#Wiccan death spell

[lifeanddeathcustoms]

It's always been present, but recently over the years I've had incredible phenomena of psychic energy grace me... circumstances that leave me shaken because it's happened so suddenly, unexpected - yet expected?

A small moment happened a week ago while I was looking for pomegranates... I was heavily focused on which one weighed the most, how big they were - just being my strange normal self... As then a vision shows two police officers walking into the store (behind me quite a distance) & a voice within that split second savs "two police just walked in" - So I turned my head to look behind me & I must've turned paler than I already am & I gasped & turned my head back around quickly (as if that wasn't suspicious). But what was I doing wrong? Absolutely nothing!

But I started to feel unbelievable anxiety & I knew they were going to come near where I was, only to turn around & they are directly behind me grabbing some stuff to buy... I could feel them though. It was as if I could feel their energy & presence. I kept imagining how I have nothing wrong with me aside from a knife I carry with me & I haven't done anything, so why am I feeling this? - Shortly after they had made their way further into the store & I heard a voice say "Thank god they are gone" as I questioned my own self as though who just said that & why did I care in the first place... & why/how did I know they came into the store when I couldn't have by any possible means.

Do you experience paranormal, psychic, haunted or strange energy?

[brookepricer]

Daily Spell: October 4th

Storm Spell to Ease Your Grief

You’ll Need:

An empty bowl

A black glass bottle

In parts of Scotland, this time of year is associated with a legendary figure known as the Cailleach. she brings storms and destruction, but in her wake, life and hope always return. If you are grieving for someone* or something that is no longer in your life, use the energy of an October storm to help you move on.

Place the bowl outside on a stormy night to gather rainwater. In the morning, pour the water into the bottle and take it to a place that reminds you of the person for whom you mourn. Hold the bottle close to your heart, and say “[NAME], you are absent but always remembered, you are mourned but always loved, you are gone but always honored.”

Pour the water in a circle around you, working in a clockwise direction, saying “I will remember you, I will love you, I will honor you. To do these things, I will allow myself to move forward and live again.”

When you have finished, take a moment to say goodbye, and return home.

-

“Daily Spellbook for the Good Witch: Quick, Simple, and Practical Magic for Every Day of the Year,” by Patti Wigington 

*If you're grieving for someone who has passed away, you can place the bowl on the person's grave to gather your rain water, and collect it the next day.

[diana-thyme]

The Ultimate Grimoire Guide

So! I have been seeing a ton of grimoire ideas and thought I’d stuff them all together. A lot of ideas are from @manifestationsofasort, @banebite, and @pigeonflavouredcake. Check them out! They have a ton of cool stuff there.

What Do I Use For My Grimoire?

You can use anything for a grimoire! For a physical one, journals, binders, and notebooks are good. For digital ones, Notion, Tumblr, Docs, and even just your file folder are great.

Introduction

A Book Blessing

Table of Contents

About Me

Your Current Path

Your Personal Beliefs

Your Spiritual Journey

Superstitions

Past lives

Favorite Herbs/Crystals/Animals/Etc.

Natal Chart

Craft Name

How You Entered The Craft

Astrology Signs

Birthday Correspondences (birth tarot card, birth stone, etc.)

Goals

Safety

Fire Safety

What Not to Burn

Toxic Plants & Oils (to humans, plants, animals)

Crystals That Shouldn’t Be Put… (in sun, in water, etc.)

Things That Shouldn’t Be In Nature (glass, salt, etc.)

Potion Safety

How to Incorporate Blood in Spells

Smoke Safety

Wound Care

Biohazards

Core Concepts

Intention & How It Works

Directing Energy

Protection

Banishing

Cleansing

Binding

Charging

Shielding

Grounding

Centering

Visualization

Consecration/Blessing

Warding

Enchanting

Manifestation

Meditation

What Makes A Spell Work

Basic Spell Structure

What Not To Do In Spells

Disposing Spell Ingredients

Revitalizing Long Term Spells

How To Cast Spells

What To Put In Spells

Spell Mediums (jars, spoken, candle, sigils)

Spell Timing

Potion Bases

Differentiating Between Magick and Mundane

Common Terms

Common Symbols

Intuition

Elements

Basic Alchemy and Symbols

Ways To Break Spells

Laws and Philosophies

Correspondences

Herbs & Spices

Crystals & Rocks

Colors

Liquids & Drinks

Metals

Numbers

Tarot Cards

Elements

Trees & Woods

Flowers

Days

Months

Seasons

Moon Phases

Zodiacs

Planets

Incense

Teas

Essential Oils

Directions

Animals

Symbology

Bone Correspondences

Different Types of Water

Common Plants

Entities

Deities You Worship

Pantheons

Pantheons & Deities Closed to You

Common Offerings

Epithets

Mythos

Family

Worship vs Work

Prayers & Prayer Template

Altars

Deity Comms

Devotional Acts

Angels

Demons

Ancestors

Spirit Guides

Fae

Familiars

House, Animal, Plant, Etc. Spirits

Folklore Entities

Spirit Etiquette

Graveyard Etiquette

Boundaries

Communication Guide & Etiquette

Spirit Work Safety Guide

How Entities Appear To You

Circle Casting

Common Offerings

Altars

Servitors

Mythological Creatures (dragons, gorgons, etc.)

Utility Pages

Gazing Pages

Sigil Charging Station

Altar Pages

Intent Pages

Getaway Pages

Vision Boards

Dream Pages

Binding Page

Pendulum Board

Crystal Grid

Throwing Bones Page

Divination Pages

Mirror Gazing Page

Invocation Pages

Affirmation/Manifestation Pages

Spirit Board Page

Other Practices

Practices That Are Closed to You (Voodoo, Hoodoo, Santeria, Brujeria, Shamanism, Native Practices)

Wicca and Wiccan Paths

Satanism, Both Theistic and Non-Theistic

Deity Work

Religious Paths (Hellenism, Christianity, Kemeticism, etc.)

Animism

Types of Magic/Spells

Pop Culture Paganism/Magic

Tech Magic

Chaos Magic

Green Magic

Lunar Magic

Solar Magic

Sea Magic

Kitchen Magic

Ceremonial Magic

Hedge Magic

Death Magic

Gray Magic

Eclectic Magic

Elemental Magic

Fae Magic

Spirit Magic

Candle Magic

Crystal Magic

Herbalism

Glamours

Hexes

Jinxes

Curses

Weather Magic

Astral Magic

Shadow Work

Energy Work

Sigils

Art Magic

Knot Magic

Music Magic

Blood Magic

Bath Magic

Affirmations

Divination

Tarot Cards

Oracle Cards

Playing Cards

Card Spreads

Pendulum

Numerology

Scrying

Palmistry

Tasseography

Runes

Shufflemancy

Dice

Bibliomancy

Carromancy

Pyromancy

Psychic Abilities

Astrology

Auras

Lenormand

Sacred Geometry

Angel Numbers

Ornithomancy

Aeromancy

Aleuromancy

Axinomancy

Belomancy

Hydromancy

Lecanomancy

Necromancy

Oneiromancy

Onomancy

Oomancy

Phyllomancy

Psephomancy

Rhabdomancy

Xylomancy

Tools

Crystal grid

Candle grid

Charms

Talismans

Amulets

Taglocks

Wand

Broom

Athame

Boline

Cingulum

Stang

Bells

Drums

Staffs

Chalices

Cauldrons

Witches Ladder

Poppets

Holidays

Yule

Imbolc

Ostara

Beltane

Litha

Lammas

Mabon

Samhain

Esbats

Deity Specific Holidays

Religious Holidays (Christmas, Easter, Dionysia, etc.)

Celestial Events

Altars

Basics of Altars

Travel Altars

Deity Altars

Spirit Altars

Familiar Altars

Ancestor Altars

Self Altars

Working Altars

Self-Care

Burnout Prevention

Aromatherapy

Stress Management

Coping Mechanisms

Theories & History

Witchcraft history

Paganism

New Age Spirituality

Cultural Appropriation

Thelema

Conspiracy Theories

Cults

Satanic Panic

KJV

Witches in History

Cats in History

Transphobia in Witchcraft Circles

Queerness in Witchcraft Circles

Other

Recipes

How to Get Herbs

Foraging

Drying Herbs and Flowers

Chakras

Reiki

Witches Alphabet

Runic Alphabet

Guide to Gardening

Your Witch Tips

Resources

Other Tips

List of Spells

Cryptids and Their Lore

What is a Liminal Space?

[manifestationsofasort]

Things to put in your book of shadows

Of course, only put in your book of shadows/grimoire what you want. If you don't want to put certain subjects in your book then that's fine. It's your book, utilize it how you want. This is just a masterlist of ideas that I've put together. Feel free to add anything else to the list that I may have missed, because there's absolutely no way I included everything.

