An E-Offering for Aphrodite, Greek Goddess of Love, Beauty, Charm, Fertility, and Seduction:
Hail Aphrodite, goddess of Love and Beauty! Oh Shining Venus, Oh Laughter-Loving Daughter of the Sea, In the garden of Olympus, you are the fairest rose. You are the sweetest honeycomb which tempts and delights all. Oh gracious Aphrodite, I honor you now and rejoice in your love which flows around me like the waves of Cyprus. Blessed be.
Idk about you guys but I feel like the Lugh tag has been dead for a little while. I feel like heâs a super underrated deity so Iâm gonna give him the spotlight he deserves with a little post on the basics of deity work with him. Letâs gooooo!
(If anyone knows who the artist of this image is, please help me out and credit them!)
Lugh is the Irish god of Skill, Light, the Harvest, and Justice. He is best known as the deity associated with the pagan Harvest holiday of Lughnassadh, but he has so much more going on.
Legend
In Irish legend, Balor of the Evil Eye was the chief of the Famorians, a clan of ruthless sea demons who ruled oppressively. Balor was prophesied to be killed by his grandchild, so when his daughter gave birth to triplets, he tossed them all into the ocean to drown. Thankfully, one of those babies was rescued by MannanĂĄn Mac Lir, god of the Sea. With the help of Taltiu, goddess of the Plains, MannanĂĄn raised the boy as Lugh, whose name means âlight.â
Letâs break down how Lugh was actually honored and worshipped back in the day. First and foremost he is a god of Skill and Craftsmanship. Just like in his story, Lugh was believed to have limitless talents, and was thought to favor those who dedicated their life to honing a craft.
Thereâs a common misconception about Lugh being a solar deity⊠as a god of Light, heâs associated with the Sun, certainly, but heâs equally associated with the lightning of a thunderstorm and the fire of the forge.
Lugh is also a god of Harvest and Agriculture. In another part of his myth, when Lugh was away at battle, his foster mother, Taltiu, reshaped the plains to be fit for agriculture when he returned to rule as King. The goddess worked so hard, she âdiedâ of exhaustion and became one with the land. The harvest festival of Lughnassadh was believed to have been started by Lugh to honor his motherâs sacrifice, and to celebrate the reaping of summer grains.
Though Lugh was originally an Irish god, his worship began to spread through the Celtic lands and eventually continental Europe. Over time he became associated with Hellenic deities such as Hermes and Apollo. The Romans even worshipped him as Lugus, a triple deity with three faces. His best known epithets are âMaster of All Skills,â and âthe Shining One.â
Correspondences of Lugh
Symbols of Lugh: Spear, corn dolls, wheat, lightning, forge, hammer, ravens, the Sun, gold.
Plants, herbs, and spices: wheat, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, calendula, sunflower, and ginger.
Incenses: Frankincense, sandalwood, and dragonâs blood.
Crystals and Stones: agate, aventurine, citrine, tigerâs eye.
Offerings: Bread, wheat, grains, berries, ale, works of skill or creativity, yellow or orange candles. I find Lugh also likes (I kid you not) Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, Irish whiskey, and peach or mango flavored green tea.
Working with Lugh
So if you want to work with Lugh (or any new deity) I would suggest reading up on his myths and looking up artwork depicting him (maybe even making some of your own). Then try making an altar or shrine for him using the list of correspondences above. Pray to him, try meditating on him and his myths, and then write down any messages or spiritual impressions you get during your meditation. Some areas you might ask Lugh for blessings or guidance in include:
Protecting yourself and others.
Keeping healthy boundaries.
Finding your inner strength, power, or latent talents.
Growing in your crafts and hobbies, and honing your skills.
Finding creativity and passion.
Career planning and success.
Success in your personal goals.
Learning and seeking knowledge.
Becoming more confident and assertive.
Overcoming obstacles.
Manifestation and living your dreams.
Seeking truth and justice.
Helping you commit to your promises, both to yourself and others.
Becoming more action oriented.
Overcoming your fears and finding courage.
Abundance and prosperity.
An Evocational Prayer for Lugh
Hail Lugh, god of Skill, Light, Justice, and the Harvest!
Oh Shining One, Long Armed Lugh,
You are lord of all that is bright, you are master of every skill and craft, of every art and ability.
Gods of justice, please hear our prayer.
Let what is in a state of becoming usher in an era of progress.
Progress like rivers, dynamic and open to change.
Bringers of victory, please hear our prayer.
Let what unfolds in the time to come usher in an era of peace.
Peace like mountains, steady and calm in its might.
Defenders of the burdened, please hear our prayer.
Let what transpires in the coming days usher in an era of love.
Love like thunder, loud and promising growth.
We offer these pleas as we stand upon a precipice;
May your grace and blessings save us from the fall.
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At the time of writing this, the US is one day away from its 47th presidential election.
I know it's easier said than done, but please try to take care of yourselves (and one another) during this time.
Keep busy, try your best not to doom-scroll or isolate yourself, and remember that you are always more loved than you know x0x
Agatha *5 mins after Billy tried to kill her*: Credit where credit is due that was a total slay. Never let anyone tell you murder is wrong, Kid. Now come with auntie Agnes, weâre getting Toby back.
Okay but my theory is that IF Rio is truly Lady Death, then she canât kill ANYONE by her own hand. Her job only allows her to take someone who is already dying/destined to die. And maybe thatâs what sheâs trying to reach at the end of the Witchesâ Road: freedom from this limitation and the ability to âcause some damage.â
Absolutely genius of the producers to premier Agatha All Along the week of Mabon and have the finale the week of Samhain. This truly is made for the pagan girlies
Donât read below unless you want potential Agatha All Along spoilers!
Okay, so everyoneâs debating whether Teen is really Billy Kaplan or Nicholas Scratch. But what if⊠heâs BOTH.
Itâs being strongly implied that Agatha unwittingly traded her son to Mephisto for the Darkhold.
Well in the House of M comics, Wanda didnât just make Billy and Tommy out of nothing. She took two souls that were being held hostage by Mephisto and reincarnated them as her sons.
What if thatâs whatâs happening here? What if Nicholas Scratchâs soul was saved from Mephisto by Wanda, turned into Billy Maximoff, then reborn one more time as Teen aka Billy Kaplan aka Wiccan?
Please consider signing (and reblogging) this petition to protect Osun River from pollution. I know she's many favorite Orisa after all. I'm not sure how much of an impact we can make, but we can at least try to raise awareness and protect sacred lands from defilement.
people who think theyre oppressed for being witches vs people who think theyre oppressed for being vegans vs people who think theyre oppressed for being into ddlg
I actually AM gonna ignore the human-pet guy (sorry bud) and go on to point out that in regards to the Salem Witch Trials, there WAS Tituba (a slave woman from Barbados and the first to be accused during the trials non-surprisingly). As someone who practiced divination and folk magic, Tituba would be considered by todayâs standards to be an actual witch. Letâs not forget the Inquisition and European witch hunts which DID, in fact, begin as a means of rooting out pagans and practitioners of magic once propaganda was set against them by the Catholic Church.
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