[celestial-cartography]

Schema of lunar eclipse, from Kitab al-Tafhim li awa'il sina'at al-tanjim (1019) by Abū Rayḥān Al-Bīrūnī 

[folkmagick]

Omens of Coming Visitors

From Folk-Lore of the Pennsylvania Germans [1889]:

The following signs are believed to foretell the coming of visitors:–

If any one drop a fork at the table the visitor will be a man; if a knife, it signifies a woman (Fayette County).

If a cock crows some one is coming; if two hens get to fighting the visitors will be women (Eastern Pennsylvania).

If any one helps himself to food of which he still has some remaining upon his plate the visitor will be hungry.

When the cat washes her face it signifies that visitors are coming. This is also a sign of clearing weather.

[starrywisdomsect]

Various pages and illustrations from a 1905 Spanish edition of the Book of Saint Cyprian.

[artpropelled]

Pewter Talisman (by Dave Caplan)

[lailoken]

A Charm Bag for Protection from Curses, Evill Spirits, and Ill Luck

Witch Power Recipe (x)

Traditional Witchcraft:

A Cornish Book of Ways

—by Gemma Gary

[electripipedream]

Betye Saar, 1972

[dianasson]

Lemon and Pins Curse

“A number of spells made use of the transformative power of the moment of the elevation of the host during Mass. A Sicilian spell to make an enemy fall ill involves taking a lemon or an orange to midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, removing a bit of peel, and piercing it with pins while reciting ‘Tanti spilli infiggo in quest'arancia [or questo limone], tanti mali ti calino addosso'  (‘As many pins as I stick in this orange [or lemon], may as many ills befall you’). The fruit is then thrown into a well or cistern.”

– From Witchcraft, Healing, and Vernacular Magic in Italy by Sabina Magliocco

[jbirdoftheriverlands-deactivate]

Warding and Protection During Spirit Flight

      This Post is for and dedicated to @ivycrownedwitch, who generously commissioned me for research by way of donation to the CvltSqvad Fundraiser, to gather together spells or talismans on warding, and protection during spirit flight. NGL, This was a bit of a tricky ask, and I honestly wasn’t sure where to start to find historical examples 😅 However, the search was not entirely fruitless at least from an operative witchcraft angle, and I found a few solid examples, and enough related information that anyone interested should be able to build out a warding method from a variety of materials for a variety of use cases. 

In The Viridarium Umbris,  Daniel Schulke  lists a variety of plants that could be allied to suit the purpose with a little ingenuity:

        Of further interest to the topic of protection while outside the body, are these sections of Roger J Hornes Folk Witchcraft: A Guide To Lore, Land, and the Familiar Spirit for the Solitary Practitioner::

      “Mallow is often prepared as an unguent and applied to the body in order to protect against harm and cushion the wearer from metaphorical “barbs” he or she may experience.”

       “[…] Simple talisman is made of rowan berries, pierced and dried, then strung on a red thread. Over it, the following charm is spoken to awaken its protective qualities:  

                        Rowan Berry and red thread,

                       Bring all evil to its sped.” 

     “[..] charm of defense and blessing was used against “elf-shot” a kind of attack from the spirit world that could be performed by faeries or by witches during spirit-flight. 

                       I charge thee against arrowshot,

                      against doorshot, against wombshot,

                      against eyeshot, against tongueshot,

                      against livershot, against lungshot,

                      against heartshot, all the most.

                      In our Lady’s name, I pray it.”  

      In Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways, Author Gemma Gary Provides the following: This recipe, apparently intended to be employed as a sprinkling powder: 

“To raise a protective boundary in preparation for potentially dangerous, harmful, or unfamiliar situations and in cases of suspected ill-wishing:

Clove Oil - 5 drops

Dragons Blood - 2 tsp

Fern - 3 tsp

Frankincense - 1 tsp

Holly - 1 tsp

Horehound - 1 tsp

Juniper - 1 tsp

Mint oil - 3 tsp

Mullein - 1 ½ tsp,

Pine needles - 1 tsp,

Alum 1 - 1 ½ tsp

As well as the following charm: 

“An old iron key, tied to a red cord that passes through a hag stone, is another charm that employs the holed stone to bestow otherworldy protection upon the home and all who dwell within it, whilst also making use of the potent protective qualities of iron”

In The Black Toad, The same author provides these examples of protective warding talismans, which could likely be put to good use for the purpose*:

The following paper talisman found in the Black Toad is an interesting example of talismanic magic, and several variations of this seal exist, a version also appears in Reginald Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft:

       Within The Galdabrok, (Flowers translation) are found a number of talismans for similar ends, which could also be leveraged specifically for the purpose of astral travel:

                          The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells By  Judika Isles is likely my least favorite texts to source, but does list the following: 

“ROLOR Square 

This magic square allegedly enables you to fly like a crow. Write the following onto parchment, preferably using Raven’s Feather Ink [Typo?] 

R O L O R

O B U F O

L U A U L

O F U B O

R O L O R

Pin this paper to your chest. Close your eyes, relax, and see whether you fly.” 

The same text recommends an incense for spirit flight,  originally authored by  Dion Fortune:

“Benzoin Dittany of Crete Sandalwood Vanilla bean Grind all the dried ingredients into a fine powder, burn on lit charcoal [..]”