And for the love of all the gods, if you come across a closed entity or practice, don't try to work with the entity or practice if you're not already part of that group or tradition. You can research it but don't practice it.

+ A blessing and/or protection

+ A table of contents

+ About you:

Your current path

Your personal beliefs

Your spiritual journey

Favorite crystals/herbs/animals

Natal chart

Craft name

How you got into the craft

Astrology signs

Birthday correspondences (birth tarot card, birth stone, etc)

Goals (if you have any)

Anything other relating to your personal practice

+ Safety

Fire safety

What NOT to burn

Plants and oils that can be toxic to your pets

What crystals shouldn't be in water, sunlight, etc

Things that shouldn't be put out in nature (salt, glass, etc)

Potion safety

How to incorporate blood safely

+ Core concepts:

Intention and how it works

Directing energy

Protection

Banishing

Cleansing

Charging

Shielding

Grounding and centering

Visualization

Consencration/Blessing

Warding

Enchanting

Manifestation

+ Correspondence

Personal correspondence

Crystals and rocks

Herbs and spices

Food and drink

Colors

Metals

Number

Tarot card

Elemental (fire, water, air, earth)

Trees and woods

Flowers

Days

Months

Moon phases

Zodiac

Planets

Incense

Teas

Essential oils

Directions (north, south, east, west)

Animals

Local plants, animals, etc

Dream symbology

+ Different practices

Practices that are closed to you (some examples below)

Voodoo and Hoodoo **Closed**

Santeria and Brujeria **Closed**

Shamanism and native american practices **Closed**

Wicca and wiccan paths

Satanism, both theistic and non-theistic paths

+ Different types/practices of magick

Pop culture magick

Technology magick

Chaos magick

Green witchcraft

Lunar magick

Sea witchcraft

Kitchen magick

Ceremonial magick

Hedge witchcraft

Death witchcraft

Grey witchcraft

Eclectic witchcraft

Norse witchcraft

Hellenic witchcraft

Animism

+ Deities

The deity/deities you worship

Different pantheons (the main five are Celtic, Roman, Greek, Egyptian and Norse, all open)

Deities and pantheons that are closed to you

Common offerings

Their epithets

Their mythology

Their family

Deity worship vs deity work

Prayers and how to make your own

Deity communication guide

Devotional acts

Ways to get closer to them

+ Other spiritual entities

Angels

Ancestor work

Spirit guides

The fae

Demons

Familiars

House spirits, animal spirits and plant spirits

Other various folklore entities

Spirit etiquette

Cemetery etiquette

Setting boundaries with the spirits

Communication guide and etiquette

Grounding, banishing, protection and cleansing, aka: "Spirit work safety guide"

How they appear to you

Common offerings

Circle casting

+ Divination

Tarot cards

Oracle cards

Tarot and oracle spreads

Pendulum

Numerology

Scrying

Palmistry/palm reading

Tasseography (Tea leaf reading)

Rune stones

Shufflemancy (Shuffling of a playlist)

Dice divination

Bibliomancy (Randomly picking a phrase from a book)

Carromancy (Melted wax)

Pyromancy (Reading flames)

Psychic abilities

Astrology

Aura reading

Divination via playing cards

Lenormand 

Sacred geometry

Angel numbers

+ Other types of magick

Candle magick

Crystal magick

Herbalism/herbal magick

Glamour magick

Hexing

Jinxing

Cursing

Weather magick

Astral work

Shadow work

Energy work

Sigils

Art magick

Knot magick

Crystal grids

Color grids

Music magick

Charms, talismans and amulets

+ Spellwork

What makes a spell work

Basic spell structure

What NOT to do

Disposing of spell ingredients

Revitalizing long term spells

How to cast spells

What to put in spells (See correspondence)

Spell mediums- Jar spells, spoken spells, candle spells, sigils, etc

Spell timing

Setting up a ritual

Taglocks: What they are and how to use them

+ Holidays and Esbats

Yule

Imbolc

Ostara

Beltane

Litha

Lughnasadh/Lammas

Mabon

Samhain

The 12 full moons (Esbats)

How to celebrate

Deity specific holidays

+ Altars and tools

What they are

The different types and their uses (travel altar, working altar, deity altar, ancestor altar, etc)

What you can put on your altar

What you use your altars for

Common tools in witchcraft

How to use the tools

Food and drink

Common herbs in recipes

Sabbat recipes

Moon water: What it is and how to use it

Potion bases

Tea magick

How to get your herbs

Foraging

+ Mental health and self care

Bath magick

Affirmations

Burnout prevention

Aromatherapy

Stress management

Mental health coping mechanisms

+ History of witchcraft

+ Dream records

+ How to differentiate between the magickal and the mundane

+ Calendar of celestial events (Esbats, retrogrades, etc)

+ How to dry herbs and flowers

+ What chakras actually are and how they work within Hinduism

+ History and traditional uses of reiki

+ The witches' alphabet

+ The runic alphabet

+ Common witchcraft terms

+ Common symbols in witchcraft

+ Your own witch tips

+ Good witchcraft books and authors to avoid

+ Any online resources you utilize often

[thejournallo]

Explain the basic: The various practices

Let's dive into it right away!

Disclaimer: Everything I will talk about in this post is all information gathered from books and online research on affidable sites. Please be aware that when reading and learning about witchcraft, you have to have multiple sources of information to learn from. I will always be here teaching, but out there are people doing the same things! (have multiple sources to learn)

In my last post about witchcraft, I talked in a general way about what witchcraft has in itself and what there is to study and know. Now we are going to talk about the many ways a witch can practice, discover, or try along the journey of becoming a witch;

Wicca: Wicca is a modern pagan witchcraft tradition founded by Gerald Gardner in the mid-20th century. It involves the worship of nature and a dual deity, the god and goddess. Wiccan practices often include the use of rituals, spells, and the observance of the Wheel of the Year.

Traditional Witchcraft: Traditional witchcraft is a term used to describe various pre-modern and folkloric practices that have been passed down through generations. These traditions often focus on practical magic, herbalism, and working with spirits and ancestors.

Kitchen Witchcraft: Kitchen witches focus on magical practices that revolve around everyday activities, such as cooking, cleaning, and gardening. They believe that magic can be found in simple, domestic tasks.

Hedge Witchcraft: Hedge witches often work with the spiritual world and practice divination, trance work, and shamanic journeying. They are known for their ability to "hedge ride" or travel between realms.

Eclectic Witchcraft: Eclectic witches draw from various traditions and practices, creating a personalized and unique path that suits their beliefs and needs. They may combine elements from different traditions and adapt them to their own practices.

Shamanic Witchcraft: This combines aspects of shamanism with witchcraft. Practitioners may work with spirits and totem animals and engage in journeying and spirit work.

Ceremonial Magic: Some witches incorporate elements of ceremonial magic into their practices, including the use of complex rituals and symbols and the summoning of spirits or deities.

Solitary Witchcraft: Many witches prefer to practice alone and are known as solitary witches. They create their rituals, spells, and magical practices without belonging to a specific coven or tradition.

Green Witchcraft: Green witches focus on herbalism, plant magic, and nature-based spirituality. They often work with the energies of the Earth and its natural elements.

Hereditary Witchcraft: Some individuals claim to have hereditary witchcraft in their family, passed down through generations. These practices can vary widely but often emphasize the importance of family traditions and rituals.

Chaos Magic: Chaos magicians embrace a more experimental and eclectic approach to magic. They often believe that belief itself is a powerful tool for creating change.

Modern Witchcraft: In recent years, witchcraft has experienced a resurgence in popularity, with a focus on self-empowerment, feminism, and personal transformation. This modern form of witchcraft often incorporates elements from various traditions.

Obviously, as there are many types of practices, there are many types of magic:

Black Magic:Black magic, also known as "dark magic" or "left-hand path magic," is often associated with practices that are considered harmful, malevolent, or morally objectionable. It is believed to involve the use of supernatural forces or rituals to bring about negative outcomes, harm others, or achieve selfish or destructive goals. Examples of practices associated with black magic may include curses, hexes, necromancy, and invoking malevolent entities. These practices are often intended to cause suffering, illness, misfortune, or even death.

White magic: White magic, also referred to as "light magic" or "right-hand path magic," is typically associated with practices that are viewed as benevolent, healing, and morally acceptable. It involves using supernatural forces or rituals for positive and ethical purposes. White magic includes practices like healing spells, protection rituals, divination for guidance, and benevolent energy work. It aims to promote well-being, positivity, and the greater good.

