

[buriedpentacles]

Low-Energy Ways to Work with Nature and her Spirits:

Look outside. That's it - just open the curtains and see the sunlight, find the trees outside your window and watch the birds.

Put on a documentary or youtube video about a cool animal, ecology, the natural world etc

Talk to nature - whisper, talk out loud, say it in your head - just talk. Compliment pretty flowers, chat about how creepy but cool you think spiders are, picture light dancing off morning dew.

Trace the shapes of leaves/flowers/animals etc on your bed sheets or skin - try to see how many different shapes make up the natural world, find the patterns and fractals within them

Learn the name of one new local plant a week! Just one a week! If you have the energy, research a little about their ecology, history or medicinal uses

Make a flower crown/daisy chain/leaf crown

Take up nature photography - you don't need a fancy camera, jsut your phone!

Collect some shells/rocks/bones etc!

Just sit outside! can be just outside your front door, next to an open window, or in the woods (whatever you can manage)

Take your daily activities outside!! Read in the garden, eat your breakfast under the sun etc

Create art from nature - paint rocks, press flowers, create patterns using feathers or leaves as paintbrushes/stamps

Cloud watching!

More High Energy Activities:

Go for a walk or hike outside and take some offerings. Introduce yourself to the trees and plants and streams and leave them a gift.

If there's one nearby, visit a local farmer's market and buy some local produce; honey, meat, vegetables, fruit, etc! Chat to the sellers and talk about their practices and produce

Do a small spell outside! Find a secluded, comfortable spot and invite the spirits to observe your spellwork - let them get used to your energy and way of working

Make a small diary of your time outside! Don't worry about filling it in regularly, just whenever you have the energy! Write down when the bees start coming out or leaves return after winter. What plants stay during the cold season?

Research local plants and come up with your own correspondences based on their ecology/medicinal use/folklore etc

Go on a walk to see what plants and animals exist in your area! Research them - are they native? Invasive? What is their ecology? Medicinal uses? Even the most urban areas tend to have some wildlife!

Join a local facebook group for birdwatching!

Research your area and figure out what plants or animals would be native, or used to live there - create artwork or something to honour and remember them

Research gardening groups nearby - some cities will have volunteer gardening projects or local groups that help maintain natural spaces! See if any would be feasible for you to join and get out there

Join a local allotment or community garden if you have the means - do some weeding, plant some tomatoes, say hello to the coal tits nesting in the old shed!

If you have the means - invest in a hardy houseplant! Name it, research its care and talk to it! Make a ritual out of watering and talking to it.

Take an online ecology course! Free courses exist and can be super interesting!

Watch youtube videos on a favourite taxa and make notes - build your own knowledge at a pace you're comfortable with on the things you're interested in!

Invite some nature spirits in for a meal - cook something you enjoy and set the table (if you can) for the spirits. Enjoy a meal with them.

Please add any suggestions you have below and I can add them! Everyone has unique energy levels and capabilities, but I hope that I've given people a quick idea of things they can do, if they want!

[islar31]

I found this really helpful and inspiring

[dark-corner-cunning]

Bread from the Hollow: A Mountain Witch’s Sourdough Spell 🍞

Lately, I’ve been downright beside myself with everything sourdough—can’t get enough of it. My house has turned into a full-blown mountain bakery, with flour dusting every surface and loaves rising like quiet prayers in every warm corner. I’ve been handing out bread loaves like love notes, tucking warm rounds into the arms of folks I love, each one a blessing wrapped in brown paper and sealed with a "Made With Love" sticker. And like any true mountain witch, I’ve been folding my magic into the dough—sealing every loaf with workings of Nourishment, Prosperity, and Protection.

In the old mountain ways, the hearth was the heart of the home—and the kitchen, a place where magic and meal danced together in the same pot. The Granny witches of these hills knew food fed more than the belly—it fed the bones, the heart, the soul. Prayers were pinched into biscuits, healing stirred slow into stews, and intention rose right alongside the dough.

Bread, most of all, held a certain power. Sacred and sustaining, it carried the alchemy of time, patience, and hands that know. It brings to mind that line from the movie Red Riding Hood (2016), when the old grandmother says, “All sorrows are lessened with bread.” Ain’t that the truth? There’s something in a loaf—humble and golden—that soothes grief, mends tired hearts, and reminds us we still belong to something warm and good.

