#beginner witch friendly

[thewitcheslibrary]

Types of divination

Please note: Not all of them are going to be here. I will be covering ones that Beginner witches can use and learn as a starting point! This also isnt a guide on how to do it, its is just some ideas and what they are.

Tarot and cards-

People who are unfamiliar with divination may believe that reading Tarot cards means "predicting the future." However, most Tarot card readers will tell you that the cards are only a guideline, and the reader is simply interpreting the likely outcome based on the forces at work right now. Consider Tarot as a tool for self-awareness and contemplation, rather than "fortune telling." Here are some simple steps to get you started reading and utilising Tarot cards in your divinatory practice.

Norse Runes-

According to Norse epic sagas, Odin created the Runes as a gift to humanity a long time ago. These sacred and holy symbols were originally etched in stone. Over time, they grew into a collection of sixteen letters, each with a metaphorical and divinatory significance. Learn how to create your own set of Runes and read what they say.

Reading tea leaves-

People have utilised many different ways of divination from the beginning of time. One of the most recognised is the practice of reading tea leaves, often known as tasseography or tasseomancy. This divination method, while not as ancient as some of the other famous and well-known methods, appears to have originated in the 17th century.

Pendulum reading-

A pendulum is one of the most basic and easy types of divination. It's as simple as asking and answering yes/no questions. Although pendulums may be purchased commercially for between $15 and $60, they are simple to create on your own. Most people use crystals or stones, but you may use any object with some weight to it. There are various methods to utilise a pendulum for divination, and you'd be amazed what you may learn from "yes" and "no" replies. The secret is to learn to ask the appropriate questions.

Osteomancy-

For thousands of years, tribes throughout the world have used bones for divination, a practice known as osteomancy. While there are several approaches, the goal is usually the same: to predict the future using the signals revealed in the bones.

Numerology-

Numerology is a discipline that many Pagan spiritual groups utilise. According to the basic concepts of numerology, numbers have a tremendous degree of spiritual and magical importance. Some numbers are more strong and powerful than others, and combinations of numbers can be created for magical purposes. In addition to magical correspondences, numerals have planetary importance.

Intuition-

Intuition is the capacity to know things without being told. Many intuitives make outstanding Tarot card readers because their ability offers them an advantage when reading cards for clients. This is sometimes known as clairsentience. Of all psychic talents, intuition may be the most frequent.

[thespectralcottage]

Witchcraft 101:

Cleansing vs Uncrossing vs Banishing

Alright witches. Lets dive into some witchy basics and discuss the differences between cleansing, uncrossing and banishing. This will hopefully help you differentiate between them. But.. lets be honestly if you do something like call a spell an uncrossing when "technically" doing a banishing, who cares its all in good spirit. The reason i think its good to have a difference in mind between these falls into how you handle a spell. If I'm doing an uncrossing vs a banishing i would choose different spell ingredients, maybe work with different gods, or choose a different element to work with.

Cleansing: I consider cleansings as the foundation and most basic of these. Its almost an umbrella term the other two fall under. All banishings are cleansings, but not all cleansings are a banishing. Cleansings are when you're trying clear something away. Most often people will use this term in day to day workings and general upkeep to make sure nothing has stuck to them. This would include more casual things like smoke cleansing, showering and asking the water to cleanse you, sound cleansing, etc. Its not a full spellworking or ritual, but still done with energy and intention. Sometimes you may do a cleansing and realize whatever is there, is stuck deeper then you expected. So you take the next steps and do a more "intense" cleansing like an uncrossing or banishing.

Uncrossing Spells: Uncrossing specifically refers to removing unwanted energy. Usually when discussing what is an uncrossing, I sperate it from just a cleansing by describing it as a very intense cleansing where you're trying to strip away intense and specific energy. These are more work and a step up from an everyday cleansing for more intense scenarios. This is very spirit focused; think of it as taking out the bad and putting in the good. Some types of spells I would consider an uncrossing are: removing hexes/jinx/curses, removing the evil eye, spiritual detoxes, road openers, removing any stubborn energy, removing feelings, etc. I associate uncrossings with water: it's soaking in and getting that energy out. I would choose herbs/spell ingredients that are uplifting and purifying. Think salt, rosemary, rue, and lemons.

Banishing Spells: Banishing spells remove unwanted entities, spirits or people. You can use it to get rid of very deep rooted things like habits or insecurities. Banishings are quite a strong forms of spellwork. You're really kicking something out and away from you when you do a banishing. Its connected to more deep rooted things that you're trying to remove from your life. Some types of spells I could consider a banishing: cord cutting, exorcisms, banishing a spirit attached to you, getting rid of insecurities, freezers, etc. I associate banishings with fire. Burn and gtfo. I would choose herbs that have more of a kick to them and are defensive. Think nettle, blackberry leaves, cloves, even pepper in some cases.

Please note this doesn't have to be something strict. Like i said at the beginning this is just a guide that will help you differentiate so you can tackle the spellwork as effectively as possible.

✨Stay Spooky ✨

[aesethewitch]

Aese's Lucky Raffle Spell

This is a spell I’ve used for many, many years. I’ve used it to win all sorts of things, from 50/50 pots and candy to bicycles and event tickets. It’s been successful to the point of uncanniness — my family will hand me raffle tickets to work this magic despite not being witches themselves. They’re a superstitious lot, and it’s common knowledge that if you want to win a raffle (or other ticketed contest), you ought to hand your tickets over to me!

And now, I’m offering this spell up to you! Note that this spell is very much grounded in the way that I work magic. You’ll have increased success if you adjust it to suit your practice’s particulars.

Note also that this spell works best with physical raffle tickets. You can do it with digital raffles, but it’s definitely more difficult with this particular working. See the spell notes below for details about that.

Spell Instructions:

Obtain however many tickets you like. I tend to go for numbers like three (or multiples of three), five, seven, or ten, but you should pick a number that's been demonstrably lucky to you.

Often, there are tickets you keep and tickets you write your name on. Before you separate them, or before you cast the tickets with your name on them, hold all of the tickets in your right hand as a long strand, grasping at the edge of the ticket at the end. (Note: If the tickets are already separated, you'll need to do the following steps for each ticket.)

