Growing in the Theoi

Damien | 22 | he/him | Hades, Thanatos, and Zeus | Learning the ropes and loving every second

[theoilovinghours]

Prayer to the Gods

To Hermes, who protects me during my travels and guides me during work,

I ask that you give me that sense of humor and playful mischief to better connect with others

Thank you for giving me the confidence to drive and patience to deal with difficult customers and coworkers

To Hades, who gives me balance and unconditional love,

Help me to work through this difficult and contradictory feelings without closing off my heart

Thank you for being a steady support, no matter how much I struggle with giving you the love and devotion you deserve

To Zeus, who watches over my house and my family,

Please keep him safe in this land that he chose as his new home

Thank you for every rumble of thunder and reminder that you are always here

To Thanatos, who holds my heart in a way that no other has,

I ask only that you continue to love me and bless me with your presence

I thank you for every smile, every flutter of my heart, and every chilly breeze that sneaks through my thick blanket and reminds me of how much I love you

[a-magpie-witchling]

Alternative/fast/cheap/free cleansing and charging methods: people, objects, and places

Let’s face it, we broke.

If we not broke, we in a hurry.

Yes, we know moonlight cleanses and sunlight charges, but if I need to cleanse myself sometimes I can’t spend 12 hours under the night sky because I’ve got shit to do.

Asides from your typical sage, salt, smoke, and incense thing, what about a few alternative cleansing and charging methods?

SCREAMING. Good for self-cleansing or charging, and space cleansing. Moving into a new house and you feel a bad vibe like there’s something already inhabiting it and you want nothing to do with it? YELL AT IT. SCARE IT OFF. You are also a SPIRIT, and asides from that you’re CORPOREAL as well. So cowering from entities is like quivering in fear at a guy pointing a pocket knife at you WHEN YOU HAVE A FREAKING MACHINE GUN IN YOUR HANDS. Also now you’ve spooked your new neighbors and they won’t come ask for gardening tools on weekends.

LAUGHING. Good for self and space cleansing or charging. Alternatively to screaming, laughing works well too, as I showed in that one previous post https://a-magpie-witchling.tumblr.com/post/165244822115/so-i-needed-some-room-for-my-witchy-shit

POCKETS. Good for charging objects. If you have to charge an object and don’t have the time, just put it in your pocket/wallet/purse and carry it with you. Take it for a spin! Let it see the world! A lot is happening out there, and a busy, active day will give off a lot of residual energy your trinket will surely latch onto.

TEETH BRUSHING. Good for self-cleansing. Hello? Purifying mint + cleaning + repetitive action + daily ritual? All cleaning is cleansing, in a way, but teeth brushing is particularly easy because we do it every day and with repetitive motions, which allows for a mini-trance.

MASTURBATION. Good for self-cleansing. Not in a corporeal way haha. C’mon, pretty much we all know that post-orgasmic bliss and how the world melts away into a puddle of things unimportant. Let’s be honest.

DRAWING. Good for charging and cleansing objects and places. And you need as much of an artistic vein as a rice toast. Literally just draw a circle. If you wanna cleanse, draw arrows outside pointing outwards. If you wanna charge, draw arrows inside pointing inwards. Let nature do its thing.

SINGING IN THE SHOWER. Good for self cleansing and charging. Depends on the tune.

PETS AND ANIMALS. Good for cleansing and charging of self, objects, and places. Personal favorite! Of course this depends on your pet and its personality, but mostly cats are good for cleansing and dogs good for charging (if you have a lazy dog or an energetic cat, it’ll be the other way around). Birds are good for charging too, and fish are good for cleansing. Be intuitive. ALSO, MAKE SURE YOU DON’T EXPOSE YOUR PETS TO TOXIC SUBSTANCES. If you were to, for example, place crystals in your fish tank for cleansing FIRST MAKE SURE THEY’RE SAFE. An option would be to simply leave the crystals on top of the tank or nearby.

Do you know any other atypical cleansing or charging methods? Feel free to add your own!

-Semiramis, the Magpie Witchling

[thewitchystuff]

Witchy Moon*:･ﾟ✧

A little guide on using the moon in your favor while practicing witchcraft!

The moon is so important in cycles and everyday life so pay attention to what she says!

