Moonbeams and Stardust

I'm pretty new at being a Witch so this will mainly be a place for me to learn. I have a daughter, a Corgi, and a cat so don't be surprised if you see a lot of posts centered around them.

[witchesversuspatriarchy]

This goes out to my witches of any gender expression. Too often we silence and shrink ourselves when we need to rise up.

[dovewithscales]

Happy Heliogenna

Oranges are associated with the sun for obvious reasons. The Hesperides, spirits of sunset and evening, tended to Hera’s golden apples.

When my grandmother was young oranges weren’t so easy to come by, and were often gifted to children as treats on Christmas day.

It’s also not uncommon to see oranges used in decorations for winter solstice festivals, in various traditions.

The Hellenic name for the solstice festival is Heliogenna. The birth of the sun. One traditional decoration is oranges sliced into solar discs and hung like so. They’ll air dry naturally over the next few days.

I sliced them and ran a needle and thread through them, unspooling thread as I pulled each one from the bunch. The ends of the oranges went into a pot of water with cinnamon and clove, which is currently steaming on the stove and the whole house smells like holiday desserts.

I also plan to make some orange and clove pomanders.

[obscurexodd]

If doing complex spells is too distracting, don't do them. Maybe you have some sort of disability that makes movement or concentration difficult, maybe you don't. It doesn't matter. If using a million ingredients and doing a hundred steps doesn't work for you, that doesn't make your craft any lesser, in fact, doing what works best for you will be more effective in the long run.

[breelandwalker]

Louder for all my fellow spoonies!

If you need to simplify or tailor your spells to suit personal needs and practical limitations, do it. Whether it’s having to read your incantations rather than memorize them, gesturing a ritual circle rather than walking it, waiting for a high-spoons day to do your casting, keeping things super-simple, or using the materials you have on hand rather than hard-to-find items or substances, your magic will still be effective, because the all-important element in the spell is YOU! Your will, your intention, your determination.

Like OP said, doing what works best for you will be more effective than running yourself ragged trying to fit parameters set by someone else. You are real, you are valid, and so is your craft!

[skaldish]

Call to Action: Protect Religious Freedom

Help the Heathen community defend their religious freedom! Our Heathen identity is in danger from invasive copyright and trademark of religious terms. This is not the first time this has happened. Last year, an individual successfully trademarked ‘HEATHEN’ for commercial gain, barring Heathens from using our own identity marker. Now, ‘Forn Sidr’

Hey all, remember when ‘Heathen’ was trademarked and it was super infuriating?

Well that stunt is getting pulled again. Someone who isn’t even a heathen is trying to trademark ‘Forn Sidr’ and is going after Forn Sidr of America for it.

I cannot emphasize enough how absolutely buckwild this story is. Even if you don’t donate to help FSoA cover legal fees, at least click through to read about the tea.

As always, please donate if you can but reblogs and reposts go a long way even if you have a small blog. Forn Sidr of America needs to achieve this goal by December 18th so it’s crucial this gets around!

[skaldish]

As of 12/8 Forn Sidr of America has raised $679

We have 10 days to raise the minimum $2,500 needed for a legal retainer.

And in case it isn’t evident from the recent update…

Forn Sidr of America has assurance of victory. If you’re sick of white supremacists trademarking Heathen shit for gimmicks, now is the very real opportunity to stop it.

Spread the word!

[fjorn-the-skald]

I was just looking at the website/group that’s trying to trademark the term, and my gods…it makes me cringe: white supremacy, toxic masculinity, and gross misrepresentation/invention of historical ‘facts’…so if you can help Forn Sidr of America in this fight, whether by donating or sharing, please do!

[qedavathegrey]

Practical and Ritual Correlations Between Cooking & the Craft

I’ve always noted the similarities between “cooking” and the Craft – both evolutionary and practically. In other words, I don’t just keep my rituals in a recipe book for no reason, because rituals – for the most part – are in fact recipes. That’s not a new concept, but one adapted by many folds of the Craft. It is also one I haven’t seen thoroughly discussed here (and that might well be my fault for not. looking hard enough, admittedly). As such, I thought I might as well write a short explanation of the symbolic equivalence of the two.

