#magical correspondences

[astra-ravana]

Planetary Days And Hours

Magick is at its best when performed during certain days and hours of the day. These time periods are associated with the seven celestial bodies in our solar system that we can observe with the naked eye. The associations are as follows:

A magical day is measured starting at sunrise and ending at sunset. Each sunrise and sunset period is divided into twelve equal parts, resulting in a (roughly) 24-hour day. Depending on your location relative to the equator, the planetary hours you calculate in your area may be longer or shorter than conventional hours.

The first hour of the day is always that of the planet the day represents. The hours then repeat infinitely in the following order: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon.

* Power hours; ** Witching hours

The first, eighth, fifteen and twenty second hours are called power hours. These are the hours in which the seven-planet cycle repeats. Notice that the cycle resets after the twenty fourth hour with the power hour of the subsequent day.

The two hours after the final power hour and the twenty third and twenty fourth hours are called the witching hours. (Conventional hours place the witching hours between midnight and 3am, or 3am to 6am) These hours are favored by black magicians for casting baneful magick.

Use these tables to reference ideal days and hours when scheduling your spells. The finer you tune the time of the ritual, the more potent your magick will be.

[creature-wizard]

Magical Correspondences 101

So I figured I should put all of my stuff on correspondences in one place for convenience's sake, since having them spread in a bunch of short posts isn't really helpful if I need to link them. Anyway, for those of you getting into magical correspondences, here's what I've got!

So, what are correspondences?

A lot of modern witchcraft operates on the belief that things like stones, plants, colors, and so on have certain metaphysical properties. Why do they have these properties? There are multiple explanations. Sometimes the properties are supposed to be innate. Sometimes they supposedly exist because the object in question is a symbol for something else. You'll find that many spells combine these two ideas, such as using an herb because of its inherent properties it's believed to have, then also using a flower because it's a symbol of a deity.

(Will it hurt anything to mix these concepts? Personally, I don't think so. Spiritual beliefs and metaphysical models are often messy, and occasionally contradict each other. I've never really seen it hurt anything.)

If you search around, you can easily find charts that describe various properties associated with various things. People sometimes assume that these properties were handed down to us from authorities who were so in tune with magic or the divine that they were basically infallible, and newbie witches just have no hope of figuring things out for themselves.

Fortunately, that's not really true!

Some correspondences are informed by nature. Others are social constructs.

You might see correspondence lists say that gold is associated with wealth, that apples are associated with love, and pink is associated with femininity. These are all social constructs that have nothing to do with the natural qualities of these things.

Other correspondences are informed by nature, however. Green is associated with life because healthy leaves are typically green. Hot peppers are associated with pain and torment because capsaicin produces a burning sensation.

(This isn't to say that social construct correspondences are all inherently bad, or even lesser. But it's good to be mindful of the differences, because it makes it easier to figure out what you can change and mess around with, and how!)

Even when correspondences are informed by nature, they can still be subjective.

The world is full of vastly different ecosystems, climates, and geological structures. Different regions have their own plants and animals. And even within your own region, you'll find that nature lends to many different correspondences for the same thing. Hot peppers might be orange or red, but so are many sweet fruits. Water can nurture life, or it can drown it.

Some people who acknowledge this will say that it's all about intent, but I personally believe it's a bit more about context. Just look at at the infamous children's hospital with the red path on the floor, and how the it creates an unnerving atmosphere despite whatever "positive connotations" red can have. I think if you're trying to figure out what to put in your spell, thinking contextually can help you make appropriate decisions.

In any case, I do think it's important to lean toward correspondences that have meaning to you. What some ancient guy who lived and died on the other side of the planet thought doesn't override your lived reality and your cultural experiences.

If you want to really learn correspondences, observe the world around you!

Correspondence lists can be good references, but they don't really help you develop a proper understanding. To do this, pay attention to plants, stones, colors, shapes, etc. and ask yourself:

Where do they turn up naturally?

How do they behave? What do they do?

