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@raptormagic
“The old magic persists thanks to it’s unfathomable power.”
No, the old magic persists because the new magic can’t run the legacy spells I need to do my job, and keeps trying to install spirits I don’t want or need onto my orb.
Look, if the new magic didn't have a personality construct that kept trying to tell me which spells to use, maybe I wouldn't still be using the old magic.
A tarot/oracle spread I made! I used this one for the new year, and got some interesting results. Amazingly, for the Companion card I pulled a card that signifies the Lady of Flowers, and one card that is "the Unicorn", so that could not be clearer, lol. This year I am working on "gamifying my life" and I want to bring some more play and RPG elements into my practice, which is what inspired this spread.
an Adventure - what is the journey or the adventure that you will go on?
a Divine Boon - a gift from your deity/spirit/the universe/etc. that will aid you on your journey
an Amulet of Empowerment - from where can you draw strength? Who or what is empowering you?
a Companion on your Journey - this can mean anything from a tarot card to a spirit to a deity. Who will accompany you and aid you on your quest?
a Spark of Hope in the Dark - we all know that quests can sometimes lead us to dark dungeons and to situations that can seem bleak. From where can you draw hope?
If you use this spread, I would love to hear how it worked for you. Enjoy!
Does anybody have suggestions for things that I should get while I’m at the beach? I have a general idea of what I need, but I still want to see if anybody has any advice!
Sand, shells, driftwood, rocks, seaweed…everything can be utilised for magic one way or another.
I would also add sea glass, coral and believe it or not – fishing hooks and fishing twine. I find these all the time on the beaches near me so picking them up not only helps the environment (reducing pollution and things which can trap sea/bird life) but they are also great to use in spells!
Fishing Hooks are great to include in spells which are aimed at drawing something towards you (i.e. hooking it and reeling it in). They’re also great to include in curses.
Fishing Twine is great for binding spells and if it’s in those horrible knotted clumps then it’s great for confusion spells and spells to help you find lost items. Like fishing hooks, fishing twine is great for curses (the tangle them in nets kind).
Happy hunting!
- Marci
What I was actually coming here to blog about…
I was reading my witch book on break at work, and it told me to keep black obsidian with me to absorb negativity.
And I laughed because I literally have a small potato in my pocket right now for exactly that.
idk why I think of potatoes as 'absorbent', but I do. And at work, every day there is at least one small potato that breaches containment from its cardboard box home and lands on the floor. Instead of throwing it out immediately, one day I just tucked it into my pocket and then threw it out at the end of the day. 10/10, do recommend.
ok but potatoes are ABSOLUTELY magically absorbent and that is an excellent use for a spare potato.
In cooking if your soup is too salty you can put potato in it, simmer it, and discard the salty potato. So, that makes since.
Potat: It ABSORBS!
Tbh I trust the potato more than obsidian. What has obsidian ever done for me personally?? Now a potato on the other hand . . . that's an honest creature. I trust it.
THIS IS A MAGICALLY SOUND PRINCIPAL
Sympathy, the second law of magic. Like attracts like. What absorbs the flavor of the mundane world must absorb the flavor of the metaphysical world.
I collect divination tools like tarot cards, pendulums, tea cups with symbols, astrology dice, kau chim, and the list goes on. I just like collecting them which means that, yes, my guests drink out of cups with weird symbols printed on the inside. I’ve seen it all but I recently came across something new: a silver fortune bead.
It’s made by Trollbeads. According to their website you’re supposed to interpret the first symbols that catch your eye together. For example, the frog means abundance and the skull means trouble so together they mean money trouble (or whatever abundance you had in mind).
They don’t tell you exactly how to use it, only what the symbols mean, but considering the fact you’re supposed to wear it on your wrist I’m assuming the idea is whenever you encounter a situation where you’d like a bit of magical help you look at the bead. Say, you’re invited to a party but you don’t know anyone so you check the bead and it shows two hands together which means friendship, meaning you’ll probably make new friends.
It’s meant to be more of a fun novelty than an actual divination tool but I’ve never seen anything like it which is honestly surprising. I feel like it would be a very easy thing to replicate. Just cut a big bead into two pieces, paint symbols on them and you’ve got a fortune bead. I hope it becomes more widespread because it’s honestly such a fun idea.
