I am Lakota and Irish/Welsh, and I draw most of my practice from this ancestry. I don't consider my Native beliefs "witchcraft" as it's a european conception of spirituality, but I've been finding my niche mostly in divination, spirit/ancestor work, crystals, and healing in the "not snake oil" way (essentially self care for managing my own chronic pain)
Note that I am *very* critical of Wicca, New Age, etc.. cultural appropriation and bioessentialism in general. In this house we practice critical thinking and don't tolerate racist/sexist/culty shit ✨
I am similarly critical of of christianity, but this isn't a DNI, we can hang if you're chill and this doesn't bother you. It's complicated and I understand why it's important to a lot of colonized people
My situation re: Jewish conversion is complicated and will likely stay that way for a while, but while I'm notably *not* going to be practicing closed practices while Technically Not Jewish, my studying in Judaism is relevant to mention
I've had this blog for a long time, so you may remember my teenage Greek mythology phase -- I'm grateful for what Hellenic polytheism taught me, but I've personally grown apart from it
correspondences for the outer planets are a bit more limited and less refined than that of the inner planets simply because we haven't known about them for nearly as long. while we have ages of information on the inner planets, we only have a few hundred for the outer planets. commonly, the traits assigned to the outer planets has much to do with the timing of their discovery - more on that in a second.
early writings on correspondences for uranus and neptune can be attributed to english astrologer alan leo, who wrote about the traits of uranus and neptune in his works the art of synthesis and esoteric astrology in the 1910s prior to the discovery of pluto (1930).
an excerpt from the art of synthesis:
"It may be safely stated that astrologers are quite familiar with all the temperaments coming under the various planets, save those which belong to the Uranian and Neptunian group. Of these two much more is known of the former than the latter, but so far as experience goes up to the present, Uranus and Neptune appear to represent the two extremes of a certain temperament which may be termed, for want of a better word, the spiritual." - Alan Leo (1912)
in regards to the names of these planets, it might be worth noting that while the inner planets were named by ancient astrologers, uranus and neptune were named by the astronomers that discovered them, continuing the tradition of using the names of roman deities, and pluto's name has an interesting and kinda cute background of its own.
uranus - originally named "georgium sidus" after king george III but was later changed to uranus for no reason other than tradition, not even myth.
neptune - named for the roman god of the sea because of its deep blue/green color.
pluto - per nasa, "in 1930, 11 year old venetia burney of oxford, england, suggested to her grandfather that the new discovery be named for the roman god of the underworld. he forwarded the name to the lowell observatory and it was selected" as it was deemed fitting for the cold, distant planet.
another aspect to outer planet correspondences are octaves. higher octave planets are said to have a more vivid and dramatic expression of traits and qualities versus their lower octave counterparts so they tend to share correspondences as well.
correspondences for uranus and neptune as per the art of synthesis
uranus
discovery: during the industrial revolution and on the cusp of both the american and french revolutionary war
rules people and places associated with: inventors, discoverers, pioneers, antiquarians, electricians, railways; occulists [eye doctors], mesmerists, physical researchers, and new and uncommon occupations
colors: blue, violet, maybe orange in some cases
regarding the body: the brain and nervous system
neptune
discovery: within weeks of the first successful use of surgical anesthesia
rules people and places associated with: "democratic and popular movements, mobs, the common people; mystics, dreamers, visionaries, psychics, mediums; perhaps [places such as] hospitals and charities"
regarding the body: similar to that of the moon
no colors or metals mentioned here, but blue/green and platinum are common
correspondences for pluto, in this context, are separate from uranus and neptune (like i said before, pluto hadn't been discovered when these works were published) but i plan to delve more into content about the outer planets.