Where and how do people use them, and what are they associated with in these contexts?

Where are things often grouped with other things? What is the significance of these groupings?

(If you keep a Book of Shadows or other magical journal, I recommend writing down your findings!)

So yeah, that's the basics on magical correspondences. They can look a little intimidating at first, but they're actually a lot more simple and straightforward than you might realize.

Happy witchin'!

[crimsonsongbird]

HALSIN SILVERBOUGH

Correspondences: Respect, Nature, Nurture, Healing, Awareness, Awakening, Transformation, Honesty, Acceptance, Passion, Love, Longing, Hope, Bears, Home, Knowledge, Travel, Growth, Understanding, Empathy, Resilience, Admiration, Durability, Movement, Motivation, Leadership, Compassion, Honor, Protection, Confidence, Druidry, Determination, Fertility, & Resistance 

Herbs/Plants: Tobacco, Peppermint, Cardamom, Ginseng, Valerian, & Amaranth

Crystals: Emerald, Black Tourmaline, Amazonite, Clear Quartz, Tiger's Eye, & Amethyst

Elements: Earth & Air

Celestial Body/Planet: Earth

Numbers: 2, 3, & 8

Scents: Musk, Dirt, & Wood

Candles: Green, Brown, & Orange

Magic Types: Earth/Nature, Healing, Protection, Knowledge, Leadership, Hex Breaking, Curse Lifting, Self-love, Druidry, Hope, Fighting, Overcoming, Transformation, Growth, Determination, Shielding, Nurturing, Energy, Acceptance, Awakening, Movement, Motivation, Abundance, Attraction, Fertility, & Resilience

[caribwitch]

[booksandwitchery]

Personal Correspondences

After studying witchcraft for about 18 months now, I am finally getting around to recording my list of personal correspondences. If you ever feel like you're getting witch imposter syndrome, remember that witchcraft, paganism, and occultism in general are so multifaceted and multidisciplinary. You can be heavily immersed in your path for a long time and still not have the basics down. I'm not necessarily saying that personal correspondences are basic, but I sure feel silly that I am just now taking time to establish these for myself.

I've always had a hard time with Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences and similar literature because of the pure subjectivity of everything in life. For example, I am not partial to the color purple because of bad memories from my childhood. Many other people will feel that the color purple is calming, welcoming, or friendly. If humans are all so unique and diverse (and we are), I can't agree that any list of magical correspondences is universal or should be trusted at the sacrifice of personal experience and/or intuition. I must say that this of course excludes medical or evidence-based properties of plants, herbs, chemicals, and so on.

This is just the unfinished flower section, but I've covered a lot of ground (crystals, herbs and spices, plants, trees, metals, scents, animals, etc.) and I'm excited to keep chiseling away at this master list.

I'm interested to know if any of you have made a list of personal correspondences, or if you're cool with the books just spelling them out for you. Let me know!

[elminx]

Somebody just shared a post of mine with the tag "personal correspondences are always valid"...

and just...

it's more complicated than that.

You generally need to know what you are doing to make a personal correspondence for magical purposes. And you need to test it magically, too.

You can't just say "Lavender makes people angry" and then put it in a spell and it will make somebody else angry.

Most good correspondences have a REASON that they bring that type of energy to the spell. That reason may not work for you for whatever reason, and then, you wouldn't want to use it in magic for that purpose. And that's cool but that's different than just willy-nilly making up your own correspondences for like funs.

Let's get a bit nuanced here and use the very debated one: caffeine.

Some people have weird nervous systems where caffeine doesn't wake them up, so using caffeine for its intended purpose wouldn't be the best for them. Cool. But to then go "Caffeine makes me sleepy so I'll use it for a sleep spell on somebody else..."

