witching by the sea

my witchcraft sideblog. he/him pronouns please. Call me Seb!

[welshwitchling]

As I promised myself that I would do the self love tarot challenge by @thewitchofthenorse , so here is day 1! When I originally tried to draw a card for this, I figured that I was in the wrong headspace for it. A couple of days later, having sorted out what was making me so anxious, this reading made much more sense. The prompt was 'who am I?' and this card definitely fits me; I try to be diplomatic and creative, a mediator whenever I am able, but my insecurities stifle this. This card tells me that I should continue to strive to become this ideal self, despite any anxieties or uncertainty I have. For those who may be wondering, I will be using the Wild Unknown Tarot for this challenge!

[thistletongue]

A watercolor artist's personal and dream-like interpretation of the iconic tarot. 78 fully illustrated cards!

Sam worked for two years on these beautiful cards.

Please support her if you can. They’re nothing short of gorgeous. 

@samguayart

[captainoftheseaqueen]

These Painful Photos Show Why You Shouldn't Mix Essential Oils And Sun

'It was my own damn fault. But every yogi that I've talked to has no clue that this could have happened.'

Just a reminder for baby pagans (and not so baby pagans) looking to experiment with essential oils.

Be extremely careful with them.

Lavender, rose, and chamomile are the only ones I know of that I think you can use undiluted. 

But some are dangerous. Eucalyptus, for example, can be fatal. In fact, I’d argue that most essential oils should never be used undiluted and some are just better not messed with at all outside of experienced hands.

Dilute your essential oils and check what the proportions are for them.

And now, because summer is coming, as a reminder, you probably shouldn’t be mixing essential oils and then sunlight. Quite a few of them react to sunlight.

Specifically, here’s how citrus based essential oils react:

(Yes I know part of this was made worse by the fact they went tanning up seriously citrus oils and sunlight can just in general cause chemical burns.)

Also, please keep essential oils away from places where small children or pets can get at them!

[whyarealltheurlsarlreadytaken]

Dilution means diluting them in carrier oils (a neutral scented oil like coconut, almond, avocado, grapeseed) NOT water.  Oil isn’t actually diluted by water.  Even milder oils like lavender need to be diluted.  Used long term on skin you can begin to develop reactions to your favourite oils so it’s smart to work safely with them.

[will-o-the-witch]

Willo’s 11k Follower Giveaway!

Holy moly, 11,000? When I created this blog I didn’t expect it to go anywhere, so I am both shocked and honored that so many people seem to have resonated with it. Anyway, this giveaway is long overdue so let’s get into it! (Also: this is not affiliated with Tumblr or any of their official stuff.)

Prizes

A custom five-card tarot reading (or more, if the question ends up calling for more!) I have over 10 decks that I use for divination, you’re welcome to choose from any on that list :)

A watercolor portrait of a deity or spirit companion of your choice. (Pictured: Poseidon, ripped straight from my altar.) It’ll be roughly postcard-sized!

Misc. pretty rocks with all of their names and associations, of course. Maybe the ones pictured? Maybe others, definitely at least a good quartz point. 

A custom sigil, painted with pretty paints and stuff! So it’ll be like another mini art piece.

A custom spell jar! Curated and made with love, unless you’d rather me source the stuff and list instructions for you to make it! Either is cool :) 

One bone reading from me! I’m newer at this and I only use the bones for contacting ancestors about real important stuff. But the bones are always reliable. (If you’re not comfortable with bones or ancestors, this can be swapped for another form of divination!) 

I may add more stuff as I get inspiration for it

Rules

Must be following me, @will-o-the-witch , since this is celebrating a follower milestone after all! If you use a side blog, let me know your main in the tags~ 

Likes/reblogs count, but please don’t spam your people.

Must be 18 or older to participate, or 16 and have your parent/guardian’s permission!

Must have an address to ship to in the United States, OR be comfortable receiving your things digitally! (In which case I can swap out the rocks for something else.

DO NOT tag as a giveaway!

Winner will be selected randomly on April 30th, 2018! 

