#very much upg!!

[iliosflower]

I guess this is my try at smth more personal/UPG; TW animal bones/death.

A little bit ago I felt Lady Persephone's presence in my life very strongly. It was almost like I could hear her, and after months of feeling like my divination methods weren't working anymore, every reading was clear to me, I was getting repetitive and succinct messages. (Caveat here that I've had a shrine for her for over 3 years now, and that it's always felt like a not yet.)

One of these was when I was cleaning out some chicken bones, to use in bone divination. It's Something I've been researching for a while and finally wanted to try out, and with Persephone there, it seemed like the perfect time to get to it.

Fortunately, the bone divination very much worked. I got consistent answers. I verified with things that I already knew were true or false. Unfortunately, the bones did not want to be used for divination and wanted to be buried with respect.

Whether this is a test or not - or just a very sad chicken spirit wanting rest - sometimes even when things seem to be going great spiritually, we can still encounter a closed door. And that's okay. Im unlearning the fear or anxiety that means that any god is upset with me or that bone divination is closed forever - and I'm learning that this partnership I'm developing with the goddess will be one of both yes and no, of learning hard lessons but the sacrifices being worth it on the long run. I'm already learning a lot on animal spirits as I'm trying to figure out how to dispose and bury and send this spirit off in the right way.

Not all gods require us to abstain from doing something - and most of the time when they do, it's to teach us something. It'll be worth it. I'm excited to see where my relationship with my goddess is going.

[rosecoloredtarot]

I feel like I'm the minority here, but I don't think trimming branches off trees and bushes or cutting the grass is actually spiritually significant to them.

Lots of folk like to ask permission of a tree's spirit before taking a limb. Which is good, being polite is always a plus. But I genuinely don't think they care. I feel like they have a relationship to branches and leaves like we do to hair or nails - a part of you that grows but doesn't actually hurt to remove.

I think it comes down to scale as well. Taking a 3in thick limb from an ancient Oak tree is going to be irksome but not detrimental, because it has 15 more. Taking a single leaf from a sapling could kill it.

Idk where I was headed with these thoughts. Concluding sentence.

[aesethewitch]

I always feel kinda bad that I don't usually have books to recommend on the subjects I study. I'm one of those "dive into science encyclopedias and obscure, unrelated articles and come out the other side with a whole other viewpoint on witchcraft" type of people. Stuff I can't really recommend other people read because it's... often too basic to be useful?? Stuff that needs extrapolation and personalization and Thought before it can be Used in a practical context.

Like, yeah, I read, but not really... witchcraft books. I have a handful for quick references, but most of what I've learned has been by trial and error, word of mouth, internet deep dives, and spirit work. The definition of self-taught-fuck-around-and-find-out. The things I feel most adept at (that I can/should share) are the ones for which I have little "further reading" -- because the "further reading" is "go out and talk to a river about it" or "cook a meal and see how it goes."

[elminx]

Witch Tip: Getting Started With Planetary Magic

Note: This is, as always, my personal experience of studying astrology and working with the planets for twenty-five years. There's some UPG in there. Your results may vary. My paradigm is based on creating relationships with the planets rather than demanding they obey your commands. This is what I mean by work with: begin the process of forging a relationship.

If you are looking for a place to start with planetary magic, work with the traditional planetary ruler of your Sun, Moon, or Ascendant - whichever of the three feels right.

They are as follows: Aries - Mars, Taurus - Venus, Gemini - Mercury, Cancer - the Moon, Leo - the Sun, Virgo - Mercury, Libra - Venus, Scorpio - Mars, Sagittarius - Jupiter, Capricorn - Saturn, Aquarius - Saturn, and Pisces - Jupiter.

If you are under the age of 30, I would steer you away from working with Saturn to start with and if you are under 25, I would steer you away from Jupiter as well. (as intermediary planets they require a bit of life experience to fully actualize)

The Sun and the Moon can be looked at a bit like parents. Most of the time, they like you and want to support your life and successes. Sometimes they can be bossy or naggy and they definitely will always think they know better than you.

Venus and Mars are like your besties, or sometimes, your siblings. They can be your wingman when you need them and will definitely beat somebody up if they've been bullying you. They may not always agree with you, but most times you can convince them to your side.

Mercury is a capricious bitch. They will play tricks on anyone, including you. They are endlessly convinceable so just be reasonable and you will probably get what you want (though sometimes in a roundabout way).