Do you see the problem there? If caffeine makes you sleepy, you might be able to use it in a sleep spell for yourself (I'm still skeptical there but if you've done this successfully, please lmk - I'm legit interested) but that doesn't give caffeine the correspondence of "sleep" in a generalized sense. To further complicate things, not all correspondences are created equal. Like, change any color correspondences you want - in my opinion. The Eurocentric view of color does not equal what color means to everybody. But that's different than a plant that has certain inherent properties which will carry through into the magic. (And we could get very technical about the inherent properties of color - like black absorbing light and white reflecting light, but I digress) To summarize, correspondence charts are shit and I encourage you to seek out and learn to understand how things work for you in magic. But that's also sort of advanced practice and it takes a long time or trial and error to get right. If you're just deciding something without that, you are probably playing make-believe.

[amortaldivinity]

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆ A few of my PERSONAL correspondences when doing magic and weekly tasks according to the planetary associations with the days of the week ⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

[faerytalemagick]

Happy Freyja day 🕯️🌕🍀

Friday Magical Correspondences

Planet: Venus

Deities: Venus goddesses like Aphrodite and Freyja.

Colors: Pink and green.

Magical Intentions: Love, romance, beauty, sensuality, and artistic pursuits.

[citrinemystic]

Want to level up your Kitchen Witchery? Figure out/decide what common sauce ingredients correspond to in your practice. You'll be able to incorporate intention into almost every meal you eat.

Ingredients to think about - tomato, (used in sooo many sauces, including ketchup and BBQ sauce) vinegar, lemon, onion, garlic, eggs, milk, and oils.

[delightingintragedy]

Mars Correspondences

From Christian Astrology by William Lilly

(It is mostly word for word. I tried to format it to fit into a nice correspondence list, but the information itself is untouched.)

Zodiac: Aries is his Day-house, Scorpio is his Night-house. Exhaulted in Capricorn, Depressed in Cancer, Detriment in Libra and Taurus.

Nature: Masculine, Nocturnal Planet, in nature hot and dry, choleric and fiery, the lesser Infortune, author of Quarrels, Strifes, and Contentions.

Profession: Princes Ruling by Tyranny and Oppression, or Tyrants, Usurpers, new Conquerors. Generals in Armies, Colonels, Captains, or any Soldiers having command in Armies, all manner of Soldiers, Physicians, Apothecaries, Surgeons, Alchemists, Gunners, Butchers, Marshals, Sergeants, Bailiffs, Hangmen, Thieves, Smiths, Bakers, Armourers, Watchmakers, Botchers, Tailors, Cutlers of Swords and Knives, Barbers, Dyers, Cooks, Carpenters, Gamesters, Bear-wards, Tanners, Curriers.

Diseases: The Gall, the left Ear, tertian Fevers, pestilent burning Fevers, Migraines in the Head, Carbuncles, the Plague and all Plague-sores, Burnings, Ringworm, Blisters, Frenzies, mad sudden distempers in the Head, Yellow-jaundice, Bloodyflux, Fistulas, all Wounds and Diseases in men's Genitals, the Stone both in Reins and Bladder, Scars or small Pox in the Face, all hurts by Iron, the Shingles, and such other Diseases as arise by abundance of too much Choler, Anger or Passion.

Colour: Red colour, or Yellow, fiery and shining like Saffron.

Savour: Those which are bitter, sharp and burn the Tongue.

Herbs: The Herbs which we attribute to Mars are such as come near to redness, whose leaves are pointed and sharp, whose taste is caustic and burning, love to grow on dry places, are corrosive, and penetrating the Flesh and Bone with a most subtle heat: They are as follows: The Nettle, all manner of Thistles, Restharrow or Cammock, Devils-milk or Petty spurge, the white and red Brambles, the white called vulgarly by the Herbalists Ramme, Lingwort, Onions, Scammony, Garlic, Mustard-seed, Pepper, Ginger, Leeks, Dittander, Horehound, Hemlock, red Sanders, Tamarinds, all Herbs attracting or drawing choler by Sympathy, Radish, Castoreum, Aresmart, Assarum, Carduus Benedictus, Cantharides.

