Witch from Finland

Main areas of interest are green witchcraft and energy work, along bits and pieces from here and there. Post information about Finnish Paganism when I remember!

[greysorcery-deactivated20200709]

PSA from a grey witch:

To “purify” something is not to remove all but the light and the good. To purify something is to make that energy neutral. Which, depending on your philosophies, could mean that energy is not light and is not dark; or the energy becomes equal parts light and dark.

[ashenowloddities]

Made one of these for myself and posted in a pagan group that I’m in. Got such an amazing response that I’ve finally decided to open my shop! I’ll be making different variations of these as well as plenty of other handmade pagan items and decor. Keep an eye out for Me! This is just the beginning! #Ashen Owl

[thesilverwitch-deactivated20251]

“I am kind, compassionate, and understanding.”

This sigil offers assistance in remaining kind, compassionate, and understanding in difficult situations. 

[mythologiafennica]

The origin of disease & healing

One of the shaman’s most important tasks was to act as a healer for those who had been struck with disease or pain. Not always necessarily a shaman had to act as a healer, village communities might’ve also had their own addressed healers who knew the ways of healing. There are more records of these designated healers having been female than male, but this remains debatable.

During the days past, Finns recognised two causes for disease. There were the godly diseases, jumalantaudit, believed to be of godly origin and therefore incurable or at least so difficult to heal that it would’ve been almost impossible. Jumalantaudit included ailments such as epidemics and sickness that came naturally with old age. The second disease category, so called panentataudit, included ailments like muscle pain, burning sensations, colic and spasms.

Panentataudit were believed to have been caused by kateet, jealousy. Back all those years ago it was common belief, no, not only belief but common knowledge, that the amount of happiness and luck was constant. This might be a hard concept to gasp, for now we know that that isn’t true. But back then it was clear that there was a certain given amount of good fortune and if one desired it, they had to steal it for themselves (if they didn’t otherwise have it.) And what this means is that people were jealous of others and their happiness, and this jealousy made them befall disease on others. Sickness could fall on someone if they had been given the “bad eye”, paha silmä, or if they had been cursed by witches. A witch’s curse was called pusku, it was a curse spat to the air with teeth gritting. In both cases the cause itself was born out of jealousy, kateet. Jealousy in a small village community had the framework for growing to a collective level and this way jealousy was able to inflict sickness and disease on anyone. Look at it like mass hysteria in a way.

The view that people had about the amount of good fortune being constant can also be clearly seen from and old phrase: “Ei köyhä rikastu ellei rikas köyhdy”, the poor doesn’t become rich if the rich doesn’t become poor. Another point worth wondering is one that we can find from the Kalevala, specifically the stealing of Sampo. Why did Väinämöinen set to steal the Sampo from Pohjola? Why didn’t Ilmarinen just forge another Sampo for the people of Kaleva? So that both of the realms could prosper and be wealthy without the other being robbed of their good fortune? I’ll just leave that out there for you to chew on, but it’s a fascinating question, isn’t it?

Now then, as I already mentioned in my post Sauna as a place of healing, the most important part of healing was to find out the origin and cause of the disease. If the patient had burn wounds, it was necessary to know how the fire that caused those wounds had started. If the patient had been cut with a blade, where was the blade from and who did it belong to. If the patient had been in an accident, where did the accident occur and what natural object had caused the injuries. On top of gaining this knowledge of the origin of the injuries, the healer would also use synnyt, birth words, for most healing.

The synnyt existed for almost all things know to people, they were the words of origin to elements, animals, plants and objects. For example if a patient had been struck with a steel blade by their neighbour in a fight, the healer would most likely use the synnyt, birth words, of steel along with verenseisautus, blood stanching words. The birth words were believed to hold immense power in them and were among the most important ones to know and remember.

People believed that diseases such as tooth aches, colic and goitre then again were actual living beings that existed inside the patient in a way. These diseases the healer would tell to go home to their mothers and fathers, they were chastened and upbraided. The act of talking to the causer of disease was manaus, exorcism. This included the birth words, synnyt, being recited to the causer. Afterwards would come the healing spell itself, which usually included little embedded tips for further self-care and/or blessings to grant the effectiveness of the cure provided by the healer (ointment, potion..)