If I do black magic on someone evil who hurts and destroys others, will it come back to me 10x? Is there an exception for cases like this?
I don't like the term "black magic" for like a ton of cultural reasons and implications, but we'll put that aside for the moment.
Magic, like a hammer, has no implicit morality. Destruction or creation makes no difference to the hammer. It's still just a hammer. Hammers don't judge because hammers don't care. They're hammers.
The only moral reckoning that's going to happen is from yourself.
And also the law of return was made up by Monique Wilson, so don't fucking worry about it.
@calesleftboobie Yep.
So the original idea of the law of return came from Gerald Gardner's fiction novel High Magic's Aid. In it, it's not some universal rule or misinterpretation of karma. It's just that if you do something to a Witch the Witch is supposed to do it back to you threefold.
Like as in "You hit me? Imma hit you three time!"
Now this is pre-invention of the rede and, again, in a work of fiction. And living like that would probably be exhausting. But, y'know, since it's just the witch doing a thing, it at least doesn't invent a mechanism in how the universe works.
Now after Gardner's death, Monique Wilson inherited his stuff. She was a Big Name Wiccan TM at the time, and she takes that idea from High Magic's Aid and turns it on its head. She starts telling people that the universe will return to you whatever you do many times over.
Raymond Buckland sees this, and goes "Aw shit, I'm telling EVERYONE," and it goes everywhere. Suddenly Gwen Thompson's inserting it into her shitty poem everyone mistakes for the rede. It's going out in books that end up in every beginner's hands. It's fucking everywhere.
But, like, it's never justified or explained. Wilson never tells anyone how she supposedly figured it out. And if you think about how the world works it doesn't make a damned bit of sense.
Reasoning why is just speculation, but the obvious seems to be PR. If we tack on this Western misinterpretation of karma to Wicca, it can seem more socially acceptable. "Oh, we don't hurt people because it would hurt US." But, like, it also disempowers the witch, right? Like a Wiccan witch then is following the rede not because they chose to, but because they're afraid of being spanked?
Fuck that.
Magic's a hammer. Hammers don't give a shit.
But also, other people have hammers too.
I could rant about the Rider-Waite deck repercussions (for good and bad) for hours but let's resume it in this:
I think the tarot reading community is deeeeeeeeeeeeeply sunken in “good vibes only” and it prevents a lot of readers from actually reading! Hahshabs
You know what I mean: The Tower is a positive change, Death is transformation, jesus fuck, The Hanged man is “a new perspective"! I'm not saying those are possible meanings from every card but are you being fucking seeeeeeeeerious? Hahahhahshs
It's like smashing your face with a DON'T CROSS sign and being «It's a call from your spirits to go far and beyond ❤️»... just to be pancaked by a train.
Death is painful, the Tower is violent, the Hangedman is punishment (usually). DEAAAAAAAAAAAL WITH IT ❤️ (Hhahshsh).
(Btw, the laughter is not just for funsies hahahaha. Everytime you see it I'm literally giggling haHhHzHshH).
I mostly agree with you here. A lot of the messages people could be receiving from their decks get a weird Disneyfication these days. It reminds me of how people on TikTok are afraid to use the word "die" or "kill" because of the Algorithm. I put it down to multiple factors, most having to do with how Tarot was taught in the late 20th century and how some of the books talk about it.
It's a thing with non-Tarot divination decks. There's some discussion amongst the (quite small) Lenormand deck community about whether the Coffin card represents "transformation" or "endings" and whether or not it always has a negative tinge. My viewpoint? Yes. It's a negative card. We need those negative cards in our decks for a complete picture.
Feeding Spells: DIY and Theory (long text)
[[Unlike my normal stuff that tries to be a lot more general, I'm going to speak primarily just about my spirit-working witchcraft paradigm; this post may not be applicable to you.]]
I believe that all magic takes energy to work. Often, when I assist people with troubleshooting spellwork, the only problem that person is having is that they are either not ever powering their spells, or they are failing to provide the spells with more energy when the batteries have run dry.
Typically, these people are aware that spells need power to go. They just don't have a grasp on how they can do it within their unique belief structure.