Using your left hand, gently grasp the ticket just below where you're holding with your right hand and swipe down the entire ribbon of tickets toward yourself. Do this three times.

During the third pull, blow a strong puff of air along the ribbon of tickets. Focus on the concept of winning the raffle: You're blowing luck into them. Think of it like blowing on dandelions -- it's the same feeling.

Move the tickets to your left hand. Repeat the sweeping motion with your right hand from end to end, always toward yourself. On the third sweep, repeat the blowing step as well.

Repeat the entire swipe-blow-swap, swipe-blow-swap cycle as many times as feels right to you. I tend to do the whole cycle three times for good measure. You should choose a number that, again, is demonstrably lucky to you, specifically.

Separate the tickets.

Cast your tickets. I like to give each an air-kiss or blow on them right before setting them into the raffle entries receptacle for extra luck, but that's optional.

Keep your copies in a secure location on your person until results are announced. I typically put them in an inner pocket of my jeans or coat, or even in my shoe. Don’t leave them out somewhere random. If you must leave them somewhere, put them in a container of some sort (bag, box, etc.) and keep them in a safe place where they won’t be disturbed.

Wait for results to come in!

Spell Notes:

If tickets are digital or you won't get to handle them before they're cast, it's a little tougher. I have less success with this, and I'm still tweaking the technique, BUT I've had moderate success with using two strips of paper to simulate the pulling and blowing cycle. One will stand in for the tickets you cast, one will stand for the tickets you keep. Perform the ritual charm as described above. You can “cast” the tickets in a few ways; I've had luck with both burning the submission-proxy tickets and with placing them in a jar similar to a petition. As before, keep the false tickets meant to represent the ones you keep in a safe place on your person until results are announced. You might try writing out a petition and/or sigils on each strip -- describe what each is meant to represent and what they're meant to do for you, then proceed.

If you make your own physical tickets for a digital raffle, consider the color of your proxy tickets. Green might be the obvious one, but I find yellow and red to also be VERY lucky raffle colors!

Several of the steps in this spell are based off of personal superstitions I observe. If you have superstitions regarding luck, lucky events, avoiding bad luck, or winning contests of any sort, be sure to account for those in this working. Warding against bad luck (including “rebound” bad luck, especially if you end up winning) or interference will help the spell’s efficiency.

Possible additional steps to this spell might include making your tickets “float” to the top of the pile, making your tickets like magnets to the iron of the drawer’s fingers, or causing your ticket to appear more appealing for whoever is drawing lots.

I recommend keeping your copy of the tickets on your person because it strengthens their connection to you. However, if you employ spirits or work with deities, you could leave the tickets on an altar or other sacred space alongside an offering of some sort to petition their assistance in winning.

If you use this spell, please let me know how it goes! I’d be interested to see if this works for anyone else.

Also, if you like my work and want to support me, you can do that by tipping me on Ko-Fi! Supporters get early and sometimes exclusive access to my work, including spells like this one.

[rak-sakaria]

Hey, your friendly reminder. It's summertime and not only should you drink water but our friends of nature need water too.

Put out a flat plate of water for our little allies and water your plants in the mornings and evenings🩷

[mosthewitch]

Happiness Charm

For this charm you will need:

three cord or sting

First cleanse your space, tools, and ingredients. There are many ways to do so including incense, candles, a bath, meditation, or physically cleaning the space. (You can also cast a circle but it is not a requirement)

Take three cords or strings of different colors, and braid them tightly together.

Firmly tie a knot near one end of the braid, thinking of your need for happiness.

continue to tie knots until you have tied seven.

the charm will help you find happiness, once you feel like the charm has worked its magic, take it and keep it in a safe place, or burn it and scatter the ashes in the ocean or stream.

[witch-of-snow-and-stars]

Bringing this back because I have to reappoint my locket with sigils

I'll put up a list of good sigil themes/topics for daily wear later, but for now: happy witch crafting people💜

How to Make a Charm Necklace Magic-Style

✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩‧⁺⋆⁺‧₊☽✧☾₊‧⁺⋆⁺₊✧✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

So in a recent post I talked about having a set of charms that I wear whenever I leave the house. I thought it might be a fun tutorial to detail how someone could make a similar thing for themselves! The post is a long one, so the rest of the guide is under the cut!

Step 1: Lay out all of your perspective charms and see what speaks to you and what you might want to put together. When you're choosing pieces, try to think of your goal and intent while you're putting your charms together (i.e. mine is for general day-to-day so I mostly focus the charms around safety, ease of way, and good fortune. Tailor yours to what you need). You don't have to make a necklace, just make sure that whatever you're attaching your charms to and the jump ring(s) connecting everything are sturdy enough to hold the charms' weight.

I have a 'main' components and 'auxiliary' components with the main components being the anchor points and foundation of what I'm working towards (i.e. I have my locket with sigils and my key charms as main components and I'll switch out the other parts as desired). Listed below are some ideas for options that you can combine, but use whatever feels best to you:

Lockets- I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that a locket is part of your configuration. You can fit a slip of paper with spells/sigils written on it AND if it's a scent locket you can add a bit of fabric with a perfume oil or a spell oil that would be safe to wear (check the spell oil ingredients if you're going to use a spell oil).

Bottle/Vial Charm Pendants- these are really good for wearable spell jars (you'd just have to careful about breaking them). You can buy pre-made bottle spell charms (there are a lot of options available) OR you can buy a vial pendant and do a working of your own choosing depending on your preferences/needs (there are also many options for empty vial charms you can buy). You could also keep spell powders/dusts in a vial charm (also usable for on-the-go workings).

Crystal Pendants- If you are someone who utilizes crystals in your practice, having some complementary crystals or crystals that you tend to favor can really add a kick.

Religious pendants/charms- Pentacles/crosses/saint pendants/deity pendants/etc. are all good options for this sort of configuration if they're something that features in your practice or you have a specific figure you want to invoke.

Symbol/Icon charms- similarly to the option above, charms that have animals/flowers/symbols/ whatever else you may want to invoke the properties/help of can be a good addition as well

Bells- bells have traditionally been used in different cultures for sound cleansing and to ward off negative spirits/entities. If that's something you might want (and are ok with making some noise) adding a bell might be a nice touch.