Jupiter doesn't have an inside voice. Thankfully, they tend to want the best for everybody. That includes people you don't like, though. You may have a problem with moderation if you work with Jupiter too often, some people like it that way.

Saturn is a buzzkill. Some buzzes need to be killed. Working with Saturn too much can lead you straight into depression. But if you need to stop something, get a handle on a situation, or just slow the fuck down, this is your slightly Scary Uncle. Intimidation x10.

Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto don't care because they don't have dominion over our everyday lives. And that's okay, they control the inevitability of change (Uranus), death (Pluto), and the Unknowable (Neptune). They can't be convinced because we cannot control the inevitability of change, death, and the unknowable. They happen to us - all we can do is accept it or (very occasionally) get out of the way.

Do you like my work? You can support me by tipping me on Kofi, commissioning me to write an astrological report for you, or signing up to become a monthly supporter of my writing.

[beautyofaphrodite]

Happy Friday!

As Friday is a day to honor Lady Aphrodite, every week I like to create a post similar to this, where I talk about a certain topic and have questions for you to share or think about. Last week’s post can be found here. As always, this may not apply to everyone.

Today’s Topic: Aphrodite and Being Queer

Tumblr is known for being a very queer app, so I wouldn’t be surprised if many who see this are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I’m going to refer to us a “queer” instead of the acronym because it’s long lol.

Lately, as there has been more acceptance and representation for queer people, more and more have been realizing they’re queer. We have always been here, but we are more and more seen and loved than we have been in the past.

Lady Aphrodite has always been a queer goddess. She is a goddess of love, and that means all love, whether that means love between a man and a woman, to two people of the same gender, to more than two in a relationship, to queerplatonic love, or any way that love can be experienced. In addition, She can be seen as trans or intersex with Her form of Aphroditos, someone with a “feminine” shape and “male genitals”.

Many, including me, see Her with more modern labels of queerness. In communication with Her, She has shown Herself to be transfeminine, pansexual, and polyamorous (completely UPG, not a belief everyone will share and She may use different labels or none at all if you ask Her).

Because of Her domains and how She is perceived, many of Aphrodite’s beloved followers and worshippers tend to be queer. Not all of them, of course, but many. For an example that is not modern, take Sappho, the poet where the term sapphic comes from. She often mentioned Lady Aphrodite in her poetry.

In my experience and the experiences from others that I’ve heard about, Lady Aphrodite helps a lot with identity and who we are. I know She’s helped people with internalized queerphobia, navigating relationships whether queer or not, embracing gender identity and expression, and much more.

I love our queer Goddess so much 🫶 I chose this topic in particular for this week as I’ve been struggling with being perceived as female lately. Usually I don’t care how people see me, I know nobody will use my pronouns irl so I just don’t care but I’ve been dressing feminine because I like it and have been getting more feminine comments and I knew that would happen and that that’s what happens when I present femininely but it sucks :/ (sorry for the little vent y’all)

Today’s Question

Does Lady Aphrodite appear queer to you in some way? If you are queer, has She helped you with that somehow?

Challenge

Be a good ally to others in the community or just the community in general. This includes those you don’t understand or think are “weird”. Ally is a verb, not an adjective.

Thank you all for reading this and happy Friday! As always, please think a little bit about the questions and feel free to share your answers if you choose! I will share my answers in a reblog as always.

To anyone who sees this, may you notice love and beauty all around you.

[skaldish]

Does Loki in any way has connection to home? Like, He is for me, beside change and joy part, feels like a home Deity, maybe in a same way as Brigit and Hestia.

Does this feeling has any historical/folklore confirmation? Thank you in advance.

Yes actually! Before he became known for his escapades with Odin and Thor, Loki started off as a domestic spirit that was thought to live by or beneath the best part of the Nordic house—the hearth.

Naturally, he had the same sneaky proclivities as a domestic spirit that he has now as a deity, so while Hestia and Brigid are more associated with homemaking and family, Loki's more about that home mischief. He's the force that tangles your knitting and burns your cookies. But that's only because he likes being involved, not because he wants to upset people's lives.

Bit of UPG here, but Loki's energy as a house spirit very much reminds me of a Norwegian forest cat's: Big, friendly, makes great company, manifests at the sound of a can opening, screams when bored, gets zoomies at 3am, disappears into the wilderness for days on end only to return as though he never left. Has kittens sometimes.

