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Keni

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The Moon, la Lune • old academic newspaper aesthetic
happy halloween, everyone! i made a cute witch for this month’s patreon illustration!! kinda in love w her ngl
Sunset in the Pontine Marshes (detail), Enrique Serra y Auque (Spanish, 1859–1918)
Fun Samhain Activities for the whole family
Put a black candle in a jar of salt and cloves to create a ward that will protect your house and family
Enchant some jewelry for protection
Do some Divination with either your deity or ancestors
Buy some Angelite, as it helps with communication with Spirits
Get some pictures of your loved ones and hang them up on your altar
Make a Protection Spell Jar of salt, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, pepper, rosemary, pine (essential oil or needles), garlic, ginger and/or mint. You can also throw some obsidian or amethyst in there too.
Anoint the corners of your room with Holy Water to create a ward around your room. You can also do this on the doorway, ceiling, floors, walls, corners and windowsills.
Burn some Dragons Blood Incense
Clean and leave offerings on the graves of loved ones
Take a meditative walk in your area, if it’s not too cold
Clean, Cleanse and re-evaluate your Life and where you want to go from here
Sometimes, you need some time and space, and the gods will know and understand this, and gently step back to give you the time and space that you need.
Sometimes, the gods know and understand this even before you do, and they will gently step back to let you know.
candle meanings/uses
simple guide to candle colors and their meanings and uses
🌙black: grounding, wisdom, learning, protection, safety, hex-protection, banishing negativity.
🌙brown: house blessing, animal magick, earth magick, stability, earth element, food financial crisis
🌙gold: great fortune, abundance, divination, fast luck, solar energy, positive attitudes
🌙gray: glamour, contemplation, removing negativity
🌙green: prosperity, abundance, money, acceptance, weather, luck, marriage
🌙lavender: intuition
🌙light blue: spirituality, peacefulness
🌙orange: creativity, self-expression, overcoming addiction, investments, celebration
🌙pink: love, compassion, nurturing, emotional healing, protection of children.
🌙purple: wisdom, influence, independence, breaking habits, spiritual power.
🌙red: passion, strength, danger, conflict, fire, fertility, vitality
🌙silver: stability, intuition, communication, moon magick
🌙white: all purpose, unity, purity, cleansing, balance, truth, consecration
🌙yellow: pleasure, imagination.
Incense in Ancient Greece
I looove incense so I really wanted to have a look at what the ancients used. Incense comes in a wide variety of resins, woods and dried herbs so here is an overview of what one may have encountered knowing that this list is not exhaustive.
The same way that meat was burnt so that the aroma could be offered to the divine, good smelling substances in the form of incense were offered to please the gods and were part of the rituals.
“The virtues associated to the scents are multiple: pleasure, protection, purification, communication. (…) the pleasant and often artificial scent of the rite helps to make the perception of the divine more present and noticeable, the ‘’similar is attracted by the similar’’.’’
Veronique Mehl, pdf in sources, translated by me
It is complicated to trace the scents that were used due to them not being recorded or not being able to be archaeologically found (unlike votive offerings or animal sacrifices), especially in the case of more ordinary rituals. Very often they only call it ‘‘incense’‘ or simply refer to the act of burning, but we don’t know exactly what product they refer to.
I showed when a specific substance was indicated for a specific deity (such as in the Orphic hymns or with sacred plants), but that does not mean that you can’t offer them to other deities ! People of that time were likely to use whatever they had readily available, as long as it smelled good and seemed pleasing to the gods, so don’t feel constrained by that. Try out different things and see what feels logical to your practice or what you like to use.
Dried plants
Laurel Leaves - Famously used at Delphi in relation to the oracle of Apollon. The leaves were chewed and burnt as an offering and to facilitate visions. Sacred to Apollo, as seen in the myth of Daphne (the greek name of laurel is daphnai), but also as a sign of victory as the god received a wreath after killing Python. The laurel is also seen as having purifying properties. In Thessalia it is also connected to Dionysos and menadism as they were said to chew on the leaves. Also connected to Asclepios. Ovid also tells us that they were burnt on altar even before resins such as myrrh were used.