Blood magic: Blood magic is a form of magic that involves the use of blood, either the practitioner's own blood or the blood of animals or other individuals, as a powerful and symbolic component in rituals and spells. Blood is believed to have a strong connection to life force and vitality. In blood magic, it can be used for various purposes, including sealing oaths, making pacts with supernatural beings, enhancing the power of spells, and connecting with ancestors or deities. (NOT EVERY DEITY WILL ASK YOU FOR BLOOD. THIS IS A TYPE OF MAGIC TO LOOK UP BEFORE YOU START. Blood is a POWERFUL intrusion.

Candle Magick: This type of magick involves using candles of different colors and inscribing them with symbols or intentions. The flame and wax are used as tools to manifest one's desires.

Sigil Magick: Sigil magick involves creating a symbol, or sigil, that represents a specific intention or desire. The act of creating and focusing on the sigil is believed to help manifest the desired outcome.

Crystal Magick: Crystal magicians work with the energies of crystals and gemstones to promote healing, protection, and other intentions. Each crystal is believed to have unique properties and energies.

Elemental Magick: This form of magick focuses on the elements (earth, air, fire, water, and sometimes spirit) and their corresponding energies. Practitioners invoke and work with these elements for various purposes.

Moon Magick: Moon magicians align their magickal practices with the phases of the moon. They believe that the different phases (new moon, full moon, etc.) have specific energies that can be harnessed for different purposes.

Divination: While not traditional magick in the sense of casting spells, divination practices like tarot, runes, astrology, and scrying are often used for seeking guidance and insight into future events or understanding the present.

Necromancy: This is the practice of communicating with the dead or working with the spirits of the deceased. It can involve mediumship, seances, and rituals aimed at contacting or influencing spirits.

As said before, you are in complete control of your journey to try and practice whatever type of magic, but be respectful of the ones that are religions or traditions like voodoo or hoodoo.

Hoodoo and Rootwork: These are African American folk magick traditions that blend African, Native American, and European influences. They often involve the use of herbs, candles, oils, and other materials for practical magic.

Voodoo and Vodou: These are Afro-Caribbean religions that incorporate magickal practices. They involve working with spirits, ancestor veneration, and ritual practices.

I added a little more of what I should have added as a priority, but I think this is all for now. In case I find anything new, I will add to it and try to explain as well as I can.

As always, have a wonderful day or night! I will love to know your thoughts, and I will be here in case you have any questions.

[alrightyfruits]

my theories of what will happen (spoilers/leaks below the cut, don't read if you don't want to be spoiled)

rio/death and her dynamic with agatha - some known facts about death from the comics that I find intriguing (taken from here):

death cannot die

death can also reverse that passage and return a being to life, but that rarely happens

unlimited ability to manipulate reality, time, space, matter, energy, or magic for any purpose

deaths relationship with thanos in the comics:

death lured thanos to the dark side, encouraged him from an early age to kill. she became his 'confidante', being the only one to know of what he was doing

thanos fell for death, but death rejected him. however, their bond grew. she tried to convince thanos that he enjoyed doing these horrible things, which he admitted

eventually, death reciprocates these feelings

why this applies to my theory:

I think they've mixed it up for the show, making agatha the focus for death instead of thanos

like thanos, agatha craved the power, and went to the extremes to gain more, to the point where she killed her own mother (like thanos did) for her power

I think that rio/death is mesmerised by agatha, by how far she will go for her own gain. I do think however, like thanos in the comics, she encouraged this darkness in her

I believe they had a relationship, and even had a child (which I'm gonna headcannon for now she gave to agatha with her powers)

death continued to watch in awe as agatha craved more and more power, plotting together to get the darkhold

they went down the witches road together with a coven, and got to the end of the road

there was the choice to take what they wanted most (the darkhold) but whoever was bargaining with them (I think mephisto) wanted nicholas to be his agent

I think that the trade was rejected by agatha, but death didn't intervene.

I think that death always knew the outcome of this, and knew she couldn't change the course. she knew that if they went on the road, there would be a trade, something she didn't tell agatha. but, as death, she couldn't intervene as it goes against her rules.

so despite the rejection, mephisto does the trade anyway, destroying agatha. agatha and death inevitably separate, explaining why agatha is so full of anger with her.

death still longs for agatha, and when agatha goes off the rails after losing her son, agatha craves the power, causing more death and destruction, bringing death back into the picture regularly.

Which brings me to my final part of the theory: Nicholas Scratch

he became an agent of mephisto, mephisto wanted him due to his powers. after all, he's the son of the most powerful dark witch (before scarlett witch) and death (if my theory is right)

he will be teens boyfriend. (I know this sounds unhinged but hear me out)

he was sent to keep an eye on teen (billy) and agatha. remember, if correct, billy is wiccan, son of scarlett witch, making him extremely powerful. to further add to my theory, boyf has been cast and is due to appear.

could mephisto want teen to be his agent of chaos too? using boyf as the one to encourage him?

could mephisto himself have put the spell on billy so agatha can't figure him out?

anyway that's what I'm feeling will go down, we'll have to see lol

[tiredwitchplant]

Everything You Need to Know About Fruits and Veggies: Apples

Apple (Malus domestica)

*Poisonous *Medical *Culinary *Feminine

Folks Names: Fruits of the Gods, Fruit of the Underworld, Silver Branch, The Silver Bough, Tree of Love

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Deities: Venus, Dionysus, Olwen, Apollo, Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Diana, Zeus, Iduna

Abilities: Love, Healing, Garden Magic, Immortality, Spiritual Development, Opening the Door Between Realms, Manifestation, Abundance, Hexing

Why Poisonous?:The seeds within apples contain chemical compounds that cause cyanide poisoning. Mild symptoms include: anxiety, headaches, dizziness, and confusion, while acute poisoning can cause high blood pressure, paralysis, coma or death. Do not consume a large amount of apple seeds at once.

Characteristics: The tree is small and deciduous, reaching 3 to 12 m tall, with a broad twiggy crown. The blossoms are produced during the spring while the fruit itself is matured in the autumn. The flowers are white with pink tinge that fades over time.

History: Originated in Central Asia with its ancestor plant, Malus sieversii which is a wild apple native to southern Kazakhstan. In the bible, it was used a symbol of temptation as it was the fruit that tempted Adam and Eve to be thrown out of the Garden of Eden. It is also known as a symbol of immortality, health, vitality, love and fertility by many religions. In Wicca, you cut an apple through its core to reveal the five-pointed pentagram that represents the four natural elements plus Spirit. It has been written that witches would use apples to hex and poison their victims, while the tree itself is sacred to Druids. The druids believed it was one of only two tress that would support their beloved mistletoes. On the Twelfth Night tradition, Pagans would sing to the tree, hoisting cheerful mug of wassail to drive wassail demons and coax out an abundant harvest for the Earth. It is also said that unicorns love to dwell in apple orchards and love the taste of the fruit. Before eating an apple, one must rub it to remove demon or evil spirits that maybe hiding inside.

How to Grow An Apple Tree:

Easy to Grow? No

Rating: Moderate/Expert

Seeds Accessible: Yes

How to Grow an Apple Tree

Video Guide

Where to Buy Seeds

Magical Properties:

On August 13th, Diana’s Festival in Greece (Venus’ in Rome) was celebrated where a ritual meal was prepared with apples still hanging on their boughs.

Wiccan altars are piled high on Samhain for apple is considered the food of the dead

Their blossoms can be used for love spells, sachets, brew and incenses

Can be used for love divinations by cutting the apple into two and counting the number of seeds

Banish illness by rubbing the apple on you and burying it

Eating an apple can help you gain immortality through wisdom

The wood of the tree can be made into charms for longevity

Apple wood makes for excellent magical wands, especially for emotional magic

Rubbing an apple peel on your forehead can waken your third eye, allowing your intuition to develop

Eating an apple or drinking apple tea can fill you with trust and abundance

Medical Usage:

Apple blossoms and the fruit are full of fiber, vitamins A and C, and quercetin, an antioxidant believed to help prevent cancer

Placing crushed apple leaves on a wound can prevent infection

Can lower the chance of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and promote weight loss and brain health

May help reduce airway inflammation related to allergic asthma

Sources

[clueless-fan-critic]

I'm a Sucker for Witches: Agatha All Along Episode 1 Reaction

Okay, it has been a while since watching a MCU tv show with the last one losing me. I mean, a spy show with the Skrulls? It was way too much work to sit through. But Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur hasn't finished Season 2, so I might as well get back into the MCU by watching the show that continues arguably one of the best MCU miniseries WandaVision.

First Episode Time!!!