Like, there's a reason why people kept Loki around rather than chasing him out for being a menace. He's a belovéd menace.

[ambermotta]

Working with Dragons — My POV

When you look up "draconic magick" or "dragon magick" there is not really a lot to read. In fact, a lot of the info you'll find looks like a copy-paste from one another.

So I thought I would bring my own insight into what working with dragons feels like to me. Not exactly an informative post, just a "personal experience" one.

I believe it is important for newcomers to read about variety of experiences because otherwise, they might start feeling their practice is "wrong" if things are different for them.

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If it wasn't clear already...

UPG WARNING!!!

This is my experience only, other practitioners WILL have different takes on working with dragons.

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Regarding Identity

For the majority of my journey with dragons, I have only worked with one dragon. They reached out to me, but took me years to finally feel ready to work with them, and since I was still a bit insecure, I didn't really seek out other dragons.

By the way, I use they/them pronouns because I don't feel a particular gender signature coming from them.

They are strongly tied to energies of the ocean and I have only seen them as very serpent-like.

The other main dragon I have worked with, who showed up a lot later, is a dragon strongly associated with fire and protection, and his energy is mostly masculine from what I can tell.

As of now, this is what I can share about them. One of the things you'll see being talked about dragons is that you should not talk about the ones you work with unless they give you permission to, and for the most part, this has also been my experience.

They can be quite secretive — I had the ocean dragon very often remind me to stay quiet about the work I'm doing, and be very careful about what I share. Not just about them, but about myself.

Some things need not be secret forever, but when they ARE supposed to be done quietly, I will get the nagging, almost intrusive feeling, of keeping my mouth shut whenever I am itching to say something I shouldn't.

They have also shown to be secretive when we work together, as in I'm instructed to do something a certain way but not told why until the work is done.

And I understand why afterwards.

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Demanding?

From all dragons I have worked with, they have always been quite insistent. Be it regarding how something should be done, how to behave, or on what to get.

Please do not misinterpret this as being pushy or forcing boundaries.

What I mean is that some spiritual beings can be very subtle with their messages when they want to tell you something... But for me, dragons aren't subtle. They keep sending signs and messages until I get it.

by Kou Takano

As for being demanding, it depends on your relationship with them.

They were not demanding at first because I was still unsure of what I wanted, but once I decided to commit, they definitely started communicating more and giving instructions on work we should do together.

So there's a greater degree of commitment that we both respect.

As for being "demanding" with offerings, to me they seldom ask for those. If I do it it's because I want to, not because they have asked or shown they needed it. In terms of spiritual beings I have met, they seem to be the least interested in offerings or praise. But again, this is just my experience.

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Personality

It can vary drastically from one dragon to another.

For me, the Ocean Dragon is serene, regal, mysterious, but standing in their presence can also feel scary and can make you feel small. They also have a more turbulent side.

The fire dragon feels much more assertive, fierce, loyal, but at the same time less "massive" in size and less intimidating somehow. They remind me of a knight or paladin archetype to be fair.

by Carolina-eade on Deviantart

So I assume that personality and energy signature, as well as your relationship with them, will change drastically from one dragon to another.

I have not experienced finicky, prideful, or petty behaviour from them. Dragons are often considered in media and mythology to have big egos, but to me, they feel the exact opposite... wise and humble, but their presence is so massive I feel one must be very careful not to mistake their good disposition for weakness.

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Conduct when working with dragons

I find that while they are wondrous and inspiring, their energy can feel intimidating, and maybe because of that I feel like I must be more serious when working with them. I am not necessarily being formal around them, but I do have a great deal of respect for them and other creatures in their presence.

It feels more like respecting the elders than an authority figure though.

As for magical conduct, I have never had to work with them on anything that did harm to others. In fact, they have heavily aided me in works that focused on helping others.

They have also helped me through my fair share of shadow work. So, both right and left hand path.

You may see some folks claiming that dragons have no qualms with helping mages with "dark magic" and that you actually must work on keeping balance, "working on both sides of the coin" if you will.

They have never demanded that of me, though I recognize it could just be in respect for my decision of not wanting to do most baneful work.

I can't say I fully understand their nature and moral compass yet.

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Types of Dragons

So far, they seem to come in all sorts of shapes. The traditional western-type dragon is far from being the only one or the most common one. Some may look much more like snakes or birds than to winged lizards.

