The Heathen Witch

Lucy. Heathen. Witch.

[norsecure]

Devotions to Hel

These are ways that I personally devote my energy, thoughts and actions to the goddess Hel. I am sure there are hundreds of other ways to honor her, but these are just what works the best for me and my craft. 

✧ Leave offerings of fruit, dried flowers, small bones and darker crystals like oynx and black spinel.

✧ Visit local cemeteries, paying respect to those that have past and experiencing the peace and beauty of life becoming full circle.

✧ Decorate the home with bones, dried roses and wolves. Wear dark jewelry, or jewelry with wolves and skulls. 

✧ Spend time confronting the fear of death, and meditate on the idea that death and the concept of dying are not scary, but rather a natural process of life.

✧ Dedicate time and effort to helping those who are less fortunate by volunteering at different shelters, soup kitchens or other non-profits.

✧ Talk to her! Although she is the “goddess of death” she is not evil or mean-spirited. She is the protector of the dead, and a very empathetic deity. 

[amelie-von-krolock]

"Far to the north

Through the ice and snow

There's a realm in the dark of the underground

Hidden deep below

Where we all must go

Is the land of the dead and the frozen

Master of the underworld, the queen of twilight

Sovereign of the mortals, she will claim your soul

The mistress of the void

With your death in her mighty grasp

When your path is at its' end

Goddess of the underground

Who's to blame

For the pain of the wicked

Helbound in her lonely crown

And only the one eyed knows why"

("Hel" - Brothers of Metal)

[witchpine]

Finished Hel~ 

 My first finished personal piece in a while.

[theheathenwitch]

This is beautiful omg

[whitemoonkitteh-blog]

Honoring Hel

Want to honor Hel? These are ways I personally honor Hel. Please add to the list if you have other ideas on how to honor Hel.

🖤Visit a graveyard or cemetery.

🖤Veil your hair for her.

🖤Decorate your altar with animal fur, animal bones, skulls, horns, grave rubbings, skeletons, skeletal hands, dried roses, black shrouds, black mirror, black and white candles, plantain leaves, rue, wormwood, yarrow, yew, black roses, the runes Ehwaz, Isa, or Hagalaz. It is not uncommon for a Hel altar to be an ancestor harrow as well, with pictures of, and offerings to one’s own beloved dead.

🖤Make a cup of black tea.

🖤Learn about burial types, tombstone symbols, graveyard tendings, and assorted death related topics. Dedicate this to her.

🖤Make a “bring love, peace, and protection to the dead” sigil for Hel.

🖤Make a moodboard in honor of Hel.

🖤Sing a song dedicated to Hel.

🖤Dedicate your outfit to her, dress in black and white.

🖤Living life to it’s fullest is important to Hel. She doesn’t like you to live a half-life dreading death, so taking care of yourself mentally and physically are devotion acts.

🖤Place black roses on your altar as an offering.

🖤Go apple picking.

🖤Walk through an apple orchard in honor of Hel’s apple orchard.

🖤Pour her a glass of wine and tell her this represents the blood of our ancestral dead.

🖤Thank her for keeping your ancestors for you.  

🖤Never miss a funeral, always pay your respects to the dead.

🖤Bless Hellheim.

🖤Use the runes Ehwaz, Hagalaz, and Isa in your craft or altar.

🖤Dedicate your time walking through snow covered forests.

🖤Honor Hel on Saturday, Saturday is Hel’s day.

🖤Pray to her.

🖤Offer her your own blood, Hel will also accept your pain and sorrow.

🖤Plant beech, elder, elm, ivy, juniper, mullein, willow, yew, blackthorn, jasmine, evergreens, any white flower, or an apple tree in honor of her.

🖤Create artwork for her.

🖤Light incense or candles like myrrh, storax, appleblossom, or rose.

🖤Write a poem about her.

🖤Create an online shrine of her.

🖤Set up an altar dedicated to her.

🖤Practice silence and solitude.

🖤Dedicate a piece of black agate, jet, lead, obsidian, cook agate, moonstone, quartz crystal, hematite, or onyx to her.