widely accepted correspondences for pluto
discovery: near the beginning of the great depression
info: named for the roman god of the underworld; has a very erratic orbit
associations: death, the underworld, radical transformation, crisis, chaos, regeneration
i'm sure this has been a little all over the place so far, but i hope it provided a brief rundown of the origin of these planetary correspondences. i could write about this all day, but i think up next i'll cover traditional correspondences for ingredients and items for all the planets and my thoughts on them. stay tuned! :)
saturn retrograde ♄℞ + the full moon in aquarius ☾♒︎
just as mercury begins to station direct, saturn prepares to halt and change directions, thus marking the beginning of its retrograde period. saturn officially stations retrograde on july 26th in the sign of aries (its fall).
retrograde periods encourage us to turn inward and with saturn in aries, there is a heavy emphasis on having the patience to think before acting; the responsibility to tend to yourself; reinforcing boundaries; fortifying protections; redoing wards; justice work; and accountability for yourself and others.
aside from that, on july 29th, the moon opposes the sun as it separates from pluto in the saturn ruled sign of aquarius and will highlight and illuminate personal and collective behavioral patterns, hidden threats to personal power, unconscious desires, habits, and responsibilities. you could experience or witness themes surrounding logic and emotion; growth vs comfort. collective thought vs individuality. rebellion vs stagnation. power struggles, conflict, and crisis.
paired with saturn's retrograde, we are being asked to consider the ways in which we navigate these topics and to recognize the steps we need to take in order to steady our foundations, break away from societal expectations, embrace individuality, and gain independence/freedom not only from the outside world but our own limitations, as well. those steps often involve personal accountability, making amends, and reevaluating responsibilities. we are continuing with some of the same themes that were present when saturn and neptune initially moved into aries together such as dissolving outdated beliefs and shattering ineffectual boundaries. we are reminded that constant internal conflict without resolution is antithetical to growth.
questions to consider: how can you strengthen your personal foundation? how can you lay down the soil to grow? what are you even trying to build? what have you been neglecting? where have you given too much of your energy? how can you reclaim your authority and power? what needs to end in order for new things to begin? what is worth keeping versus what needs to be let go of? what lessons have yet to be learned? are your personal boundaries helping or harming? what do you keep hidden and why? which of your goals needs to be more structured?
other relevant events include:
the sun's ingress into leo on july 22nd
jupiter in leo separating from its opposition to pluto in aquarius july 22nd
north node's ingress into aquarius and south node's ingress into leo on july 27th
jupiter's cazimi in the heart of the sun at 6° leo on july 29th
online pagan spaces are weird because what do you mean that racists are just roaming freely and intermingling with people on other apps, people who have no clue how they acted on tumblr and in private servers?
people who think astrology is stupid probably haven't made it past pop culture horoscopes and don't care to learn or delve any deeper. please argue with the wall.
I was working on this post back about a month ago and then some shit happened and I had to put it on the back burner for a bit. In lieu of running out of projects to work on, I picked this back up and finally finished it. Hopefully it's accurate, sometimes I feel like I go to one source and it says one thing, and another will say something entirely different.
One thing I've learned from exploring astrology is that things can be very subjective, and some people care about some aspects more than others. I've decided to lay things out as much as possible, but if it disputes what you've read some place else, please feel free to let me know! I'm always interested in hearing others perspectives.
Note that this post is about modern Western astrology, not historic, cultural astrology practices.
ASTROLOGY WEBSITES I LIKE:
Whole signs: Chani
Placidus: Astrotheme
ASPECTS OF THE SIGNS:
Fire: active and enthusiastic
Air: intellectual and communicative
Water: emotional and intuitive
Earth: practical and stable
Cardinal: initiators, enterprising
Fixed: resistant to change
Mutable: flexible, versatile
Receptive: inward focused, reflective (also called feminine)
Active: outward focused, action-driven (also called masculine)
THE SIGNS:
POLARITIES: Signs that are opposite in nature
–Aries and Libra
–Taurus and Scorpio
–Gemini and Sagittarius
–Cancer and Capricorn
–Leo and Aquarius
–Virgo and Pisces
I decided to give really short blurbs on each of these signs because they all mean varying things depending on their placements.