We get a serial drama with Agnes Conners as the morally complex police detective who encounters a body in the woods. As the show progresses, we get to see how the lines of fact and fiction are blurring, revealing that Agnes, aka Agatha Harkness, was trapped in Wanda Maximoff's spell as the nosy neighbor. Upon Wanda's death, it seems the spell was losing hold over Agatha's mind and finally freed. But only to realize that she's completely powerless with witches wanting revenge against her. The ending/title sequence clearly make it clear that it's all about the witches of the MCU and their collective history.

It Was Agatha All Along!!!

The first episode really gripped me with whether or not Agatha was actually going crazy or that the spell was becoming undone upon Wanda's death. They established that Wanda's death in the Doctor Strange movie took place around three years after the Hex and Agatha's imprisonment. Meaning, Wanda's spell was weakening or fading. It's also establishes key points such as the destruction of the Darkhold copies, as well as some allusions to the fictional reality that Wanda created based on Agatha's demeanor. It puts out a lot of necessary info but doesn't feel like info-dumping for the sake of the MCU algorithm. Okay, moving on.

The new characters portrayed by Joe Locke and Audrey Plaza make a big impression with each sharing some connection with Agatha. The returning Westview residents make it clear they were aware of Agatha and played along to avoid trouble, still clearly shaken by the trauma as Wanda's puppets in the Hex.

One standout scene was Agatha slowly going into her previous personas in the Hex: Modern, early 2000s, 80s, 70s, and finally 60s. It felt like she was clawing her way into remembering who she was while clearly confused and distressed as she might be going crazy.

Quick Theories/Thoughts

The show is building up to what happens at the end of the Witches' Road and what might be in store for Agatha and her coven. I think Agatha will gain her powers to some capacity and might discover a much bigger threat than the Scarlet Witch.

I also hope there's some confirmation on Joe Locke as Billy Kaplan in the show because people have been mislead in the past with the whole Mephisto debacle and Fake Quiksilver. This could establish an adaptation of the Children's Crusade featuring the Young Avengers. And may finally give us one step closer to Wiccan and Hulkling. I just hope they can do justice by them while also putting a good spin on what kind of characters they are in the MCU.

[profwemakapo]

death spells call +27719567980

[doves-of-aphrodite]

Worship in the Present Day

Nowadays, Lady Aphrodite is worshipped by many pagans, wiccans, and people who are simply spiritual in some way. People do divination with her, learn from her, ask her for help with spells and some (such as yours truly) work with her. But how did this all come about?

Pagans have always been around, but only in recent years has it been allowed to be practiced without people being attacked or put in prison or to death for it. Now, Hellenic polytheism is a very personal journey and a personal practice, as people worship and work with the deities as they see fit. Many people decide what deities to work with early on, and that rarely ever doesn’t change. However, that’s not what this is about.

Lady Aphrodite is seen to be worshipped in many different ways, and every relationship with her is different and unique. There are things that are common in everyone’s practice of course, (e.g. what flowers she’d like on her altar), but most things are unique.

Most things that almost everyone does is have an altar, pray to her (either using old hymns and prayers or creating their own), light incense and a candle, and leave offerings. How this all looks is very unique to everyone, and it’s all very personal. For an example, we don’t light incense because we don’t own any, and we rarely pray by speaking, we usually write our words on a piece of paper and burn it on her candle, letting the smoke carry it up to her.

[apollos-olives]

buying wiccan shit yourself to death spells on etsy that will kill joe biden

SKDJDKJFSKJFJD ??? bro's so close to death a simple sneeze would kill this guy. lets do whatever we can to make it happen guys 🙏🙏

[everlastingmooncoven]

Lesson #1: Introduction to Magic

Witchcraft vs. Wicca vs. Paganism:

Paganism is a religion as well as an umbrella term to describe different religions. In the past, it was seen as anyone who wasn’t a Christian. Currently, a lot of practices and religions fall under the category of Pagan. No witchcraft or certain practices are required to be Pagan. Most Pagans do believe in the circles of life and death, with a strong connection to nature.

Wicca is a religion that usually involves witchcraft but not always. It was founded in 1954 by Gerald Garner and involves documents and beliefs such as the Wiccan Rede and the Harm None laws. The Wiccan religion falls under Paganism.

Witchcraft is a practice, not a religion. It can be used inside and outside of religious practices. There are many branches of The Craft, including Green Witchcraft and Cosmic Witchcraft.

Different Paths:

Not all Alchemists are witches, but Alchemy can be paired with the Craft.

Angelic Witches work closely with Angels in their practice.

A Celtic Witch would be a witch who follows the traditions and rituals of the Celtic religion. They may work with or worship Celtic deities and read Celtic myths, legends, and history. This could also include working with the fae, but it’s not required.

In a Ceremonial Witch's practice, it’s all focused on the sacred ceremonies and rituals of witchcraft. It’s more intricate than everyday magic.

Cosmic/Celestial Witches are the astrologers. Focused on the moon, sun, star, and planet cycles, zodiac signs and birth charts are their specialty. They use the energies from the cycles of the universe to fuel their spell work. Lunar Witches and Solar Witches would fall in this category, as their focus is mostly towards the phases of the moon or the sun.

Coven Witches are a part of a coven, this would include a high priest, or priestess along with members of a coven. They bring their powers together to cast spells and do rituals together.

Crystal Witches are all about the use of crystals and gems. Creating crystal grids, understanding the power of their properties, and using that power to manifest or attract the energies that the witch is trying to bring in their craft.

When it comes to Eclectic Witches they are a hit or miss. They mix and match their own practice from other religions or branches of witchcraft. That can be a good thing and a bad thing. You can make your practice your own and not be tied down to one thing. However, if you are taking from closed practices or taking from spaces where you aren’t welcomed then that is never okay. No matter what branch you practice.

A Death Witch is someone who works with the dead, or practices necromancy. This can also include helping them cross to the other side, honoring the dead in rituals, or helping people through periods of mourning their loved ones. Death deities such as Hel (Norse Goddess of Death) or Hades (Greek King of the Underworld) may be some deities a death witch might be interested in working with.

Demonologists are people who study, work with, or worship Demons and include them into their Craft.

Divination Witches are usually your psychics. They work with tools such as tarot or oracle cards, palm readings, pendulums, runes, etc. They can show the future or receive messages from the other side or from your guides.

Draconian Witches are people who work with Dragons. It is a very intricate path that isn’t made for everyone. You may approach dragons, but when it comes time dragons may or may not choose you.

Elemental Witches use the power of the elements in their practices. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and sometimes the fifth element known as the Spirit or Either. Through bonding with the elements, she’s able to call on them in her practice. This could also be broken down by Fire Witches, who connect mostly with Fire elements. Water Witches also could fall under Sea Witchcraft. Air Witches could include playing instruments, listening to music, or singing in their practice. And Earth Witches could be classified as a Green or Plant Witch.

Fae Witches are those who work with the Fae in their craft. This is usually paired with the Celtic pantheon, but not always.

A Folk Witch can be hereditary, but not always. They include practices that are either passed down from family members, or their community. They use their ethnicities and the origins of their ancestors in their practices. Sometimes they can be closed practices, sometimes they are just not shared with people outside of those communities.

Gray Witches practice both the left-hand path (black magic) of the right-hand path (white magic). What kind of magic they practice depends on the situation.

Green Witches are all about nature, they use herbology, healing, gardening, and plant magic in witchcraft. They prefer to be outside and in nature, especially when doing their craft. Plant Witches are in a subcategory of Green Witchcraft whose main focus is plants.

Both Hearth Witches and House/Cottage Witches overlap when it comes to how they practice. They are both focused on making their home peaceful and full of magic. This can include candle magic, kitchen witchery, house rituals, etc.

A Hedge Witch is similar to an eclectic witch. But hedge witches are more focused on herbology, elements, astral protection, auras, and nature.

A Hellenic Witch is someone who works with or worships the ancient Greek or Roman deities. They perform rites and give offerings that were presented to the deities long ago.

Hereditary Witches are people whose family practices witchcraft. Power or certain practices are passed through their family line.

Kitchen Witches incorporate magic into their food or drink. They understand the properties that certain foods or herbs have and are able to pair them together to create a delicious, magical-filled dish or drink.

Sea Witches have a strong connection to the ocean. They can incorporate water, seashells, sand, and moon phases in their practices. Any body of water will do, you don’t have to live near any ocean to do sea magic. Lakes, rivers, or any natural body of water will do. They can also work with water spirits, such as mermaids.

Sex Witches use sexual acts and sexual energy to enhance their rituals. This can be done alone or with consenting partners.

A Solitary Witch practices alone or without a coven. They can be any type of Witch.

A Traditional Witch can be a hereditary, a folk, or a ceremonial witch. Any kind of practice that follows a long-standing tradition.

Wiccan Witch follows the Wiccan Rede and the Harm None laws, within their practice. They can include almost any other branch of witchcraft as well. They worship a God and Goddess as the masculine and feminine energies, and love and respect nature.