I can see some elemental associations, but I don't think they are restricted to working with just one element.

Unfortunately, since I don't know many dragons, I am not sure if they are always tied to an element or how many types there are.

However, the ones I met did seem to "dwell" in certain environments. The ocean dragon I only see in water, and the fire dragon I have seen on top of a rocky hill, looking down a vast, dry, sunny field.

As for dragon guardians of the elements, directions, etc – I haven't met them, haven't worked with them, so I don't know if there is such a thing.

by Kou Takano

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Mythological Dragons

I have not met a lot of people who worked with widely known dragons, such as Tiamat, Fáfnir from norse mythology, or Yamata-no-Orochi from japanese tales.

But I feel working with them would be a singular experience, just as it is with any other dragon (or spiritual being for that matter). It could be easier considering you would have at least an idea of who they are and what they may like, either from "lore", ancient worship, or SPG (Shared Personal Gnosis).

This is still something I'm thinking about exploring in the future.

Fáfnir, found on Harreira.com

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Conclusion

This was just an overview of what working with them feels like to me. I'm definitely not as experienced as some other folks I've talked to, and my practice is constantly constantly evolving.

So far, it's been great! I'd love to hear from other people on draconic magick.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Or share your experiences as well!

Thank you for reading!

[royal-wren]

Favorite/Lesser known or lesser focused on Hermes epithets, both historical and upg. There are a lot of epithets that are easily applicable to Hermes and his roles/associations/domains for his endless reach. If it's one that I've given him as there is nothing there for that part of him it will have an asterisk (*) by it. Also, if you're expecting anything alphabetical you will be sorely disappointed.

Hermes Psithyristes - Whispering or The Whisperer. It highlights Hermes as the god who whispers his advice to the ear of those who ask him. It doesn't take much to look at this epithet and connect it to his oracle connected to Hermes Agoraios. Those that look to learn the knowledge of the future will tell him personally and hear his answer through the people that resonates with the one asking.

*Hermes Xenios - Of the Stranger/Guest or Of Hospitality. It goes without saying considering he is a god of the home, one that protects it (and any in the home) by every entrance as well as the god of travelers and friend of man.

Hermes Agroter - Of the Field.

Hermes Epikthonios - Dwelling on Earth/Earthly.

*Hermes Nyktelios - Of the Night, Nocturnal. I personally heavily connect him to the night and he has many historical domains in connection to it. Zeus and Maia met in the night and Hermes has lovers meet in the night, delights in it, and travels through it.

Hermes Pyledokos - The Door Watcher. Important to the divine pairing of Hestia and Hermes especially prominent as two gods of the home. Hestia dwelled inside, found at the very heart and in every room while Hermes was the one protecting every entrance to keep out what isn't wanted.

Atlantiades - In relation to his mother as a daughter of Atlas, signifying his status as the Titan's grandson.

Hermes Epiklopios/Klepsiphronos - The Stealthy-minded.

*Hermes Troglodýtis - One who crawls in holes or caves, such as a snake or fox, Cave Dweller/Dwelling, plus it also relates to wrens under the genus name. Contextually this is highly specific to his domain over mountains and caves and animals like snakes and those in the Canidae family, as well as my upg connection to Hermes and wrens (and birds in general).

Hermes Pantokrátōr - Ruler of the World/Ruler of All or All-powerful. It might have only been used once or twice as far as documentation goes but it's definitely earned a spot here. It's more on a personal basis for the worshipper and holds importance to me.

Hermes Koryphaîos - Leader of the Chorus. In relation to his position with the many Nymphai (Nymphs), he was the deity most associated with them and stood between man and the Nymphai for their worship.

*Hermes Aîtos - Something given: allotment, share. Easily applicable to his position in regard to life and death as well as luck. I also connect it to his relation to the Moirai as someone that works with them in a similar manner to Tykhe. Could be ambiguous as to whether it is positive or negative (or somewhere in between).

*Hermes Oîtos - Fate, Doom. In a similar vein to Hermes Aîtos but no longer ambiguous as it has a more negative meaning to it. More specifically in relation to Hermes Psykhopompos and Hermes Khthonios who works with the Moirai, Thanatos, and Kharon. The epithet in relation to death and the afterlife, one part of the cog that keeps the world in order that waits for us all at the end of our thread of life weaved by the Fates.