For some diseases the healer would ask help from certain healing spirits, and the diseases (considered to be living beings, but without homes and parents, and also seen as worse than those with homes) were ushered to nasty places, most often to the cold Lapland, where it was believed that only bad things existed. Such diseases were for example constipation, scabies and frostbite.

If we take a look at characters like Loviatar, who according to folklore gave birth to plagues, it makes sense that diseases were talked to as living beings and were told to go back to their parents. Loviatar was a parent in that sense. It is also to be noted that many characters get mixed up in folklore, therefore Loviatar too was known as Mammotar and Syöjätär as well and it’s very hard to go and prove whether the three were actually just one being or if they were indeed three separate beings. Go and tell.

Bonus: words of the presser/nightmare, Painajan sanat, from the Häme region

Pane maate mantereelle pyhän pellon piantareelle Säkki alla, säkki päällä puntari peräsi päällä jolla painan painajata ja hirtän hiirikkahevosta

(Go lay on ground / on the holy field / Sack under, sack on top / steelyard on your behind / with which I press the presser / suffocate the blue dun horse)

[mythologiafennica]

Uralic and Finno-Ugric folklore, mythology, folk beliefs and culture.

Dear friends and followers, a new mythology blog has arisen for you to follow. If you have any interest for Finno-Ugric folklore and culture, I bet you will find the future of this blog to your liking.

[mythologiafennica]

List of characters in Finnish mythology

This list will be updated frequently, for characters of Kalevala, see (link to the future post List of characters of Kalevala here)

Sky

Ukko ∞ “high god”, god of thunder, weather & skies, his wife is Akka

Ilmarinen ∞ god of weather and smithing, often mixed with Ukko (maybe the same deity)

Kapeet ∞ female deities who walked on clouds and gave birth to iron, they were made by Ukko

Ilmattaret ∞ the kapeet of air, elemental spirits, one of them was Ilmatar who had a part in the creation

Tuuletar ∞ the spirit of wind (see. Kangatar)

Lempo ∞ a flying evil spirit, most often stands for a bee

Earth & forest

Akka ∞ goddess of earth, mother earth, wife of Ukko

Pellervoinen ∞ makes plantation grow, guardian of all trees and plants

Tapio ∞ god of the forest, commonly known as the king of forest, rules every being in his realm of forests with his partner Mielikki

Mielikki ∞ goddess of forest and all things in there, guardian of honey, partner to Tapio

Nyyrikki ∞ Tapio’s son

Tellervo & Tuulikki ∞ Tapio’s daughters, shepherds of the forest animals

Tuometar ∞ goddess of bird cherry (tuomi = bird cherry)

Katajatar ∞ goddess of juniper (kataja = juniper)

Pihlajatar ∞ goddess of rowan (pihlaja = rowan)

Hongatar ∞ goddess of pine (honka/mänty = pine), guardian of bears

Lemmes ∞ father of alder (leppä = alder)

Kati ∞ forest spirit who made trees grow

Kangatar ∞ forest spirit who lived on fells and together with Tuuletar made the wind sway among the tallest pine trees

Nyrkes ∞ deity & guardian of squirrels

Käreitär ∞ deity & guardian of foxes

Hiisi ∞ forest spirit who have many forms, considered mean and evil

Liekkiö ∞ ghost of a murdered child who had been buried in the forest

Aarni ∞ deity and guardian of treasure

Ajattarat ∞ evil goddesses of forest and faiths

Kekri ∞ guardian spirit of domestic cattle

Hiilitär ∞ forest spirit who took away the pain of burn wounds

Water

Ahti ∞ god and ruler of the realm of water, his partner is Vellamo

Vellamo ∞ goddess of water, partner to Ahti

Iku-Turso ∞ a sea monster

Vetehinen ∞ water spirit

Syöjätär ∞ water spirit, often mixed with Vetehinen, gave birth to snakes

Pikku-Mies ∞ water spirit, “The Little Man”, despite his size he had great powers

Aallotar ∞ she weaved Vellamo’s shirt of straws (aalto = wave)

Sotkattaret ∞ spirits of strands and guardian deities of ducks (see. Kapeet)

