Medieval Paganism

Invoking the gods of antiquity as presenced in the middle ages, the renaissance, and beyond.

[mysterium-solis]

Saturn by Dean Ellis (1994)

[portalibis]

"All things are concealed in all. One of them all is the concealer of the rest - their corporeal vessel, external, visible, and movable. All liquefactions are manifested in that vessel."

— Coelum philosophorum by Paracelsus

Art: Albertus Magnus, De lapidibus, c. 1522-1566

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[portalibis]

"From one root, therefore, arise the two principles of the world: Light and Darkness. From darkness, matter; from light, the form of the world was born—without which there is nothing in the world, and the world itself is nothing. Thus, two [principles] constitute all things in the world; and all things are one: for the two are nothing but one, from which, through which, and in which are all things. That, however, is outside and before all things, being the root of all.

From the One, therefore, comes Darkness, from which comes matter, which is the existence of the world, extending from the finite to the divine. From the same One also comes Light, which is the form and essence of the world. Thus, the world is subjected to both darkness and the errors of darkness, as well as to the clear truth and perception of light. It is subject to the passions of death, endowed with both evil and good, sometimes filling with the anguish and miseries of mortality, and at other times bringing joy and happiness to the same.

In this way, it is clear that God, or the Monad as the root, in both its properties—namely, contracting itself within itself and thereby assigning dominion to darkness, or expanding itself and thereby offering its goodness to the world and its creatures."

— Medicina Catholica, Seu Mysticvm Artis Medicandi Sacrarivm, c. 1629 by Roberto Fludd; Alias De Fluctibvs

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[flowerytale]

“The Prophetess” or “The Rising Moon”, from Andrea Zanatelli’s embroidery series

[portalibis]

Venus and Cupid, c. 1506 by Lucas Cranach the Elder German

[slewfootwitch]

This is just a personal thought, and you can take it or leave it. But I think there is sometimes not enough consideration for the fact that, where folklore that depicts witches as non-human and thus other overlaps with bodies of folklore that depict witches as the embodiment of historical Christian-European beliefs about "outsiders" to their communities, the whole "non-human" portrayal might actually be an expression of that xenophobia and not an exemption from the deconstruction of it. Saying "no the otherness refers to nonhuman-ness" is not a rebuttal to the long-standing scholarly understanding of the witch motif of European folklore. If anything, it reinforces the academically excepted idea that the witch motif (and many others in folklore) are codifications of the attitudes that the Church (and churched society) held about those perceived as outsiders.

[dvudushnydiaries]

I think this is, in part, due to non-humanity being romanticized in a way.

I do think it's a thing that plays into some folks' practices, I'd be a hypocrite if I said otherwise, but I don't think things are how they are most often described in modern contexts. Folks are really quick to ignore the xenophobic, and often specifically antisemitic, as well as ableist traits that are given to witches or other semi-human, supernatural folkloric beings. Idk, something something disabled and socially othered people can find comfort in connecting with these depictions but it shouldn't come at the expense of understanding the broader social contexts of what was happening at the time.

[slewfootwitch]

I agree with that assessment. And I take no issue with people who are socially othered currently finding a connection there. I absolutely have met many people who related to that otherness because of also being queer or disabled or neurodivergent. And I think that's valid. The only time I take issue with that is when the non-human depiction of witches in folkloric is romanticized and used to gloss over the xenophobia and antisemitism that remain at the heart of those depictions.

I do feel that the concept that we have of social otherness is much broader now, because the social constructs that define them have changed and evolved to define more and more people as outsiders and enemies to "right society". And so it makes sense for more and more people to relate to that otherness, even where they may not have been explicitly characterized historically. But where that connection comes at the price of mental gymnastics to erase those origins, I do think it can become and issue.

[dvudushnydiaries]

Yepp, absolutely agree. It's definitely a significant chunk of the much larger issue of "if I identify with a non-dominant religion or spiritual practice, I can automatically circumvent any critical thought about privilege or historic bigotry", which has done SO many people a disservice when it comes to honestly engaging with. literally anything folkloric. Too many people seem to be under the impression that just because these stories are from ye olden days that they don't require context

[chaosophia218]

Johann Daniel Mylius - The Four Classical Elements, “Philosophia Reformata”, 1622. The spherical fundaments display the Alchemical Symbols of the Four Elements: Earth, Water, Air and Fire (from left-to-right), while the flaming flasks atop represent so-supported stages of the Work: Blackening, Whitening, Yellowing and Reddening; which color changes describe successive objectives of the various Alchemical Operations: Calcination, Sublimation, Fusion, Crystallization, Distillation, and Putrefaction, among other processes.

[wandering-cemeteries]

Tombs of Agnolo Cesi and his wife, Francesca Carduli. 16th century Santa Maria della Pace, Rome Feb. 2024

[soracities]

“Why We’re Drawn into Darkness”: Robert MacFarlane, interviewed by Steve Paulson for Natil.us

[hekateanwitchcraft]

Hekatean Witchcraft Master List

Hekate Posts

Informational Posts

Recommended Reading List

Common Misconceptions of Hekate

What is Hekatean Witchcraft?