If selected, the winner will be contacted via tumblr messenger and have 48 hours to claim it before it passes to the next person. Best of luck to everyone! :)

[septemberequinox]

Emergency Commissions

I went on a hiatus for my mental health, but things have become really bad for me. My dad has been in and out of hospital, another family member is dying, my hours have been cut at work, and my bank overdrew my account for a bill payment before accepting the transfer from my other account so now it’s just looping. i’ve been really suicidal lately and this isn’t helping.

i can do tarot readings, paintings, etc. my paypal is here. i’m a disabled lesbian. pls consider helping me out.

@lesbiansinc @radicalgendercoalition @justsomeantifas @lesbiansafe

[septemberequinox]

some examples of my art below! please consider helping if able. given my living situation, and the added stress on top of my mental illnesses, i’ve been seriously considered suicide, as per my bank contract my death would result in my debt being released due to my school account becoming unlocked and transferred.

[septemberequinox]

UPDATE: thank you to everyone who has donated so far, I’m slowly getting there! I was also able to get microsoft word to work on my phone, so anyone who donates $15+ can request a PDF copy of my poetry book, Love Letters! By requesting the copy, however, you agree to not distribute/publish any part of it.

For every 1000 notes this post gets, I’ll select a random signal booster to receive a copy free of charge as a thank you! “Love Letters” is my collection of poetry works about my experience as a traumatized nonbinary lesbian trying to find my place in life and the community.

[kittenlamps]

Witchy cleaners to keep ya house fresh with out harsh smells!

So the first things I made were white vinegar sprays, I made two kinds: -Rosemary and Sage -Thyme and Sage

Both have a 2:1 ratio of white vinegar and water and both have a peel and a half of lemon and about two table spoons of sea salt each. 

I cleansed the jars with water, then sage smoke, stuffed the herbs and lemon in, sprinkled in the salt, then poured hot water and vinegar in. Give em a shake and charge how you like as you go! I like to mentally say what I want from each item as I place them in the jar.

Let them sit for about a week then strain into a spray bottle and clean some shit. They’re also good for defunking carpets and throw pillows, just spray and let dry in the sun! 

The second thing I made was baking soda, salt, and lavender scrub with a lemon vinegar water spray! This one you don’t have to wait to use, just mix it up and go! I used:

- 2-3 cups baking soda ( I just dumped a bunch in eye baling how much I think I might need)  - 1-1.5 cups of table salt -  Half a cup of non-food grade lavender 

I set my intentions as I poured each ingredient in then mixed em up with a good shake. I cleaned my whole bathroom with this one jar and as you can see in the above picture, I still have enough left for touch ups or I can use it on my bedroom carpet. You just sprinkle the mix on the floor, let it sit for a while, then vacuum it up! 

And this shit works, here’s my dirty ass tub before:

I sprayed the vinegar down then shook the scrub all over, let sit, then using a scouring pad I cleaned it off and then rinsed it with hot water from the shower and BOOM:

LOOK AT THAT. 

I also poured some in the toilet, on the toilet brush, the sink, the floor, basically everywhere. When I was all done I burned some sage and have a beautiful clean bathroom without the smell of bleach in my nose! Yay! 

[death-witch-envy]

Various Sigils for the Dead.

If some of these look familiar, it’s because they’re shaped as common symbols on gravestones. Here they are explained:

Love eternity, sweet child - for departed children. Shaped as a butterfly, sometimes depicted on children’s graves.

My departed family is still with me - for ancestor work. Shaped like clasped hands, common on graves of family members and married couples.

My love is beside me - for departed loved ones and partners. Shaped like a hear for obvious reasons, but also with a circle, symbolizing eternity and reincarnation.

We value your sacrifice - for veterans and others who put their lives on the line for us. Shaped like oak leaves; oak trees are common in military cemeteries, as they symbolize steadfastness and bravery.

Nature spirits be honored - for the death of nature or nature spirits. Shaped like a dragonfly, to illustrate the departed soul.

You are still my loved child - for departed babies and miscarriages. Shaped as a lily, which represents innocence, purity, and a life cut short.

