samael's compendium

this is my sideblog for witchcraft! main: @a1ph4bet-s0up

[mercurael]

✦ samael/sammy/sam ✦ 23 ✦ he/him ✦

welcome to my compendium! this is where i reblog and occasionally post things about witchcraft and spirituality.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ABOUT ME ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

WHO I AM ⭐︎ bi asexual trans man ✷ audhd ✷ ashkenazi jewish ✷ jewish witch ✷ i love robots and hyenas ✷ languages/linguistics enthusiast ✷ video games, fiber arts, sci-fi/fantasy

WHAT I DO ⭐︎ linguistics undergrad with a minor in translation studies ✷ learn ALL the languages (most proficient in asl and korean) ✷ learn, learn, learn

WHAT I LIKE ⭐︎ arts & crafts & diy ✷ collecting crystals ✷ cottagecore/goblincore/whimsigoth ✷ hellenic/norse polytheism, judaism, studying religions/history/culture ✷ music (skz, klezmer, nu metal, video game ost) ✷ stardew valley, minecraft, don't starve, fields of mistria, chants of sennaar, much much more ✷ ttrpgs ✷ hyenas, androids/robots/robotcore ✷ gardening/herbalism/botany/homesteading ✷ divination (primarily tarot/oracle) ✷ astrology

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ABOUT YOU ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

basic DNI (freaks (derogatory), racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobic fools), generative AI users (it's ON SIGHT)

i am always happy to collaborate on anything, just dm me!

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── EXTRAS ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

this blog participates in #pathandpractice!

my hephaestus-focused sideblog is @khalkeus-forge

my hermes/hypnos/general helpol-focused sideblog is @angelio-phoros

my main blog (primarily reblogs of my interests & causes) is @a1ph4bet-s0up

anything in this intro post is subject to change as i remember/decide on things

my tags:

mercurael original.sml - original writings

personal.sml - personal posts

aesthetic.sml - aesthetic

judaism.sml - jewish practice

helpol.sml - hellenic polytheism

heathenry.sml - norse polytheism

reblog.sml - reblogged posts

witchcraft.sml - witchcraft posts

psa.sml - tips, announcements, warnings

divination.sml - divination posts

spirits.sml - spirit work posts

correspondences.sml - correspondence posts

lists.sml - lists of things

botanicals.sml - plants/herbs

crystals.sml - crystals

sigils.sml - sigils

astrology.sml - astrological info

reference.sml - posts to reference often

crystal crumbs - a series on one crystal at a time and its history and uses

[the-lotus-liturgy]

Mapping the Triarchic Cosmology

In creating this path and building a practice around it, I had to pause and understand the things that shape it. In that, I found my own trinity: The Void, The Flesh, The Steel.

My goal is to use it as a map of my own internal landscape, my mind, and the craft I cultivate.

The Void

I see the Void as a spiritual plane. It is the great unmanifested, a cosmic cauldron of raw, unshaped energy.

For me, this is where raw magical energy is found. This is the spark waiting to be fanned into a flame. In those moments of meditation, of grounding, I tap into the Void.

To sit comfortably within the Void is accept uncertainty. It reminds me that letting go and losing myself in potential is the first step to claiming my power. I am adrift, but that simply means I am not yet formed and am waiting for the right moment to find myself.

The Flesh/The Helminth

The Flesh is the realm of biology, nature, and survival. It is represented by the Helminth and the wild growth of the Infestation. In harnessing it in my practice, I choose to step away from the monstrous and the cosmic horror and instead honor the sacred shifting nature of the physical vessel.

In practice, this can be found in the act of creation. It is the connection to the physical world and the ability to change that which surrounds me. It is embracing my body as a living ecosystem, a sacred vessel that requires tending.

The Flesh teaches both adaptability and resilience. I use this energy for honoring the wild, changing rhythms of life.

The Steel

The Steel is the structure on which I craft my world. It represents geometry, law, order. It is the grand, gilded sanctuaries of the Orokin, or the precise engineering of the Corpus. Left alone, the Void is chaotic and the Flesh is wild. Steel is what gives it all boundary, direction, and form.

