Samwise's Book of Shadows

Samwise. they/them. 27. Wiccan / Pagan / Desert Witch. I follow the Rede, worship the earth and sky, and honor the gods of the Norse. This is my blog for all things relevant to my path, practice, and spirituality. sideblog of rrrromeo

[panthera-dei]

Some of my acquaintances apparently get themselves into trouble, so it's time to get witchy on main with another FAQ, this time in a favorite topic:

Curse-Breaking!!

Curse-breaking has 3 main parts: preparation, the actual breaking, and healing. It's a lot like treating a wound. First you wash the wound, then you apply medicine, and then you bandage it so no bacteria can infect it. Curse-breaking works the same way.

So, for example, a typical curse-breaker spell might start with cleansing the room with a selenite wand or incense, and then leaving out a bowl of salt to capture residual energy. You can do this by using elemental energy to burn out astral parasites, too. Then, you'll cast your spell. You can use the Sphere of Protection and change the wording to ask the elements to clear out and banish curses and negative energy, for example, or you can invoke an entity's help and protection. Then finally, the "bandaging" part. Do something that "proves" that you can't be harmed. Set up a ward or cast a protection spell, cleanse yourself, or carry a protective stone like celestite or obsidian.

The most critical part of curse-breaking though is to understand that a big component of a curse is *psychological.* A curse, hex, whatever *cannot* affect you unless there is already a weakness there to exploit. In other words, a curse can't affect you without your say-so, consciously or otherwise (almost always otherwise). So simply put, you need to start and finish by taking your permission away. Start by *knowing* that any curses against you are no longer effective, and end by *knowing* that all curses against you have been lifted. In some cases, just knowing that a curse is there and saying "This curse is not effective against me" can be enough to break it.

Of course, truthfully, the best way to break a curse is really, y'know, to avoid getting cursed in the first place. That said - curses come in many different forms, and many of them are actually not cast on purpose. Curses can be caused by someone wishing ill on you - literally or metaphorically - or by someone thinking badly of you very hard. Fortunately, those curses tend to be weak and mostly harmless, and will often clear up on their own after a time. However, just like with a physical cut, you can speed the healing process by taking care of yourself and following some magical first-aid... And you can also prevent anything worse happening.

Good luck, and be careful out there!

[windvexer]

Six Directions Banishing for Removal of Malfeasance, and Protection Against Same

A version of a spell taught to me by the Beloved Goat, similar to other rituals that have been taught to me in the past. This spell requires no materials, but may take some playing around with it in order to get the feel of things.

The feel of things is the necessary component for this spell. We also need these definitions* to help feel out the right things:

Malfeasance: Wrongdoing against responsibilities and duties. Something should have happened according to honor and obligation, but instead something wrong was done.

Betrayal: Violation of trust.

Harm: Hurt, damage, unjust effects.

Identifying the problem

The first step is to conjure into your awareness the powers of malfeasance, betrayal, and harm that have been enacted against you.

OBFUK (observe, believe, feel, understand, or know) that within the universe are things harmful to you. Within the universe, malfeasance has been done against you.

Stay with this idea, considering that this is a force that exists in energetic form, and can therefore be manipulated and changed with energy. Play with the idea until you are able to OBFUK that malfeasance against you exists and can be dealt with.

Repeat this step with the concepts of betrayal and harm.

The more you understand and feel these ideas, the better. In this stage you are casting a net by defining what it is you want to deal with.

Contemplate what it really means to have your trust violated. Contemplate what it means for people to have responsibilities to you, and the debt that is created to your wellbeing when these responsibilities are ignored or neglected.

Dwell with these ideas until you have got a pretty good idea of what it is you want to banish and protect against. This stage may initially take several minutes, but with practice may be completed speedily.

Banishing

The second step is to banish malfeasance, betrayal, and harm in six directions. This step is the same for each direction, except you just turn in a circle and/or or re-envision the bisecting line.

Face north. Mentally bisect your body at the midpoint (solar plexus if lying down, middle of skull to top of feet if standing, etc).

OBFUK (observe, believe, feel, understand, or know) that this line of bisection extends infinitely across the universe. You will repeat this envisioning, so play around with it until you are comfortable with it.

Once you have gotten steady with the idea that a divide is going through your body that completely separates the universe into "the north," you are ready to banish.

Say, think, or sign, something quite like the following (note the four distinct sections; identifying problem, setting intent, commanding action, demanding results):

I see the malfeasance that is to the north of me. I see the betrayal that is to the north of me. I see the harm that is to the north of me. I revoke these things. I rebuke these things. I banish these things. They fade into the earth and into the blackness between stars. They turn to ash and dust and settle into the forest and into nebulae. They scatter to the winds and become the colors in the sunset. They sink into the waters and become algae the fish and frogs feed on. To the north of me, malfeasance, betrayal, and harm enacted against me are banished. They are no more.

It's best to stay with this portion until you are personally satisfied that you've said the right things. You may like to go on a diatribe about how the energies are burned by hellfire and consumed by demons, and so on.

The spell is all the better if you stay with each direction and gnash on the energies until you are satisfied that you have settled on the right words. Repeat sections as many times as you like, using any words that inspire you. Polish is less effective than conviction.

Protecting

After you have banished in one direction, re-focus on the bisecting line. In the middle of your body, on the axis of that line, is a core of power.**

OBFUK (observe, believe, feel, understand, or know) that this is your personal power.

That power is ready to flow around you in a spherical shield that protects you.

Say, think, or sign the following:

To the north, I am protected. I am protected from malfeasance. I am protected from betrayal. I am protected from harm.

As you intone this, OBFUK that an impermeable, impassable, perfect shell of protective power pours forth from you in a hemisphere, wrapping around you from east to west, entirely protecting you from what is in the north.

Repeat this portion as many times as necessary, or play around with it a bit, until you feel satisfied the protection has occurred.

Moving in 6 Directions

Repeat the Banishing and Protection step for each of the six directions (north, south, east, west, above, below).

You may go in any order you like. I move clockwise from north, hitting east, south, and west; then turning north again to finish above and below.

Each time you work in a new direction, adjust how you envision the bisecting line that goes through your body.

Your goal is to envision the line in such a way that all six lines intersect at the same point, if possible, marking a singular point. The banishing pushes everything outwards from this singular point.