Common problems I see:
Imagination/desire is falsely equated to energy work. As in, "I visualize that the spell is filled with power." But no actual movement of energies takes place.
In the way I do energy work, visualization may be conceived of as a hollow vessel or empty skin which will shape and form power that is poured into it - but you've got to pour the power, or else the skin will rapidly wither away.
A charm or action is performed, but it fails to correctly evoke power.
E.g., the practitioner has read that "offerings don't need to be physical, singing, dancing, and devotional acts are powerful offerings," and has taken this to mean that doing their homework with the intent of recharging their spells is sufficient.
The practitioner has bought into the "whatever you want to do will work because your witchcraft is under your control" thing and is basically just having fun with the vibes.
E.g., in the charm, "Sun and Moon watch over you, by the Stars you're Cleansed," the practitioner may certainly be evoking power, but the power is not a revitalizing one; it is a cleansing or purifying one.
A practitioner defending their choices to use this charm may say that it makes their space feel lovely, or vibrate with power, and that - just like putting an object under the full moon to charge it - their enchanted objects are naturally just supposed to soak up this power.
Which they may well be doing - to become cleansed. Not necessarily to become saturated with the vital power required to function magically.
Below are things about charging which may assist you if you think you struggle with properly feeding your spellwork after it has been cast.
Feeding or charging?
Same thing. I find the imagery inspired by feeding to be closer to the magical reality of the operation: the spell must consume. It must take in energy, chew it up, swallow it, and digest it.
It will likely work more weakly when it is hungry, and - just like an electronic device shutting itself off at 2% to save your user data - when it becomes too starved for power, it will cease to function until you feed it again.
What to feed?
In all cases, unless you are a trained energy worker, avoid only imagining or believing that any magical object has regained a charge.
Generally, you will want to sacrifice a physical substance (food, specially prepared feeding substances).
What you do with remnants of an offering after it has been given is up to you.
Exactly what you feed your magic with does matter - but for general purposes, almost anything will do. Your own intuition and spirits will advise on the details if special circumstances arise.
Generally speaking, we might say that if a spell is constructed with certain powers, it is best to mimic those powers in charging. If you cast a candle spell, candles may be best to charge it; if your spell is one of special waters, then mixing in empowered water may be your best choice, and so forth.
When in doubt, share some of your meal, if you can spare it.
When to feed?
For spells that are expected to function on an ongoing basis, but currently aren't carrying a heavy load (e.g., a happy job spell while your job environment is already basically fine and there are no big issues to deal with), try feeding once a month. The full moon makes a good reminder.
For spells that are carrying a heavy load (e.g., a happy job spell but they just promoted the Worst Woman Ever to supervisor), feed weekly - or more often.
For spells that are on bed rest, in hibernation, or are active but rarely used, quarterly (on equinoxes or solstices) may more than suffice.
It's a good idea to try and develop a sense for whether or not an object is charged or not - this is not a terribly advanced psychic operation. A pendulum board with the numbers 1-10 to gauge a charge level is ideal to bridge the gap.
If a spell stops working, try feeding it. A lack of energy is not the only reason spells fail, but this is a good first step to troubleshooting.
Prepare a Feeding Charm
This charm, in and of itself, does not need to deliver metaphysical power. Rather, you are instructing the magical object to come and feed.
Conceptually, we may imagine that if the spell is a hound dog out chasing rabbits, we are whistling for it to come back to the cabin and eat. Without our instructions, it may not find the food, or may neglect to eat it at all.
This charm may be as simple as "come and eat," spoken with special focus over the object. Or, it may be a hand sign. If you like, you can visualize - perhaps a hungry mouth bursting into appearance atop the object.
A simple Feeding Charm ("come and eat") may be supplemented by whatever special instructions you have in that moment. E.g., "and once you're doing eating, go right away and keep performing your duties." Or, "...then hibernate, and reserve all this energy for yourself; rest and grow strong, and I'll get you next when I need you."
Intuition may advise that for special objects, unique preparation methods must be undertaken. You can't snap your fingers at every kind of magic, after all. But for the kind over which you are lord and master, I recommend keeping your Feeding Charm very easy to carry out.
Combine the Feeding Charm with any sacrifice of digestible energy
Over any object to be fed, perform your Feeding Charm.