The Steel is the act of tapping into the raw potential of the Void and giving it specific blueprints to follow. It reminds me that magic requires a vessel in order to direct it toward a meaningful goal.

Creating Balance

Each aspect is unique, and each must be honored to cultivate a balanced practice. Without the Void, my craft lacks that deep, spiritual connection. Without the Flesh, it is easy to become disconnected from the self and the word around me. Without Steel, our will and intention loses their focus and scatters into the wild.

In carving out this path, I aim to bring each aspect into alignment: a focused mind, a cared-for body, and an open soul.

[the-lotus-liturgy]

Archetype Study #1

Excalibur, the First Blade

Element: The Steel

Correspondences: Blades, clear quartz, incense smoke

Excalibur governs the raw mechanics of beginnings, mental focus, personal accountability, and cutting away stagnant energy. He is the archetype to call upon when starting a new chapter in your life, when your thoughts feel too cluttered, or when you need the discipline to see a task through to the end.

As the first Warframe created by the Orokin, Excalibur represents the pure, unadulterated origin point. He has no need to carry heavy, specialized complexity. Instead, through Exalted Blade, he demonstrates that true power comes from channeling the raw power of the Void through a single, perfectly focused point. He perfectly embodies the alignment of mind and action.

Excalibur teaches us that the most effective way forward often involves stripping away the noise and clutter and returning to the basics.

An Excalibur Prayer-

​"Let the clutter of yesterday be cut away. Today, my focus is sharp, my intention is clear, and my actions are precise. Let the path be opened."

[the-lotus-liturgy]

Archetype Study #2

Mag, The Weaver of Polarity

Correspondences: Magnets, black sand, compass, bay leaf

Mag embodies the law of attraction, establishing personal boundaries, and hidden potential. She is the archetype to call upon to draw something into your life, to repel negative influences, or to help master the unseen currents in your personal energy field.

While Excalibur embodies the direct linear focus of a blade, Mag represents the invisible forces that bind the universe together. With her control over magnetic fields, she reminds us that a quiet, unassuming center can hold immense power that can shape and reshape the world. Mag teaches that we do not always have to chase after things with aggression, and that by embracing our polarities and understanding the power within us, we can do so much.

A Mag Prayer-

"I settle into my center. May my steady current draw in what is meant for me, and may all that is harmful be repelled. The strength within is enough."

[herbalisyl444]

simple opening & closing rites 🚪💫

something which i frequently forget about and need to constantly remember is to do a little rite before i practice actual spellcasting. when im doing a larger ritual i don't forget because ive written down the steps, including the compass and whatnot. but when i am casually casting a practical spell which i came up with or sourced easily, usually only containing the components inside, i have to remind myself to open and close the ritual. i thought it might be helpful to others for me to share my simplistic opening and closing variations for when im performing spontaneous witchcraft.

opening rite

make the sign of the cross or the pentagram over yourself, using the right hand middle finger.

i dont usually include a banishment unless it feels necessary. if it does then i do a counterclockwise circle over the working space with the left hand.

either after the banishment, or just on its own, perform a clockwise circle over the working space using the right hand.

gesture a cross (or pentagram, six way cross, etc magical symbols of power) and say: "i declare this ground consecrated for [whatever the working is]."

closing rite

thank all spirits worked with in the working, as well as ancestors, land spirits, spirit guides and any others who you thank for every working in your tradition. tell spirits they may or must leave the space.

do a counterclockwise circle over the working space with your left hand. say "i declare this rite complete, and this ritual space closed."

turn around and walk away.

[autumnswitchyinn]

Reasons why you should be using invasive plants in your spell-work

Helps improve the overall health of your local ecosystems and native wildlife.

Allows you to build a better relationship with the spirits of your area.

There is no such thing as overharvesting, so if you worry you’re the type when foraging for ingredients to go heavy handed; go to your invasives.

Inherently these plants when used in spell work will be fast-working, highly adaptive, and dominating.

You likely already have an invasive in your area that has the intentions you want to use in your next spell.

