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Restarted my money bowl, you know what that means!

[Smash cut to me standing and watching a bunch of things burning in a bowl for nearly ten straight minutes]

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Nazis will never be welcome in paganism. They have no space in our communities, we will have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to nazis. You have no right to the cultures, gods and religions you hijack to spread your disgusting ideologies. You will find no refuge or comraderie amongst pagans.

Reblog to let nazis know they’re not welcome here.

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My period?? That's definitely a curse.

Migraines?? I'm cursed today!!

My roomies inability to remember to turn off the stove when she's done cooking?? A curse.

My partners weird infliction of never being able to put down a blanket without it tangling?? Curse.

Everyone's got tiny curses. No one's gotta cast them but they are curses to me now

Ykw?? Imma start calling inconveniences curses now.

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Ykw?? Imma start calling inconveniences curses now.

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I drew some dividers inspired by Greek goddesses, feel free to use them if you like it! (credit given would be appreciated)

Hera

Hestia

Demeter

Aphrodite

Athena

Artemis

Persephone

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Okay, okay, so many of you wanted more stuff with Helios

Take him 🧑‍🍳✨

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Why is Wicca not a preferred way of practice? I’ve read a couple of posts, and Wicca isn’t favored.

Moral puritanism and performative outrage, plain and simple. There's nothing inherently wrong with Wicca or Wiccans. Some people in the community just aren't doing the work and seem to think that decolonizing our thinking begins and ends with screaming BOYCOTT at anything they deem even remotely reprehensible.

Let's do some of the work and dig a little deeper, shall we?

The main complaint is that Wicca started with people who had problematic worldviews and has had some growing pains and issues with racism, sexism, cultural appropriation, and bad actors in the community as it has evolved, reaching into the present day.

But here's the thing - SHOW ME A RELIGION THAT DOESN'T HAVE THESE PROBLEMS SOMEWHERE IN ITS' HISTORY OR CURRENT CULTURE. GO AHEAD, I'LL WAIT.

It's neither fair nor reasonable to judge a religion based on its' beginnings, or to dismiss the ability of a community to grow and evolve over time, or to pretend that the modern witchcraft movement doesn't owe a large part of its' existence to Wicca. Like it or not, if it weren't for Wiccans, we wouldn't have the kind of organization or recognition that we do, nor would we have had certain landmark legal cases that led to pagans being able to claim the protection of law against religious discrimination in the States.

(And because someone somewhere is going to demand the encyclopedia answer - This is not to discount the contributions of other groups, but the historical fact remains that the people responsible for the foundations of Wicca kickstarted the movement in the UK and subsequent practitioners brought it into public view in a positive light during the counterculture movements of the 1950s and 1960s. And it was Wicca that was first pagan religion in the US to be recognized and therefore included under the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. This does not change the CULTURAL AND SOCIETAL response to witchcraft or paganism, or the problems that witches and pagans still face in other places, only the presence of civil rights that were not there before. And that has, in fact, contributed to an increase in wider normalization and acceptance. We may not owe EVERYTHING to Wicca and Wiccans, but we would not be where we are as a movement or a community without them.)

Not to mention, Wicca hasn't even been around for a whole century yet and already it's being judged like it has the same kind of cultural and political clout that, oh say, Christianity does in much of the Western world. And it's no coincidence that a good number of the criticisms leveled at Wiccans are the same ones flung at Christians.

Wicca DOES have a strong influence on modern witchcraft, because Wicca and Wiccans were such a big part of the foundation of the movement. Furthermore, many of the published works viewed as standard beginner texts were written by Wiccans or heavily influenced by Wiccan ideas and concepts. Admittedly, there was a tendency for quite some time to think of Wicca and Wiccan tenets as the default for modern witchcraft, and now that we're moving away from that and discovering just how much of our thinking relies on that framework and the ideas present within it, there's backlash happening.

It's important to try and decolonize your thinking as much as possible when it comes to witchcraft. But that involves more work and more effort than just pointing fingers and broadly condemning anything remotely problematic or anything that's ever been touched or influenced by people whose moral and ethical codes don't pass muster under a modern lens. We cannot and should not expect people from 50+ years ago to toe the line when people living today can't even do so reliably.

