Wicked🐈‍⬛Witch 🍄Dude🍄

Im Sy a 38 year old male witch with and Celtic pagan from England. Air🌬️ Libra♎ , Horror fanatic and Fantasy author. Elder Scrolls, D&D and magic the gathering. Feel free to message me or ask for my discord. 🦉🎃🍁🌱🦊🌳🖤🌪🐍🍃🍂🪶🦇

[wicked-witch-dude]

Right you lot! so I'm trying to make some new witchy friends. If anyone is a practicing witch and they see this and fancy a chat feel free to say hello. Also trying to find some new British people to chat to so if you fell under these two categories please say hello lol! (Coming across abit desperate there) Also horror fans and Halloween lovers! 🎃💚🏴‍☠️🤘🏻🇬🇧🧟‍♂️👻

[wicked-witch-dude]

Wishing everyone a Merry Samhain and a happy Halloween.

🎃🐈‍⬛🦇💀🦇🐈‍⬛🎃

[dionysianivy]

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬

Anubis: God of death, mummification, cemeteries, funerary rites, embalming, protector of graves and tombs, psychopomp, guiding souls to the Underworld (Egyptian)

Hel: Goddess of the underworld and death, ruler of the dead (Norse)

Hades: God of the dead, ghosts, necromancy, funeral rites, king of the Underworld (Greek)

Morana: Goddess of winter, rebirth, death, dreams (Slavic)

Keres: Female spirits (daimones) of violent or cruel death (battle, accident, murder, disease) (Greek)

Yama: God of justice, death, underworld, judgment of souls, afterlife, ghosts (Hindu)

Persephone: Goddess of the underworld, Queen of the dead (Greek)

The Morrígan: Goddess of war, fate, death, destiny, destruction (Celtic)

Hecate/Hekate: Goddess of the underworld, darkness, death, necromancy, ghosts, crossroads, spirits, and magic; guide of souls, intermediary between the living and the dead, holder of the keys to the Underworld (Greek)

Cailleach Bheur: Goddess of winter, storms, death (Celtic)

Thanatos: God and personification of non-violent death, psychopomp guiding souls to the Underworld (Greek)

Izanami: Goddess of death, motherhood, creation (Japanese)

Mors: Goddess and personification of death and darkness (Roman)

Kali: Goddess of death, time, rebirth, destruction, transformation (Hindu)

Ammit: Goddess of the afterlife, death, underworld, execution (Egyptian)

Hermes: Psychopomp god, guiding dead souls safely to the Underworld (Greek)

Osiris: God of the underworld, death, rebirth, resurrection, judge of the dead, afterlife (Egyptian)

Pluto: God of the underworld, wealth, the dead (Roman)

Mictlantecuhtli: God of death and the underworld (Aztec)

Mictecacíhuatl: Goddess of death and the underworld (Aztec)

Dionysus: God of madness, savagery, death and rebirth, transcender of death, associated with reincarnation and the eternal soul, embodiment of the assurance of life after death (Greek)

Melinoe: Goddess of ghosts, restless spirits, the dead, nightmares, funerary rites, fear and madness (Greek)

Odin: God of death, war, wisdom, knowledge, battle (Norse)

Veles: God of the underworld, death, protector of souls, psychopomp, spirit communication (Slavic)

Yanluo Wang: Ruler of Diyu (underworld), God of death (Chinese)

Charon: Psychopomp, ferryman of the underworld, carrier of souls with funeral rites (Greek)

Ereshkigal: Goddess of death, Queen of the underworld (Mesopotamian/Sumerian)

Makaria: Goddess of blessed death, peaceful afterlife (Greek)

Donn: God of the dead, psychopomp guiding souls to the afterlife (Celtic/Irish)

Freyja: Goddess of fertility, death, love, war (Norse)

Namtar: God of disease, fate, death (Mesopotamian)

Nephthys: Goddess of death, mourning, night, magic (Egyptian)

Badb: Goddess of war, death, prophecy (Celtic)