[esbaatwitch]

how & when to cleanse your tarot cards ✨

how to cleanse:

shuffle - shuffle your cards for some time with cleansing intent.

sort the cards - put the cards back in the order of the major arcana from 0-21, wands, cups, swords, and then pentacles. let them stay like this for a short while, until you feel they’re cleansed, and then shuffle them again.

crystals - choose a crystal with your intent and place it on top of your deck, or create a crystal grid around it.

smoke cleansing - pass your deck through the smoke of burnt sage or rosemary, or through the smoke from insense.

sunlight/moonlight - natural light sources give healing energies to your deck. sunlight is more masculine, while moonlight is more feminine. keep this in mind when choosing a light source and what’s best for your deck.

meditation - meditate on the cards. this may be one card at a time or the whole deck at once.

yoga - do yoga with your deck, this will soothe and cleanse you both and create a stronger bond between you and your deck.

sound - use a song, a bell, or an instrument to wash vibrations over and through your deck to release energy.

salt - sprinkle salt gently over your deck or put your deck in an airtight bag and submerge it in a bowl of salt and let the salt absorb pent up energies.

sigils - write a cleansing sigil on a slip of paper and put it in the box or bag with your deck.

fresh air - set your deck on a windowsill by a cracked open window. allow the movement of fresh air to cleanse the pent up energy from your cards.

close contact - keep your deck beside or under your pillow as you sleep to both cleanse and build a close relationship with your deck.

when to cleanse:

brand new deck - if you bought or have been gifted a new or secondhand deck, the best way to sort out its energy is to cleanse it before the first use.

after each use - this is the best way to upkeep the health of your cards.

every day - a great way to take care of your cards, routine cleansing is a wonderful daily ritual for you and your deck.

when someone else touches it - energies can get muddled when someone other than the reader touches a deck.

after a complicated reading - your deck can run out of energy quickly when you ask it to do a complcated reading, and the best way to replenish these energies is to cleanse.

after not using it for a while - stagnant energies will build up in your deck if you go a while between uses. the best way to counteract this is a thorough cleansing.

with your life cycles - whether moon cycles, menstrual cycles, or sleep cycles, cleansing your deck when your energy is high can be a good idea.

whenever your deck tells you - sometimes you will be able to feel when your deck needs to be cleansed. a good cleansing and recharging is helpful when shuffling becomes difficult, you’re getting the same cards repeatedly, or you feel your deck run low on energy.

[leodrune]

the magick of tea

tea is an excellent way to incorporate green witchcraft and herbal magick into your daily life. here is a list of the magickal properties of different teas.

☾ black teas: the teas of winter. known to bring excitement, courage, and financial fortune.

    ♱ english breakfast: warmth, happiness, and courage

    ♱ irish breakfast tea: energy, strength, and willpower

    ♱ earl grey: the best tea for attracting money and fortune

    ♱ chai: love, prosperity, happiness, and healing

☾ white teas: the teas of spring, and the sun. known to heal and cleanse the drinker, as well as enhance spiritual communication and psychic energy.

    ♱ silver needle: purification, cleansing and healing

    ♱ white peony: protection against mischief and ill will

☾ green teas: the teas of summer. known for its powers of health, longevity, love and passion.

    ♱ sencha: prosperity, physical healing, mental strength

    ♱ matcha: love, passion and lust

    ♱ hojicha: banishing negativity, self-love, and health

    ♱ jasmine: spiritual love, energy charging

☾ oolong teas: the teas of autumn. known to inspire love, serenity, reflection, and balance.

    ♱ iron goddess: clarity of mind and heart

    ♱ osmanthus: transformation, harmony and serenity

☾ herbal teas: mixtures of herbs across all the seasons, with varying magickal properties.

    ♱ chamomile tea: love, healing, reducing stress

    ♱ peppermint: sleep, prophetic dreams, clearing negative energy

    ♱ lemon ginger tea: openness, cleansing, adventure

    ♱ dandelion root: divination, wishes, calling spirits

    ♱ fennel: vitality, banishing, energy

    ♱ ginseng: love, beauty, protection

    ♱ hibiscus: love lust, dreams

    ♱ echinacea: spirit offering, money drawing

[stormwaterwitch]

So I've been very lazy with my studying toward witch craft and therefore I'm going back to the beginning~ lol. Any advice for a little witch?

Some Advice for Getting Started:

*Start with things that interest you!* 

I know i get terribly bored very quickly (gemini curse lmao) so i find that if i dive into stuff i’m interested in learning about, that it will tend to hold my attention longer and help me get back into the swing of things! So in my example one of my first things i researched when i was starting out was about Crystals and their properties/uses in magic! From there i was able to use that as a sort of base jumping off point for my magical practice! And if you find something you were learning about doesn’t seem like it fits you/your style/ your practice then drop it and move on to the next thing! 

*Ask Questions!*

No Questions Are Stupid Questions No Questions Are Stupid Questions No Questions Are Stupid Questions!!!! Questions mean you care enough to try and learn more about something! I’m pretty much always here and will try my best to answer as best as i am able And if I can’t i will do my best to help direct you to someone more knowledgeable!