Näkki ∞ mischievous, evil spirit of waters, known for drowning people

Death & afterlife

Kalma ∞ god of graves & graveyards

Tuoni / Mana ∞ god of death and ruler of the realm of the dead, not a bringer of death, just, the lord of underworld, his partner is Tuonen Akka / Manalatar

Tuonen Akka / Manalatar ∞ goddess of death and ruler of the realm of the dead, partner to Tuoni / Mana

Tuonen poika ∞ Tuoni’s son, evil and mean warmonger

Tuonetar ∞ Tuoni’s daughter, angry of nature

Loviatar ∞ Tuoni’s daughter, the worst of them, she gave birth to nine plagues

Kiputyttö ∞ Tuoni’s daughter, the “Pain Girl”, taker of pain

Kivutar ∞ the goddess of disease and sickness, often mixed with Kiputyttö (maybe the same deity)

Keijukaiset ∞ fairies, the spirits of the dead who spread the reek of death

Healers & helpers

Väinämöinen ∞ god so powerful that his sweat has healing properties, feathers from his belt could be applied on wounds to heal them

Väinämöisen poika ∞ Väinämöinen’s son, healed abscesses with seawater

Hurus / Hyrysväinen ∞ Väinämöinen’s daughter, halts bleeding with her spells

Munnu ∞ cures eye-related sickness

Suonetar ∞ weaver of veins and tendons

Lemma / -s ∞ healer of wounds

Kuutar ∞ goddess who granter of protection against wasps, healer of their stings

Sinettäret ∞ goddesses of dyeing fabric

Kankahattaret ∞ goddesses of making fabric

[mythologiafennica]

Sauna as a place of healing

You’ve probably heard about how the Finns love and respect their sauna, a hot room where one can sweat off bad spirits. If so, you might have also heard that the sauna has been around for Finns for a long, long time and it has served as an important part of everyone’s life. You might also know that many healing traits and properties have always been associated with the sauna, and it has been so since, well, for as long as we’ve had saunas.

There were two haltias, spirits, associated with the sauna, Auteretar/Anterettoin, she was the feminine spirit of sauna who guarded wounds from the heat and kept them from getting infected. The spirit of the steam of sauna was in turn Auterinen, referred to as having been “made” by Auteretar, which could mean that he might have been Auteretar’s son. It’s only natural that a place such as the sauna, which was used not only for cleaning oneself but for healing the sick and wounded and also served as a common place for childbirth, had it’s own guarding spirits.

There was a fear of wounds getting infected by the hot air, but the pagan Finn didn’t know of a better place for healing than the sauna, which was to them a place of holiness of a kind, where the spirits were closer than elsewhere. This feeling could very well be explained scientifically; the warmth of the sauna affects the body and causes one to feel dizzy, which was usually one of the “symptoms” of the state of “being in one’s spirits” = olla haltioissa (a state the shamans would strive to reach when trying to connect with the higher powers.) The heated stones used to warm the sauna have been debated to be the remnants of pagan sacrificial stones and the act of throwing water on the rocks to symbolise sacrificing to the natural deities. This to me seems unlikely, but I wouldn’t go straight to debunking the idea either. Therefore, whether or not the Finnish sauna is indeed a relic of pagan sacrificial grounds will remain unsolved.

The ritualistic healing in a sauna was usually conducted under the cover of night. Some researchers have said that this was because the affect of day-time was considered to weaken the power of the ritualistic healing, but this is not entirely true; during the daytime Finns would’ve turned to Päivätär for assistance in healing rather than to the spirits of the sauna. There must have been variations to the healing rituals that took place in the sauna, but I will now take you through one of those variations, step by step, so you too can try and properly heal in the sauna. (I would, however, advise to go to a hospital or at least to a doctor in cases where skin has discoloured or ones guts are spilling out.)

The hinges of the sauna’s door are oiled. This further increases the stealth mode the nighttime is already granting.

The shaman/healer steps into the sauna with their patient and chants the following: Terve löyly, terve lämmin, terve tervehtijällenki! (Greetings steam, greetings warmth, greetings to the greeter as well!)

After the patient has been laid down, the healer takes their medicinal herbs and tools from their pouch so that they are easily accessible.