As well as another incense, composed of Mugwort and Dittany of Crete, also employed as a powder, and recommends petition of the Goddess Artemis:

“Dittany of Crete and Mugwort, two herbs closely associated with Artemis, offer assistance with accomplishing astral projection, and protection during the journey.”

Burn the Herbs as incense to accompany your journey

fill a pillow with the combined herbs

Simultaneously appeal to Artemis for assistance with your goal”

And recommends maintaining Air Potatoes (Dioscorea bulbifera) on your property to prevent uninvited witches from reaching your home through spirit flight.

Again, thanks to @ivycrownedwitch​ for commissioning me for research by way of donation to the Cvltsqvad Fundraiser for Sloth!

If you would like me to dig up some spells in a similar vein from these and similar texts, please read the pinned post on my blog and make a donation to our fundraiser! 

[irisharchaeology]

Protecting animals from the evil eye’, from Ballinaboola, Co Wexford in 1938 (from O Muirithe D & Nuttal, D (1999) Foklore of County Wexford, Four Courts Press, Dublin, p. 131)

[geopsych]

It is as if the veil of the ordinary is drawn aside and a mythic world that exists only for our eyes, pristine and untouched, still dripping with the dew of creation, is vouchsafed to us. There is such intimacy in this revelation, such incomparable largesse in the gift, such breath-taking unexpectedness, we cannot help but to surrender to it. Thereafter we will become as infatuated, at some level of function, as a mystic, holding the world as a beloved in our hearts despite the undiminished perils, griefs and trials it presents to us in our everyday transactions.

Freya Mathews, On Desiring Nature. I’ve had these moments. (via haremask)

[starrywisdomsect]

This Icelandic manuscript of magic, known as the “Huld” manuscript, presumably derives its name from the word “hulda” meaning secrecy, and was compiled from three older sources by Geir Vigfússon in 1860. These ten selected pages from the manuscript feature “stafir,” or what we might call sigils today.

For the description and purpose of each sigil, click “keep reading.”

Keep reading

[somnium13-deactivated20191213]

Penelope by Leonora Carrington, staged by Alejandro Jodorowsky

[chaosophia218]

Maurice Garçon - Witch Riding a Goat, “La Vie Exécrable de Guillemette Babin Sorciere”, 1926.

[sorcerette]

This is the divination infographic that I recently illustrated for my Editorial Illustration class! We were free to choose our own topics, so of course I chose something magic related. I wanna continue making these, so hit me up with some topic suggestions that you’d like to see! Please do not repost elsewhere without credit ♡

[ruegracieuse]

“The folklore among knitters is that everything handmade should have at least one mistake so an evil sprit will not become trapped in the maze of perfect stitches. A missed increase or decrease, a crooked seam, a place where the tension is uneven - the mistake is a crack left open to let in the light. The evil sprit I want to usher out of my knitting and my life is at once a spirit of laziness and of over-achieving. It’s that little voice in my head that says, I won’t even try this because it doesn’t come naturally to me and I won’t be very good at it.”

—

Kyoko Mori, ‘Yarn’

That last phrase especially - “I won’t even try this because it doesn’t come naturally to me and I won’t be very good at it.” It really is like some kind of all-encompassing evil spirit sometimes.

(via blancheparish)

[therainshallmakeadoor-deactivat]

On the signature of fingers

« • Forefinger (Index Finger) — Ruled by Jupiter and the Oak, this finger is held to denote the Holy Ghost or Divine Spirit and accordingly did priests once wear rings on this finger as a sign of their office, likewise is a band worn on this 'wilful' finger said to indicate boldness of spirit.

• Fool's Finger (Middle Finger) —Ruled by Saturn and the Holly, this baleful finger rarely bares a ring, although Graves says when worn on this finger it naturally expresses a hope of resurrection. It is also known as the digitus impudicus after its use as an aggressive sexual insult, its form suggestive of the upright phallus, hence its use as a gesture to avert the evil eye. Intriguingly the Hand of the Mysteries depicts this, the longest finger, with a sun above it, and likewise do images in the Richel Collection show it as variously having a sun symbol, a triangle of dots or a glowing red tip.

• Ring, Leech or Physic Finger — Ruled by Apollo (the Sun) and Hazel, this finger was used in the 15th century to stir, taste and apply medicines, whilst stroked on wounds would speed heal- ingiyo. It is known as 'the ring finger' for it is upon this digit that the solar golden wedding band is popularly worn, sometimes by religious persons to denote 'marriage' to their patron god(s).

• Auricular Finger (Little Finger) — Ruled by the psychopomp Mercury and Apple, this finger is said by Graves to be divinatory and almost necromantic in nature, for when it is used to stopper the ear as an aid to inspiration it gives rise to mysterious whispers within which secrets might be discerned. A ring worn on this finger is said to denote a masterful spirit.

• Thumb — Ruled by Venus and Hawthorn, the Romans and Greeks wore their iron seal-rings upon this finger as a charm to preserve virility; the thumb evoking the phallus and the iron ring denoting the smith-god Vulcan, husband of Venus. In images of the Hand of the Mysteries the thumb is depicted as being crowned, denoting the dominance of the will over the four elements, that is to say the one thumb over the four fingers, as expressed in the saying 'under the thumb'. »

[Martin Duffy, The Devil’s Raiments]

[folkmagick]

TALISMAN AGAINST EVIL SPIRITS AND CURSES

From Pow-Wows; or, Long Lost Friend by John George Hohman, 1820.