Arianrhod: Goddess of stars, death, moon, reincarnation, psychopomp (Celtic/Welsh)

Nehebkau: Primordial serpent God of the afterlife and funerary rites (Egyptian)

Gefjon: Goddess who oversees those who die as virgins (Norse)

Nergal: God of war, plague, the underworld (Mesopotamian)

Anput: Goddess of funerals and mummification (Egyptian)

Meng Po: Goddess of death and rebirth, who gives souls the drink of forgetfulness before reincarnation (Chinese)

[harvestmoss]

theantleredcrown on instagram

[wicked-witch-dude]

First post in a while.

[minavampyra]

It’s spooky time!

[5bi5]

I can't believe my dream house exists but some guy from Massachusetts already lives there??

[wicked-witch-dude]

Happy Litha and a summer solstice to all!! 🌻🐝☀️🐝🌻

[gokbukesstuff]

Shout out to all men witches out there y'all underrated

[grymrot]

Animal materials and their correspondences

Antlers :

Strength, endurance, masculine energy, (it can symbolise the horned god), protection, strong connection nature and the earth element, deflecting hexes/baneful energy, hope

Horns :

Wealth, the home, determination, aggressive protection, connection to that which is man made, cursing/hexing

Wings :

Adventure, deviating from the norm, sending/receiving messages, travel, starting a new adventure/path, hope, luck, wishes, comfort, (the type of bird would also affect the correspondences)

Chicken feet :

Wisdom, work, loyalty, connection to one’s property/land, safe keeping of the home, the fire element, (other bird feet can be used as well but may have slightly different correspondences)

Fur/feathers :

Creativity, warmth, connection to the air element, shielding from negative energy, protection, invisibility/hiding, warding (again, the type of animal affects the correspondences)

[thisishalloween1331]

Vintage Halloween aesthetic 🎃👻

[wicked-witch-dude]

Blessed Ostara everyone 🌷🪺🐇🪺🌷

[mooncraftmagick]

🌼Welcome March🌼

As the days grow longer and lighter, Spring begins to stir from her winter slumber.

A time of rebirth and renewal awaits. Sending March magick to you and your loved ones. 💙💙

Image by Amanda Clark.

#mooncraftmagickstore #magick #wiccaaltar #gaia #nature #winter #wicca #wiccaaltar #pagan #paganaltar ##wheeloftheyear #manifestation #moonmagick #goddess #nature #magickaltools #herbsoftheearth #toolsofthecraft #blessings #moonphases #rituals #marchmagick #thegoddess #beginnings #newbeginnings #spring #springawakening #marchmagick #rebirth

[wicked-witch-dude]

Have you ever played Tiny D6?

I havnt! How is it? Is it any good?

[wearetheweirdos-mr]

Pagan Discrimination

Discrimination towards Pagans mainly started with the rise of Christianity. Christians believed the practice of witchcraft was devil worshiping and associated Pagan deities with the antichrist (the Celtic deity Cernunnos is a major reason Satan and demons are often portrayed with stag antlers)

They turned things like Pentacles and Pentagrams that represented balance to things that represented evil. Deities like Cernunnos that represented nature and wild things to representing devils. The whole practice of witchcraft was turned into devil worshiping when we didn't even believe in their devils.

By demonizing witchcraft, society's views of witches have been very deluded. Usually people picture cranky old women with warts and hooked noses (which is racist btw) instead of the actual witches just trying to practice their beliefs.

A lot of it is also very misogynistic, as Pagan cultures valued both their women and men equally and women could hold positions of power.

And during the witch trials, more women were accused and executed because they were "more likely to be tempted by the devil." Especially widows and outspoken or activist women.

In Europe, an estimated 50,000 people were killed for suspected witchcraft. How many of these were actual Pagans is irrelevant because it's impossible to know, but the goal was still to eliminate witches.

To this day, there's still stigma around witchcraft and witches are frequently misrepresented in media.

It'd be bad if that was it, but it's not.

There's still plenty of stealing our holidays and traditions.