Hermes Areiās - Warlike, Curser, or Defender/Protector, possibly He who succors Ares. Outside of Mycenaean times could easily apply in relation to Hermes Kriophoros and Hermes Keryx (a mix of the two), as well as his domain over diplomacy and heralds that all play a part in war.

Hermes Dendrites - Of the Trees.

Hermes Kedrites - Of the Cedar Trees. The source of this epithet comes from Syme (Crete) where he is a god of vegetation and initiation into adulthood with Aphrodite.

Hermes Dromios - Of the Stadium.

*Hermes Klazo - To make a sharp piercing sound.

Hermes Syskopos - Sharp Sighted.

*Hermes Kosmâs (Hermes Kósmos also works) - Derived from kosméô (κοσμέω) kósmos (κόσμος), meaning order, lawful, government, ornament, decoration, honor, credit, world, universe, earth. It's an epithet that I hold close to me and hold with great importance for my special interest and adoration of space and everything in it. As Hermes is a god of astronomy, astrology, and constellations (making them in conjunction with Hera as well as teaching others about them), as well as his relation with his blue supergiant star immediate family and another epithet of mine Star-Born. The god that is both really ancient (as far as historical records and appearance(middle-aged)) and super young with so much life and energy with many eras to live through. A god of galaxies, their death, and birth in a cycle that is wide-reaching and covers the infinite and sometimes just a figurative coverage of how much he does. From the universe(s) back is his reach and everything he has hands in, as well as everything yet to connect to him for the past and future.

Hermes Deilakrion - Poor fellow. God of the greedy, lions, the devourer, the starving, the hungry, one that can't be contained or restrained. The one god I personally associate with driving those looking to learn no matter what to feel insatiable in the hunt for it. Also akin to a bringer of knowledge for the forbidden, what might drive one mad but make one enlightened.

Hermes Oneiropompos - Bringer of Dreams. For all the people that struggle to sleep and to remember dreams (like me), he ensures it. I have never slept so soundly and dreamed so vividly as I have with him.

*Hermes Episteme - Knowledge, Understanding (Science basically). He is the drive that spurns others on for the sake of creation, to find out the intricacies of life and what's good and bad. The god that fucks around and finds out regardless of the outcome with good intentions to know what to continue and stay away from.

Potnios Theron - Master of Animals.

*Hermes Tríbō - To Rub, Friction. A double meaning both as the creator of fire without reliance on nature that can be done by anyone with the right tools/knowledge. It also relates to Hermes' domain and part to play with marriage, the consummation, and unity during the first night. In the company of Aphrodite, Hermes makes this pass and for the modern day can easily represent a passionate night between two people that love each other.

*Hermes Astronómos - Pertaining to his domain over astrology and astronomy (especially as the one that teaches it), but especially with space and the stars as a whole. If it exists out there beyond the blue sky we are familiar with it's deeply connected to him.

*Mercurius Arieto/Arietare - To strike violently like a ram, batter, or to disturb, harass, or disquiet. A hundred percent a UPG/SPG epithet but one that stands out, especially with the person he becomes under the name of Mercurius/Mercury. A god more tightly wound with an intensity barely restrained behind an air of calm and indifference. It appropriately covers the change to fit the new culture and people that worshipped him under this name, a wolf-like god with sharp teeth and horns to show his wild nature.

Hermes Katokhos - To bind or restrain.

Hermes Kranaios - Of the Fountain? Of Springs.

*Hermes Keleasma - A shout implying authority and urgency. The idea is of a loud, authoritative cry, often uttered in the thick of great excitement. He is the deity whose voice is louder than anyone else's by a wide berth. Stentor(ians) will quiver before him as he has no match.

Hermes Kandaules - The Dog-Throttler or Throttler of the Beast. A Lydian god, an epithet denoting religious syncretism. Akin to an extension of Potnios Theron especially as one that tames animals especially predators and monsters like the Khimaira.

*Hermes Bromos/Bromios - For any sudden, loud noise, the crackling fire, and the roaring of the storm (the tearing or whistling wind).

*Hermes Anemos - To breathe, blow, wind, a violent agitation and stream of air.

*Hermes Philósophos - Loving wisdom, lover of knowledge/wisdom, educated, learned person, professor, philosopher, scientific, philosophic.

Hermes Kataibatês - Descending, in relation to Hermes being a conductor of souls and in his function as an underworld deity.