Saffron - Called krokos, it wasn’t only used to dye clothes, as a pharmaceutical substance or as a fragrance but also as a burnt offering, dating back to the Minoan/Mycenaean period. It was a very pricey item due to the complexity of obtaining it. Seems particularly good to offer to Hecate as seen in the Orphic Hymn and because of the color of her robe described as saffron. Also the crocus is said to be sacred to Hermes, and there is a connection to Demeter (mentioned in her Homeric hymn) and Apollo (solar). On top of that it is connected in the Orphic Hymns to Aither.
Barley - The seeds were thrown in fire in an act of purification and probably for the sensorial experience as well. Example of such act can be found in the Odyssey, when Nestor sacrifices a cow to Athena and burns barley as part of the ritual.
Oak Leaves - Again in the Odyssey, Odysseus crew burns oak leaves on Helios Island when sacrificing his cows, showing us that those were ritually burnt and could be part of an offering. Oak tree is sacred to Zeus
Myrtle - From the plant Myrtus communis. Associated mainly with Aphrodite, but also with Artemis, Dionysos and Hades and even Demeter. Garlands and wreaths were made of this and used in rituals. The leaves can be burnt as an incense.
Pine Needles - Similar idea than with oak leaves, pine needles can be burnt for their pleasant smell.
Mugwort - Called Artemisia vulgaris, it takes its name from the goddess Artemis and would thus make a particularly fitting offering for the goddess.
Sage - Called elelisphakos, it was seen as a universal remedy, seen as a tonic and a cure, and used in funerary and magical rites, as well as offered to deities. In a myth, it is said that Zeus was raised by the goat Amalthea near a sage bush.
Rosemary - Associated with funerary rites, its ever green color making it a symbol of immortality, it was also used for wreaths. Purifying properties when burnt.
Olive - Very important plant for the ancients, a cornerstone of their diets, statues of divinities were also made from its wood. The leaves were also burnt ritually. Sacred to Athena.
Flowers
Rose Petals - Closely associated with Aphrodite, it appears in the story of Adonis as well as in the Iliad when the goddess protects the body of Hector with rose oil. Its petal can be burnt to release a fragrant scent.
Lavender - Its association to sleep makes it a good choice for Hermes and Hypnos.
Chamomile - From the greek khamaimēlon, meaning earth apple, it was widely used as a tea but makes for a good incense. It has a connection to solar entities.
Violet - It appears many times in myths, sacred to Aphrodite for its sensual scent and who is connected to the birth of the flower, but also to Priapus, Iamus (son of Apollo), Orpheus, Persephone who was plucking flowers before being captured by Hades, and a symbol of the city of Athens (violet-crowned city).
Myrtle - Sacred to Aphrodite and Demeter but also to Iacchos.
Resins
Storax/Styrax - quoted multiple times in the Orphic Hymns, it’s a resin that comes from the plant Styrax Officinalis. It seems though that this resin is no longer available as the tree doesn’t produce it. Nowadays what we find as storax is a black bark often reduced in a powder.
[43] XLIII. TO SEMELE The Fumigation from Storax (…)
Indicating that burning storax as an offering while reading the hymn is suitable. Also recommended for Kronos, Zeus, Proteus, Dinoysos, Demeter, Misa, Ippa, Hermes and the Graces.
Benzoin - decided to make it separated from the Styrax category for more clarity but it is indeed the same incense ! Benzoin is the name of a wide variety of resins such as Styrax Benzoin or Styrax Tonkinonsis, and as you can tell from the name, it comes from the same variety of the plant, Styrax Officinalis just being the Mediterranean version, and since the later is not available you can use any type of benzoin as a good alternative.