So to wrap it all up - there's nothing wrong with Wicca and there's nothing wrong with being Wiccan. We are none of us completely unproblematic and until we address the fact that issues with racism, sexism, manipulation, cultural appropriation, and so forth exist in MANY parts of the modern witchcraft and pagan community, we don't get to tar and feather any one group. A bit of critical thinking and self-reflection, and a great deal of Knowing Our Own History, is the key to moving forward here.

Because until the people voicing these complaints most loudly can realize the head-splitting irony of condemning Wicca in one breath and celebrating the Wheel of the Year or venerating a Maiden-Mother-Crone-model goddess in the next, we're not actually getting anywhere.

Anyway, I hope this helps to answer some of your questions. For more information, I highly recommend reading Margot Adler's "Drawing Down The Moon" and Ronald Hutton's "Triumph of the Moon" for a more comprehensive overview of the history of the modern witchcraft movement. Both are written from an outside scholar's perspective and are presented as research rather than rhetoric. Part of knowing where we are and deciding where to go next is knowing where we started and where we've been, after all.

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I did a tarot reading for the first time in years just to see if I still had it and I do! Of course

But uggghhh.. this morning Aphrodite ripped me a new one.

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Harvest

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Small Aphrodite altar / pocket shrine inspiration 🐚🤍🪞💒

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Kitchen Altar

Items needed: wooden cutting board, small cauldron or small cast iron pot, dried bay leaves, potted herbs, wooden spoon, herbal incense/and holder, clear quartz, tiger’s eye and carnelian crystals, a jar full of salt and dried herbs and an orange or red candle.

There is so much magic to be found through cooking and working with many types of food, herbs and spices. Growing up, much of our family time surrounded food and meals. For our family, it was a form of “ritual”. We would gather for many reasons, share a meal and then sit at the table for hours laughing and enjoying each other’s company so for me kitchen witchery was a natural extension of the “magic” that happened around the table.

Pick a small corner of your kitchen where you can set up an altar that will help you to focus when you are in the kitchen preparing food for your loved ones.

Start with a wooden cutting board and in the centre of the altar place a small cauldron, perhaps one that you don’t use or a cast iron small pot of some sort. Place some dried bay leaves into the cauldron to represent protection and success.

Keep a couple of your favourite potted herbs on your altar to represent abundance (basil and mint work well). They will be charged with positive energy as they sit on the altar and add that extra magic to your cooking. A wooden spoon is placed to the left as a connection to our foremothers or caretakers and all they did for their families. Herbal scented Incense is also placed alongside the spoon using an incense holder. Place a piece of clear quartz crystal, tiger’s eye and carnelian to the right of the cauldron. Clear quartz is a stone that can help keep you grounded while you are working your “magic” in the kitchen. The tiger’s eye is a stone for protection and abundance. Carnelian is for creativity. Place a jar nearly full of salt and dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, and basil. You want to be able to shake up the jar so leave some room at the top. These represent protection, wisdom, remembrance, healing, cleansing, strengthening and abundance at the bottom of the cauldron. OR fill it with dried beans, rice and seeds to represent abundance. The other piece to this altar is adding a candle that is either orange or red to represent the “fire” of your cooking. Prior to the start of creating your meal, light the candle and light your incense. Take a couple of minutes just to focus your mind and energy on the act of creating a meal full of love. You can say a little kitchen prayer or a quick chant such as: “I ask the Divine to bless my cooking and help me to infuse it with vitality, love and healing. Protect me as I work and bring me clarity in my endeavours. Thank you and Blessed Be” After you have completed your cooking say thank you to the Divine and make sure that the candle and incense have been extinguished. Depending on your tradition, you may want to take a small portion of your cooked food to use as an offering. You can place your offering outside for the Divine and all it’s creatures.