Christian holidays were placed around the time of Pagan holidays to make conversion easier. Christmas is during Yule and took a lot of Yule traditions, St. Brigid is based on an Irish god and her feast is during Imbolc, All Saints Day and now Halloween is during Samhain, etc.

St. Patrick's day isn't based on any Pagan holiday, but it still manages to erase Pagans. St. Patrick is famous for converting Ireland to Christianity, and driving away the "snakes" (which were a metaphor for Pagans).

What's even funnier is that today we associate the day with images of Leprechauns, which are a type of Celtic fae (Pagan creatures from another realm). But of course that isn't recognized.

Many types of fae have been separated from faeries (elves, dwarves, and many others). But I could talk about that for hours, let's save that for another post.

Christians managed to demonize Pagan symbols, deities, and traditions they didn't like, and take the ones they did for their own religion. Effectively erasing people's idea of Paganism and Pagan traditions and practices.

This is why it's so important to spread awareness. To share Pagan traditions and practices so people know what it really is. And to spread awareness as to how Christians buried us. Please reblog if you care about Pagans.

[wolverinesorcery]

UNBLENDING CELTIC POLYTHEISTIC PRACTICES

Celtic Umbrella

This lesson is largely focusing on the insular Celtic nations & Brittany (Ireland/Eire, Scotland/Alba, Wales/Cymru, Cornwall/Kernow, Isle of Man/Mannin, & Brittany/Breizh) - traditionally regarded as 6 out of the 7 Celtic nations. Galicia/Galizia is the 7th, but because of a mix of the below + my own lack of knowledge, I won't be covering them.

The vast swath of Continental Celtic cultures are a different but equally complex topic thanks to extinction, revival, varying archaeological artefacts and the work of modern practioners to piece unknown parts back together.

This will serve as a quick 'n' dirty guide to the insular Celtic nations, Celtic as a label, blood percentages and ancestry, the whats and whys of "Celtic soup", and how to unblend practice.

The insular Celtic groups are split into two language groups: Brythonic languages and Gaelic languages.

Brythonic languages are Cymraeg/Welsh, Kernewek/Cornish, & Breton

Gaelic languages are Gàidhlig/Scottish, Gaeilge/Irish, & Gaelg/Manx.

The language split leads to certain folkloric and religious figures & elements being more common within the language group than without. All of these nations had historic cultural exchange and trade routes via the Celtic sea (and beyond). Despite this, it is still important to respect each as a home to distinct mythologies.

Pros/Cons of a broad Celtic umbrella

Pros

- Used within celtic nations to build solidarity - Relates to a set of cultures that have historic cultural exchange & broad shared experiences - A historic group category - Celtic nations’ culture is often protected under broad legislation that explicitly highlights its ‘Celtic-ness’.

Cons

- Can be used reductively (in academia & layman uses) - Often gives in to the dual threat of romanticisation/fetishisation & erasure - Conflates a lot of disparate practices under one banner - Can lead to centring ‘celtic american’ experiences. - Celtic as a broad ancestral category (along with associated symbols) has also been co-opted by white supremacist organisations.

In this I’m using ‘Celtic’ as a broad umbrella for the multiple pantheons! This isn’t ideal for specifics, but it is the fastest way to refer to the various pantheons of deities that’ll be referenced within this Q&A (& something that I use as a self identifier alongside Cornish).

What about blood % or ancestry?

A blood percentage or claimed Celtic ancestry is NOT a requirement to be a follower of any of the Celtic pantheons. The assumption that it does or is needed to disclose can feed easily into white supremacist narratives and rhetoric, along side the insidious implications that a white person in the USA with (perceived or real) Celtic ancestry is 'more celtic' than a person of colour living in a Celtic region (along with other romanticised notions of homogenously white cultures).

Along side this, a blood percentage or distant ancestry does not impart the culture and values of the Celtic region or it's recorded pagan practices by itself. Folk traditions are often passed down within families, but blood percentage is not a primary factor within this.