Trees: All Trees which are prickly, as a Thorn, Chestnut.

Beasts: Panther, Tiger, Mastiff, Vulture, Fox; of living creatures, those that are Warlike, Ravenous and Bold, the Castor, Horse, Mule, Ostrich, the Goat, the Wolf, the Leopard, the wild Ass, the Gnats, Flies, Lapwing, Cockatrice, the Griffin, Bear.

Fishes, etc: The Pike, the Shark, the Barbel, the Fork-fish, all stinking Worms, Scorpions.

Birds, etc: The Hawk, the Vulture, the Kite or Glead, (all ravenous Fowl), the Raven, Cormorant, the Owl, (some say the Eagle), the Crow, the Pye.

Places: Smith's Shops, Furnaces, Slaughterhouses, places where Bricks or Charcoal are burned or have been burned, Chimneys, Forges.

Minerals: Iron, Antimony, Arsenic, Brimstone, Ochre.

Stones: Adamant, Loadstone, Bloodstone, Jasper, the many coloured Amethyst, the Touchstone, red Lead or Vermilion.

Weather: Red Clouds, Thunder, Lightning, Fiery impressions, and pestilent Airs, which usually appear after a long time of dryness and fair Weather, by improper and unwholesome Mists.

Winds: Western Winds

Angel: Samael

Planetary Alliances: His Friends are only Venus; Enemies all the other planets.

Week Day: Tuesday

Correspondence posts for the other planets: [Sun] [Moon] [Mercury] [Venus] [Jupiter] [Saturn]

[astra-ravana]

Getting Dirty

According to stone tape theory the soil, stone, and wood around us preserve an imprint of our history, a record of sorts. Soil is important, it holds the residual energy of a place and preserves it forever. Practitioners can tap into the qualities of various types of dirt to integrate those energies into their work. The different types of magickal soil are as follows:

Crossroads Dirt: Decision making, road opening, luck, success, opportunity, opens doors to other realms, offering to Hekate and other crossroads deities

Highway/Railroad Dirt: Movement, relocation, travel, speeds up any working

Cemetery/Graveyard Dirt: Healing, protection, prosperity,luck, love, baneful workings, assistance from the dead, offering to death deities

Backyard Dirt: Purification, protection, peace, workings with/for the home/family, traditionally collected from the four corners of the yard

Enemies House Dirt: Hatred, animosity, revenge, conflict, used in baneful casting

Bank Dirt: Drawing money, prosperity, good fortune, good luck, security, used in mojo bags

Hospital Dirt: Healing, health, and  recovery as well as sickness, injury, and illness. Intent is everything.

Casino Dirt: Good luck, chance, change in circumstances, chaos, loss, ruin, intent matters

Bar/Pub Dirt: Confusion, delirium, accidents, distraction, fun, chaos, seduction, short term

Schoolyard/Playground Dirt: New beginnings, joy, optimism, playfulness, protection of children

University Campus Dirt: Knowledge, memory, intellect, intelligence, wisdom, higher consciousness

Market Dirt: Business, income, networking, wealth, community, communication, commerce

Banquet Hall Dirt: Celebration, love, communication, togetherness

Forest Dirt: Nature, balance, abundance, peace, serenity, the element of Earth, offering to nature deities like Cernunnos or Pan

Courthouse Dirt: Justice, legal issues, cases resolve in your favor, binding, banishing, punishment

Prison/Jail Dirt: Imprisonment, entrapment, restraint, binding, banishing, punishment

Murder Scene Dirt: Death, destruction, devastation, used in the most potent and wicked curses and baneful workings

[crimsonsongbird]

ASTARION ANCUNIN

Correspondences: Manipulation, Lust, Blood, Dexterity, Finesse, Loneliness, Longing, Night, Darkness, Vampires, Death, Passion, Selfishness, Desire, Confidence, Stealth, Betrayal, Fangs, Bite, Travel, Aesthetic, Fashion, Immortality, Pain, Suffering, Overcoming, Transformation, Servitude, Attraction, Dreams, Arrogance, & Ascension 