Forever my friend - for departed friends, shaped as an eagle to carry the message and keep the friendship strong.

May your soul forever be at peace - a general sigil for the dead, in the shape of a poppy, for restful sleep.

This was a very emotional project for me. Please use with respect. Do not delete caption.

[bolaneno]

This is heartachingly beautiful … Very touching 😢. Bless you for sharing this with everyone 💚.

[a-magpie-witchling]

A Magpie Witchling’s 10,000 followers MASSIVE GIVEAWAY

It’s that time of the year again! This is a long post that’s gonna get very reblogged, so I’ll keep it short.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Follow me! (duh)

Likes and reblogs count as entries, but they’re limited to FIVE REBLOGS PER DAY. (I WILL check)

You must be at least 18 years old, no exceptions. The prizes can be transferred to minors, however, with the permission of a parent or guardian.

Side blogs are allowed to enter, and there’s no need to tag your main (here’s to you, closeted witches!) but if you end up winning, you’ll have to tell me your main when I contact you to see if you’re following me! GIVEAWAY BLOGS AREN’T ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE.

People who have purchased/purchase my services from my shop (as well as those in the waiting list) have an extra entry as a thank you for your support!

Do NOT tag this as giveaway!

WINNERS

There will be five prizes. Each will be drawn as I hit a new milestone. Fifth place when I reach 6,000 followers, fourth for the 7,000, third for the 8,000, and both the second and first for the 10,000.

The winners will be randomly selected with random.org and contacted via PM, comment, and/or tag, depending on how long they take to respond. If they don’t answer to reclaim their prize within 120 hours (5 days) of being drawn, a new winner will be selected in their place. So please make sure I have a way of contacting you.

For the main two prizes, I’ll need an address I can ship the goodies to. If you can’t/don’t want to receive the package and wish to trade your prize for an intangible one, that’s perfectly doable!

PRIZES

Fifth place

$15 to spend in my shop

A bone reading

Fourth place

$20 to spend in my shop

A Glade Born Tree tarot reading

Five custom sigils

A custom spell or hex designed (and if necessary, cast) for you

Third place

A tarot reading by Yeyé, my witch grandmother. Requires: age, first name, date of birth, place of birth, and time of birth.

A Dæmon reveal

A Glade Born Tree tarot reading

A bone reading

Ten questions to be answered by my tarot cards or an oracle deck of my choice.

Five custom sigils

A custom spell or hex designed (and if necessary, cast) for you

A palm reading (will require picture, if possible scan of the palm of the hand)

First and Second place

It’s important to note that the pictures above are illustrative with the exception of a few items. These are the witchy supplies I can get where I live. Whatever you choose, I’ll purchase or make for you. NOTHING WILL BE SMALLER OR OF LESSER QUALITY.

Legal disclaimer: some herbs and spices aren’t allowed to enter certain countries. If that’s the case where you live, we can find alternatives like more crystals instead of herbs.

These prizes will be delivered in an oak box such as the one pictured below, complete with a thank you letter and a postcard from Mendoza, Argentina.

Vials

EACH VIAL, BOTTLE AND JAR WILL BE LABELED WITH A HANDMADE VINTAGE TAG

Both the first and second winner will get:

A vial of Aconcagua snow water (second tallest mountain after the Himalayas system and tallest outside of Asia)

A jar of volcanic ashes from the 2011 Puyehue-Cordón Caulle eruption

An amber glass bottle of desert sun salt from Las Salinas Del Diamante

A vial filled with braided horse hair

A vial filled with full moon ocean water collected during the first hours of the new year

For the first prize:

Fifteen vials, jars, and/or bottles of your choice filled with herbs and spices of your choice (see options below the cut)  

For the second prize:

Five vials, jars, and/or bottles of your choice filled with herbs and spices of your choice (see options below the cut)  

Crystals

For the first prize:

Fifteen crystals, stones or minerals of your choice (see options below the cut)

For the second prize (second won’t be subjected to first’s choice):

Ten crystals, stones or minerals of your choice (see options below the cut)