Hekate as the Cosmic World Soul

Crowned with Snakes and Branches of Oak: Hekate Brimo

Hekate as a Witch Goddess

Hekate’s Plants/Herbs

Offerings for Hekate

Signs From Hekate

Crossroads and Hekate

Hekate Oil Recipe

Small Ways to Incorporate Hekate Worship/Devotion into Your Everyday Life

Zeus and Hekate

Hekatean Home Protection

Hekate Prayers

Prayer to the Many Faces of Hekate

Hymn to Hekate Pharmakeia

Prayer of Devotion to Hekate

Prayer to Hekate on the Dark Moon

Prayer to Hekate for Vengeance and Justice

Medea’s Invocation of Hekate

Prayer to Hekate for Guidance

Nightly Prayer to Hekate

Prayer to Hekate Soteira

Prayer to Hekate of the Foxes for Guidance

Prayer to Hekate When Crossing Thresholds

Prayer to Hekate to Avert Evil Spirits

Spells and Rituals

Hekatean Circle Casting

Full Moon Ritual

Hekate’s Deipnon and Dark Moon Ritual

Rite of Dedication to Hekate

Invocation of Hekate for Rites of the Dead

Invocation of Hekate and Helios for Aid in Witchcraft

To Prevent an Enemy’s Progress and Success

Hekate’s Open Pathways Spell

Hekatean Witchcraft Curse

Ritual to Banish a Malignant Spirit

Medeia Posts

Introduction to Worshipping Medeia

Medeia Epithets

Prayer to Medeia for Women’s Empowerment

Prayer to Medeia for Aid in Witchcraft

Prayer to Medeia for Vengeance

Prayer to Medeia for Guidance

Pan Posts

Offerings for Pan

Invocation of Pan for Aid in Witchcraft

To Pan in the Fall

To Pan in the Winter

Prayer to Pan for Easing Depression

Pan’s Love and Sex Charm

General Posts

Shrines: A Moderately In-Depth Look

Witchcraft History Book Recommendations

Deities, Worship, and Magic

Prayer Candle Divination

On Substitutions

A Note on Priesthood

Witchcraft and Hellenic Polytheism

A Cunning Man Who Liked Men: A Bit About James Thomas

Spells and Rituals

Kirke’s True Colors Spell

Rite of Blood

To Curse a Bigot

Halloween Ritual

To Strengthen a Distant Relationship

Stop Gossip Spell

For Protection Against Witchcraft

Gay Love Spell: To Conjure Love from Another Man

(To be continuously updated)

[figandthewasp]

March 30th — Venus Enters Taurus

As Venus returns home to Taurus, life begins to slow down—and deepen. Beauty feels more tangible. Love feels more real. There’s a natural pull toward stability, comfort, and connections that truly last.

This is not about fleeting эмоtions or surface-level attraction. This is about choosing what is steady, what is nourishing, what is built to endure.

You may find yourself craving simplicity—quiet moments, meaningful touch, environments that feel safe and abundant. Pay attention to what brings you genuine peace. That’s where your alignment is.

If there are relationships in your life that feel distant or broken—especially the one you have with yourself—this is the moment to soften, to repair, to rebuild with intention.

Not everything needs to be rushed. What is meant for you will grow stronger when it’s given time, care, and presence.

Let love become something you can truly feel, hold, and trust.

[sictransitgloriamvndi]

Mors imperator (1887/Öl auf Leinwand) - Hermione von Preuschen

[portalibis]

The Ripley Scrolls, late 16th/early 17th century, Add MS 5025

"The cyclical course of nature and the operations of generation and corruption. The unity of beginning and end, the perpetual circulation of matter, and the self-renewing nature of the Work."

P.I. Telegram/ P.I. Facebook

[chaosophia218]

Athanasius Kircher - Combinations of the Nine Universal Symbols, “Ars Magna Sciendi Sive Combinatoria”,  1669.

[nardialrose]

-David Konstan, The Emotions of the Ancient Greeks : Studies in Aristotle and Classical Literature.

@jabutipiranga this might interest you since you asked about Hera's jealousy the other day

[theoihalioistuff]

It should be known that the myth is prone to dog-like phantoms; it even turned Hekabe into a dog, and it also fashions Hekate as having the head of a dog. And Kallimachos in his Commentaries says that Artemis was once a guest of Ephesos, the son of Kaystros, and that when she was driven out by his wife, she first transformed her into a dog; and later, out of pity, restored her into a human. She, however, felt such shame over what had happened that she hanged herself. The goddess then placed her own raiment on her and named her Hecate. (Kallimachos fr. 461 = Eust. ad Od. 12. 85)

"That Hecate was drawn into the role of dying maiden makes sense. When she arrived in Greece with the same interests in women’s transitions as Artemis, the sensibilities of the Greek mythic imagination would have demanded that this situation be tidied up, for however much cult might tolerate a number of divinities sharing the same functions, myth strove to articulate the differences between them, and to impose some clearly defined, recognizable relationship—sister and brother, parent and child, lover and beloved, victimizer and victim. The result was often more than just a matter of tidying up, of course. The less important divinity frequently acquired both a symbolic value in myth, where he or she served as a prototype for others who would interact with the divinity, and a “heroic” role in cult, where he or she was worshipped alongside the stronger divinity." — Johnston, S. I. (1999). Restless dead: encounters between the living and the dead in ancient Greece. p. 245.

[thetenofpentacles]

Jean Delville, L'Ecole de Platon (Plato’s School), 1898. Musée d'Orsay, Paris.