These are just a handful of witches that are out there, I know I missed many of them. Feel free to mix and match titles or have no title at all. It’s whatever you are most comfortable with and what you have a connection to the most.

Altars:

Altars are prominent in most religions; they are concentrated, personal, and sacred spaces meant for worship, spell castings, honoring ancestors, celebrating holidays and more. They can be simple and hidden, large and extravagant or anything in between. It should be created to please you and no one else.

The arrangement of tools on the altar can vary to each person, there is a basic outline, but you’re not required to follow it. When picking out the tools and decorations make sure you don’t choose random items that might clutter your altar. No matter how big or small your space is, you don’t want a messy place to work in; so make sure everything has a meaning or purpose.

Altars can also come in any aesthetic that you enjoy; some choose a very traditional altar, while others love a modern take on things. They can also be based around an element, deity, crystal, or even your favorite color.

There are so many ways you can present your altar, but as long as you make it your own precious space then the sky's the limit!

Witchcraft Tools:

A Book of Shadows, Grimoire, or another Spell Book can be anything you wish it to be, from a simple notebook, a file on your computer, or a fancy leather-bound book. No matter what it is, always keep it nearby when you are casting; you never know when you might need to jot something down or need a reference.

A Pentagram or Pentacle can be sat in the center of an altar, or worn on a necklace. It represents the five elements and can be used for protection.

Divination Tools would also be kept on your altar or nearby if you are doing spellwork. Whether it be tarot or oracle cards, pendulums, runes, tea leaves, or a crystal ball.

Photos or Statues are great ways to honor your ancestors and loved ones who have passed on (including pets!). You can add photos, notes, and other offerings on your altar as a way to honor them and call upon them. You can also add photos and statues of your guides or deities to dedicate a space to them.

Athames are beautifully crafted knives meant for spell casting or energy channeling only. They are usually not meant for cooking or other purposes.

Wands are created for energy channeling and circle casting, they can be made out of wood, crystal, metal, or glass. You can also craft your own and add crystals, charms, or other decorations to personalize it.

Candles can be used for multiple things. It can represent the element of fire and air, can represent a space for deities or ancestors, or for simple color magic. It’s good to have multiple colors and sizes, but white is usually a good substitute. You could also use birthday candles for spells that have to melt all the way down but you don’t want to wait or leave a burning candle unattended.

For the Earth Element anything that comes from the Earth naturally such as dirt, sand, flowers, leaves, certain herbs, sticks, crystals, rocks, etc can be used to represent the Earth element and be used in many ways.

Cauldrons or other heatproof bowls would be needed for making potions, burning herbs, casting spells, or scrying.

A Chalice could represent the Moon Goddess and the element of water; a chalice can hold water, wine, or other offerings. It can also be used for fertility rituals and spells.

Feathers represent the elements of air, they can be nice offerings for certain spirits, guides, or deities or be used for waving away negative energies.

Bells can represent the air element and are known for cleansing a space of negative energies to leave a peaceful feeling environment.

Each Herb, Plant, or Flower has different properties, each being unique and special. With that being said, some ingredients can be very dangerous and harmful to handle if you are unfamiliar with them; so always proceed with caution when using unknown herbs. And make sure to keep poisonous ones away from your furry or scaly friends and curious children!

Incense not only smells lovely, but they represent the elements of air and fire. They are wonderful for cleansing and each scent has its own special property.

Waters from ocean, lake, rain, storm, tap, or even bottled water can represent the water element; each can be used in a different way in a spell. But also can be used for cleansing yourself or your tools.

Poppets are very powerful tools that can be used for causing harm to enemies, initiating protection around a household, or casting a blessing on those closest to you.

Crystals are helpful for healing, protection, peace, and many other things. They are gorgeous pieces for offerings, or to just keep on your altar or in your car.

Pouches, Boxes, and Jars are a very simple way to hold any spell that you create, usually kept with the person it was made for, buried in the ground, on your altar. It can contain anything from blessings to curses.

Book of Shadows:

1. Create your own spellbooks:

Decide if you are going to have a physical book or binder or if you want a digital book, which could be left online or if you are going to print it out. Figure out the style, do you want traditional, cute, full of stickers, dried herbs or plants included, add artwork. Make it your own. You don’t have to call your spellbook the typical names, you can name your book anything you want. If you work with Spirits, Book of the Dead. If you work with the water element, Storm Book or Way of the Waters. Or sometimes more traditional like The Book of Ways. You can be creative when naming your Grimoire if you want. You can also have more than one spellbook for different tasks or information.

2. Layouts:

The layout of your book is unique to you. Personally, I tend to group similar things together. But here are things you can add to your book.

Some type of index to keep your book organized. You could also include a glossary of common-use terms or phrases.

A book blessing, protection sigils, and/or book dedications.

Your personal correspondences such as astrology charts, what type of path you practice, coven meetings (if you’re involved in one), information about the deities or guides you work with, and favorite divination methods. You could also add your favorite crystals, colors, herbs, flowers, etc.

Basic information about magic. Tools used in your craft, how to make sigils, cleansing, protection, correspondences about crystals, herbs, incense, aromatherapy, etc.

Animal correspondences, what it means when you see certain animals. This could also include familiar work, or any animal guides you work with.

Moon, sun, and planet phases. This can also include constellations, zodiac signs, birth charts, and how to read them.

The Wheel of the Year, any holidays or sabbats that you celebrate and how to celebrate them. This could also include days of the week correspondences and time correspondences.

You can add recipes that you make for offerings or holidays or even have a spellbook be a cookbook instead if you are a kitchen witch or just love cooking.

Any rituals or spells that you perform, what it is, when you cast them, the herbs or crystals you use, what the moon or sun phase was, the phrases you said, what the results were, and if you would change anything.

Divination tools that you use, the meaning behind tarot cards or runes, etc. And you can keep a journal track of when you do any kind of divination, the questions you asked and the answers you received.

History of magic, the path you practice, the deities or guides you work with. Folklore or myths from certain areas that you are interested in.

Lists of deities or guides from the pantheon(s) or groups that you’re involved in.

Different psychic abilities and keeping track of your meditation progress, dreams, affirmations, yoga, and any other energy workings that you do.

Any mythical beings (mermaids, dragons, fae, etc) that you work with and information about them. How you work with them, favorite offerings, spellwork that they’ve helped you with, etc.

Covens:

Covens are usually made up of 13 members that come together to practice Magick or celebrate a Sabbath together. They are normally very private groups that use their energies to reach a common goal or need.

Some Witches prefer Covens rather than solitary because you are able to learn and grow from the other members that you surround yourself with. If you are open with your practices then there can be a lot of backlash from non-pagans who don’t understand or accept your beliefs; so it’s always nice to have like-minded individuals in your life who you can communicate and socialize with.

However, if you are wanting to practice in solitude then that is completely up to you and your personal path. There is nothing wrong with not joining a Coven if your heart says no.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Do you think there’s a meaningful distinction between “witches” and other magic users in the marvel universe (beyond, potentially, gender)?

Witch and warlock are obviously treated more or less as gender-swapped synonyms and both have somewhat negative connotations that don’t get associated with people like Dr Strange (afaik), but I feel like there might be more to it, I’m just not sure. Calling Nico or Billy a witch feels more accurate than calling Cleo or Victor a witch, but I can’t figure out if this is grounded in anything besides my own opinion

Yes, actually! We can identify social, cultural, mythical and practical factors distinguishing "witches" from other types of magicians. However, those distinctions are not always clear. As you noted, the word "witch" is often used very broadly to describe any female spellcaster. As a reader, you'll have to rely on context to determine whether the writer is denoting a specific type of magician, or just using gendered language.

Functionally speaking, all forms of magic are basically interchangeable. Most spellcasters have the same powers and abilities, and writers don't always put in the effort to make them feel unique. That doesn't necessarily bother me, so long as they are tailoring the language and imagery to suit each character's background, but that doesn't happen as often as I'd like. Again, you'll just need to use critical thinking to figure out when a lack of distinction is really just a lack of creativity and effort.

With that out of the way, let's break down what we do know about witchcraft, and the history of witches, in the Marvel world!

Social: Witches have historically gathered in covens, settlements and societies, and have even endured literal witch-hunts. In real life, this is not quite the truth, but it Marvel comics, we can say that witches comprise distinct societies which suffer distinct forms of persecution. We also know that many witches belong to a magical lineage, and that these witch families often use a special naming convention to identify themselves with unique colors and symbols, indicating that witches have unique customs and traditions setting them apart.