The healer sticks an arrow to the floor of the sauna as a sign of being well prepared for the following healing and even against the bad spirits who might try and stop the spells from working and therefore from healing the patient.

The healer sweeps the floor, ceiling and benches of the sauna with their bath wisk, vihta, this is done in order to properly cleanse the sauna before starting the healing itself. The vihta has to be a special one, its branches gathered from unnamed meadows or otherwise secret places. It’s also good to strand in some healing herbs and plants.

Now it’s time for the healer to “go into one’s spirits”, mennä haltioihin. This is done by reciting the words of steam, löylyn sanat. Löyly poika Auterinen Auterettaren tekemä Hiki wanhan Wäinämöisen Herran hengestä hyvästä (Steam, son Auterinen / made by Auteretar / sweat of old Wäinämöinen / of lord’s good spirit)

The purpose of this is for the patient to also have trust in the healer, so it is endorsed that the healer greatly praises their own power, väki, and so makes the patient more trusting that they shall be healed. (Note: the healer can also recite different words, for example the words of water or of the bath wisk.)

After these words of encouragement, the healer says a prayer to Auteretar and Auterinen and requests for their help in the following healing process.

Here comes the hardest part. The healer must now figure out the source of the sickness and conjure it out of the patient.

The ancient Finns were not wrong in their belief that the sauna held immense healing abilities, in the modern times it has been proven that bathing in the sauna indeed reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and hence is good for one’s health. It’s also easy to imagine how wonderful and magical the sauna felt during the cold winters, warm and protective, like a mother’s embrace.

Question of the week

which of the following statements is false?

a) vulgar language was not used in sauna since it could upset the spirits b) it was believed that Wäinämöinen’s sweat had healing abilities c) the sauna was used for sacrificial rituals as well as healing

answer: here or tweet me !

[mythologiafennica]

Finnish mythology

Syöjätär • Synnytär

half troll with a heart of stone, from her spit were the snakes born

[disneyprincesswitch]

Princess bath and tea recipe🌹

🌼bath recipe:

Things you need:

Rose quartz

Coconut or almond oil

Rose petals

Lemon peel

An essential oil blend of any of the following oils: lavender, ylang-ylang, grapefruit, sage, and frankincense

🌸Tea recipe:

Rose petals- for love

Vanilla extract- for calmness (a teaspoon)

strawberries- for sweetness, energy, and happiness (dried or fresh)

Apple- for wisdom (dried or fresh)

Honey- for sweetness

[thatspookyspoonie]

Spoonie culture is constantly thinking “I wonder if a healthy person would go to the ER for this?”

[magickspellrequests-deactivated]

Conceal My Craft Spell

A spell to keep you and your craft a secret ✨

What you need ✨

Pine needles

A jar or spray bottle

Apple juice

Cinnamon

Water

Take your jar or spray bottle and add some pine needles, pinch of cinnamon and some apple juice

Fill the rest with water

Leave the concoction overnight to infuse

The next night before bed or if you’re awake early enough while it’s dark, take the jar/bottle and say “Let this path stay hidden as if in the dark”

Add your intent while saying it, repeat until you feel you it is strong enough

Spray or flick the mixture on to your bedroom door, altar or anywhere you feel necessary

End with placing a drop on your forehead

Store the rest for anytime you wish to repeat or dispose as necessary

** I always take spell requests **

[qedavathegrey]

A Little Weather Witchery

I’ll be frank, I do not do a lot of weather witchcraft – mostly because I have little need for weather manipulation. I’m not a farmer; I garden, but only recreationally and rarely for food. However, I have collected over the years quite a number of weather witching rituals – that I hope may be of more use to some of you than I.

Storm Salt

This is undoubtedly what I use most in regards to weather witchcraft, as it can be used in countless ways – specifically in hexes, curses and crosses. Plus, it can be equated to Storm Water, only with the convenience of a powder, making it easier to store and giving it a much extended shelf-life. Creation is very simple.