ARIES: ♈︎
–Fire, cardinal, active
–Bold, ambitious, trailblazers
–Ruled by Mars, exalted in the Sun
TAURUS: ♉︎
–Earth, fixed, receptive
–Reliable, steadfast, sensual
–Ruled by Venus, exalted in the Moon
GEMINI: ♊︎
–Air, mutable, active
–Witty, curious, good communicators
–Ruled by Mercury, exalted in the North Node
CANCER: ♋︎
–Water, cardinal, receptive
–Empathetic, loyal, creates security
–Ruled by the Moon, exalted in Jupiter
LEO: ♌︎
–Fire, fixed, active
–Charismatic, radiantly warm, natural leader
–Ruled by the Sun, exalted in Neptune
VIRGO: ♍︎
–Earth, mutable, receptive
–Practical, ambitious, attentive to detail
–Ruled by AND exalted in Mercury
LIBRA: ♎︎
–Air, cardinal, active
–Charming, diplomatic, fair
–Also ruled by Venus, exalted in Saturn
SCORPIO: ♏︎
–Water, fixed, receptive
–Passionate, magnetic, honest
–Ruled by Mars and Pluto, exalted in Uranus
SAGITTARIUS: ♐︎
–Fire, mutable, active
–Optimistic, generous, extroverted
–Ruled by Jupiter, exalted in South Node
CAPRICORN: ♑︎
–Earth, fixed, receptive
–Ambitious, controlled, takes leadership
–Ruled by Saturn, exalted in Mars
AQUARIUS: ♒︎
–Air, fixed, active
–Visionary, independent, unconventional
–Ruled by Saturn and Uranus, exalted in Pluto
PISCES: ♓︎
–Water, mutable, receptive
–Gentle, creative, intuitive
–Ruled by Jupiter and Neptune, exalted in Venus
PLACEMENTS:
Keep in mind that not all readers use all of these aspects, but I’ve decided to include them for the sake of being thorough and because I think they’re interesting. You could very realistically leave out everything listed after Midheaven and still get a pretty good picture.
SUN: ☉
–Changes about every month. Your sense of individuality, style, drive, main role in life, and will. The broad strokes of you and your personality. The sun in Houses 1-6 indicate a daytime birth, and 7-12 a nighttime.
MOON: ☾
–Changes about every two days. Your emotions, instincts, unconscious, inner core, fantasies, and reactions to stimuli.
MERCURY: ☿
–Changes about every two to three weeks. Your communication skills, intellectual practices, mental activities, perceptive abilities, and reason. How you collect information and process it.
VENUS: ♀
–Changes about every one to two months. The way you show and experience affection and love, enjoy or show beauty, the amusements you enjoy, and how you spend your money.
The above are all called the “personal” or “inner” planets because they cycle through the signs the most often.
MARS: ♂
–Changes about every couple of months. Your energy, boldness, courage, strength, anger management, conflict resolution skills, sexuality, and impulses.
JUPITER: ♃
–Changes about every year. How outgoing and genial you are, your career, luck, your philosophy, and worldly possessions.
SATURN: ♄
–Changes about every 2.5 years. How you overcome obstacles and hardships, diligence, self-control, your maturity, and your sense of optimism or cynicism.
URANUS: ♅
–Changes about every 7 years. The changes in your life, inventive or unconventional ideas, inner will and secret power, what kind of genius you have.
NEPTUNE: ♆
–Changes about every 14 years. Your sense of perfectionism, unselfish ideals, your spiritual quest, mysteries and illusions, dream life, art and spiritual movements.
The above are all called “outer” or “generational” planets because they cycle through the signs slowly.
PLUTO: ⯓ or ♇
–The most prominent difference between generations, as it stays in signs for around 12 to 31 years. Represents change, transformation, dormancy, death and rebirth, the highest highs and lowest lows.