Frankincense - Coming from the Boswellia family, also called olibanum, this is one of the most widely used incense, often used in rituals and sacrifices, and one that is said to be suitable for all the gods. It appears many times in many instances. For example, Pytthagoras is said to have offered it Apollo. There is also the myth of Ovid where Helios turned into the body of his dead lover into the frankincense tree.
In the Orphic Hymns, it also appears numerous times and is recommended for Ouranos, Herakles, Zeus, Thethys, Hermes, the Titans, Kouretes, Dionysos, Dike, Dikaiosune, Ares, Hephaistos, Tykhe, the Daimones, the Muses, Mnemosyne, Themis, Boreas, Zephyros and Notos.
And if one assumes that Manna is frankincense, then the hymns connect it to: the Furies, Apollo, Artemis, Asclepios, Helio, Ios, Hephaistos, Dionysos, Nike, Silenos, Thalassa, Thanatos, Hygeia and Zeus. It might not be the same though, but it is hard to know what they referred to.
Myyrh - From the desert plant Commiphora myrrha. Another very widely used incense in ancient Greece that appealed for its beautiful scent.
It is mentioned multiple times in the Orphic Hymns, to Protogonos, Poseidon, Nephelai, Leto and Nereus.
Ladanum/Laudanum/Labdanum - Extracted from Cistus Ladanifer shrubs, dating as far as the Minoan period.
Opium - Harvested from the poppy pods, the Orphic Hymn links it to the veneration of Hypnos. The poppy is also sacred to Demeter.
Woods
Sandalwood - with the conquests of Alexander the Great, sandalwood made its way into the panoply of substances the Greeks used to diffuse precious scents.
Cedarwood - Sacred to Artemis, this wood produces a wonderful scent and one I like to use often.
Cinnamon - from this plant, the bark is most commonly used and it was used as an offering. A mention of this is found when Seleucus I sends various offerings to the sanctuary to Apollon Philesios in Didymes. It doesn’t exactly says wheter cinnamon should be burnt or not but either way, you can offer its scent.
Also I already mentioned them earlier but oak wood and olive wood are also common.
Resources: theoi.com (Orphic Hymns); Of Incense and Beans elusive plants in the Greek religion; Books of Dante (french, I used different posts as he has one for many many plants); Olfactive and festive atmosphere of the Greek sanctuary: the smell of the divine (french).
Copenhagen Wilderness
Hebe, c. 1800-05. Antonio CanovaHebe, c. 1800-05. Antonio Canova Canova | Thorvaldsen. The birth of modern sculpture, exhibit at the Gallerie D’Italia
🕊soft and ethereal asks🕊
1.secret garden or forest?
2.the stars or the moon?
3.neck kisses or french kisses?
4.1700’s/1800’s or 1900’s/2000’s?
5.poetry books or illustrations?
6.itunes or vinyl?
7.fairies or pixies?
8.water nymph or forest nymph?
9.kittens or baby lambs?
10.rainbow or sunrise?
11.new moon or full moon?
12.fiction or short stories?
13.green tea or jasmine tea?
14.lavender or roses?
15.sunshine or rain?
16.misty forest or sunny meadow?
17.cake or pie?
18.happiness or luck?
19.silk or cotton?
20.love story or fairytale?
21.dreams or reality?
22.diamonds or gold?
24.chocolate or vanilla?
25.series or books?
26.romance novels or mystery novels?
27.smooth jazz or classical music?
28.dancing or cooking classes?
29.cocktail night or cinema?
30.concert or play?
31.cherries or cream?
32.candles or pillows?
33.ocean or lake/river?
34.time turner or flying?
35.mermaids or angels?
36.coffee or tea?
37.makeup or natural?
38.black or white?
39.drawings or paintings?
40.early bird or night owl?
41.introvert or extrovert?
42.winter or summer?
42.spring or fall?
43.classic or modern?