The scent of food is such a big part of enjoying food and stimulating our senses so that we do enjoy our food that much more. For many cultures, food is an integral part of their lives. It is the time for families to reconnect and share their love and energy with and for each other. The food is infused with a loving energy that is consumed by each member and through this we are connected to each other.

The photo below is an example of a kitchen altar.

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Good Evening! 🌙✨ Are you ready to infuse a dash of magic into your daily culinary adventures? Welcome to the whimsical world of Kitchen Witchery—a delightful blend of spell work, herbalism, and culinary enchantment! 🌿🧙‍♀️✨

🍲 Basic Ingredients for Your Magical Pantry:

Herbs: Rosemary for protection, basil for love, and mint for healing. Experiment with your favorites!

Spices: Cinnamon for prosperity, ginger for energy, and nutmeg for luck. Let your taste buds guide your magical choices!

Crystals: Place a few on your kitchen windowsill for added energy. Clear quartz, amethyst, and rose quartz are popular choices.

🌈 Setting Up Your Kitchen Altar:

Choose a Sacred Space: Designate a corner of your kitchen for magical workings. A windowsill, shelf, or small table works wonders!

Magical Tools: Incorporate a cauldron, candles, and small bowls for herbs and crystals. Personalize it with items close to your heart.

🕯️ Candle Magic in the Kitchen:

Color Magic: Choose candle colors aligning with your intentions. Green for abundance, white for purification, and red for passion.

Enchant While Cooking: Stir your intentions into soups, sauces, and stews. Feel the magic in every motion!

🍵 Brewing Magical Teas:

Create Tea Blends: Mix herbs like chamomile, lavender, and mint for relaxation or energy. Sip with intention and let the magic steep into your soul.

🌕 Harvesting Moon Energies:

Full Moon Feasts: Plan magical meals during the full moon for amplifying energy. Charge crystals and herbs under the moonlight for added potency.

📚 Witchy Wisdom:

Start a Grimoire: Record your magical experiences, recipes, and discoveries. It’s your personal book of kitchen enchantments!

Experiment & Trust Intuition: There are no strict rules in kitchen witchery. Trust your instincts, and let your intuition guide your magical creations.

🌻 Infusing Love into Every Bite:

Cook Mindfully: Turn cooking into a meditation. Infuse your dishes with gratitude, love, and positive energy.

Share the Magic: Share your enchanted meals with loved ones. The joy of kitchen witchery multiplies when shared!

🌿 Nature’s Bounty:

Grow Your Own: Cultivate a small herb garden or keep potted plants in your kitchen. Nothing beats the magic of using homegrown herbs!

Remember, dear beginner kitchen witch, your journey is as unique as the flavors you create. Embrace the magic in simplicity, trust your instincts, and let the cauldron of your heart stir up spells of nourishment and enchantment! 🌈🌟💖 ✨����🔮

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Charging & enchanting Jewelry

This is something I recently began doing when I decided to begin my journey to becoming my Highest Version. So get whatever jewelry you have and wear, I use rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets (can be those cute friendship ones) and I just smoke cleanse it. I'm not picky on the incense, I use traditional ones from my religion, I use eucalyptus. Anything really. Smoke cleanse it and find a dish or a plate or anything to keep it on. I have repurposed an ashtray that I cleaned and cleansed. then after that, I get each jewelry one by one, place it on the palm of my hand and cover it my other hand. I visualize and think on what I want to charge and enchant this jewelry with. In my case, I charged it with confidence and beauty, the feeling of confidence and the feeling you get when someone compliments you. I charged it and visualized that energy surrounding and coating the jewelry. Do this one by one you're done.

The dish I place on my altar and every evening after a day of using my jewelry, I place it back in there to recharge. And when I tell you this works! I've gotten such a confidence boost. I used to be terrified of telling restaurant waiters to cancel orders or that they got my order wrong (simple things but effective), I used to have horrible social anxiety. But once I began charging my jewelry, I was able to speak out, speak in public. I actually impulsively decided to enter a poetry contest without realizing that I had to read it out loud to the judges. I was terrified but I managed to do it! The giddiness that rushes in you after doing something you never you thought you could is amazing!