#my arthurian grimoire

[honeybadger-the-pop-witch]

Another Arthurian Grimoire update!

I added letters to the sunset/sunrise page. The combination of too much paint and too stiff a sponge brush turned out to be quite messy, but the semi-readability of it has grown on me since last night. If simply because I’m in the broom closet at home (or no one outwardly acknowledges my witchiness at least), so it works as an unintentional glamour for the journal.

Things have been crazy around my particular neck of the global woods so it was nice to just throw on a YouTube video and stencil after work.

The next task: construction paper pages.

[theavalonianwitch]

Introduction Post!

Hey, I'm Nim, I'm 18 and I'm a Scottish lesbian witch. I practice eclectic polytheism, although I mostly focus on Norse and Celtic religion.

This is going to be a little blog about witchcraft, as well as a spiritual diary and grimoire. I'd also love to find some other witch and Pagan friends/mutuals!! (Pls interact)

Some of my primary deities I worship are:

- Odin

- Idun

- Skadi

- Aengus Óg

- Beira, the Cailleach (Queen of Winter)

- Amun-Ra

I'm also a huge fan of Arthurian legend (it's a special interest). I love horror movies, alternative music, and video gaming, but I won't post about those here.

Anyway, that's all <3

[honeybadger-has-a-grimoire]

Pokémon Grounding Ritual

Hey, everyone! It’s Clover, and, as per the results of the poll, the next blog topic is my Pokémon Grounding Technique! And I have to say, this is a good thing to write about now, specifically, since a lot of stuff went down IRL—and I’ll definitely need to ground and recenter myself soon.

So grab your bag, your favorite Pokémon, and your Pokédex as we talk about how I use one of my favorite media franchises in my practice!

Psychology and Witchcraft: A Quick Background Discussion

Okay, so before we go on our journey to be the very best like no one ever was, a quick discussion on how I use psychology in my practice is necessary for background knowledge.

In my witchcraft practice, I use the idea that spell work and ritual can help you calm down and focus on a problem at hand. In doing things with your hands and with the set intention of helping you out with X,Y, or Z, you are creating a space in your brain to look at the problem from a new perspective. This new perspective then helps you solve the problem since not only is your headspace calm, but, also, doing the spell diverts your consciousness from the problem at hand—which then allows your unconscious mind to work through it a bit better and help find a solution through processing all the information you have gathered.

I mainly use this approach to witchcraft through grounding techniques, like making Tea or playing Pokémon. The ability to use my hands and distract my brain helps a lot to calm me down and look at problems or situations through a new perspective—mainly a calm one.

Pokémon specifically comes in handy when I’m overstimulated, exhausted, and miserable. I work two jobs, and one of them has various different types of lights of various levels of brightness and warmth. This lack of uniformity causes a migraine due to photosensitivity and it only gets compounded by the store being wall-to-wall with customers on Sundays. So I start feeling overwhelmed and jittery and not okay. I need to escape and to ground all the excess energy.

So… I hid in the girl’s bathroom, turned on my emulator, lowered the brightness and played GBA rom hacks and fan games of Pokémon.

And that’s where my little ritual began.

Now, let’s actually talk Pokémon ritualistic grounding.

Pokémon Grounding Ritual

The actual ritual itself is very simple and adaptable to your specific needs. Remember, what works for me may not work for you and what works for you may not work for Tyson down the street and what works for Tyson may not work for his partner. In witchcraft, Pop Culture Witchcraft especially, a lot of it requires researching (cultural/historical contexts, open versus closed practices, other people’s paths, etc.) and then trial and error.

For me, the Pokémon Grounding Ritual works as such:

I hide in the bathroom, my room, or another solitary place. Double points if it’s dark and quiet.

I boot up my Delta Emulator app on my phone.

I let my intuition guide me on picking out a Pokémon game to continue playing—and this is the most important step because I am usually too overwhelmed to think. So, by going on autopilot, I am allowing myself to slowly start coming down from overstimulation or anxiety.

I play and allow myself to focus on the game for about five or ten minutes (more depending on how overwhelmed I feel and where I am). And I let my inner self decide when it’s ready to rejoin the world—which is usually after a battle or two.

Repeat when necessary.

Allowing my excess energy to have a focus is why this really works. I am taking all this pent up, uncomfortable energy and putting it into action physically by moving my hands and letting the calming surroundings of my favorite video game franchise bring me back to myself. When I’m home, if I’ve had an overwhelming day, I usually do this by working on my Arthurian Grimoire project you’ve seen me post on my main blog or make tea. But I can’t exactly pull out my craft kit or my teapot whenever I’m out and overwhelmed.