Tools

For the first prize:

Hand-forged athame + chalice OR 

oil burner+lantern+12 tealights OR 

Chinese jasmine tea+wooden case+antique keys for divination OR 

antique pewter box+mystery crystal OR 

wooden box+scrying mirror+grimoire+Icovellavna hand-braided bracelet

For the second prize:

Any one of the remaining four options the first prize didn’t choose

Both the first and second winner will get (second won’t be subjected to first’s choice):

A mini cauldron OR

A double bottle OR

A crystal bell OR

A wooden mortar and pestle OR

A bundle of 15 candles of different colors (green and teal not pictured, but will be added)

Essential oils

Both the first and second winner will get (second won’t be subjected to first’s choice):

Five bottles of assorted essential oils (let me know if there’s any specific one you would rather not receive)

Grimoires

(Brown notebook for size reference)

For the first prize:

Large striped notebook (red, rough cover, 128 pages) OR

Medium blank sepia notebook (grey, velvety cover, 96 pages)

For the second prize:

The remaining option the first prize didn’t choose

Jewelry

For the first prize:

Four necklaces (snowflake, squares, dragonfly or Eiffel Tower coordinates) OR

Plain golden chain + interchangeable pendants + two rings OR

Aligned chakras/rainbow crystals necklace

For the second prize:

One of the remaining options the first prize didn’t choose

Best of luck to you, and thank you for participating!

See the available crystals and herbs below the cut!

Keep reading

[stormwaterwitch]

Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits

Reblog this on the first of the month for good luck all month long!

[dumbbbunnnyy-deactivated2021021]

[fuckthisbloganditscurses]

Happiness Will Come To You.

[12goblins]

when tho

[fuckthisbloganditscurses]

When You Least Expect It. Probably Late March

[wizardshark]

reblog for happiness to come for you in late march!

[zigxortega]

[a-magpie-witchling]

Mentally ill and trans witches are valid

I just lost 3 followers for saying so.

Weed yourselves out, pieces of shit.

[marjorie-lopez]

Springtime clean, mofos.

[a-magpie-witchling]

SPRINGTIME CLEAN, MOFOS!

[whendragons-fly-deactivated2019]

Could you please reblog this if you are a witch who isn’t Wiccan?

[valentinesdaywitch]

💐Picnic witchcraft guide💐

Sandwich correspondences

Tea correspondences (sun tea, tea in general, floral tea)

Fruit correspondences

Vegetable correspondences

Flower correspondences- can be used as decoration, for flower crowns, as a fun nature activity (collecting them respectfully, of course), and edible flowers can be used for deserts, drinks, and salads!

Desserts- here’s some witchy desert recipes, perfect for any picnic!

(Tiny strawberry pies, cranberry pistachio shortbreads, cardamom pear cake, ginger and fig tart, apricot coconut bites, and lavender tea bread)

Locations- fun witchy locations for picnics include:

🌹a botanical garden, floral garden, or any sort of garden (perfect for fae, floral, air, green, life, spring, and summer witchcraft)

☀️a sunny open field/area (probably has wild flowers!, great for air, sun, floral, and weather witchcraft)

🌙⭐a night picnic under the stars and moon! (Perfect for lunar, nocturnal, and cosmic witchcraft)

🌳a park (great for all witchcraft, very versatile)

🌊💧a beach, pond, lake or near any body of water (perfect for water, sea, and love witchcraft)

👻a cemetery (perfect for death, spirit, medium, and floral witchcraft. Just make sure it’s allowed and you’re respectful of graves)

🌲A forest (perfect for forest, tree, nature, green, earth, and hedge witchcraft, here’s some tree correspondences)

Other witchy picnic ideas:

Stones/crystals to bring- it depends a lot on location and the general theme of the picnic! But a few favorites of mine are:

rose quartz, opalite, any aura quartz, sunstone, agate, tigers eye, and selenite (especially peach selenite)

Scents- I like to focus on scents a lot during picnics. It can make the experience so much more enjoyable! Location once again plays a huge roll, but you can always spray your picnic blanket with essential oils, use strongly scented herbs or flowers, use a specific perfume, or even a specific tea that smells good. Some scents I like to focus on during picnics are:

lemon, orange, grapefruit, lemongrass, strawberry, orange blossom, gardenia, rose and lavender

Bring some little spells or offerings with you! A picnic in nature is the perfect time to do a little crafting, especially love, self care, fae, peace and happiness spells. And you can correspond your picnic with the intent of the spell!

