Just a little morbid

[crumbargento]

La Rose de Fer - Jean Rollin - 1973 - France

[harmony-is-happiness]

[themori-witch]

Witchcraft 101: Taglocks

If you’ve been doing some reading on witchcraft and spellcraft, it is likely that you’ve seen the word ‘taglock‘ crop up a few times.

If you haven’t, worry not.

A taglock is something that has been used in witchcraft for a very (very), long time and all it is, is an object or substance that forges a strong link between your target and your magick.

Traditionally, taglocks are things such as blood, spit, hair or nail clippings, – direct DNA. The use of DNA creates a stronger magickal bond. Nowadays, however, snagging someone’s blood in their sleep is generally frowned upon and quite difficult, so suitable replacements include cigarette butts, used tissues, used plastic cutlery and easily obtained things of that ilk.

You will notice that taglocks are often used in curses and hexes as it binds the target to the spell and therefore amplifies the magick and ensures that it affects the intended person. They are used in binding spells for the same reason; to tie the person to the magick.

However, bear in mind that taglocks are not malevolent in themselves. They are simply a means of forming a bond and can thus be used in protection, healing and positivity magick!

[blackbackedjackal]

Juvenile Serval Skull 

[deerhoofandrabbitsfoot-deactiva]

So, I just planned my year for 2020. Idk if you know this but Halloween is on a SATURDAY. It is the same day as a FULL MOON. Not just any full moon, but a BLUE MOON, which will be in TAURUS.

[inactive-witchy-words]

[pretty-weird-witch]

The darker seasons are upon us, so here are some reminders for my fellow witches:

-society forgets that this is supposed to be a time of rest, make sure that you don’t! Take extra time for rest and sleep.

Here are some Very Good Reasons to take walks in fall and winter:

- take walks in nature to remind yourself of the natural cycles and connect with nature.

-take walks for some of that fresh, cold air. It will cleanse you from your troubles and calm your mind. Try to not listen to music and instead listen to the silence.

- walks are also great to talk to your gods, guides and/or ancestors. Give thanks to them and to nature itself.

- prepare your body and immune system for the winter and gradually get used to the cold by spending time outside.

- the air in a forest or a park is a lot cleaner than that in most public spaces, especially with the germs flying around right now.

- avoid the public transport system by walking whenever its possible for you!

- also, appreciate all of these beautiful colors autumn has to offer! There are a lot of energies to be found in them:

- the birds leave the cold weather and fly towards a climate thats more suited for their needs. Do the same and reevaluate whom and what you give your energies to, and who you share your space with. Leave unhealthy situations behind whenever possible.

-sew or draw sigils in your jackets, scarfs and hats to keep you warm and dry

- the bright lights, songs and consumerism of christmas aren’t natural and can be very draining. Don’t beat yourself up for not being as productive as usual. Few plants grow and bloom during winter.

- ward yourself before visiting christmas markets (or any supermarket, let’s be honest). I like to spray my scarfs with protective sprays, and this can be done with any piece of clothing. But make sure to always let them fully dry, folks!

- I cannot stress this enough, never underestimate self care and rest at this time of year. Remind yourself that nature itself survives winter by going to sleep. Never feel bad for resting.

- evergreens in the home will help you to stay healthy, positive and in touch with nature. It’s great and easy color magic and perfect for closet witches.

- I smoke cleanse most gifts I get. I do nkt need anyones negative energies hafting on things I might put up in my bedroom.

- catch every ray of sunshine you can get, you will need it. If you are prone to seasonal depression, consult with a doctor. For me personally, supplements have helped a great deal :)

-clean your personal space. Your bed, your room, your house. Fall and winter are important times to look within, make sure you have a welcoming space to do somthe state of our home often influences the state of our mind.

- ginger and cinnamon (and often lemon) can be added to most hot drinks and will give you some extra warmth and energy even on the coldest days.

- hot water plus ginger in the morning, with honey in the afternoon and instead with chilies in the evening will do wonders for your immune system!

- if you buy crystals on the christmas market make sure you get what you pay for.

