girlwithomens

[girlwithomens]

Related, for beginners that don't know where to start: pick something. Anything. And just fucking do it. Keep notes on the process and whether or not you were successful. Use your critical thinking skills. Don't wait for anyone to tell you what you should be doing because only you know what you need.

Take some fucking initiative, Jesus Christ.

[girlwithomens]

tarot cheat sheet✨

[girlwithomens]

📚 A Witch’s Book 📚

there are a lot of different names for a witch’s personal book, which can define what type of book it is. a witch might have multiple books, or just one. however, you don’t need to have one singular book for each topic, it’s perfectly acceptable to keep everything in one book.

📚  GRIMOIRE / AGYR - a book of spells and other knowledge

📚  BOOK OF SHADOWS - a wiccan term for a witch’s book

📚  BOOK OF MOONS -  spells and knowledge relating to moon magic

📚  BOOK OF TIDES - a book of sea witchcraft and related knowledge

📚  BESTIARY - lists and accounts of the creatures/spirits you encounter

📚  DREAM JOURNAL - records of your dips into the astral plane

……..and many more types, whatever you like!

things you might want to include in your witch’s book:

rituals / offerings ideas

moon cycle notes

sabbats / rituals

chants / prayers / quotes

astrology notes

spiritual correspondences 

herb and crystal associations

recipes / spells / notes on spell results

divination board illustration

tarot readings / notes / spreads

[girlwithomens]

Witch Tip

the-eye.eu is a huge public database that has countless free PDFs of all sorts of occultist books and grimoires. Go forth and read.

[girlwithomens]

My solution to this problem is offer some water from your brita. I use a brita because I live in london and I don’t trust that water ngl. Offering some of that water is similar to the Ancients offering fresh spring water. Filtering water takes time and money. By offering some of what I have I am giving a resource I need to put work into to make it clean, just like drawing water from a well takes effort.

Why water is not a "lazy" offering

Water was a requested topic and there was plenty of ways to tackle the topic. I’ve chosen this angle of approach because I know I’ve seen some people struggle with the idea. So let’s talk about it and give some context: if you’ve grown up with the luxury of always having had access to clean water, it’s something you take for granted. I urge you to think of the last time the water was shut off in your house for any reason and how it impacted your comfort.  

Water in Ancient Greek life The Ancient Greeks did not have running water directly in their homes. In Athens, the first hydraulic project is dated between 546 and 527 BC. The city was supplied in water: they had functional lavatories, functional aqueducs and water pumps but those were public commodities, not private ones. In fact, Plutarch tells us that Solon, an Athenian statesman between the 7th and 6th century BC, encouraged individuals to build their own wells if they lived in an area that was not sufficiently supplied and had the right to ask their neighbor for about 40 liters of water a day and make provisions in case of need (Plutarch, Solon, 23).  Water safety was a legitimate concern, as it depended on the clemency of weather and could be jeopardized in emergency situations like wars.

The philosophy of water by Thales of Miletus (626/3-548/5 BC) Without going into the details of Thales’ thought, he theorized the idea that water was the fundation of matter and thus, is the first principle. It is through Aristotle that we know of this hypothesis. While a lot of the theory is scientifically wrong, I think the theory serves its role in showing us how much water mattered as a substance essential to life.

On a religious level Spring water is potable. It is its greatest difference with sea water, which while abundant, is not drinkable. Poseidon, as the master of seas and Zeus as the bringer of rains play an essential part in the natural cycle of water. Lack of water has catastrophic consequences on living things, and the Ancients knew that they relied on Zeus’ rains for their crops to grow, for their springs to be filled, for their cattle to feed and drink.

So when the Ancient brought water to the altar as an offering, they brought something precious. They sacrificed a substance that they relied on for their own survival. They knew that water supplies were not infinite and that the rains bestowed by Zeus allowed for their well to stay full.

Considering water as a “lazy” offering is just the epitome of privilege. The privilege of not having to worry about your access to water, the privilege of not having to wonder if the water coming from your tap is clean or not. All while forgetting that access to potable water is still a problem today for many. If what you see when you think of offering water is the easiness of turning on your tap and tossing a glass on your altar, then you’ve forgotten what your offering means.