In order to accomplish this, moving around or readjusting yourself may be necessary.

Remember that each time you conjure the Protection, it is a hemisphere. This means it necessarily overlaps the others. Half of the eastern hemisphere will overlap north, and the other half will overlap the south. The above and below hemispheres will encapsulate all for hemispheres before it.

You may find that banishment and protection are easier or harder in different directions, which is normal. Work in each direction until you are satisfied both with the banishment and the protection.

As you move through subsequent directions, you may find your hemispheres interlock or layer in ways you weren't expecting. Let the energy moves as it desires, as long as it conforms with your standards of protection.

When you have worked in 6 directions and laid down 6 hemispheres (to create 3 total overlapping spheres of protection), move to the finish.

Sealing

There are 3 complete spheres of protection around you; one created by the joining of north and south, one created by the joining of east and west, and one created by the joining of above and below.

Whether or not these spheres seemed to combine, or were combined, in earlier steps, seal everything now to properly finish the protection.

With your focus on yourself (not necessarily placed upon any direction), intone the following:

The protections to the north of me and to the south of me join together in perfect unison and perfect harmony. I am infinitely protected from all malfeasance, all betrayal, and all harm. The protections to the east of me and to the west of me join together in perfect unison and perfect harmony. I am infinitely protected from all malfeasance, all betrayal, and all harm. The protections above me and below me join together in perfect unison and perfect harmony. I am infinitely protected from all malfeasance, all betrayal, and all harm. I am infinitely protected from all malfeasance, all betrayal, and all harm.

The spell is complete.

[*The definitions are for the purpose of this spell, so we can sniff out what we are working on like a bloodhound sniffing out a rabbit. Dictionary definitions may differ.]

[**This is true for the purposes of the spell but not necessarily true in any other circumstance]

[space-queen]

protection & warding ⚔️

a guide on protecting yourself and your home. [very long post]

personal protection

wear an amulet on your person - can be made from man-made or natural materials so long as its intent is to protect

keep a protective crystal in your pocket

craft a small protective spell jar and keep on your person

anoint yourself with a protective oil

place an energetic shield around yourself 

place a glamour on yourself to go unnoticed in the presence of harmful or negative energies

carry a piece of iron on your person

bathe with a wash made with protective herbs

sleep with a sachet of herbs under your pillow or hanging above your bed to prevent nightmares

prayers and offerings to your chosen deity

hang a protective amulet from the rearview mirror in your vehicle for safe travels

home & hearth protection

hang rose stems with thorns intact above the entrance of your home

hang an upside down horseshoe above the entrance of your home (some lore states you should hang the horseshoe right-side-up)

hang wind chimes or bells outside of your home

create a “witch bottle” and bury in your front yard, or in a potted plant on your porch

create a “witch’s ladder” or “witch ball” and hang it either inside or outside of your home

hang imagery of protective symbols outside or around your home

burn protective incense or candles in your home with scents that are associated with protection

create a room spray made from protective oils and spray around your home

create a protective wash and use it to clean your windows, door frames, and tile/wooden floors 

use the wash mentioned above to “paint” symbols of protection on the outside of your front door, on your porch, etc. 

place a protective crystal or small glass of salt at each corner inside your home

hammer 3 iron nails into your front door

create a protective powder and sprinkle around the perimeter of your home; alternately, sprinkle outside of your front and back door (be wary of sprinkling salt on grass!)

create a sachet filled with protective herbs and crystals - keep inside or outside of your home, in your vehicle, etc.

hang mirrors inside of your home to trap negative energy, entities, or spirits (not facing each other)

place a crystal grid at the center of your home using protective crystals

call upon your chosen deity to protect your home and those who reside in it

protective symbols & items

pentacle

triquetra 

witch’s knot

algiz (elhaz) rune

vegvisir

helm of awe

mjolnir

glyph of the moon, mars, or saturn

eye of horus

ankh

crossed swords

iron nails

railroad spikes

thorns

mars water / oil

third & fifth pentacle of saturn; third & sixth pentacle of jupiter; sixth pentacle of mars; second, third, & fifth pentacle of the moon

crystals

agate, amethyst (protection against psychic attacks and while traveling), angel aura quartz (spiritual protection), apophyllite, aqua aura quartz (protection against psychic attacks), aquamarine (protection while traveling via water), astrophyllite, aventurine

beryl (protection while traveling) blue goldstone, bowenite, bronzite, bustamite

catlinite (spiritual protection), carnelian (protection from negative emotions), celestite (emotional protection), chalcopyrite, chrysoberyl, citrine (protection from nightmares), clear quartz

diamond, dravite

eudialyte

fire agate, fluorite (protection against psychic attacks)

galaxite, garnet

indicolite, infinite stone

jade, jasper, jet

lapis lazuli, lepidolite (protection from manic depression)

malachite (protection during pregnancy and childbirth), moonstone (protection during pregnancy, childbirth, and while traveling via water), mother of pearl (protection for children)

nuumite

obsidian, onyx

peridot, pyrite

rose quartz (protection during pregnancy and childbirth), ruby (protection of the home and hearth)

salt, schorl, shungite, smithsonite, smoky quartz, snowflake obsidian, sugilite

tanzanite, tiger’s eye, turquoise

vauxite (protection from nightmares)

botanicals

acacia, aconite, acorn (protection from lightning), african violet, ague, alder (protection for the deceased), alfalfa (protection from hunger and poverty), alkanet (protection from snakebites and the fear of snakes), aloe (protection from household accidents), amaranth (protection from bullets), amber, angelica, anise seeds, ash (protection from drowning and while traveling), aspen (protection against thieves)

bamboo, barley, basil, bay laurel (protection from lightning), bay leaf (protection for your home and family; protection against baneful magic), belladonna, bergamot (protection from illness), bilberry bark, birch (protection from lightning and infertility), black cohosh (protection from accidents and sudden death), black haw, black pepper, blackberry, bladderwrack (protection while traveling), blessed thistle, bloodroot, blue violet, blueberry, boneset, brimstone, buckeye (protection against arthritis), buckwheat

cactus, calamus, calendula, carnation, caraway, cascara sagrada (protection against baneful magic), catnip (protection while sleeping), cedar (protection from lightning), celandine, chia, chives, chrysanthemum, cilantro (protection for gardeners), cinnamon, cinquefoil (protection for loved ones on a journey), clove (protection for babies), clover, coconut, comfrey (protection while traveling), coriander, corn, cotton, cramp bark, cranberry, cumin, curry, cypress