The rise of the dough ain’t just science—it’s a slow kind of resurrection. A fermentation of hope.

So, this here is my sourdough bread spell—born of love, flour, and fire. It calls on the element of Earth to ground, the element of Fire to transform, and the living, breathing spirit of fermentation to wake what’s been lying dormant. Like any true cunning magic, it’s both spell and sustenance, meant to bless the body and charm the soul.

May your hands stay warm, your belly stay full, and your spirit never go without.

---------🍞---------🍞---------🍞---------🍞---------

Sourdough Spell for Nourishment, Prosperity, and Protection

(For one loaf)

🌾 Magical Ingredients & Their Witchery

Sourdough Starter – Your living familiar. A spirit in a jar. Represents legacy, renewal, and transformation. Carries your energy over time. Feed it like kin.

Flour – The body of the spell. Represents abundance, stability, and foundation. Choose with care. Wheat flour ties to old harvest rites.

Water – The connector. Binds and activates. Use clean or blessed water. Represents intuition, flow, and emotional nourishment.

Salt – The protector. Banishes unwanted energies and holds the spirit of the bread intact. Represents boundaries, purification, and grounding.

Time (fermentation) – The unseen worker. Represents patience, transformation, and the will to become.

Fire (baking) – The final spellwork. Transforms potential into being. Represents will, passion, and manifestation.

Sourdough Recipe:

120 grams sourdough starter

400 grams of flour

250 grams of warm water

9 grams of salt

---------🍞---------🍞---------🍞---------🍞---------

Working The Spell

1. Morning Intention

Before you begin, light a candle near your prep space. Wash your hands in cool water with a pinch of salt to clear your energy. Speak aloud:

"As I mix, I mend. As I knead, I weave. As I bake, I bless."

2. Mixing the Dough

Combine your starter, flour, water, and salt in a large bowl. As you stir, chant softly or silently:

"Flour and water, womb of stone,

Feed the spirit, flesh, and bone.

Salt to shield, and time to bless—

May all I need come to possess."

Focus on your intention: Are you baking for strength? For protection? For steady income? Pour that into your hands as you knead.

3. Folding & Fermenting

Every time you fold your dough, whisper a small charm. You might say:

"Rise with power, rise with grace,

Bless this home, this heart, this place."

Cover the dough and leave it to rest. Let the spirit of fermentation do its quiet magic... I do let my loaves ferment overnight in the fridge.

---------🍞---------🍞---------🍞---------🍞---------

✒️ Scoring the Sigil

When your dough is ready for baking, dust the top with flour and score it with a blade. This is where you carve your sigil of intent—it can be a simple crossroads ( + ) for protection, a rune for wealth, or your own mark created for this working.

As you score, say:

"By cut and curve, I shape this spell—

Let all be done, and all be well."

I chose a crossroads symbol for protection.

---------🍞---------🍞---------🍞---------🍞---------

🔥 Baking the Bread

Slide your loaf into the hot oven. As it bakes, sit with the scent. Visualize your intent rising and solidifying in the world. Let it fill your space with warmth and quiet power.

When the loaf is done and cooled, hold it in your hands. Say:

"From flame and flour, crust and crumb,

The spell is sealed. So, mote it becomes."

Wrap it up and then share it—or savor it—as an act of sacred nourishment.

---------🍞---------🍞---------🍞---------🍞---------

When you pull that golden loaf from the oven, know this, darlin’—you’ve stirred up a quiet kind of wonder. You’ve fed more than just belly-hunger; you’ve nourished spirit and home, weaving care into every crumb and tucking a bit of spellcraft into the crust. This one’s for you, reader—a gift from my hearth to yours, baked up with magic and love. May each slice bring you comfort and blessing, and may your hearth never be without warmth, wonder, or witchery.

[islar31]

This is really helpful from a magical perspective. What I found locally is my tap water doesn't just contain chlorine which evolves off when left standing, but chloramine ... Which doesn't. It's basically bleach to kill germs (nod nod Donald). So for success use organic flour and spring water (bottled is fine) and you get a far better starter.