Simply collect storm water and add it to a stock pot – or whichever size pot matches the quantity of storm water you’ve collected. To this, add salt. Add as much as you can, stirring all the while until the salt no longer dissolves in the water. No need to worry about this extra salt left, it will dissolve when the water is heated – which leads me to the next step: bring the pot to a rolling boil. Stir regularly until the remaining salt has dissolved. Reduce heat to a medium boil, and leave it to boil. It’s integral to check on it regularly, so as not to ruin your pot! Once the water has evaporated, you will be left with newly reformed “storm” salt crystals. Just scrape/collect and bag/jar.

(Being that the water is rain water – soft water – it should leave little to no calcification/hard-water build up on the pan)

It can also be used to turn regular water into storm water, with the addition of the salt – which is quite handy!

Storm Raising

Storm Raising rituals are, admittedly, a dime-a-dozen, but nonetheless I’m bringing this one to you. It’s similar – in essence – to the old, rag-beating summons, but incorporating a few added “ingredients”

You will need:

Storm Water – which can be “reconstituted” by adding the Storm Salt to regular (or preferably soft) water, though fresh is always best

Pine Boughs – gathered to form a whisk or “broom” of sorts – these must be fresh and the more flexible, the better

A Large Rock – I live in a national forest that is rife with huge rocks, we even have the Garden of the Gods (IL), so I’d say doing this “on location” would be all the better. The higher vantage point, the better! But, a large river rock or decorative rock should work just fine

Place the storm water in a large-mouthed bucket or pale, and arrange it near the rock. Dip the collected boughs into the water, and give them a stir. You’ll want to move quickly for this next part, because the saturation of the needles is key. Grab them up, and without letting them drip, lash the rock with them (you will most certainly get wet – embrace it). 

While doing this, recite:

Lashing rain and maelstrom might,

Born of sky – horizon’s blight –

That which turns the day to night –

Thunder roll and lightning strike,

I calleth forth: The Storm

With each line, lash the rock. The process would be, Line #1, lash the rock, Line #2, lash the rock, and so on. 

When complete, shake the excess water from the boughs and wrap them in a cloth or towel. This can then be burned, hung in a tree, or stashed in a high place as an offering.

Rain Conjuring

As with most weather magic, this should be done from a high vantage point, as nearest to the sky as you can get (safely) or in a vast field/meadow. Again, rain conjurings are plentiful, but you can’t rightly do a piece on weather magic without including at least one, right?

To perform, simply gathered a bag or bowl of whole barley or ground oats. A combination of fine, but no benefit. To this, add in the storm salt. You can also use fresh storm water, but that gets very messy and drippy (which may or may not be beneficial to rain summoning or not – but either way, I’d prefer to stay dry and not be wearing damp oats, honestly). In your chosen location, cast the grain in the four cardinal directions, saying a prayer for rain of your choosing. Repeat three times and scatter any remaining meal.

Wind Wielding

As an Air Sign, I have an extraordinary love for wind (as well as most weather – except snow, I hate snow) and love a powerful gust – messy hair a welcome effect. This particular calling is for summoning up wind, not tempering it, as I could think of no situation in which wind would not be welcomed. For this, I bring two options: 

Method One:

To summon up the wind, first collect 8 or 9 weeping willow branches (In all honesty, you could also use pine, but you’d get far more wind resistance which is counter-intuitive to this process). These will be fashioned into a “whisk” – however, if you happen to have a whisk (such as a horse tail whisk – a “totem” of the Orisha, Oya) feel free to use that. For this particular method, a broom is not recommended, see option two for that.

To construct the whisk, simply bare the branches of any leaves, and bind them together with string, twine or rope – it can be as decorative or as minimalist as you’d like, as it can be reused or used once and left.

With whisk in hand, find a fitting location. As above, “high” places, life bluffs or outcroppings are well suited, or a large, flat expanse. Line yourself up and attune yourself for a moment to the wind – which is best done with closed eyes. Feel the wind (if there is any) and the air, align yourself thusly with your back to any wind or breeze. If the air is still, face the direction in which you want the wind to blow. Briefly dangle the whisk at your side, and gently shake it to “charge” it. When all feels right, bring the whisk up and snap it in front of you, first to your right, then to the left. Be careful, you don’t want to put your eye out and being that this is much like a natural, cat-of-nine tales, you don’t want to relive the “switches” from days of yore.

Continue to whip the air with the whisk until you feel a change in the air – even if it minute, you should be able to feel the pressures changing.