daisy (protection for babies), dandelion root (protection while sleeping), datura, devil’s bit, devil’s claw, dill, dogwood, dragon’s blood, ebony, elder (protection for the deceased), elm (protection from lightning), eucalyptus

false unicorn root (protection during pregnancy and childbirth), fennel, fern, feverfew (protection against accidents and cold/flu), figwort (protection for your home), flaxseed (protection for your home, protection against baneful magic), fleabane, foxglove (protection for your home and garden), frankincense

gardenia, garlic, geranium, ginger, ginseng, gorse (protection against baneful magic), hawthorn (protection from lightning), heather (protection against violent crimes), heliotrope, henna (protection from illness), hickory, high john the conqueror, holly, horseradish, hyssop (protection for property against burglars and trespassers)

irish moss (protection while traveling), ivy, juniper, kava kava, lady slipper (protection against baneful magic), larch (protection against theft), larkspur, laurel, lavender, leek, lemon, lemon verbena (protection of your home, protection from lightning and storms), lettuce, lime, lotus, lucky hand root (protection while traveling)

mandrake, marigold (protection while sleeping), marjoram, marshmallow root, mimosa, mint, mistletoe (protection from lightning and fire), mullein (protection from nightmares and baneful magic), nutmeg

oak moss, olive leaf, onion, papyrus, parsley (protection for your home), peat moss, peony, periwinkle (protection against snakes and poison), pimpernel, pine, pineapple, plantain (protection from snakebites and jealousy), quince, radish, raspberry leaf, red clover (protection for pets), rhubarb, rice, rowan, rue

sage, sandalwood, saw palmetto, sea salt, sheep sorrel (protection from heart disease), slippery elm, snapdragon, solomon’s seal, spanish moss, spearmint, st. john’s wort (protection from baneful magic, lightning, and fire), straw flower, sunflower

tangerine, thistle, toadflax, tonka bean (protection from disease), true unicorn root (protection from baneful magic), valerian, venus fly trap, violet, willow, witch hazel, wood aloe, wood betony, woodruff, wormwood (protection against dangerous roads while traveling), yerba santa, yew, yucca (protection of your home)

metals

chromium, lead, iron, nickel, pewter, steel, titanium, zinc

lunar phases

waxing - to attract protective energy and positivity

full - generalized protection 

waning - to banish negativity, thus protecting the caster

planets / days of the week

moon / monday

mars / tuesday

saturn / saturday

as always, don't steal from other cultures, don't put salt on your grass, don't handle or ingest toxic metals or plants, and don't burn your house down! it's up to you to discern how to practice safely and ethically.

© 2025 bunny-claws

[skaldish]

What is Norse Heathenry?

Norse Heathenry is a contemporary pagan spirituality derived from the beliefs, customs, superstitions, and folklore of the pre-Christian Norse people. It is one of a few different kinds of Heathenries, which include Slavic Heathenry and Teutonic (Germanic) Heathenry.

The word "heathen" means "of the heaths." However, it's not a word the Old norse people themselves used. They didn't have a word for their spiritual belief system, as they didn't distinguish this from all other aspects of their lives. Rather, "Heathen" was coined by Christian writers to refer to Scandinavian pagans (this is also why it's sometimes used interchangeably with the word "heretic").

Nowadays, Norse Heathenry is referred to by many names, which reflects different developing iterations of it. Amongst these names are Norse Paganism, Asatru, and Forn Sidr / Forn Sed.

Where does Norse Heathenry come from?

Norse Heathenry comes from the Nordic countries of Europe: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. These places are also known as the homelands of the vikings. But despite their shared origins, Norse Heathenry is not the religion of the vikings. This very large misconception has a very long, complex history behind it, owed to a combination of commercialization and fascist tampering. The Heathenry we see in America is extremely muddied from these influences. Fortunately, we now have the means to disambiguate it, thanks to increasingly accessible cultural exchange.

The following explanation is a product of ongoing anthropological, theological, and cultural research, in combination with what we know about the historical.

Norse Heathen Beliefs

Unlike organized religions, Norse Heathenry is (and has always been) a decentralized belief system. This means it has no universal doctrines, no orthopraxy or orthodoxy, no holy texts, and no religious figurehead governing it. When you hear people say "There's no 'right' way to practice Heathenry," this is generally what they're referring to.

However, Norse Heathenry does have a distinct way of thinking about and viewing the world, and it's very different from what we usually see here in the US. If you're feeling stuck trying to figure out how to "do Heathenry," this would be why.

Animism

A staple of Norse Heathen epistemology is Animism.

Usually, Animism is defined as the belief that all things have a spirit or vital essence to them. But this is only one definition of many, and not the definition that applies here.

The Norse concept of Animism is "the awareness that all things are part of an interdependent ecosystem." This changes how we engage with everything around us. We understand that when we interact with the forces of this world, they will interact back on their own merit. Our relationship with all things is a social one, and we're not spectators in our environment, but active participants at all times.

This stands is stark contrast to the way the USAmericans typically view the world: As a landscape to either test or be tested by, with the forces of the world acting as the means through which this is done.

Additionally, there's no separation between the sacred and the profane.

Immanence

Faiths that focus on spiritual ascension, enlightenment, or attaining a good afterlife are known as transcendent faiths.

While Norse Heathenry has some transcendent elements, it's ultimately an immanent belief system, which means its focus is on living life for the sake of living, as opposed to living life to receive a good afterlife. A good afterlife is already guaranteed.

(Some Heathens may strive for a specific kind of afterlife, however, which do have certain conditions for accessing. But these are elective rather than required, and different as opposed to superior. It's all a matter of preference, at the end of the day.)

The Norse Gods

Many people are already familiar with the Norse gods, such as Thor, Odin, Loki, and Freyja, but not many people are familiar with how they operate as gods.

In Hellenism and Religio Romano, the gods are divine lords who preside over different domains of society. It's a reflection of what the ancient Greeks and Romans highly valued in their civilizations: Law and political/civic involvement.

In Norse Heathenry, however, gods don't operate in a lordship capacity. Instead, they're more like celebrities in that they're celebrated figures everyone knows about.