Herbs/Plants: Almond, Violet, Calendula, Apple, Hibiscus, & Bloodroot

Crystals: Bloodstone, Carnelian, Labradorite, Blue Apatite, Howlite, & Rose Quartz 

Elements: Air & Spirit

Celestial Body/Planet: Venus

Numbers: 2, 3, & 7

Scents: Brandy, Bergamot, & Metallic

Candles: Silver, Red, & Black

Magic Types: Cursing, Hexing, Cord Cutting, Return to Sender, Dexterity, Confidence, Stealth, Travel, Glamour, Overcoming, Transformation, Freedom, Death / Spirit Work, Precision, Goals, Dreams, Attraction, & Blood

[cimarutamystics]

Blessed full moon 🌝

[wickedherbgrimoire]

✨ CHAMOMILE ✨

Chamomile has been used for sleep and nerves for centurties, but it also has the powerful ability to break curses and hexes.

Element: Water Deities: Hecate Zodiacs: Cancer Planet: Moon Crystals: Amethyst, Rose Quartz, Moon Stone Good For: Sleep, depression, healing & more! Protects Against: Anxiety

For more tips, tricks, tonics, and tintures check out the Wicked Witch's Web! 🌛🖤🌜

Source: The Wicked Witch of the Web

[elminx]

Elminx muses about color magic at the height of Autumn

Note: I wrote this a year ago but never published it so the astrological aspects are off, but I think it's worth sharing anyway.

I remain at my heart a skeptical witch. Especially when it comes to magical associations and even more especially when it comes to color magic. There are things that I understand instinctively about the use of color on my mood - wearing my favorite colors to make me feel better, or perhaps more powerful, for example.

But ever since I learned why black was bad and white was good, pre-set color associations have been pretty hard to swallow for me.

Occasionally, I meet a color anew and a greater understanding of it emerges. Then, and only then, am I inclined to use it in my magic.

This happened to me this week with the color orange.

Some background: I spent the last month in a pretty deep and unseasonal (for me) depression. I've mostly worked my way out of it but I was still behind in both my jobs and struggling to catch up - I'm sure that anybody who struggles with depression understands what I mean. Things had gotten better, I haven't sobbed daily in at least two weeks. But I was nowhere near good. I was still stagnant.

Last weekend was busy: my partner and I both got our bivalent vaccines on Thursday, my friend had a music thing, another friend had a birthday, and my partner and I had to watch the gallery of our art thing on Sunday afternoon. By the time Sunday rolled around we were just tired and stretched thin. We got ourselves bagel sandwiches and drove to the gallery which is in the middle of nowhere in an old New England town.

We opened the space and then sat outside with our lunch to enjoy the fair weather and - seemingly right before our eyes - the entire world turned orange. That's the thing about New England, seasons change in a moment and if you're watching, you might just see it happen. Every time we stepped outside that door, the world was more orange. Leaves danced down all around us.

It rained all day on Monday and I had to scurry hurry around to get a lot of work done. I effortlessly multitasked and caught up on weeks' worth of work in ten hours. Then, on Tuesday afternoon, I put on sneakers and walked across town to photograph something that I've needed for months and months.

All of it, all of the gunk, all of the stuckness, it was just gone.

I've spent the last two days trying to comprehend this shift. Was it astrological? Sun trine Mars is nice and was certainly giving me energy, but that wasn't it. Not entirely anyway.

Autumn in New England is something special. It's not just the sweet smell of decaying leaves, or the brilliant displays of yellows, oranges, and reds in the trees. There is a longing in the chill in the air, a hint of something hiding in the long shadows and fading light.

There is a sense of urgency, a feeling of the need to gobble it all up before it's gone, gone, gone.

Orange is a harvest color, a color of ripeness and plenty. The blood of the North runs deep in my veins; when I see it, it lights up every part of me.