Then, provide energy directly to the object. This may take many forms depending on the object:
Incense and candles may be burned nearby; ideally, hold object in heat or smoke
Food may be placed in front of
Special oils or waters may be daubed on
Energy work may be performed to pour in power
Prayers may be performed, requesting that some entity or force directly donate their power to the object
If the offering must be "activated" in any sense (lighting a candle, etc), do so.
In circumstances where a spell still has some energy and is just due for a meal, let the energy "settle" for perhaps fifteen to thirty minutes, or even an hour or so.
Then, perform a closing or sealing charm to end the feeding. Proceed to direct your spell back to its task. ("Now that you've eaten, go back to do your work.")
After this point, dispose of any offering remnants in any method which you prefer.
In the case that a spell has run completely dry and is now a withered husk, more work is required
In fact, it may be easier to just cast a whole new spell, but in case you don't want to:
Experiment with a variety of offerings and energy sources; not just different kinds of food, but food combined with prayers, etc.
Instead of telling your magic to eat and get back to work, use your Feeding Charm to instruct the object to consume as much energy as it needs to grow strong and return to its former strength.
If possible, carry the object with you and allow it to feed off of your personal energy, like a leech.
You may need to place the object in a special container, such as a cauldron or coffin, to represent an embryonic or gestational state of rebirth. While the object is interred within, feed and care for as usual.
There is a maximum amount of metaphysical energy that spells can absorb at once. Like an underweight puppy, one feeding might not do; you may have to carefully feed the charm over multiple days before it begins to wake up again.
Your life may be made easier if you can get a spirit to watch over this process for you.
If strange, hungry creatures appear in your dreams, feed them.
Recharging a spell with no physical vessel
Generally, if you expect to use a spell over and over again in the long term, you should tie it to a physical vessel. This makes maintenance (such as feeding) easier.
However, you may still be able to feed a spell with no physical vessel.
Provide the spell with a clear quartz crystal, or other specially prepared temporary vessel, and call the spell down into it in order for it to feed.
When the feeding is done, seal the feeding dismiss the spell as you normally would.
If the spell can't be "called down" away from its post, take a candle and carve into it the name or mark of your spell, work over the candle until it is metaphysically relevant, and burn it with the instructions that its power goes to your spell.
You may be saying that your spell does not have a name or mark with which to identify it (and no, I do not mean the name of the recipe; I mean the name of the individual spell). If that is the case, in the future, refrain from casting spells with no vessels and no names and sending them out into the world, only to later on realize you need to call it back and mess with it.
If this is, however, the case for you currently, consider the following stopgap solutions:
Use your spell notes as an information taglock ("this power goes to the Red Pepper Spellbreaker cast on [date] for [purpose]")
Create a custom sigil specifically identifying the spell cast prior
Re-create the original spell and consecrate the reconstruction as being the body of the original, then recast it to empower the original
Just pretty much focus on the fact that the energy is going to reach the spell that you cast that one time (it will probably work)
Make your life easier by preparing metaphysically enriched offerings ahead of time
By preparing batch substances with which to feed your magic, you will save frustration and be more easily able to feed your magic when you're too tired to do energy work or full charms.
The lunar oil below is a basic example of how to enchant a feeding substance.
There are many recipes for preparing general-purpose feeding substances. Powders are a common one. Although I've shared an oil below, my favorite formula is based in water - it makes for easier cleanup.
General purpose charging oil for the Lunar Witch
Obtain a small container of palatable oil - perhaps olive oil. Transfer it into a new container if you like.
Emphasis on the small - you will use drops at a time, so even a couple of ounces can last a year.
On the container (using a masking tape foundation and permanent marker, if necessary), draw the planetary seal of the Moon (the one that looks like four bananas), and if you are able to manage it, the lunar planetary square.
On the full moon, and if you must a waxing moon, but never on the waning or dark moons, take this container of oil as near as possible to the moonlight.
Prepare to speak over the oil a hymn. Before or during the recitation, perform a charm or action which indicates the oil should capture, contain, and/or be infused with the energy you will call down.
Consider speaking the hymn to be an act of creating a road or highway to lunar power, through which lunar power spills down.
