Of hearth and bone

Graveyard Witch | Hearth worker | Chthonic devotee | Tarot reader

[stygiantarot]

NOLA Lenormand with diverse photography and pronoun cards?? I would love to see this deck get more support! I love the creative decisions on replacements that are more true to the atmosphere of New Orleans.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/479711327/new-orleans-lenormand

@winebrightruby Don’t know if you’ve seen this but I thought of you 😉💜

(Note: I don’t know this deck creator at all, just wanted to boost a project that struck me on a personal level.)

[stygiantarot]

Full Moon Bath Sachet

Supplies:

Coffee filter, square of cheesecloth or plain cotton cloth or small plain natural fiber bag

Non-toxic pants/markers/dye

Bath safe herbs, flowers, crystals (calendula, rosemary, citrus peels, dandelion, oatmeal, mint, lavender, rose, violet, thyme, etc.)

String, ribbon, yarn or twine to tie off the bag

A cup or bottle of water (the kind safe to drink)

I wrote this for my daughter and some other kiddos that will be celebrating the full moon tomorrow night. It is made to be friendly to younger persons but is something any age can do!

Tonight you are going to be creating a full moon bath sachet and charging moon water with your cohorts!

Set out your supplies before the moon peeks out. Take your filter/bag/cloth and decorate it. Have your cohorts use the non-toxic the markers and paints. Choose symbols and colors that are meaningful to what you need to gather to you from this moon. You might want to sketch out some simple examples on a sheet of paper to inspire the younger persons. Do you need more prosperity? More health? More love? Focus on those things as you decorate your bag. Let it dry if needed before adding the sachet fillings.

Choose herbs and flowers that strike your fancy (if you are more experienced/older you can go for ones that match the attributes you need but let the young ones go based on their love of certain colors, or scents, or shapes!). When you selected the herbs and flowers to put out, it helps to remember if it’s safe to eat or season food with, it’s likely safe for a bath. You may add a water safe crystal or two if you like. I like to add a spoonful of oatmeal to soothe the skin and bind the magic. Tie your bag shut, and help your cohorts if needed with tying theirs.

Offer it to the moon to be charged with her light and power that the fullness brings. Include a cup or bottle of water to also add to the future bath. This is also a good time to have refreshment (moon cookies!) in celebration of the moon! You may leave the items to out to charge in her beams as long as you feel necessary- up to the whole night! Make sure it is safe from any critters though if it’s outside since some of the plant matter inside might be intriguing.

Soak it in a special bath, explaining to your cohorts how the full has given power and purpose to the sachet just for them. Have them pour the moon water in, perhaps encouraging them to swirl their finger or hand clockwise in the water. Ask them about any scents or color bleeding they might notice from the sachet in the water. How do they feel? How do you feel?

I would dispose of most of the sachet after the bath, but you may keep the crystals! Perhaps your cohorts might like to have them in their room? In an age appropriate spot of course (up high if they’re not ready for small delicate objects).

Enjoy!

[stygiantarot]

So I was wondering if a spirit you meet randomly (at a graveyard, out wondering etc) could become a guide? Or if it ends up in your life would it just be a companion? For the record I don’t have plans to invite a spirit into my life but if I did I’m not a baby witch I just don’t work with spirits.

A valid wondering! I think both are absolutely possible; a companion (more of a personal, day-to-day friendship with a spirit) or a guide (a spirit that has a specific wisdom to impart on you in your life journey).

Keep in mind both of these types do require consent on both parties sides so it isn’t something to worry about accidentally happening- if a spirit follows you around without your permission you absolutely should banish it. But it is possible to establish that consent with a spirit you happen upon rather than one you seek out.

I will say I would find it more unusual for a guide; only because in my experience with guides it’s never been a truly random occurrence that we happen upon each other. The guide has something they want to offer so they were seeking me or waiting for me to search for them. But it could appear random at first!

If it’s something you’d like to explore feel free! Just make sure to have protective actions under your belt!