Here in New England, the color of orange whispers this: You cannot rest now. Rest when the days are dark and you need to huddle under a blanket for warmth. Now is a time of doing, of expanding, of collecting. Now we harvest when we have sown and now we come together to do the work of the harvest together.

Interestingly, this aligns strongly with the idea that orange is a color of unblocking or road opening. I can attest that the turning of the leaves did this exact thing.

[infernalwitxhcraft]

Herb of the Month - Willow

This post will have the medicinal profile and magical correspondences. This is done via years of research and having spent quite a bit of time with it, as it is one of my favorite trees. I've found her to be soothing and relaxing, a real comfort to be around. This may get updated over time to keep it as accurate as possible. Below the image, you will find the information. If you have any information you'd like to add or experiences you've had with it in the comments, please feel free to!

Plant name: salix alba

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Gender: Feminine

Healing/medicinal properties:

• What willow is best known for is a chemical called salicylic acid, which is almost identical to aspirin. It is still a popular alternative for naturopaths to prescribe today. As you can imagine, it has pain-relieving properties.

• Reduces inflammation.

• Often prescribed for arthritis and joint pain by licensed professionals. Work with a naturopath to learn what dosage you need as well as how to best take it. Also used for menstrual cramps, if you want to speak with them about using it for that too.

• Known to reduce fevers.

• Helps gum & tonsil inflammation (use decoction).

• Black willow (salix nigra) was used as an aphrodisiac & sexual sedative. It would arose its user.

• Goat willow (salix caprea) was/is used for whooping cough and indigestion. Also used as an antiseptic and disinfectant.

• Sometimes used for weight loss.

Main magical properties:

• Healing: physically & emotionally.

• Love/romance.

• Fertility.

• To conjure spirits.

• Releasing energy.

• Develop psychic abilities and increase intuition.

• Dreamwork.

• Moon magic.

• Curses.

Spell uses:

• Place in a dream sachet to lucid dream or astral project. Often used for dream scrying. Add lavender or skullcap in it (or both) to aid you even further in this!

• Use in any kind of healing ritual. You can also make your own tinctures, salves, or teas to not only harness the physical benefits but bring deep healing. Charge on full moons, by a body of water if possible. If not, use the water element indoors!

• Use branches to make a powerful wand! Preferably fallen ones. Leave an offering and still ask permission to take it, out of respect.

• Carrying the leaves in a sachet attracts love.

• You can sprinkle it around the perimeters of the home and around the rooms to ward off/protect from evil.

• Traditionally, besoms were made from branches that were left on the ground. Use this to make your own! Again, ask permission and leave offerings.

• You can use this in fertility rituals. Placing it under the bed helps, or in a sachet under the pillows when trying to conceive.

• Some use the branches as divining rods. The rods may also be used for binding magic.

• Aids in ancient studies. It likes to teach its user by removing any blockages, especially emotional ones so they can retain more information, from a clearer headspace.

• Use for working through grief. I encourage making a charm for this, as it brings about a comforting energy during these difficult times.

• On another note, willow has a long history of being used in curses, especially revolving around death or causing someone grief.

• From author and herbalist Corrine Boyer: "Willow was thought in some parts to be protected by the devil and if one tied a knot in a young willow tree, and renounced their baptism while sitting under it, the devil would grant them supernatural powers. Polish folklore taught that the willow tree was the Devil's home and refrained from cutting it down for that reason."

Note: Some of these correspondences might not resonate with you, and that is okay. I've found many authors and researchers that I do not connect with their UPG on a certain herb, but I still make note of it (but put, off to the side, that it is their experience). You will experience the same things as you look into information on an herb you are seeking to understand. The best thing to do is work with the plant itself, develop a relationship, and you will find what resonates.

Another note: this is NOT a substitute for modern medicine. If you want to use it medically, see a licensed naturopath and have them work with your doctor(s) so they are all on the same page & can provide the best treatment possible. No herb is the cure for everything. Don't substitute for needed medications.