Sources: Terje Tvedt, Terje Oestigaard, A History of Water: Water and Urbanization, 2014

[girlwithomens]

witches by albert che

[girlwithomens]

Blessed Lughnasadh!

I hope you all enjoy Lammas! I’m going to see my family and although they are not pagan it still feels celebratory to me. I’m going to bake some bread tomorrow and do some spell craft tonight when I get back home.

It’s also my cats birthday, and yes his name is Lughnasadh 😂

[girlwithomens]

a whole bunch of other people have responded to this and answered these questions, but im gonna do it to lol 

1. you do not have to believe in Wicca to be a witch. there are witches from all walks of life! agnostic, atheist, hellenistic, kemetic, christian, etc etc. Remember! Not all Witches are Wiccans, and not all Wiccans are Witches. 

2. you absolutely do not have to have your ultimate aim be connection with deity. My ultimate aim is not connection with deity. My aim is connection to the earth and her cycles. My aim is connection to myself, and progression of my character and spirit. Remember what I said about there being atheist witches? 

3. This can be a really hard one. I struggled with this a lot when I started working with deity. I find that the best way for me personally is to begin almost a ritual before conversations or other interactions. I meditate and completely clear my mind (or as much as possible). I have a particular space I visualise when talking to deity, for me its a small hill covered in wild flowers, bushes and trees hanging with fruit, and you can hear the murmuring of a small brook nearby. Once I am there I wait for the deity to arrive, whoever it may be. I find that I can tell that Someone is speaking to me because I can feel them around me. Like when you have your eyes closed and you can swear someone is walking towards you. That’s when I know. 

4. Absolutely! Mix whatever you want (as long as you are not appropriating or stealing) and make it work for you. This is your path after all, no one else will be surrounding you as you walk it, criticising your every step.

5. All magick is compatible. And really, all the labels that follow that pattern of sub typing your craft (sea witch, forest witch, storm witch, yada) are more for aesthetic then anything. Sometimes people find it helpful to subtype them in that way but you don’t have to. I’m eclectic, which means I do whatever I feel I should be doing at any given time. Sometimes I work with spirits, sometimes I work with the weather, sometimes I don’t do shellwork at all! 

6. There are no consequences to not being ‘out’. As long as your intent is focused and you are confident in your own abilities, your magick will work. Trust yourself, and don’t feel pressured to come out of the broom closet before you are ready. Intent is all internal and all you really need.

7. I don’t really have any recommendations for that, I’m sorry. I began learning a long time ago but there are lots of recommendations on this thread as it is. 

8. If you are prescribed meds, take them. Remember that there is a lot of witchy stuff you can do to help calm yourself. Ground and centre, meditate. Practice mindfulness. And if you feel unable to perform a ritual or spell, then don’t force yourself to do it. You can postpone, it’s fine. Nothing is going to happen if you put it off and give yourself time to change, well, you’ll probably cast more powerful magick if you hold off until you feel better, but that’s it. (The last bit applies to my fellow physically unwell witch folx out there too!) 

As someone getting into the craft I have some questions I'd be really grateful if someone answered:

Do you have to be a believer in Wicca to practice witchcraft or can you practice seperately of the religion?

Do you have to have the ultimate aim of connecting with a deity or deities?

If you do connect with a deity, how can you differentiate between them and your own intrusive/compulsive/other self-disruptive thoughts?

Can you take a mix from different pathes or are you expected to choose one path?

Are there interests/types of magic that aren't compatible? eg. green and sea witchcraft

Does being closeted and trying to be discreet negatively impact intent? Are their consequences to not being "out"?

Do you have any book, blog or podcast recommendations for beginner witches?

Do you have any advice for mentally ill beginner witches?

[girlwithomens]

“The path isn’t a straight line; it’s a spiral. You continually come back to things you thought you understood and see deeper truths.”

— Barry H. Gillespie

[girlwithomens]

The Witch’s Code of Chivalry 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝒾𝒻𝒾𝑒𝒹

Your actions will be returned to you so you should discipline yourself and think your actions through.

There is divine within you, and it is only by attunement to the divine that you will be freed to live among the gods as one of them.

Be true to yourself.

Your oaths are scared, make them sparingly and never break them.

We cannot know the full truth of another, so don’t talk badly of others.

Do not gossip. It is most often a lie. 