Connecting with ancestry is fine, good, and can be a fulfilling experience. It stops being beneficial when it leads to speaking over people with lived experiences & centres the USA-based published and authors - which can lead to blending/souping for reasons further on.

What is 'soup'?

Celtic soup is a semi-playful term coined by several polytheists (primarily aigeannagusacair on wordpress) to describe the phenomenon of conflating & combining all the separate pantheons and practices from the (mainly) insular Celtic nations into one singular practice - removing a lot of the regionalised folklore, associated mythos, & varying nuances of the nations that make up the soup.

Why does it happen?

The quick version of this is book trends and publishing meeting romanticisation and exotification of Celtic cultures (especially when mixed with pre-lapsarian views of the Nations). It's miles easier to sell a very generally titled book with a lot of Ireland and a little of everywhere else than it is to write, source and publish a separate book on each.

This is where centering American publishers and authors becomes an issue - the popular trend of USA-based pagan publications to conflate all celtic nations makes it hard to find information on, for example, Mannin practices because of the USA’s tendency to dominate media. Think of Llewellyn’s “Celtic Wisdom” series of books.

It has also been furthered by 'quick research guides'/TL;DR style posts based on the above (which have gained particular momentum on tumblr).

The things that have hindered the process in unblending/"de souping" is the difficulty in preserving independently published pamphlets/books from various nations (often more regionalised and immediately local than large, sweeping books generalising multiple practices) along with the difficulty of accessing historic resources via academic gatekeeping.

All of this has lead to a lack of awareness of the fact there is no, one, singular Celtic religion, practice or pantheon.

Why should I de-soup or unblend my practice?

Respecting the deities

It is, by and large, considered the bare minimum to understand and research a deity's origin and roots. The conflation of all insular Celtic deities under one singular unified pantheon can divorce them from their original cultures and contexts - the direct opposite to understanding and researching.

Folklore and myth surrounding various Celtic deities can be highly regionalised both in grounded reality and geomythically - these aren't interchangeable locations and are often highly symbolic within each nation.

Brú na Bóinne, an ancient burial mound in Ireland, as an entrance to the otherworld of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Carn Kenidjack & the Gump as a central site of Cornish folk entities feasts and parties, including Christianised elements of Bucca’s mythology.

The Mabinogion includes specific locations in Wales as well as broad Kingdoms - it’s implied that Annwn is somewhere within the historic kingdom of Dyfed, & two otherworldly feasts take place in Harlech & Ynys Gwales.

Conflating all celtic pantheons under one banner often leads to the prioritisation of the Irish pantheon, meaning all of the less ‘popular’ or recorded deities are sidelined and often left unresearched (which can lead to sources & resources falling into obscurity and becoming difficult to access).

Respecting the deities

Deities, spirits, entities, myth & folklore are often culturally significant both historically and to modern day people (just average folks along with practitoners/pagans/polytheists and organisations) located in the various Nations

A primary example is the initiatory Bardic orders of Wales and Cornwall.

Desouping/Unblending makes folklorist's lives easier as well as casual research less difficult to parse. The general books are a helpful jumping off point but when they constitute the bulk of writing on various Celtic polytheisms, they become a hinderance and a harm in the research process.

A lot of mythology outside of deities & polytheisms is also a victim of ‘souping' and is equally as culturally significant - Arthurian mythology is a feature of both Welsh and Cornish culture but is often applied liberally as an English mythology & and English figure.

Celtic nations being blended into one homogenous group is an easy way to erase cultural differences and remove agency from the people living in celtic nations. Cornwall is already considered by a large majority of people to be just an English county, and many areas of Wales are being renamed in English for the ease of English tourists.

How can I de-soup?

Chase down your sources' sources, and look for even more sources

Check your sources critically. Do they conflate all pantheons as one? Do they apply a collective label (the celts/celts/celt/celtic people) to modern day Celtic nations? How far back in history do they claim to reach?