Keys- keys are useful magically for unblocking roads, gaining access, and invoking magic/energy relating to crossroads. Keys/key charms can be pretty easy to get too, so it might be worth trying to have one in your configuration.

Other meaningful charms: as it says on the tin, if it's important to you or you want to keep it on you, try it out in your configuration see if it will work well with it. In the picture above of my own pendant collection alongside more standard pieces there's an antique pen knife that can be worn as a pendant. Put whatever you want on these configurations is my point.

Tip! Some pendants like the pendant on the right have a paste/textured back that you can write on. If that's something you'd want to do, aim for something that looks like the pendant on the right. It's a solid way to hide sigil magic in your jewelry.

Step 2: Prepare the individual charms that you're going to be putting together. Clean/cleanse* everything appropriately (use mundane and magical methods), get sigils written out, anoint anything that you want to anoint, charge/enchant anything that needs it- whatever workings you need to do to the individual components of your charm necklace, do them now.

*If you're using metal pieces (especially if they're old/antique) there's a decent chance you may need to clean those pieces periodically with a metal cleaner/polish. When you clean the metal, do maintenance work for the rest of the configuration by charging/re-enchanting the other charms.

Step 3: Put your charms together and test out your configuration. Sometimes things won't work together as well together or a different component will work better in your configuration.

Ending Notes & Tips

If you put something like this on an object, make sure you focus on how you need/want to effect the object. Like, I have another variation of this on a chain on my bag, and that working is more focused on security and being unobtrusive more than anything else.

Generally I would consider how fragile your individual charms/items are and how likely breakages are to occur. You don't want to be scattering any broken glass/sharp bits and you definitely don't want to cut yourself on anything in the event of any broken charms.

Other considerations should be if individual parts are safe to wear. As previously mentioned, select for spell oils that are safe to wear and for crystal pendants that won't interact with water/skin oils/body products (i.e. selenite melts in water and pyrite will create sulfuric acid when exposed to water). Basically make sure that having this on your skin isn't going to cause any problems for you.

It can be a a good idea to change up individual charms in your configuration to tweak things to your daily needs. Using my usual configuration as an example, I'll switch out my crystal pendants or other charms if I have specific needs/events for a day (like maybe if I'm traveling I'd add more protection/safe travel oriented charms or if I had a date on I'd choose one of my love/attraction charms).

I hope this gave you some ideas for your own practice, thanks for reading💜

✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩‧⁺⋆⁺‧₊☽✧☾₊‧⁺⋆⁺₊✧✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

[aureliaeiter]

Friendly reminder that you don't need to be on any “level” of witchcraft to worship the Hellenic gods because

1. Being a polytheist or a pagan doesn't equal being a witch.

2. These deities were worshipped by literal children back then as there was no fear of them being harmed.

If someone is telling you “this deity is for beginners/advanced practitioners/whatever” then they're either misinformed or they're purposefully trying to seem spiritually above you so you consider them as some sort of spiritual guide.

[butterflytarot]

Beginner's Sea/Water Witchcraft

Hey, beginners!

I've posted a few of these (one of which earlier today) and so far people have been really receptive, so I thought I'd keep going! It's really fun to connect with all of you & share more knowledge / experiences! This post's topic is about sea/water witchcraft! This post is quite extensive compared to my other ones that I've made like this, because it kind of branches into various topics, but all have to do with water/sea witchcraft!

As my usual disclaimer, this is simply my knowledge and my teachings that I've come across & developed through research, speaking with others, cultural teachings, etc. However, everyone has the right to believe what they like, I just hope this serves as beneficial to some of you somehow, whether it be providing information you resonate with or just teaching you something cool.

Lastly... BEFORE DOING ANYTHING: SET UP THOROUGH PROTECTIONS!

Comment any questions :D

Beginner-Friendly Practices for Sea Witches (Give + Take: Mutuality)

Working with the ocean can be as simple as giving and being given to. It requires self-reflection, and it requires working in relationship with the ocean and the land.

Pick up trash: Cleaning up litter around the beach/water. It shows that you care and are considering the ocean and its inhabitants and relatives. This can be done as an offering, gift, favor, or just because!

Offerings: Giving food, aquatic items, etc (biodegradable or safe for the sea/land/creatures) to the waves/sand (also counts for returning items that belong to the ocean!)

Accept gifts, don't steal: Taking only what is being given to you by the ocean (for example, your intuition might tell you to turn around, and when you do, you spot a sand dollar -- that sand dollar is intended for you, a gift. If you bump a shell with your foot, it may have been meant for you. If you tripped on a shell, it’s probably not meant for you - it just tripped you! You can take that as an accident or a sign.)

Connection: Sitting by or in the waves; putting your hands and/or feet in the water (this may be calming or grounding). Quality time and good company is always a friendly gesture!

In my opinion: We can learn a lot from the ocean. We can receive many blessings from it. It’s only right that we do something in return. We are symbiotic with water. It’s important that we value it.

Water Types & Common Uses/Properties

Disclaimer: The following list is nuanced, as it can change depending on culture or practice. I tried to be inclusive, but this is a brief guide. Depending on your practice, make sure you are mindful with your intentions and energy work, be aware of what properties you'd like to utilize and which you wouldn't.

River water: Flow, movement, travel, banishing (cleanse yourself of ill health, negativity, etc, as you let abundance, good health, prosperity rain down on you), communication with the spirit world. Often associated with creation, fertility, and purification

Ocean water: Purification (cleanses & refreshes), healing (in many ways, one of which is deep shadow work), power, divination, opens energy centers

Lake water: Peace, stillness, divination, knowledge, strength

Storm water: High energy, force, personal power, big changers, chaos

Holy well water: Blessings, healing, purification, protection

Dew: Renewal, healing, beauty

Moon water: Lunar energy (depends on the moon phase), emotions, empathy, intuition, intentions

Sun water: Solar energy, illumination, power

Floral / herbal waters: Holds the energies of those plants

Snow / ice: Stagnation, stillness, getting unstuck (if melted), transformation

Conch Shells

Conch shells are, and can be, used for a variety of purposes and practices. This section includes some of the usages, benefits, associations, and properties of conch shells.

