Nightingale

Heathen witch named Dusty she/they

[tarotbee]

Hi! I really love your worship posts and wanted to ask if you could make ones for Loki and Odin please? Thank you :)

Ways of Worshipping the All-Father Odin

(Loki's post coming soon)

- have an altar dedicated to him, as much as Norse Gods want direct and equality in communication they are fans of lavish things and flattery

- alcohol such as red wine, mead, aquavit or whiskey

- a nice chalice to pour liquid offerings into

- a mug of coffee, take a sip first and then offer the rest to him

- write and burn a poem for him

- write dramatic stories and music and read them to him, he loves drama, pour your heart into it

- share jokes with him!

- do your shadow work

- offer your pain and suffering, feel your emotions, write them down and burn them as an offering

- spend time in the woods/nature

- FLATTERY, it goes a long way with the Norse Gods

- learn and use his many names such as, the All-Father, the Victory-Father, Grimnir, Hanged Man, Wotan, Masked One, Rune God, Jolnir, Gelding, Grey beard and the One eyed Wanderer

(Knowing and using the many names is a form of flattery)

- fruit

- horse, Raven, wolf and bear imagery

- black feather, raven skulls etc (ethically sourced)

- horse shoes

- wolf pawprints, fur and teeth (ethically sourced)

- Runes: Ansuz, Wunjo, Gebo and Othala.

- learn Rune magic and Rune divination

- the Hanged Man tarot card

- dedicate a form of divination to him as Odin, being associated with Horses often led him to being associated with divination 🤷‍♀️

- a statue of himself

- black, red, grey, cobalt or purple candles

- partake in rituals and celebrations such as Sigrblót (April 15th), Yggdrasil day (April 22nd), the Last Harvest (October 31st), and Yule

- Red meats especially beef

- smoked salmon

- leaks, asparagus and garlic

- eat well! Dedicate the meal to him and his wolves Geri and Freki

- feast! Spoil yourself on Wednesdays! (And spoil Odin a bit too)

- offer your secrets and speak respectfully as you would to others, the Norse Gods prefer to be spoken to as equals

- (a pipe with) tobacco

- The Nine Sacred Herbs: ash leaves, elm leaves, parsley, woad, cinquefoil, horehound, periwinkle

- make donations to or do volunteer work at a veterans organisations

- riddles and puzzles

- many heathens say that it is best to directly commune with the All-Father and ask what he wants specifically, he is a jack of all trades deity, and encompasses many aspects such as, war, poetry, riddles, kingship, magic, inspiration, death, self-empowerment, transformation, leadership, travel, madness, academia and wisdom meaning there are so many different types of offerings you could give him

- acts of courage such as standing up for yourself or others

- be wise, know or learn your boundaries in all different areas of life, financial, spiritual, social etcetera

- learn! There is so much in this world to learn, dedicate your time studying to Odin, whether it be mythos, war history or just studying for fun or classes, dedicate that time to him, maybe even light his candle

- dedicate the 9th month of the year to your practice with the All-Father, the number 9 is sacred to him, if you can find multiple ways to incorporate it into your offerings and practice as well

- become an educator, a professor, a leader or a tutor, allow yourself the ability to learn and teach at the same time

[atthecrossroadsoflifeanddeath]

[citrinemystic]

I'm sure I said it somewhere else, but I'll say it again: please don't feel ashamed or guilty when esoteric or spiritual practices need to be put on the back burner when you're dealing with stressful things in your life.

I've spent the past month and a half facing one challenge after another at work, and as a result, I've only kept to the small daily rituals that could be done in a minute or less. And that's okay.

Spiritual practices will still be there when it's time to return to them. The gods will still be there when it's time to make offerings again. Your ancestors and spirit guides are always with you, even if there are times when you don't interact with them as much.

It is okay to prioritize things that aren't your spiritual journey. It's a journey, not a race.

[smooth-endo]

Incorporating Magick into Everyday Life ✨

🔮 Greet your deity, deities, household spirits, or the universe every morning

🔮 Incorporate your witchcraft into jewelry. Where rings on certain fingers for different correspondences. Wear gold or silver depending on what you want to attract. Wear symbols of your craft (pentacle, triquetra, cross, Star of David)

🔮 Use color magick when planning your outfits

🔮 Stir your morning coffee or tea clockwise to attract something and counter-clockwise to banish something

🔮 Find time to meditate for at least a couple minutes

🔮 Water any plants you have with moon water (water charged under a full moon) or sun water (water charged in the sun)

🔮 Carry around crystals to bond with them

🔮 Make a travel altar for work or school. You can add things like your favorite crystal, a pendulum, a pentacle charm, salt, symbols for the elements

🔮 Write sigils wherever you go to brighten someone else’s day, to stay focused on your task, for confidence, etc.