It’s also a great time for devotional offerings and any other offerings, especially fae offerings.

Put together a picnic spell- an entire picnic can be a spell! Everything from location, to drinks, to food, and the extra stuff you bring along can be in it.

🍑Have fun picnic witching! 💐

[systlin]

I found myself immediately upset about the spirit animal post because it sucks to be told that my spirit guide when journeying isn't a spirit animal (fylgja). I get what they're upset about is mostly "omg -insert something obnoxious- is so my spirit animal!" But to immediately identify spirit animals as only a Native thing is kinda horse shit. Maybe I'm letting my feelings cloud my judgement and reading too hard into it.

I strongly advise that you go read that post again, and then a third time. 

“Spirit Animal” is a term taken from Native cultures. When you have had your land stolen, your people killed, your children taken, and your very language and culture taken…then perhaps you may use it. 

This is the same reason I do not use the term “Shaman.” That is a Native term for traditions somewhat similar to Journeying, and it is not ours to use.

I am not saying your spirit guide is not there. I’m pointing out that we have our own perfectly good term for it, which you already know. (fylgja, fetch, or simply your spirit guide). Why, then, must you insist on using this obviously charged term, when it is so simple to use our own?

So. Be respectful, go read that post again, and take a good hard look at your own privilege, and try to understand that this is a sensitive point for people who have lost much, and it costs you nothing to not be an ass about it. 

[tyme2explore]

A spiritual belief does not belong to one group of people. I have a spirit animal, I am a shaman, I am a white man. The spirit animal belief comes from many different cultures the world over.

[systlin]

It would cost you guys exactly $0 to do some actual research on why this is a; not true, as the specific traditions differ, and B; use your own damn terms and also do some research on why this is such a painful subject for native people rather than just being assholes about it. 

You are not a shaman. Just like I am not. I am a Volva, who practices sedir. Do some of those practices resemble those practiced by other cultures? Sure. But I don’t work with their gods, I don’t learn from their teachers, and I am not, then, able to claim their titles. 

[ebonyheartnet]

To butt in and back up Plant Aunt, it also costs $0 to not be a dick and just respect that some things are not for you. Matter of fact, it might save you money! While there is in fact no fine for assholes that appropriate things like religious and cultural practice, there is a hefty medical fee to surgically remove my foot from said asshole if we happen to cross paths. Honestly, y'all whiney brats are just as bad as the folks that bitch about handicapped parking. When the vast majority of the world is open to you, stop complaining about the few things that aren’t ya bunch of brats! I’ve nannied 2-year-olds that know better than to complain about the toy that isn’t theirs when they can play with tons of other ones! If children still in diapers can learn that lesson, then I’ve got only 3 more words for you: Suck. It. Up.

[systlin]

[tyrsbeast-blog]

Listen, I first learned with books that used the word shamanism. I am still not a shaman. Those books even said that your community is what makes you a shaman. But my community doesn’t know the word shaman. They know witch and druid and priest. If you have an animist world view, be an animist witch. Or a Volva, a spakona, a druid. If you have a spiritual guide in animal form, use familiar, call it by name, use fylgia. It’s not that tough of a concept. 

Decolonise your magic. From my animist world view gods and spirits belong to the land. Native American and First Nation Tribes have longer roots in your land. I cannot fathom why a wannabe shaman wants to disrespects them. European gods are immigrants, like you, and I think you don’t have to disrespect and attack the native people in order to worship European gods. And that’s what you do when you colonise your magic.