[stygiantarot]

Classes Masterpost

Witchcraft Basics & Safety 101

Autumn Kitchen Witchcraft

Tactile Witchcraft

Everyday Witchcraft

Modern Divination Methods

Unusual Divination Methods

Spirt Work 101

Simple Death Witchcraft

Witch Bottles

Graveyards in Witchcraft Part 1

Graveyards in Witchcraft Part 2

[stygiantarot]

Kitchen Witchcraft Masterpost

Recipes:

Autumn Pumpkin seeds

Turmeric associations

Sweeten to You Snickerdoodles

Baked Apple offerings

Soothing Shortbread Cookies

Love Thyself Brownies

Cast Iron Blessing Bread

Kore Bites

Kitchen Witch Tips/Techniques:

Autumn Kitchen Witchcraft

Witch Tip: Appliances

Witch Tip: Full Moon Charging

Witch Tip: Feeding others magic

Witch Tip: Sigils in baking

Witch Tip: Oils

[stygiantarot]

Baking Bread Spread

The Knead: What you must surrender in order to develop your next harvest/goal

The Dough: The central goal/idea of your next harvest

The Oven: What you need to perfect your next harvest/goal

(Note: this was created for my Lammas/Lughnasadh ritual but I wanted to have a separate post for it for easy cataloguing)

[stygiantarot]

Autumn Kitchen Witchcraft

(Originally taught on The Alexandria Archives 10/26/2019) Witchcraft in the kitchen is the art of combining a food or drink process and magical intention and correspondences. Whether it be by stirring, cutting, heating, kneading, or even chilling! Anything you make can be imbued with intention by deliberate actions or the combination of flavors you add. Correspondences doesn’t have to mean a specific ingredient; it just needs to be a specific association.

Ways of doing this:

spices, herbs: adding ones that have specific correspondences to what your intention is

stirring energy in or out: drawing and banishing with your own motions and personal energy

kneading energy into dough

cutting or brushing on sigils

letting an element do the energy work: the heat of a stove top or oven, the chilling of a fridge or freezer, the brewing of a kettle or crockpot

When it comes to Autumn it’s about the celebration of harvest and the warmth you bring into the house in dishes rather than outside temperature. There are a lot of ways to do this and many intentions can be focused on: health, prosperity, creativity, luck, love, etc.

The best way to incorporate the energies of Autumn is to think about what the season means to you in the kitchen. Is it about the rich warmth of stews and soups? The umami flavors of root vegetables? The scent of spices like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cardamom? The texture of caramelized apples, onions, or squash? Is it about certain drinks like cider or mulled wine?

And even if you don’t have memories of specific Autumn associations or you live in an area that doesn’t have a classic sort of change into a fall season; build your own! What helps you sort of wind down for the day? What gives you comfort and peace? That is the sort of food you should be focusing on. Much like spring and summer are about light, energizing and crisp foods; fall and winter are about those richer, unctuous and warming flavors. Foods that you want to curl up with and be lazy; enjoy at a slow pace while Netflix babbles in the background. Pair with a movie marathon and the company of a loved one or pet.

Easy Autumn kitchen witchcraft:

Carving a pumpkin and roasting the seeds (toss with salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic or paprika powder and a touch of Worcestershire sauce)

Mulling cider or wine (use a coffee filter for the mulling spices for easy cleanup!)

Crockpot stews and soups

Spiced cookies like molasses or gingersnaps

Herbed (or pumpkin or apple!) butter with a simple loaf of homemade bread

Roasted fall veggies like potatoes, squash, pumpkin, onions, eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts

When it comes to more elaborately planned Autumn kitchen witchcraft, you might plan a special multi-course meal on a specific day where you have extra time to spend in the kitchen. It doesn’t have to be Master Chef level- even just a simple starter of homemade bread with a spread and pasta with homemade sauce (or “jazzed up” jarred sauce- no shame!) and cupcakes for dessert counts!