🖤Leave offerings to her of an apple, anything with apples, tea, good wine, meat, bread, soup, meals that your ancestors would have liked, chocolate, or coffee beans. Any food offering left on her altar must be left until it is rotted and/or desiccated.

🖤Use divination to talk to the dead.

🖤Place black rose petals in your bath, light some black candles, and soak in your warm bath.

🖤Bring patience and understanding into all areas of your life.

🖤Offer sincere aid to the dying, the recently bereaved, the mentally ill, the chronically ill, and the socially outcast.

🖤Work in a soup kitchen (Hel feeds the vast underclass who would die a “straw death”).

🖤Work to alleviate proverty, work on, and expunge your own delusions.

🖤Leave anything that represents an owl, raven, dog, or wolf.

🖤Take a look at your life and figure out any changes you need to make.

🖤Dedicate dark magick to her.

🖤Dedicate revenge magick to her.

🖤Call upon Hel for spirit communication.

🖤Call upon her for ancestor worship.

🖤Call upon her when working with astral travel.

🖤Dedicate your protection spells to her.

🖤Ask for her guidance when in need.

🖤If your in need of seeking answers ask for her help.

🖤Leave a drop of your blood in freshly fallen snow as an offering (this also works for Skadi).

🖤Use snow water and graveyard dirt in your practice or altar.

🖤Practice crystal ball scrying.

🖤Leave offerings or say devotional prayers under the new/dark moon.

🖤Have a glass of apple cider, apple tea, or spiced teas like chai in honor of her.

🖤If you feel anxious, depressed, or insecure give those feelings to her as an offering. Focus on healing after.

[withcraftandwitches]

Lost pet spell

Pet gone missing? Want it home? This spell is just right for you! I recently had my pet go missing and it was heartbreaking, I used this spell and within 24 hours he was back home safely in my arms without a scratch! It’s easy but powerful, here it is…

Materials:

- candle (your favourite color)

- pets favourite toy/thing

- green aventurine or clear quartz crystals

Method:

- burn candle at your altar or sacred space with your pets favourite toy infront of the candle, enclosed in a green aventurine or clear quartz crystal circle

- as it burns repeat this chant three times:

‘my pet ——— is lost away, bring him/her home today, protect him/her from any harm, but therefore returning him/her right to my arms’

- let the candle burn out and you are done!

Best of luck to you and your pets, happy enchanting 🖤✨

[theheathenwitch]

Going to be using this spell tonight. My Pippa girl vanished a couple days ago and I’m going sick looking for her. If y’all could give some energy to her photo to help charge the spell for me, I would eternally appreciate it.

[that-was-not-supposed-to-happen]

Hecate was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. She was the only child of the Titanes Perses and Asteria from whom she received her power over heaven, earth, and sea.

[putamagic]

Offerings for the Goddess: Hekate

These offering ideas can of course be changed depending on what you have available to you, what you can make and what you connect with but these are just a few of the items I find work best for me when I give offerings to the goddess of crossroads, witchcraft and so much more!

items labeled with * are things I find are extremely well received

Edibles

Breads 

Cakes - lit with candles especially 

Pomegranates *

Wines

Honey

Cinnamon

Garlic 

Onion

Milk - I prefer warmed milk but I’m not aware if She has a preference 

Chocolates - I usually offer dark chocolates 

Non-Edibles

Roses

Lavender 

Poppy seeds

Dandelions 

Blood - I’m only listening this because it’s worked wildly well for me but DO NOT ATTEMPT if you do/have struggled with self harm of any kind or are easily made ill due to the sight of blood. Hekate understand you cannot give Her your essence and she values your mental health and well being more than anything you could ever give her!!! she will love and protect you reguardless!!

