The Witch in a Wheelchair

Chronicling the learning process and development of a solitary witch who happens to also be a quadriplegic.

[wheelchairwitch]

My Samhain and Halloween Masterpost

I did a lot of posts for Samhain this year, so I wanted to create a masterpost in case you missed anything or you don’t want to go back and hunt. I tried to cover a variety of topics. Kitchen witchcraft, spells, and rituals are the big ones.

If you guys like me sharing things we do in my tradition like this, I can build another masterpost for Yule and later Imbolc. Let me know what you guys want to see. My family tradition is very much Celtic polytheism or I suppose what some are calling Celtic reconstructionism today. I don’t know. I just know I’m sharing the things I was taught by my Irish, Scottish, and French ancestors through my grandmother, my mother, and what I developed on my own from their teachings.

I hope you guys find this helpful.

General Information

Truth About Samhain And Halloween The Importance Of Apples At Samhain Method For The Samhain Altar Don’t Forget Pets At Samhain And Halloween

Recipes

Remembrance Cookies Colcannon Barmbrack Soul Cakes Fairy Spice Cakes Vegan, Gluten-Free Simple Pumpkin Soup The Banshee Mulled Wine Samhain Potion (Mulled Wine Or Cider)

Rituals and Spells

Candle Wax Divination Fire Divination My Ancestor Remembrance Ritual A Simple Way To Observe Samhain Feeding The Dead Releasing Negativity At Samhain Protection From Undesired Spirits Or People

Costume Tutorials

Sarah Sanderson From Hocus Pocus Masquerade Or Superhero Mask

[wheelchairwitch]

Please go check out the 40% off sale happening on my shop right now. Prices will never be lower than this, otherwise I’d be taking a loss on the work I do. By shopping indie artists like me, you’re helping us support ourselves. The sale includes art prints as well as spirit guide, past life, and regular art commissions. Good until 11:59 pm EST on February 15.

My shop: www.etsy.com/shop/ArtByJessicaJewett

[wheelchairwitch]

"Get your striped backside off my altar! Stop playing with my skull! Boy! I'm gonna get you! You're about to be part of next year's Samhain tribute!"

Things you yell at your cat when you're a Southern witch.

[wheelchairwitch]

Witch Cottage No. 2 (5x7)

This is a print of my own piece of art. Its No. 2 in my Witch Cottage series. The scene draws heavily from 18th century and 18th century inspiration. The shelf containing herbs, magical books, mirrors, portraits, and other items suggests that the cottage is home to a witch. While

Hey pagan fam! Make sure you pick up my Yule art for your altar or wall! This link takes you to the 5x7 size for $10 but I also sell it in 11x17 for $20. Grab it in time for Yule!

Here’s the bio on my Etsy profile:

Fine artist, Jessica Jewett, has one philosophy: "Live fabulously with a wheelchair and a paintbrush." She was born with a condition known as Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita. Due to the circumstances of her birth, she is a quadriplegic who has no meaningful use of her hands. She want ed to be an artist like her mother and grandmother but that wasn’t always considered possible. There was no one to teach Jessica, so she took matters into her own mouth before she could read or write. Learning to paint and draw was in her from such an early age that she taught herself to do both with the tools utilized in her mouth instead of hands. An art style developed as Jessica grew into adulthood focused on history. She is a devoted student of women’s history, the American Civil War, the French Revolution, and so forth. Those subjects heavily influence her art, making her style much more classical than modern. She is a portraitist and also makes an artistic record of endangered historical places. Besides being an artist, she is also an author. Her publications range from historical fiction to paranormal nonfiction and poetry. She is also a pagan – a Celtic polytheist – and intuitive reader with divination tools like tarot cards and scrying mirrors. Much of her artistic endeavors reflect her spirituality as well as her love of history, almost creating a Southern Gothic aesthetic. Whether charcoal pencil, colored pencil, watercolors, or oils, Jessica has a varied approach to art.

[wheelchairwitch]

My altar for Samhain was assembled today. Here it is. The table was a little small for my needs, so we put it up against the bookshelf to get some more space. All the photos are my maternal family, plus a few other souls I’ve taken in along the way. I also have divination objects, my grimoire, a state of my household deity, a jar of graveyard dirt, and a few stones that belonged to family members that passed. I don’t really use stones in my craft very often but they belonged to family and this altar is about honoring them.

[wheelchairwitch]

My friend made a Twitter account called Altar cats. You can submit cute, spiritual, funny, or accident photos of your cats being wonderful renaissances on and around your altars. The account was just created today!

Link: www.twitter.com/AltarCats 

Give it a follow and submit your cats!

[wheelchairwitch]

My Samhain and Halloween Masterpost

I did a lot of posts for Samhain this year, so I wanted to create a masterpost in case you missed anything or you don’t want to go back and hunt. I tried to cover a variety of topics. Kitchen witchcraft, spells, and rituals are the big ones.

If you guys like me sharing things we do in my tradition like this, I can build another masterpost for Yule and later Imbolc. Let me know what you guys want to see. My family tradition is very much Celtic polytheism or I suppose what some are calling Celtic reconstructionism today. I don’t know. I just know I’m sharing the things I was taught by my Irish, Scottish, and French ancestors through my grandmother, my mother, and what I developed on my own from their teachings.

I hope you guys find this helpful.