Don’t discount the chemical changes! Think about the intention you are going for and what would be the best method to achieve that, element-wise. I wouldn’t make a frozen dessert to bring luck or wealth into your life- you’re more likely to freeze it in its tracks! But if you’re looking to freeze an illness or soothe grief or a heartbreak- a chilly dessert is just the thing. I wouldn’t use a stew or soup for banishing or cleansing; those flavors have to meld and heat low and slow and draw everything together. Think about the action of the dish and the action of your intention and plan accordingly!

Let’s not discount the emotional feel of a dish either. Food is love; food is memory; food is home; food is the soul and heart and head all wrapped up. It can be a complicated relationship for sure. But it can also be a rewarding one if you approach it from the direction you most need.Feel free to start with teas that have a more Autumn flavor. Build into simple raw snacks like apples, pears, salads, nuts, seeds. Feel how the season gives light and love to your body as it fuels it. You don’t need to create a decadent high calorie meal in order to reap the feelings of fall.

Autumn is also a great time to try out some fermentation sided witchcraft. The life cycle of nature is winding down- mushrooms are rampant in forests, fallen trees soften and feed the ground. You could begin a bread starter, a mead or beer, or make some pickles! Or of course; there’s always fire cider! ( https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/fire-cider ). Preparing to avoid illness and discomfort during the colder months is an inherent part of the shift in kitchen witchcraft as well.

Don’t push yourself too much; often cooler temps and less sunlight makes the desire to spend a lot of time in the kitchen mixed at best. That’s okay. It isn’t a competition or a race. A simple cup of tea or even a glass of water can be set in the windowsill for a moment to charge with the fall energy before drinking. Still counts! A piece of toast or a bowl of cereal can have honey swirled onto it with intent (think about making an infused honey with spices or herbs!). Still counts. As I say; you are the Witch, you are the Power, you are the Magic.

The rest is just the plating presentation of what’s already a fantastic meal.

(Fall fruits and vegetables list: https://www.thespruceeats.com/fall-fruits-and-vegetables-2217704)

[stygiantarot]

could i ask for some tips for shielding from spirits? thankyou, i love your page!!! 💞

Aw, thank you kindly! Sure thing! I don’t do a lot of energy visualizing style shielding because my brain isn’t good at visualizing. I mostly use some sort of physical aspect to boost the energy work and power. Now, that’s not to say you need a lot of special or obvious supplies to do all of these. Some are still subtle and simple enough to work in a pinch. Here are some posts I’ve done on the various ways I shield and protect myself from spirits: -Web of Protection (I use this both for location based; a jar left at my home, or person based; a smaller bottle on a necklace or keychain) -Styx powder -Sword and Shield jewelry (there is some visualizing described in this; admittedly I did it by drawing my intentions on paper or building with physical items like blocks. But do however you’re comfortable!) -A Lesson I taught on shielding, warding, and safety. It goes into some of the basic of constructing a personal shield with visualizing and having an anchor that can be tailored to your personal needs and comfort!

Hopefully one of these works for you! May fair winds guide you!

[stygiantarot]

Do you still do trick or treat ask? I mean everyday can be Halloween can it not?

Lol. I do love to treat every day as Halloween! Sadly I don’t have the time or mental energy to do trick or treat asks outside the month of October. I’m sorry!

You might search my trick or treat tag for inspiration until October rolls around. I do encourage you to ask again then! I do like to make them as applicable and personal to the person who asks by browsing their blog and such (when it isn’t asked on anon) to see what kind of witchcraft appeals to them 😊

(Note: apologies for how long this ask sat. Somehow it accidentally went into my drafts instead of being posted the other week. Oops.)

[stygiantarot]

hello! i just stumbled on your blog and i love it. can you recommend me some of your favorite blogs to follow that are somewhat similar to yours?

Hi there! Sorry for the delay, I’m always an ebb and flow Tumblr checker.

I always get so flustered when I get this question because I don’t really do the Tumble enough to know other witchy blogs in great detail 😭 I just have mostly friend’s blogs in my following queue and I don’t want to play favorites or come across as biased.