Psychological-Techno magick is great for on the go because I always have my phone on me in case of emergency. So I will always have Pokémon with me.

What about you guys? Do you have a similar ritual? If not, what’s your go to grounding? Tell me, I would like to know!

That’s it for today, folks!

[queer-cock-witchcraft]

Why I Post Dick

Nobody asked, but I'm going to post about it anyway!

There are several reasons why I reblog naked men I find very attractive. The biggest reason is that I am very, very Queer. But it's much deeper than that. Yes, I know Tumblr banned porn. Much to the detriment of most of us, I think. But in spite of this I still post attractive, naked men displaying rather large phalluses.

This is mainly because Sex Magick is a big part of my practice. I am a Dionysian Phallic Worshiper most of all. I view Cock as the literal Creator of all things. My blog is part Grimoire, part Shrine/Altar to the Great God, Phallus. I could go into detail on all the reasons why I believe this but honestly? I don't feel like it. Just look at Nature Herself and you will understand why sex is sacred. It doesn't take long to realize that most things are Phallic.

Dionysus is the Phallic God of Wine, Revelry, & Theatre. He is also very androgynous! He helped me embrace the fact I am nonbinary and because of him, I embraced Queer as my title. So, this blog is partly a Shrine to him. I worship him through being true to myself and through my sexual worship of sexy, big dicked men (yes I realize the Greeks hated large phalluses but I have fetishes).

Another Phallic God I work with is Cernunnos. I know some don't see the sexual side of him (indeed, some even hate the idea entirely). But over the years I have found him to be quite the sexual, Phallic God I know him to be! His energy is very similar to Dionysus in many ways. I worship him in the form of the Greenman, Lord of the Vine, & the Lord of Primal Animalistic Desire.

Here's a God I bet you have never thought could be Phallic: Merlin of the Arthurian Legend. In his form as Wyllt, he is the Wildman of the Woods. His energy is incredibly sexual and Phallic, not unlike Cernunnos or the Greenman. Very similar to Dionysus indeed! The Wizard Staff is overtly phallic in nature. He wasn't always the old Wizard most know him to be. I have always worked with him in a much younger, much more sensual form.

[honeybadger-has-a-grimoire]

This is the post I’m most proud of:

It’s about the length of a five page long essay and it’s just me rambling about my introduction to Arthurian Paganism (with the limited resources I had at my disposal at the time). Now, I’m making an entire Arthurian Paganism and Witchcraft Grimoire! Not only that, but because of this wonderful hellsite I have access to so many resources for my research! And this big post is a thank you and a love letter to all of it!

It’s not polished.

It’s not as informational as I originally imagined it to be.

But I love it, and I’m proud of it.

WITCHY PEOPLE WHO BLOG STUFF:

What’s a post of yours that you are particularly proud of? I don’t mean popular, just one you’re proud of. Could be informational, could be a diary-entry thing where you figured out something cool, could be a nice pic of your altar or whatever… anything, just A Post You’re Proud Of. Link it in the replies or reblogs!

[shadowron]

Magic Items Suck in Shadowrun

…and it’s time we confronted that fact.

Even if we all hadn’t come from a background familiar with Dungeons & Dragons or other Fantasy Role-Playing Games (FRPGs), magical items are ubiquitous enough in cultures and mythologies worldwide that the average chummer could name half a dozen of them off the top of their head.

Excalibur and the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. 

Flying carpets and djinni bottles. 

Invisibility cloaks and rings of power.

These were all lifted and woven into Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, D&D, WoW… And Shadowrun, well, to quote the Great Prophet of Cyberpunk, William Gibson:

“So when I see things like ShadowRun, the only negative thing I feel about it is that initial extreme revulsion at seeing my literary DNA mixed with elves. Somewhere somebody's sitting and saying 'I've got it! We're gonna do William Gibson and Tolkien!'”

He’s not wrong. 

There are elves and dragons and dwarves and wizards and orcs and street samurai and hackers and cyberware and zaibatsu and smartguns. And Shadowrun does a great job of integrating all those things together in a balanced way that has now seen the game go through six TTRPG editions, dozens of novels, and an expanding universe of video games.

So why do its magic items suck?

Reason #1: Magic items can only be used by magicians.

For all of the other fantasy DNA fragments that Shadowrun CRISPR’ed into Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy, one they did not is the ability of Bilbo-san to pick up a magic ring in the Lonely Mountain Barrens and immediately turn invisible to evade, uh, cyber-Gollum.  

Reason #2: Magic items mostly augment a magician’s abilities, not grant new ones.

The various Foci (Spell, Spirit, Power) provide extra dice for Sorcery, Conjuring, and Magic, respectively. You could argue that a Spell lock can be used by a non-magician, except that it requires a magician to cast the spell that gets “locked” onto the recipient (and must pay the Karma cost).

A magic weapon is a Power Focus in the shape of a weapon that can be used in Astral Space, and if it has a crunchy candy coating of Orichalcum, then it adds its rating to the magician’s Armed Combat dice pool. This is the closest that Shadowrun comes to creating something like Glamdring – wielded by Gandalf against the Balrog in the Mines of Moria.

Reason #3: Magic items can only be used after spending Karma to bond them to the magician.

Karma is what Shadowrun uses for experience points, so in addition to using Karma to increase attributes and skills like the rest of the runners, magicians also have to use Karma to do things like learn new spells and undergo initiation.

But don’t worry – there is a simple fix.

Just relax Reason #1 above, at least. Any character can use a magic item, even if they must pay Karma to have it bonded. Mechanically, just have magic items provide flat bonuses to certain skills (or armor or damage) or invoke spell effects.

Sting, which famously glowed blue when orcs were about, now is a Dagger Weapon Focus with the ability to Detect Ork. Which is a real Shadowrun spell.

But why restrict ourselves to fantasy weapons? This is cyberpunk!

From The Grimoire (1st Edition):

Though rumors of enchanted missiles abound and the military-industrial complex is funding massive research, no one has yet found a way to enchant any kind of missile, much less firearms or bullets. A weapon focus only functions when I the hands of its owner.

Cowards!

Bind spirits to ammo. A fire elemental in a FirePower round for extra boom. A slivergun whose shards are guided by storm spirit that electrocutes the target as well. An Earth Elemental stabilizes a Vindicator Minigun so you can have a true recoilless rifle.

A cyberdeck whose circuitry is made with orichalcum. Enchanted cybereyes that can Astrally perceive.

You got cool ideas? Drop ‘em below.

[life-in-the-garden]

2022 grimoire challenge, week one

here are the first week's prompts of this witchy challenge if you want to see them for yourself. These prompts and this year's challenge in general are designed for intermediate-level witches. I am in some sort of nebulous "semi-confident beginner" stage where I want to attempt more challenging things but am not sure I'll be able to perform them gracefully. Therefore, I'll be doing both the 2019 challenge (aimed at beginners) as well as this one. You can see the first part of my 2019 challenge here.

I'm extremely late for this challenge, because my university semester has been kicking my butt, but Spring Break is finally here so I can do something other than homework. Let's get into the actual spellwork, shall we?

2022 prompt 1.1 - create your lab notebook/grimoire

a "lab notebook" refers to all of the notes that one takes before, during, and after the process of executing experiments using the scientific method. A grimoire can be much the same, but the experiments are spells instead.

I decided to use google docs as my lab notebook, since it's easy to edit/organize and I have access to it just about wherever I go. (Note: I do have a physical grimoire in a bound notebook, but that's more for witchy musings, tarot records, and the occasional note-taking spree; I don't draft spells in there).

2022 prompt 1.2 - design your own spell

Okay, this is where I initially started to despair. I've never made my own spell before, mostly because I have some serious self-confidence issues. I understand the basic principles, but I've been afraid to actually do original spellwork; I'm terrified that the magic just won't work because I'm somehow inherently flawed as a person and/or inferior in some way. (It sounds silly when I write it out like this and can read my own thoughts in this post, but I swear it's true).

Ultimately, I decided to just dive in and do my best.

I recently saw "The Green Knight" (2021) movie with my partners, and was impressed with Gawain's struggle with his ideal for himself as a courageous, honorable knight vs. his fear of death. I wanted to use the Arthurian legend and its movie adaptation as the basis for a spell, and I started jotting down my ideas in Google Docs around the theme of inspiring courage in oneself. This is still very much a WIP, but I came up with:

name: Spell for Gawain's Courage (working title)

genre: pop culture witchcraft

ideas: spell jar vs. charm bracelet vs. sigil

Each of the ideas have pros and cons.

A spell jar requires a jar (which I have) as well as ingredients (I have some of the ingredients I'd like to use, but I would need to buy others). My biggest concern is time, since I'm already late for this challenge and sourcing ingredients from Etsy would be too much waiting.

A charm bracelet adheres very well to the symbolism of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" (in the story, Gawain has an enchanted green belt that protects him from harm). However, I have none of the jewelry-making supplies that I need on hand, which means buying beads, charms, cordage, and a clasp... none of which will arrive quickly enough, but which will altogether cost upwards of 30 USD.

A sigil is something I have all necessary materials for, such as green ink and paper. Unfortunately, my itch to make lasting things decries this option as overly simplistic and insufficiently compelling.

In the interest of time, however, I think I'll go with a sigil. Mod Hazel mentions in this post that we shall return to old prompts over the course of the 2022 challenge, so I'll buy some items that have symbolic value not limited to this particular spell, such as oak leaf charms and bloodstone beads, which will be useful even if my ideas change or I switch to a different kind of spell.

Timing - Because "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" (in both the original story and its movie adaptation) is a Christmas story, it takes place very close to the winter solstice. Because the plot of the movie symbolizes Gawain's symbolic death as a cowardly person and his rebirth as a courageous and honorable knight of the Round Table, I think that performing this spell under the dark/new moon would be best. The longest (and darkest) night of the year symbolizes the inner darkness of our deepest fears, which need to be illuminated by the flame of courage.

....unfortunately, the solstice and the new moon have passed, but I don't want to put off this spell, so I'm going to do it anyway. Fear can strike even without a cover of literal darkness, so I think that timing isn't the most important aspect of this particular spell.

Location - I'm a closet witch whose parents don't look too closely into my affairs, so I have some freedom to practice but not a lot. I don't have a dedicated workspace or altar yet. Location isn't an important aspect of this spell either.

Materials - This spell will require a candle. I'm choosing to use a green chime candle, since the color green (in the context of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight") is very important here. I'll also be using paper, some green India ink, and a size 0 watercolor brush to draw my sigil.

Method - I'm going to draw the sigil representing my fears, light the candle, meditate on my intention (or at least try to) of overcoming my fears while watching the candle burn down, then gather my energy and burn the sigil before the candle completely burns out.

I'm really nervous.

2022 prompt 1.3 - perform your original spell

I designed my sigil to look like the Green Knight's axe, for which Gawain must kneel and accept the blow that he expects to sever his head from his neck and end his life.

The candle is burning down and I'm trying to meditate, but my cat is desperate to get inside my room and is mewing and scratching at the door. I don't want to let her in, because the chime candle isn't in a holder and could be knocked over very easily. I can't meditate with this noise going on, so I'm going to just burn my sigil (in front of an open window) and call it quits.

Overall first "proper" spell experience? 4/10

I need to invest in proper chime candle holders, I think.

[lets-go-every-witchway]

I’m still very new to Tarot, despite a long-held interest in it. To ease myself in (and get a feel for the process while I’m still working on my coloured-in deck), I’m using a Tarot app for daily readings. Nothing fancy, just single card draws, which I can note down and reflect on for inclusion in my grimoire (which will take the form of an A5 ringbinder or two)!

The first two days have already given me something joyful and something uncomfortable - but both absolutely true and in need of recognition. I read in one of the many grimoire tips/beginner witch tips posts I’ve reblogged that doing a daily Tarot reading - and, most importantly, recording it in your journal/Bos/ grimoire - is a pretty essential thing to do. And I can already see why  - it is MUCH tougher to lie to yourself on paper! These daily notes are going to be so useful for me to understand where I am right now, what I want to change, and what I want to keep. I’ve never really been much for introspection, and... yeah, that needs to change - pronto!

Currently, I’m using Beginner’s Guide to Tarot by Juliet Sharman-Burke and illustrated by Giovanni Caselli. I also have an Arthurian Tarot app (by Caitlin & John Matthews, illustrated by Miranda Gray), because I love Arthurian legends :D

(I really enjoy copying out my notes neatly like this. I wonder if I’ll be able to keep it up when I eventually get back to work? ^-^”)

[curly-theatre-gremlin]

Witches of Tumblr I need your advice

Hi there! I’m not a witch, nor do I follow any Pagan, Wiccan, etc religions (I’m Mormon, more on that later) but I’m an actress and I am playing a witch (like a classic witch from the Medieval Ages, complete with magic fire effects and exploding peoples brains with my mind like Eleven from Stranger Things). She’s a version of the character of Morgan le Fay from Arthurian folklore.

I have so much mad respect for anyone who practices witchcraft (along with any religion, belief, or practice for that matter). I don’t believe it to be “evil” or “devil worship” (unless you’re like actively worshipping Satan lol, but I won’t judge). I think it’s a beautiful practice and honestly, if I wasn’t Mormon I would definitely be a witch. (I know “witchcraft” as a whole isn’t a religion, but for simplicity’s sake I’ll refer to Pagan, Celtic, Wiccan, etc religions and the practice of the craft as a whole under the umbrella term “witchcraft”.) I think witchcraft is beautiful, a great way of connecting with the universe, and to be completely honest I’m a sucker for the aesthetic lol.

To get into character I’ve been doing tons of research, making a Grimoire for the character (that I use onstage) and including a lot of things in the Grimoire from real-life witchcraft. Is this sacreligious or disrespectful to you guys in any way? I’m not worried about disrespecting my own religion, I know what my intentions are and I know that by getting into character I’m not somehow contradicting my morals. However, I do worry it may be disrespectful to real witches. Is it offensive that I am making a Grimoire without really believing most of the things I’m putting in it? I mean, I wouldn’t be offended if someone read the Bible without really believing it, just because they were trying to get into character for a devoutly Christian character (Mormons are Christians btw). But I know opinions may not be the same across all beliefs or faiths. So I want y’alls input, so I can make sure I’m not being offensive!

(I know Mormons can get a bad rep based on how some of us act towards other minorities, but those people should NOT represent Mormons as a whole. I respect and accept EVERYONE and want my blog to be a safe space for people of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, religions, beliefs, and ages.)

Please help me learn how to play this character in a respectful way that will make y’all comfortable!

Love,

Your friend the cave gremlin

[tordenvejr]

What books would be in your dream library

the best question! women who run with the wolves by clarissa pinkola estes, a language older than time by derrick jensen, the feminine mystique by betty friedan, the great secret of mind by tulku pema rigtsal, teutonic myth and legend by donald a mackenzie, the origin of humanness in the biology of love by humberto maturana romesín, coyote medicine by lewis mehl-madrona, the sign and the seal by graham hancock, entangled minds: extrasensory experiences in a quantum reality by dean radin, the templar revelation by lynn picknett and clive prince, myths and symbols: aboriginal religions in america by stephen d. peet, a handbook of symbols in christian art by gertrude grace sill, ancient pagan and modern christian symbolism by thoman inman john newton, mythos by stephen fry, the first signs by genevieve von petzinger, the sirius mystery by robert k g temple, symbolism by michael gibson, sacred symbols by lydia hess, arthurian myth and legend by mike dixon kennedy, in the beginning: creation stories by virginia hamilton, celtic cosmology and the otherworld by sharon paice macleod, sacred symbols to the dogon by laird scranton, symbolism of the biblical world by othmar keel, shatki woman: feeling our fire and healing our world by vicki noble, dragons and dynasties by yuan ke, tree wisdom by jacqueline memory paterson, inkheart by cornelia funke it has always been dear to my heart. everything of mary oliver, albert camus, rumi, anaïs nin, toni morrison, dolores cannon, vadim zealand, edgar cayce, nikola tesla, thich nhat hanh, erich von däniken, da vinci, simon sinek, carl sagan, yuval noah harari, howard bloom, paulo coelho, yung pueblo, eckhart tolle, tolkien, c. s. lewis. and everything on atlantis (and other lost civilizations), the story of atlantis and the lost lemuria by w. scott elliot, the lost empire of atlantis by gavin menzies, atlantis the antediluvian world by ignatius donnelly. would also love documents like the dead sea scroll, the popol vuh, the oera linda book, the grand grimoire the red dragon by tarl warwick 🧡🛶

[thesquishywizard]

Day 3- Beginnings

This is where I depart from the set questions and answer one of my own!

You wanted my life story yes? This is my own personal journey to my own path and so is quite long!

I had always been fascinated by magical things from a young age. My parents and grandparents bought me the Mary Barker Flower Fairy books and so I became fascinated by the idea of magical creatures just out of the corner of our eyes. Between the ages of seven and twelve, I was bonkers about dragons and I still have a great fondness for them. However, at this age, my parents had started to think I was a bit too old to still be into magical things (though they didn’t mind my love of Arthurian Legend and many theories of how parts could be based in truth) and tried to make me shift my fascination to just be a fandom sort of thing. They encouraged me reading Harry Potter but would sigh whenever I would go in a witchy shop or thought up ways dragons could possibly be real. By the time I was fifteen I just kept to my steampunk and Arthurian interests and such. But I bought my first magical item then too. A friend had a pendulum on the field while we had been doing our GCSEs and I wanted one too. I went to a town nearby under false pretences and snook into the magic shop there to buy my pendulum. The lady in the shop was very kind, I was a shaking fifteen-year-old who was terrified their mum may see them through the window any second and I needed that kindness. She had all the pendulums hung from a big tree branch and told me to point to the one that calls to you, not necessarily the one you find the prettiest, the one that would love to get to know you. I chose this one:

I’m not sure what its made from but its called Sand. I went back to my mum and she had seen me in the shop but not buy anything so I pretended I just looked at the rocks (I’ve had my special interest be geology a lot through the years). She said “good, its all a load of mumbo-jumbo anyway”. That was the first time that my family had actually outwardly said that magic and witchcraft were, in some way, not good. This waving away of magic grew too as I got older. So for a long time, my ‘practice’ was reading folklore and asking my pendulum questions. All the way through college and beyond. It wasn’t until last year (2018) did I begin actually exploring it deeply. Early June last year I began going in depth with a lot of pagan faiths, seeing what they were all about and what was involved. Wicca dominated a lot of resources which confused me a lot, I’d think I’m looking up Celtic polytheism and nope, it was some spin of Wiccanism again. Wicca seems like its great for some but it seemed to hide other Pagan type faiths and made exploration quite hard. For a while was interested in Norse Paganism as I’m a big history guy and I love Viking history in particular. However, after much soul searching and researching, I knew I would never find an existing faith that was quite right for me. It may be my individual personality or maybe other autistic people experience this, but if it isn’t a perfect fit I can’t use it at all! Tentatively on the 1st November, I began writing my thoughts down. From that, I constructed tenants and began a grimoire! I don’t talk too much about my faith cus its made for me by me. I really don’t think anyone would quite understand it and I honestly don’t want them to, I’m kinda secretive :p It wouldn’t work with others because I made it with only me in mind and like everyone, I’m unique.

So yeah, that’s how it started, from fairies to my own personal path and faith. For most of the beginning, I was just constructing my grimoire and doing grounding and pendulum readings and I love how it has grown in such a short time since last year!

[honeybadger-the-pop-witch]

So I messed up stenciling just a bit and turned the cover page into a work-in-progress silver birch tree painting. I wonder how this will turn out, but I’m enjoying the direction so far. Waiting for the arcylics to dry again before adding on more details and colors.

[inknerd]

some book releases i’m looking forward to this year:

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - adult fantasy, it’s the author the The Night Circus!!! I’ve waited for this moment!!

Kingsbane by Claire Legrand - ya fantasy, the second book in the Empirium series.

The Candle and the Flame by Nazifa Azad - ya fantasy with djinns and the Silk Road, also beautiful cover.

Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff - ya sci-fi, seems to be about a rag-tag team of friends saving the galaxy. 

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He - ya fantasy, about a Chinese-inspired court where magic is forbidden and the queen tries to find her father’s murderer.

Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young - ya contemporary, an all-girl boarding school with dark secrets.

The Mermaid’s Voice Returns in This One by Amanda Lovelace - the third poetry collection in the Women Are Some Kind of Magic series.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson - ya fantasy, about sorcerers, grimoires and big libraries.

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta - ya fantasy/sci-fi, retelling of the Arthurian legend where there’s a reborn Arthur - who is a girl - and a cranky, teenager Merlin - who is probably gay - and they are going to start a revolution or something. Sounds cool.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo - ya fantasy, me and everyone else is waiting for this book to come out, do I need to say why???? Nikolai.

The Cold Is in Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale - ya fantasy, a retelling of Medusa with a stunning cover!

Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer - ya fantasy, another retelling of some fairy tale that I can remember the name of atm. Looks interesting.

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden - ya fantasy, the conclusion of one of my favourite series????? IS COMING!!!!!

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell - ya fantasy, the sequel to Carry On...there will be a sequel...*dreamy sigh*.

[honeybadger-has-a-grimoire]

Please Help if You Can!

So the Morrigan has reached out to me, and, considering I feel more connected to her than I did with Lady Hecate, I am going to answer the call and hopefully have a better, longer-term relationship with the Morrigan.

With that said, I do need a bit of help.

I’ve started some preliminary research and was wondering if anyone who is working with or has worked with her had any tips? Like, I really can’t do a physical altar right now so would a devotional journal like my Arthurian Grimoire work? Is there anything specific she likes when she’s being reached out to?

Thank you in advance for your help!

[celticwitchgod-blog]

Celtic Pathworking

These are the Gods/Goddesses I will include in my book. It will be a ceremonial magic grimoire dedicated to Celtic-Irish Gods and Goddesses

Celtic Pathworking-Irish

1.     Brighid-Celtic (Irish). One of the triple Goddesses of the Celtic pantheon. She is the daughter of The Dagda, the All Father of the Tuatha de Danann, one of the most ancient people of Northern Europe. Some say there are actually three Brighids; one is in charge of poetry and inspiration; one is in charge of midwifery and healing, and the last is in charge of crafts and smiths.

She probably began as a sun Goddess. According to legend, she was born at sunrise and a tower of flame beamed from her head.

As Goddess of fire and water, she is immortalized by many wells and springs. Most important of her monuments, though, was a shrine at Kildare where there was a perpetual flame burning for Brighid. It was tended by nineteen virgins called the Daughters of the Flame, wearing deep crimson habits and bearing swords. They would not talk to men, nor could men come near the shrine. Her feast is St.Brighids Days in Ireland and is the Pagan Festival of Imbolc

When Christianity began its onset, so loved was Brighid that she was made a saint. However, the upkeep on her flame was considered pagan by the church and it was extinguished out of more than a thousand years of burning. St. Brigit remains one of the most popular Irish saints today, along with Saint Patrick.

Identical to Juno, Queen of Heaven. Symbolizes human potential. Also known as Brigit, Brigid, Brigindo, Bride.

Dark the bitter winter,  cutting its sharpness,  but Bride's mantle,  brings spring to Ireland.

 2.       Morrigan-"The Great Queen". Celtic Goddess of war and death who could take the shape of a crow or raven. Supreme warrior Goddess. She is associated with the sometimes frightening aspects of female energy. Married to the Daghda. She symbolizes the power of fertility, the dark Goddess' prowess, death, war, fate. A shapeshifting war Goddess of sensuality, magic, prophecy, revenge, war. Known as Great Queen, Supreme War Goddess, Queen of Phantoms, and Specter Queen, she kept company with Fea (hateful), Badb (fury), and Macha (battle). Also known as a Triple Goddess form Maiden, Mother and Crone. Variants: Morrigu, Morrighan, Morgan.

3.       Babd Catha-Celtic (Irish) Goddess of war. Mother aspect of the triple Goddess. Symbolizes life, enlightenment, wisdom and inspiration. Sister of Macha, the Morrigan, and Anu, the name of this Goddess means "boiling," "battle raven," and "scald-crow". Known as Cath Bodva in Gaul. A Mother Goddess and Triple Goddess and part of the trio for which Ireland was named including Eriu and Fotia or Fodla, Badb's cauldron boiled with the ever-producing mixture that produced all life. Variants: Badhbh, Badb, Banba

4.     Balor-Celtic. Although he was born with two good eyes, one was ruined in an accident; the eye is so hideous that he only opens it in battle so that its venom will slay whoever is unlucky enough to catch glimpse of it; his daughter marries Cian. Also known as Balor of the Evil Eye.

5.     Bel-Celtic (Irish) Fire and sun God, also God of purification, science, fertility, crops and success. Symbolizes element of fire, health. A sun and fire God closely connected with the Druids and the festival of Beltaine (May 1). Variants: Belenus, Belinos, Beli Mawr (Wales).

6.     Branwen-Celtic (Irish)Goddess of love and beauty. The sister of Bran the Blessed and Manannan mac Lir, daughter of Lir, and wife of the Irish king Matholwch. Died of a broken heart after Bran's death. Known as Venus of the Northern Seas

7.     Cailleach-Celtic (Irish & Scottish) Goddess of disease and plague. A Destroyer, or Crone, Goddess, she was also called "Veiled One". As the Crone, she ruled with the Maiden and the Mother. Monsterous Dogs guarded the gates of her afterworld realm where she received the dead. Celtic myth has her gatekeeper dog named Dormarth "Death's Door". Irish bards who could curse with satire were often called cainte "dog".

8.     Camalus-"Of the Invisible Sword", "Heaven". Celtic God of war and sky. Similar to Mars, only more vicious.

9.     Cernunnos-Celtic God of virility, fertility, life, animals, forests and the underworld. The Horned or Antlered God is born at the winter solstice, marries the Goddess at Beltane, and dies at the summer solstice. He alternates with the Goddess of the moon in ruling over life and death, continuing the cycle of death, rebirth and reincarnation.

Symbolizes element of earth, love, fertility, death the virile male aspect and the dark half of the year. The two fold aspect of the God year with the Greenman or Jack o' the Green being his light aspect. This takes on a similarity to the Oak King and Holly King legend. Leads the wild hunt at Samhain, hence the day best associated with the Dark Lord.

Also A consort to the mother Goddess. Druids knew him as Hu Gadarn, the Honored God. Ancient Celtic images show him seated in a lotus position, naked, with antlers or horns on his head. Christians demonized this benevolent God for easy conversion and is where the image of the Christian devil comes from(Couldn't be further from facts nor truth but alas yet another tragedy of misdeed and "bearing false witness", to quote a commandment).

Animals that were sacred to him: bull, ran, stag, and horned serpents. Variants: Cerowain, Cernenus, Herne the Hunter.

 10. Cyhiraeth -Celtic Goddess of streams, her scream fortells death. Coincides with the Beansidhe or Banshee

11. Dagda-Celtic (Irish) God of the Earth and All Father. He mates with his wife The Morrigan or Raven on the Celtic New Years Eve (Samhain) Also had a secret love of Boann. Also a God of death; the father of Brighid.

A formidable fighter, but a God of simple tastes who dresses in a brown tunic, hooded cape and leather boots. Dagda had a club which could slew nine men with one end, but could bring back life with the other end. He possessed two swine, one of which was perpetually roasting, the other perpetually growing. His other symbols are the bottomless cauldron of plenty and a harp with which he controls the seasons and is the harp that is seen on many Irish flags and symbolizes Ireland to this day(Hehe, Including the signature symbol for Guiness Beer). God of the arts, knowledge, magic, music, prophecy, prosperity, regeneration. Known as the "Good God" and "Lord of the Heavens," he was one of the high kings of the Tuatha De Danaan and had four great palaces under hollow hills.

12. Danu -Celtic (Irish) Goddess, the mother of The Dagda the All father, Creation Goddess, and Mother of the Tuatha de Danaan. Aspect of the Morrigan or Triple Goddess. Considered to have been an early form of Anu, the Universal Mother. Patroness of wizards. Symbolizes rivers, water, wells, prosperity, magick, and wisdom. Tuatha de Danaan literally means Children or Clan of Danu. The Tuatha de Danaan are the Fae folk of Ireland. EXTREMELY potent Goddess form I easily connect with and work very closely with, personally for most of my rituals and castings. Her celebrations were either Beltane and/or Litha (Summer Solstice)

 13. Labraid  Celtic (Irish) God of the underworld. Corresponds with Gwynn Ap Nudd.

Math Mathonwy -Celtic ( Irish & Welsh) God of magick, sorcery, and enchantment. Legend has him as a king who was also a God of enchantment and magick.

14. Myrrdin-Merlin", Celtic (Britania, Irish & Welsh) Sorcerer, Druid, Wizard and Magician. Originally an ancient Welsh Druid, priest of the old religion, and great magician. He was transformed in the later Arthurian sagas. Tradition says he learned his powerful magic from the Goddess in her forms of Morrigan, Viviane, Nimue, and Lady of the Lake. Legend says he now lies sleeping in a hidden crystal cave. Variants: Merddin, Merlyn.

15. Neit-God of Battle

16.   The White Lady-Celtic all Celtic countries; goddess of death and destruction. Called the Dryad of Death and Queen of the Dead, this goddess was a Crone aspect of the Goddess.

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The Yule Themed Painting for my Arthurian Grimoire—Welcoming the Green Knight

I consider the Green Knight the bringer of the darkest part of the year—the time between Yule and Candlemas. Mainly because I see the Green Knight and Gawain as foils, the Green Knight is an old man with wisdom and knowledge who brings the harshest parts of winter as he comes. He teaches us about the hardest, coldest parts of life—but he still is compassionate and peaceful. He’s lived and fought and now wishes to teach the young.

Meanwhile, Gawain is young and untried. He wants the courage of a knight and learns to face his death with honor. He is a perfect representation of the Fool card—want of adventure, at the beginning of a new cycle, and earnest in his feelings. He is quick to anger, and has an understanding of where his strengths lie but he still needs to learn.

So, while I was thinking of a winter painting for the Grimoire, I decided to use the Green Knight and I seemed to have been rewarded with the first snow as I continued the painting.

I’m hoping with a bit of snow and holly leaves it would be prettier, but it is time well spent. I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy painting, and I really thank the Arthurian Pantheon for encouraging my more artistic pursuits.

Update—It’s Finished!