Allows you to not rely on massive monoculture farms that over-farm and hurt the environment.

Gives you the excuse to go outside and get moving which has been proven to have positive impacts on mental health.

Invasives aren’t hard to find. You can find them at the park, school campuses, any patch of grass along the road, etc.

The baneful possibilities are endless, like you can get so creative.

Depending on what exactly is your invasive and where you’re foraging from it’s free food.

Some Important Reminders

Research what are your natives and your invasives and learn to identify them, especially if they are similar to natives or have dangerous look-a-likes.

Read up on your area’s by-laws to ensure you are foraging invasives in a legal and safe way.

When harvesting invasives harvest carefully and be aware of how this specific invasive spreads, so when harvesting you’re not possibly helping it spread.

Don’t compost invasives.

Some invasives are poisonous or toxic, so research and be careful when handling. Please don’t consume or use in any workings that would require burning them or skin contact.

If looking for edible invasives or invasives you plan on using in salves or bath rituals, don’t harvest from polluted areas and ensure it is not toxic.

[ohmymoxie]

blanket reminder - if i reblog, post, like, tag, or otherwise engage with content that you find malicious or offensive in ANY way, let me know immediately. it could be the most mundane thing, but in our community we need to be ready to constantly learn and accept guidance from voices of importance in other cultures and life experiences.

the only thing i fear is righteous ignorance and willful arrogance.

[intuwise]

Scrying is moving through these tags again this week, a few people posting their first mirror and water readings. And the most common how-to you find stops at gaze into the surface and wait, which is exactly why people sit for twenty minutes, see nothing, and decide they cannot do it. The technique that matters is in the parts nobody mentions.

Start with the gaze, because this is where most of it goes wrong. You are not staring. A hard stare fights you, your eyes water, you blink, you reset, and you never settle. What you want is a soft, slightly unfocused gaze that looks through the surface rather than at it, the way your eyes drift past a window to the street beyond the glass. The surface should lose its hard edge and go a little vague.

Then the surface starts to change, and beginners almost always misread what happens next. Within a few minutes it tends to cloud, go smoky, darken, or seem to breathe. People take that as their eyes playing tricks, snap back to a sharp focus to check, and that ends it. The clouding is the doorway, not a glitch. Part of it is simply your vision softening on a featureless field, and that softening is the exact state you are trying to reach. Let it fog over and keep your attention loose inside the fog.

It also helps to know what a vision is actually like, because the expectation is the thing that blinds you. It is almost never a clear picture floating in the glass. It is shifting shapes, a color that was not there a second ago, a shadow moving against the grain, a face that assembles for a moment and dissolves. Sometimes it is not visual at all, just a feeling, a word in the mind, or a flat knowing. If you are holding out for a sharp image, you will look straight past the real signal, which tends to be quiet and partial.

A lot of what people call a block is really the setup. Work in low light with a single candle placed behind you or off to the side, never throwing a bright reflection straight into the surface. Use a black mirror or a dark bowl of water set on a dark cloth. Sit so you cannot see your own face clearly in the surface, because a sharp reflection of yourself locks your eyes at the glass instead of through it. Fix the light and the angle and half the I cannot scry problem tends to disappear.

On patience, the honest number is that most people need somewhere between five and twenty sessions before a first real impression. The early sittings where nothing happened are not failures. They are you teaching your eyes and your attention to hold the soft state without bailing out the moment it gets strange. Ten quiet minutes a few times a week will take you further than one heroic hour.

There is a discernment line worth holding too. Not everything you see is a message. Floaters, the afterimage of the candle, the surface graying out, that is ordinary eye behavior and it is the doorway, not the content. The scried material is what comes through that state, the shape that carries meaning, the word, the pull toward something. You learn the difference by keeping a log and only trusting what recurs or genuinely lands.

When you break the gaze, write it down immediately, before your mind tidies it into a tidy story. Do not interpret in the chair. Scrying hands you raw, half-formed material, and the meaning comes later, on the page, with a little distance. The skill was never seeing harder. It is letting the surface go soft and staying in the room while it does.