Common / Main Spiritual properties:

1. Used for good luck, healing and protection

2. Feminine energy

3. Energy purification

Other Spiritual properties:

Communication with the spirit world

Abundance and prosperity

Getting rid of negative energy and evil spirits

Brilliance, luster, purity, and auspicious beginnings

The existence of the spirit of the sea

The animation of succeeding generations by the spirit of the ancestors

Rituals & Symbolism:

ceremonial instruments in Pre-Incan temples

metaphysical symbol of fertility, luck, infinity, and interconnectedness (according to the Metropolitan Museum)

used in some cultural weddings, for brides to blow a conch shell as part of rituals (I believe this is Bengali but don't quote me on that)

Conch shells are used in rituals to mark important religious, life and agricultural milestones, like birth/death or religious initiation

in Hinduism, conch shells are used for their purifying properties

In some African-American and Afro-Caribbean cemeteries, conch shells are placed on graves

representation of infinity and the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth, as well as interconnectedness and Indigenous concepts of time (the spiral)

Fertility and feminine aspects of birth, life, etc

A vessel filled with the water of life and a symbol of the womb

Mother of Pearl

Mother of pearl is, and can be, used for a variety of purposes and practices. This section goes over some of the spiritual usages, benefits, associations, and properties of mother of pearl.

Healing (physical and mental/emotional):

Soothes or calms emotions

Stirs, balances & harmonizes emotions

Healing (the mind):

Divinity and intuition

Potentially enhances psychic sensitivity and imagination

More:

Prosperity

Feminine energy

Potentially protects against negative energies

Thank you for reading this far!

I hope that these bits of information are somehow helpful to you!

[xerxeswitch]

Guh, yes. So tired of seeing that.

Not every post about witchcraft needs to be tailored to the comfort of beginners.

[thewitcheslibrary]

Hekate

One of the lesser-known deities in the Greek pantheon is Hecate. Being the only Titan to maintain her authority under Zeus' rule, she was the child of Perses and Asteria. The limits of the heavens, the earth, the oceans, and the underworld were not able to contain Hecate's might.

The stories surrounding the goddess Hecate tell us a lot about her domains of influence even if there aren't many myths about her. Many of her characteristics were associated with the underworld in the time of the Romans. But she also had power over things that positioned her squarely in the spotlight. The goddess held great abilities that other gods eventually adopted. Hecate could provide money and benefits to those who worshipped her, but she could also withhold these gifts from those who did not honour her sufficiently. This essay will examine the characteristics and emblems of Hecate.

The origins of Hekate:

Classicalists disagree over where the worshippers of Hecate came from in ancient Greece. There are many who trace the origins of goddess worship back to pre-Greek times, while others trace it back to Thrace. The most widely recognised theory is that Hecate came from the Carians in Asia Minor and was incorporated into Greek religion. Scholars say that the deity is said to have arrived in Greece in the Archaic period. The quantity of cult sites devoted to the goddess Hecatean attests to the adoration of the goddess in Caria. These were particularly noticeable in Lagina. Nonetheless, other classicists contend that the goddess cannot have an Anatolian origin because of the late dates of these Anatolian worship sites.

According to historical accounts, Hecate initially appears in the seventh century BCE in Hesiod's Theogony. Hesiod just makes reference to her parents and her part in the Gigantomachy, in which she slew Clytius. She is noticeably missing from the Homeric epics, though. The most famous literary appearance of Hecate is perhaps her portrayal in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. Hecate and the sun god Hyperion hear Persephone's screams as Hades kidnaps her in the song. Hecate appeared to Demeter on the tenth day, holding a lamp, after she had been looking for her daughter for nine days.

The goddess did not know who had abducted her daughter, but she informed Demeter what she had heard. Hecate gave Persephone a hug once she was reunited with Demeter. When Persephone went back to Hades every year, she would become her underworld companion. One common iconography associated with this narrative is Hecate holding a torch.

Her divine duties:

In Greek religion, Hecate was entrusted with a wide range of heavenly responsibilities. She was most famously the goddess of the moon, sorcery, witchcraft, darkness, light, and ghosts. She was also the goddess who guarded entranceways and oikos.

As a triple goddess, Hecate was closely connected to the intersection. She was described as a liminal deity with effortless passage from the underworld to the outside world. Her ability to transition between her roles as a goddess and a Titan came from her mythology and lineage. Her cult names and epithets, such as Propylaia (of the gates), Trodia (frequenter of the crossroads), and Enodia (on the path), witness to her liminality.

Lucan's Pharsalia had solidified Hecate's status as a goddess of witchcraft and sorcery by the first century CE. In the Pharsalia, the witch Erichtho calls upon Persephone, the lowest manifestation of Hecate. We discover the hag-like characteristics bestowed to Hecate in the Pharsalia.

Ghosts and Lampades, or nymphs of the underworld, were part of her entourage. Legend has it that Zeus gave Helen the Lampades as a present for her allegiance to him during the Titanomachy. The goddess goes at night with the Lampades, who bear lamps. Depictions of the goddess:

Greek ceramics frequently featured Hecate as a single figure, dressed in a long gown, clutching torches. At intersections and gateways stood the pillars of Hecataea, the goddess of torch-bearing. Later, the most common iconography of Hecate shows her as a triple-formed goddess, each form standing behind the other and facing a different way at a crossroads.

She added the Graces dancing around the goddess, like in the top image, to some of her sculpture votive offerings. She is accompanied by a pack of dogs in some depictions. Pausanias claims in his Description of Greece that Alcamenes, a sculptor, was the first to show Hecate in her triple-form about the fifth century BCE. He adds that next to Wingless Victory's temple on the Acropolis in Athens was a sculpture of the goddess Hecate Epipurgidia (on the tower).