While they don't rule over one thing or another, the Norse gods often act as allegorical representations of worldly phenomena. Thor is to thunderstorms as Loki is to "random-chance odds." SIf is to wheat-fields as Odin is to the old wandering beggar. Frey and Freyja represent masculine and feminine principles, Skadi the driven snow and foggy winter, and so on. The gods exist as worldly experiences inasmuch as they exist as ideas.

Lastly, but importantly, the Norse gods don't distribute rewards or punishments in accordance with on one's actions or deeds, nor do they tell us how we ought to live our lives. The way they interact with us depends on our individual relationships with them, which can be just as diverse as the ones we have with each other.

Myths & Folklore

What people often refer to as the "Norse Myths" are stories found in two old Icelandic texts called the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda. These texts are special because they're the oldest and largest collection of tales featuring the Norse deities.

However, these texts represent just one region's period-specific interpretation of Norse folklore. They also only represent a fraction of the tales that still circulate within Nordic oral traditions, so not only are they not "canon" in the usual sense of the word, they're also just a sample.

This is all to say that Norse Heathenry doesn't have a hard body of mythology. It certainly has a defined one, but its definition is built from local legends, fairy tale humor, songs, customs, superstitions, and family folklore in addition to what survives on runestones and parchment. The corpus of Heathenry is very much a living, breathing thing.

Spirits

Norse Heathenry recognizes a wide variety of different beings, the likes of which can be found all around us. Some of these beings are like how we typically imagine spirits, in that they're incorporeal or otherwordly, while others are physical but may play tricks on you so you can't see them.

Like many things pertaining to Heathenry, there isn't a universally-shared classification system for Norse beings. But generally-speaking, beings are defined by their natures and the manner in which they relate to the rest of the world, rather than their morphology. For example, Trolls can take the appearance of rocks, trees, and also living people, but they can also be incorporeal spirits. This is all, however, the same kind of Troll, rather than being different types of trolls.

This is also why the lines between "spirit", "god," and "ancestor" can become very blurry at times. In English use, these are all typically labeled under the category "vaetter." Sometimes "wight" is used to refer to spirits of various types, but isn't often used to refer to gods.

Typically, the way people interact with spirits entirely depends on what kind of spirit they're dealing with, as well as their disposition towards human beings. Some spirits may enjoy a personal relationship, while others are best when left unbothered.

Values & Morality

Because Norse Heathenry has no doctrine and is immanent in nature, it has no fixed value system. Just like the stories were decentralized, so were the Norse people's values.

This is a feature as opposed to a flaw, and a fact as opposed to a theory. But it also has a habit of making Americans very uncomfortable.

For this reason, Heathens sometimes choose to construct their own value system to observe as part of their practice. But what those values are is up to each individual, and individual community, if applicable.

Anyone claiming Norse Heathenry has a universal value system is either new to Heathenry, or selling something.

Veneration

Heathen veneration is not just limited to gods, but also includes ancestors and even certain kinds of spirits, such as nisse/tomte.

Like most things in Norse Heathenry, what, who, and how a Heathen chooses to venerate is their choice to make. One popular observance across the globe is to craft altars, shrines, or similar sacred spaces for the entities one venerates. If a Heathen lives in a house that has a nisse (similar to a gnome), they might leave porridge (with butter) by the hearth for him, and he'll in turn bless the house with good luck and fortune.

Oftentimes, relationships with entities are very interpersonal. Heathenry's animistic and immanent nature means entities are rarely cold and distant, including the gods.

Misconceptions!

A list of misconceptions off the top of my head:

The practice known as 'Odinism' is an invention of the Germanic Volkish movement, which was the social precursor to Nazi Germany. This is also, unfortunately, the first kind of "heathenry" to be brought to the US, back in the 1970's. It was spread through the country via one of the fastest-moving networks at the time: The US prison system.

The Black Sun is a Nazi symbol, not a Heathen one.

No, Norse Heathenry is not a closed practice.

No, you don't have to have Scandinavian heritage to practice Norse Heathenry. Blood quantum is not a thing.

The rune alphabets are old, but the method of runecasting is new.

So is the use of magical bindrunes.

Bindrunes are also different from Galdrastafir. The latter is actually a form of Jewish-Christian-Norse syncretism and needs to be taught orally since it's a mystery tradition. You can still slap the Helm of Awe on things and look cool about it though.

Norse Heathenry is not the same as being a viking, and Norse Heathens are not vikings. However, some Heathens partake in viking reenactment as an extension of their practice.

There's no good or bad gods in Norse Heathenry. All the gods are capable of great good and great bad, just like people. They're fallible, and that's what makes them relatable.

Odin and Loki aren't at odds with one another.

You don't need to wait for a god to pick you to start venerating them.

If you're interested in learning more about any of these in-depth, check out the website I've built on Norse Heathenry, located in my pinned post!

[thewoodbine-deactivated20241020]

Do Spell Components Matter?

My personal take on the matter as an experienced witch.

I see a lot of things online (mostly Tumblr and Tiktok) saying that you can substitute any ingredients, words, components, or conditions around in a spell and it will still work because of intention. Don’t have candles? Use plastic. Don’t have Angelica? Just use whatever’s in your cupboard. And it has a lot of baby witches running around with spells that were never going to work. If intention was the ONLY thing that mattered or effected things- why bother with spells at all? Why not just think really hard and call it a day? So this post is aimed at people who want to use spells and want to consider correspondences and meanings in those spells.

Now I’m not saying you CAN’T substitute. You absolutely can, and sometimes should. But you need to know why that aspect was added in the first place to know if that is up for substitution or not. 

In a sense, spells are like recipes. 

Let’s say you want to make chili and the main parts of a chili are beef, tomatoes, chili peppers, onions, and kidney beans. 

But you’re vegetarian: ok no beef, that’s cool. Still taste like chili.

You don’t have fresh chili peppers: That’s ok too, most people use powder or a seasoning packet anyway. But if you don’t have that you just use the closest spicy thing in your cupboard. In fact, onions can be treated the same way.

You don’t like tomato’s: That’s alright but…..without that acidic element something is…different. 

And you dont have kidney beans so you use black eyed peas and now…..well it’s a soup but it’s….not necessarily recognizable as chili.

You didn’t make chili. You probably have a good soup but it’s not quite chili.