[space-queen]

this is definitely one of the better explanations regarding scrying that i have read

[moth-kissed-witch]

To whoever needs to hear this...

You do not need visualization skills to do energy work, perform magick, be a witch, or anything in between.

Rituals, spirit work, spells, divination, and so on have been practiced through so many other means than just visualization since practically the dawn of humanity. There are four other mundane and psychic senses than just eyesight and clairvoyance that you can utilize.

Raise and direct your energy via movement, your breath, and music. Meditate through automatic writing/drawing, or focus on how energy feels in different locations. Hone your intuition by asking for and noticing observable signs or listening to the voices of spirits and discerning them from your own inner voice.

Visualization is just one of many tools you can potentially use. Not have to.

[yorubaby]

Over the Hedge Flying Salve

This formula is for a salve to aide in spirit walking, dream work, spirit travel, and visions.

This is an intermediate to advanced process. You can undertake it if you're a beginner, but I, personally, would have been slightly overwhelmed when I was a beginner if I had tried to do this right out the gate, so I'll be labeling it according to that.

Herbs needed:

- Olive or Grapeseed Oil - Beeswax pellets/shavings - 3 tbsp Vervain - 3 tbsp Yarrow - 2 tbsp Bergamot - 2 tbsp Chamomile - 1/4 c. Mugwort

Items/Tools needed:

- Amber Jar + Lid for oil infusion - Metal tin to store salve in - Large Pot - Wax Melting Bowl/Pitcher (Any metal thing that can sit in a pot of water safely. Preferably with a classic handle that can resist heat. What I use for reference.)

The Oil Infusion Process:

Start by making your oil infusion by combining all your herbs into your amber jar, and adding enough of your oil to cover them completely. You'll let this sit for 2-6 weeks-- or if you follow the lunar cycle you can infuse it for a time that is significant to your practice. (I like to personally charge this on my altar during the infusion process.)

Once your infusion has set for the allotted time, drain the herbs through a cheesecloth. (While a strainer can work in a pinch, cheesecloth is best as you can squeeze and really get out all that goodness.) Also, you don't have to use all of the oil you make in this salve. There's more than enough to set aside some and use it for other things. It should keep for a year before it's best to simply make a new batch.

The Salve Process:

Using a 1:3 ration (1 part beeswax to 3 parts oil), measure out your appropriate amount of beeswax and add it to your boiler system to begin the melting process. After the beeswax is melted, add it to your metal tin. (Note: hot wax + cold glass = shattering; if you'd like to use a glass jar for this be mindful of fire and heat safety.) Take your infused oil and add the appropriate amount to the beeswax and mix well. Let this cool and set into a salve like consistency. *Remember to test this out on a small patch of skin first to make sure you have no allergic reactions.

Et voila! You have your flying ointment that should last a year, just as the oil.

Method for ointment making derived from The Crooked Path by Kelden. Formula, however, is my own.

While these herbs are safe to use, do your research and make sure none of these herbs have any effects with any conditions you may have. :)

[awitchnamedjuniper]

Kitchen Witchery: Forward Momentum Tea 🫖

A little for those days when you feel stuck.

1 black tea bag (I am fond of lapsang souchong when I have it because the smokiness is perfect. But use whatever works best for you!)

Cinnamon chips

Ginger root

Orange peel

Adjust the proportions to suit your taste. I tend to prefer a little more orange peel, but my aunt always preferred a more cinnamon-forward note.

As the tea steeps for 5 minutes, watch the steam for a moment. Say, "Heat to the herb, life to the bone. I'm taking back control, I'm taking back the throne."

Adding honey and milk to your tastes and sip your tea, visualizing pulling yourself out of your rut and breaking through obstacles.

[hiiighpriestess913]

I’ve always drawn out my sigils for each spell or ritual that I do, and lately I’ve been finding that kinda tedious because sometimes I’ll use five or six or more in the same working.