Cultural: In Marvel comics, all forms of magical or spiritual folk practice are literally real, in the same way that all mythologies and polytheistic religions are literally real-- Asgard is a real place, Thor is a real person, and spells have real power. Witchcraft is typically represented as a form of European folk magic. Other traditions, such as vodou, voodoo, and multiple forms of Indigenous spirituality have also been demonstrated, and are often grouped together, along with witchcraft, under a broad category of "cultural magic." As shown in Midnight Suns, many of these traditions from around the world have a certain shared history, as the Coven at Mount Wundagore included representatives from numerous cultures.

Mythological: "Witchcraft" itself exists as an abstract entity, like Death, Nightmare, or Eternity. She is the source of witchcraft's power, but also a symbolic representation of all witches and the natural balance of magic, and she is sometimes worshipped as a goddess. Witchcraft resides at the heart of the Witches' Road, an Inner Plane uniquely accessible to witches that transcends time and is connected to many of the mythical realms. Witchcraft may also be intrinsically connected to chaos magic-- ancient witches were responsible for binding and harnessing Earth's natural chaos magic; Witchcraft, the entity, is shown consorting with an abstract Chaos entity; and we know that Wundagore and the Darkhold are connected to many cults and covens throughout history.

Practical: Unfortunately, this is the weakest area. For a brief time, Wanda's magical practice borrowed a lot of Wiccan motifs, which was problematic in its own right, but in modern comics, we just don't get to see enough of how witches, specifically, do magic. Most characters who practice some form of traditional magic have a closer connection to natural elements and the spirit world, and they may have particular powers related to their background. Doctor Voodoo is a great example, although the actual depiction of his culture is deeply flawed. Scarlet Witch (2015) introduced certain unique abilities, such as witches' sight; specific mechanics around the cost of magic; and a style of spellcasting that relied on Wanda's knowledge of real-world languages and magical symbols. Billy and Nico also use varying degrees of wordplay, so I like this approach and I would focus on building that into a cohesive magical system if I was a writer.

[katieskrsgard]

Prue Halliwell Appreciation Week

Day 4: Favorite Non-Family Prue Relationship

Andy Trudeau

Prue's on again - off again relationship with Andy is so important to her character development in Season 1. She casts the truth spell just to see if he is okay with her charmed secret. It doesn't work out for them but at the end of his life he did accept her wiccan destiny. Even after his death he is important to her character arc and is the most important relationship she has ever had outside of Piper, Phoebe and Leo.

Rest in Peace Shannen your role as Prue Halliwell will always live on.

[andreafmn]

Bound | Prologue

Word Count: 4.3K Warnings: mentions of death

Summary: Rosalie always carried the resentment of not being able to fulfill the image of the perfect family she had in her head. But the universe had set out to grant her everything she could've hoped for in the most unconventional way and in the form of a witch. Can their love withstand the promise of forever or will Rosalie and (Y/N) succumb to the grapples of time?

A/N: I know this isn't exactly a request, but since it's based on one I decided to post it today😬 anyway, hope y'all enjoy this story as much as I do. We are definitely lacking in the Rosalie fic department. Also, this chap doesn't include reader nor Rosalie, it's a way to explain bounded souls. If you read the oneshot, then this is the story Margaret tells (Y/N) in the beginning. 💖💖

Next ->

Certain mysteries in the universe had always been unexplainable. Further than the existence of vampires and werewolves, witches and wizards, hybrids, and more, one thing remained too complex to understand–even to the most brilliant of minds. 

Soulmates.  

The intricacy of how two souls were bound together by the universe boggled everyone. The only certain thing was that there was a word for it that spread across languages, cultures, and even species. But all of them concorded in one thing, this particular bond linked you to a person for the rest of your life. 

Yet, it was almost unheard of for this connection to transcend species. Unheard of, yes, but not impossible. And it was those unique cases that crumbled any understanding there was about soulmates. Those exceptions that broke every single rule. 

Esther Haight and Samuel Leighton were one of those exceptions. A witch and a vampire, natural-born enemies selected to be paired for eternity. And they had decided to answer the calling with love. 

The girl was a descendant of a Salem witch that had fled North during the trials, forced to hide her magic and live in seclusion amidst the forests. Esther had been taught her wiccan roots under candlelight and whispered spells. She spent her entire childhood living in fear, looking over her shoulder. But as time went on she grew used to concealing her true self. There was no need to listen to the shadows, she could feel their energy before they ever neared. Despite her fear, she grew strong and powerful. 

But there was something always missing. 

“I understand not, mother,” she had asked one day. “I  hast all's I could possibly crave,  yet I still feel empty.  There’s something inside me that is lacking.” 

“Worry not, my child,” her mother had answered with a smile. “What thou are feeling is the tug of thy bound soul.” 

“What is a bound soul, mother?” 

“When we are born and reborn, fragments of our souls scatter and sink into the lives of others,” the woman continued, running her fingers through her daughter’s long hair. “It tethers 'em to us.  Those are our soul mates.  Thou might meet some of 'em as thou grow, or thou might meet none.  Yet no connection shall aye be as firm-set as the bonded soul. 

Not many are thrifty enough to find 'em  'i  one lifetime, for't is not a primrose feat to discover the other half of thy heart.  Yet the thrifty few that doth experience a love like no other.  A once-in-a-lifetime kind of love” 

That phrase had stuck in Esther’s heart. A once-in-a-lifetime sort of love; the kind of love poets wrote about. She dreamed of that love and wondered if she would be one of those lucky few. Though, as time dwindled on she feared there would be no chance. 

One year, then two, then four. Years and years with no sign of her bound soul. Yet, that wasn’t a startling realization as the fact that her face had remained the same throughout that time. Esther saw as her mother’s hair started to pepper with white curls, how the wrinkles by her eyes deepened, how the woman’s body grew weaker. And still, she remained in the same skin as her twenty-two-year-old self. 

“Yet, mother, how could this be?” Esther worried on what was supposed to be her thirtieth birthday. “I am witness to thy age and yet, I hast not changed a day  'i  years now.  Is't  a curse?” 

“I warrant thou, mine dear, that no dark magic hath been bestowed upon thou,” the woman cooed. “Although I never hast an explanation for what is happening thee, I say to thou that there hath been no harm thee” 

“What if this continues, then, mother? What would I doth would I lost thou?” 

“Mortality is not something to be afeared of, mine child,” she said with a smile. “We all return to Mother Earth one day.  And would she so allows it, we shall walk amongst her children once more.” 

“I can’t do this without thou, mother,” the girl silently cried. “I canst not lose thou too.” 

“Mine darling, even when I am gone I shall aye be with thou,” the woman responded, drying her daughter’s tears. “As thy father is right now, I shall be in the trees, I shall be in the chirping of the birds, I shall be in the beating of thy heart.  The universe hath granted thou a gift, and it is thy job to understand the why.  Haply it is an answer to thy deepest  desire.” 

Two trips around the sun passed before she would get her response. Esther didn’t understand how immortality could be a gift. How could watching the only family she had left get older as she did not be a present? 

But she never thought she would find what she was looking for in a vampire. Much less as she washed her clothes in the river, something she had done many times before. 

It had been a quiet morning. Nothing alluded to a meeting that would change the course of her life. She had awoken in the earlier hours of the morning, gathering the week’s laundry to tread down to the brook near her family’s concealed shack. Her chores provided her the only escape she had to the confines of their home and she was always glad to do them. 

As she had finally settled on the ground, the wicker basket of clothes on her right and an empty one on her left, Esther set to work. Her ears were filled with the rush of the water and the whistling of the wind; she could feel the energy that lived in the ground; she was energized by the rays of sunlight that warmed her face. The elements surrounded her and it made her feel serene. 

Until a splashing startled her, her hands extending in a protective stance, ready to defend herself against any assailant. Esther prepared herself for a fight that never came. 

“Woah there,” a melodious voice chuckled. “I come in peace, fair maiden.” 

“Who are thou?” Esther asked, her hands shielding her from the man. “How did thou find here?”  

“Well, I never meant to,” he continued, a joking tone still laced in his words. “I was escaping hunters and I somehow ended up hither.  I promise I mean no harm. Mine name is Samuel and I mean no harm to anyone that hath not harmed me.”  

For some reason, Esther believed him. The stranger she had yet to truly look at and had somehow known her identity, she trusted. Her hands lowered, the elements around her calming as her heartbeat did as well. She steadied her breath and finally looked up to meet the most striking red eyes she had ever seen. 

“A vampire,” she breathed –it was not a question. There was a rush inside her, filling an empty crevice in the depths of her heart. It was him. “Who would have thought?”  

“I’m sorry, I do not believe I got thy name,” Samuel smiled, taking tentative steps toward her. “A creature as beautiful as thou might not but have a name.”  

“Esther,” she returned her smile, extending a hand to the shimmering man. “What a pleasure it is to meet thou.”  

