#magical ink

[radiohyo]

continuing inktober, a little late

the jester was an obvious choice - there wasn’t a single chance I’d draw anyone else. the dress was pretty straightforward too...

but as for rivalry… only some indirect consequences of palace intrigues can be seen. I thought for a long time about what to weave in here, but in the end I didn’t manage to develop any complex idea

[the-darkest-of-lights]

Magical pine cone ink

The ink is this beautiful brownish red color Magical pinecone ink The recipe is super simple: 1 cup (45 g) pine “scales” 2 cups (475 ml) distilled water 2 teaspoons (8 g) soda ash (or washing soda store-bought) bring the content to a boil then very slow simmer for 2 hours. I ended up with 1/4 cup of dark liquid. The content was strained and voila! In the bottle I added 6 drops of cloves…

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[hexandbalances]

Witch’s Typhonian Ink

Myrrh, powdered or at least well crushed

Fresh chopped wormwood leaves or dried powdered wormwood

Red wine vinegar

Gum Arabic powder (optional)

Cast-iron skillet or pot/cauldron with cover

1. Char the myrrh and wormwood in a covered cast-iron vessel. You can do this quickly over a low gas flame or slowly over a tea candle if it’s a small container. Add red wine vinegar and simmer with the cover off until it is reduced and slightly thickened.

2. Take it off the heat and add a little gum Arabic powder for further thickening if you’ve got it, but remember that magical ink has little in common with mundane ink; it’s not made to be convenient.

3. You can strain the mixture through a steel sieve, but, in fact, the particles will just sink to the bottom anyway.

4. Pour into a red or black jar and store cool and dark until use with a steel nib pen.

From Harold Roth’s the Witching Herbs: 13 Essential Plants and Herbs for Your Magical Garden for use in writing messages to the dead or drawing sigils to keep them away. I disagree with the sentiment that if magical components are inconvenient then oh well. Gum Arabic was part of the original recipe and is useful. Given that Roth’s recipe appears to be significantly paired down or adapted from a recipe found in the PGM (provided below) one would assume that he would agree that some things should be adjusted for safety and convenience. 

Gum Arabic is added to water color, gouache, fountain pen ink, etc. to extend drying time, preserve color vibrancy, and thicken it to a consistency that would be held and flow well on brushes and pen nibs. It can be found cheaply at most craft stores or online. I don’t recommend using steel nib pens (though they are cheap enough that you certainly could) if you intend to use this ink frequently. A dip pen of glass or reed might be better. Remember, freezing the myrrh (and mortar and pestle) in advance keeps it from gumming up. Do not attempt to grind it down in a pepper grinder or coffee grinder.

The PGM has another recipe for Typhonian Ink. For obvious reasons this recipe is not recommended for reproduction.

fiery red poppy

juice from an artichoke

seed of the Egyptian acacia

red ochre

asbestos

quicklime

wormwood

gum (Arabic)

rain water

The instructions are simply “prepare ingredients as an ink or paint”. Helpful. 

One of the first descriptions of a material that may have been asbestos is in Theophrastus, On Stones, from around 300 BCE. In both modern and ancient Greek, the usual name for the material known in English as “asbestos” is amiantos (“undefiled”, “pure”). It had a number of applications, including fortifying the wicks of vestal virgin’s eternal flames, embalming, and funereal wrappings.[x] In modern Greek, the word ἀσβεστος or ασβέστης stands consistently and solely for lime. Quicklime, or Calcium oxide, is the stuff that quickly disposes of bodies in murder-mysteries. It is thought to be a component of Greek Fire. Interesting that a flame retardant and a flammable material would be mixed.  Wormwood, codified as “Blood of Hephaistos” or “Hawk’s Heart” in the PGM was a natural repellent to prevent parasites and insects from eating papyrus manuscripts. Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa connects wormwood with Hekate in his Of Occult Philosophy, Book III. Rainwater was selected specifically to call upon Ouranic gods, as detailed in PGM IV. 223-243.

[barberwitch]

Hey Barber! I’ve been reading, studying, dispensing information for a while about the craft and similar practices. I write a lot of fiction and poetry utilizing folkloric elements and always manage to incorporate something I’ve learned. But my issue comes in actual practice, application. I’m not attuned to the land, nor have I done much magic. I’ve had the knowhow for almost 8 years, so how do you suggest I start? Also, any tips for incorporating my writing skills in my practice? Thanks!

Hey there 👋🏼

So I know it sounds redundant, but..start.

Pick something you’re doing already on the mundane front and use that knowledge you’ve acquired to try something. Magic is about tipping the scales in your favor, not just relying on it as the sole provider of your wants and goals.

If you want something simple and every day, get a jar, or bowl (I’ve got a small ceramic cauldron meant for baking a small dessert) and put a bay leaf and a piece of pyrite in it. Empty your pocket of any loose change into the container. Do it anytime you’ve got change and just leave it be. If you need change, get it from somewhere else, the main thing is what you put into the container stay in the container (so if times are rough, maybe don’t immediately stick in that $20). It’s meant to bring in wealth.

If you want a folk magic tie to hang your hat on, it’s a variation of a housewarming gift that used to be given to newly weds (I’ve referenced it multiple times through the years). Jar, add in salt, a coin (preferably gold, or silver, though copper does fine), and a piece of bread. Seal it and give it to the newly moved people, or the newly married. Salt so their life always has flavor, and purity. Bread so they never hunger, and the coin so they’re never poor. It’s also multiplied due to the wheat in the bread, and break barriers with the salt. The coin conducts energy and blah blah blah.

As far as incorporating your writing into magic, here’s a post about enchanted inks for spellwork

And a follow up post about enchanting letters as spells utilizing the inks.

Aside from that, take a look at your style and apply it to writing spells and incantations. Take notes on how the work out! Even a simple phrase or rhyme about parking, or finding lost items. Try it once, then again, third times the charm and means it may be something you use regularly!

Good luck dear, best way to start is to try something simple.

🦋Cheers, Barberwitch

[carmillapixel]

Inktober Day 21, prompt: Drain

A teeny tiny elephant draining some ink from an inkwell of magical ink. What will happen?

[pagansquare]

Plant Ink

It can be fun to make ink from plants.  The ink can then be used in magical workings, especially if you correspond the color and the plant used in the ink to the intent of the spell.  I like to use it to write out petitions.

Read more...

[radiohyo]

good morning/day/evening

over the past November I managed to draw a series of illustrations destined to become postcards. Here are six of them, the seventh is my favorite, so it will be shown separately

[radiohyo]

and here is the last of the postcards

It’s about dreams and the subconscious: treasures in the water that you can’t reach because of the sheet of ice covering it I’ve dreamed of such riches countless times myself /whether attainable or not/ but after waking they remain only as an impression

and this pic is also about one of my oc

someday I’ll be able to allow myself to become an eccentric, creatively indulgent person and write a multi-volume series about my characters It will be very sad(misery porn), and everyone will scold me, but they’ll blame it all on my eccentricity🚬🙂‍↕️