Incense

Frankincense *

Lavender *

Jasmine *

Citrus - especially orange 

Dragons Blood

Others

keys *

Candles 

Tea Lights 

Bones 

Fires - i.e. bonfires *

Oil lamps 

Lavender *

Crow/Raven/Owl Feathers - only feathers naturally fallen off 

Statues of Her and Her sacred animals *

Poetry, literature, and music you heavily associate with Her **

[priestess-of-hekate]

Witches & Words: Deities

Language is more than a powerful tool; it is power itself. Every word has meaning and intent, and is spoken by willpower and action. Witches understand the power involved in communicating. This is a series about how to properly communicate with different entities.

Introductions:

Stay calm. Deities do not want to work with people who are not respectful of their Divity and power.

Be truthful and stick to your values. Do not lie about your name, experience, or values to a Deity. Unlike some entities where it is useful to never offer your true name, Deities demand a certain level of respect and honesty. You don’t want to anger Them.

Don’t make promises upon meeting. You can invoke, make offerings to, pray to, worship, and/or involve in a ritual a Deity without being devoted to that Deity. Devoting yourself to a Deity is a big decision that has a serious level of commitment, and you should never make a promise to a Deity that you can’t keep.

Ask what name you may call Them by! This is key because They may offer you a symbol or name to call Them by and invoke Them with.

Conversation:

Ask questions! Prepare a list of questions to ask. Nothing life-altering at first, just simple things. Ask Them how long they have been in your life, if They would appreciate an offering (and if so, what), or even if They could tell you a story.

Be respectful and receptive of answers. If a Deity doesn’t give you the answer you wanted, or even refuses to answer, respect that. Don’t try to push them to give you a different answer.

Be clear about your expectations. Be sure to clearly communicate what you need and want out of a possible relationship with the Deity.

Be respectful of the Deity’s time. If the Deity needs or wants to leave, let them.

Goodbye:

Thank the Deity for their time, knowledge, answers, etc.. Deities thrive with praise!

Say a clear goodbye! This is very important! Communicate that you are ending the conversation, and suggest a time or way that you may contact each other again.

After:

Make a small offering to the Deity. Don’t offer anything big; burning a few herbs or even the light of a candle would work fine. Just offer something to show your appreciation for the Deity.

Cleanse! Cleanse your altar, tarot, crystals, or whatever you used to contact the Deity. You don’t want the energy of that visit to interfere with future rituals or spells.

Watch for signs. A Deity may send signs after communication that they are there, so be alert!

[shadecrafts-blog]

Dark style headdress with the reference to Hekate - goddess of the night and magic, the witch queen

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShadecraftsDesign

[heatherwitch]

Hecate/Hekate

Small devotional acts.

Learn more about the history of witchcraft

Practice divination

Light a torch, lantern, or even a match

Thank her when you go through crossroads or intersections

Listen to music that makes you feel witchy or powerful

Do small, simple spells

Wear jewelry that reminds you of her

Burn candles; blue, black or white.

Think of her when you pass graveyards

Stand outside at night and listen to all the sounds

Dedicate a small part of the night to her

Read stories about ghosts or spirits

Burn incense blends that make you feel magical and in control

Greet animals, especially ones with black fur

Go on nighttime adventures

Wear makeup or clothes that make you feel powerful and confident

Get some plants that bloom/thrive at night

Be the ‘guiding light’ for others, however that looks for you

Sit in a room with all the lights off, burn a candle if you need to

Keep track of the moon phases, do things associated with each one

Incoporate darker colors into you home or outfits 

PRACTICE LOVING YOURSELF

Many, many, many other things not said here

With contributions from: @divinecrossroads and @lynx-tiger-arjei

[aphroditiful]

GODDESS GUIDE: H E K A T E

🥀 practice your magick near crossroads

🥀 dagger imagery

🥀 be aware of spirits

🥀 light a lot of candles in your home

🥀 wear a serpent necklace or earrings

🥀 time your magick with the moon phases

🥀 let the night and darkness give you energy

🥀 be knowledgeable on the uses of herbs and plants, including poisonous ones

🥀 have your shrine near a doorway

🥀 purify your space often

🦋💧Aphroditiful💧🦋

Artemis

Eris

Persephone

Epona

[witchcastors]

The Great Goddess Hecate (Hekate)

Who is Hecate? She is the Goddess of Witchcraft, Necromancy, Ghosts, Magic, and, in some instances, the Night, Darkness, The Mist, and Moon. For some She is also the goddess of motherhood, protection, and the sea. She is a Hellenic deity, born of the Titans Asteria and Perses. There’s a few beliefs circling around Her being a crone goddess or a Triple Goddess, but those are modern and neopagan beliefs—which She predates. I also consider Her to be a part of the Chthonic deities.