*TAKE YOUR TIME!*

This one is important because most of the time i feel like i see baby/beginner witches try really REALLY hard to “reach the same level” as other witches as quickly as possible when in reality that just hurts THEIR path in the long run. Your path is your own, take it at your own pace. Enjoy the little bumps along the way and find the “Roses of your Path” (the things that make you want to stop and appreciate them: the satisfaction of calling your first Storm, the chill of the night air when you set out your first Full Moon Water, the spark when you find that one crystal.) Enjoy it. Enjoy your path, Enjoy your Craft. 

*Use the Things you Already Own!*

Another thing i see beginners getting hung up on (myself included, i was/am extremely guilty of this lol) is wanting to go out and buy a ton of supplies. try looking around your house for things that can be re purposed. Old Spaghetti Sauce Jars can be cleaned and used as spell jars, deity altars/shrines, or ingredient storage! Take pictures from old magazines and make a collage Altar on paper! Use a composition notebook as your Book Of Shadows! Your old broken glasses case can be used as a case for your portable altar! Dig around and see if there are extra candles you haven’t used in a while! Wash out and save those eggshells from your cooking to use as spell ingredients! It takes some creative thinking but you can reclaim pretty much anything for your craft!

*Look for Bargains!*For one thing prices can be outrageous for actual craft materials: like Crystals and Gems? Truly truly truly outrageous. So keep your eyes peeled for bargains and deals! Some of the best places to look for things on the cheap would be Dollar Stores, Flea Markets, Thrift Shops, Garage/Estate Sales! Most of the time in those places you can try haggling to get things at a cheaper price (or get more for less.) It really just depends on the place but you can find the most interesting assortments of things! Keep your eyes peeled in your general day to day life as well see if there are sales at your local grocery store for seed packets, seasonal items/holiday items (look for the sales afterwords to really save haha) The internet is a great place to look, i know Ebay has sellers who sell raw crystals/ crystal chunks by the pound. There’s also places to buy spices in bulk too . *Don’t Compare Your Path to Others!*Your Path is Your Path, Their Path is Their Path. Being online and part of the witchy community in tumblr means that there are a lot of ideas being shared from people’s paths and their views on how they think magic should be practiced. What works for them might not work for you and vice versa. Only YOU can decide what is best for you and your path. and on that note:*Figure Out What YOU Want Out of Your Path!*When you get some time, sit down and write out all the things you want to get from your path and think critically about how you want magic to work in your daily life. Do you want it to be Super Formal or more casual? perhaps a mix of the two?  Test the waters! Try things once and if you don’t like it then you know and can move on to the things that work better for your lifestyle/craft/path!Some examples from my list that i can think of right now would be:-Better knowledge of Crystals/ Crystal remedies and their healing properties-Daily research -aka tumblr--Appreciating Nature more (Whenever i go on walks with my dog i try to pick up some litter if/when i see it)-Daily Deity appreciation  -aka deity aesthetic reblogs to @theemeraldgod & Pintrest-

Helpful Links for Beginners:Sww Master List of Tags- Here’s my main hub of things that i tag feel free to look and see if something interests you!Altars/ Altar set up Advice- My long winded post about what to put on your Altar.My Beginner Tag// My Beginner 101 Tag- There are two tags because they have similar information, the 101 tag is for more ‘Hey I just started today what do I need to know’

Anyways thanks for sending this in! I’ve been meaning to make one of these for a while and this finally gave me the excuse ^^

-oOo-StormWaterWitch

[jewitchry-deactivated20210721]

why can't non-jews study kabbalah? genuinely asking

Kabbalah IS Judaism, you cannot separate it. You can’t pick and choose what parts of our religion that you want, especially after we’ve spent centuries getting murdered over that exact thing. 

We have had to fight for the right to practice our own mysticism. It isn’t a toy. It isn’t a fad. 

Kabbalah is the heart of Judaism. Without the body, the heart cannot function, and without the heart, the body is useless.

Kabbalah is so intertwined with Judaism that the second you remove it from Judaism, it is literally a useless thing that must be supplemented with other belief systems (qabalah is a blend of Hermeticism, Christianity & who knows what else) because you cannot have a full picture with only one puzzle piece.

A few of the traditional restrictions on Kabbalah were:

a Man: men were allowed to study Torah as a profession. They were taught from childhood on. 

40 years old: These men had studied for the first 40 years of their lives, so when they reach 40, they’re adequately prepared by having studied other texts. 

Married: Marriage is to signify emotional maturity. 

Had Children: If the scholar lost their mind or died, they had already passed along their genes and the community would survive. 

These restrictions are to protect Kabbalah and people from messing up. This is not to be taken lightly. You must be emotionally ready, you must have studied Jewish texts in depth for years, you must be prepared to take on the possible psychological damage, or physical damage, of embarking on a journey here. And those are just SOME of the old restrictions.