In essence, when broken down, cooking and magic can be explained as the act of: combining items in such a way that they might be transformed into something grander than their individual constituents. Many things in nature can be described as so (specifically chemistry, which cooking is a form of), but I’ll just stick to cooking – as it is something everyone can understand to some extent or another. To perform this action and render wanted results, there are things that must be accounted for.

Ingredients

Without a doubt, these serve the most important aspect of both cooking and the Craft. Let it be noted that I am a traditionalist, and as such, believe plants have as unique an energetic fingerprint as they do a flavor. There is no such thing as substitution. Two “Love” plants are no more interchangeable than two “spicy” herbs. They may well render similar results, but they are not and will never be wholly interchangeable. I’ve read a few posts recently wherein New Agers were attacking traditionalists for saying that there were no available substitutions. The New Agers were angry – saying that the traditionalist believed that: “You just think people with lesser means shouldn’t be practicing!” That accusation was so off-base I nearly spat out my tea.

I vehemently stand with the other Traditionalist in question in that, he/she is right. Not everything can be just replaced all willy-nilly and be expected to render the same results. You wouldn’t rightly expect an onion and a clove of garlic to render the same flavor profile (even though they’re in the same family), so how on earth could you expect to replace one with the other to meet the same end? What you were asking was for something that would compromise the integrity of the given ritual – something I, myself, would also refuse. The audacity one must have to come to a witch and demand that they give you a cheaper substitute that brings the same results is astounding. That isn’t to say witchcraft cannot be performed economically, but you can’t simply demand cheaper options to an already composed ritual and expect the same results. It’s as foolish as it is naïve. I, personally, am very understanding when it comes to the spectrum of financial means in the community and would always be open to – not offering cheaper substitutes for an existing ritual – but offering an entirely new ritual with more economical ingredients. However, if someone were as rude to me as these particular New Agers were being, I would not only have not done this – but may well have found it fitting to rain down a maelstrom of hellfire on them.

I digress, however, to ingredients. They are important and they serve a practical purpose. These needn’t always be plants, obviously, as ingredients can extent to curios, powders, oils, seeds, etc. And while I think I’ve covered substitution, I have not yet covered omission.

In all honesty, I believe I’d omit long before I’d substitute – especially in the case of accessory ingredients – which some spells have and others don’t. In that regard, it’s very much about knowing the correspondences of your herbs. These will not always align from craft to craft – just as identical spices are used in conjunction with other spices that produce unique profiles from culture to culture. They may taste the same (though that isn’t always the case: Mexican Oregano, for example, has a much different taste than the usual oregano with which most are familiar), the other ingredients present can amplify, detract or transform the flavor into something entirely different. A big part of this is that cultures cook with (and use ceremonially), those that grow in their area – for the obvious reason that they’re there. While we live in a modern age where most herbs and spices can be gotten year round and from all over the world, such was not the case until maybe 30 years ago. As such, there are pros and cons with this. Pros extend to the fact that we have a much wider range of available ingredients, ones that can be documented and reproduced much more efficiently in the craft. Conversely, depending on locale, some of these can be very expensive to obtain – and, additionally, we shirk off the herbs that grow commonly in our area. I am very much an advocate for collecting, drying and using the herbs present in your location – it connects you to your specific location’s flora, it allows for the opportunity to expand your knowledges by having to familiarize yourself with and identify the herbs and plants common to your area (especially those that are unique and not sold commercially), and – for the most part – it’s free! Witches have been collecting and identifying for as long as we have been – it would seem a shame to stop it now, just because buying them can be easier. We live in a modern world, I know, but if things had not been broken for millennia, I highly doubt they need any fixing now. It’s a lot easier to keep something alive than try to resuscitate it later.