Perform your Feeding Charm.
Speak over the oil the Orphic hymn to Selene (this, or any preferred translation).
Perform a sealing or completion charm ("So Mote It Be," etc).
The oil is now charged in a basic way. Repeat the hymn every full moon and it can be used as a serviceable feeding oil.
Now that the oil has been prepared in a basic way, the real work may begin.
Put the container of oil in a special and magical place. Petition and request that you may receive special signs for what other ingredients to add to the oil.
Be specific that you seek to make a feeding oil for the purposes of revitalizing any magical object. (You never know what the spirits will try to have you craft if you're not specific).
Attempt your best efforts of omen-reading, dreamwork, and other methods of receiving spirit messages. You may find that you need to pray and petition daily, or engage in other strenuous spirit work. Be prepared to deal with sorcerous, lunar, and other emissaries during this time.
With luck and extended effort (spanning, most likely, weeks or months or longer - this is not a weekend operation), you will receive confirmation of some special ingredient, object, technique, or other thing, to include in this recipe to make it uniquely your own.
Research and Witchcraft Masterpost
Here are all the research posts I have made (that I can find) for longterm posterity.
The Big Fat Library post
Advice on approaching Folk Magics
How I read and review witchcraft books
Current list of book recommendations (with a focus on the context of the Witchcraft community)
Contents of my personal library, in case you want to ask me anything about any of the books I own or want pictures of anything in them
My advice for new witches for approaching the craft
Doreen Valiente’s books and a brief description of the Olde Religion
A faintly outdated recommendation for newbies to witchcraft
Recommendations for the second steps into witchcraft
“Google Is Free” but also here’s some real advice on how to use it to get resources
And, of course, the best advice I ever gave:
Get a library card. Books are expensive, research is time consuming, and libraries get your out of the house and books in your hand. If you are in or an alumni of a university, take advantage of their collection and read those rare, old books. Public libraries do not compare when it comes to the age game.
Good luck, best wishes, and happy reading!
tips through ko-fi
Witchcraft Exercise - Quantifying Your Craft
Witchcraft is a complicated business. There are lots of moving parts, dozens of things to study, and so much information to try and keep straight in your head. It’s easy to become overwhelmed. Sometimes we forget things. Not just when the full moon is (although plenty of us do) but what it is we want to do with our craft.
And sometimes we feel like we’ve lost our drive. Like whatever moved us to become witches in the first place has somehow slipped away, leaving us with just the dregs. Sometimes we feel stuck, unable to make progress. It’s easy to become frustrated too, but it’s important to push on.
To that end, I offer this exercise.
Choose a journal or open a word document and begin quantifying your craft.
Start by outlining the broad concepts. Do you follow a particular path or tradition? How would you classify your craft, i.e. green witchcraft, cottagecraft, sea witch, lunar witch, and so on? Do you work with any deities, and if so, which ones? Do you work alone or with others? How long have you been practicing? What, to you, is the most important aspect of your craft?
Then get into your working space. Do you have an altar? If so, what’s on it and why? Do you have a dedicated workspace, or a place you go to work magic outside of your home? If you could describe your ideal workspace, what would it look like?
Next, describe your tools. Do you have cards or runes or a wand or other specialized tools that you work with? What do you use most frequently? Do you have favorites? Do you make or grow any of your components? Where do you acquire the things you use in your magic, if you can’t make them at home? Do you have a personal library? What are your favorite sources of information? Do you have ritual garb or jewelry that connects you with your craft?
Sketch out your year as a witch. What holidays do you observe and how do you celebrate them? What seasonal festivals or special occasions do you mark? Which ones do you enjoy the most? Is there a time of year when you feel more energized?
Once you have all of this recorded, think back to what first interested you in magic and witchcraft and describe that. Was it a movie? A favorite book? A personal experience? Were you raised in the craft or did you come to it on your own? What made you decide to become a witch?
Then think about how you’ve progressed since you started. Have you achieved a particular goal you set when you began, or are you closer to achieving it then you were? What have you gotten really good at? Where are you still struggling? Where would you like to be a year from now? Are there things you’d like to try but haven’t yet?
And of course, if anything else occurs to you, record that too.
