յ. no magick is done at a Sabbat unless there is an emergency such as a healing desperately needed, but there is much feasting and merriment, if someone needs to work magick they can do it during an Esbat or do a special Circle sometime before or after the Sabbat evening
շ. as the Goddess is celebrated witch the phases of the Moon so is the God with certain phases of the Sun that are the Lesser Sabbats, while the Greater Sabbats are seasonal and therefore times for honor both the Goddess and the God
Յ. we can think of the God as predominant in winter (dark half) and the Goddess in summer (light half), but neither excludes the other cause both have masculine and feminine attributes so they are both honored during these Sabbats
կ. if the sabbat date coincides with a full Moon the the Full Moon Rite is to perform after Erecting the Temple
Տ. the Greater Sabbats follow a particular story of the gods and each of them have specific details
Samhain (or Hallowe'en): the God starts his journey to the underworld and it bears the light of the Goddess at the end – it was the Celts' new year, the time of the year for getting rid of weakness, witches usually bring into the Circle a small piece of parchment with their weakness or bad habits that they'd want to lose written on it, on the altar and around it there should be autumnal decoration and the color of the candles and clothes should be orange
Imbolc (or Candlemas): the God is midway coming back to the light of the Goddess – it's the “feast of lights” traditionally devoted to the Goddess (Brigid), besides the altar should be a “crown of light” a circlet of candles, the color of the candles and clothes should be brown
Beltane (or May Eve): the God and the Goddess get together again and she is impregnated – the altar may be decorated with flowers and the Circle can be bigger to contain a Maypole, the color of the candles and clothes should be dark green
Lughnasadh (or Lammas): the God, Goddess' lover, is killed by the new younger God – God's his death and rebirth will bring a better harvest, summer flowers should be on the altar and around the Circle, the color of the candles and clothes should be yellow
ճ. the Lesser Sabbats are Yule, Ostara, Litha and Mabon, we'll talk about them more in the next lesson
from Raymond Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft, the Big Blue Book
recommended supplementary reading:
Eight Sabbats for Witches by Janet and Stewart Farrar
First and foremost: don’t do them. I know all of you are going to come and say that you know what you’re doing and you don’t. Sorry to rain on everyone’s parade, but doing either won’t make you any more powerful. It’s honestly easier to tell everyone to fuck off than play with those. You guys are very inexperienced to try curses and hexes. Even I, a Norse Pagan Oracle witch thing, won’t do curses or hexes unless it’s absolutely needed. And usually, it’s definitely not needed. I would try doing a karma spell or a banishing spell. They work a shit ton better and have none of the negative side affects unless you intentionally fuck them up.
(Lesson originally taught at @alexandriarchives on June 17th, 2019)
For the sake of this lesson, I shall be using the term “working” to denote whatever witchy activity is being attempted! It can be secular, theistic, simple, complex, etc!
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Mundane
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❌ Privacy 🚫
In my opinion, the first and foremost safety tip is having the proper level of privacy for a working. This means the level of privacy you need to feel safe and secure, the timing and and space you need to lay out your tools and ingredients. It encompasses whether you are “in the woods” (or broom closet) or if you’re known to your loved ones (that you live with at least). Even if your housemates are aware, there is still a certain level of privacy that encourages safety.
I also start with this one because it goes hand-in-hand with the next three. You need a safe amount of privacy to have a good surface for your tools and ingredients, and for your own mental health (including the self care of grounding before and after). Think about whether you’d like to take a bath or shower beforehand to help the grounding/cleansing process. It’s a personal preference, but it’s something to keep in mind with the timing aspect of your privacy.
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🎴 Surfaces/Tools 🕯
Think about what kind of working you are trying to complete. Does it involve water? Fire? Make sure to use an appropriate surface for that, as well as have things arranged in such a way that they aren’t damaged. Don’t put your Tarot cards right next to your large bowl of water or your candle flame!
Sometimes accidents happen. Have a fire plan ready if you are using any in case a small candle flame catches on something flammable and becomes larger. Additionally, have a similar plan for sharp implements that you use. For example, have a first aid kit nearby if you’re using a sharp objects just in case something happens during your working. Especially good for if you’re working with blood magic.