Non-Jews are not part of our community and therefore aren’t allowed anything from inside it. If you aren’t Jewish, Kabbalah isn’t for you. 

[arcanewraith]

Alternate Empire

[witchofapollo]

10 Things You Should Include in Journal Entries

The moon phase

The weather

An affirmation for every day

Patterns you noticed during the day

Un-explainable experiences

Anything you believe is a sign or message from a deity

Major changes in life situations

Astrological events

Psychic experiences

Strong emotions felt

Not everyone has the spoons to write in their journal every day and that is okay! It will never make you any less of a witch!!

[gaelpol101]

“Remember why you became a polytheist. Perhaps you prayed and Someone unexpected answered. Perhaps a Goddess tapped you on the shoulder and said “you’re mine.” Perhaps you realized that the world is better explained by many Gods of limited power and scope than by one all-powerful God and you decided that following Them was the best way to order your life. It’s hard to be spiritual when your roof is leaking. If your current situation has dampened your enthusiasm for the Gods, Their virtues, and Their work, it’s understandable. And usually, They understand too – They tend to have a longer and wider perspective than we do. But whatever your reason for becoming a polytheist, it was valid then and it’s still valid now.”

— John Beckett “Polytheism in Difficult Times“ (via intaier)

[larkspurlucy]

5-Card Nature-based Tarot Spreads

Feel free to use ✨ I really enjoy and advise doing these in a forest / by a body of water respectively ✨  Blessings be upon you!

Lucy

[strandedinmidgard]

Odin, the sleazy bastard.

Watercolor commission for @pearlescentbirdmom <3 Given the description “ cowboy mafia boss”, the mental image had been instantly created and just had to be put onto paper.

[herbwicc]

[teawiththegods]

Was honoring Ares and Hephaestus today and I couldn’t help but realize how Aphrodite really does love passionate people. We all know Ares is pure passion (check out my episode of Tea With The Gods for more deets on that!) but Hephaestus’ passion goes unrecognized, likely because his is so ultra focused that his passion almost seems to stand still. We’re used to the wildfire that is Ares’ passion and the overwhelming intensity that is Aphrodite’s that Hephaestus’ seems so humble and non existent in comparison.

But the truth is that Hephaestus’ passion is so tightly focused that it’s evolved into devotion. He’s dedicated his entire existence to his craft. Blood, sweat, tears, strained muscles, blurred eyes, burnt skin, calloused hands all in dedication to the craft that he loves so deeply. Millennia spent working in the forge to the point that there was nothing left to perfect, but he continues. Even tho there’s nothing left to learn, nothing left to adjust or fix or try, nothing left but the pure enjoyment of doing what you love. That’s Hephaestus’ passion. 

[orriculum]

Low Effort Witchcraft 💤

one of the largest misconceptions in witchcraft is that you constantly have to be doing huge elaborate rituals and spells that take lots of preparation

💤 emoji spells. they might feel ridiculous, but posting them somewhere safe or texting them to yourself or a friend can be a nice little boost

💤 don’t have the energy to create a sigil? sigilscribe.me creates them when you type in your intent

💤 music. perhaps you don’t have the energy or time to dedicate to writing your own chants for a spell. music can both add energy to a spell for you, and have the words you wish to use.

💤 your daily rituals have power to cleanse. from brushing your teeth to washing your hair, even clipping toenails. little moments of self care can be magical if you do them with intent

💤 scented soaps can be used in place of herbal baths if you have neither the time nor energy to do a full on bath. 

💤 stir drinks in clockwise to increase a quality, and counterclockwise to decrease something. 

💤 choose drinks or food with correspondences, and each bite has intention. 

💤 sleep with your tarot deck, shuffle the cards. doing so will help bond you with the cards, even if you don’t have the energy to do a full reading. 

💤 hold onto your favorite crystal, whether its wearing it or keeping it in your pocket. a little energy work can go a long way to keeping you magic in shape

💤 if you enchant your makeup on a good energy day, you can use those enchanted objects every day after. 

💤 if you need a curse but don’t have the energy to perform anything elaborate, the evil eye works in a pinch.

💤 cleansing an area can be a heavy task, setting up the herbs to burn or spritzing salt water can be more effort to prepare than it should be. ringing bells to cleanse and area works just as well. 

[darantha]

My take on Hades (and Cerberus) for this week’s Patreon sketchpoll,

I’ve always found him pretty interesting, what with how the ancient greeks viewed him, but also how he was connected to material wealth such as precious metals. Poor deathgods, always demonised in media.

[wolfanitas-art]

Recently in the Underworld…