“The pleasure is all mine,” he said before he took her hand and placed his frozen-cold lips on her skin. His eyes studied her. They ran from her wild brown curls down to her bare feet, taking in every inch of her body he could. “I canst not receive I am  in the presence of a Salem witch.  Who would  have thought mine day would end this way?” 

“How did thou…?” 

“Pardon me, ‘tis a gift,” Samuel grinned. “I learn things about a person with a simple touch.” 

“A psychometrist vampire,” she mused. “How very intriguing.” 

The pair remained silent for a moment, their hands still interlocked. They had felt a shift. Within them or in the Earth herself, they were not sure. But nothing was the same. There was a tug at their hearts they had not felt before; a tug that had replaced a certain emptiness in their chests. 

Then, a rustling beyond the trees Samuel had jumped out of, startled them apart, their defenses going up once more. 

“Well, as much as I’ve enjoyed talking to you, dearest Esther, I’m afraid I must go back to running,” he smiled before kissing her hand once again. “And I fear I must warn you to run as well. Humans don’t take too kindly to anyone that is different.” 

“Oh, right, the hunters,” she grimaced. “You could come back to my cottage. It’s cloaked against the eyes of humans. They won’t find you there. And I’m sure my mother won’t mind.” 

“Who am I to deny such a gesture? Not that I have much choice at the moment.” 

Esther grabbed his cold hand with one hand and the basket with another and ran. She ran until the trees stopped whispering of dangers that lurked near; ran until she could breathe again. And it wasn’t until she passed the threshold of the safety circle her mother had cast upon their land that she allowed herself to calm. 

And that very day, Samuel had come to her house and never left. 

Esther’s mother had been apprehensive at first. The man was still a vampire at the end of the day. But once she understood why her daughter was so adamant about him staying, she couldn’t help but welcome the man with open arms. The universe had brought them together at the river for a reason and she would not stand in the way. 

In time, they came to understand he was the explanation for Esther’s never-changing appearance. The unexplainable bond the young coupled shared made them one; synching their mind, body, and soul. For as long as Samuel lived, the girl would remain the same.

Their love grew slowly and then all at once. Whether it was the close confines or the inevitability of falling for the other, they didn’t know. And they didn’t care. They were completely head over heels for one another and it was undeniable. It was the thing of storybooks, perfection at every turn. 

Until Samuel started to withdraw. His mind seemed to wander when they were together and his hunting trips seemed to draw on for more days than usual. It made Esther’s heart ache. Even the thought of losing him was too much for the girl. It made her soul shatter. Her mother had tried to console her daughter, to calm her worries until she was able to have a conversation with him. It did her no good to dwell on things she couldn’t answer for himself. Only he could kill her theories. 

After six weeks of that behavior, she confronted him. Samuel had just come back from a three-day hunt, the thousand-yard stare still in his eyes. Before he could step foot into the cabin, Esther pulled him away. Far from her mother’s ears. If that was the end, she didn’t want the poor woman to bare witness. 

“I need to know what is happening, Samuel,” she pleaded, her eyes already pooling with tears. “Are you planning on leaving me? Is that it?” 

“How could you possibly think that?” He sounded hurt, even a little offended. “I would never do that. Not willingly.” 

“Then, why hast thou been so disengaged? For weeks, your body is here but your mind is so far.” Esther’s head fell as she broke down. Samuel was everything she had prayed to the universe for, and she believed she was only seconds away from losing him. “Was it something I did?” 

Samuel’s hands quickly cradled her cheeks, his cold fingers wiping away the tears that stained her beautiful cheeks. He smiled and placed a kiss on top of both of her eyelids. He could see just how bad he had been hurting her and he couldn’t keep the why in anymore. It was time to confess. “There is nothing in this world that thou could do to push me away, my love,” he said. “I will confess, my mind has been far but it has nothing to do with anything you could have done. It’s me.” 

“What about you, Samuel? What did you do?” 

“Thinking too much,” he chuckled dryly. “Thinking how you deserve better than me. How you deserve a man that can give you everything that I could never.” 

“And what is that, my darling? What could any man give me that you can’t?” Esther cried. “You have already given me more love than I could have ever hoped for. What more could I want?” 

“A family,” his voice broke. “A man that can give you children. A man you can walk with to town and hold his hand without being persecuted. A man that you can build an actual life with.” 

“Have you thought of what I want, Samuel?” It was her turn to lift his head, her hands cradling his jaw tenderly. “Because I don’t want any of that if I don’t have you.” 

“My heart doesn’t beat, darling!” Samuel exclaimed, turning from her touch as though it had burned him. “I don’t breathe, I don’t cry, I don’t even sweat! All I do is exist. All I will ever do is exist. The only thing that has given meaning to my life is you.” 

“Then I shall be human enough for the both of us!” she yelled into the air, a smile tugging at her lips. “My eyes will cry for us; my lungs will breathe for us; my skin will weep for us; my heart will beat for us. I do not want immortality with anyone else but you.” 

“But…”

“No buts, Samuel,” Esther interrupted him. “It’s you. It’s me. For eternity.” 

“What of your legacy? Your line of witches can’t die here.” 

“If it was my purpose to have children, my soul would not have found yours. And that is no reason for me to run into the arms of another man,” she said. Her eyes were trained on the red irises of his. They were filled with pain and regret, with disappointment for the man he was. There were only two words that could tell him just how much she loved him. “Marry me, Samuel. With my mother as a witness, marry me, and let me show you just how much you mean to me.” 

“Esther, I can’t confine you to a life like this. You deserve the world and all I can offer you is this.”  

“I’m not asking for anything more,”  she smiled, closing the distance he had out between them. “If you say no, I will close myself in the cabin in protest. I will not marry, I will bear no children, and all of this will be naught.” 

“And if I say yes?” Samuel finally cracked, a smile growing on his lips. “ What would happen if I say yes?” 

“You would make me the happiest woman to walk this earth,” she responded. “I don’t want a life that you think I should have, Samuel. I want you and only you. Not for what you can’t give me, but for all that you already have.”  

“Then yes,” he said before pressing their lips together. She tasted of honey and promises, and he was sure he could see forever with her. “A thousand times yes. I would marry you every day of our lives.” 

“It’s you,” she whispered. 

“It’s me,” he replied. 

“For eternity,” they said in unison. 

And so it was. 

In a week's time, Esther was walking toward Samuel in a dress her mother had sewn, to meet her at the bank of the river they had first met. Hazel and red eyes stared into one another, twin smiles plastered on each of their faces. Even if it was just the two of them and Esther’s mother, they wouldn’t have had it any other way. 

“Today is a special day,” the older woman started. “Today we bind for eternity two souls that have found each other by the will of the universe. A witch and a vampire –an unusual pair but perfectly complimented. We stand today before our Mother Earth to presence the love that has flourished between Esther Haight and Samuel Leighton. After today, you are no longer singular entities. From now on, you shall walk through life bound as a unit. 

My darlings, please hold hands and answer truthfully to what I will ask” Esther’s mother produced a sage green ribbon and draped it over their joined hands, holding the ends as she recited the words. “Samuel, will you share in Esther’s pain and seek to ease and protect her from it?” 

“I will,” he answered. 

“Esther, will you share in Samuel’s joy, rejoice in it with him, and seek the best for him?” 

“I will,” the girl smiled. 

“Then let the binding be so,” the woman said as she tied one know around their hands. “Samuel, will you share in Esther’s hardships and turmoils so that you may evolve in the eye of trouble?” 

“Yes, I will.”  

“Esther, will you use every emotion, good or bad, to strengthen and withhold your bond with Samuel.”

“Yes, I will.” 

“Then let the binding be so,” the older woman smiled, tying another knot. “Samuel, will you honor and respect Esther as an equal in this bond, every action and reaction coming from a place of love and never of hate?” 

“Yes, I will,” he smiled brightly, his smile only growing as Esther repeated the same words a second later. 

“Then let the binding be so,” the elder recited. “Now that the binding has been completed, it is time to seal this bond with the exchanging of your rings. I take it that you both have vows you wish to recite to each other. Samuel, you may start.” 

Samuel reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a gold band, and placing it just at the tip of Esther’s ring finger. “My dearest Esther, with this ring I promise to love and care for you for the rest of our lives. I promise to share in your joy and your pain, to carry your burdens and become a haven for your worries, to help you grow and navigate this life for eternity.” 

He slid the ring down her slender finger, admiring the glimmer of it under the sun’s gleaming rays. 

Esther’s mother handed the girl her ring and the same exchange took place. “My Samuel,” she smiled, tears already falling down her cheeks. “With this ring, I vow to love you for all of eternity. In this life and the next, shall our souls always find a way back to each other. I promise to love you and grow with you for all the years to come. I promise to share in the good things and the bad, in sickness and in health, and to help you navigate this world as our love grows.” 