Hecate is shown as trimorphic on the well-known Pergamon Altar (c. 2nd century BCE), battling a monster that resembles a snake with the aid of a dog. Hecate's triple form was shown as three distinct bodies around a central column throughout antiquity. However, this depiction changed into a single goddess with three heads in late antiquity. Hecate is described as having three heads in esoteric literature from this era: the heads of a dog, a serpent, and a horse. Hecate was also associated with other deities from neighbouring pantheons.

Connectivity With Artemis:

Hecate, also known as Ἑκατη, is derived from the Greek term hekatos, which means "worker from afar." One of the most prevalent epithets for Apollo is the male version, Hekatos. This Apolline epithet, according to researchers, associates Hecate with Artemis, a goddess with comparable realms of power. The goddesses had many of the same characteristics. In most depictions, both goddesses were seen with dogs, holding torches, and dressed in hunting boots. Frequently, they were combined to create a twin goddess, as seen in Aeschylus' Suppliants. The chorus in Aeschylus' play refers to the two goddesses as one. The goddesses are once again consolidated in Aristophanes' Frogs (1358f), when the goddesses are called upon by the figure of Aeschylus. Connectivity with Artemis-Selene:

Hecate was combined with the goddesses Artemis and Selene throughout the Roman era, especially in Roman poetry. She was referred to by her Roman name, Trivia, in addition to her combined triple form. By referring to Hecate as Hecate-Selene and other such monikers, the Roman authors fostered her trimorphic representations. Seneca makes many references to Hecate along with her lunar equivalents, even drawing a connection between the goddess and Medea.

Connectivity with Iphigenia

Hecate was identified by early ancient accounts as the daughter of Agamemnon, Iphigenia. Pausanias quotes Hesiod as saying that Artemis's will transformed Iphigenia into Hecate, not killing her. Hecate was sometimes identified in this way with a deity known to the Tauri as Iphigenia. Connectivity with Hermes:

Hecate was identified as the wife of this chthonic Hermes in many ancient traditions. Hermes also had chthonic features. Being gods of the dead, Hecate and Hermes were able to cross borders and liminal zones between realms. First appearing in the first century BCE, the Roman poet Propertius proposed a link between these two gods.

Hekate's sacred animals:

The dog was Hecate's most holy animal, as was previously indicated. The sound of dogs barking from the underworld is described by Apollonius of Rhodes as accompanying Hecate. Pausanias and Ovid, two ancient writers, mention that dogs, especially black canines, were offered as sacrifices to the goddess. Additionally, scholars have proposed that Hecate's connection to dogs is indicative of her function as a goddess of birth. This is so because other birth goddesses, such Eileithyia and Genetyllis, also revered dogs as their holy animals. Hecate's hounds were later connected to the restless spirits of the deceased that followed the goddess in antiquity. Queen Hecuba's transformation into a dog is associated with the goddess Hecate. After Troy fell, so the tradition goes, Odysseus took Hecuba as a hostage. But while travelling to Greece, the Trojan queen slew a Thracian king. Hecuba was punished by being changed into a black dog, which she later adopted as a pet.

The polecat, or weasel, was another animal considered sacred by the goddess Hecate. In the mythology recounted by Antonius Liberalis, Galinthias, Alcmena's midwife, tricked the gods when Heracles was born. Galinthias went to the goddess of childbirth, Eileithyia, after observing Alcmena experiencing labour pains. The Fates informed them that the child had been delivered and had prolonged the labour as a favour for Hera. Galinthias became a polecat in punishment for tricking the gods. Galinthias was chosen by Hecate, who felt sorry for her change, to be her friend and attendant.

Honouring the Goddess Hecate:

In mainland Greece, the worship of other Olympians was more common than the cult of the goddess. In the ancient world, the goddess had a small number of temples devoted to her. In the past, smaller home shrines dedicated to Hecate were typical. These little shrines were built to fend off evil and shield the person from sorcery. The three most important Hecate worship sites in Greece were on the island of Samothrace, in Caria, and in Eleusis.

The goddess was revered as a deity of the mysteries in Samothrace. Her worship has also been documented at Athens, Colophon, Thrace, and Thessaly. Dog sacrifices made in the goddess' honour have been documented in the last two cities. According to Pausanias, Hecate was the goddess most revered by the Aegina people, who thought Orpheus had instituted the goddess's ceremonies on the island. Pausanias also mentions a wooden representation of Hecate that is housed in the temple of Aeginetan.

Hecate has many Orphic Hymns, but no Homeric Hymn dedicated to her. Actually, a song honouring the goddess starts the collection of Orphic Hymns. Her significance stems from her function as a goddess of entrances. Many details concerning Hecate's realms of influence as understood by the Orphics may be found in the Orphic Hymn to Hecate. She was invoked as the goddess of highways and crossroads in their mysteries.

Most notably, she is also called the goddess of the dead, who presides over deserted places. In this hymn, her sacred animals include deer, dogs, and wild predators. She is described as the herder of bulls and a nurturer of youths, as well. The hymn beseeches the goddess to come to the holy rites in a favorable mood with a happy heart.

The more we discover about the goddess Hecate, the more fascinating she appears to be. Her role as a guardian is highlighted by her roles as a liminal figure and a goddess of pathways and entrances. However, her evil side is revealed by her function as a nighttime goddess of sorcery and witchcraft. Hecate is a complex character who merits consideration on par with the more well-known Greek pantheon gods.

Zeus granted Hekate jurisdiction over land, sky, and water (underworld). This was either given to her to aid the Olympians in their fight against the titans (her own "people") or after the event was completed. It wasn't "her power can't be contained"; she was shown to be worthy of the realms.

She was always a deity of witchcrafts and necromancy in ancient Turkey, but when the Romans came in, they kind of wiped off her necromancy features.

Offerings to give to her:

Edibles-

Breads - i personally give her garlic bread

Cakes

Pomegranates

Wines

Honey

Cinnamon

Garlic 

Onion

Milk

Chocolates

Non edibles-

Roses

Lavender 

Poppy seeds

Dandelions 

Blood: If you have ever battled with self-harm of any type or are easily nauseated at the sight of blood, DO NOT ATTEMPT. She cherishes your mental health and well-being more than anything you could ever offer it to her, and Hekate understands that you cannot give Her your essence! She is going to adore and defend you no matter what!