ASCENDANT: ↑ or AC
–The zodiac sign that was rising in the east at the time you were born.
–Your outward demeanor, mask or image, impact on the world, experiences, and relationships with others.
MEDIUM COELI or MIDHEAVEN: MC
–The sign at the highest point of the sky when you were born.
–The work you’re meant for, your public persona, reputation, and legacy.
DESCENDANT: DC
–The zodiac sign that was setting in the west at the time you were born.
–Your “missing half” (can be referred to as a person or a thing), how you relate to others, things you are drawn to.
IMUM COELI: IC
–The lowest point of the sky (the highest point on the exact opposite of the globe) when you were born.
–Your roots, ancestry, private self, childhood and upbringing, the unconscious.
NORTH NODE: ☊
–The intersection point between the moon and Sun's orbits, where the moon is moving upwards.
–The future, unfamiliar territory, the key lessons you’re supposed to learn, your destiny.
SOUTH NODE: ☋
–The intersection point between the moon and Sun’s orbits, where the moon is moving downwards.
–Your comfort zone, past-life experiences, innate talents and abilities.
VERTEX: 🜊
–The intersection between the Ecliptic and Prime Vertical circles in the West.
–Your hidden destiny, fated encounters, and divine give and take.
FORTUNE: ⊕
–Calculated differently depending on if you were born during the day or at night. Day= AC + Moon - Sun and Night= AC + Sun - Moon.
–The parts of your life you will naturally have success or luck in.
EAST POINT: EP
–The eastern intersection between the Ecliptic and Prime Vertical circles.
–Your more casual, off the cuff personality.
LILITH DARK MOON: ⚸
–The point where the moon is furthest away from the Earth.
–Your sense of independence, rebelliousness, shame, and personal power.
CHIRON: ⚷
–The placement in the sky of the celestial body Chiron.
–Your “deepest wound,” often originating from childhood or another foundational time, and your journey towards wisdom after that.
PALLAS ATHENA: ⚴
–The placement in the sky of the comet Pallas.
–Your creativity, intelligence, problem-solving abilities, wisdom, logic, and practical intuition.
CERES: ⚳
–The placement in the sky of the dwarf planet Ceres.
–Your parenting style, how you nurture others, how you react to cycles of growth and loss.
JUNO: ⚵
–The placement in the sky of the asteroid Juno.
–Your ideal partner, your relationship style, how you go about power dynamics, and your deal-breakers.
VESTA: ⚶
–The placement in the sky of the asteroid Vesta.
–Your dedication, inner spark, and what ignites your passions.
RETROGRADES:
Signified by an R, Я, or ℞. Retrogrades occur when a planet appears to be moving backwards from the Earth’s point of view. These signs indicate an aspect of self that is not as easily expressed, and often remains internalized. Having a natal retrograde can change your experiences when living through a current transit.
MERCURY: Happens three to four times a year for a few weeks, can make communication with others and learning new things more difficult. Getting misunderstood happens more often, which can lead to the strife and struggling that a lot of people know Mercury retrogrades for.
VENUS: Happens about every 18 months and lasts for a month or so. Makes understanding love and affection more difficult, and positive self-talk harder to achieve. Creativity and beauty may not be uplifted, and your femininity suppressed. Indulgences are harder to resist.
MARS: Happens about every 26 months and lasts for weeks or months. Anger and frustration get bottled up and internalized. Toxic masculinity or purity culture and violence are emphasized. Struggles with motivation, energy, ambition, or sexuality (especially being sexual with others).
JUPITER: Happens about every 14 months and lasts for four months. Feeling like you’re unlucky or have to work harder than others. Independence and a strong sense of inner guidance. Feeling out of place with your beliefs, being misunderstood or ignored when you share your philosophy. Not being allowed to take up space. Pessimism. Struggles with risk-taking, seeing others perspectives, and faith. Self-teaching is easier. Follows their own code of ethics.