I live in Europe. I have a fylgia. Were I Native American, I might call it a spirit animal, were I Siberian, I might call it a spirit animal. I am not. I might have a clan animal, if I have a clan. I have a fylgia. If I would selfidentify as a witch, I would call it a familiar. Why do people insist on stealing from these communities? They live, they believe, they have been robbed. Why keep insisting on robbing? They use this term in their living tradition, traditions that survived colonisation. Why NOT support them in that little detail and respect that little term as THEIR term?

[systlin]

Could not have put it better. 

[lokavinr-blog]

Racismekritik får flere til at boykotte hedningelejr | Kristeligt Dagblad

Tilbedere af Odin og Thor holder deres første internationale sommerlejr i Danmark, men fremtrædende medlemmer deltager ikke

Translation:

(2009)

Worshipers of Odin and Thor hold their first international summer-camp in Denmark, but prominent members will not participate.

The list of participants in the first international summer-camp isn’t as long as it maybe could have been. Many prominent Danish members of Forn Sidr, which with 650 members is the most well-known Ásatrú organization in Denmark, have decided to stay home from the summer-camp after a long conflict over racism.

Forn Sidr, which initially helped to organize the summer-camp, had invited the American Ásatrú organization Ásatrú Folk Assembly or AFA.

But it is considered racist by several Ásatrú organizations, and therefore both Norway and Sweden, and later the Netherlands, threatened to boycott the camp if the invitation was not withdrawn.

Forn Sidr decided to do so, but simultaneously left the organizing group because they did not want to stand in the way of the summer-camp that had been underway for several years.

So says the international organizer in Forn Sidr, Søren Fisker, who is at the same time a member of the American organization:

- In my world racism is negative discrimination on the basis of race or religion, and that is not the case here. Swedes and Norwegians think the AFA is racist because the leader wrote in an article that there is more to genes than physical characteristics. He believes the “Northerner” is predestined to practice Ásatrú in contrast with, for example, people from Africa, says Søren Fisker.

He has no problem being a member of a group that many see as racist, but others believe that Forn Sidr being linked with the American group is a problem. The case has led to a series of resignations from within the Danish Ásatrú community…

The moral of this story: If most Scandinavian Ásatrúar think you’re doing it wrong– so much so that they are willing to boycott Scandinavian Ásatrú events if you are there– you are probably doing it wrong. 

[thorsvinur]

Reblogging again.

[gothiarminius-deactivated201812]

Yup, pretty much

[sweet-child-of-odin-deactivated]

“If they stand behind you, give them protection. If they stand beside you, give them respect. If they stand against you, show them no mercy.”

- unknown

As heathens I believe we should hold this quote dear to our hearts as we do the Virtues and The Havamal. This helps to remind us to fight for who we love and for the ones who are unable to do so, to fight alongside our kinsmen and give them the respect as a warrior deserves, and finally, to show those who attempt to dishonor us that we will not fall, we will not stumble, and we will rise up to victory for we are Heathens. We are tried and true and we are together in any battles we may have. We will always overcome the struggles and together hold our heads in pride, toast our mead in glory, and remember the tales for all time.

[moved-to-seithmathr]

germanic/norse heathenry discord server

yo, so i’m making a discord server for germanic/norse heathens, and i vow to take the best care i can in making sure that no nazis or other bigots are able to join. i’d love to be able to talk to you guys about our religion and exchange ideas, upg, theories, and whatever else, so if you want to be added, please shoot me a message with your discord username (with the number that’s next to your username in your settings) on my main or personal, or an ask, and if you check out okay i’ll add you to the server. :)

i’d also really appreciate it if you read my byf before you send a message asking to join. i’m really tired of having to search through blogs just to find stuff that’s on my byf because people completely ignore it.

EDIT: if you like or reblog this post, i’ll check out your blog and send you an invite, which you are obviously not obligated to accept if you don’t want to.

EDIT 2: i’d like for this server to help foster a sense of community among like-minded heathens, so i’d like to keep it relatively small and chill. please only ask for the join link if you actually intend to use the server to talk to other people. (though, if you need to just lurk for a while because of anxiety, that’s totally fine. as long as you’re planning on talking eventually, it’s cool.)