- when you spend time with old friends and family during the festivities, communicate your (new) boundaries clearly and calmly, and do not force yourself to spend time with those who cannot respect them. Your wellness is the most important thing and you should treat it accordingly! Sigils and spells to improve your patience and clear communication can help here.

- if you must spend time around toxic people, cleanse yourself afterwards and remind yourself that people act and speak only for and against themselves and never against you!

- I love you and I wish you a beautiful and holy time. I hope you will rest and find peace this winter so you can have a wonderful start into a new year full of blessings and growth

[greenhedge]

Reblog if you’re an adult in witchcraft. (20+)

[carrotflowerss]

I want to bake bread and make tea and hang dried lavender above my doorways

I want a cat following closely at my feet and hair that sways against my lower back as I walk

I want big windows that let in plenty of sun and happy plants that face them

I want a small garden and a chair beneath a tree

🌿

[vampireapologist-archive-deacti]

On that same note, since it’s the season, and witchcraft has become so big in pop culture these days, I hate to be Like this, but after browsing the “pagan/esoteric” section in a big-name bookstore last week, I feel the need to warn y’all that the MAJORITY of these books are full of bad information, mistakes, or just blatant lies.

You get used to spotting BS as you go, but here are two major and common red flags:

The book claims to teach “the old ways,” ESPECIALLY if it’s citing Irish or nondescript “Celtic” practices. Historically, we know very little about pre-Christian Irish and most other Celtic cultures’ religious and magical practices, so unless this author is citing a For Real vampire or ghost for their info, it’s fake.

Check the literature cited! I opened about 15 books IN A ROW to their literature cited sections, and guess who they referenced for information! History books? Books on folklore and traditional beliefs? Books on language or religion?

No, no, and no. They almost Exclusively cited Other Authors in the same section, and when I pulled THOSE books, they also cited other pagan & esoteric authors.

At this point, it was just a paper trail of people making stuff up at worst, believing BS without question and spreading misinformation for money at best.

If you want to learn about this stuff, I’m Begging you to skip (most of) the bookstore pagan section and head to your local or university library’s folklore and history sections instead! You will find a Lot of relevant, and Real information there!

You CAN find good books on magic practices in the witch community, and there are some authors even now with blogs putting out some great literature, but just watch out for those signals that something may be amiss!

Also, keep in mind info changes all the time. In the last decade, researches have totally overhauled a LOT of what we’ve recognized as “Celtic” history and facts, and text books are still trying to catch up!

[upthewitchypunx]

Saw a post stating that people wanting their magic to have aesthetic don’t care if their magic works and I had the strongest knee-jerk “nope” since well, I guess since I read that horrible book yesterday.

I feel like people don’t actually know what aesthetics are and just toss the word around to mean “pretty things with no substance”. Aesthetics is actually a branch of philosophy that explores the nature of beauty and taste and the appreciation of beauty. There is no one aesthetic. Technically, if you have no aesthetic *surprise* that is you aesthetic. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, and that’s completely okay and even beautiful.

Also, I don’t understand how aesthetic has somehow become synonymous with expensive. I find my home very beautiful and comforting and most of what I own is hand me downs, thrift store finds, or stuff is literally garbage I pulled out of a free box on a corner.

And lastly, aesthetics are very important to my witchcraft practice and I very much care about whether my magic works. An aesthetic space to me is a place where I feel safe and comfortable to work on my practice. My aesthetic is one component and acts as a vehicle to get the task done.

[tallat-of-thralls]

Basing my conclusion on what OP has stated;

Aesthetic is visual philosophy.

[spellsndivination]

Visual Philosophy. Now that is aesthetic

[upthewitchypunx]

I mean that Aesthetics is literally a branch of philosophy.

It’s not just visual. It can relate to what is seen, but also what is heard or felt. It is the study and rumination about what we perceive through our senses.