Sources:

Hermes a-re-ja: a new interpretation by José Marcos Macedo

Theoi.com

Hermes Epithets

"Candaules, whom the Greeks name Myrsilus … " by J. A. S. Evans

Miller, John F., and Jenny Strauss Clay (eds), Tracking Hermes, Pursuing Mercury (Oxford, 2019; online edn, Oxford Academic, 21 Mar. 2019), https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198777342.001.0001

Bolling, George Melville. “Kandaules.” Language, vol. 3, no. 1, 1927, pp. 15–18. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/409642.

Lebessi, Angeliki. “Hermes as Master of Lions at the Syme Sanctuary, Crete.” British School at Athens Studies, vol. 18, 2010, pp. 195–202. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23276776

Chittenden, Jacqueline. “The Master of Animals.” Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, vol. 16, no. 2, 1947, pp. 89–114. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/146954

Keleasma Definition

[windvexer]

How do you feel about using multiple spells for a single goal? Doing wealth spells one after another until you're out of difficulties, for example, versus doing the one and letting it be?

I've got a chapter in a book I'm probably never going to publish about this. It's long. tl;dr: hell yeah cast a lot of spells for one thing, that's a great idea. Upg alert, etc.

Compound Magic: Many Hands Make Light Work

Compound magic is the phrase I’m using to discuss two similar ideas.

The idea is that if working one act of magic can affect our physical world to any degree, then working multiple acts of magic on the same subject can affect it to a greater degree.

This works at both the macro and micro levels.

By “macro,” I mean casting entire spells to influence various situations.

If you’re casting a home prosperity spell, casting multiple prosperity spells tends to be more beneficial than casting only one. Following our Witch-as-Monarch metaphor, you can cast spells that are like geologists seeking resources, like road-builders to strengthen trade routes, or like festival celebrations to revitalize your citizens.

More literally, if there is a situation that is resistant to change or in need of serious transformation, you can build a spellcasting altar dedicated to that single issue.

Spellcasting altars are useful in the practical sense that if you’ve got a whole altar for it, you might not forget that it’s something you wanted to work on.

They’re also very useful in the magical sense that as you dedicate a new “counsel room” to this topic and begin filling it with advisors, knights, heroes, spies, managers, and agents, and then continuously empower your Allies to work on your behalf through dedicated spellwork, all of these powers begin to compound and support each other.

In other words: the action of casting multiple spells can have additive or supportive effect which helps all the spells work better.

Not only this, but spells can begin to file away the rust on a situation and get the gears working - but run out of energy before the mechanism is truly brought to life.

If a single spell didn’t appear to manifest as desired, that doesn’t mean it didn’t do anything. It could mean that the situation was improved behind the scenes, laying a better foundation for success for your next spell.

Therefore, compound magic also means cleverly assigning spells to loosen up a situation and prepare it for change, to banish potential roadblocks, to protect the desired outcome, to empower the desired aspects of the situation, to bind the unwanted aspects, and so forth. In this manner, casting compound magic doesn’t necessarily mean to cast prosperity-generating spells over and over – it can also mean to cast banishings, protections, cleansings, and so forth, in the pursuit of prosperity.

This may all sound like a lot of work, but recall that we’re talking about very resistant situations, or situations in need of a lot of transformation before they suit your tastes. However, I hope you’ll agree with me that this concept in general actually really helps take a load off, because:

If your strategy is to work multiple acts of magic, then no single act of magic you work ever has to be perfect, or even exceptional.

Spellcasting anxiety is very real, and in my opinion boils down to the worry not only that unless everything is perfect then everything is ruined, but furthermore, that if any single spell doesn’t work it means the practitioner is a fraud.

If you instead adopt the mindset that it’s quite alright to need to work three or four acts of magic to influence a sticky situation, each spell feels less like you’re an actor making your debut performance in front of a judgmental audience, and much more like you’re going to try and treat the problem with a vinegar spray first, but if that doesn’t lift the bonds that’s quite alright because you’ve got a baking soda scrub to try next.

This isn’t to say that I think every single situation is going to require multiple spells to make the magic “work.” Far from it. But I don’t find there to be any utility at all in assuming every situation should be fixable by only one spell, and if that spell fails then there’s something wrong.

Overall, I find that the witch who often engages in acts of magic to keep the home safe and prosperous will find that this compound effect begins to work organically, and that over time all acts of magic eventually lead to an enchanted life, to greater or lesser degrees.