Incense she likes-

Frankincense

Lavender

Jasmine

Citrus - especially orange 

Dragons Blood

Other-

keys *

Candles 

Tea Lights 

Bones 

Fires - i.e. bonfires *

Oil lamps 

Lavender *

Crow/Raven/Owl Feathers - only feathers naturally fallen off 

Statues of Her and Her sacred animals *

Poetry, literature, and music you heavily associate with Her **

Witchraft books, spell books, dedicate any shadow work to her

Devote things to her-

Give food, clothing, toiletries, and other necessities to homeless shelters.

Visit cemeteries and, if permitted (please inquire beforehand), place flowers on the graves

Possess a plush toad, dog, or polecat.

Devote a meal or self care to her!

Give to the less fortunate. If you see a homeless person, get them a hot meal and a hot drink ect. Say a prayer to her before you do it

Share some tea with her or have a cup with her

Adding onto the sharing tea, sit at her altar with the tea and some cake. Talk to her, tell her about your day or ask her about hers

Do some baking and share what you baked

[patchworkcuddlebug]

Good Dolls Play Pretend

The doll knew about this store since it was a person, but it never bothered coming before it became. Now, it stopped by every time it was in the city to collect some authentic Asian tea. The mall was a little out of the way, but its witch didn't mind! So it sipped on some boba tea it ordered from a specialty cafe just a floor down while it decided on what flavour to-

"Woah, [XXXXX]?"

It froze as it turned to face whatever just spoke. It was a person, a man that was once the same age as it, a man that it tried and failed to date before it became. "Oh my god, it's been so long, how've you been?" He seems genuinely excited to see this one again.

This one learned to cover its joints with sweaters and longer skirts. This one knew how to talk to make people less mad or confused. This one knew how to play pretend.

"No way! Oh my god, I totally didn't expect to run into you." it said, forcing away its usual eager docility for normal human surprise.

The conversation continued as it would. The man went back to finish his undergrad after the hotel job didn't work out. This one bent the truth just enough to say it found a job as a maid for a normal upper-class woman. It was working, he believed this one! Such a good doll. It was so polite too, nodding along, encouraging him to talk, even accepting his party invitation!

. . . . .

This one finally left the store with a friendly wave as the person went in a different direction. It held the bag of tea as it waited for the bus, finding stillness as it alwaIT ACCEPTED HIS PARTY INVITATION.

Jeans, plain black t-shirt, thin grey zip-up hoodie. Normal person clothes.

Human, it reiterated to itself, waiting for the man to unlock the door to the university's dormitory building. This one... I am a normal human. I have normal human hobbies, such as... chess. I don't smoke but I occasionally drink. I own a computer... no, a laptop, and use it a few hours a week. No, a few dozen. I sometimes order fast food with an app on my cell phone.

The door opens and this one begins to pretend. It is not politely standing at attention, awaiting orders. It has a relaxed demeanour and a casual regard for most things. It smiled at those sent to great it and lead it to the on-campus pub, with the amount of demureness that is normally expected from a human person.

This one can hear the music from all the way down the hall. It is intentionally showing a normal human reaction, which is neutrality.

This one hasn't been contributing to the conversation as much as it thinks it should. The people have been talking at it, explaining what a pub crawl is and what kind of alcohol it should order. It really, really, really shouldn't ask if they serve tea.

The people take a seat at one of the tables, and it joins. The others ask what it would like to order for an appetizer. It says the pizza seems tastiest. It doesn't say it seems the least messy.

The waitress arrives. The others are ordering drinks. They're saying names the doll doesn't recognize, and maybe never did. The doll asks the waitress what drinks they have, and the others look at it with amusement. The waitress suggests an apple cider for beginners, and the doll accepts, not caring how she knew.

It sat still. This one was great at sitting still. But it didn't feel any stillness at all. This doll's purpose is ease the burden on others. To help them relax by taking care of something they would stress about or be annoyed by, by helping them talk through their emotions, or even just by staying out of the way and leaving people alone. The closest it could get was by remaining seated with three other partygoers. At first they occasionally deferred to this one for input on a conversation, but it seems something told them not to do that anymore as the night went on. Did they... find out?

"[XXXXX]?"

The doll is startled, realizing its attention is needed. It didn't catch the first time it was said. Everything is so loud. It holds no animosity towards its old personhood. Just the same hazy disconnection one feels towards a half-remembered dream.

"You don't look too hot. Did you drink too much?"

The doll looked at its half-finished drink. The doll looked at the exit. The doll nodded.

He escorts you out the building's closest exit. He leans forward on the railing, lighting a cigarette. He offers it one, and it refuses.

The person apologizes for inviting the doll, saying that he could tell it was upset. The doll asks him if he knows, and he says he only assumed until it asked that.

In an instant, the doll's thin veneer of humanity fades away. It fixes its posture, its face slackening into a much more natural empty expression. Its arms rest together, hands wrapped in each other.

The person hesitates, seeing such a shift. He looks back out over the railing he leans on, taking a drag as he looks out into the city.

He asks if it misses its witch. It says that Miss gave it full permission to spend the night out. He says that's not what he asked. The doll says it would much rather be home.

The person sighs. He apologizes again and thanks the doll for doing its best tonight. He puts out his cigarette and turns to face the door, leaning his back against the railing. He looks over to the doll, and it hasn't moved.

He asks if it wants the others to know, and it says no. He says he'll make up a lie, something about a family emergency. That way it can go do... anything else.

The doll thanks him. It didn't even consider refusing.

The relief is nearly instant. There's a melancholy in its chest as it walks away, after giving the person a formal goodbye. It's very happy to leave such a... restless situation, but there's a lingering sense that it's been a bad doll. It's hard for it to articulate why. It didn't do anything that Miss says makes you a bad doll, except maybe do a bad job at pretending.

But it couldn't be sure. Maybe that was what was making it so restless? It couldn't defer to Miss right now. It didn't have that external solidity, the confirmation of purpose.

That made it very happy to be a doll again.

[aesethewitch]

Aese's Lucky Raffle Spell (Early Access!)