Method Two:

This one is one you probably shouldn’t do in your front yard unless you want your neighbors closing the blinds and pulling their children inside for fear of the crazy witch next door.

You will need:

A Broom – preferably one made of an “airy” wood, I’d recommend ash, birch, or a sturdier willow.

– or –

Simply a Limb of the same variety

With your “weapon of choice,” choose a suitable location, and like before, attune yourself to the wind. Hold the broom or limb with both hands in a passive manner (palms beneath the wood, not above). Held it near you, with bent arms – as you are mimicking the air as it is, passive and reserved. Once you have attuned yourself, flatten your palms and straighten your arms, as though you are presenting the branch as a gift.

At this point, one hand at a time, take a more dominant grip over the limb, palms now above the wood. Raise it above your head in a single, abrupt movement, at which point antagonize the wind.

I know how that sounds… Hence why I said not to do this in your front yard.

You’re literally trying to enrage the wind, but calling it weak and docile. Ask it to show you the power it possesses, command it to move, scream to the proverbial heavens to “show me what you’ve got!” Get it rustling, bully it into retaliation, basically, until it’s to your liking – at which point, commend it. “See, that’s better! Well done. Keep it up.”

Sometimes the wind just needs to be reminded… We air signs are much the same.

Cloud Cutting

Surely you didn’t think it was all going to be conjuring up bad weather… This, this is to dismantle those clouds and brings some much needed sunshine – which makes this particularly useful in the long bouts of spring rain, when a bit of sunshine would really help lighten the mood, and cut that lingering chill.

This process is relatively simple and is done much the same way as the above, but with the addition of a knife. Any knife will do, no need to get fancy – grab one out of the kitchen or from the garage and make your way to a suitable spot. Much like before, high places and wide places are most suitable, but for this one, you’ll be looking for somewhere with a great view of the sky.

To begin, warm yourself up – focus your energy to feeling the heat of your skin, as though the sun was beaming down on it. It is with this warmth that you will be cutting the clouds, much like the sun does.

Once poised and ready, knife in hand, draw the flat blade over your tongue (not the sharp bit, obviously – you’d also ideally want to make sure it’s clean first), imbuing it with sun’s heat. Hold it over your head, parallel with the sky, then drive it town into the earth. Pull it from the ground until just the point remains in the earth, and draw it straight to the right, then turning it upward, arking around to make a counter-clockwise circle around the initial point – making, roughly, the alchemical sign for sun. Clean the blade and go on your merry way, waiting for the clouds to part and the sun to shine.

Lightning Ward and Summons

There are several types of Lightning Wards – and I do mean several. I’m not sure if people used to get hit left and right with lightning or what, but they sure wanted lots of charms to prevent it. Any rudimentary search through Google will turn up countless charms to prevent personal injury from lightning, so I’ve elected to, instead, bring you a means of preventing lightning from striking your crops or homestead.

The recipe is relatively simply, gather:

Corn Kernels – from the last harvest

Storm Salt

Oak Ash – as in, the ashes of a piece of oak

– and –

Copper – coins, buttons, fixings, whatever you can find – or, alternately, a copper bowl to mix the above in

Combine the ingredients in a bowl – copper being the best, and doubling as the copper called for above. As strange as it sounds, when mixing this, do not incorporate any silver, which includes mixing while wearing silver rings, necklaces or jewelry of any sort. This is because silver is extremely conductive – far more so than copper.

When all ingredients have been incorporated and the kernels and salt have been well coated by the ash, sprinkle the mixture at the four corners of your property lines. For your home, this can be as simple as the actual corners, but for crops and vast, farm land, merely corners that roughly encompass all the land. Basically in such a way as to form a barrier around the property.

The Lightning Summons, conversely, also uses copper, but in the form of a lightning rod. Now, I’ll be the first to wonder why anyone would want to attract lightning, though I image its energy would be extraordinarily useful in the craft – and is always a nice, old-fashion go to for curses. You know, what with: “I hope you and everything you love are struck by lightning! I smite you!”