Now if your purpose of making chili was to make a yummy spicy bean soup, hey no worries! You did it! You make a yummy spicy bean soup! Tummy is filled. But if you wanted chili, or were asked specifically for chili, you’ve missed your mark. You also can’t show up with a pumpkin pie or a cup of coffee and call it the same- well you can, but it’s probably not going to have the same reception as the one you wanted from a chili. 

So let’s back up. You need to make chili, it has to taste like chili, but you don’t have anything you need. You find mushrooms to replace the savory umami of beef, chili powder to replace the spice of a real chili, garlic to replace the bite of an onion, cinnamon to add that special something where the tomato was, and pinto beans to replace kidney and hold on that’s a LOT like a chili. Because you understood why each ingredient was there and what it brought. 

Now let’s compare this to a spell. Your love spell ask you to burn a pink candle surrounded in a wreath of rose petals. If the spell is using the candle to send that wish up and out into the world then- well you really must burn a candle (or at least a slip of paper) but a white one will do! And maybe you don’t have roses, but you’ve always thought of oak trees representing love to you, well that’ll work but it may take on a more sturdy and earth tone but that’s probably fine!

So yes: 

Tl;dr: You can substitute. But think your substitutions through and make informed and intentional substitutions. 

[skaldish]

If you all are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of Christianization I've pointed out in American Heathenry, I have good news: I've spent at least a year now compiling a walkthrough of dechristianized Heathenry.

That's right! I did all the slogging and detangling so you don't have to!

[cosamanda]

Who Sigyn was

Loki is mischievous. Loki breaks the rules. Loki is complicated.

Sigyn is simple.

Sigyn is kind. That is all. And yet not.

If Loki is the outcast crouching under the bridge with a sleepingbag and a waggon full of scraps, Sigyn is the one who opens a new inclusive shelter in town. If Loki is the protester marching in the streets and getting himself arrested, Sigyn is the one who bails him out. Loki's spirit is in the guy who gets in trouble at school for punching bigoted classmates in the face, Sigyn's spirit is in the friend who turns up at the principals office to defend him.

Loki rebels, Sigyn defends. Loki suffers, Sigyn protects. Loki organises a secret after school club to take down capitalism? Sigyn is the one who bakes them cookies.

Loki is a trickster, a rebel, and an outsider. Loki lives on the edge of society, all societies. He breaks the rules he thinks needs to be broken, he refuses to be boxed in, he bends the rules he thinks are wrong. Loki is one with the outcasts. Loki is one with those up-turning their lives, changing the world, refusing to bend to societies norms.

Sigyn is the only who protects the rebels, the outcasts, and the ostracised. So many times I see Loki described as their protector, but he is not. Loki marches with them in the streets, he screams for justice and a place to be diffrent in peace just as loudly.

But when you've come home from a march, exhilarated and exhausted, don't you need someone who'll sit and listen to everything you saw and did, and order some takeout? That is Sigyn. When you log of the internet, crying, after arguing with some bigot online, don't you want someone to rant to, to cry to, someone to hold you and comfort you? That's Sigyn. When you are desperate and alone, cast out, you need someone to take you in, to accept your differences and love the non-conforming parts of you? That is Sigyn.

Loki may be on the front lines of cultural change, rebellion. He may be the one supping with outcasts, but Sigyn is the one who cooks the meal.

Sigyn's compassion is the cogs that keeps the machine of rebellion working. If Sigyn had not stayed with Loki in that cave, and held that bowl over his head to catch the poison, would Loki have ever made it to Ragnarök? Was it not for Sigyn's compassion, would Loki and his children have ended/changed the world?

I don't think so.

Sigyn is fighting alongside Loki and the rebels, but she fights with different means. Calm, caring means. Soft means. Patient means. Compassionate means.

Sigyn is the comfort we come home to when exhausted after fighting the world.

[servantofthefates]

How to Properly Close a Tarot Reading

Interpreting the last card does not mean you are done. You have ten more things to do before the reading is through.

1. Count the Major Arcana.

The more there are, the stronger the reading’s predictions will impact the querent’s life. If there are none or just one, almost none of it will matter in the long run.

2. Note the sequence of the Major Arcana.

If the querent is asking about someone, and the major arcana are between 0 and 16, that person is not meant to stay in their life. If the question is about a dream or an opportunity, and the cards fall between 17 and 21, it will manifest completely.

3. Count the cards from each suit.

The presence of all suits predicts a balanced outcome. More Wands mean strong passion. More Swords mean anxiety or manipulation. More Cups mean the heart is running the show. More Pentacles mean wealth is about to diminish or grow.

4. Mind the aces and the tens.

Two or more aces mean the situation is only just beginning. Two or more tens mean it is now coming to a good or bad ending.

5. Note the multiples between two and nine.

Twos mean clever decisions are of paramount importance. Threes speak of infidelity or the need for cooperation. Fours guarantee stability, just as sixes do harmony. Fives and sevens spell difficult challenges, but eights and nines promise that the labor is almost over.

6. Regard the ruling colors.

A dominant black predicts burdens and hindrances. Red and yellow combined ensure passion, clarity and manifestation. Blue and white together advise that the solution can be found through spirituality and intuition.

7. Count the court cards.

Nine times out of ten, court cards are people, not influences. They are doing the manipulation or they need to be manipulated.

8. Notice the suits of the courts.

Wands and Swords are friendly. So are Cups and Pentacles. Any other combination spells rivalry and obstacles.

9. Watch where the cards are facing.

Is the woman in The World looking at The Tower? A tragedy has to occur before success can take over. Is the King of Cups facing away from his Queen? Their relationship is suffering. His love for her has begun fading.

10. Look at the bottom of the deck.

If the outcome is good, embodying this energy will make it even better. If the outcome is bad, this is the hidden connection that needs to be severed.

[cerrtifiedcowboy-deactivated202]

Ostara - festival celebrating the coming of spring, light, and the renewal of the Sun

[which-witchhazel]

For those that need a reminder

YOU CAN'T BE HOMOPHOBIC AND BE NORSE PAGAN

YOU CAN'T BE TRANSPHOBIC AND BE NORSE PAGAN

YOU CAN'T BE RACIST AND BE NORSE PAGAN

YOU CAN'T BE BIGOTED AND BE NORSE PAGAN

However, if you die fighting a Nazi, you'll definitely go to Valhalla.