On the “micro” side of this concept we can examine the enchantment of a single object or formula.

Instead of considering that we can use multiple spells to influence a situation, we can see that we can work many smaller acts of magic over time to produce a single powerful spell.

Think about woodburning a very hard, difficult piece of wood. During the first session you may only get an outline of the design before you’re exhausted and in need of a break. The wood is still imprinted upon, but it’s far from the completed project you envisioned.

During the next woodburning session, and the next, the design is slowly filled in until it meets your standards of satisfaction.

This is conceptually very similar to re-casting the same enchantment over and over on a single object until desired results are obtained.

This is extremely useful for the pragmatic witch who may not have the ability to plan out spells on specific times and days, or who must act now without every ideal ingredient on hand.

And not only that, but it’s also useful for the witch who would just like to have some fun with magic and doesn’t want to twiddle their thumbs waiting for the most ideal possible moment to act.

If a witch would like to work up a pot of Noontide Shield Oil (pg. 34), but the working felt less than lustrous, the formula can simply be re-enchanted again next Sunday to deepen and solidify the enchantment. Or, suppose the original oil had to be worked in less than ideal conditions, or perhaps even with entire ingredients missing: the missing ingredients can be added later on, the spell re-cast over the same vessel in more ideal conditions, and so forth.

The same goes for any spell vessel, formula, charmed ingredient, or enchanted object.

These things can be fully re-enchanted by performing the original spell over again, switching focus from adding ingredients to empowering and instructing ingredients already added.

But they can also be encouraged in more minor ways, especially through regular feeding (pg. 9).

I think it’s important to note here that we’re basically talking about cooking. A chicken soup where you have to omit the chicken, and then shred up rotisserie leftovers and just add it to the broth when having leftovers, is not going to produce identical results as if you had been able to cook the chicken in the soup.

Either way, you’ve still got chicken soup - it's just that an enchantment made in the most ideal conditions is not going to be identical to an enchantment made in non-ideal conditions and later fortified.

So I don’t believe that it’s correct to say that ideal conditions don’t matter. I think they do matter, and that practitioners will notice an appreciable improvement if they are able to work with ideal circumstances.

But I also believe it’s correct to say that if you continuously re-cast enchantments towards the same objects and formulas over and over again, while supplementing missing or lacking factors, over time that enchantment deepens and becomes more permanent and more powerful.

Just like macro compound magic, I think that this helps reduce the difficulty in working powerful enchantments. You don’t have to work yourself up to exhaustion casting a single powerful enchantment that wipes out your ability to work magic for three days. You can meter your energy and pour out small amounts of your power, when needed or as desired, and slowly build up powerful magics around you.

Then, when an important “macro” situation arises, consider how it would feel to be able to reach for a variety spell vessels and formulas you’ve already been empowering for months, keeping them fresh and alive through periodic attention and feeding. Things begin to feel much less like a witch alone in a room, and much more like an empowered monarch surrounded by Allies.

[todayinmagicalgirlhistory]

The Magical Girl Guide to: Faerie Witchcraft

A post a long time in the making, it's finally time for it to get out of my drafts. I've talked about specific faeries in the past but never a sweeping generalization on faerie witchcraft it, so let's change that this 2024.

Faerie witchcraft at its core is a path of witchcraft that revolves around communicating with the folk, working with them, calling on them and leaving them offerings as thanks for their assistance. That is the biggest generalization I can make about the path, but what that core looks like can be very different from faerie witch to faerie witch. So, let's talk about the faeries.

(As always, these 'magical girl guides' isn't the 'end all be all'. These are barely the tip of the iceberg. Always look at other's experiences/UPG and of course make sure to do more extensive research beyond a post on Tumblr.)

What are faeries?

Faerie, Faery, Fairy, Fae, Fey, Fay, it doesn't matter how you spell it, we are all referring to the same thing ー the Good Neighbors.

By definition, faeries are "is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European culture a form of spirit, often with metaphysical, supernatural, or preternatural qualities."

There are no real single origin for faeries so much as a collection of folk beliefs from all over.

Terminology

Other Way to say Faerie

Ao sí/Aes sídhe

Daoine sídhe

Sídhe/Shee/Sìth

The Good Folk

The Good Neighbors

The Fair Folk

The Folk

The Gentry

The Good People

Greencoaties

Changeling - a substitute left by a faerie after kidnapping a human. Can sometimes be one of their own, other times it is glamoured rocks and sticks. Was used as an explanation for stillborn children in the past.