SATURN: Happens once a year for about five months. Lack of consistent rules or guidelines, especially with role models. Your internal thoughts are organized, but externally you seem disorganized. Struggles with setting and honoring boundaries. Struggles with self-motivation and direction. Commitment issues. Rebelliousness and authority issues.
URANUS: Happens once a year for about five months. Feeling like you have to keep yourself hidden, especially the parts of yourself that are shameful or unique. Following the rules, conforming to expectations or the “norm.” Swinging between a very rigid and a very loose sense of self and self-expression. Structure becomes important, mostly out of fear or anxiety.
NEPTUNE: Happens once a year for about five months. Favoring logic and science rather than intuition and emotions. Struggles with expressing creativity and externalizing dreams. Struggling with existing in reality. Ignoring intuition or signs. Conditional, strings attached relationships, and surface level bonds. Having a hard time empathizing with or understanding others perspectives.
PLUTO: Happens once a year for about five months. Staying in imbalanced relationships or roles, not wanting to express boundaries as they’re violated. Distrusting others to have authority or control, trouble with authority figures. Strong inner beliefs and convictions, but not expressing them. Preferring to process trauma and grief alone. Struggling with being vulnerable. Keeping your struggles secret. Building up resentment and then exploding.
ESSENTIAL DIGNITIES:
DOMICILE: When a sign is in a planet that already rules it. Ex) Mars in Aries.
EXALTED: When a sign is in a planet that exalts it. Ex.) Mars in Capricorn.
DETRIMENT: When a sign is in a planet ruled by its opposing sign. Ex.) Mars in Libra.
FALL: When a sign is in a planet exalted by its opposing sign. Ex.) Mars in Cancer.
MAJOR ASPECTS:
CONJUNCT: 0° apart (or within 10°)
–A strong focal point, enhances good or bad.
TRINE: 120° apart (or within 9°)
–Most harmonious, very favorable, too many make someone weak.
OPPOSITION: 180° apart (or within 9°)
–Unharmonious opposition, challenges to growth and achievement.
SEXTILE: 60° apart (or within 6°)
–Harmonious and favorable, requires effort to be beneficial.
SQUARE: 90° apart (or within 9°)
–Challenging and stressful, places obstacles and teaches lessons.
THE HOUSES:
Therefore, if your Sun sign is located above the horizon, you were born during the day, and if below the horizon you were born at night.
1-6: present above the horizon at your time of birth
7-12: present below the horizon at your time of birth
FIRST: “House of Self,” your mannerisms, style disposition, temperament, likes and dislikes, how you are perceived and present yourself.
–Ruled by Aries
–Your ascendant is always in your first house
SECOND: “House of Money and Possessions,” what you own in life, your prospects, how you feel about worldly possessions, what might be lucrative for you.
–Ruled by Taurus
THIRD: “House of Communication,” self-expression, family ties, day-to-day travel, the way you think, speak, and write, logic, memory, and manual skills.
–Ruled by Gemini
FOURTH: “House of Home,” your home life in the past, present, and future, ancestor relationships, the security you seek in old age, what you keep protected and secluded.
–Ruled by Cancer
FIFTH: “House of Creativity and Sex,” what you do for pleasure and to express yourself, love affairs, children, new undertakings, things you love unconditionally
–Ruled by Leo
SIXTH: “House of Service and Health,” your need to help others, especially those “below you,” your place in hierarchies, constitution and illness, altruism
–Ruled by Virgo
SEVENTH: “House of Partnership and Marriage,” your partner, the partnership(s) in your life, the unions or contracts you enter, your ability to work with others
–Ruled by Libra
EIGHTH: “House of Death and Regeneration,” spiritual transformation, legacies and inheritance, psychic powers, occult knowledge, and mental health.
–Ruled by Scorpio
NINTH: “House of Exploration and Travel,” expanded study, travel, mental pursuits, study of deep and profound subjects, foreigners and foreignness.