Can I ask my followers, if y’all would be so kind? What other blogs have you stumbled across that seem to have similar focus as mine? Or even if it’s your own blog! I’d love to check them out and compile a list!

[stygiantarot]

hi! I've been looking into spirit work recently and im wondering if you happen to have any book recommendations? I would really appreciate it if you do! have a lovely day/night

Hi there! It’s so exciting to start a new path and interest! Congrats! Spirit work can definitely be a deeply rewarding one.

I’m afraid I won’t have the type of comprehensive spirit work reading list you’re hoping for. The problem with most books specifically focused on the topic of spirits is they don’t come from an unbiased or universal background.

They’re either related to a specific cultural path or they’re published by the “white light” types of dubious mediums who talk about angels and being a medium in a trope-y Hollywood way. That’s not to say that working with angels is inherently a problem. I just have a deep dislike of the TV and book personalities of mediums who take advantage of grief stricken or elderly in order to make a buck.

The ones I do like are mostly related to Traditional Witchcraft which require their own set of “take with a grain of salt” mentality. My shelf includes stuff by Emma Wilby or Gemma Gary that explore entity contacts related to The Good Folk (Fae) and the Devil. I don’t personally work with either of those entities, but I find Wilby’s and Gary’s books have a good foundation on folk based spirit practices to build upon. Most of what I practice was learned from family and mentors. I have dreams of publishing a death witchcraft book one day; that’ll include a spirit work section. But sadly not yet.

Honestly your best bet with spirit work is your own foundations of protection, discernment, and divination. Those are the three biggest aspects I use in my spirit work. If you focus on strengthening those abilities, competent spirit work will follow!

[stygiantarot]

Do you have any tarot spreads for communication with spirits?

I do! Thanks for the push to get it out of my personal grimoire and make a graphic of it. Here you are!

The Thinning Veil Spread

👻The Ghost: a snapshot of the entity you’re dealing with. Their personality, identity, focus, etc.

🌫 The Veil: The ethereal fog that floats about and allows this connection. Their desires; what they want to communicate to you or have you help with.

🌲The Tree: rooted in reality, this is the ghost’s needs, as well as any secrets or hidden motivations it could be hiding. What needs to happen in this exchange versus what is desired. It could match with the previous card, but often it doesn’t. It is a good way to check whether a spirit is malicious or benign.

🌬The Wind: whispering all around us, through the trees and the fog, the Wind helps show the path forward. What should your relationship with this entity be beyond this reading? What is the focus of this connection? How can you work together in the future?

My Lighted Path spread is also made for communication with spirits- though more in a guiding you way than a “what’s up with Casper?” way. Hopefully one of these helps!

[stygiantarot]

Hello! Im a Hellenic Witch who recently began working with Hades! I was wondering if you had any tips on how to build kharis with him? I've got expierience with cthonic deities, (Hecate and Nyx) And i figured youd be a good person to ask

I’m honored! I worship him mostly in tandem with Persephone, so many of my devotional acts and prayers are to both of them.

You might start with this list here I created of Chthonic devotionals I do for my household Theoi.

There is the basic daily prayers and offerings (even simple ones like water, oil, or bread counts!) to build Kharis. I also recommend writing your own prayers! They don’t have to be traditional or rhyme or anything. It just has more impact when you research which epithets to use and couple them with your own words of worship.

My go-to devotional acts for Hades are sometimes more obvious actions: cemetery tending and visiting, deathwork education and research, building my own comfort with the process of death. Sometimes I go a little more towards his other epithets and associations- a lot of my business and finance stuff is tied to him.

Part of building a successful long-term worship is making it your own. I’m sure you’re going to do well!

[stygiantarot]

I love your blog and your posts and I was wondering can you make a masterpost or a collection of death witchcraft related posts you've done? Thank you! It's alright if you don't want to

Thank you so much! I did do a Masterpost for my death witchcraft posts a little after the divination one! I hope you enjoy perusing it ☺️

[thealexandriarchives]

The Alexandria Archives is a friendly community of magic practitioners whose goal is to learn and to educate! We welcome anyone and everyone to join, regardless of experience level! We offer several opportunities for our members to be involved in the community with prompts, classes, events, and rituals. Members can participate in, as well as teach and host, events and classes. We have a variety of channels, including some that are role-locked for Intermediate/Advanced Practitioners and Practitioners of Colour.