[therestlesswitch]

✨Crochet Stitch Correspondence List ✨

So as most of you probably know, I’m a crochet artist. Everything that I create (weather it’s a crocheted item or not) has a bit of my magic imbued in it, but sometimes I want to enchant an item I’m making with a specific intent. Here’s my personal list of stitch correspondences.. these are just what energy I get from the stitch personally, so feel free to make your own correspondences up for them! Crocheting or knitting is so great because the stitches can have intentions, and you can use colour magic or the correspondences of the fiber content to amplify or add to the energy of your creation!

 I use US terms, and I’ve tried to order them by how complicated the stitch is.

Chain stitch - If i’m doing a foundation chain of a multiple of 9 chains, I’ll use the 9 knot chant/spell to sort of kickstart the spell’s energy and to have it act as a battery to charge the spell:

By knot of ONE, the spell’s begun

By knot of TWO, it cometh true

By knot of THREE, so mote it be

By knot of FOUR, this power I store

By knot of FIVE, the spell’s alive

By knot of SIX, this spell I fix

By knot of SEVEN, events I’ll leaven

By knot of EIGHT, it will be Fate

By knot of NINE, what’s done is mine

If it’s just part of the pattern, I use it as an energy mover. It just keeps the energy moving from one stitch to the next, while keeping it strong.

Slip stitch - Great for glamours where the purpose is to go unnoticed. Also an energy mover, but lets the intent change freely from stitch to stitch. Single Crochet - A nice tight, simple stitch. I use it in items that I want to be protective but gentle to the wearer/user, nurturing love, close relationships.

Half double Crochet - A tight-ish, soft stitch. Warmth, protection, ease of manifestation.

Double Crochet - A looser, faster stitch. Good for freedom, moving energy away from yourself, and letting go.  Treble - Sort of an amplified version of the double. Spontaneity, letting go, luck.

Front post stitches - Brings the energy of whatever stitch you use to the forefront. Lets it be directed by you and seen by the world. Good for glamour spells where you want to bring attention to yourself. ex: front post treble will let the world see how spontaneous and forward moving you are.

Back post stitches - Lets the energy of whatever stitch you use run in the background. Good for glamours where you don’t want attention brought to yourself. Ex: Back post single would be great for bringing you protection, and strengthening relationships when you don’t want a lot of attention (from outsiders) brought to something so personal as a close relationship.

Stitches ‘together’ ( i.e. 2 treble together, 3 dc together) - Great for bringing people closer together (i,e, 2 together would be two people,) tightening bonds, bringing an end quicker.

Spike stitch/long stitch - Lets your energy reach farther. Good for spells where the subject is farther away (physically, emotionally or mentally) or if you’re having trouble reaching out to others.  Also good for divination or astral work to ‘see’ farther. Great for cursing as well when you use nice long, pointy spikes.

Moss stitch - (aka linen, granite, or woven stitch)  This is my favourite for warding. It’s a very tight stitch with no holes. Great for protection, keeping warmth in and not letting anything get through.

Granny stitch - Familiarity (great for when you’re traveling) comfort, familial relationships (particularly maternal), fast manifestation.

Ripple or Wave stitch - Sea/ocean magic, adaptability and riding the waves, energy flow, peace/calm.

Shell stitch - Opening up to others, manifestation, sea/ocean magic, adaptability (riding the waves, so to speak)

Picot - When used as an edging, it’s good for bringing about a good ending. It can be used to tie up all the loose ends if you’re in a situation of uncertainty. Good for curses where you want to make some bumps in somebody’s road.

Crab stitch - Sturdy, but also is a definite ending. Good for banishing and burning bridges. Can also be good for past life work since it’s worked backwards. Also good in cursing as so many hate doing this stitch.

Corner to Corner - Order, logic. Can be great to make a giant sigil project with! Just make your sigil simple enough to crochet as pixels in your C2C throw/blanket/square.

Puff stitch -  Self love, being gentle to yourself and other, slowing down a hectic life.

Popcorn stitch - Bringing fun and flavour into your life, great for brining a group of people closer together, 

Crocodile stitch - Protection, psychic ability/astral work, cloaking/camouflage spells, bringing softness into your life.

Broomstick lace - Cleansing, banishing, warding. Basically all the things you can do with a besom, you can do with this stitch. Use your besom as the broomstick for added oomph! I also like to use this as a ward that filters out unwanted energy and transforms it into good energy.