There is no need to share these thoughts with anyone if you don’t want to. This is purely a personal exercise, to help you understand where you are, where you’ve come from, and where you want to go. Quantifying this information might provide some much-needed inspiration, in addition to helping you solidify any nebulous thoughts that might be floating around. It’s much easier to progress in your craft if you have an outline for what you’re already doing.
Happy Witching!
===
Want more Witchcraft Exercises to help grow your craft? Check out the masterpost here.
If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊
The ultimate spell:
Just fucking talk to them.
Getting Back Into Your Practice
Sometimes life is shitty and your spiritual practice doesn't take priority. Thats okay. Here are some tips for how to get back into your practice once you're feeling up for it.
Cleanse and Clean Your Space This is defiantly the first think you should focus your energy on. This can take as long as needed and as intensive as you want or feel is needed. Spiritual and physically cleanse your space. Pick up items, open windows and start your cleansing method of choice.
Redo Wards and Protections Once you've cleansed its important to redo your protection. Cleanse to get rid of, protect to keep it away. Even if nothing has *hit* your protections and wards, its important to keep up to date on them being energized.
Keep Actives Low on Spoons Now that you've done the basics, stick to low spoon actives and slowly build from there. Even if you feel super energized and ready to get into it- you want to take things slow. This'll help you from losing steam..
Slowly Add Back In Your Daily Practice This is totally unique person to person, but dont expect to be back into your multi step daily routine right away. Add in each step one at a time, or slowly so you wont feel overwhelmed.
Come Up with a Ritual Youre EXCITED About You want to focus on the parts of witchcraft you love. Do something you've always wanted to try, something you always love doing, or anything that will make you excited for the working.
Pick a New Topic, Not an Older One Getting into your practice and going to an older topic might feel disheartening. Pick a new topic like astrology, plants, or an aspect of witchcraft you havent gotten too into before. Then go back to the older topic you left on.
Do Some Divination on What You Need Right Now Spend time with your spirit team, deities or ancestors and figure out what you should be focusing in on right now. Maybe you need more rest, maybe theres a ritual they want you to work on.
Remember You Dont Have To Do Magic Daily Dont put too much stress into doing something every single day. Take breaks. Youre still a witch.
I hope these helped. Remember to take things slow and dont let the pressure of getting back into it weigh you down. Magic is suppose to help not hinder.
Finished Hel~
My first finished personal piece in a while.
I took this from Twitter because it's no joke. A lot of witches tend to keep these lamps so I felt it would be worth bringing up. Please be careful and safe! Nobody wants to lose a fur baby.
Even if you aren't a witch, still please keep this in mind!!!!!
My blue apatite palm stone, also known as my “star stone” 💫
Bone Magic Series: Feathers, Fangs, and Claws: How to Use Them in Magic
Previously in the series, I covered bones and skulls and furs and pelts. This is only a fraction of the animal remains witches commonly use, and while this is a bone magic series, I strongly felt the need to cover a variety of animal remains because their uses make more sense with the proper context. This post will discuss all those miscellaneous remains, including feathers, teeth, and claws.
Feathers
Feathers are keratin filaments that cover the outside of birds and even some dinosaurs. They make up the plumage and not only provide warmth and water resistance, but also allow for flight. Like animal pelts and skins, feathers do not preserve well over time, so much of what we know of their historical magical uses stem from indigenous cultures, mostly Native American, and ancient mythology. Feathers have long been used as ornamentation on ceremonial garb, particularly headdresses among many groups worldwide, or as robes and cloaks. Birds are believed to possess a spiritual essence, their feathers being used to aid in flight and communication with the spirit world (source).