General Information

Truth About Samhain And Halloween The Importance Of Apples At Samhain Method For The Samhain Altar Don’t Forget Pets At Samhain And Halloween

Recipes

Remembrance Cookies Colcannon Barmbrack Soul Cakes Fairy Spice Cakes Vegan, Gluten-Free Simple Pumpkin Soup The Banshee Mulled Wine Samhain Potion (Mulled Wine Or Cider)

Rituals and Spells

Candle Wax Divination Fire Divination My Ancestor Remembrance Ritual A Simple Way To Observe Samhain Feeding The Dead Releasing Negativity At Samhain Protection From Undesired Spirits Or People

Costume Tutorials

Sarah Sanderson From Hocus Pocus Masquerade Or Superhero Mask

[wheelchairwitch]

American Witchlore

While perhaps not as widely told, there are amazing bits of history and folklore regarding Witchcraft in America. And so, I would like to present you with three of my all-time favorite stories from American Witchlore.

[witchofhollyhill]

So, not that it’s a big deal or anything, but it looks like my ggggrandad/ggggreat uncle MET A FUCKING MERMAID.

Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD. 

“There was a mermaid seen in Ringabella about one hundred years ago. She came very near the shore. She was dressed in all colours. She was comping her hair. She had lovely long white hair. The man that saw her is dead now. His name was John Desmond. He is living in Ringabella. She did not speak to him. She wore six gold rings around her hair. Another day he saw her sitting on the rocks and she was singing songs. She was half a fish and a half a woman. She had a face as white as a sheet. When she would be coming of the rocks she crept on her hands. My name is Alice Wood. I live in the townland of Ballindeasig. my uncle told me this story. His name is William Foley, Ballindeasig.”

I’ve been exploring the Irish Folklore Collection, which has only recently been digitised (see my post on Unearthing Ireland’s deepest fairy secrets), and found this - an actual Mermaid siting in my family’s home village of Ringabella, Co. Cork. And as if that’s not amazing enough, my maternal family line was called Desmond. How fucking cool is that?

This archive is a gift in so many ways. Whether you’re a folklorist, catholic, historian, archaeologist or witch, you’re going to find gold. These incredible recollections serve to remind us that we live, and have always lived, one small step from the edge of the veil.

I can feel my Auntie Máire (bless her soul) reaching for her rosary…

National Folklore Collection, UCD.

[magpica]

Banishment Spell: “Keep my name out of your mouth.”

This spell is for witches that have had to deal with certain people tarnishing their names, perhaps by spreading rumours or spilling secrets.

In this angry little spell you need…

Preferably a black candle (I didn’t have one and wanted to get this done ASAP, I tied a black ribbon around a white tealight)

A dish or bowl to hold your candle and ingredients

A photograph of your ‘target’

Cayenne pepper - Commonly used for banishment and protection

Peppermint - For cleansing and banishment

First, lay down your pan/dish/bowl/etc and add the cayenne and peppermint.

Place the candle on top of it and light it, putting all of your negative energies towards the flame.

Take your photograph, and use tongs to hold it over the flame. If you can’t acquire a photo, you can write their full name onto blank paper and use that instead. As the paper burns, focus your intentions - “you do not speak my name.”

When the photo is reduced to ash, mix it in with the other ingredients. Now you can either bottle it and hide the jar away, or you can throw it to the wind and let it carry away your burdens.

[vvitchdiaries]

New Moon Sept. 9th

With the New Moon approaching us this weekend I thought I would give a little spiel on what the New Moon signifies, how to honor/celebrate it, magic you can perform under a New Moon and how I personally honor the New Moon.

New Moon Significance 

rebirth

initiation 

new beginnings 

detoxifying 

growth 

New Moon Celebrations

Of course there are endless ways to celebrate the New Moon according to your personal practice. Some common themes that I see are meditation, cleansing your mind and body, cleaning your physical space/home, or starting a new endeavor.

New Moon Magic

divination

cleansing ritual tools

spells for growth 

spell for banishing harmful things 

spells for strength

How I celebrate the New Moon

My personal celebration of the New Moon lasts for the entire day and night that the moon is in this phase. I was born under a New Moon so this phase is particularly close to my heart. I like to always cleanse my ritual tools under the moon and clean up my room and bathroom. Throughout the day I look for opportunities to channel the energy the moon provides in my activities and make an effort to advance as much as I can. In the evening I typically do a ritual for strength and new things to prepare myself for the new Lunar Cycle. 

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful New Moon!

Ceraphina

Image credit to owner

[peachesandsweetflowers]

Don’t forget the Apples

I know Fall is the season of Pumpkin but apples also are prominent in Fall and I don’t want to forget about them.

They happen to me my favorite part of Fall🍁🍎

[wheelchairwitch]

I’m working on a method of dressing candles if you have mobility impairments. This has been a big issue for me and I figured it would be an issue for other practitioners with disabilities too. As soon as I work out a safe way to do it, I’ll post directions for you guys.

I hope everyone has been doing well. All my love.

[wheelchairwitch]

UPDATE: An experiment ended with me eating dried lavender by accident. I continue to work on figuring out this conundrum. Ignore random explosions and swearing over the city of Atlanta.

[wheelchairwitch]

I’ve decided not to post my opinions on Tumblr about news matters anymore. I’ll post my Pagan-inspired art, my craft experiences, things about spirits, things I’m doing here at home, etc., but Tumblr is too volatile a place for wider views. If you veer slightly from the majority opinion, people launch at you like a pack of wolves. This is not me being mopey or pitiful. This is me choosing to avoid controversy because I’d rather keep my blog positive and a place where we can exchange experiences, not argue over right and wrong. So there we go. I choose to keep this a place for ideas and positivity in the future. I hope you understand where I’m coming from on this one.

[madcat-world]

Reading Ghost - IrenHorrors

[belladonianoir]

[saffronlungs]

🌿🍂Woodland Retreat🍂🌿 Somewhere I’d like to be right now.. Encased by nature, the smell of camp fire in my hair and a full moon overhead