Though this is the mundane section of the lesson, things in witchcraft often overlap so also keep in mind the spiritual safety of your surfaces and tools. This is a more personal distinction so I don’t have specifics to lay out for every one of you. For example, things like spirit vessels or Tarot cards with certain personalities that may not want to be nearby during certain workings. Also keep your notes and grimoire safe from splatters or flame as much as you can! (A touch can give it character though 😉)
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🐚 Ingredients 🌿
Please do not use any ingredients that you don’t have confidence of their interactions. This goes doubly for anything consumed or put on your skin, but it’s still important with anything you burn or with touch tools that you will later touch. Don’t forget this applies to crystals as well as plants and spices! Think about alternative ways to use an ingredient that you aren’t sure of being safe to consume or burn- submerge it, bury it? But also keep in mind what is safe to bury outside if you plan on that. There’s no shame in using your trashcan as a symbolic burying for a working that isn’t safe for nature.
Certain incenses and essential oils are bad for your pet friends AND/OR your children. Do some rudimentary research on what is safe for the other inhabitants of your home and do NOT apply an essential oil to your skin without a carrier oil. Take a moment to spot test it on a small patch of skin near some soap and water too before using it ritually/magically.
A Note on Crystals:
Certain crystals are toxic. There’s typically good lists of what’s toxic and what isn’t but the general rule of thumb is that malachite, cinnabar/cinnabarite, and galena. While malachite is fine tumbled, it’s really not good for you raw (it is made up of 57% copper). And don’t put crystals in your body cavities (like your vagina, anus, mouth, etc). Certain crystals also interact funkily with certain elements, like sunlight, water, salt, etc. Just do your research before using them in your work.
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🌡 Physical and Mental Health 🏥
Beyond the space, tool, and ingredient safety concerns, your own self is absolutely a vital component to a workings. Therefore, so is your physical and mental health. Try to consider what state you are in as diplomatically as you can- pushing yourself can have longterm trouble in later workings and it’s important to be gentle with yourself.
But it doesn’t automatically mean you have to cancel your working. Often you can re-tailor it to account for your current state. Do a simpler one, one in a different location so you can sit or lay down more easily, alter the ingredients and steps so you can do it in the bath. Witchcraft is what you make of it!
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Magical
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⛰ Grounding/Cleansing 🚿
Grounding is a series of steps you do to center and care for yourself prior to and after a working. I couple it with cleansing because there are many types of grounding that include a cleansing aspect/step. There are many methods of grounding and there will be a whole other class on that so I won’t go into too much detail. Just remember that it does need to be done afterwards as well to reconnect yourself with the world at large after the intensity of a working- even a simple one can wobble you, so to speak!
Also keep in mind that there are many methods of grounding; don’t feel like you need to do the same as others have said worked for them. Showers/baths, a snack, touching the ground, listening to music, playing a video game, petting an animal- these are all valid! The only general rule I encourage for everyone is to drink some water or other simple refreshment afterwards (no alcohol).
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🛡Warding/Shielding ⚔️
Warding is an energy working that creates a protective layer around a location. Shielding is the same but is mobile, ideally for a person (like the practitioner themselves!).
It is extremely important to have the basics down of this before doing workings just to be safe. It’s likely they won’t be needed in any direct way until you do more intense workings, but they will maintain your space and build on themselves so that you are blind-sighted.
Shielding yourself is most easily done with an anchor- a piece of jewelry or pocket sized item that you have the shield tied to. That way you don’t have to actively focus on it all day when you can just wear/have the anchor. The first time you tie it to the anchor you will need to carefully craft it bit-by-bit. It is commonly done by visualizing (like building a wall, net, bubble, etc.) or can be alternatively done with another sense. You could do it in a tactile fashion by sculpting it, drawing it, creating it in a video game and setting the anchor on the craft to tie it. You could use music or scents as well. The primary goal is the careful, deliberate building of the energy and then directing it to its purpose. Take your time, don’t rush. Repair and recharge your shield anchor at least once a month, or more often if you notice its effect diminishing. Recharge either with your own energy or you can use other sources like the sun, moon, crystals, the earth, sigils, etc!