All hail the green man, lady moon and mother earth all.

[amity-witchcraft]

How to handle my craft being interrupted by someone who doesn’t practice it?

I’m a beginner, I don’t wanna be rude but I don’t know how to handle a non witch interrupting spell work or tarot reading. How can I do this politely

You can maybe ask them to give you space when you are doing something, or find a place where you know you can’t get interrupted (like a room with a door lock or a public empty space like an empty park)

Sometimes you might get interrupted and such. What’s important is that you keep your focus on your craft. If you find that people choose to not listen even after you have told them to stop then you can try looking for more private spaces to practice

I dont typically get interrupted as much when im practicing but I get how frustrating it can be when someone interrupts you in general. Set your boundaries with people and help yourself when you know you might be interrupted :)

[islar31]

Organisation and discipline will remove most problems. Like anything, it requires effort on my experience. Random interruptions can always happen, cats, children, etc :) hope that helps!

[yourwitchygoblin]

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Different types of spirit guides & their roles ♥

Actually I must admit I am not the most educated on this topic, however I still do know quite a bit so if anyone has any information that I'm missing out on then feel free to comment and correct me or reblog with corrections and additional information

I also want to say that additionally the spirit guides I talk about here exclude deities like Gods, Goddess, demons, angels, demi-gods and demi-goddesses, or dragons, mer-folk (including sirens and mermaids as well as other sea spirits like selkies), the fae and other known spirits.

Spirit guides are beings that support, protect, and guide us through life’s journey. They can show up in subtle nudges, sudden clarity, dreams, signs, or strong gut feelings—and they each have their own vibe and purpose.

Not all guides stick around forever. Some are here for a lifetime, some for a specific chapter, and some show up, drop a lesson like a cosmic mic, and bounce once their job is done.

🌙Types of Spirit Guides (and what they’re great at)🌙

🕊️Lifelong Guides🕊️

Your main ride-or-die(s). They’ve been with you since birth (or early life), and they usually:

Offer big-picture guidance

Help shape your path

Ground you through spiritual changes They might feel super familiar, like you’ve known them forever—and you probably have, soul-wise.

🦉Lesson Guides / Temporary Guides🦉

They appear when you’re learning something specific or going through a major transformation.

Help you grow and shift

Teach you hard (or soft) lessons

Leave once their purpose is complete You might not even realize they were there until they’re gone and something inside you feels… wiser.

🔥Protector Guides🔥

Here to defend you—especially energetically.

Warn you about unsafe people or spaces

Help block spiritual attacks or curses

Sometimes feel very strong or even intimidating They’re the “don’t mess with my person” type of energy.

🌿Healer Guides🌿

These guides help with emotional, physical, or spiritual healing.

Often step in during illness, grief, or burnout

Might guide you toward helpful people, habits, or spiritual tools

Can be very calm, gentle, and nurturing

🪶Messenger Guides🪶

They help pass along information from your spiritual team, dreams, ancestors, or deities.

Deliver messages, signs, and synchronicities

May work through animals, numbers, dreams, or random “coincidences”

You’ll often feel like something’s trying to tell you something when they’re around

🧚Nature & Elemental Guides🧚

Connected to forests, rivers, animals, or elements like fire, water, air, and earth.

Grounding, inspiring, and deeply connected to nature

May guide you through shadow work, intuition building, or reconnecting with your roots

Great for witchy folks, animists, or pathworkers

My Final Thoughts

Spirit guides come in many forms: animals, ancestors, human-like beings, energy forms, or even abstract symbols

Some people meet their guides through dreams, meditation, automatic writing, or divination

You don’t have to know their names or see them clearly for them to be helping you

Your team changes as you change. Trust that the right guide shows up when needed

They’re not here to control your life. They’re here to support your growth, remind you of your power, and help you find your own way.

[islar31]

My spirit animal is from the forest. I'm not sure what form it takes yet. I know I have a storm thrush as one of my visitors. Sitting on the top of a tree on the summer when the air was heavy and my feelings were low. It's piercing song helped lift my mood so much and it's a song that's stayed with me and one of the reasons I embrace being in the woods.