Symbology: Black dogs, Wolves, Keys, Torches, Flames, Torches, Crossroads, Serpents, Daggers, Birds of Prey (crows, ravens, owls), the Moon, witchcraft tools (such as cauldrons, tarot, athames)

Offerings & Devotional Acts for Her:

Figurines of any of Her symbols

keys, skeleton keys, lockets

fire witchcraft and candles, flames, matchsticks

dedicating any lunar or symbolic jewelry to Her

black/dark crystals such as obsidian and onyx

nocturnal animal imagery

black/cool colored glitter

baneful/poisonous herbs and plants

pomegranates/berries (She seems to really like blackberries)

dark blend wines

honey, cinnamon, poppy seeds, chocolates (dark)

mugwort, lavender, roses, jasmine, dragon’s blood

bones and feathers from birds of prey (please check your local laws about obtaining these)

pinpricks of blood (please DO NOT attempt this if you struggle with self harm/etc, blood magic is particularly strong and isn’t for everyone. She will understand if you cannot offer that to her).

Taking midnight walks, setting up altars and rituals at crossroads, paying respects to the dead and practicing your craft in a cemetery 

Any playlists, poems, literature, whether it be your own or just a piece you associate with Her, also make wonderful offerings. 

Lunar Influences & Connections: Reaching out to Hecate tends to work best at night, and really any time the moon is at it’s peak. The Witching Hours, midnight to 3A.M., during strong lunar influences (blue moons, blood moons, eclipses, new moons, etc) all hold strong bonds with Hecate. Also, any time it is particularly foggy or your surroundings are covered in a mist is a good time to try to connect with Her.

Disclaimer: These are correspondences that have been gathered through my personal experiences working through my craft with Her. If you find She responds better to different offerings/during different times, by all means, stick to it! Your bond with Her is your own and should be cultivated in whichever way works best for you and Her. Thank You!

[awake-by-the-moon]

my Hecate altar ~

[thewonderstruckwitch]

Prayer to Hecate for New Beginnings

Goddess of crossroads, help lead me to success as I navigate this new and mysterious path.

With your ever burning torch, show me where to go when I'm lost and in the dark.

When I'm confused and stuck, teach me to find a solution.

With your wisdom, guide me.

So mote it be.

[praial]

Iceland: Landmannalaugar, Suðurland

[adamjk]

hello i’ve made a tarot deck and it is *extremely* pink!!!!!

[luminatress]

Tarot Tips

🃏 Find The Empress in your deck. The card behind her will reveal what you need to do to nurture and care for yourself. 

🃏 When in conflict or competition with someone, look for 5 of Wands. The card behind it will reveal the solution to the problem.

🃏 If you see the same card over and over again in readings, it is a sign and you must pay attention to its message for you.

🃏 For a better understanding of each card, observe it closely and form your own interpretation that follows its themes. It will help you interpret readings better.

🃏 To find out what is making you feel stuck or delayed, look to The Hanged Man. The card underneath him will show what is holding you back. The card in front of him will show you how to overcome it.

🃏 When shuffling your cards, if any card drops out of your grasp, take it as a sign and read the card. 

🃏 You do not need crystals with you to do proper readings, but a good way to cleanse your deck is to place a clear quartz on the top of your deck before each reading. Keep in mind; there’s a variety of ways you can cleanse your deck.

🃏 Often when The High Priestess appears in a reading, she is trying to tell you that you know the answers and that you should listen to your inner voice.

🃏 There is no wrong way to shuffle or cleanse your deck. Do what feels right for you!