Pot/Pan/Vessel

Symbolically, the pot/pan exists as a microcosm – the place wherein your ingredients might be combined, and from them, wrought the new. This could be your circle, work space, even your hands. In cooking, it serves to contain and control the working – and the same can be said for the magical element. This is where you control and augment the energies in combination, to bring forth the results you desire – but the pot is a place that is energetically neutral – a place that is conductive to the “heat” that cooking requires, which brings us to:

The Stove/Fire

This is wherein your influence resides. This is the catalyst point, wherein energy might be funnel through you into your working – “cooking” the ingredients. Of course, this isn’t the only place wherein your influence as the “chef” might be noted, as you must tend the whole process – the process that first begins with your desire. You cannot cook if you do not first turn up the heat! (Unless we’re making a ceviche or something, and I don’t think we are…) 

Electricity/Gas/Wood

This is the element few think about when drawing comparisons to cooking and the Craft – but while we (witches) exist as the heat, this heat is not born from nothing (see the Law of Conservation of Energy, if you don’t believe me) – this heat is born from underlying energy. And what this energy is depends heavily on the witch performing. Some choose to draw from Deities, Nature (not personified), the Sun, Moon, Cosmos, specific locations, even Self. It is this energy – that exists at its rawest state that makes the Craft possible. It doesn’t depend where you draw from, only that you do – for without it, all other steps would be wasted. Without this energy, there would be no heat. Without heat, the pan would not conduct, the food would not cook and the whole process would be futile. You could call this Faith – but that is not always correct, as witches and their energetic influences are as varying as possible cooking ingredients. It isn’t about what the chosen source is, though, it’s about choosing one and using it! Find your source, and after that, the rest is cake.

As I’m sure you all know, the list of cooking implements seems to expand almost infinitely, much like instruments in the Craft. For this, however, I’ve stick to the most basic elements as I can: ones unspecialized and easily relatable, and hopefully have helped some in understanding the correlations between cooking and Crafting so that, perhaps, they might gain a further understanding of their own process.

image source

[bourtange]

neato: a 13th-century number notation system created by european monks

[thechildofchristmas]

this is…. actuallly really cool? like, this is probably the shortest number notation in existence and yeah, it’s tricky to use and absolute hell for doing math with, but the ability to denote a 4-digit decimal number into a single character is just really cool as an engineer and it probably had a ton of uses back then like denoting quantities or maybe even secret code you can probably draw this on a combination lock to remember the password and people would be none the wiser

[ginger-hex]

Candle reading made easy

Hey loves, I don’t want to make this post suuuper long so imagine me blowing a welcome kiss to all of you and let’s get started…

The generic practice of reading fire is called pyromancy. 

We can break a candle reading session down to 3 main parts:

Observation (flame watching)

Gathering & understanding (decoding fire’s messages)

Final question & Goodbye (ask if there’s anything else you should know before leaving, thank and salute fire/salamanders)

During the observation phase, watch for:

Length of the flame 1-2 min to know WHEN-the timing = PAST

Shape of the flame 2-3 min to know WHAT-the actual matter = PRESENT

Direction & behavior of the flame 3-4 min to know HOW-the true nature of it = hints at the FUTURE (see where the fire is pointing to know what type of matter it is; concentrate on the opposite direction telling you how to counteract to solve or banish whatever it might be; it also indicates what elemental energy is strongly supporting/protecting you in taking action as well as in related spellwork)

Presence/Absence of Smoke 2-3 min to understand the SOURCE of your awareness 

*Keep a compass handy!

Salamanders/fire will try to communicate with you as soon as you light the fire/candle so pay attention from the very beginning. Fire energy is impulsive, blunt, active, carefree and wild.  This type of divination detects negativity like WOW because it easily speaks the brutally honest truth regardless of how you feel or what’s happening. It brings up issues that we refuse to deal with. Again, it’s pure blunt energy. Because of its wild nature, fire will also charge us with optimism and explosive determination to overcome problems and bad news: typically after pyromancy we feel motivated and “ready to go”.