Unabashed acceptance of sexuality is, however, not a matter of course even in Greece. In the fourth century we find Aphrodite separated into two aspects: higher, celestial love, Aphrodite Ourania, and the love of the whole people, Aphrodite Pandemos, who is responsible for lower sexual life and in particular for prostitution. Both names of Aphrodite are old and widespread cult epithets, but the original meanings were quite different. The Heavenly One is the Phoenician Queen of Heaven, and Pandemos is literally the one who embraces the whole people as the common bond and fellow-feeling necessary for the existence of any state. Here eastern tradition lies in the background with the all-embracing power of Ishtar, which is in particular political power. The Great Goddess of Asia Minor is particularly evident in the Mistress of the city of Aphrodisias in Caria. In many places bodies of magistrates make communal votive dedications to Aphrodite, either as their guardian or by way of contrast to their official duties.
-Greek Religion by Walter Burkert, ‘Aphrodite’ pg155
🎃Samhain🎃
Is the third and last harvest of the year. Samhain is the end of warm days and start of the darker half of the year. Nights will get long and colder. The spiritual veil between our world and the spiritual world will be at its thinnest on the 31st. Samhain is the night the dead can walk around the earth.
Activities:
🍂 make a pumpkin pie
🍂 carve a pumpkin
🍂 press leaves in books
🍂 decorate your alter with leaves and pinecones
🍂 make apple cider
🍂 make a broom
🍂 collect pinecones and acorns
🍂 make a wreath
🍂 dress up in a costume
🍂 read scary stories
🍂 light Orange, purple, and Black candles
🍂 hand out candy
Correspondences:
🎃 Animals: bat, spider, fox, raven, crow, and dog
🍁 Colors: black, purple, orange, and green
🎃 Crystals: amethyst, smokey quartz, onyx, jet, malachite, and black tourmaline
🍁 Herbs: mugswort, yarrow, allspice, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and rosemary
🎃 Food: apple, pumpkin, squash, soup, pie, cider, and corn
🍁 Inscense/oils: cedar, sandalwood, sage, rosemary, clove, and cinnamon
🎃 Gods: yama, hades, apollo, and herne
🍁 Godesses: freya, hel, hecate, demeter
🎃 Spells: spirit work, ambition, protection, ancestor work, and banishing
"Ετούτος δω ο λαός δε γονατίζει παρά μονάχα μπροστά στους νεκρούς του" - Γιάννης Ρίτσος (1909-1990)
Translation: This nation kneels only in front of its dead
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Periods suck. Witchcraft helps.
These are to be used as a supplement in addition to professional medical care, treatment and medication, not as a sole alternative! If you are dealing with extreme, unexplained symptoms please see a doctor.
Spells:
Spell
Bath spell
Banishing cramps
Spell bottle
Relief spell jar
Moon time spell
Self care spell jar
Anti-migraine spell
Peace out period spell
Visualization for cramps
To make your period lighter
Period pain relief spell/ritual
Period relief sigil spell
Sigils:
Keep pain away
Relief from cramps
Ease period pains
I do not have my period
Fuck off, period dysphoria
My period is not painful
Teas:
(Please research herbs before using them).
For cramps
Also for cramps
A collection
Some helpful herbs
Menstrual relief tea spell
Some more helpful herbs
Menstruation dysphoria tea
Some helpful PSAs on herbs
Resources for researching herb safety
Other posts you may find helpful:
Taking advantage of your period
Menstrual magic
More menstrual magic
Crystals to help
Witchy period hacks
An earlier version of this post (with mundane tips)
Chronic migraine relief
Bedridden witch series
Sick witchery
Chronically ill witchcraft: For your symptoms
Magic to replenish energy
Gender magic (with a section on dysphoria)
I’d like to request that you keep gender out of any comments that you make on this. People of various gender identities get periods (or don’t), lets be inclusive here!
Links updated as of October, 2021. Please inform me of broken links via askbox!