[hedendom]

Gorgeous wooden Norse god figurines carved from linwood with runic inscriptions by Triumpho

[emeraldlotusdivination-deactiva]

For free weekly. tarot spreads follow me on IG & Pinterest @emeraldlotusdivination

[samwisethewitch]

How to Cast Spells That Work

In her book Wicca for Beginners Thea Sabin says, “When you do a spell, you are telling the universe that you intend to bring about a certain change and you are putting the energy in motion to achieve that end.”

A spell is sort of an energetic shove to get things moving in the way you want them to, and we do this by creating a ritual to build and then release the energy to get things going.

Most spells are based on a principle called imitative magic.

In his book Backwoods Shamanism, Ray Hess says, “Imitative magic means that making a symbolic gesture, when combined with intent and will… can affect the intended change on a grander scale.” [Note: I don’t actually recommend this book, but I like Hess’s definition of imitative magic.]

So, for example, you may have heard of a “cord cutting” ritual, where you symbolically cut your spiritual ties to a person you no longer want to have a relationship with. You’re symbolically creating a separation between yourself and that person, which creates physical separation in real life.

There are four basic components to any spell: your will, your intention, focused energy, and a ritual action. Some magical traditions add extra steps, like casting a circle, but from what I’ve read and been taught, these four basic components are constant no matter which tradition you’re following.

Let’s start with the most important bit: your will. Your will isn’t just what you want: it’s the desire and drive that is in alignment with your highest good. But in this case we’re also talking about will in the sense of willpower — Basically, your will is your personal spiritual authority and the source of your magical power.

Any spell that is not in alignment with your will won’t work. This is why it’s important to be clear about what you want and why you want it before you attempt a spell.

There’s also an element of belief here. Because magic only works when your spells are in alignment with your will, if you don’t believe your spell can work, it won’t. This is because you, yourself are blocking it from working.

The second important component of a  spell is your intention. When you do a spell, it’s important to clearly state what you want to happen. Some traditions will write the intention down on a piece of paper, which is called a petition. Other traditions will use a spoken statement of intention in the form of an incantation. Some witches use both.

You need to be clear about your intention before you begin your spell. Magic will always follow the path of least resistance, so it’s important to be specific. However, I find that magic works better when your intention leaves a little bit of wiggle room. It’s about finding that happy medium.

You also want to keep your petitions and incantations simple. If it’s more than a couple of sentences, you probably need to trim it down a little.

The next important part of a spell is focused energy. Magic is a way of directing energy, and this means that your own energy needs to be focused for it to work.

Don’t get too stressed out about focus. Your spell isn’t going to fail if your mind wanders for a few seconds. But you should set aside some time where you’ll be able to fully dedicate yourself to your spell. Try to find a private place where you won’t be interrupted. Turn off the TV, put your phone away, and try to avoid distractions. You might find that playing meditation music or burning incense helps you focus.

While you cast your spell, keep focusing on what it is you want to manifest. Again, don’t overthink this and don’t worry if your thoughts wander a little, but try to stay in the moment. Repeating your incantation can help with maintaining focus.

The last important part of a spell is your ritual action. This just means doing a specific set of things, in a specific order, with a specific intent behind them. If we go back to our definition of imitative magic, your ritual actions are symbolic of the change you want to manifest.

Your ritual actions do not have to be complex. A very common ritual for spells is anointing and lighting a candle. Making a charm or poppet is also popular. But any action can be a magical ritual if it is done with intent and focus, in alignment with your will. Making a cup of tea or coffee can be a ritual. Running a bath can be a ritual. Cooking food can be a ritual. The only limit is your imagination.

These four things are literally all you need to cast a spell. A spell doesn’t have to be complicated or include a bunch of crystals and herbs to work. You can do an effective spell with nothing but your own mind and body.

[samwisethewitch]

Building a Magical Home

One of my favorite quotes about the magic of homemaking comes from Cory Hutcheson, host of the New World Witchery podcast. He says, “Home is a transformational act. It is the thing you do to turn a space into a space… that is full of ritual and significance and meaning. So there is sort of this ongoing relationship you have with the space that makes it a home.”

The act of creating a home, of making a space your own, is inherently magical. But if you want to make your space feel a little more witchy, here are some ideas to get you started.

Charms and Talismans

Making your own magical objects can be a powerful way to bring magic into your space. The best thing about making your own charms is that you can make them look however you want, so it’s easy to disguise them as ordinary household objects. You can make a charm for any intention by combining objects based on their magical correspondences.

I’ve talked about protective charms in previous posts, so I’m not gonna spend a lot of time on it here. The simplest protective charm is keeping a large piece of iron under your bed to keep away nightmares, evil spirits, and negative energy. You could also make your own protection charm, like a witch bottle.

You can create a “happy home” charm to bring peace, harmony, and happiness into your home. This charm could include herbs like basil, rosemary, lavender, peppermint, and/or bay leaves, as well as other items that you associate with peace and good fortune, like lucky coins, crystals, or black cat fur. Write your desires for a harmonious and happy home on a piece of paper, fold it up, and add it to the charm. You could store these items in a green bag, bury them in your backyard (in this case, make sure you’re only using biodegradable plant matter — leave out the coins and crystals), or place it inside a household object like a lamp or an end table.

If you suffer from insomnia or other sleep issues, try making a dream charm to help you sleep well and have sweet dreams. To make a simple dream charm, fill a blue or purple bag with lavender, chamomile, peppermint, and any other objects that you associate with peace, restfulness, and sleep. If you want to have lucid dreams or receive psychic messages in your dreams, include a bit of mugwort. Place the charm in your pillow or under your mattress. (I personally swear by this one, as it’s helped a lot with my insomnia.)

Charms are great for homemaking magic because you’re actually creating a magical object, which can then become a permanent fixture of the space.

Magical Decor

You can use magical items to decorate your home to bring certain qualities into that space.

Hanging or displaying a broom is said to bring good fortune, protection from evil, and good hospitality. Cauldrons are used to represent the Goddess, rebirth, and raw potential. Horseshoes hung above door frames bring safety and luck to all who cross under them, and keep unwanted guests away. If you can get them legally and ethically, animal bones, teeth, claws, and feathers can represent the spirit and energy of that animal. You can also put up images of spiritual and occult symbols — I have an image of the Sun tarot card hanging in my bedroom to promote positivity and growth.