Our regular events include:

📚 holiday and seasonal rituals 📚 cosmic rituals for the sun, full moon, and new moon 📚 classes taught by our intermediate and advanced members 📚 a monthly beginner’s roundtable discussion 📚 a monthly psychic’s parlour where anyone can practice divination 📚 pop-up prompts for creativity and sharing/building your practice

We are doing a special challenge this month inspired by Marie Kondo! 

Each week will focus on a different aspect of our witchy lives which will help us declutter and refocus in those areas. We have prizes for those who participate each week and a grand prize if anyone completes all challenges!

We also have some exciting classes and workshops this month for Spirit Work, Tarot spreads, and writing spells! As well as some pop-up prompts to help get our creative juices flowing again! 

This server is 18+, LGBTQ+ inclusive, and accepting of all religions and backgrounds. Bigotry in any form is not tolerated.

Come join us at https://discord.gg/DJ8nm2J !

[stygiantarot]

If you’re looking for some gentle community during this chaotic time, we’d love to have you in The Alexandria Archives!

[thestrawberrynight]

Guess what?

Witches all over Eastern Europe are going to have a really, really, really big sabbath party on the night of July 6-7! All of our mystical colleagues from other parts of the world are invited so prepare long white shirts, flower wreaths and brooms - we’re celebrating Ivanа-Kupala!

but first, let’s find out what kind of celebration it is and why it is so cool so get ready for a little historical tour

Ivanа-Kupala is a traditional eastern Slavic holiday, which is celebrated in Ukraine, Poland, Belarus and Russia during the night from 6 to 7 July (on the Gregorian calendar). (This corresponds to 23-24 June on these countries’ traditional Julian calendar.) The celebration relates to the summer solstice when nights are the shortest and includes a lot (you even can’t imagine how much) of rituals and beliefs 

the name of the holiday was originally Kupala; a pagan fertility rite later adapted into the Orthodox Christian calendar by connecting it with St. John’s Day.

the Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian name of this holiday combines “Ivan” (John, in this case John the Baptist) and Kupala which was thought to be derived from the Slavic word for bathing, which is cognate. However, it likely stems from the proto-Slavic kump, a gathering. The two feasts could be connected by reinterpreting John’s baptizing people through full immersion in water. However, the tradition of Kupala predates Christianity. The pagan celebration was adapted and reestablished as one of the native Christian traditions intertwined with local folklore

I know, it was a rather boring story, but how can we celebrate something without knowing the background, right? Now we get to the fun part

at this time, all the plants are gaining magical and healing properties so the first thing we need to do at this day is to wake up early in the morning, go on the meadow being absolutely naked and gather different plants and herbs. There is a legend that on a day in Ivan Kupala you can heal with dew, so in the morning you need to walk barefoot on the grass (if the gathering herbs in the early morning being naked is too much for you) 

it is believed that people shouldn’t sleep on the night of Ivan Kupala, because at this time not only nature comes to life, but also all spirits become especially active - werewolves, mermaids, watermen, foresters so you can see that witches and sorcerers have a really good company today, we’re all celebrating!