Length

Long-extra long: something has been bothering you for a very long time now (trust your intuition, probably for years) which you never actively faced; you’ve been quiet for too long; unsolved problems from the past are challenging your patience; relevant stuff that had to be cleared much earlier

Medium: Something that has been lurking in the back of your mind for 1-3 months, a plan or an idea that could change/shake your life but is not currently a priority to you; it might be something you heard from another person or a vague thought

Short: something intense that happened within the last couple days, a very recent thing is bothering you and has almost caught you by surprise; unexpected news from day to day, a new sudden event that physically or emotionally shook you

Shape 

Double: Two things that were generated consequentially or have a common link, two entities/people united by a common theme

Super-thin line: Something you felt or suspected but never had proof of evidence about, a subtle suspicion, a doubt, an insinuation; a sneaky or secretive individual

Regular: Something/someone that you accept and is part of your routine, your own mindset, something very close and not disturbing; a solid milestone in your daily life

Round: One thing in particular that constantly “fills you up”, makes you feel complete, full, exploding or either extremely delighted; a person who represses/suppresses you, someone ghosting you on purpose just to humble you or to make you feel lesser

Behavior

Steady: things are happening in the background, far from the “public eye” and without you even realizing; you - and people around you- are calm, clueless, peaceful and the surroundings seem safe; good vibes are in the air but definitely keep your eyes open and intuition awake

Shaky, wiggly: things are visibly happening before your eyes, making you confused, uneasy or giving you mood swings; anxiety; you are able to feel bad vibes around you: take control of the situation and protect yourself Weak, petite & almost extinguished: matter/person X is now annihilating you before the eyes of everybody, but still no one defends you; seek help in others, protect yourself and take action to win this ripe, suffered battle

Directions

EAST: AIR - communication, mindset, mental/spoken/written things, logical reasoning, ideas, plans, spring, morning, sunrise, masculine… WEST: WATER - emotions, unconscious, gut feelings, passivity, illogical reasoning, intangibility, blue, flow, moisture, fall, sunset, feminine… SOUTH: FIRE - action, guidance, strength, activity, blood, warmth, creativity, masculine, red, impulse, summer, noon… NORTH: EARTH - stability, firmness, art, finance, grounding, material things, tangibility, stillness, death, birth, winter, midnight, green… (+ ALL YOUR PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE about the elements and how they can be interpreted, what meanings they have in our lives and their specific correspondences) 

Smoke

Absence: you are the source of awareness: your body and soul have sent you signals about matter X and you had an inner awakening which led you to this reading 

Presence: someone else enlightened you with their words and made you fully aware of matter X; something popped up as an obvious proof that you weren’t expecting to find: this has awakened your inquisitive mind and led it to this reading. 

Hopefully you’ll get inspired by this post and learn something useful to spice up your divination practice:) I thank you so much for reading, xox msmoonfire

[mushfae]

[escarabaja]

“Women grow things in darkness, not in light” -Ursula LeGuin

[thechamomilewitch-blog]

Candle Omens

Strong flame - Your spell is empowered and getting through, it should work especially well.

Unsteady flame - Your spell is having trouble manifesting your results.

Wild flame - Prepare for unexpected results. Make sure you have a backup plan or a way to reverse the spell, just in case.

Normal flame - Things are working as expected.

Small (blue) flame - Your spell is not getting through. Try an alternative spell.

Popping flame - Your spell may manifest in very unexpected ways. Make sure you have a backup plan or a way to reverse the spell, just in case.

[yourwitchmama]

Samhain Tips!

🎃 Visit loved ones at a cemetery. If you know where any of your loved ones are buried, give them an offering and just sit with them for awhile. Tell them what’s going on in your life, thank them for being around to offer you protection and guidance, etc. Cemeteries aren’t spooky places—they’re sacred and I find them very cozy :) Treat the dead with respect on their holy day

🎃 Carve a pumpkin with runes and symbols, then sprinkle the inside with different herbs and spices to create a Spell Pumpkin! Make a pumpkin for protection against malignant spirits, abundance, psychic power, etc

🎃 Do you honor the goddess Hekate? A traditional offering involves leaving a home-cooked meal at a crossroads (her sacred place), making your wish, and turning around. DO NOT LOOK BACK. If you hear or see a dog on your journey, that’s a good sign that Hekate has heard your wish. Even if the offering is eaten by an animal during the night, don’t get upset—this is one way Hekate takes her offerings

🎃 This is one of the best times of the year for divination. Do some scrying, tarot-reading, etc

🎃 Properly protect your home from wandering negative spirits on this night. Negative spirits are repelled by iron, salt, loud sounds (including wind chimes), and genuine laughter. Conversely, attract positive spirits to your home by burning frankincense, cinnamon, or sandalwood

🎃 FEAST! This is the last harvest of the year. Cook a big meal and invite friends and family to enjoy it with you! It’s also customary to invite the spirits to your meal as well. Set a place or two for any spirits you want to honor. If you’re alone on Samhain (like me), a nice party of you and a few familiar, kind spirits makes a lovely celebration

🎃 Have a bonfire! But not just any bonfire—throw in some herbs and spices to make it magical. If you can’t have a bonfire, make a spell candle instead.