Wards are very similar, they just encompass a location and are stationary. Often this is the practitioner’s home. You can have physical anchors (many people like crystals, witches bottles, or potted plants) or you can tie the ward to the home/property itself. Don’t forget to repair and recharge these as well!
You also want to recharge your wards and shields at least once a month, more if you feel that it’s necessary.
Wards have different purposes: defensive/energy purposes and offensive/entitiy purposes. They have the double effect of containing your energy and your workings from leaking out and protecting any other unintentional energy leaking into you. Think like a backyard pool where you don’t want the water going all over your yard- you want it to stay in the pool. Offensive is more deliberate protection for if a specific entity or energy that is trying to get in. It’s the fence that keeps the neighbour from using the pool when you don’t want them to. It’s more actionable protection.
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👻 Spirit Safety 👻
If you intend to do any spirit work with communication, inviting, seeking, etc., it’s important to add onto the warding and shielding the ability to banish. If your desired location for this working is in your own home, a comprehensive House Rules prepared for any spirits you allow into your wards is also recommended.
House rules are a (generally written) list of agreements for the protection of yourself and all your housemates (human or pets). Think of them almost like understood guest rules when you have someone come over. Yes, you don’t necessarily present them to your guest upon their entrance but that is because we live in a common society with an understanding of what is polite. The spirits you are dealing with do not. It is not considered rude in the spirit community to ask them to agree to a set of house rules.
For spirits that pre-existed in your home: establish that this is your home and you want to respect them but there are still rules that they need to follow. Show them your house rules. If they don’t agree to them, banish them.
So I know this is Tumblr, and that means that like 75% of the people on here are introverts and glorifying introvert culture is a thing. However, as both an extrovert and an empath I’m real fucking tired of seeings info dumps and responses to asks about being an empath being full of info that conflate being an empath and being an introvert. So we’re gonna go on a journey together and discuss what it means to be an empath, what it means to be an introvert or an extrovert, and what being an empath is like as either one.
What is an empath?
Basically an empath is a hypersensitive person that can feel the emotions of others. Some sources say that there are two types of empaths: intuitive empaths and regular empaths. The major difference is that intuitive empaths are able to understand the reason/cause behind the emotions of others and distinguish between their own emotions and other’s emotions. Personally, I think the difference between an intuitive empath and any other empath is experience. The things I can do as an empath now are significantly different than what I could do as an empath when I first figured it out. Empaths focus on different things. Some empaths are better at “reading a room.” Others can only sense the emotions of close friends and family. Some focus more on fictional characters, plants, animals, etc. There’s a ton of different ways empathetic abilities manifest both in terms of who you can sense and your personality type.
What is an introvert?
You all know. Introverts are people that get exhausted by social interaction. Being an empath can make you feel cause social burn out in toxic situations, but it can also cause a great feeling in good spaces. Additionally, suffering from signs of emotional trauma do not make you an empath. Like I cannot stress how much this shit upsets me. Witchblr do better.
Join one of the Elemental, Claire, as she explains the basic theory behind energy work and leads the class through a beginner exercise in controlling your own energy. The class will take place in the Shadowland Server’s cubicula channel. If you haven’t joined the server yet message the elemental @clairecognizance and @theitsybitchywitch for the link today. All paths are welcome.
more specifically i'm going to teach you all about pickle jars. why pickle jars? because they are amazing. first of all you're going to have to like pickles. if you don't like pickles this won't help you. sorry. buuuuut if you do like pickles the possibilities are endless, my friend.
if youre in the broom closet you can get your family to buy pickles for you and they won't suspect a thing.
much cheaper than those jars on etsy or whatever you crazy kids use these days ( plus you get pickles yum )
pickle jars come in ALL KINDS OF SIZES!!
you need a jar for a curse or hex? small pickle jar. you need a container that seals to keep herbs / ashes in? a medium sized pickle jar. you want to bulk up on moon / sun water? get yourself a big ass pickle jar. ( you get the point you can use pickle jars for ANYTHING )
Now I'm going to teach you how to clean that pickle jar!
first things first you gotta eat all the pickles. you just gotta.
get rid of the juice ( you can drink it, dump it down the sink, or whatever you wanna do with it )
you have to use hot soapy water and scrub it real good. i personally like to take the label off, but you can do whatever you want.
bonus points if you cleanse the jar while doing this!!
rinse the jar out and there you go. your very own jar. yay!!