Research the author, are they dubious in more ways than one? Have they written blog articles you can access to understand more of their viewpoints? Where are they located?

Find the people the author cites within their work - it can be time consuming but incredibly rewarding and can also give a good hint at the author's biases and research depth. You may even find useful further reading!

Find primary sources (or as close too), or translations of the originating folklore, e.g The Mabinogion. Going to the source of a pantheon’s mythos and folklore can be helpful in discerning where soup begins in more recent books as well as gaining insight into deities' actions and relationships.

Ask lots of questions

Question every source! Question every person telling you things that don't define what pantheon or region they’re talking about! Write all your questions down and search for answers! Talk to other polytheists that follow specific Celtic pantheons, find where your practices naturally overlap and where they have been forced into one practice by authors!

Be honest with yourself

There’s no foul in spreading your worship over several pantheons that fall under the celtic umbrella! A lot of polytheists worship multiple pantheons! But be aware of the potential for soup, and make sure you’re not exclusively reading and working from/with sources that conflate all practices as one.

If you approach any Celtic polytheistic path with the attitude of blood percentage or 'ancestral right', stop and think critically about why you want to follow a Celtic polytheistic path. Is it because it's the most obviously 'open' path to follow? Is it a desire to experience what other folks experience? Being critical, turning inward, and really looking at yourself is important. Originally posted in the Raven's Keep discord server

[p1nk-sanri0-deactivated20230214]

IMBOLCﾟ. ｡*ﾟ🌨🕯🦌🌱

February 2nd

Other names: candlemas

Imbolc is the celebration of light, new growth & rebirth. It is the halfway point between yule and ostara.

🌱Colors: red, green, brown & yellow.

🕯Crystals: garnet, ruby, bloodstone, onyx, amethyst, moonstone & carnelian.

🦌Herbs/incense: rosemary, basil, cinnamon, sandalwood, blackberry, frankincense, bay leaves, myrrh & vanilla.

🌱Altar: seeds, bells, candles, pinecones & brigids cross.

🪺Spellwork: cleansing, new beginnings, creativity & candle magick.

🕯Activities: cleaning, simmer pots, making a brigid's cross, start planning your garden for spring & nature walks!

🦌Symbols: sheep, brigid's cross, candles, the sun, corn dolls, seeds & besoms.

🌱Foods: bread, milk, honey, scones & soups.

🪺Imbolc simmer pot - orange slices, blackberries, cloves, basil & bay leaf.

~ p1nk-sanri0🌿🌸✨️🔮🧚🏼‍♀️🎀🪻

[ecowitchescoven]

Second sabbat : Imbolc

Hi! It's almost Imbolc and I'm so excited! Imbolc is a very special sabbat for me because it's also when I started practicing 6 years ago. I'm so gratefull that i found this path and all that it has brought in my life!

Symbolism : Imbolc marks the half way point of winter. The days are already longer than what they used to be and they will keep getting longer. The warmer days will also soon be there! The fire within us is slowly awakening and the hopes and dreams that formed in the dead of winter are transforming into passion and motivation. It's at this moment that we start establishing our plan for our dreams and wishes for this year. At this sabbat, it's time to define your yearly projet. What do you want to focus your energy on this year? It can be related to your word for the year or not! It can be a clear and defined projet or a more abstract one. It can literally be anything you want. It just has to be big enough so you can work on it all year long! So let's start to gently activate ourselves !

Colors : Red, white, silver, gold, orange, yellow, pale green

Foods : Dairy products, walnuts, hazelnut, almonds, oats, scones and pastries, tea, camomille, lavander, honey, etc.

Spellworks intentions and ingredients : Yearly manifestations, creativity, passion, motivation, spells using fire, candles, cinnamon, tea or coffee, melting ice, etc.

Journal prompts :

What do I want to focus on for this year? What projet do I want to invest time and energy in for this year ?

Whats are some actions that I can do to bring me closer to my goals and dreams?

Activities : Planning a projet, doing a vision bord, organising and researching information about your projet, doing what fires up your creativity, etc.