Serpentine stitch - Entangling lives (i.e. if you want serendipity on your side) moving effortlessly through difficult situations, curse magic to complicate someone’s life

 Credits: Both photos are mine, property of @TheRestlessWitch  Crochet pattern for Mandala Madness (photo #1) here. Patterns used for the Mandala Cushion cover (photo #2) can be found on ravelry here.

[witches-ofcolor]

@lady-of-flowers

[randomthingsbecausebored]

I would much like to thank you for unwittingly convincing me to finally learn how to knit. My hands have been (literally) itching for some new magic and when I started getting into the knit flow, it really felt right ❤️

[therestlesswitch]

Congratulations!! Fantastic work! I’d love to learn to knit too! I’m about at the level you are at the moment in that department. The most knit-savvy friend I have says to get really good at a variety of skills, while still making something you can use, making a bunch of mitered squares is helpful. then use them to make a cushion cover or something :) at least that’s my plan when I finally try to learn for more than one or two hours every few months 😂

But yeah, I really think that fiber craft is so so connected to witchcraft or at least connected to something… deeper/older because of the long history of weavers and fiber craft. If you like that sort of old-timey crafty way of witching, you might like the podcast Betwixt and Between. Their craft very closely resembles my own sort of worldview and they talk about fiber craft, knitting specifically from time to time :)

[plantyhamchuk]

Solarpunk resources, books, lesson plans for teachers (and anyone who wants to learn)

The query was looking for resources on energy (renewable and non-renewable) for late elementary age students. Here’s some things I dug up that somewhat vary in age. The world is complicated and topics are interconnected; I firmly believe that children can understand and appreciate that. 

EPA -  Lesson Plans, Teacher Guides and Online Environmental Resources for Educators

PDF -  Solar Energy Fun Powered by the Sun - making a solar cooker from a pizza box and other fun projects

National Geographic - Nonrenewable Energy - fabulous, eye-catching photos

NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) - Educational Resources (K-12) - LOTS to choose from here

Fossil Fuels: Air Pollution and the Greenhouse Effect  - a little experiment

Chelsea Green - one of the best publishers for practical solarpunk books. Interesting texts on natural building techniques, in addition to lots of DIY, gardening, and homesteading.

NOAA - Elementary Resources

Renewable Energy - background and definitions

Ducksters - Physics for Kids - energy - much simpler form of the above

Climate Kids from NASA

EIA - Energy Kids - Teacher Guide

OSU - Beyond Penguins and Bears - Teaching About Natural Resources and Energy Sources

Love to Know - Nonrenewable Energy Sources - pretty good fact sheet written by an ecologist

Wind Exchange - this is an awesome website full of maps from the US gov’t showing where all wind energy is installed, and also the potential wind energy that could be installed. Includes info on utility scale wind power and local distributed projects as well.

BBC - Global Resources Stock Check - from 2012, great info

BuiditSolar - Educational Projects - many projects to choose from, though some links may no longer work

Kidwind - multiple projects, if you dig into the PDFs it covers the science well

Energy flow charts - these are FANTASTIC!! Broken down to the state level for those in the US; also covers many many countries. Comparisons are very eye-opening. As a visual learner, these charts helped me get a much better grasp for where we are, in terms of energy consumption, than paragraphs of words. Compare any US state with Haiti to fully understand greater ecological, economic, and infrastructure issues. (This is not to pick on Haiti, you can just see the fully devastating effects of colonialism there, and it’s only about 700 miles from Florida.)

Real time wind map - USA - speaking of visual, this is wonderful and ties in with wind energy

Real time wind map - global - this is beautiful and informative. Play around with the ‘mode’ menu to see all kinds of information in real time.