[thecupidwitch]

Magical Properties of Vegetables

Alfalfa sprouts: prosperity

Asparagus: lust, grounding

Artichoke: lust, protection, personal growth

Beans: grounding, love, lust, prosperity, protection

Beet: beauty, love, passion

Broccoli: strength, leadership, protection

Brussels Sprouts: protection, luck, rebirth, stability, courage

Cabbage: fertility, health, longevity, love, money, protection

Carrot: banish, clarity, fertility, illusions, health

Cauliflower: protection

Celery: grounding, lust, mental powers, peace, psychic powers

Corn: spirituality, protection, abundance

Cucumber: purity, fertility, healing

Eggplant: wealth, prosperity

Endive: love, lust, physical strength

Horseradish: Exorcism, purification, banishing, empowering, warding

Lettuce: stamina, sleep, rest

Leek: love, physical strength, protection

Mushroom: psychic awareness, physical strength, hidden truths, courage, healing, health

Onion: warding, protection, health, banishing, virility, fertility, energy, psychic power

Pea: love, prosperity

Pepper green: growth, prosperity

Pepper red: energy, strength, vitality

Pepper yellow: empowered creativity

Potatoes: Protection, compassion, potency, wishing

Pumpkin: healing, money, prosperity, abundance, divination

Radish: lust, protection

Rhubarb: fertility, love, protection

Spinach: fortitude, physical strength, general physical health, prosperity, money

Sweet Potato: love, lust

Squash: spirituality

Tomatoes: protection, warding, health, money, luck, love

Turnip: warding, banishing

Zucchini: spirituality, protection, prosperity, lust, abundance

*source: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen*

*source2: Scott Cunningham Encyclopedia Of Magical Herbs*

[islar31]

Love this, I'm so definitely a nature and kitchen witch. Seen and have herbals but veg guide much appreciated

[thevixenwitch]

Hey fellow pagans! Do you post actively about any branch of Celtic Paganism? Please reblog this so I can follow you!

[islar31]

Trying to post more as I do a lot of short fiction and stories.

[thevixenwitch]

Sources for Celtic History and Paganism!

So today I was reading Ancient Fire: An Introduction to Gaulish Celtic Polytheism by Segomâros Widugeni when it struck me just how many of the sources were the type of thing that wouldn't necessarily come up on a regular search, particularly some out-of-print books, a lot of which are actually available on the Internet Archive! I took some time to take note of each listed source, and tried to see if I could find the right place to request them from (in the case of a handful of articles and theses), find PDF links where they did already exist, basically whatever I could! Some books are available to buy, most secondhand, and while most are available on Amazon, I won't be linking those here. I'd encourage anyone shopping to consider an alternative option if they can! Now, I haven't read through all of these, but the moment I found at least one of them seems to be impossible to find, I was reminded of the dangers of dying media. So I wanted to put these together so anyone could use them. Not every resource listed is in English. Anyway, on to the list~

Cernunnos: Looking a Different Way

By Ceisiwr Serith

https://ceisiwrserith.com/therest/Cernunnos/cernunnospaper.htm

Cernunnos Origin and Transformation of A Celtic Divinity

By Phyllis Fray Bober

https://www.scribd.com/document/460345187/cernunnos-origin-and-transformation-of-a-celtic-divinity-phyllis-fray-bober

Basic Celtic Deity Types

by Alexei Kondratiev

https://naomh-na-tursan.livejournal.com/5752.html

Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans

Book by Ceisiwr Serith

https://www.scribd.com/document/362472999/Deep-Ancestors-Practicing-the-Religion-of-the-Proto-Indo-Europeans

The Gods of the Celts and the Indo-Europeans

Book by Garrett S. Olmsted

https://www.academia.edu/38135817/The_Gods_of_the_Celts_and_the_Indo_Europeans_revised_2019_

Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend

Book by Miranda Aldhouse-Green

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/dictionary-of-celtic-myth-and-legend_miranda-aldhouse-green/543335/#edition=5215209&idiq=16154030

The Book of The Great Queen: The Many Faces of the Morrigan from Ancient Legends to Modern Devotions

Book by Morpheus Ravenna Further

to tongu do dia toinges mo thuath [“Mi a dyngaf dynged it”], &c.