Slap some decorations on your jar. Witches love decorations.
you can put wrapping paper on your jar lid if you wanna be fancy. it looks cute it you're useing it for your altar or giving it as a gift and stuff.
slap a label on there with some paper and tape. a glue stick could work if you're just useing the jar temporarily. ( in my experience if you glue them on they'll fall off eventually )
you can slap some sigils on there.
i sometimes add stickers and / or ribbon(s)
go crazy. it's your jar.
congratulations. i'm proud of you, and your jar looks great.
about how meditation works, technique, posture, area, time of day, method, the source of dreams, dream interpretation and symbology, remembering dreams, personal symbols, the repetitive dream, group dreams, dream vs out-of-body experience, rituals
յ. meditation is a fine art developed by eastern people for centuries, quite simply it is a listening to the inner self, the creative force, the higher consciousness,that is found passing through our conscious and subconscious
if properly used it can open the door to individual growth and personal advancement
to understand how meditation works we must realize that we are spiritual as well as physical beings and the two bodies are connected at the vital centers, known as chakra, that during meditation being to open as the mighty psychic force called kundalini begins to flow within you
շ. meditation should be comfortable and secure therefore you posture should too, you may choose any position you like so long as you keep your spine straight, in a quiet place away from outside noises
Յ. the best time for meditation is generally a matter of personal convenience, there is some evidence to suggest that a period close to the hour of your birth is best, but since it could be a noisy time you should choose the time that is most convenient to you, the important thing is that you do meditate
to be successful in your meditation it is recommended to meditate for at least 15 minutes everyday and being consistent in the time of the day and the length of time
կ. master teachers of eastern philosophies suggest that during meditation you focus your attention on the “thousand petaled lotus” of the third eye, the seventh and highest chakra, reorienting yourself
Տ. dreams are also very important as they are a manifestation of the unconscious, or higher spiritual mind, that we refer to as superconscious, an element of the universal consciousness that is therefore totally versed in universal symbolism, so your dreams are expected to contain some of this symbols of which the book offer a list (down below)
to interpret dreams you obviously should first remember them, you can help yourself during meditation and before going to sleep by affirming you will remember you dreams three times, then you can record them every time you wake up, examine the dream to see if it fits any event of the previous day, then you must determine if it's literal (the main character or image is a real person or thing in your life) or symbolic (the main character or image cannot be take as a real person or thing)
sometimes dreams are repeated in order to emphasize their meaning, a recurring dream could generally be precognitive or prophetic, a compensation for an improper attitude, or the result of a traumatic incident
ճ. back to the Sabbats, the Lesser Sabbats are all about the phases of the Sun and therefore about the God alone, here are their specific details
Yule (Winter Solstice): the new God is born – the Circle may be decorated with holly, mistletoe, ivy etc. and the color of the candles and clothes should be purple
Ostara (Spring Equinox): the God is the young wild Green Man of the forest – spring is the seed time where the seed is an idea that you’d like to grow into an opportunity, on the altar is a priapic wand, a wand shaped like a phallus and used in various fertility rites that is named after the Roman god Priapus, there should be spring wild flowers all around and coveners may also wear then in their hair, the color of the candles and clothes should be light green
Litha (Summer Solstice): the God and the Goddess are united – the Circle should be decorated with summer flowers, fruits and green branches, on the altar is a large candle, the color of the candles and clothes should be white
Mabon (Autumn Equinox): the God is now the the dark lord of death and resurrection and the Goddess reaches for him in the underworld – the Circle should be decorated with autumnal flowers, acorns, gourds, pine cones, corn sheaves etc. and the color of the candles and clothes should be red