🎃 Place lit candles in the windows to let spirits know that they can take refuge at your home on this night. If your house is properly protected, only kind spirits will show up. Leave them offerings and send them blessings. Take precautions and cleanse your home the following day, or before you go to bed that night

🎃 Reminisce a little. Tell stories about your deceased loved ones and ancestors, go through old photo albums, etc. Odds are, they’re probably sitting nearby and listening fondly

🎃 This is a great time for banishing, cord-cutting, and general “letting go” rituals.

🎃 Play music that you love, eat food that you love, and share this sacred day with the spirits in a warm and happy environment :) Happy Samhain!

[mossytreeelf-blog]

Witchery for the hearth.

Lay thorny branches on your doorstep to drive away evil.

Put thyme in your last meal of the day to have pleasant dreams.

Place coins and cedar chips in a box for an easy money spell.

The bark of the willow tree is a natural painkiller.

Put almonds in your pocket to recover a lost object.

Light candles throughout the house regularly.

Sprinkle oats over your garden (especially herbs) to ensure good growth.

Honey is a natural antibiotic and antibacterial. Got a cold sore? Put that stuff all over that. Got a cold? Eat a tablespoon every few hours.

Place lilacs all over the house to get rid of unwanted spirits.

Drink cranberry juice to get a good detox when in need of grounding.

Hang dill over your door to keep people who wish ill on you out.

Place half an onion in the room with someone who is sick to draw out disease.

Place morning glory seeds inside your pillow to get rid of bad dreams.

Pour salt in your bath (or shower floor if you don’t have a bath) to cleanse and ground yourself.

Use chili peppers to break a curse.

Plant rosemary next to your front gate or door for a little good luck.

[strigascattus]

Beltane☀️🔥

What is Beltane?

Beltane is celebrated on May 1st although some people choose to celebrate it from April 30th to May 1st. Beltane is a day for fun, light-hearted celebration, love, and it is often represented by maypole dancing and performing fire rituals to honor the Mother Goddess and Sun God. The days are getting longer and all life is bursting with potent fertility and sexuality on earth is at its peak.  Beltane celebrations are filled with feasts and sun magick, the name Beltane means “fire of Bel”. Beltane is a time to watch what you’ve been manifesting and working so hard towards come to life before your eyes. Celebrate, laugh, love, drink, eat and have a good time!

Ways to Celebrate

Quarantine Edition

Play music that gets you feeling happy and excited. Beltane is a celebration of abundance and high energy, so play music that raises your energy

Prepare something in the kitchen. Make a food that reminds you of the coming summer months, share it with whoever you live with if you can/want to

Get crafty! You could draw, paint, write or even just work on a project for yourself. It could really be anything, as long as you’re creating it.

Light some candles or incense! Lighting fires on Beltane is tradition. So however you can safely have a fire lit nearby, have it burning while you do any of the other activities listed above.

Flower gathering

Nature walks

Washing your face with morning dew

Making Beltane bread

Spoonie Edition

Wake up earlier than usual to enjoy a full day of light

Make flower crowns with real, fake or paper flowers

Braid something (your hair, bracelet, ribbons, etc.)

Make sure sunlight and fresh air can reach you

Enjoy some fresh fruits, nuts and seeds

Drink tea or water infused fruit

Decorate with/wear/create things with bright colors

Decorate a new pot for your plants (painting, sharpies, ribbons, etc.)