If you need to be a little more subtle with your witchy decorations, working with the magic of color is a great way to do that. Gathering a lot of items of a single color in one room changes the energy of that room. Here’s a quick guide to give you some ideas:

Yellow is associated with divination, mental clarity, the element of air, success, communication, and inspiration.

Purple is associated with divine power, spiritual awareness, mystery, astral travel, magic, and authority.

Blue is associated with healing, psychic abilities, the element of water, peace, truth, and patience.

Red is associated with protection, the fire element, sex, power, vitality, and love.

Orange is associated with ambition, creativity, breaking through blockages, and career success.

Pink is associated with romantic love, friendship, self love, compassion, and emotional well-being.

Green is associated with nature, herbalism, the earth element, money, wealth, prosperity, and luck.

Brown is associated with grounding, animal magic, stability, and balance.

White is associated with purification, cleansing, the full moon, new beginnings, healing, and spiritual growth.

Black is associated with protection, truth, outer space, banishing, and transition.

Decorating your home with colors that are meaningful to you can create a powerful magical space. You may also have your own color associations (for example, yellow is a very “happy” color for me), so feel free to incorporate those into your decor as well!

Growing Magical Houseplants

Most witches feel a very deep connection to nature and draw power from the natural world, but we can’t all live in a cottage in the heart of the forest. Even if you live in a tiny apartment in the city, you can still bring nature into your space by keeping houseplants. Many popular houseplants have magical uses, and many popular magic herbs can be grown inside. Here are a few to get you started.

Aloe. This is one of my favorite plants. Aloe brings luck and protection, especially protection on an energetic/spiritual level. I like to keep aloe in my bedroom to protect me while I sleep, as well as to bring luck and inspiration while I’m working at my desk.

Basil. Basil is very popular in money spells, and will attract prosperity and luck to your home. However, it also has protective properties — both spiritual protection and protection from bugs, since basil is a natural insect repellent! Basil can also be used in love spells, and is just generally a good plant to have around for good vibes.

African Violet. This flowering plant attracts positive spiritual energy into your space. It has associations with the moon and the water element, and is very good for promoting spirituality and psychic power.

Rosemary. Rosemary is one of those herbs that every witch should have on hand. It’s so darn versatile, it can be used as a substitute for virtually any other herb, and can be used for almost any intention. Some of the most common magical associations for rosemary include: cleansing, purification, protection, healing, mental activity, and enhancing memory. According to author Deborah J. Martin, there’s an old English saying that, “Where rosemary grows, the woman rules the house.” Like basil, rosemary is a natural insect repellent.

Lavender. Lavender brings peace, love, and gentleness, which makes it a perfect addition to any home. It can be used in spells for cleansing and purification, enhancing psychic abilities, and stress relief. Lavender is also a powerful addition to love spells. Keeping lavender in the bedroom can aid in restful sleep, while lavender in the kitchen will bring harmony to the home.

Sage. Sage is the most talked about cleansing herb, and with good reason. Unfortunately, a lot of the sage bundles you can buy at metaphysical stores are made with white sage (Salvia apiana), which is sacred to Native American peoples and is endangered due to overharvesting. Instead of buying those, why not grow your own garden sage (Salvia officinalis), which has a lot of the same magical properties? Growing sage in your home will purify the space and protect those who live there. Sage also has an association with wisdom and mental prowess.

Hoya. Hoya is a common houseplant that you’ve probably seen even if you don’t know it by name. It has a distinctive appearance with waxy, dark green leaves and clusters of white, star-shaped flowers. Hoya aligns and balances the energy centers within your body, as well as in the surrounding space. It’s associated both with grounding and with spiritual openness, so it can be great for balancing the two.

Peppermint. Peppermint has a variety of magical uses, but my favorite way to use it is for gently opening up blockages and getting things moving. It’s great for cleansing, but is more gentle than rosemary or sage. Place it in any room where you tend to do a lot of healing work, or where you could use some peace and love. Peppermint is also used in dream magic, so growing it in the bedroom may bring on vivid or lucid dreams.

Orchid. Orchids are used in magic for love and lust. Historically, orchid has been used in folk medicine to promote male virility and “Jezebel root,” used in American folk magic to attract wealthy male lovers, is a type of orchid root. If you live with a significant other, try growing an orchid in the bedroom to promote passion in your sex life. Otherwise, grow orchids in your home to promote love or to attract romance.

Catnip. If you have cats, they’ll love this one. Catnip is actually a type of mint, and has strong lunar associations. It’s said to make one more charming and attractive, and is especially useful for attracting women. At the same time, catnip promotes courage and fierceness. It is also, of course, associated with cats and feline deities, so this is definitely a plant you’ll want to keep around if the cat is one of your animal guides.

If you have a yard space that you can turn into an outdoor garden, your magical plant options are limited only by your local ecosystem. Some outdoor plants that have magical uses include roses, sunflowers, rue, lemon balm, and strawberries.

Creating an Altar

Altars are focal points of magical and spiritual energy. Many people, both witches and non-witches, find that having a designated space for their spiritual practice creates a deeper sense of sacredness and purpose.

An altar can serve lots of different purposes. Many witches use their altar as a magical work space to prepare spells, meditate, and do divination. You may choose to dedicate your altar to a deity, your ancestors, or some other spirit(s) you work with. You can also build altars for specific intentions, such as a money altar or a love altar — performing rituals at this altar everyday is a powerful method for manifestation. You altar may be some or all of these things, or it may just be a place to sit and connect with the spiritual.

You can set up an altar on any flat surface, like a shelf or table, or inside a container like a jewelry box. Your setup can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. An altar can be huge and complex, with statues and candles and flowers, or it can be as simple as a tealight and an incense burner. It’s all about what appeals to you.

Resources:

New World Witchery pocast, “Episode 143 — The Magical Home”

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

“Candle colors and their meanings” by Michelle Gruben on the Grove and Grotto blog

Green Witchcraft by Paige Vanderbeck

A Green Witch’s Cupboard by Deborah J. Martin

“The Magic of Orchids in Wiccan Love Spells & Rituals” on the Art of the Root blog

[samwisewitchy]

as a nonbinary Wiccan I’ve had a hard time reconciling the God/Goddess binary with my own theories and ideas of gender and I literally just had an epiphany that, as the God and Goddess are just two sides to the same divinity, they can be, and essentially are, genderless entities that simply embody the masculine and feminine energies of the universe -- energies which inherently have no gender (as there are masculine women and feminine men and nonbinary people who embody either or both etc. etc. ad infinitum.) when I picture the God, I do not see A Man, I imagine sunshine and warmth and energy and strength and power and nature -- I feel the natural masculine energies of the world and draw strength from that. the God/Goddess dichotomy is essentially a binary I suppose, but that doesn’t mean behave to ascribe western cishet ideas to them!