The type of bird largely impacted the type of magic associated with the feather. Macaw feathers, desired for their color and highly valued, were used by the Tewa for ceremonial purposes as a way to bring rain, which was believed to come from the South, the cardinal direction associated with the macaw (source). These feathers were so valuable, in fact, that they were often traded for goods, including turquoise and skins (source). Among the Zuni, turkey feathers were believed to represent mortality and therefore not worn by a dancer should death follow. Today, turkey feathers are often buried on All Souls’ Day so the dead may wear them to dance (source). Eagles were and are symbolic of the sun or sky and were often used in combination with turkey feathers. It was believed the eagle was a spirit messenger and could take prayers to the heavens. Wearing the feather of an eagle is said to bring strength, wisdom, and protection (source). In the Hopi Snake Dance, a dancer follows the snake carrier while continuously brushing the rattlesnake with an eagle feather to stop the snake from striking (source). In Celtic mythology, the eagle was believed to be one of the oldest of all creatures. In the tale of Culhwch and Olwen, Culhwch is tasked with finding the magical child Mabon. He asks a number of animals to help him in his quest, the eagle being the animal who tips him off as to where Mabon is (source). The eagle also appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in an account of the Battle of Brunanburh which says, “…the grey-coated eagle, white-tailed, to have his will of the corpses.” This suggests the eagle took advantage of the deaths during the battle, thus again showing wisdom and ingenuity. Furthermore, Highland clan chiefs often wore three eagle feathers in their bonnets as a symbol of rank (source).
Crow feathers, like the eagle, were also used for wisdom and knowledge, as well as death and witchcraft (source, source). The tail feathers of a peacock, in spite of the beautiful plumage, is believed to bring ill luck and attract the evil eye, due to the tip resembling a human eye. Peacocks are scared to Juno, the patron goddess of women, and to rob a peacock of its tail feathers is thought to offend her (source). This, of course, is not a complete list of all feather correspondences but it does drive the point home that feathers have numerous magical associations.
In Egyptian myth, the feather of Ma'at was the judge of one’s soul. According to the story, the heart of the deceased was handed over to Osiris, the God of Death, who placed it on a giant golden scale and balanced it against the white feather of Ma'at, the feather of truth. If the heart was lighter than the feather, thus showing it was free from impurities and sin, then the gods would consult the Forty-Two Judges to decide whether or not the soul was worthy. If so, the soul would pass to the Field of Reeds, the Summerland/Heaven equivalent in Egyptian mythology (source). The feather is also the symbol of Shu, the Egyptian god of Air and father of the Earth. Shu is often depicted wearing a feather in his hair. As such, the feather is often associated with the element Air (source).
Ancient Shamans in Siberia and the Druids of Europe often wore birdlike cloaks and costumes to represent transformation. The Colloquy of the Two Sages describes the possession of a three-colored feather robe by a High Bard. “…A covering of bright bird’s feathers in the middle, a showery specking of fin-druine (white silver) on the lower half, and a golden color on the upper half.” Another similar description is found in Cormac’s Glossary, referred to as a tugen which was a Feathered Cloak commonly worn by Irish poets to represent mysticism and knowledge (source).
Feathers are also commonly placed in Witched Ladders. In the late 1800s, several strange items were found in the eaves of a house in England including a string of feathers. The house was then declared to belong to a witch and the string of feathers was referred to as a ‘witches ladder.’ In this case, it was a string of cockerel feathers and it was suggested to be used to cross over the roof of houses, cause death, and hex neighboring cattle. It was believed each feather was a hex, curse, or bad wish upon another. Throwing the witches ladder into the water was said to break the curse as the water would purify and loosen the feathers from the string. Their removal from the ladder meant the curse was also removed. Modern witches create witches ladders to curse, invoke clarity, or bring positive intent such as luck, prosperity, love, healing, or success with each feather representing a wish (source).
Today, feathers are used in much the same way as they have been historically used. Witches use feathers from an assortment of birds for an assortment of magical purposes. For example, placing blackbird feathers under someone’s pillow is said to compel them to tell you their innermost secrets, while the feathers of a Wren are believed to prevent drowning (source). Furthermore, feathers are often placed on altars to represent air or placed in hedge riding sachets to aid in soul flight. Different colored feathers also have a variety of meanings. For example, finding a black feather means an angel is protecting you, green for abundance, and white for purity (source). Finally, many witches use a feather to waft smoke from incense or a herb stick. Their uses are endless and have been used for centuries by magical practitioners around the world.