Summer is raffle season where I'm from! This spell has been so successful for me in the past that my non-witch family members regularly give me their raffle tickets to ensure a win. It'll work for 50/50s and raffles for prizes.

This post is in early access for supporters right now! For as little as $3, you can get early (and sometimes exclusive!) access to my work, including my entire backlog of exclusives. Tips give you 30 days of access; monthly supporters get bonus benefits like discounts and more! If you want something more for your dollars, all commissions and shop purchases unlock supporter-only posts, too! All support goes toward monthly bills.

[fairladybellaphram]

Wooo I can add on about Rune factory to because I’m sooo normal about it!!

Rune Factory 1 and 2 aren’t bad. But they’re the earliest games in the series and it’s very obvious while playing them. I also haven’t played Frontier/Tides of Destiny/any of the specials so I’m probably more normal about the series than I think.

RF3, 4, and 5 all have map icons. RF5 even has icons to tell you where to go for character events! This is not as good of a thing as it sounds like in my opinion.

Quests also don’t expire in any of these games! You are limited to how many quests you can take in a day, and you can only take one at a time, but really you aren’t going to run out of things to do. I don’t remember how they work in Rune Factory 5 as that’s the one I’ve played the least of. (This is a lie I only just caught! Rf5 is still the one I’ve played least recently.)

There is no penalty for not sleeping in these games. You have a sleeping skill that goes up when you sleep, and it fully restores your health and stamina. But you don’t technically need to. It would be a hindrance if you did because some of the later dungeons are so big you’ll spend a couple days in them the first time through.

There are plants and crystals out in the fields and dungeons that respawn every day that refill your stamina (technically Rune Points but who’s counting) Your crops can also make rune orbs when you harvest them. They can also make runeys, which are spirits that randomly level up one of your stats. (Again I don’t remember if these are in RF5) Baths are also dirt cheap. Money is not an object in Rune Factory after like the first season.

You have a diary in all 3 games. And there are save points outside of all the Dungeons. I’m pretty sure RF5 also lets you save wherever. I think it has autosave too?

Rune Factory 3’s tutorial is a little handholdy in the very beginning if I remember correctly? But it only lasts a day I think? Rune Factory 4 has a very brief one and all the rest of the tutorial type stuff is handled in requests. I do not remember what it’s like in rf5.

As for the progression! Story progression unlocks new areas and dungeons to explore. Not only that! All of the games systems connect to eachother. Rf4 does it the best but all 3 games do it well. Leveling up your farming skills raises your stats and RP, which you’ll while exploring the dungeons. You’ll need food or healing potions in the dungeons which you’ll want to cook because food is expensive which means you’ll need to farm and tame monsters! To raise your monsters stats to take on adventures with you you’ll need to feed them upgrade crafting materials, which you’ll need to get from dungeons. But for the dungeons you’ll need to get gear! Just like food you can buy it or craft it. Good gear is expensive. To craft gear you need materials from dungeons and your farm. I just really love in RF4 specifically how well the systems work together. You really can engage with them as much or as little as you like.

You start out with storage that you can upgrade when you need more space. You’ll also be able to buy more specific storages later in the game (refrigerator, weapons rack, bookshelf etc) you also start of with a much larger rucksack. (It’s driving me crazy right now in fields of mistria how small the starting inventory is. The only games I’ve played that are as bad or worse are the original more friends of mineral town where you only have TWO slots for forageables in the beginning and stardew valley where the first bag upgrade is cheap) RF4 definitely pulls from your storage when crafting, I can’t imagine this isn’t a feature in RF5 and I honestly do not remember if it is or not in RF3.

NPCs all get unique dialogue the day before and event, and NPCs will tell you about upcoming birthdays if their friends or family with whoever’s birthday it is. They even give you gift ideas. (I’m pretty sure they do in RF3 and they 100% do in RF4 and 5)

Also adding on! The biggest reason I do not like Stardew is I think all of the characters are super boring. It’s why I ended up buying mistria, I heard that the characters are super fun and have a TOOOOONNN of dialogue. And they do! Rune factory is the same way. Not a single rune factory character is normal they are all weirdos and they have SO MUCH to say. Sometimes mini events will happen where everyone in town is talking about something that happened the day before, like someone baking some really terrible cookies or the bath water being hotter than usual which sounds incredibly mundane but it’s so funny. I find that the non-romanceable NPCs will repeat dialogue sometimes, but not terribly often. And the marriage candidates rarely so. Of course the writing isn’t going to be for everybody but I just love all of the Rune Factory characters.

Rune factory 4 is the first one you can play a girl in (technically 3rd? 2 you can be a girl in the second half of the game, but you’re a kid. And I think Tides of Destiny let’s you after you beat the game? But I haven’t played that one so I don’t know how it works) Rune Factory 5 is the first one you can be gay in. (There’s a work around for this in rf4 but you need a save game+) they are all great games but RF4 is probably the best one.

OK sth I really, really love about fields of mistria is how accessible it is for an adhd hoarder that also forgets everything and what I was doing in like 5 minutes, like myself

the map has npc locations by default! so even if their schedule changes, you can always find them!

quests never expire! you can work on them at your own pace, and even hold onto one's that require a seasonal item that you didn't have enough of before the season was up, until the season rolls around again!

they don't take your damn money or items when you pass out or die because you lost track of time or are bad at combat!

there's free soup in the tavern that restores a little stamina, and a fountain behind a breakable boulder that does the same! the baths are also pretty cheap, and you even get a few free usages after a certain quest!

it starts with storage in your house, AND! anything you had in said storage can be used for crafting without having to go and retrieve it!

if you don't know where to get an item for a quest, talking to various npcs can tell you where it is!

if you need a certain item for the museum collection, you can check out hints on where to get those in the museum itself! and every item that can go in the museum has a tooltip when you over over it, to tell you if you have already donated it or not!

items don't despawn! you can just toss stuff on the floor and come back for it later when you have the inventory space!

if you forget to check your calendar, that's fine! the npcs will tell you about any upcoming events a few times before it arrives, and the start of a new day will tell you if it's someone's birthday!

they give you tutorials in a narrative way, gradually introducing new systems and mechanics as you progress! and these are done via quests that you can go and complete whenever you're ready!

the village progression gives you plenty of rewards and things to help you with your farm, which is very encouraging to keep at it!

the upgrade system just builds up along with doing normal tasks like farming! and you can spend these points however, whenever you like, with many being available right from the start! and you can have all of them if you want, so no need to worry about indecision!

you can go to your diary at home and save whenever you like, and even make another one so you can place them in other areas!

little heart notifications pop up over npc's heads when you progress the relationship, so you have a quick reference on how close you are!

every friday (and saturday after you fix the bridge), all the npcs are in the same place! this makes chatting to everyone and handing out gifts easier if you have trouble remembering to do so!

you have to hold down the button to eat an item! so you don't accidentally poison yourself!

other accessibility options ive really been appreciative of are: being able to turn off rain/snowfall, flashing, screenshake ect. for those with sensitivity, sight, or neurological issues that don't play well with those.