Դ. now, start a dream diary to record all your dreams, there is no need to write down an interpretation but at least think of their meanings as you record them, the important thing is to capture what you can, write down all the details you remember, describe people, situations, clothes, emotions, activities, and your attitude, pay special attention to number of things and their colors
from Raymond Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft, the Big Blue Book
recommended supplementary reading:
The Dream Game by Ann Faraday
The Silent Path by Michael Eastcott
Dreams by Carl G. Jung
Practical Guide to Astral Projection by Melita Dennings & Osborne Phillips
list of universal symbols
aboundance: desire for independence
accident: something unplanned
actor/actress: desire for recognition
adultery: guilt
altar: self-sacrifice
anchor: stability, sometimes a desire for a permanent home
anima: the feminine aspect of the individual, guide to the inner world, the Goddess, receptive, prospective and nurturing
animal: depend on your feelings for the particular animal
animus: the masculine aspect of the individual, uncompromising conviction, the God
apple: desire
arrow: pleasure, festivity
auction: promise of aboundance
baby:if crying it’s frustrated plans, if laughing it’s plans fulfilled, if sleeping it’s waiting period or patience
balloon: frustration
basement: a place of refuge, retreat, concealment
bathroom: cleansing, elimination of the undesired
battle: internal conflict
bedroom: place of rest and recovery
bells: fulfillment of plans, joy
bicycle: hard work will bring to fruition
birds: usually transcendence from one state of being to another
birth: transition to a new phase or new aspect of self
hair: thought, gray or silver hair indicates wise thoughth
hammer: power to drive forward
helpful animal: the instinctive self
highway: the path, the way ahead
horse: if white it’s prosperity, symbol of life (the Keltic goddess Epona was often depicted on a white mare), if black it’s change of fortunes, if wild it’s uncontrolled instinctive urges, if winged it’s transcendence from one state of being to another
house: personality and conscious interest from the spiritual view
pearl: joy, a broken string of pearls is misunderstanding
pirate: suspicion
pyramid: thirst for knowledge, seeking
railroad: a set path to follow
rainbow: great happiness, opportunity
reading: learning, gaining knowledge, perceiving
red: strength, health, vigor, sexual love, danger, charity
right: the conscious, correctness, the artistic side
ring: completion, loyalty
river: spirituality, a boundray
rocks: the unchanging self
rodents: transcendence of a less-than-nice person, distrust, betrayal
ruins: failure of plans
sacrifice: overcoming pride
school: a place of learning, a need to learn
scissors: distrust
self-image: the inner or spiritual self, the age indicate maturitu or lack of it
seven: completion, old age, endurance, evolution, wisdom, stages of spiritual transformation
sex: union of opposites, union of male and female principles, satisfaction, completeness
shadow: the subconscious, insubstantiality
six: cooperation and balance, interaction between the material and the spiritual, mental and physical, psychism, peace, completion of the second plane
skeleton: the basics, the root of a problem
snake: spiritual wisdom, transcendence into a state of wisdom
snake-bite: infusion of wisdom
soldiers: force, power, regimentation
spade: penetration, cutting, tough work lies ahead
sunrise: clearing of consciousness, awakening
sunset: need to protect assets
swan: beauty, comfort, satisfaction
sword: penetrating and cutting, conflict
table: support, a platform for presentation
telescope: need to get closer to subject
thief: loss or fear of loss, insecurity
three: the trilogy, father, mother and child, past, present and future, completion of the first plane
thunder: anger
touching: normally the laying on of hands and healing, on rare occasions it’s a curse, can be comfort and securty
transcendence or transformation: achieving full realization of the individual self
transportation (airplane/automobile/bicycle/flying/journey/railroad/riding/rocket/roller skates/ship/trains): spiritual advancement, the more efficient the mode the more effective and rapid is the advancement
traveling: the act of spiritual advancement
tree: the life principle, psychic gowth and development, success
tunnel: hiding, being afraid
turning: changing or development, turning in a circle is lack of progress
twins: ego and alter ego
two: duality, the male and female, positive and negative
about working tools, knife, marking in metal, sword, other tools, dress, jewelry, horned helmet, inscriptions, your witch name
յ. the working tools are dictated by the tradition, usually every witch has a personal knife that in many traditions is called athame, it usually has a steel or iron double-edge blade and the length should be whatever feels comfortable for you