By John Koch

https://www.academia.edu/7242277/Further_to_tongu_do_dia_toinges_mo_thuath_Mi_a_dyngaf_dynged_it_and_c

Goddesses in Celtic Religion Cult and Mythology: A Comparative Study of Ancient Ireland, Britain and Gaul

By Noémie Beck

http://theses.univ-lyon2.fr/documents/lyon2/2009/beck_n#p=0&a=title

The Integration of Mercury and Lugus: Myth and History in Late Iron Age and Early Roman Gaul

By Krista Ovist

https://archives.library.wales/index.php/integration-of-mercury-and-lugus

Lady with a Mead Cup: Ritual, Prophecy, and Lordship in the European Warband from La Tène to the Viking Age

Book by Michael J. Enright

How to Kill a Dragon: Aspects of Indo-European Poetics

Book by Calvert Watkins

https://ia801404.us.archive.org/view_archive.php?archive=/7/items/twain-mark-a-connecticut-yankee-in-king-arthurs-court/1-ptry.zip&file=How%20to%20Kill%20a%20Dragon%20-%20Aspects%20of%20Indo%20European%20Poetics.pdf

The Celtic Gauls: Gods, Rites and Sanctuaries

Book by Jean-Louis Brunaux

The Apple Branch: A Path to Celtic Ritual

Book by Alexei Kondratiev

https://archive.org/details/applebranchpatht0000kond

Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology

Book by James Mackillop

https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofcelt0000mack

The female deities of the Celtic religion: worship and mythology: a comparative study of ancient Ireland, Great Britain and Gaul

By Noémie Beck

https://theses.fr/2009LYO20084

Celtic Curses

Book by Bernard Mees

https://www.academia.edu/1012094/Celtic_Curses_Woodbridge_Boydell_2009

Guide to Irish Mythology

Book by Daragh Smyth

https://archive.org/details/guidetoirishmyth00smyt

The Sacred Isle

Book by Dáithí Ó hÓgáin

https://archive.org/details/sacredislebelief0000ohog

The Matronae and Matres: Breathing New Life into an Old Religion

By River Devora

http://polytheist.com/the-web-of-blessings/2015/08/12/the-matronae-and-matres-breathing-new-life-into-an-old-religion/

Interpretatio Romana and Matronae Iconography

By River Devora

http://polytheist.com/the-web-of-blessings/2015/08/31/interpretatio-romana-and-matronae-iconography/#:~:text=The%20overlay%20of%20interpretatio%20Romana,and%20plaques%20and%20glean%20valuable

Celtic chiefdom, Celtic state: the evolution of complex social systems in prehistoric Europe

By Arnold, Bettina and Gibson, D. Blair

https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/3086499

*butacos, *wossos, *geistlos, *ambactos. Celtic Socioeconomic Organisation in the European Iron Age. Studia Celtica 40, 2006: 23-41

By Raimund Karl

https://www.academia.edu/245239/_butacos_wossos_geistlos_ambactos_Celtic_Socioeconomic_Organisation_in_the_European_Iron_Age_Studia_Celtica_40_2006_23_41

The Ancient Celts

Book by Barry Cunliffe

https://archive.org/details/ancientcelts00cunl_0

Sengoidelc: Old Irish for Beginners

Book by David Stifter

https://archive.org/details/sengoidelcoldiri0000stif

Greek Kελτóς and Γαλάτης, Latin Gallus ‘Gaul’

By Kim McCone

https://spr.harrassowitz-library.com/article/spr/2006/1/6

Celtic Heritage: Ancient Tradition in Ireland and Wales

Book by Alwyn and Brinley Rees

https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.36494

Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism

By Erynn Rowan Laurie, Kathryn Price NicDhàna, Aedh Rua Ó Mórríghan, Kym Lambert ní Dhoireann and John Machate, ed. by Erynn Rowan Laurie

https://web.archive.org/web/20080418025755/http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usma&c=trads&id=6645

Which witch is which? : a concise guide to Wiccan and Neo-Pagan paths and traditions

Book Compiled and Edited by Patricia Telesco

Sources for the Three Realms

By Annie Loughlin - original source link is dead, need help to locate!