Be honest with others, and let them know you expect honesty in return.

Don’t get whirled up in the heat of the moment as it’s not always easy to tell truth from false. Keep your head.

Think about the affect your actions will have on others and always try not to do harm, including harm to yourself.

When joining a coven/group of others, find out their traditions and abide by the principles they expect of others and themselves.

Dignity, graciousness, and good humour are the most admirable qualities a witch can have.

You are a witch so you are powerful, and you grow in power as you grow in wisdom. Use your power when necessary and be careful with it.

Those that are remembered were brave and had honour.

Find worthy friendships with people you can be loyal to and help learn, and who will be loyal to you and help you learn. 

Keep the path of fellow witches secret and treasure them if you are honoured enough to have them shared with you.

Do not preach your craft and/or religion to others. They will find their own way when they are ready. 

Never behave with immorality. 

Follow the laws of the country you live in (”where possible and within reason”).

Have pride in yourself and love yourself, “For the Lady asks “How canst thou honor another unless thou give honor to thyself first?” (or put another way ‘if you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else? ᶜᵃⁿ ᴵ ᵍᵉᵗ ᵃⁿ ᵃᵐᵉⁿ’).

Remember that you are a witch and that you have direct communication to the gods who chose this path for you. 

This is the Witch’s Code of Chivalry from "Magical Rites from the Crystal Well" by Ed Fitch published in 1984, which was a small magazine. 

Now the reason I call this ‘simplified’ is because Ed Fitch used a lot of flowery language in the original publication. So to make it a bit easier I cut it down and made it to the point. As such I may have a different way of interpreting his language to other people, so if you disagree with me thats totally valid, this is just my interpretation. You can read the original code here with all the poetry included. 

IMPORTANT NOTE - You do not have to follow this to a T if you don’t want to, much like with, well, everything in witchcraft. Take what you agree with and do with it as you want. I just find it a super interesting set of guidelines, if you will. 

[girlwithomens]

Mythic Literalism

Welcome to “How living in a christian culture makes being pagan difficult” episode 473.

American Christianity(and I would assume western Europe too but I don’t know) tends toward viewing their myths(bible stories) as literal. Exodus, the Flood, the 12 plagues. I grew up Roman Catholic and was taught that all of these things were literally true. I went to CCD for a decade and was told every Sunday that there was a real flood.

The problem with this is obvious. There’s never been proof of a flood, nor plagues, nor a large number of people fleeing Egypt. But in our culture, myths must be literal. This causes problems in everyday life as well. Science denial is rampant among many Christian groups. But this also causes problems for those of us who convert into a polytheist/pagan tradition.

You can see this painted in neon all over Neo-Hellenic polytheism, specifically with male deities such as Zeus and Poseidon. I can’t really blame new pagans for this either, because they’ve been told that myths are literal and the myths show those gods doing what in modern day we would say is unapologetic evil.

The problem is that myths should NEVER BE TAKEN LITERALLY. Mythic literalism is an entirely Christian(I don’t know about Jewish and Islamic faiths) view. It doesn’t have a base in European polytheism. Greeks didn’t believe it, neither did the Norse, nor the Celts.

Myths range anywhere from historical sagas(The Iliad) to cultural explanations(the kidnapping of Persephone) to possible revisionism(the Eddas) to straight up fanfiction! There was a festival in Greece honoring the Muses where stories and plays would be made up about the gods to be performed. The good ones would stick around and be performed regularly because they were popular. That’s were many of the Greek myths come from.

So the myths aren’t literal. We know Loki probably isn’t literally tied up in a cave somewhere because he has hundreds of followers who interact with him daily. Hera isn’t the crazy ex-girlfriend/wife trope because none of the stories were literal. The stories about Zeus are genuinely a product of their time because that’s what human men in his position were expected to do, so when people wrote stuff about him they fit him into the standard cultural role of the male head of house.

In a sense we have the same stories today. A lot of our current fiction about the Greek gods show Hades as a tired administrator with an impossible job that he pulls off with 12 hour days, no breaks, and a metric ton of caffeine. Is Hades literally sitting in an office chair chugging redbull while reading a report from one of the Furies? No. These stories are entertaining, and that’s why we have them.