🔮 Pull a daily tarot card

🔮 Say a positive mantra every morning

🔮 Add to your book of shadows or grimoire if you have one

🔮 Make you meals into spells. Research the correspondences and use intent and visualization to add magick to your meals

🔮 Talk to your plants, crystals, and tarot deck

🔮 Tend to your garden if you have one

🔮 Take time to ground yourself everyday

[orriculum]

When Your Spell Fails

no witch succeeds with their spells 100% of the time. here’s a short list of reasons why it could have happened and some solutions

possible reasons why:

distraction - a spell you’re not invested in isn’t going to have much power behind it. if you’re concentrated more on you. if you cast a motivation spell while planning out your vacation, it’s going to subtract from that motivation. 

rosemary replaces everything - supposedly. it supplies general power, but if you add nothing into the spell that has any real meaning to you, then what is that power supposed to do? where does that energy go with no direction?

associations - the correspondences everyone else lists for herbs and stones and planets can be very useful, but sometimes you have a personal conflicting association. perhaps lavender is gross to you, and not peaceful at all. then that dream sachet isn’t going to give you peaceful dreams. 

didn’t help the spell - magic does not exist in a vaccum. spells can only do so much, but if you don’t make the effort, it much less likely to work. job spells dont work if you don’t fill out applications, love spells don’t work if you don’t go out and talk to people, and so on. 

too many cooks - if you cast 10 love spells, and yet no one is attracted to you, it’s entirely possible they all did work but they all conflicted with each other, and ended up canceling each other out. 

shot for the stars- sometimes you try to achieve something, and you set your expectations too high. either it’s impossible, you’re trying from the wrong angle, or you didn’t get as much as you wanted.

cancellation - sometimes a spell may appear not to work when it does, but the results are invisible because it canceled something else out. say you cast a money spell and get no extra cash after several weeks, it could be just helping you maintain your current income and blocking extraneous expenses.

impatience - unless you programmed a working time limit into it, the spell could be working and you just don’t see the results yet. these things can take time.

out of your depth - if you don’t feel like you’re ready to do a spell, your lack of confidence or discomfort can either disable the spell or not give it enough power to work

what to do:

take a break, ground, cleanse, and give it time. refocus your intentions

contemplate each ingredient and step in the spell, and modify

use the ingredients that you know best work for you, old standards hold up.

think about what you could do to help the spell work. what mundane methods haven’t you tried?

take a step back and look at it realistically. is there another angle you can approach this from, can you break it down into smaller steps?

return to the spells you are comfortable doing, and work from there.

[schrawbry-juice]

Tips for baby witches, lazy witches, tired witches, or any witch really:

Enchant your morning cup of tea/coffee*

Match the colours of your makeup to your intentions for the day

Visualise the water washing away all the negativity when you shower

Enchant your nail polish (bonus: match the colour to the intention, black for protection, red for love, green for prosperity, etc)

Say your affirmations (for clear skin, fading scars, reducing dullness, etc) when doing your skincare

Charge your perfume with the energy you wish to attract

When tying your shoes, visualise them symbolically protecting you from tripping and “falling” into places and situations that disturb your peace

Use music to your advantage, listen to songs that match your intentions, or alternatively, use music as a tool for divination

Some witches veil to keep their energy from draining and to protect them from others’ emotions, but a beanie works too

If you wear glasses, use them as a tool so that they help you “see clearly”

Put your moisturiser on in the shape of a sigil before massaging it in

Child’s pose is always there for you, use it when you need it (alleviates stress and anxiety, helps clear the mind, releases tension in the back, helps to steady breathing, is overall great for grounding, etc)

Visualise the A+ (on your report card/on the paper after it’s been graded/etc) right before beginning to solve your test/exam, it also helps if you can draw a sigil somewhere on the paper, or trace it on the paper with your finger

When shaving, visualise any energy buildup being shaved off as well

If you play the guitar, draw a sigil on your plectrum/pick for an added boost (this works with other instruments too)

Do not litter out of respect for nature and its spirits

Feel free to add more things onto the list

When you’re just starting out, or even when you’re just too drained to practice your craft like you used to, it can feel like there isn’t enough magic in your life. This is your daily reminder that a lot of the time, the only difference between routine and magick is intent.

*I have been informed that the first link is now private. I will not be changing it, but here is my go-to method for enchanting tea. Stir clockwise to manifest/invite, and counterclockwise to banish/repel. Tap the spoon (or whatever it is that you’re using) thrice against the rim of the cup to seal in the intention.