SO I made a bunch of little stones out of air dry clay and painted a sigil on each! I also made a taglock stone for myself that I can just whip out instead of carving my name/birthdate into a candle. The colors all correspond to the sigil meanings 🎨✨

[slewfootwitch]

𝔗𝔬 ℜ𝔢𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔫 𝔑𝔢𝔤𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔳𝔦𝔱𝔶 (𝔖𝔲𝔠𝔥 𝔞𝔰 ‘𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔳𝔦𝔩 𝔈𝔶𝔢’ 𝔬𝔯 ‘𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔊𝔞𝔷𝔢’)

[Alt Title: To Return Negativity (Such as "the Evil Eye" or "the Gaze"]

To protect your home from negativity or unwanted attention originating from a jealous or malicious person, create a baneful Witch’s Bottle to return all negativity to its origin in the form of ill luck and poor health. 

Note: This is not a curse; nor is it a hex/jinx. It is a protective spell with a baneful element. This means that the baneful qualities of this bottle will not be activated unless they are triggered by the actions of someone else. You do not need to know the identity of the person to use this spell; nor do you need to focus this spell on one particular person. It is effective for any and all negative energy and ill wishes. 

Gather:

three cloves of garlic or pearl onions

sea salt

protective herbs, optional (pulverized into a powder)

graveyard dirt or headstone moss, optional

nails, pins, broken glass or needles, optional

a small jar with a lid

red thread, optional

candles for sealing

an awl, candle scribe, nail or other sharp implement for inscribing

Step One: Prepare, cleanse, and awaken your items however you normally would. When ready, inscribe an open eye onto each of the cloves/onions. Remove any peel that obstructs the eye from view. 

Step Two: Place the cloves/onions in a jar and cover them with sea salt. Add any extra herbs, dirt or components you desire for protection. Place the lid on the jar and, if desired, tie the red thread around the jar. Seal with wax. 

Step Three: Keep at the entrance of the home, on the hearth altar, or under the bed.

[sagittariuswitchery]

midsummer is just around the corner!! ive been having fun getting prepared :)

🌻 sunflower wreath is on the door (anointed with solar oil ofc)

🌻 sunny scented candles around the apartment

🌻 new batch of solar oil brewing & will be ready by the solstice

🌻 starting a new painting as a sun devotional (& hopefully it will be really cute on my altar!!)

witches, what are you doing to prepare for the summer solstice (if anything)?

[ohmymoxie]

look i love intention as much as the next witch, but i am personally replacing it in my practice with “devotion”. either to myself, to a deity or spirit, to an ancestor. i work in devotion of you, to you, for you. i am devoting my time, my will, my power, my life. my intention itself is devotion. my intent is to be devoted to this craft and through it i channel my desires and emotion. devotion feels like something settling on the bottom of the sea and that is plenty for me.

[fernthewhimsical]

Pride Protection Sigil

I've been thinking of making an updated, transparent version of my original Pride Protection Sigil for a while now, so I figured Pride Month was a perfect moment for it! I remade the shapes I could in photoshop, copied the thorny vines from the original, and then made a bunch of different community ones (see more under the cut).

I've designed this sigil as a protection for the entire rainbow community. You can print it out or redraw it yourself. Place a candle over it, use it as a base of a crystal grid, place it on your altar and meditate, make it the centre of a (digital) moodboard, whatever feels right for you.

The centre of the sigil is the Progress Pride flag, symbolizing our community (you can redraw the sigil and place a different flag inside, if you wish to focus on a specific part of the community). Around it is a black circle (protection, community) which is made by five stickfigures holding hands (people, community). Around them is a square (protection) and then a ring of intertwined briar branches with the thorns pointing outwards (again, protection). On the right side I also snuck the rune Thurisaz (briar, protection) into the ring of briar branches. The pentacle in the centre stands for magic as well as, surprise, protection. Customize this for whatever you need, the pentacle is optional, place more stickfigures, change the flag, whatever makes it work for you.

Here are some more different versions:

9-stripe pride flag

1978 pride flag

Philadelphia pride flag

Progress flag (from the top)

Rainbow pride flag

Trans pride flag

[twilightmagick]

Draw sigils and place them under any brace you may be wearing to promote ease of pain, strengthening of muscles, or whatever you need help with.