So, work through the baggage that living in an Evangelical Christian culture has left us all with at your own pace, and when you’re ready, the gods will welcome you.

Here is an all round better explanation.

[girlwithomens]

Hey, re: the meds post, I get that you probably mean antidepressants, anxiolytics, ADHD meds and so on, but... Not ALL psych meds have no influence on your magical practices. There are entheogens, and there are drugs that do the exact opposite. Most notably antipsychotics, because the way they work is by shutting down your frontal lobe, the part that does pattern matching - and that's really important for magic.

No no, I said what I said.

It’s easier to do magic when you are more stable as a person, so take the medications prescribed to you by health professionals.

I didn’t say meds have no effect; I said that being more mentally stable is beneficial, and I fuckin well meant it.

[girlwithomens]

Embrace the Magick within 💙💙

[girlwithomens]

The Witch’s Code of Chivalry 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝒾𝒻𝒾𝑒𝒹

Your actions will be returned to you so you should discipline yourself and think your actions through.

There is divine within you, and it is only by attunement to the divine that you will be freed to live among the gods as one of them.

Be true to yourself.

Your oaths are scared, make them sparingly and never break them.

We cannot know the full truth of another, so don’t talk badly of others.

Do not gossip. It is most often a lie. 

Be honest with others, and let them know you expect honesty in return.

Don’t get whirled up in the heat of the moment as it’s not always easy to tell truth from false. Keep your head.

Think about the affect your actions will have on others and always try not to do harm, including harm to yourself.

When joining a coven/group of others, find out their traditions and abide by the principles they expect of others and themselves.

Dignity, graciousness, and good humour are the most admirable qualities a witch can have.

You are a witch so you are powerful, and you grow in power as you grow in wisdom. Use your power when necessary and be careful with it.

Those that are remembered were brave and had honour.

Find worthy friendships with people you can be loyal to and help learn, and who will be loyal to you and help you learn. 

Keep the path of fellow witches secret and treasure them if you are honoured enough to have them shared with you.

Do not preach your craft and/or religion to others. They will find their own way when they are ready. 

Never behave with immorality. 

Follow the laws of the country you live in (”where possible and within reason”).

Have pride in yourself and love yourself, “For the Lady asks "How canst thou honor another unless thou give honor to thyself first?" (or put another way ‘if you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else? ᶜᵃⁿ ᴵ ᵍᵉᵗ ᵃⁿ ᵃᵐᵉⁿ’).

Remember that you are a witch and that you have direct communication to the gods who chose this path for you. 

This is the Witch’s Code of Chivalry from "Magical Rites from the Crystal Well" by Ed Fitch published in 1984, which was a small magazine. 

Now the reason I call this ‘simplified’ is because Ed Fitch used a lot of flowery language in the original publication. So to make it a bit easier I cut it down and made it to the point. As such I may have a different way of interpreting his language to other people, so if you disagree with me thats totally valid, this is just my interpretation. You can read the original code here with all the poetry included. 

IMPORTANT NOTE - You do not have to follow this to a T if you don’t want to, much like with, well, everything in witchcraft. Take what you agree with and do with it as you want. I just find it a super interesting set of guidelines, if you will. 

[girlwithomens]

Your deities hear you.

They hear every prayer. They hear every question, every wish, every whisper that is meant for them.

Even if it feels like there’s no one there sometimes. Even if it feels like your prayers aren’t being answered.

They hear you. They love you. They understand you. You don’t need to hear them for this to be true.

[girlwithomens]

✨ Friendly Reminder ✨

If you converted to witchcraft/paganism/wicca and miss a particular routine from your old religion you can totally incorporate it into your path! For example, mala beads instead of a rosary. Or even simpler, say a grace/blessing/thank you over your food, make evening prayers before bed, etc. Make your path work for you! 

[girlwithomens]

Looking for witchy blogs!

Please reblog if you’re an active witch blog! We follow the majority of witches if you post witchy content.

After just coming back to this blog after 2 years most of the blogs we followed weren’t active anymore so we need to have more active witches on our dash!

Please don’t reblog if:

you post weed and/or drugs

you’re a TERF / SWERF / rad fem / gender critical

you’re involved in cgl/ddlg/mdlb/mdlg and any related kinks

you take part in appropriation (and know that it’s appropriative)