Write a list of things you would like to release and burn them (alternatively: tear it up and place in a glass of water)

Colors🌈

Red

White

Green

Blue

Yellow

Brown

Pink

Crystals💎

Amber

Bloodstone

Citrine

Carnelian

Agate

Malachite

Moonstone

Ruby

Emerald

Sapphire

Rose quartz

Herbs🌿

Angelica

Mint

Mugwort

St. John’s wort

Yarrow

Thyme

Hawthorn

Flowers🌸

Foxglove

Bluebells

Daisy

Lilac

Food 🥐

Bread

Cereal

Honey

Cherries

Oatmeal

Strawberries

Wine

Salad

  I hope you all have a wonderful Beltane and I cant wait to see how you all celebrated!

[w33d-witch]

Sooo in love with this cross stitch 😭💕

🌹 IG: femkitti 🌹

[capricornsister]

going into the woods is very very healing

[lunerbean]

Celebrating Beltane in Quarantine (Quaran-tane)

Aw, man! We're in the middle of a pandemic but a sabbat is approaching! What the heck are we gonna do??? Let's take this step by step...

Some traditional Beltane practices

Bon fires

Flower gathering

Nature walks

Dancing around a May Pole

Sexy time

Volunteer work

Jumping broomsticks (or fires but just promise me that you'll be careful)

Washing your face with morning dew

Making Beltane bread

Colors, incense, flowers, and all that good stuff

Red, white, green, purple, yellow

Fertility symbols (eggs, antlers, seeds, things that look like ding-dongs)

Spring flowers - daffodils, hyacinths, forsythia, daisies, tulips

Flower crowns

Summer/spring fruits - cherries, mangos, strawberries, etc

Incense - patchouli, jasmine, frankincense, rose, (one of my roommates last year got one that was just labeled "Sex incense" I don't remember what all was in it, but it was great for beltane!)

Crystals - Emerald, Malachite, Amber, Orange Carnelian, Sapphire, Rose Quartz

"I want to celebrate Beltane, but because of quarantine I don't have..."

The correct incense - Solution: Use whichever one is closest or whatever you're feeling that day. The universe will still recognize your efforts

Any incense - Solution: Look through your herb cabinet, research each one, & try burning some herbs either in a cauldron or another safe location.

Flowers - Solution: If it is safe/legal in your area, go for a nature walk & pick up any fallen petals or flowers you may find on the ground. If it is not safe for you to go outside right now, try your hand at drawing the desired flowers for your alter/decorations or just print out pictures from the internet. It's the thought that counts.

The traditional colors of candles or clothing or ribbons or ANYTHING - Solution: Just use white, it's all the colors & therefore can serve as a replacement for anything.

The right crystals - Solution: Clear quartz can work as a substitute for any other crystal. If you don't have that or if you don't have *any* crystals at all, it's okay. You don't have to work with crystals to be witch.

Any fruit - Solution: Try out an online shopping service (I use Imperfect Foods) you can also use canned or frozen fruit in a pinch.

Access to the outdoors - Solution: Set up your alter in a windowsill. Open all the windows of your space. Take some vitamin D. Practice fire-safety when lighting candles. Jump over a broomstick instead of a candle or bonfire.

Have a bonfire - Solution: Use a candle as a substitute. Extra small bonfire.

Have a May Pole - Solution: Hang ribbons on a tree or stick!

Have access to ribbons - Solution: You can use thread, yarn, or strips of fabric if you want!

And finally, a section I feel is important to add:

Quaran-tane for the Broom-Closet Witch

I understand this has to be an extremely difficult time for you and your practice. You know better than anyone what's safe for you to do and what isn't. You can implement as many of the above suggestions as you feel comfortable doing. You know what's best for you. I'm not going to sit here & give you tips on hiding your practice or sneaking outside or anything like that. You do whatever feels right for you. Instead, I'm gonna tell you some things I feel it's important for you to remember during this time:

Your safety & wellbeing need to come first.

You're still a witch even if you're in the broom closet.

You're still a witch even if you don't celebrate the sabbats

If all you feel safe doing is lighting a candle, then you light that candle & don't let anyone tell you that your celebration isn't "good enough."

You won't always have to hide who you are.

Thanks so much for reading all of this! Stay safe out there & have a blessed Beltane ❤💚💜💛

[orphicmuse]