[shintowitch]

🔔 BELLS IN WITCHCRAFT 🔔

Bells might just be the earliest form of superstitious practise that I remember. My baba attached three sakura-patterned suzu bells on my schoolbag as a kid, purportedly for good luck and protection from evil spirits – and Japan is far from the only place to have associated bells and bellringing with mystic practise. They’ve been used worldwide to ward off evil and carry messages – and in a more metaphysical sense, sound is the movement of energy through substance. Sounds have the potential to work powerful magic.

Here are some of the ways I’ve found utilising bells to be helpful to my craft. While I’m more likely to use traditional suzu type bells, your own background, path and culture will likely have its own types of bells – and as ever, bells can be ornate antiques or they can be a bottle cap in a tin can, as long as they’re used with intent.

GETTING STARTED

🔔 As with so much of the craft, if you’re new to the witching bell, it’s a matter of exploration and experimentation. Get a “feel” for what works for you and the specific bell you’re using.

🔔 It’s good practise to ensure that the bell itself is cleansed, warded and protected – you don’t want anything nasty tapping into that power. All witching tools can do as much harm as good, intentional or accidental.

🔔 A good way to begin incorporating bells into your craft is infuse them into any typical ritual that you’re comfortable with, or even just a prayer or moment of contemplation at your altar if you have one.

🔔 Give the bell a soft ring while focusing on the energy it’ll ripple and move, try to track the movements it creates and what it touches. The tone it’s sending out.  The most primal and versatile use of the bell – and what many of the below come down to – is simply another manner of physically channelling energy, giving it shape and direction.

PROTECTION

🔔 “Passive” bells such as windchimes or small bells attached to belongings you don’t want disturbed are a starting point. They will scare off some forms of spirit all by themselves, especially if appropriately blessed, charmed or enchanted. Or cursed.

🔔 Gently tolling can draw energy into a ward or circle you are forming and enforce its protective properties, or for a simple cleanse, letting the sound travel to every corner of the area you are protecting. It’s a little more “cutting” than a smoke or incense cleansing, which I view as more “gentle” forms of cleansing. Both have their uses.

🔔 Harder tolling is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful ways in which to enforce a banishing – however, it’s best to you know what you’re doing with the bell before you go bashing it about.

DISCERNMENT

🔔 Bells can have quite the effect on your perception and awareness. Ringing and then stopping, listening to the silence left in its wake, can bring you new perceptions or make things you’d previously missed obvious. Let it attune your mind and senses to something new, whether that’s in your thoughts or something with a little more presence. Visualise travelling with the sound, taking heed of the energies it touches and disturbs. Take note of the echoes – you’ll learn what they mean with experience.

🔔 A set of windchimes can let you know if something is passing through or if there’s some unusual energy afoot – and, yes, it may also just be letting you know that it’s a particularly breezy day, but that’s witchcraft for you.

CONJURING

🔔 This can be as simple as calling good energies to witching tools, spell jars, tarot decks, crystals, altars and shrines, your favourite teddy bar, anything at all.

🔔 With spirit work, it can truly help to magnify your “calling”. This can range from gently bringing your latest offering to the attention of your friendly neighbourhood house spirit – all the way to trying to catch the attention of something more. Be mindful, however. As I said, I consider bells pretty powerful tools and a call that’s too loud is not good spirit work practise for the spirit worker’s own sake. It can really help coax something out of hiding if you’re gentle with it, though.

COMMUNING

🔔 Some use bells to mark the beginning and end of a ritual, and I’ve read that in Wiccan practise an altar bell can be used to invoke the Goddess, although as a non-Wiccan, I’ll welcome corrections on that if I’m wrong.

🔔 In my experience, very simple forms of communication via bell work a lot better than anything too complex – “come here” and “stay away” have already been covered, and other than that they can serve as greetings or signals of a start or end of some practise or ritual, the opening or closing of a door, etc.

🔔 They can also serve as a warning or a litmus test regarding spirits, a signalling of your presence and awareness, lack of fear, or willingness to defend – but be prepared to deal with whatever responses these garner.

BINDING

🔔 Bindings are where you most often see that famous (clockwise) circular motion of the bell, embodying the meaning of the spell. This can be a simple binding to seal a spell or charm or enchantment, or a spirit-binding.

🔔 Personally, spirit-binding is something I do as little as possible simply due to my beliefs holding the autonomy of spirits in very high regard. However, sometimes situations arise that call for it, and I’m aware that not all bindings are unwilling. Far from it – and some spirits are dangerous when unbound.

🔔 As an animist (believing that all things, including inanimate objects, contain a spirit of their own), I consider gently nudging a spirit back into its physical form a sort of semi-binding, and that can be useful.