However, it is necessary to swim in open water. On this night, water acquires healing properties, helps to cleanse the body and soul from bad thoughts and evil.

in the evening the main entertainments come and special attention is drawn to divination. A lot of girls want to find out more about their “love life” but witches are not interested in it (are we?) although I think I must tell briefly about it

the girls throw their wreaths into the water in order to find the love of their life, and the boys have to get them. The wreath is a symbol of happiness and marriage.

if the wreath sinks right away - the beloved has fallen out of love, and the wedding will not take place, the wreath comes to the shore - girl will be unmarried this year. Whoever has the longest wreath will be happy, and whoever burns the candle longer will live a long, long life.

there are also divinations on a candle: break it into small pieces and put in a metal spoon. The spoon is heated until the pieces turn into melted wax, and then abruptly pour it into water and divination on the figure. Or, without spying, the girls plucked a bouquet of flowers, which was then placed under a pillow. If in the morning it turns out that at least twelve different herbs have been plucked, then the girl has a great chance to get married this year.

the main core around which the action takes place is the Kupala fire. Before lighting a fire, four men with torches become a square around the bush, denoting the four suns (four seasons). Then everyone gathers in the bushes and lights a fire, symbolizing the “solar plexus”. It should burn all night. Around him, young people play games, sing songs, lead round dances. But the main thing is jumping over the fire.

there are signs related to this: if a young man jumps the highest - his family will have a good harvest, he will jump into the flames - wait for trouble. When a young man and a girl successfully jump over the fire, they will definitely get married and live in harmony all their lives.

the most important thing to do tonight is to find a fern flower. Whoever finds it will know everything in the world, will get all the treasures without difficulty, will have the highest harvest, will not be afraid of evil forces, will have the miraculous power to do everything with the hand that plucked the flower of happiness.

but the Flower of Happiness is awaited not only by people, but also by evil forces, which are difficult to fight for the person who finds it (so, yes, in the night all of the witches are going to find it as well) They try to stop, to divert the attention of a young person who finds this flower - the old person, as a rule, is not lucky to find it. And if the young is lucky enough to find a flower of happiness, she/he has to cut the skin of the little finger on left hand and put that flower under the skin. Then a person must take a wormwood or a tatarzilla in his left hand and circle it with chalk - only then the evil forces will not be able to do anything to the lucky one.

so, witches and sorcerers, werewolves, vampires  and mermaids, watermen and foresters and many others, let’s celebrate the Ivana Kupala together, so fly, swim, run to Ukrane and Eastern Europe, we are waiting for you all here!

[stygiantarot]

My heart, my goodness. This popped up in my feed after I answered the anon ask about Russia a bit ago.

I remember walking in the early morning grass with my grandmother to “be blessed by the dew” in early July during my childhood. I believe we also picked flowers and herbs but that part isn’t as sharp in my memory. And the melted wax in water divination was something she practiced on occasion and I never realized it’s ties to this holiday! My heart feels full today.

My toddler has just become comfortable with walking barefoot in the grass within the past couple days. I know why now.

[stygiantarot]

Hey, I've been wondering about this for a little while. Ever since I was 3 I've had this deep love of the Russian culture. Like, it goes beyond interest. It feels like Russia is a part of me. I'm wondering if that has any significance?

Hi there! I must first admit I’m a little bewildered by this ask being that my blog doesn’t have to do with Russian related culture and history.

My best guess is it might because of this post- which was a story my grandmother loved to tell me when I was younger. She was Polish and there’s a bit of overlap in the myths and legends of Slavic origin. I don’t really share a lot of that side of my hereditary tradition on here because it’s personal and not something I feel called to share- unlike my Chthonic based deathwork and the more secular kitchen witchcraft I do.

However, I’ll do my best to answer this thoughtfully since you took the time to share this curiosity with me.

I’m not sure if you’re trying to see if you’re being drawn to Russia for ancestry reasons or other more metawork type reasons (i.e. past lives or worship desires). If it’s the former, I recommend doing some genealogy research to see if that might be why you’re feeling a tug in that direction. The internet has done a nice job of making genealogy research more accessible at a personal level in the comfort of your own home!

If it’s the second reason, you might do some divination coupled with research into Russian history and culture (mainly Eastern Orthodox these days), or Slavic folk traditions and history (like Rodnovery) and see what resonates with you.

This is a tricky question to answer as a stranger on the internet. It’s so deeply personal that the best I can do is offer these options for you to explore further and answer for yourself. I do hope you are able to sort it out- it does sound like something important to you!

May fair winds guide you!