[buriedpentacles]

Friendly reminder that it is not your job to determine whether or not another witch is experienced enough to do something. I don't care if you've had 57 years of experience, you have no right to try and enforce a timeline on others.

"You need at least 2 years of experience before reaching out to a deity-" Wrong. Shut up.

"You should be doing baneful work by the time you've been practicing for 3 years-" Nope. Go at your own pace.

"You're still a beginner witch until you've been practicing for 2 years and can answer all of my arbritary questions and fit my specific idea of witchcraft-" I am exploding you with my brain.

If someone asks for advice, give your opinion and share resources. If they don't, mind your business. And even if they do ask and ignore your advice, it doesn't matter. It's their practice. Let them explore and make mistakes and work on their own timeline.

[mosthewitch]

Sleep Spell

For this spell you will need:

white or blue candle

fire starter

First cleanse your space, tools, and ingredients. There are many ways to do so including incense, candles, a bath, meditation, or physically cleaning the space. (You can also cast a circle but it is not a requirement)

light your candle. Walk counterclockwise around your bedroom three times. As you do this, project simple protective phrases into the walls, floors, and windows.

After, meditating on positive, restful phrases.

Finally, blow out the candle, whisper the word "sleep" and turn in for the night.

Note that this spell does not need to be repeated to continue working. Instead, simply light the candle for a few minutes each night, then whisper "sleep" again before getting into bed

[jinogasux-fr]

PSA: This petsite is too good and it needs more attention (4dopt)

Subtitle: no seriously the customization and how artist-friendly it is is KILLING ME

I'm sorry I have immense brainrot I NEED to talk about this okay SO let me tell you guys about this petsite I discovered a few weeks ago called 4dopt.com.

For the love of god please try this game out (check out the read more for... more info!)

TLDR; You can draw your own species and it'll be added to the game. Players can obtain that species and recolor them to make customs of them if you so choose. You can draw your own items too which can be used for species obtainment and raising stats.

In 4dopt, you can obtain adopts (or pets) through various means, such as using items, getting them from the shelter (which have been discarded by other players), or through the adventure/exploration system as a random encounter.

The fun part? The adopts and items are player-created. Like, I'm talking entire species and items that can increase an adopt's stats or generate a new adopt entirely from them. They're drawn, created, and controlled by the players. Another thing is that these adopts can be completely customizable. You can recolor them, give it different patterns (if available), change the lineart or shading, but only so long as the creator allows it. That's another thing - there is SO much control the creator has over their creations. It's all up to the creator to design different patterns and layers to the adopt, as well as give permissions as to what a player can and can't customize.

There's over 1,000 adopts to collect (and possibly customize) by the way, and more are coming! (It's been a BLAST watching the Discord and seeing all the future adopt WIPs people have been doing ;w;)

I can't describe in proper words how extensive the customization is. Getting the full scope of what I mean is a little difficult unless you've seen it for yourself, so here's a screenshot of me going through some recoloring!

Aaand because I can't help myself, here's a mini showcase of the adopts I've recolored!

the species of each adopt, in order are: caprine, oldwood witch, and paint bird

In addition, creators can control the adopt's gender ratio, what items it comes from (if any), which exploration areas it comes from (if any) (as well as their rarities), and more. You want an adopt to be a seasonal-only thing? Go for it and put it in one of the rotating exploration areas or shops! You want to make a specific pattern of an adopt only available by using a certain item? Do it! I'd hunt one down for that!

A creator can make evolutions of their adopt, which can have different requirements, as well as a stats system which can be renamed to be more thematic to an adopt. (For example, I have an adopt whose Health stat is renamed to Size, due to it requiring to get a big size for it to evolve. These stats can also be used as requirements to put certain patterns or anatomical changes or etc to an adopt when customizing it.)

You may be thinking - oh, but being able to create an adopt/item is probably difficult, right? Nope! All you need to do is have your account be level 10, which, with some exploration, takes no time at all. I did it in under an hour! And then submit a small portfolio of your previous work to gain access to an artist panel, linked here (if you're logged in).

4dopt welcomes all artists, whether you're a beginner or you've been drawing for years, so there's no worries on if you're "good enough" or not. (YOU ALWAYS ARE!!!) If you have an idea, just make it, and chances are, us players will eat it up.

Anyways lightning round of more features:

A tagging system where, if you block a tag (like gore or body horror), all adopt species that fall under that tag will not be shown to you.

A weekly contest where you can show off your adopts as well as vote for others' adopts, and at the end of the week, the top votes get some nice rewards!

A breeding system where the offspring will have a combination of the markings/layers of the parents

Collaboration friendly (wanna create an adopt with a friend? fully supported!)

Read funny and weird blurbs that players have submitted (oh yeah you can submit little blurbs too) to exploration.

The game JUST shifted from registration windows to open registration, so I hope more people give this game a try. It's super underrated and deserves more attention!

Here's the site link again, and if you want to use a referral ID, mine is #3761, though you don't have to. I really don't care I just want more people to JOIN!!!!

Anyways I'm gunna end this post with a couple of guides:

Unofficial FAQ

Species Making Tutorial

Oh, and if you join, let me know your user id and I'll send you some goodies to help jumpstart things!!

anyways thanks for reading my yapping and uhhh if you do join i hope you enjoy!!