“Having proclaimed your vows with our Mother Goddess as your witness, I call upon the elements to help me bless this union for the rest of time,” the woman continued. “I call upon the Air from the East, to bless this couple with good thoughts and positivity. I call upon the Fire from the South, to erase their past and clear a new path. I call upon the Water from the West, for renewal and purification. And I call upon the Earth from the North, to bless this couple with balance and wisdom.” 

As the words left the woman’s mouth the wind rustled the trees, the calm brook rushed its water downstream, fire surrounded them in a circle, and the earth shook beneath their feet. “Now, with Mother Earth’s blessing and the power vested in me by our Great Goddes, I pronounce you married. You may seal your promise with a kiss.” 

Samuel’s hands snaked their way to cradle Esther’s kissing her deeply with a smile on his face. Flower petals rained on them, the elements surrounding the couple as they celebrated their union. It was a promise, from both the Earth and the Universe that they would look upon the couple for as long as they were bound. 

“It’s you,” she whispered before kissing him again. 

“It’s me,” he replied with another. 

“For eternity.” 

It was the happiest day of their lives. They had given themselves completely to each other, both body and soul, forever intertwined with their promise to each other. Nothing and no one could tear them apart. 

In time, their love simply grew stronger. It was that love that kept them strong through the highs and the lows. The only thing that kept Esther strong once her mother passed. Samuel was her rock. He was the reason she was able to wake up every day after, and the reason she was able to welcome new people into the land she called her home. 

 As the years passed, word spread throughout the supernatural world of this couple, beaconing them toward them. Soon, the two-person household grew into a small community hidden deep within the forests of the state. Mostly witches seeking a safe haven made their homes in cabins built by Samuel and looked to Esther as a guiding mentor. Everything was perfect. 

And it had been for the thirty years that they lived together. Until the day it was not. 

Samuel took his time when hunting, but it was never more than a day or two. Being apart from Esther made him physically ill and there was not a second more that he ever wanted to spend away from her. But he had not returned when he was supposed to and she was almost certain she knew why. 

That very day, she had felt something inside her empty, creating a harrowing void in the deepness of her chest. It had taken her breath away and made her heart skip a beat. Something was wrong, but she did not want to imagine what it was. Because her mind would break her heart before the news did. 

It wasn’t until late in the night that a trusted messenger from the town had come riding into the small community. The man called for Esther, a solemn look on his face. And that was when her greatest fear had become her reality. 

“I’m so sorry, ma’am,” he said, holding his hat against his chest. “It is Samuel.” 

Esther clutched her hand to her chest, biting back the tears that threatened to break free. “What happened?” her voice croaked. “Where is his body?” 

“I’m afraid some men had been on the hunt for his kind for quite some time, I think they heard about you two,” he answered. “As for his body, they already burned it, ma’am. That smoke you see past the trees is him and some other unlucky ones. I was only able to retreat this from his body.” 

The man held out a glittering gold ring covered in soot. Samuel’s wedding ring. It felt too cold on her hand, colder than he ever had been. And it was the evidence of their bind being broken. His soul was no longer walking with her in that life and it would be waiting for her in their next lifetime. 

Many tried to offer her consolation but she needed to be alone. The elements around her were growing unsteady and she had to find a place to burst. So, she ran. She ran as fast as she could. Her limbs were burning and her lungs were begging for air, but she continued running. She ran until she reached the very river that had seen the two monumental events in her life, and it would be witness to her latest. 

Esther fell to her knees at the edge of the river, clutching at her chest as she let out the most agonizing scream she could. She could feel her magic weakening and that hollow shape in her chest grow more and more. Samuel had been and was supposed to be her everything for the rest of her life. And yet, someone else had decided against it. Someone she did not even know had decided that her forever would end that day. 

She let herself break. Even as the skies parted and downpoured around her, she remained at the edge of the river wailing. The Great Mother was angry, she knew that. As lightning and thunder fell, she knew She was sharing in her anger and sadness. And all she could do was pray that Samuel’s soul reunited with her mother’s and that they looked upon her.

 The weather remained that way for an entire week, mimicking Esther’s sentiments.

She locked herself in her home that entire time. Surrounded by the home they had created together. Esther did not come out once and everyone in the small village understood why. Losing a loved one was one thing, but she had lost a part of her soul that day. A piece that she could never again mend. 

But, out of heartbreak came new beginnings. Though she always carried a void inside her, she was able to rebuild her life. Once she had started aging, she knew she had to take advantage of the fact that she was still alive. In time, she met another man. Abraham Bishop. He gave her what Samuel had always wanted for her. He gave her a legacy in the form of three daughters and a son. 

As the times changed, so did the small village. The few cabins had expanded and grown, modernizing as the other towns did, but still protected by the forest. Her family grew, her face aged, the world changed. 

And after a hundred and forty years, Esther Haight passed away.

“It’s you,” her shaky voice spoke to emptiness. 

“It’s us,” a voice replied. 

“For eternity,” they smiled.

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[thenightling]

Wicca and "Cultural appropriation"

I am sick of other Neo Pagan sects deciding that Wicca is "cultural appropriation" and "problematic." Tonight someone tried to scold me and tell me that I should not say that Wiccans celebrate Yule (it was actually a post with a list of Neo-Pagan faiths that have a version of Yule) because they "appropriated" it from Scandinavian religions that had it first and Wicca was "only created in the 1950s." Okay, let me break a few things down here. 1. Yes, it's easy to say Wicca is "new" because it wasn't an official religion in the UK until the 1950s but let's consider an important point. Until the 1950s Witchcraft was still illegal in the UK. No religion was allowed to be officially recognized that practiced witchcraft until then. America didn't even acknowledge Wicca as a religion option for military personnel until 2007. Scooby Doo acknowledged Wicca as a religion before The American government. The actual word Wicca Is Old English for Witch (masculine spelling). The feminine spelling was Wicce. They were pronounced as Witch-ah and Witch-uh. There was a very slight difference for gender specification. Eventually middle and modern English would drop the a and e at the end and settle on "witch" as an (intended) gender neutral term. Like the word Wizard (which came from Wizened) the word Witch meant (Someone who had their wits about them. Until the early middle ages the word meant "Wise person." And that's how Wiccans use the term now. 2. It's become fashionable to pearl clutch and say all cultures should stay separate and not borrow from each other because it's "cultural appropriation." Some "helpful" people even DMed me Youtube videos about why Wicca is a "Problematic" element in Pagan communities solely because it borrows from multiple religions. But literally every religion does it if you look at it long enough. So does Christianity, and Judaism, and Islam. And even Hermeticism which is part Greek, part Egyptian. Merging the two together. (And a LOT of Neo-Paganism is Hermetic) How come all of those can do it but when Wicca does it, that's the one called out where people are shamed? The people practicing "Real Paganism" forget the "Neo" part. That means "new." It's cobbled together from things that were suppressed and often lost to history. Even the Nordic Eddas are incomplete and were first written down by Christian Monks who altered things to (among other things) make Loki more of a Satan figure than he actually was. Almost all Neo Paganism uses hermeticism. Do you know what that is? It's from an era in Greek history where the Greek God Hermes was merged with the Egyptian God Toth. The two were merged into a single being and that's where a lot of Neo Paganism comes from. The teachings from that period where there was Greek / Egyptian appropriation. The Roman Gods evolved from the Greek Gods. Even when we discuss the beliefs of the First Nations there are overlaps because one Nation borrowed from another and beliefs spread. Modern Voodoo is a mixture of West African, Catholic, and Hattian folk beliefs. Mexican Catholicism is very different from French Catholicism. Imagine The Day of the Dead and Saint Death in Paris. When you believe something, truly believe it, you don't covet it as something only certain people are allowed to believe in. If you think of it as truth - as fact, you want others to believe it too. This is not cultural appropriation. This is cultural appreciation. 3. If you think Wiccans shouldn't be allowed to call their winter holiday Yule, you are essentially saying it's okay to call Christmas by Yule and the Christmas season Yuletide. And Christians can even burn Yule Logs but you'll Pearl clutch "How dare Wiccans call their festival the name of the millennia old Scandinavian festival!" Because Wicca = Bad? Christian = Well, they did that a long time ago and Wicca's new-ish despite being a re-adaption of a lot ancient practices.

Yes, Wicca is a hodgepodge religion of many beliefs cobbled together. So are most religions when you break them down. None are truly safe from "contamination" from other religions. This separate yet equal / segregation and "Wicca's bad because it appropriates" needs to stop. Aren't there enough prejudices that ALL Neo-Pagan faiths need to worry about? We don't need this "in-fighting".