շ. if you're not able to make one you can adapt an existing knife, the main point is that it should have something made by you, so get a knife (such as a hunting knife) and replace the handle and/or carve your craft name or monogram on it, don't worry if you have one you think was used to murder someone, cause all tools after being made will be ritually cleansed and purified before use to remove any negative vibrations, then they'll be personally charged and consecrated
Յ. the knife is your personal and magical tool and as such is something very special, so it'll not do to simply go to a store and buy and unaltered ready-made knife, you have to work on it to make it your own
կ. there are two ways you can etch the blade to inscribe something on it:
you can use wax, cut into that what you want on the blade, pour on acid or some other etching agent and then wash it after some minutes, or you can engrave the blade, writing on it with a proper engraving tool that can be motorized, it's still effective but this method doesn't give a solid marking as the acid etching
Տ. the knife can substitute the sword, that is usually not essential but many covens like to have a coven sword, usually used to mark the circle at the start of every meeting
ճ. other ritual tools are the wand, staff, bell, burin (or white-handled knife, an engraving tool used to mark the name or sigil ritually on your magickal tools) and cords, which use will depend on the path you decide to follow
also, even if it's recommended to work naked, if you prefer not to you can wear a robe, that can be as simple or as elaborate as you like, the material can be whichever but natural materials are preferred
the book then illustrates a simple method to make one: first you have to measure from wrist to wrist with your arms outstretched for the height of the material, then from the nape of the neck to the ground for the length needed of material, fold it inside-out, cut each side as indicated and sew the sides
most witches used to wear white robes, lately more colors appears at festivals and in various traditions, a few wear black but, while acknowledging that it's a powerful color, some think it plays up the misconception of equating Witchcraft to Satanism and it should be avoided, this is a religion of nature and nature is made of color, so let's use them more!
other things used can be jewelry, in some traditions used to signify ranks, usually made of silver or copper, and horned helmets, usually used by the priest in some rites where they specifically represents the God
Դ. about your craft name to etch on your working tools, there are a number of different magickal alphabets that can be used, the most popular are various runic alphabets and the theban form of writing
the word rune means mystery or secret in early english and it's charged with overtones, the book then shows the Saex-Wica runic alphabet, specifying that if there are double letters in a word any of the glyphs can be written backwards giving a mirror image
now, by starting the witchcraft path you are starting your life anew, so why not start it with a name or your choosing? Many choose a name that reflects their personality or describes them cause names are important, and powerful
to choose a name you have to check out numerologically the ones you'd like, there are different systems of numerology but the one described here is the most commonly used, let's give an example: Jessica born on 15 march 1962 wants to call herself Rowena
Jessica will have to find her birth number by adding each digit of her date of birth, so 1+5+3+1+9+6+2=27 and bring that down to a single digit so 2+7=9, note that it's important to include all the digits of the year too
after having found the birth number she'll have to find out the number of the name she chose, Rowena, so she'll have to number each letter of the alphabet from 1 to 9 as in picture and then sum up the numbers as before, so 9+6+5+5+5+1=31=4
if, as in this case, the number of your chosen name doesn't match you birth number, you could add letters to it to reach the right number, or try with another possible one
Ց. choose your own name and write it in various forms - your witch name should match your birth number cause it's the one thing about you that is unchanging and by doing that you are aligning with the same vibration of the moment you chose to be born
once you have found a proper witch name, practice writing it in various forms of magickal script
գ. here is an example of the name Galadriel written in Saxon runes and its monogram:
from Raymond Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft, the Big Blue Book
recommended supplementary reading:
