#remedial witchcraft for non-magicals

[somebody-already-took-this-url]

Currently writing ch5 of my mumbroom fic! Angst angst angst lesbianism autism angst gay pining aaaaand more angst.

[buggywiththefolkmagic]

Book Review: Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

TW: Alcohol mentions and tallow mentions. Poison Path things as well. This is: Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer Rating: 9/10 Pros: An amazing outlook into animism, herbalism, and foraging in a safe, sustainable and non-appropriative way! The instructions on how to garden were very to the point and explained some complicated ideals in an easy to digest way, I think one of my favorite quotes from the book that stuck with me while reading was,

“Just when I think magic has been cut down and paved over; a dandelion has pushed it’s way out of the cracks in the cement.”

I hope that quote helps you understand what sort of writing to expect out of this book! As someone that grew up learning planting from my Papaw who took classes on the subject after getting out of WWII through a governmental program and was a farmer before that, some of the information on growing was things I already knew. But for a beginner just looking into ‘wildcrafting’ or foraging or just plain growing your own herbs for witchy things?

Get this book.

The author, while an herbalist, breaks down each plant she mentions and includes plenty of warnings and suggestions for use both magical and holistically. She covers the poison path in a very easy to understand way while making sure you understand it’s not a beginner’s thing, and certainly not one to take without serious consideration first. The author takes careful note of Indigenous practices and makes sure to drive it home that their voices are to be heard over anyone else’s when it comes to taking care of American land. There are so many rituals and remedies included in this book that I have a feeling I’ll be referencing it quite a lot, and not just for the gardening and foraging tips!

Did I mention the entire 11 pages of a bibliography in the back?? No? Well there’s that too. My academic heart is thrilled.

Cons: Honestly? The only real con I have is that the author spends a chunk of time going over the Wheel of the Year which is a wiccan construct in a book that otherwise doesn’t have any wiccan imagery or practices up until this point. It feels…weirdly thrown in? But she also includes multiple folk traditions that were common amongst those particular time periods so…it is worked in but it still feels a little odd and jarring to me.

The author also mentioned the use of tallow as a commonly used oil for salves, which is correct but some people are uncomfortable with the idea and I understand that! Since the author has tincture recipes as well she does mention the use of alcohol in steeping purposes.

Overview: Animism, foraging, herbalism, and being safe to the environment. Good stuff all around!

[milliesfishes]

౨ৎ꣑ৎSpellbound (Part Two)౨ৎ꣑ৎ

[fem reader] contains: talk of witchcraft, trauma, threats of death, non-suicidal self-harm, mentions of miscarriage, mentions of abuse pairing: billy the kid x fem reader summary: witch reader x billy the kid author’s note: thank you witch anon!! there'll be one more part to this series <3 Pinterest Board Spotify Playlist

If one based their opinion of you off the way the townspeople spoke, you'd be the spawn of the devil.

They dragged your name through the mud, kicking dirt on it and beating it bloody. The difference from them you exhibited made you foreign to them, and they hated you for it.

Whispers about rituals and sacrifices passed their lips, as they criticized your clothes, your hair, your habits. Whenever you were spotted there was a bevy of excitement in the world of gossip.

"She's just so strange," one woman said after a lengthy account of how she'd seen you standing by the lake with a basket of herbs. "It's an insult, honestly, so have her so close to town. Isn't there any way to get her out?"

"Hasn't done anythin' wrong, honey," her man wrapped an arm around her waist and rubbing her side. "Ain't a crime to be a lil' odd."

She huffed, folding her arms. "I suppose."

That interaction was one of the least scathing ones Billy heard. Your image was painted as a bitter, cold woman with powers used for a black evil beyond anything the town had seen before.

It couldn't have been more different from the sweet, mild-mannered woman currently in Billy's arms.

You were lying there lazily, the stem of a flower between your fingers as you hummed to yourself. Body nestled between his legs; you rested your head back on his chest. His arms were settled over your collarbone, cheek smushed to your head as he watched you play with the flower.

The gentle nature of your being practically radiated off you. Billy was idly picking wildflowers around him and sticking them in your hair messily. He buried gentle kisses in your temple. The entire clearing seemed to vibrate with your contentment.

Looking at you now, he hadn't a clue how anybody could ever find you anything but wonderfully sweet. Hating you would feel like hating a butterfly or a baby deer. He tightened his arms around you protectively, as if he could remedy all the awful things people said about you that way.

"I wish I was better," you murmured absentmindedly, studying the flower in your hand.

Billy kissed your hair. "You've got more goodness in your little finger 'n anyone else does in their whole body." He held said little finger up, touching his lips to it gently.

"Nobody else seems to think so," you mumbled, and Billy frowned, shifting you in his arms. He tried to think of a single time you'd ever been anything other than sweet. Memories of the past little bit swallowed his mind for a moment.

You reciting harmless little enchantments in French. You'd told him the witch who'd spellbound you was French and so you learned all your spells and potions in the language.

You telling him that the strongest magic you'd dared try was when a woman in your old seaside town had come to you with a tale of an abusive husband. She'd asked for a spell that would knock him out for a few days so she could run away. And you'd given it to her.

You sleeping under the stars within the bounds of your little garden, and him riding up early one of those mornings to find you passed out under the lilies like you were made to lie with flowers.

Not a single detail about you was tainted. As far as he was concerned, your soul was as pure as a lamb's.

"Darlin'," he started, and you looked up at him with hopelessly adorable eyes. For a moment he was distracted, but he quickly found words again. "The fact you worry so much 'bout bein' good just proves you are."

Your lashes touched your cheek as you looked back down at the flower in your hand. Then in a motion that melted his heart, you reached up, tucking the stem into his shirt pocket. Turning sideways in his arms, you pressed your cheek to his chest, closing your eyes. "We're a pair, aren't we? An outlaw and a witch." The second word was said with so much contempt, and he dropped his lips to the part in your hair.

"I love you," he breathed, and you smiled softly. Billy had only said it for the first time a month ago, and you never got tired of hearing it.

"I love you," you whispered it like a spell, with more power in your voice than you would have put if it was.

Your trust was not a thing easily given. Billy knew that by the way you shied away from the town, by how you’d been so hesitant to initiate touching and kissing him at first. Even now, there were secrets he hadn’t been allowed to dive deep to discover yet.

There was a hurt in your past that you covered fiercely, determined not to let it become you. But at the same time, you were tethered to it, wary of its events. Billy didn’t pry even though he could see it, knowing you’d let him in if you wanted.

Some of it couldn't be helped. The weight of your magic weighed heavy on you, and it irked him to no end.

One day he'd ridden up to your cottage only to find you collapsed to the floor, your weight supported by one of your cabinets. You were listless, eyes closed.

Billy went into overdrive, stumbling to his knees and scooping you up, cradling you in his arms. His heart had raced, convinced you were on death’s door. “Angel…oh, angel baby stay with me. Please? Keep those pretty eyes open f’me.”

And you’d wearily looked up at him, smiling softly. “Billy…”

“Hey sweet girl,” he laughed slightly in relief. “Hey…whaddya need, baby? What’s goin’ on? Did somethin' go wrong?”

“My magic…” you mumbled. “It…hurts…sometimes. Makes me tired.”

And he’d exhaled, a mix of gratitude and frustration. You weren’t dying. But you were still infirm, and he was helpless. “Can I getcha anything? How can I help ya?”

You tugged on his sleeve. “The…the lavender. It helps. In the blue bottle.”

Thankfully it was within arm’s reach. Billy stretched his arm out, uncapping it and holding it to your lips. You drank it, breathing softly afterwards. A little light came back into your eyes, and you sat up a little against him. “Thank you.”

“‘S no problem, sweetheart,” he cooed, smoothing your hair. “Just rest, m’kay? I’ve gotcha.”

You closed your eyes soon after, finding it in you to sleep. It killed him that you had such a thing forced upon you. He wished you would have told him about your frequent ailments, but it couldn't be helped.

He only felt privileged that you’d let him in the way you had. There was an obligation on his shoulders that came with being able to know you this way, even if you weren’t conscious of it. It was something that he was more than happy to shoulder.

Now, in the safety of the clearing, Billy pressed a gentle kiss to your mouth, his nose nudging yours. He pulled back, thumbing your cheek and leaning his forehead to yours. “I’m always gonna protect ya. No matter what, sweetheart.”

The love in your eyes could have fueled him for the rest of his days. You twined your arms around his neck, your face in his neck. “You’re the only one I trust, Billy. The only one in the world.”

Witch.

The word left such a bitter taste in your mouth. It struck fear into the hearts of any who'd heard of your reputation before actually encountering you, leaving you alone and despondent.

You hadn't been careful enough in your hometown, thinking that because most of the residents had known you for your whole life, they wouldn't forsake you.

Quickly proven wrong, with a heavy heart you'd bid farewell to the salt air, and soothing sea, forced to relocate further east.

The town you'd picked was one you'd thought inland enough that your reputation wouldn't follow you. But it wasn't long before the townspeople caught wind of your unusual activities and spewed that word strung to your name. It was a hurtful thing, to be judged so harshly when they hardly knew of you. At least those in your hometown had something to go off of.

Any hopes of finding a replacement had been dashed. You hadn't dared venture into town, wary of being turned away or stoned or any of the other horror stories you'd heard from the old coven by the sea. At least there'd been something of a sisterhood there. Here there was nobody.

So you went about your duties, tending to the earth around your home and maintaining your magic, casting little spells to keep it alive, keep it healthy. However much you despised your abilities, you knew the consequences would be worse if you starved them.

It was a rough existence, missing your home and cursing your ability to curse. It was so very lonely out here. You couldn't find it in yourself to blame anyone for ostracizing you. It was an awful part of yourself that wasn't even you.

When Billy had pushed through that patch of thorns to save you, gallant and fearless, your heart had skipped a beat. Seeing him standing in front of you with only the purest of intentions, covered head to toe in scratches, you couldn't help the stirrings within you, no matter how dangerous your head told you it would be to grow attached to anybody.

Falling in love with him was exactly that- falling. It happened hard and fast and wonderfully, and you quickly made him the center of your world. He was a distraction from your guilt over your reluctant title, and he made you feel like more than the magic within you.

Billy made you feel like you were magic.

He swept you in his arms, kisses and soft touches abound, telling you things you'd never heard from anybody. To him you weren't a doomsdayer, you were his angel.

In his arms and his presence, you felt more alive than you had since the old witch had found you desolate. He loved so purely that you felt undeserving.

With his own qualms about his status as an outlaw, Billy understood yours about the life you lived. You spent many nights under the stars with him, each of you trying to forget your respective places in this world. A safe haven, an oasis, he completed you, filled in the spaces around your heart that you couldn't bring yourself to occupy.

But like a prophecy, you were doomed to self-hatred.

The rain beat down on your roof as you sat by the window, Fish in your vicinity. He purred as you stroked his cheek, the little creature reading your emotions and trying to comfort you. The windows were misty, and the room was darkened. You couldn't bring yourself to light even a single candle.

Your past was a stone that weighed you down at the bottom of a river you wished to swim out of. It had jagged arms, gripping you in them whenever it could come close enough. You bled trying to push them away.

Every circumstance that had marked your path to this moment stacked like flat stones on your heart, forming unmistakable, undeniable regret. Every choice you could have made to remove yourself from the past situation was now blatantly obvious, calling you a fool for being blind before.

Now here you were. Armed with the burden of a power you never wanted.

Fists tightening, your nails dug into your palms, a self-control tactic necessary to keep you pacified. Peering out the window, you searched for the moon, or even a single star, but the clouds mercilessly hid them from your view. It felt like nature was taunting you.

Tears rained down your cheeks, and your nails bit your skin harder. Like a typhoon, phantoms of the past swirled and surrounded you, whispering things in your ears that buckled your knees. Blandly, you whispered, "Stop."

That only seemed to encourage them, and you felt the urge to scream building up in your body. Tension waltzed into your body, stepping on every crack and corner on its way. A single, undeniable emotion unburied itself and stitched that awful word on your soul.

Witch.

Springing to your feet with hot tears raining in your wake, you found your way to the embroidered book of spells on your table. Tearing through the aged pages, your blurry eyes combed the various enchantments, searching desperately for something, anything to fix it. To kill the misfortune sitting on your shoulders.

Nothing would remedy it, nothing you'd seen so far. Turning toward the back of the book where the heavier curses lay, you nearly ripped the parchment from the spine when you saw it. While it wasn't a direct fix, your frenzied mind figured it could tweak it, turn it into what you needed it to be.

You closed your eyes, committing the ritual to memory and slamming the book shut, throwing your door open and fleeing into the night, into the rain.

It was so stormy that you hardly saw two feet in front of you. Water soaked your white dress as you ran wildly to your destination. The ground was freezing, and it made your feet ache, but you hardly cared.

Finally reaching the pond that fed into a nearby river, you collapsed to your knees at the banks, whispering the French incantation. You must have looked a fright, hair soaked and sticking to your shoulders, dress drenched. Opening your eyes, you threw your head back and stared at the round, pale moon, which had been revealed briefly, a respite from the cloudy expanse of the sky.

A force overtook you, and you welcomed it, letting it pull you to stand once more and move your feet into the water. You walked straight underwater, head disappearing under. It was useless to hold your breath. For a moment you were elated, feeling the strings of magic wrap around your wrists and creep up your arms.

Then there was a pang in your heart. Fire ignited in your body, burning to reveal a great, awful thing that strangled your insides. Your eyes shot open in the water, and you struggled, moving your hands to try and swim to the surface. It didn't work, it didn't work-

Suddenly, a firm pair of hands grasped you under your arms, dragging you above water, out of the peaceful darkness that lay beneath the pond. You gasped as the sweet gift of air rejoined your lungs, coughing out whatever of the body of water you'd swallowed. Now you were being pulled in a direction you couldn't see, senses too faded to make anything out between the darkness and the rain.

You were lifted to sit on the banks, falling back onto the grass. Someone picked you up around your waist, and the next thing you knew you were being carried. The following journey was lost to you as your shivering body gave out, falling limply against something solid.

When you rejoined the present, you realized you were back in your cottage, supported against a firm, warm body as your dress was removed.

Body already prickled with goosebumps as the cold air hit you, your arms lifted to cover yourself and a whimper drew itself from your throat. A familiar voice spoke in a gentle hush. "Shh, sweetheart. Just gonna getcha somethin' dry, alright?"

Rubbing your eyes, you took in the scene. There was a fire roaring in the hearth in front of you, filling the space with a cozy visage. Your waterlogged dress was thrown over a chair, dripping onto the floor.

Billy was standing in front of one of your cabinets, holding up a white nightdress and studying it, seemingly trying to determine whether it was acceptable. Apparently, it was, because he brought it back to you.

Instructing you to lift your arms, he cast his eyes away to give you privacy, sliding the garment over your body. He looked back to adjust it over you, his expression tender. Once you were clothed, he produced a blanket, wrapping it around your shoulders and pulling you into him, holding you tight.

It was only then that you realized he was in his underclothes. Though it was clear he'd carried you home in the downpour, he was still warm as ever, holding you tight to his chest. The fire warmed your back, but your front was cuddled into him.

There was a content silence. Every thought you'd had before throwing yourself into the pond was lost as you embraced your lover, remembering he was here.

He kissed the top of your head, holding his lips to you for a moment. Then he murmured against your head, "Y' scared me, baby."

The concern and love and light in his voice caused tears to fill your eyes again, and you were helpless to stop them from spilling over. Shaking from both the cold and the realization of your actions, you cried against him, and he held you through it all, rocking you back and forth.

"You're okay now, sweetheart," he soothed, kissing your forehead. "I've gotcha...I've gotcha..."

"I hate this," you whispered, voice shaky. He thumbed tears from your cheeks, eyes somber. "I tried to get rid of it...I tried but I did it wrong..."

Billy hugged you tight, and you buried your face into his chest. His heartbeat thumped firm and steady against your ear. Another kiss was laid to your hair. Then there was his voice, steady and constant as you'd always known it to be. "Why'd ya do it, sweet girl?"

You sniffled, looking up at him. The past was moments away from spilling from your lips. "It was all too much. The magic, the reason..."

"What reason?" He asked it softly, reverent of the details of your life before that you'd never dared tell him. Oh, you'd been so timid before, but now it was coming to the surface.

"When the older witch found me," you started, trying to rein in your tears but failing, voice hitching in hysterics. "I was nearly dead. I...I..." You felt so guilty you could have curled up and disintegrated.

But Billy, ever steady and smooth, merely brought his lips to your brow, murmuring, "Don't hafta tell me if it's too hard."

Shaking your head, you sat up. "I have to. I need to." If you didn't, you'd burst into flames from the shame.

He kept his arms around you to keep your body steady, but nodded, encouraging you to keep going.

Taking in a shuddering breath, you continued. "In my old life...before I was spellbound...I was married. To a man who was awful. He would hit me...force me into his bed...and tell me things I'll never repeat to anybody."

There was a modicum of shock in Billy's eyes, but to his credit it didn't stray past there. He squeezed your hand, sympathy evident in his being.

"I was pregnant," you breathed. "And he was angry at me for it. I'd told him one night by the water and he beat me within an inch of my life. I was bleeding out on the beach. I remember seeing blood in the water and wondering whether it was mine or the baby's. Later I was told it was both." You swallowed. "The witch found me and healed me even though I was wishing for death. She forced me into this life-" your breath hitched. "I can't even resent her for it. She wanted out as badly as I do now."

Raising your eyes to meet Billy's, you held your breath, certain this was the end. He'd get up and leave you, unable to handle the fact that you were damaged beyond repair. And you would never hold it against him. You'd only be grateful he'd loved you at all no matter how temporary.

Instead, he surprised you and leaned in, kissing your cheek gently and holding his lips there. Billy's arms slid around your waist and drew you tight to him once again. He whispered with a voice that betrayed his heartbreak over your situation, "I'm sorry sweet girl. I'm so sorry."

He didn't cast you from his arms. He didn't curse you out or call you a burden. That wasn't Billy's way. He only loved. The realization caused your tears to reappear. You burrowed into his arms, and he let you, holding you tight as you drifted off into dreams that, for the first time in months, didn't hold ghosts of what had once been.

The last thing you heard before you slipped into sleep was his voice, quiet and steady.

"I love you."

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[skaianbruja]

Witchy PSA: Cascarilla and "Egg Cleansing"

The other day I saw a post on my dashboard about the uses of eggs in magic. The post, seemingly meant for a general audience contained two appropriative elements: the mention of cascarilla and and instructions for limpia con huevo

First, cascarilla — at least in terms of witchcraft, religion, and spirituality — is not egg shell powder. Cascarilla is the Spanish name of a sacred ritual powder originally of West African origins that found its way into Afro-Diasporic and LatAm practices via the slave trade, most notably Santería. It became known as "cascarilla" because due to a lack of access to their native plants, enslaved West Africans in what is now Cuba had to use the cascarilla plant as a replacement. Yes, some modern cascarilla powders are made from egg shells. However, to say that cascarilla = egg shell powder is similar to claiming that smudging = smoke cleansing

Egg Cleansing (or alternatively Egg Testing) was culturally appropriated from Latines. Before anyone tries arguing: Yes "Egg Cleansings" do exist in other cultures. However, the "rub an egg on yourself, crack it into a glass of water, and 'read' it method that has become the "default" over the past several years is specifically Latine. We Latines have stated countless times that our method of Egg Cleansing — limpia con huevo — is closed. Limpia con huevo is more than just rubbing an egg on yourself, cracking it into a glass of water and reading it. It is often part of a larger ritual called "limpia" involving prayers, other forms of cleansing, and even the consumption of herbal remedies and other drugs. My own mother, who is from Mexico, has memories of seeing some limpias take days to complete. Limpia con huevo has only become the "default" method of Egg Cleansing because gringos (ie non-Latine white USAmericans) appropriated it from us

tl;dr: Cascarilla is a sacred closed West African / Afro-Diasporic ritual powder, not a fancier name for eggshell powder. The "default" method of Egg Cleansing is cultural appropriation of limpia con huevo, which is for Latines only

[lefresne]

I have an inquiry:

I once got into an argument with someone, who argued Isolde and her mom are not magical (even though the texts states so!), that the healing powers they have are entirely mundane, a combination of realistic herbal remedies and the Author of the Tristan stories being ignorant of good medicine. Except the problem is, in my research, "non-magical" healing doesn't exist in the medieval worldview. Herbalism was always associated with witchcraft since antiquity; Veneficium and Pharmakeia being synonymous to both drugs and magic. I also found that medicinal practices required learning in the Seven Liberal Arts and the old theories of Astronomy/Astrology, Humorism and Gemology. Old healing techniques often involved a bit of prayer and other things that are not ground in science but in spirituality. I argued that even if the Tristan authors were well-learned in the "cutting-edge" Medical science of the day, it would still run headlong into mystical practice.

Can I get your thoughts on this?

I mean this is such a difficult question because it depends on your assessment of the ontological status of the text lol - do you believe what it is telling you? If characters do something that we now know to be simple science / chemistry but the text defines this as 'magic', who is right? What even is 'magic'? Can the manipulation of the signs of creation truly be termed 'magic'? like I cannot stress enough how much ink has been spilled on this very topic since the time of the literal church fathers.

Personally I steer away from terms like 'magic' because to me 'magic' is like a 'closed' category that really hinders our understanding of the medieval natural world. I like to use 'supernatural' because I think it kind of captures this ambiguity inherent to the spectrum along which medieval peoples might have experienced the natural world. also huge caveat but we tend to speak of 'medieval people' as if they were a monolith and not individuals with different opinions on things during a long long period of history. what one author might term magic, another might simply term ingenuity (like the lady of the lake's castle actually being concealed by an optical illusion in some texts !)

[stellisketches]

For the worldbuilding of MCD how good do you interpret their knowledge of medicine as being? I don't remember if any other characters besides Irene/Aphmau have specifically healing magic that they perform (besides from maybe potions.) Do you think the majority of healers have magics or that maybe doctors of old studied Irene and her abilities and were somehow able to come up with new inventions in the field that the average non-magic person could use? Fictional healthcare is always interesting.

ooh you had me thinking hard about this one.

For one thing, I think progress in health care varies a bit by region. I'll make things easier by focusing mostly on Ru'Aun so I don't go off into a tangent. I'd say as a quick, rough comparison their probably up to 15-16th century standards as a whole. They understand certain things/activities/conditions make people unwell but they likely don't have a lot of scientific reasoning as to why.

Seeing as how persecuted magicks users are and the fact magicks cannot be learned, I'd say that the number of pure magick healers (like Aphmau's level of potency to just vanish wounds) in the region is pretty low. I could see these types of healers into two broad categories: I think the first would find safety as personal healers to high ranking noble families seeing they would likely be given their own security team plus the chance to live in relative comfort. The second type would be travelling healers- ones that would keep their power and identity on the down-low and just go from village to village performing miracles where they could. This would be a lot more dangerous but also morally-sound as they aren't being exclusive about who they heal and receive little if any payment.

We already know magick is an inherited trait, it's not something that can be taught, this leaves the only viable mix for medicine and magic (if I don't use the k assume I'm talking about the broader sense of the word) to be witchcraft and/or alchemy or something a bit more in-between. What interesting about this topic is that real world medicine/healing has had an underlying connotation of something magical/otherworldly for literally the entirety of human history up until, like, a couple of centuries ago. So I think the real question should be at what point do the Ru'Aunians separate natural remedy from the magical, or do they bother to separate it at all? Is it different depending on what part of Ru'Aun you live in? At what point does a cough syrup get the label of potion or elixir, or are all concoctions that affect the body given the potion treatment?

Personally, I haven't really decided on anything specific yet. My guess is that it's a very hybridized field where they don't make a whole lot of differentiation/hard classification on which medicines are natural and which are magic. You may have doctors performing witchcraft without them even realizing it and/or witches who sell the equivalent of tylenol in the bottle next to their nightvision and invisibility potions.

Also I'm just now realizing I brought up the subject of alchemy that I kinda wanted to expand upon but I might just save that for another time.

[xnoctifers-eveningx]

Re: "Magic makes you a beacon for malevolent spirits" and Christianity in New Age spiritualism

I had a reply for a discussion post in the drafts for 5 months and now I'm too embarrassed to reply to it after so long but I have some Thoughts I still want to share from the perspective of someone raised Christian who now practices magic :]

Growing up in Christianity, it was widely told that if you dabbled in the occult/magic/witchcraft/non-Christian practices it would open your life up to the devil and demons. Even incense was banned in my grandparents' home, they didn't allow their kids to watch things like Pokemon and The Smurfs because they were "demonic". There is thought to be a constant war between good and evil, that you are constantly surrounded by angels and demons duking it out for control over your life. So every little thing you did and allowed to enter your life could give more power to the demonic forces; swearing, promiscuity (including wearing certain shades), lighting incense, playing with Ouija boards, making crude jokes, watching HP, talking to non-believers, etc. All these things were said to literally open yourself up energetically and make you vulnerable to demonic forces, you were inviting The Devil into your life.

When I entered occult spaces online, I heard a lot of old stuff cloaked up in a fancy new-age dress, specifically in relation to evil spirits/energies. A huge idea is that performing magic in any sense opens you up to the spirit realm where evil spirits can easily find you or that doing certain things "lowers your energy/vibrations" like .. swearing, promiscuity, vulgarity, talking to certain people, consuming certain things, etc. Divination was commonly explained by saying you open yourself up energetically to any and every spirit, opening a door to the other side anyone could enter, which is why Ouija boards are 'dangerous' and why you should always vet during spirit communication - lest The Trickster cometh and taketh your goodies. I do think these ideas stem, at least in part, from Christian fearmongering that was never unlearned by those who left the faith for magic, just sidestepped and called something new.

Protection magic was stressed in these spaces, every minuscule off feeling should be remedied through cleansing and banishing. You HAVE to learn the LBRP (ofc without learning its history or origins) and practice it daily to keep negativity out of your space and from interfering with your magic. If you were performing a spell you MUST cleanse, banish, and place a circle down, or else outsider energies can interfere. Every off feeling or squick of anxiety should be remedied through a cleanse, maybe you have a malicious spirit or energy vampire or parasitic astral entity? I witnessed, and still witness, a huge amount of beginning practitioners in actual fear that if they don't learn protection magic they will be invaded by evil spirits and be told that they are always at risk when performing magic so they must read these 5 books on protection magic before even thinking about learning something like divination or doing 'real' magic. I'm sure this push is discouraging and harmful to new practitioners, I know I personally did not enjoy feeling like I had to study subjects that didn't even apply to my personal beliefs to fit into what others thought my practice should be. "Protection magic" can be important, but many are only taught it in one mode/practice/culture which can feel more like a chore to learn if it doesn't even match your paradigm. There is a countless amount of ways to magically protect yourself that don't have to be following elaborate Wiccan rituals or collecting moon water or buying expensive crystals and herbs - more emphasis should be placed on what works for you in your paradigms. Too, I don't think we should be trying to make beginners feel scared about what they're stepping into. I don't think doing magic in general truly puts you more at risk than those who do not. There are definitely certain areas in which I would push for one to protect themselves but to each their own, if you don't fuck around how will you ever find out?

Beyond the faults of the idea that evil spirits are always out to get you, I do believe that if you put yourself out there magic-wise you can make a name for yourself among spirits, maybe even have a few of them call you up randomly because they heard about you from a friend. I think this is a different concept though, more like spiritual networking. This is actually how King Paimon and I began working with each other as he is close to my first infernal mentor, Stolas. However, I don't think that by simply performing spells and rituals you are creating a divine beacon that signals a whole pantheon or demonic legion to suddenly be on your doorstep. And on the topic of malicious "trickster spirits" that pretend to be other spirits, I think this is flat-out fear-mongering, at least in the way it's been talked about for the past few years. This is definitely something I have fallen for in the past because at first it does make sense, especially having been taught that the Devil is constantly trying to trick me into falling for his traps - now it's just mysterious spirits trying to trick me and 'steal my energy'. However, no, I don't believe entities whose only job is to masquerade as other spirits exist. I do believe that we often perceive entities as other ones and they sometimes just go with it, not out of malice but because interdimensional communication is hard sometimes!

You can step away from the church and drop the label of Christian, but that does not strip you of what you have learned. It can be difficult to leave the faith, but it is often harder to unlearn everything you were engrained with. I've found that a lot of ex-Christians who take up new-age spirituality often still hold Christian values to heart, such as fearmongering spiritual warfare by claiming there are evil spirits constantly out to get you, ridiculing those whose practices don't fit into Western ones, forcing puritanical beliefs, and demanding people pray or practice magic daily to stay in favor of the gods. It's good too be able to identify when you're encountering something with Christian, Western, or New Age undertones.I think it can be really beneficial to learn how to dismantle those ideas, open yourself up to a broader perspective and learn about practices and beliefs in other cultures you're unfamiliar with to find what actually works for you.

[butterfly-winx]

Hi!!! I'm another anon also working in my self insert for you au!!! Could you give me more info for the witch/er classes; Bloodwitch*er (is this the healer one?), Potionmaster, Conjurer, Summoner, Spellcrafter, Cursebreaker (??), Medium (undead magic could be here or in bloodwitcher, maybe Darkar??), Mindwalker/Dreamwalker, Artisan (like Artificer in D&D?). What about transmutation or nature (or that is covered by other fields)???

Hi, I'm sorry this took literal ages to respond to and hope you are still having fun crafting self inserts >.<

Witch*ers can be categorised in two ways: either by the price they predominantly use to fuel their magic, or by historical profession. Some of these categories overlap, let me get into some details below.

Price based categories

I have mentioned many times that witchcraft is a pay-as-you-use style of magic and each spell has an established price for which the Flow will actually execute it.

Most written witchcraft spells have a set price, a pre-defined method of payment that guarantees best result - or so many generations a witch has found it and why it has been immortalisied in a spellbook.

These are general spells that anyone with talent in magic can perform, even people who haven’t intensively studies magic. There are also high level spells with fixed prices written in spellbooks held by covens and passed on to their descendants. For these you need to be proficient in witchcraft (and be close enough to that coven to be entrusted with the tome).

Then the other class is the aspect innate magic that the witch*er makes up for themselves. Usually these are specific spells, trades that the witchcraft user negotiated with the Flow themselves. Here the witchcraft users preferred method of payment comes to shine and often defines the strength of their spells. The same outcome can be evoked by five medium level payment spells as one large one, but tell me which one is going to look more impressive?

A witch*er can of course also choose to pay with their preferred method for a generic spell, but why bother doing the maths when you can just rely on what is set out before you? It can be practical though, if the general price object is not around.

Here is an incomplete list (bc I always come up with more):

Bloodwitch: blood

Kinaestesiochore: movements, before or during casting of spell

Psychoplast: memories/ knowledge

Bonesmith/Necromancer: cultural difference in name, some bonesmiths truly only use bone; in some cultures Necromancer means they do raise the dead and is not considered a payment type

Spirit witch: spirits of living things

Chronopractician: time, steal others time or simply use up time by preparing spell

Heartbender: emotions

Mineralwitch: minerals

Herbetic: herbs and plant matter

Energy witch: any form of energy eg heat

Decomposers/Vulture/Materialophage: cultural difference in naming, decaying matter

Nocipion: pain, emotional or physical

Dragon: anything in value emotional or physical, usually used by witch*ers in service of others

With that in mind, certain Price-Aspect connections just don't make sense. Griffin is the Bloodwitch of Seismology:she pays for all her spells with blood and innately can affect seismic movements. Shilly, who is the Witch of Blood in my AU however would never become a Bloodwitch (not just because Griffin wouldn't teach her). Her Aspect influences blood, how stupid would it be to use it up as a resource for her spell, when that is the exact object of her innate magic? No, she focuses on potionology, which is a different expression style,

As another example for non-spellcasters, Lucy is also focused on potion based magic, in which she prepares tinctures to deliver enchantments, blessings&curses 1, remedies&maladies. SHe uses them for most of her general spells, however when interacting with insects, as per her Aspect, she gets by with what most people with an animal Aspect do, called Law of Good Husbandry. It just means they respond to her because she is nice to them and gives them food.

[1 Footnote: "spells" are magic with short term effect, "enchantments" are magic performed to alter characteristics of an object; and "blessings&curses" are the same, magic with a long-term effect, divided whether the afflicted gains a benefit or suffers from the effects of it]

-----

The second option is to be defined by what trade the witch*er practices, which can be much more simples, since most people practice a combination of any of the above techniques.

Oracle: predict future

Medium: interact with ghosts and spirits

Psychonaut: interact with brain of person, really in-depth neurologist essentially

Artificer: creates objects with magical charge/effect

Medicine woman? (ok listen I have no idea what the medieval profession of "old woman sells me st johns wort is called in english, but basically that)

Freelancer: they roam the lands and you can contract them to conjure a calamity to morally educate your people

Fabricator: creates material

Spellcaster: make spell or uses mainly spell

Potionmaster/Chemist: potions, again cultural difference

Several of these classes aren't even exclusive to witchcraft: anyone with magic sensitivity can perform them (most Oracles aren't even formally trained for example), just many are usually performed by witchcraft users and as such associated with them.

---

And as my final magnum opus: what everyone's combo is within butterfly AU:

Icy: Kinaesthesiochore of Ice (it's always a combo of movement and time with her)

Stormy: Bonesmith of Storms (using bones is her way of honouring her heritage, but she also does a great deal of kinaesthesis)

Darcy: Dragon of "Darkness" (it is waterpane divination, but darkness sounds edgier; she also uses spirits, psychic prices and pain regularly)

Griffin: Bloodwitch of Seismology

Shilly: Chemist of Blood

Lucy: Potionmaster of Insects

Mirta: Mineralwitch of Emotional Illusions (before switching, she didn't officially adopt this, but was mostly using rocks and crystals)

Helia: Artificer of Fine Dexterity Arts

Bloom: Energy witch of Emotions

Valtor: Bloodwitcher of the Dragon's Last Ember

Belladona: ??? of ???

Lyssis: ??? of ???

Tharma: ??? of ???

Selena: Herbetic of History, tho she is a historian by profession as well so...

Duman: Psychoplast of Animal Transmodification

Anagan: Kinaesthesiochore of Speed (in his case the double thing works out, he moves to be fast makes sense right?)

Gantlos: Spellcaster of Decomposition

Ogron: Nocipion of Energy Manipulation (nasty sadist)

Luna: Energy witch of Reflected Cosmic Light

Bittersmoke: Potionmaster of Eidetic Memory

Ediltrude: Mineralwitch of Astrology

Zarahustra: Mineralwitch of Religion (not every, just a subset)

Krystal: Herbetic of Healing

[therona]

Therona's Magic

Within the mystical world of Therona there exists magic. It is a force not foreign to Therona's residents, as it is rather commonplace throughout Therona's Realms. The Magic Languages

The Magic Languages of Therona are not natural. In fact, nothing about magical categorizations is naturally occurring- they are simply ways to regulate and better control & understand magic, so that there is very limited room for mistakes when using it.

There are currently 5 known Magic Languages used by Therona's residents. Kasomrian, Odrisian, Anomsal, Solarian, and Enochian.

The Kasomrian Magic Language is by far the oldest and most powerful. Named after the Progenitor God of Preservation, when used symbols corresponding to the Elements of the Kasomrian Magic Language appear on the body of the user, wherever the user is channeling the magic to. Something to note is that Kasomrian does not use the same elemental system used by modern magic users.

The Odrisian Magic Language is one that is used very little. Named after the Progenitor God of Destruction, Odrisian is mainly used by Heaven (or the False Heaven). Whenever it is used, the magic appears as if it is being drawn down from the sky. Weirdly, Odrisian is restricted to the Elements of Fire, Water, Nature, and Wind.

The Solarian Magic Language is the most commonly used as it is also the simplest to use. It is named after its creator, Solaria the Goddess of Stars & Knowledge. It uses the modern Elemental System used by most magic users. When used, magic appears wherever the user is channeling the magic.

The Anomsal Magic Language is very similar to the Solarian Magic Language, created by the Goddess of Anomsa, Gralnoch. When used, wherever the magic is being channeled gains a magic aura around it.

The Enochian Magic Language is one more commonly known as Witchcraft. Though no one knows who created it, it is only commonly used by Witches and Sages, such as those belonging to the Merenzal Witches or Everhelm Sages. Whenever it is used, rings of magic appear around wherever the magic is being channeled.

The Limitations of Magic

There are many limitations to Magic for those of a non-divine status, as well as some side effects.

Magic requires energy to be used. If the user doesn't have enough energy, they will be unable to use magic. Many people equate this energy to stamina.

Magic cannot permanently change the body of a user, with the only exception being shapeshifters as they are almost purely magical beings.

Tools and Equipment created by magic will be weaker. There doesn't seem to be much of an explanation to this, just a natural fact, as raw materials such as stone or iron made through magical means will be perfectly identical to their non-magical made counterparts.

Food made with magic will be tasteless & less filling. Much like the tools and equipment limitation, this doesn't seem to have much of an explanation.

If someone uses too much magic over a long period of time, they will faint from exhaustion, as using magic does require energy as stated before. However, if someone uses too much magic all at once, they will instead turn to stone. This can be explained as the Goddess of Magic- Marejisi- causing this to happen before someone begins using their very Life Force to use Magic, thus preventing death. It should be noted that the same remedies used to return someone to normal after being turned to stone by a gorgon's stare can be used in this situation, prompting some speculation as to what exactly causes this turning into stone when magic is overused.

The Elements of Magic

The Elements of Magic- much like the Magic Languages- are a fully mortal-created aspect of magic used to better understand and use magic. It allows magic users to draw on specific energies to do exactly what they wish with magic. The only exceptions to this are the 7 Base Elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Ice, and Nature. These 7 Base Elements are based on the 7 Elements found in the natural world and found as Elementals.

All magic elements are, in a way, "derived" from a different element, with the only exception being Primordial Magic or Dimiourgia (Creation)

Dimiourgia - The Primordial Magic, and Element of Creation Fantastiko - The Element of Unconsciousness (Derived from Dimouriga) Kalesma - The Element of Summoning (Derived from Fantastiko) Synaisthima - The Element of Emotion (Derived from Fantastiko) Ypnos - The Element of Slumber (Derived from Fantastiko) Myalo - The Element of the Mind (Derived from Fantastiko) Mnimi - The Element of Memories (Derived from Myalo) Erimosi - The Element of Desolation (Derived from Dimiourgia) Paramorfosi - The Element of Distortion (Derived from Erimosi) Agnostos - The Element of the Eldritch/Unknown (Derived from Dimourgia) Chronos - The Element of Time (Derived from Agnostos) Entropia - The Element of Chaos (Derived from Dimiourgia) Neraida - The Element of the Fae (Derived from Entropia) Asteri - The Element of Stars (Derived from Entropia) Provlepsi - The Element of Foresight (Derived from Asteri) Paichnidia - The Element of Games (Derived from Entropia) Fotia - The Element of Fire (Derived from Entropia) Thirio - The Element of Beasts (Derived from Fotia) Drakon - The Element of Dragons (Derived from Thirio) Fidi - The Element of Serpents (Derived from Drakon) Kynigi - The Element of Hunting (Derived from Thirio) Ekrixi - The Element of Explosions (Derived from Fotia) Pyrotechnimata - The Element of Fireworks (Derived from Fotia) Nero - The Element of Water (Derived from Entropia) Choros - The Element of Dance (Derived from Nero) Omichli - The Element of Mist (Derived from Nero) Psevdaisthisi - The Element of Illusions (Derived from Omichli) Atmos - The Element of Vapor (Derived from Nero) Lotos - The Element of Lotuses (Derived from Nero) Gi - The Element of Earth (Derived from Entropia) Krystallo - The Element of Crystals (Derived from Gi) Ammos - The Element of Sand (Derived from Gi) Metallo - The Element of Metal (Derived from Gi) Kathreftis - The Element of Mirrors (Derived from Metallo) Anemos - The Element of Wind (Derived from Entropia) Kairos - The Element of Weather (Derived from Anemos) Ichos - The Element of Sound (Derived from Anemos) Tragoudi - The Element of Music (Derived from Ichos) Astrapi - The Element of Lightning (Derived from Entropia) Technologia - The Element of Technology (Derived from Astrapi) Pagos - The Element of Ice (Derived from Entropia) Fysi - The Element of Nature (Derived from Entropia) Dilitirio - The Element of Poison (Derived from Fysi) Panoukla - The Element of Plague (Derived from Dilitrio) Entoma - The Element of Insects (Derived from Fysi) Arachni - The Element of Arachnids (Derived from Entoma) Sporio - The Element of Spores (Derived from Fysi) Sakura - The Element of Sakura (Derived from Fysi) Fos - The Element of Light (Derived from Dimiourgia) Agios - The Element of Holiness (Derived from Fos) Afthonia - The Element of Abundance (Derived from Agios) Farmakeftikos - The Element of Healing (Derived from Afthonia) Pisti - The Element of Faith (Derived from Agios) Ilios - The Element of Sunlight (Derived from Fos) Skotadi - The Element of Darkness (Derived from Dimiourgia) Katara - The Element of Curses (Derived from Skotadi) Nekromanteia - The Element of Necromancy (Derived from Katara) Pnevma - The Element of Spirits (Derived from Nekromanteia) Aima - The Element of Blood (Derived from Katara) Fengari - The Element of Moonlight (Derived from Skotadi) Katastrofi - The Element of Destruction (Derived from Dimiourgia) Polemos - The Element of War (Derived from Katastrofi) Diafthora - The Element of Corruption (Derived from Katastrofi)

Magical Arts

Magical Arts are collections of techniques and spells that were developed over time. They often follow a theme and can be modified slightly by the user.

Vocatio Angelorum - A form of summoning that allows a user to form a contract with a Heavenly Being or Beast, which allows the user to gain some of their power in exchange for being a sort of emissary or servant of the contracted Being.

Vocatio Daemonum - A form of summoning that allows a user to form a contract with an Infernal Being or Beast, which allows the user to gain some of their power in exchange for being a sort of emissary or servant of the contracted Being.

Vocatio Coelestium - A form of summoning that allows a user to form a contract with an Elemental Being or Beast, which allows the user to gain some of their power in exchange for being a sort of emissary or servant of the contracted Being.

Toghairm na Sioga - A form of summoning that allows a user to form a contract with a Fae Being or Beast, which allows the user to gain some of their power in exchange for being a sort of emissary or servant of the contracted Being.

Mofalong Yushi - A Fanronian Art dedicated to using Draconic Magic to form dragon-like shapes from different Magical Elements. Its techniques mainly focus on different ways to control the draconic structures and how to use them in battle.

[ainews]

In the 1550s, the use of tablets (pills) for medicinal purposes became a widely controversial topic in Western Europe. On one side, medical practitioners and scholars advocated for their use as a more efficient and concentrated form of medication. On the other, critics viewed them as a dangerous and unnatural method of healing, often associated with quackery and superstition. This clash of opinions sparked a fierce debate on the use of tablets, bringing kitsch (ostentatious or tacky art) into the picture.

At the time, kitsch was seen as a threat to the cultural and intellectual integrity of society. The term was used to describe mass-produced or overly sentimental objects that were believed to have no artistic value. Opponents of tablets argued that their production and consumption were part of this trend of cheap and shallow art, fueling the fear of a decline in traditional forms of medicinal practice.

Furthermore, tablets were believed to be easily accessible and affordable, making them popular among the lower classes. This led to the widespread belief that they were being used by ignorant and gullible individuals seeking a quick and easy cure. As a result, tablets were often associated with fraudulent medical practices and were seen as a tool for profiteering rather than genuine healing.

Moreover, the use of tablets challenged the established medical hierarchy of the time. Prior to this, medicine was largely based on herbal remedies and natural treatments, with doctors and scholars holding a dominant position in the field. This new form of medication, which could be bought over the counter without a prescription, gave power to apothecaries and other non-physician healers. This shift in power threatened the social and economic status of educated professionals, who saw tablets as a threat to their authority and expertise.

The controversy surrounding tablets also stemmed from the belief that they were a form of witchcraft. In the 16th century, there was a growing fear of magic and superstition, and any form of medicine that deviated from traditional practices was seen as a means of evil manipulation. This popular belief further fueled the opposition towards tablets and added to their negative reputation.

In conclusion, tablets represented a new form of medication that challenged traditional medical practices and social hierarchies, leading to intense opposition from established authorities. The association with kitsch only added to their unfavorable perception, further hindering their acceptance as a legitimate form of healing in the 1550s. While we now know that tablets have become an integral part of modern medicine, their introduction in the 16th century sparked a significant debate on their validity and place in society.

[thevirginwitch]

Thank you @thevintagefemme for tagging me in this post!

I have done a small amount of research on practices within the Texas area (local Texans, wya), however, a majority of these practices are going to stem from Mexican culture and beliefs. Typically, any non-indigenous practices were brought here from those who immigrated from Europe/Ireland/Scotland/etc.

That being said, it's beneficial to research Texas folklore. It will be difficult to find much, especially because it wasn't really considered "magic" or "witchcraft" back then - it was just considered 'superstition' or 'tradition'. And, not unlike Hoodoo/Voodoo practices from our lovely New Orleans neighbors, these traditions/practices typically were against the idea of witchcraft, and protected against witches.

NOW, onto a few specific items/resources:

A post about the use of snakes in Texas folk medicine

txwitchery on Tumblr - no longer active, but still has some useful things floating around

Texas Folklore masterpost by yours truly (will be updated regularly, just haven't been working on it as of recently)

And here are a few books I currently have in my to-read pile:

Black Cats, Hoot Owls, and Water Witches: Beliefs, Superstitions, and Sayings from Texas by Kenneth W. Davis (1989)

Death Lore: Texas Rituals, Superstitions, and Legends of the Hereafter (Publications of the Texas Folklore Society) by Kenneth Untidt

Legends of Texas (Publications of the Texas Folklore Society) by J. Frank Dobie (1924) - available to view online

Mexican Border Ballads and Other Lore by Mady Coggin Boatright (2000)

Some Still Do: Essays on Texas Customs (Publication of the Texas Folklore Society) by Francis Edward Abernethy (2000)

Texas Folk Medicine: 1,333 Cures, Remedies, Preventives, and Health Practices by John Q. Anderson (1970) - available to view online

(I have all these books in PDF form, so feel free to hit me up if you need copies!)

I hope this helps! (Also, feel free to DM me anytime - I love meeting new local folks, especially those interested in learning about folklore practices within the area!)

🆘️🆘️🆘️

does anyone have any resources on researching american southern folk magic?

NOT appalachian, im specifically looking for resources on texan (+ surrounding regions) folk magic and practices that are NOT appropriative as a very-much-white person. texas has a long, varied, bloody history of destroying/appropriating/assimilating mexican and native cultures and i am very wary of this as well.

i'm open to learning about other cultures' practices within this region, but i am looking more for things i can include in my own practice.

[purringbookworm97]

Masterpost for dummies - which I am

Edited: 14/07/2023

Homemade posts:

Witchy iced tea recipe

Protection oil for broke ass baby witch

Chocolate and jam cookies

Mushroom risotto

Chicken nuggies

Uncles’ vodka, or post celebration recycling

Spicy oil recipe

Fuck off binding spell

Yule spelljar

Comfort-with-my-sexuality spelljar

Water unsafe crystals

Sun-hating crystals

Teeth correpondence

Sources about blood magic

About singing glasses

The f**k you said about science????

Prayer to Dionysus

Hymn to Dionysus

Hymn to Dionysus 2

Playlist for Dionysus

Creative writing for Dionysus

Poem to The Wild ones

Love poem for My Muses

Deities poem

Love poem to storms

Twenty flowers in my bag

Tips:

Abortion, how to

Basics of how to witch without dying

Basic witch tips and advice

Crash course on warding

Energy works and basic shielding

Home witchcraft

New dorm Witchcraft

Dorm safe spells

College witchery

How to research efficiently

Non verbal witchcraft

When to use what in witchcraft

Ways to use sigils

Tips for growing herbs

Vegetable growing tips

Caring for your cauldron

Travel altars and tips

Dollar store witchery

Methods of spell work

Components of a spell

Grimoire ideas

Folklore lists

Paganism isn’t an umbrella term

Witchcraft in Hellenismos

Methods of spell work

Components of a spell

Attracting money

Writing tips

Herbs you can find at the grocery store

Heard about moon water? here’s some tips

Safety tips

City witch tips

Hearth witch protection tips

Long list of spiritual protections

Rune-reading made easy

A list of underrated divination methods

Water scrying

How to clean bones - a guide

About blood magic

Hey don’t join a cult - red flags

On the Law of Attraction

Soulmates and twin-flames: why bad ?

“Where the hell does that occult branch come from?”

Inspiring correspondences:

Making your own correspondence

Witch runes

Water

Witchy water

Alcohol

Salt

Funny ring correpondence

Bells in Witchcraft

The clairs and what the hell they are

Stitches correspondance (bro that’s genius)

Long-asf-crystal-list

Crystals for protection

Various crystals and their uses

Natural items

About Honey

Herbal remedies

Flower in witchcraft

Incense and oils

Poisonous plants chart

Hex/curse/jinx plants

Plants of the dead

Herbs for the dead

Trees

Tree symbolism

Wood

Cat color correpondence

Astrology

Elder futhark page masterpost

A guide to Greek Alphabet runes

Witch runes correspondence

Bree’s simple runes 

Body parts

Bones correspondence

Deities and Entities:

Scents for the Gods - Hellenismos

Why you must NOT swear an oaths to a deity if you’re still calling yourself a baby

How to make offerings - an illustrated guide

Offerings: the Why and How

Why reciprocity matters in relationships with the invisible

Why food offerings are important

Different degrees of religion

Offerings to Dionysus

Prayer do Dionysus

Prayer to Dionysus Androgynos and Lysios

Offerings to Artemis

Offerings to Hades

Offerings to Hermes

Offerings to Hera

Hellenic Cheat Sheet: Aphrodite

Hellenic Cheat Sheet: Hermes

Psa on working with the fair folk

How to sense the invisible - an experience explanantion

Things that aren’t true about spirit work

Ghost hunting

Psa on spirit work

Psa n°2 spirit work

Random questions about spirit work

Spirit work masterpost

Things to ask spirits about

Spirit banishment

Rituals:

Libations

Effects of libations in the garden

Greco-roman protection

How to spiritually protect yourself

A witch’s self care tips

Shrines and their uses

Witchcraft for the new year

Recipes:

Rose oil

Simple oil recipes

Solar Juice

Pomegranate skull pastry recipe

Herbal hair rinse 

Energy-cleansing bath scrub

Bug bite salve 

Self care recipes

Witchy cleaner for a fresh house

How to make herbal remedies

Drink magic masterpost

Fall recipes masterpost

How to make you own mead

Blood ink

Dove blood ink

Fake and edible blood

Spellcandle-making

Banishing water

Spells:

Comfortable in my skin Sigil

Spells for job-seekers

unconventional spell ingredients

Fire summoning

Storm summoning 1

Storm summoning 2

Whistling up a wind

Kiss-that-bitch-goodbye banishing spell

Begone-bullshitter spell

No-one-deserves-you spell

Get-the-fuck-away-from-me spell 

Realize-the hurt-you-did spell

Letting go - banishing spell

You have no power over me spell

To banish the past

The seven stings hex

My-pain-to-yours curse

List of curses

Blood magic 101

Gender magic!!!

Polyamorous Love-strengthening pells

Spelljars:

Simple spelljar ingredients

Money spelljar

I shouldnt be awake but I have to be spelljar

Prosperity spelljar

Protection spelljar 1

Protection spelljar 2

Dysphoria bottle

Your-hatred-is-your-own curse jar

To banish and bind

More info:

Why Silver Rravenwolf’s books can get f***ed

[sarcastic-salem]

As part of my shadow work and coping skills for mental health, I do light bullet journaling and keep a gratitude journal offline. By light bullet journaling, I mean that its a bullet journal without all the flowery doodles and stuff. Its just not my thing, and I’m not the greatest artist.

Though, ironically, I do love doodle tattoos🤔

Anyway, I bought a new journal just in time for 2023 cause I’ve just about filled up my current one. This is it —

Excuse the mess. Those are cat toys in the background. Everything and anything is a cat toy in my house, including a discarded pen.

The book cost $25 on Paperblanks, including shipping, and has something like 168 lined pages and a ribbon bookmark to help keep track of your place in the book. That’s probably pretty self-explanatory, though. Whatever. Its a “soft cover” b5 journal, meaning its a flimsier hardcover with a consistency of a composition notebook and it measures at about 7.5x10 inches.

I chose this one because the death and rebirth cycle of a phoenix reminds me of Loki and Ragnarok. Yes, I know the phoenix is a creature from Greek mythology with no actual correlations to Loki or Norse mythology. I just enjoy the coincidental symbolism. I enjoy symbolism, in general.

That’s not always a good thing. It means I often read too much into things and make hasty assumptions. I should probably work on that.

I’m also going to use the journal as a sort of Grimoire for recipes, simple home remedies, and properties of the Gods and stuff. A Grimoire is a witch���s book of spells and magical knowledge. While its usually associated with Wicca — where its known as a Book Of Shadows — anyone of any tradition, including non-religious witches, can keep a Grimoire. In fact, its an aspect of witchcraft that predates Wicca.

Funfact: Gerald Gardner invented the term “Book Of Shadows” cause he thought it sounded cool.

Welp, that’s my brief update.

[missouri-witchcraft]

Apple Correspondences & Associations

Apples (the malus pumila) are the witchy omni-food. Unless you curse people, it doesn't do that (until you cider it). They have a tendency to escape from cultivation (like many plants in Missouri) because people abandon them often.

You see, Missouri has winter, and then we have some spring, and then another cold snap winter which sweeps through and kills apples and other fruits. Because of this, some people choose to winter-proof their apple trees, but these methods are so expensive that people don't get any return on investment when the harvest rolls around.

So generally, there are a lot of abandoned apples.

ASSOCIATIONS

Animals

butterfly

cedar waxwing

grosbeak

hedgehog

pig

Comets & Planets

Earth

Jupiter

Moon

Venus [especially wood]

Deities & Figures

Aphrodite (Greek)

Apollo (Greek)

Artemis (Greek)

Athena (Greek)

Badb (Irish)

Brigid (Irish)

Cailleach (Gaelic) [pastries]

Cerridwen (Welsh)

Cybele (Anatolian)

Demeter (Greek)

Diana (Roman)

Dionysus (Greek)

Eris (Greek)

Eros (Greek)

Eve (Abrahamic)

Flora (Roman)

Freyja (Norse)

Freyr (Norse)

Gaia (Greek)

Hades (Greek)

Hekate (Greek)

Hel (Norse)

Hera (Greek)

Hestia (Greek) [pie]

Idunn (Norse)

Loki (Norse)

Lugh (Irish)

Macha (Irish)

Manannan mac Lir (Irish)

The Morrigan (Irish)

Odin (Norse)

Olwen (Welsh)

Perun (Slavic)

Pomona (Roman)

Rhiannon (Welsh)

Triple Goddess (Wiccan)

Venus (Roman)

Vertumnus (Roman)

Zeus (Greek)

Elements

air

earth [especially wood]

water [especially wood]

Entities

ancestors

banshees

colt pixies

deities (fertility, Irish, Roman)

dullahans

elves

fae

Hesperides (Greek)

nature spirits

nymphs (Greek)

pixies

spirits

spirit guides

unicorns

witches

Genders

femininity [especially wood]

Zodiac Signs

Aquarius

Cancer

Libra

Taurus [especially blossoms]

CORRESPONDENCES

abundance

achievement

afterlives/otherworlds

astral travel

attraction

balance

banishing illness

binding

blessing

business

calling

challenges

consecrating

creativity

death

desire

divination [especially wood]

dream work

emotions

enchantment

eternal youth

fame [golden]

fertility [especially fruits]

forbidden knowledge

friendship [especially blossoms]

full harvest

funerary practices

garden blessings

good luck

good nature [wood]

happiness

harmony

harvest

healing [especially pie, wood]

health

hunting

immortality

inspiration

knowledge

legacy

life

longevity

love [especially pie, red, scent, wood]

luck

magic

magical abilities

memory

money

offerings

opening doorways

passion [especially wood]

peace [especially pie]

peace of mind [scent]

personal power

poppets

popularity [golden]

power

prosperity [especially green, pie]

protection [especially pie]

psychic connection

purification

rebirth

recovering from heartbreak

relationships

relaxation [scent]

remedies [wood]

romance

security

self-acceptance

self-patience [peels]

sending

sex

sexual love

sexuality

singing

soul

strength

stress relief

studying

success

sweetening

turmoil between romantic partners [decayed, rotted]

vision

wands

wealth

wisdom [especially scent]

witchcraft

youth

APPLE CIDER/APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Apple cider is an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples in a variety of ways.

ASSOCIATIONS

Deities & Figures

Artemis (Greek)

Brigid (Irish)

Frau Holle (Germanic)

Freyr (Norse)

Holda (Germanic)

Lugh (Irish)

Sekhmet (Egyptian)

Elements

earth

Entities

fae

spirits

witches

CORRESPONDENCES

abundance

baneful magic

celebration

cleansing

garden blessings

gratitude

growth

harvest

healing

health

immortality

love

offerings

positivity

stability

success

warding off illness

APPLE JUICE

Apple juice comes from apples. I know, such a shocking revelation.

ASSOCIATIONS

Deities & Figures

Athena (Greek)

Entities

fae

spirits

CORRESPONDENCES

energy

healing

knowledge

offerings

psychic awareness

purification

rejuvenation

vitality

youth

[heathtrash]

okay your face hurts?? MINE DOES TOO because i was grinning like a fool reading your fic!!

as an autistic person who loves autistic hecate, it gave me so much LIFE to read you writing her that way. her having multiple layers is so important to me and this is one of those aspects to her character that i always want to see and you just *get it* 😭

now everyone go and read this!! plan a nice break for yourself today to dive in and put some mumbroom into your brain

HELLO??? somehow i missed that the mumbroom fic you dedicated to me existed for a full 4 months and 9 days??

i checked my gifts today by accident because of a question someone had about gifts and gift exchange fics and i was like, w h a t 👀👀👀👀👀 and honestly i am not a worthy recipient of such a lovely fic! but i am SO grateful and honoured!!

apologies for the rabid monster i became in your comments and also for somehow not noticing this was happening 😭

HI OMG!!! I’m so glad you liked it - I’ve just been reading your comments and I have honestly never smiled harder in my life 😭 the fact that I admire you as an author so so much, and you are someone who loves and understands Hecate as a character an incredible amount… to know that you enjoy the way I’ve written her is just so!!!! Honestly your comments & reactions mean so much to me I can’t stop fucking giggling and smiling! Your comments are fantastic, and I love that you noticed & enjoyed the little details i added in to make it clear Hecate is autistic !!! because her being visibly autistic is really important to me, and idk I just feel like it was one of the things I was really hoping to accomplish with the fic when I set out to write it.

Anyways I love your stories and I’m so so glad I can write this gift for you to enjoy after all this time of me enjoying your work💕 THANK YOU AGAIN BTW FOR YOUR LOVELY LOVELY COMMENTS they really have made my entire week, like, my face hurts from how much smiling I’m doing right now ! 😭💕💕💕💕

[niftybucklesblog]

Ghoul & Gardens: Goth Gardens

Good evening folks and welcome to my Nifty Buckles Folklore Podcast

I'm Nifty Buckles And I explore various folklore topics each week from the weird and wonderful or downright spooky.

And on this podcast we are going to explore Goth gardens what kind of flowers to plant and potent plants that are just an interest used in mystery novels.

Goth lovers, Halloween and Samhain are only 93 days away.

ignore this >Halloween countdown link https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/halloween

Start here:

Growing up as a child, my father created a beautiful rose garden with a variety of colours in our backyard and I helped him plant it under his supervision. I have also planted my own perennial gardens over the years which I thoroughly enjoyed digging in the dirt and later to see the lovely results of our hard work bloom.

A Word of Warning:

If you use a pitch fork for the soil make sure only an adult works with it, my older sister accidentally stuck the pitch fork into her shoe she was wearing. Ouch!

After much screaming and crying my father rushed her to the hospital. She still has the scar on top of her foot to this day.

Below is a great Goth Garden Chart to help you create the Goth garden of your delight.

Potent Plants:

Queen of the Cosy Mystery, author Agatha Christie was known to keep a Potent Plant garden which she would write about into her murder mystery novels. Agatha Christie’s Potent garden still remains to this day and is maintained at Torrey Abbey Garden in England.  

In Agatha Christie’s novels  4:50 From Paddington and They Do It With Mirrors the murderers were responsible for poisoning several characters in these books with Aconite.

Another example of this, can be found in Agatha Christie’s novel “The Caribbean Mystery.” In this novel, Belladonna was the preferred murder weapon.

Belladonna was utilised as an ancient herbal remedy as a seditive. In traditional witchcraft it was applied as a salve (pronounced sav) mixed with poppy and opium which would cause hallucinations to aid witches in flying to their covenstead or to experience a bacchanalian carousel. This toxic plant helped activate their visions and astral projections.

This beautiful art below gives one a feeling of flight the witches may have felt after using their shamanic salve.

Witches on the Sabbath (1878) by Luis Ricardo Falero

These are just a few plants grown in a Potent garden since they are lethal and you wouldn’t want your child or pet to nibble on them accidentally.

I suggest you grow some non toxic dark flowers and decorate with live moss to grow over Gothic statues to attain the Goth garden you dream about.

Below a beautiful moss covered statue by New England Garden Company

Seeds:

In Eastern European Folklore millet seeds, rice, carrot and linen seeds were used for protection against Vampires and were placed inside of vampire coffins or on their grave-site to keep the Vampire busy. Vampires tend to display signs of OCD Obsessive Compulsive Disorder so they would spend hours picking up each seed before they attack their prey. The village folks would spread seeds along the road that led from the revenant’s grave to its’ home.

Fennel seeds helped wards off evil used like Garlic to ward off Vampires. Traditionally, Cunning folks hung bundles of fennel over doorways and stuffed it into their keyholes to stave off demons, angry ghosts and witches.

Snapdragon seeds look like skulls in public domain

In Flowerlore Snapdragons symbolise grace, power, deception and deviousness, The ancient Romans and Greeks used snapdragons as an amulet to ward off evil.

Black Prince Snapdragons make a magical pick for your Goth garden.

Once you grow your goth garden you may never know what or who maybe attracted to it.

An example of real ghost sighting in a garden comes from Jenkyn Place, Hampshire near the English village of Bentley.

A spectral housekeeper named “Mrs Waggs,” haunts the place and a woman in white has been observed roaming the garden along with reports of a phantom coach entering the driveway.

And on that note, thank you for listening to my podcast.

I've been your host Nifty Buckles of Nifty Buckles Folklore Podcast streaming it to you wherever you are.

Over Sea

Over Car

Nifty Buckles voice is never far.

References:

Greenway Kate 1846-1901, The Language of Flowers https://archive.org/details/languageofflower00gree

Christie Agatha The Potent Plant Garden, Patterned After Agatha Christie’s Novels https://www.seniorwomen.com/news/index.php/the-potent-plants

Hansen, Harold A. The Witch’s Garden pub. Unity Press 1978 ISBN 978-0913300473

The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Dead © 1994 pp: 545-546

Jenkyn Place, Hampshire Garden Article https://lady.co.uk/most-haunted-places-uk