Dictionnaire de la Langue Gauloise

Book by Xavier Delmarre

https://archive.org/details/dictionnairedelal00dela (referred to as “Essential for Gaulish Language study)

The Settling of the Manor of Tara

By R.I. Best

https://www.ucd.ie/tlh/trans/rib.eriu.4.001.t.text.html

The court of law in Iron Age ‚Celtic’ societies. In R. Karl & J. Leskovar (eds.), Interpretierte Eisenzeiten 3. Fallstudien, Methoden, Theorie. Tagungsbeiträge der 3. Linzer Gespräche zur interpretativen Eisenzeitarchäologie. Studien zur Kulturgeschichte von Oberösterreich Folge 22, Linz: Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum 2009: 135-60.

By Raimund Karl

https://www.academia.edu/245221/The_court_of_law_in_Iron_Age_Celtic_societies_In_R_Karl_and_J_Leskovar_eds_Interpretierte_Eisenzeiten_3_Fallstudien_Methoden_Theorie_Tagungsbeitr%C3%A4ge_der_3_Linzer_Gespr%C3%A4che_zur_interpretativen_Eisenzeitarch%C3%A4ologie_Studien_zur_Kulturgeschichte_von_Ober%C3%B6sterreich_Folge_22_Linz_Ober%C3%B6sterreichisches_Landesmuseum_2009_135_60

Matasović Etymological Dictionary Of Proto Celtic

By Ranko Matasović

https://archive.org/details/matasovic-etymological-dictionary-of-proto-celtic

Hammer of the Gods: Anglo-Saxon Paganism in Modern Times Second Edition

Book by Swain Wodening

https://archive.org/details/hammerofgodsangl0000swai

Various Works by Christopher Scott Thompson - recommended re: honor in Gaulish society

https://cateransociety.wordpress.com/books/

A Handbook of the Scottish Gaelic World

Book by Michael Newton and Michael Steven Newton

Celtic Values

By Alexei Kondratiev

http://dagdacelt.freehostia.com/values.html

European paganism : the realities of cult from antiquity to the Middle Ages

By Ken Dowden

https://archive.org/details/europeanpaganism0000dowd

A Definitive Reconstructed Text of the Coligny Calendar

By Garrett Olmsted

https://www.academia.edu/62011364/A_Definitive_Reconstructed_Text_of_the_Coligny_Calendar

New Calendar of Gaulish Polytheism

By Jess via Nemeton Nigromanitcos

https://thebloodybones.wordpress.com/2015/07/10/new-calendar-of-gaulish-polytheism/#more-265

Calendar of Feast-Days of Deities

Via the blog Deo Mercutio

https://deomercurio.wordpress.com/calendar-of-feast-days-of-deities/

Altkeltische Sozialstrukturen

By Raimund Karl

https://homepage.univie.ac.at/Raimund.Karl/Sozialstrukturen.pdf

La Langue Gauloise

Book by Pierre-Yves Lambert

https://www.scribd.com/document/782869557/Lambert-1994-La-langue-gauloise-description-linguistique-commentaire-d-inscriptions-choisies

Death, War, and Sacrifice: Studies in Ideology & Practice

Book by Bruce Lincoln

The Gods of the Celts

Book by Miranda Aldhouse-Green

https://archive.org/details/godsofceltsar00mira

War Goddess The Morrigan And Her Germano Celtic Counterparts

Book by Angelique Gulermovich Epstein

https://archive.org/details/WarGoddessTheMorriganAndHerGermanoCelticCounterparts

Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby

- Database of “almost all inscriptions ever recorded”

https://db.edcs.eu/epigr/hinweise/hinweis-en.html

A website on Gallo-Roman religion:

http://www.deomercurio.be/en/

A scholarly website with information on Epona:

https://epona.net/

[islar31]

Re logged so I can remember to look some of these up ...

[islar31]

The Chalice Well red spring flowing down through the garden. Very tranquil spiritual place. Deep sense of nature connection here for me. I need woods and a full river to wild swim in!

[islar31]

Working on the Universal Sentinels series with some of my local Somerset photographs, then using generative AI on top - i'm liking the results and its very much a Glastonbury feel of fantastical/spiritual #glastonbury #universalesentinels #islar31