I’ll leave you all with a note that I am an urban apartment-dwelling witch through and through, so I understand that we can’t all be jangling away at all hours. I myself have a glass windchime in my front window that makes a distinct but muted sound when disturbed by passers-through, and highly recommend wooden ones also. I also only use my small and relatively quiet suzu bell for my crafting – one given to me by my baba herself.

Feel free to add any of your own findings, and happy tolling.

[fiddlysticks-deactivated2024070]

Witches, I need to say something.

Why is there such an emphasis in the modern witchcraft community on "finding your path/type of witchcraft"??

Everywhere you look online, there's always people telling baby witches that they have to decide whether they are a green witch or a kitchen witch or a grey witch or an elemental/sea/celestial/etc witch. I literally see so many young baby witches asking "can I be both [random label] and [other random label]?"

Like yes, of course you can, this isn't fucking Avatar! You can master all the elements! And it's even worse when people who naturally practice more than one narrow path are all lumped together as their own label, eclectic, even if we're trying not to use labels. It feels invasive sometimes.

I get that for some people, labels make them happy. And that's fine. Call yourself a kitchen witch or a fire witch or whatever if you want to. That's not a problem at all.

The problem, in my opinion, comes when we start telling everyone who's interested in witchcraft that "this is how it is, you have to choose a label of your 'path'."

This can be so limiting for baby witches, not to mention the fact that these labels didn't even use to be a thing. They're a modern invention I only ever see on things like Tumblr and tiktok. It's NORMAL to study different "paths". That's what spirituality is about-- learning-- not boxing yourself in so you can fit a specific aesthetic.

We need to stop burdening baby witches with this idea that they have to choose.

[theskepticalwitch]

I love this post! I think it's really important to emphasize that witches can just be witches, you don't gotta have some label if you don't want to! And if you do like labels, fuck it, lets pick them all up!

Don't box yourself up. Are you a kitchen witch that wants to do fire magic? LET'S GO! DO IT! Be that fire kitchen witch!

Do you not know your path? Do you not want a path? Do you not want to even explore paths and just do what comes naturally? FUCKING AWESOME! LET'S GO! DO IT!

Your witchcraft is your own, my dears. You get to define it the way you want, with labels, without labels, with a community, without a community, with aesthetics or without aesthetics!

There are going to be people that are going to tell you that you have to dedicate yourself to one practice, but it's not true. Remember that there are no rules, not really, I mean we could get into the whole moral dilemmas but that is not what this post is about!

[twitblr]

Positive energy is vital (x)

[greedilycraftytrickster-deactiv]

Source: leladymoon on instagram

[draiocht-arsa]

[hexeandharmony]

Malachite tumble stones 💚

Available at verbenalune.com ✨

[malefixium]

[theskepticalwitch]

Dollar store witchcraft is honestly a lifesaver when you have to pinch pennies! There is no shame in buying cheap things, you practice your witchcraft in anyway that you can!

[fallingliketheseautumnleaves]

Rose Quartz point 🌙

[feywild-songbird-deactivated202]

How to Enchant Objects

This is just my way of enchanting objects. There’s probably tons of other ways to do it, but this is just what I find works best for me. Enchanting an object is when you give a specific object a purpose, like protecting, or good luck. Jewelry works great for this but it can also be something like a chap stick, a coin, or a hairpin. Enchanting objects is a great idea because you can take the object with you just about anywhere, and it’s super discreet.

1. Cleanse the object you want to enchant

This firstly should involve physically cleaning it if you can, whatever that involves without damaging it. Next you want to cleanse it of negative energies. I like to pass it through smoke or put the object in salt, depending on what it is. It’s important to clean the object of any existing energies before you give it a purpose.

2. Find the associations for the purpose you want.

Say you want it to bring good luck. Some associations for good luck might be a waxing moon, cinnamon, the colour green, Mondays, bay leaf, peridot, pyrite, citrine, etc.

3. Pick the ingredients you can find or want to work with.

You don’t necessarily have to have a variety of herbs and crystals, but say one herb, and one crystal will probably be good enough. I always like to use a candle, but I also have a large variety of candles to choose from.

4. Get a small dish and arrange your ingredients as you like.

Now would be a great time to light that candle if you’re using one. Place the object either in the center of them, or on top of them. As you do this, make sure you’re focusing on filling the object with an intention. Tell it what it’s supposed to do, and when it’s supposed to happen, and for how long. Be very clear, maybe even be thinking of ways it could fulfill that intention for you. Meditate on that for a few moments.

5. When you feel you’ve filled it with enough intent, it’s probably a good idea to leave the object like that overnight. I like to set it out in the moonlight to charge it up, but do what you feel is right at this point.

[nightingale-apothecary]

Does anyone have a list of authors that aren’t terfs that write books on witchcraft?

[voiceofnature]

Art by Lea Yunk