–Ruled by Sagittarius
TENTH: “House of Career and Public Standing,” all matters outside of the home, professions, status, reputation, ambitions, attainment, aspirations, and expression of your talents.
–Ruled by Capricorn
ELEVENTH: “House of Hopes and Wishes,” long-term dreams and relationships, involvement in your community, “it takes a village” mentality, clubs or societies.
–Ruled by Aquarius
TWELFTH: “House of Secrets and Sorrows,” the most mystical house, ends of cycles, limitations, boundaries, unseen forces, disappointments, debts, the meaning of life.
–Ruled by Pisces
HOUSE CONSTRUCTION METHODS:
PORPHYRY: The Medium Coeli and Ascendant are calculated first, with the Imum Coeli and Descendant being 180 degrees across from them. The remaining houses are divided equally between these two lines. This means each house may be different sizes.
WHOLE SIGNS: The first house is always your Ascendant sign, and each sign that follows your ascendant will be your second, third, etc. Every house is the same size (30 degrees).
PLACIDUS: A much more complex system, the Placidus houses are decided by measurements calculated with your location and time of birth. Your Ascendant will always be the cusp of your first house, and, moving clockwise, the next cusp will be marked after two hours. This continues until the seventh house, where the remaining six houses will be extended as needed to make up the remaining space. The further from the equator you live, the more uneven your houses. Sign interceptions and doubles are only possible with this system.
As a beginner, I have been recommended to use the Whole Signs method, since it’s a lot easier to interpret. Placidus is wholly the most popular method nowadays, though.
SIGN INTERCEPTIONS: Only occurs in the Placidus system. When a sign has no house cusps present in it. Always occurs in opposing pairs. Aspects of yourself that are blocked or underdeveloped.
SIGN DUPLICATES: Only occurs in the Placidus system. When a sign has two or more house cusps present in it. Always occurs in opposing pairs. Aspects of yourself that are enhanced or reinforced.
If you have an interception you will always have a duplicate, and vice versa.
SOURCES:
“The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need,” by Joanna Martine Woolfolk– honestly I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s very surface level, gendered, and ignores some very important aspects of astrology and I was still left feeling pretty confused after reading it.
Free Astrology Course by Shaina Astrology– the one issue with these videos is that they seem a bit biased or subjective-passed-off-as-objective, but they were helpful to get the basics down!
Here are links to magical practice safety sheets (styled after lab safety sheets). The safety sheets were designed to be applicable to all practices (although I’m very open to corrections) because they are geared towards mundane safety procedures while engaging in magical practices.
The safety sheets are hosted on the Internet Archive and are free to access/download. The only difference between documents is background color and bullet icon shapes.
Links: Standard Version and the Whimsy Version
These safety sheets are based off of the lab safety sheets from Oklahoma State University, the United Federation of Teachers, and UC Blue Ash College that I used as jumping off points and added to as needed. These lab safety sheets are themselves really great resources even though they’re more geared towards chem and biology lab safety procedures.
I’ve spoken more about the lab safety sheets in this post. I only ask that people who access the docs credit me (if applicable), that it’s not printed/published for profit, and that it’s not fed to AI. Other than that I hope it’s a good resource for people.
It's taken me ages to get this project on its feet, but we have made a collaborative grimoire for the Path & Practice community and the witchblr ecosystem. @pathandpracticegrimoire is officially open to submissions from server members, tag users, community members, and citizens of witchblr. It is very basic for now and will change and grow as this community project grows. This blog is entirely submission-based. All posts belong to their original authors. Please read our pinned post before submitting and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Please note: As this is a sideblog, we are unable to see, accept or publish submissions from users who have the blog mods blocked or who have been blocked by the blog mods. There is no way around this. It's just the way tumblr works. However, those users are still welcome to post and participate in the #pathandpractice tag.