Regardless of your desires, a simple lightning summons can be made with:

A Length of Copper – solid being best, however, what with the rising prices, a cut length of pipe should do nicely, perhaps even wire. You want a piece that measures roughly 3 ft. or a meter – as your purpose is not to construct an actual lightning rod, simply a metaphorical one. 

– and –

A Branch from a Tree that has been struck by Lightning – alternately, another piece of copper would work nearly as well

For the summons, you’ll want to be in much the same location as above, or near a spot where lightning has struck before. Needless to say, this should not be done in the midst of a lightning storm, considering waving metal around – while probably a sure fire way to attract some form of lightning – is probably not the best decision if you don’t want to be the victim of your own summons.

Once in position, hold the copper in your right hand and the limb (or other piece of copper) in the left over your head, one crossed over the other. Strike them together in series of three. Knock, knock, knock…. Wait, then repeat.

As you do so, recite:

Come ye: fire – of the sky (knock x3)

Blinding light – and thunder crash

Grounded by my call;

Spit white-tongues of devastation, (knock x3)

Wrought in the fires of my

Command.

 (knock x3)

Rod and bolt – 

Creator, Destroyer – (knock x3)

Abide this call,

By Heathen-tongue – 

And from the skies,

My Will be done. (knock x3)

My Will be done. (knock x3)

With rope or string, bind the rod and limb (or two rods) together and leave them near where you desire lightning to strike.

photo source 

[xtc-696]

Healing Crystals

~Onyx~

-Cleanses the air

-Rids your home of negative energy

~Quartz ~

-Helps relive stress and frustration

-Eases anxiety

~Amethyst~

-Helps relieve headaches and fatigue

-Promotes good dreams and good skin

-Supports bones and joints

~Citrine~

-Boosts concentration and memory

-Spark creativity

~Lapis Lazuli~

-A touted ancient migraine remedy

-Supports the immune system

~Opal~

-Increases creativity and inspiration

-Helps with PMS and headaches

~Topaz~

-Works to balance hormones and combat aging

~Aquamarine~

-Aids with acid reflux and gastrointestinal disorders

~Jade~

-Supports the adrenal glands and relieves headaches

~Garnet~

-Good for back pain,calcium deficiencies and tissue regeneration

~Bloodstone~

-Helps regulate blood pressure and supports the circulatory system

-Good for colds

~Agate~

-Detoxifies

-Eases anxiety

[lurosebud]

lavender self love jar

simple self love jar ritual

ingredients 🔮large jar 🔮dried lavender 🔮rue 🔮white candle 🔮rose water

steps 🔮place a single white candle in the middle of your jar. your white candle represents the destruction of negativity. 🔮place your dried lavender and rue around the candle, for the lavender represents healing, and higher consciousness. your rue also represents healing and health. 🔮light your candle, and chant:

“my body is ethereal, too pure for this realm. i light this candle in recognition of myself, for i am one with the wind and sky, beautiful.”

🔮blow out your candle. feel the positive energy in the room. 🔮sprinkle rose water around your creation, to cleanse and protect your jar. 🔮seal your jar with a cork or wax, and follow the same steps when you need to feel a little more love for yourself.

[mythologiafennica]

Finnish mythology

Ajattaret • Ajajatar

she would make one lose their way in the woods and brought nightmares to those who were asleep in forests

[kaamosnoita]

❄Talvitaikoja❄

❄ kerää kivoja käpyjä

❄ tee kirottu lumiukko, joka pelottelee naapureita ja metsän eläimiä

❄ ime jääpuikkoja ja syö lumihiutaleita

❄ herätä karhu talviunilta ja juokse karkuun

❄ hiihdä järven yli hukkumatta

❄ juo kuumaa mehua ja laita siihen manteleita ja kanelia ja muuta tavaraa

❄ tee metsään tuli ja käristä asioita

❄ ystävysty tontun kanssa

❄ lämmitä sauna ja kieri lumessa tai muuten vaan

❄ yllytä pakkasta laulamalla rati riti rallaa

[mythologiafennica]

Finnish mythology in a nutshell

Before christianity took over, Finns had their very own, very unique religion. When I say unique, I mean that it is mostly unique in comparison to the Norse mythology, which was practised among the vikings, who inhabited Finland’s neighbouring countries Sweden and Norway. So it’s a common misconception to think that viking religion was also practised in Finland’s area, when it in fact was not. Of course there are similarities between the Norse & Finnish mythology (I will go more into length on a post of its own), but it shall be noted that there are similarities between all mythologies and all folklore around the globe. The whole point of mythologies has always been to explain things that seemed too great for the human mind to process without the technology we have today. (Creation-myths can be found everywhere, even though now we know that we humans are here on earth only because of a huge cosmic accident. Or are we?)