Teeth and Claws
Other animal remains include teeth and claws (I will cover shells and blood in the future, but not as part of this series). Teeth could be classified under bones, but I felt the need to discuss some of their specific uses separately. Teeth are hard external bones covered in enamel used for mechanical digestion. Some of the earliest uses of teeth, whether animal or human, dates back to burial practices in the 7th and 8th centuries. Amulets containing teeth have been found in numerous graves, particularly those of women and children across Europe. It is believed these amulets were placed in the grave for protection for both the living and the dead (source, source). From the 7th to 9th century, animal teeth were used to identify cunning women and these bones were commonly buried with the practitioner (source). In the 13th and 15th century, cattle teeth were found in graves, an indicator of healing magic (source).
In Ancient Rome, teeth were highly valued as a form of protection against the evil eye. Giovanni de'Medici was particularly fond of using animal teeth as a form of protection, particularly for the protection of children. Paintings by Detti and contemporary inventories suggest that animal teeth, more specifically wolf teeth, were mounted around homes, including the estate of Piero Ubaldini and Giulio de'Medici. Like many items during the Renaissance, teeth were believed to be a form of sympathetic magic. They were placed around the neck of a nursing infant to protect the child from danger and promote the development and growth of the child’s own teeth (source, source).
Later teeth that had fallen out were commonly thrown into the fire instead of kept for protection as it was believed the teeth could be picked up by a witch and used to cause misfortune (source). Still, later the folktale of the Tooth Fairy arose in the United States around 1900. It is important to note that the Tooth Fairy did not exist in British folklore, making this a largely American tradition, although the Italian Marantega and several other folktales around the world are remarkably similar. It was believed that by placing the tooth under the pillow that the fairy would reward the offering with a monetary gift. The tale of Marantega, an old witch who trades coins for teeth, is very similar to the myth of the Tooth Fairy. However, it is believed she seeks teeth to fill her own toothless mouth (source). In several Asia countries, including China, Japan, and Korea, children who lose teeth from their lower jaw would throw their teeth on the roof, while those lost from the upper jaw are tossed on the floor or placed under the pillow. It was believed that the new tooth would be pulled toward the old tooth, lessening the time it would take to replace the tooth. In Mongolia, the teeth were fed to dogs, so that the new tooth would be as strong as the dog’s teeth, or buried under a tree so that the new tooth had strong roots (source).
In Conjure, teeth have been historically and still are used in a variety of magical workings. For example, badger and alligator teeth were and are used in mojo bags (source). In fact, in 1760 Jamaica passed an act that forbid the slaves from engaging in magical activities, using dog and alligator teeth as evidence of such magical workings (source). Today teeth are used for protection, to bring luck, in binding spells, as part of a bone tarot set, in mojo bags, or in spells that increase communication.
Like teeth, claws can be used in much the same way, pulling on the attributes of whatever animal it came from. Historically, claws have very little written about them. In fact, much of what I could find is about cutting human fingernails. It was believed that cutting your nails on a Friday or Sunday was unlucky while cutting on Monday was thought to bring good health and Tuesday wealth (source). Romans often wore images of bears or bear claws to ease childbirth and protect the unborn child (source). Today, witches use claws as altar decorations, for protection, and mojo bags. For example, cockerel claws are used in protection charms in Voodoo and Santeria practices.
Overall, animal remains have and are an integral part of magical practices the world over. Whether they are used in rituals or spells, they bring us closer to the world around us. How do you use feathers, fangs, or claws in your magical practice?
Interest in the rest of the series? Here’s what’s to come!
Bone Magic Series
Introduction
A Brief History of Animal Remains in Magic
Bones and Skulls: How to Use Them in Magic
Furs and Pelts: How to Use Them In Magic
Feathers, Fangs, and Claws: How to Use Them in Magic
How to Ethically Acquire Animal Remains
Cleaning and Preserving Animal Remains
Working With the Spirits of Animal Remains: Crossing Over & Contracting
Feeding Your Bones
Throwing the Bones + Build Your Own Bone Tarot
MASTER TAROT SPREAD POST: Spirit Communication
Hello lovelies! I know that many of you have seen these going around for years. I wanted to revamp them and make them pretty, as well as bring in a few NEW ones. These all are for spirit communication and development with tarot skills. Each has a specific function for learning more with your workings with spirit, being, entities, creatures, and more!
Have fun and remember to take precautions for discernment, shielding, warding, and grounding!
Here’s a bonus for PAST LIFE COMPANIONS!