[hyacinth-halcyon-blog]

Magical Uses for Creosote Bush

So there seems to be an interest in desert witchcraft as of late but there isn’t a lot of information on desert plants in magic aside from cacti, so I’m going to try and rectify that a bit. I live in the Mojave Desert so my knowledge is limited to plants that grow naturally in it and really only in my region of it so I highly recommend anyone else in other deserts to please add on to this information with their own flora. (Also, I am NOT an herbalist so I won’t speak about the herbal medicinal uses of these plants even if such info exists out there because I cannot verify it.)

Okay, so, creosote bush, it’s awesome because it’s everywhere out here. It’s one of the most easily recognizable plants in the are and it’s really common. It has these small yellow flowers and a very distinct scent. It also gets these fuzzy white seed pods on it as shown in the photo below.

So, my correspondences for creosote bush are:

Endurance and/or perseverance and promoting energy: This plant thrives in arid locations and almost seems to prefer less rain. It survives by out-competing other plants and can tolerate a lot of stress. If you’re running low on spoons due to a stressful environment, creosote is a great plant to use for spells.

Grounding: Creosote has a really nice earthy scent so it’s good for grounding and centering.

Cleansing: Out here after it rains, the smell of petrichor is almost covered up by the aroma of creosote. Therefore, i strongly associate it with rain and cleansing. I also associate it with renewal which goes with endurance and energy promotion above.

Aside from the bush, the seeds are useful because of their little hairs. They can easily get caught on things and cling for a bit before dropping off somewhere to seed. So if I need something to stick or last for a while, I like to use the seeds for spells with a more positive intent to them as they don’t hurt, they’re just clingy.

(pictures aren’t mine. I found them here and here.)

[desertwitchcraft]

love these correspondences c:

[thedogandthewitch-deactivated20]

5 Native Desert Plants & Their Witchcraft Correspondences 🌵🌸

• Chuparosa (Justicia californica)

- Native to Arizona but found in Southern California, New Mexico, and northern areas of Mexico.

- Flowers & petals are edible raw or cooked, dried or fresh.

- Similar to hibiscus, makes wonderful summer teas.

- Hummingbirds adore the flowers and the nectar is chewable like a gum.

- Great in tinctures, scrubs, and teas.

Correspondence: Air, Beauty, Love, Positive Energy, New Beginnings, Boosting Self Esteem, Romance, Sexual Energy.

• Brittle Bush (Encelia farinosa) 

-Native to Arizona but found in New Mexico, Southern Califonia, Texas, and parts of Mexico.

- Not to be confused with the desert wildflower, desert marigolds, which unlike the brittle bush, does not have a orange button center and is poisonous to some herd animals like sheep.

- Stems, flowers, and leaves are edible. Dried, fresh, cooked, raw.

- The dried flowers make a soothing tea for stomach pains.

- Dried brittle bush leaves can also be brewed to make a medicinal tea. It’s great for mouth sores or those tight chest coughs. It taste slightly bitter and has a numbing effect.

- Local folklore says the leaf tea is great for arthritis flare-ups in the cold months.

- Don’t drink this tea before bed though as it can have caffeine-like effect in some people.

- Flower resins and nectar from this plant are chewable and chewed by locals like a candy or gum.

- Great in tinctures, decoctions, infusions, salves, scrubs, masks, and teas.

Correspondences: Earth, Sun, Healing, Cleansing, Banishes away sickness, Good Luck, and Protection, Friendship, Empathy.

• Desert Lavender a.k.a. Bee Sage (Hyptis emoryi)

- Native to Arizona but found in Southern Califonia, New Mexico, and Mexico.

- This is the supernatural plant, the bee’s knee here. Native American tribes like Akimel O’Odham, who’s beautiful people made what is now called Phoenix, AZ their home, saw this as a pure and holy plant that cleanse all evils away from the one’s spirit.

- Everything on this plant is useable. Leaves, flowers, stems, branches, roots. Can be dried, brewed, cooked, or eaten raw.

-Great in tinctures, decoctions, infusions, salves, scrubs, masks, and teas.

-In some Native Amercan practises it’s used to make smudge wands, but to those who are not native and wish to use it they may dry and use a smoke cleansing ritual instead.

- Traditionally used by Native Americans to cleanse the body of diseases and stop internal bleeding or heavy menstruation.

Correspondences: Spirits, Earth, Purity, Cleansing, Healing, Protection, Banishing, Warding, Psychic energies & abilities.

• Ephedra a.k.a. Mormon Tea Plant (Ephedra fasciculata) 

- Found growing wild or in landscaping areas in Arizona, Califonia, New Mexico, some areas of Texas, and northern Mexico.

- Historically used as an alternative to coffee

- The plant’s twigs are edible when brewed into a tea, tasty and mildly stimulating.

- Contains small amounts of ephedrine so great for hay fever, hacking coughs, or as a sinus decongestant.

- Like local honey, drinking teas with this plant is said to help aid allergy sufferers in the springtime blooms.

- Great in tinctures and teas.

Correspondences: Air, Earth, Healing, Protection, Cleansing, Positive Energy, Energy Boosting, Purity, Friendship, Happiness, Alertness, Focusing (Studying).

• Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans)

- Found often in landscaping because of it’s hardiness to the arid climates, can be seen wild though in Arizona, New Mexico, Southern Califonia, and Southern Texas.

- The leaves, flowers, and twigs can be brewed into powerful teas aiding digestion and gastrointestinal issues

- great for hangovers (drink a small cup of tea in the morning, trust me.)

- Contain anti-viral properties so it’s super awesome to combat sickness.

- Great in tinctures, decoctions, and teas.

Correspondences: Earth, Resilience, Strength, Healing, Banishment, Cleansing, Cursing, Retaliation, Dominance.

*note that this is all based on my own craft and years of herbal experience