It is believed that Finland was inhabited from the south through Estonia and from Russia in the South-East. This would have happened around 8850-5200 BCE. I’m mentioning this because it serves as one of the distinguishing factors on why Finns are not descended from the vikings like our Nordic neighbours, and hence why Norse mythology/religion never gained a foothold in Finland. The different Germanic tribes who together were dubbed as the vikings, had all ventured to those lands more from the western side of Europe and far earlier than the pre-Finns. As for the Sámi people, there are no records of them ever having inhabited the northernmost parts of Fennoscandia through Russia like the pre-Finns, which makes the Sámi people the indigenous people on the area. The Sámi people likely had little to no impact in forming the Finnish ancient religion and mythology. There are records of Finns having traded and taken hunting lessons from the Sámi people, who were seen as superior hunters living in the north.

One of the most distinguishable features in Finnish mythology’s birth has to be how deities came to be. It’s also the one thing I find most interesting about Finnish ancient religion. You too have probably once walked in a forest and come across a place where you felt a bit off, not necessarily in a good or a bad way, but just a tad off. Maybe you’ve come across a huge boulder sitting in a place where it shouldn’t be, maybe you’ve thought you saw a face on a wall of rock.

It were those places that the first people, Finns-to-be, started to worship, idolise in a way. It was the place itself that eventually became a deity. From a physical, very real setting, came abstract beings who were then used to explain natural phenomenon and who were asked to give blessings and help with healing etc. The physical places from where they were “born” might stay serving as possible sacrificial grounds for the deities they had given birth to.

The Finnish deities weren’t as much gods of a higher nature, but rather just natural singularities, more tied to a certain element or to a certain tree or an animal than being an abstract being. Take for example the ancient Greek gods and goddesses; they all had a clear task (Dionysos: wine) and a designated home (Olympus.) The “homes” of the Finnish deities were not clear like Olympus, there was no single place where all the gods and goddesses resided together. There was no “high god” whose power reigned above the others, not one being who would’ve created everything, but all things had their creators and origin myths. There were gods and goddesses who were somewhat more powerful than others and therefore acted in a more abstract way and held other deities under their command.

The three main realms of the Finnish gods were Ahtola (Ahti’s kingdom of water), the air and the earth, Tapiola (Tapio’s realm of forests) and Tuonela (Tuoni’s underground realm of the dead.) All of these realms had their own deities, gods and goddesses. Each realm had a masculine and a feminine deity, who were not necessarily a couple, but partners in a way. They ruled the other, lesser deities in their realms and were seen as having power over their whole realm whereas the lesser deities only took care of more specific, detailed tasks. Most of the couples had children who were also seen as gods/goddesses of higher power. 

Even though elements and these godly realms had their own rulers, it is to be noted that since the ancient Finnish religion was very nature-oriented and every little thing was able to have it’s own deity, a guardian spirit. These deities would be called haltia, which is often translated to “elf” but they weren’t the kind of elves that one would think of when hearing the word. So if you just saw Legolas in your head, shake that image off, that’s not what this is about. The haltia was not under any realm’s command and due to this was more abstract of nature. There could be a haltia for a pond, or for a well. There were a few for dyeing, called Sinettäret, another bunch for weaving fabric known as the Kankahattaret. A personification for a haltia was necessary for the people in order to visualise the deity they were praying to.

Gods, goddesses and other deities were present in every day life for everyone when hunting, healing, fishing, smithing, etc. Anyone could ask for the help of gods, but only shamans were able to actually connect with them and ask for their guidance. Shamans were even able to travel their souls to the land of the dead, Tuonela.

…Okay I’ve been trying to come up with a proper way to end this post for hours now but I just can’t come up with a good one so I’m just gonna end it here. Okay? Okay. Done. Ended.