EPA - a student’s guide to global climate change  - actually mentions pv solar! Here’s the full webpage, that staff archived so it wasn’t lost forever… 

————

Earth Guardians -  young environmental activists

Taking it Global - want to collaborate with other classrooms around the world? Lots of resources here

SustainUS - youth advocacy

Earthforce - training the young to be advocates and activists

I’m including these last 4, because while they may not fly in a lot of places and could get teachers in legit trouble, a lot of the materials I found frame things as individual problems to solve. Slapping a few solar panels on your house is not going to save us. It’s a start, but it’s just the beginning. You’ll also note that none of the materials actually cover the biggest things one could do to lighten their load on the earth (having one fewer child, one fewer airplane flight, going carfree, buying green energy, going veg*n). Individual changes matter - they add up the more people who engage in them - but we’re also gonna need bigger changes than that, and to do so, we’re going to need brave, resilient, educated, and resourceful kids. 

Resources compiled August 2018.

[witchofapollo]

A General Template for Witchy Chores

See end for additional notes for neurodivergence and disabilities.

Once a Day

Meditate

Visualizing self-cleansing in shower

Write in your journal

Pray to your deities

Once a Week

Cleanse sleeping area

Put stones, tarot, etc. in the moonlight

Write in grimoire

Present offering to deities

At least one spell

Once a Month

Cleanse the entire month

Do a dedication ritual to deities

Read a new witchy book

Express appreciation to those you love

Please recognize that this is not definitive. Not everyone can follow this, whether you have time between jobs or school or you don't have the spoons for it. THIS DOES NOT MAKE YOU ANY LESS OF A WITCH. While I recommend some type of scheduled practice, tailored to your style, I know it's not right for everyone.

[little-plant-witch]

Reminder that... 🍃

There are Christian witches

There are Islamic witches

There are Jewish witches

There are Satanist witches

There are Athetistic witches

There are Agnostic witches

There are Buddhist witches

There are Hindu witches

There are Confucius witches

There are Daoist witches

There are indigenous-religion witches

There are witches of minor religions

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a Wiccan/Pagan witch. However, it’s extremely exclusionary for anyone to say things like “witches believe in the god and the goddess,” “beginner witch guide: finding your deity,” and “witchcraft is about connecting with the Divine” as examples of what I keep seeing.

Witch =/= Wiccan

Witchcraft is a broad category of spiritual practice from all types of cultures and beliefs; Wicca/Paganism does not own witchcraft. If you blankety say “witchcraft” make sure it does not directly equate or relate to your religion as doing that creates feelings of confusion and invalidity in non-pagan witches and a toxic culture of divisiveness. Make the distinction (ex. labeling a post with “Wiccan witchcraft”) when it does correspond with your religion, that’s all you have to do. If you don’t you’re gatekeeping people’s craft and making witchcraft an unwelcoming practice to many who would otherwise love to get into it, simply because they don’t share the same religious beliefs as you.

[swforester]

Time flies on the tomb of Day.

Springfield Cemetery 10/18/19

[asteri-desmevetai-deactivated20]

Always Look Into The Mundane Before Stating You Have A Spirit Around

Seriously. I’ve seen a post like this before, but it needs to be said again.

Weird Smells? Go get your house inspected. You may have mold or a gas leak in your home.

Cold Spots? Again. Get your home checked out.

Creaking when no one is home? Your house/building is probably shifting. Get it inspected just to be safe.

Sibling or Child saying weird shit? They probably have an imaginary friend or are having fun. If it still freaks you out go to a mental health professional to rule out anything that could be causing them to say creepy-ass things. Better safe than sorry.

Hearing thumps? Check to see if any trees or bushes are hitting your house. Then check to make sure an animal you aren’t aware of isn’t making the noises. If you can’t find a cause, get it checked out by a professional.

Scratching in the walls? It could be a rodent. Get it checked out.

If you have checked all mundane reasons for what is being experienced by you or a relative/friend, then go onto spiritual reasons. You can always cleanse before you get things checked out there’s no harm in that. But to assume it’s always a spirit is dangerous. You could put people at risk especially if it’s rodents, a creaking house, or a gas leak. 

Because if it is those reasons then you can easily get it taken care of, but if you actively ignore it because you believe it’s a spirit then it’s all on you, not anyone else. 

Spirituality should not replace mundane reasons. Please consider the mundane in your practices.

[corvus-s]