Seelie - the "faerie good guys" in stories.

Unseelie - the "faerie bad guys" in stories.

The Wild Hunt/Sluagh/Underfolk - a group of supernatural hunters in a never-ending hunt/chase. The perception of the Wild Hunt changed after the introduction of Christianity to the isles.

Wild/Solitary Fae - faeries with no Court affiliations, not to be confused with the Wild Hunt.

Trooping Faeries - live in communities and are known for singing and dancing.

Faerieland

Also simply referred to as Faerie, this is the home of the faeries.

Thought to be divided into the four Seasonal Courts of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The Spring and Summer Courts represent the Seelie Court while Autumn and Winter represent the Unseelie Court. These lands are considered to be eternal displays of the season they are.

faeries in folklore

We would literally be here all day if I talked about faeries in folklore. Y'all know faerie folklore and mythology is ancient X'D so this category isn't really all that important.

In these stories, faeries can be anything from benevolent to tricksters to someone out to get it back in blood.

faeries in media

Just as expansive as the faerie folklore post. Faeries are becoming more and more frequent in pop culture with books such as the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black, The Spider Wick Chronicles also by Holly Black, Sarah J. Maas' ACOTAR series and even in older TV shows like True Blood.

Hell, I'm working on a novel that has to do with faeries.

UPG

Since starting my own journey working with the fair folk I've come to learn that your fae working experience is shaped by the fae you go out of your way to interact with, the fae local to your area, what the folk feel comfortable sharing with you and what they feel comfortable letting you share with others.

A faerie witch whose experience centers around the flower faeries local to their area is going to be different from a faerie witch whose experience centers around Unseelie fae. Same for someone who only focuses on transactional relationships with the fae (ex. leaving out home baked goods weekly for a brownie, the brownie takes care of the home and that's the extent of their relationship) vs a someone where their path focuses on enveloping themselves in faerie culture and learning about it on a more personal level (ex. befriending a Court local to your area).

For me personally, my fae work experience centers around wild fae like selkies and death fae like banshee and dullahan. Both of which are very personal and has me enveloped in the cultures of these faeries. No transactions here but something deep and personal, like family. It's influenced the witchcraft I've chosen to incorporate into my craft as an eclectic witch and things I experience on a daily basis. (I do have guides on both selkies and banshee if you are curious. Dullahan post is in progress.)

Because of this, your prospective relationship with fair folk and what that may bring in your life is going to be very personal to you, I've found. There will be some overlap, of course. You'll run into someone and go 'oh damn, me too!!'. But it will still be special and unique to you.

It can be as personal as you want it to be. It can be as impersonal as you want it to be. It's up to you.

As such, I can't really make a generalized UPG post about what working with fae is like. There are so many kinds of faeries out there that it would take forever to complete! And one person's daily UPG can look vastly different from someone else's.

I don't believe it's as rampant as it used to be in witchcraft-related spaces as it was in say 2016, but there will always be people who will say things like 'avoid working with faeries in general' or 'fae work is only best for the experienced. If you're a bigger, fuck off'. But I personally think that, like with any craft, as long as you take the time to baby step your way into it, study as you go along, then fae work isn't something that should be gatekeeped to the experienced.

Seelie vs Unseelie: A Lesson in Faerie Morality

There's a huge misconception about these two faerie categories that Seelie means 'good faeries' while Unseelie means 'bad faeries'.

So the best thing someone can do when stepping into the world of fae work is completely disregard that notion. You can meet Unseelie fae who don't mind mortal company and then meet a Seelie faerie who doesn't fuck with humans in the slightest. I think it would better to think of it as faeries who commit to the right or left-handed paths and even then that's putting human morality on it. Human morality and faerie morality are not the same and the faster you realize that, the better it'll be for you.

What you might find atrocious, faeries might go 'that's not so bad'.

What you might find 'not so bad', faeries might find despicable.

Unseelie courts tend to be a bit less welcoming than Seelie courts in a general sweeping overgeneralization. That’s not to say there aren’t Unseelie fae that wouldn’t interact with humans, but a good majority probably won’t be happy to see a human frolicking about the place unattended. So if you ever feel the desire to visit an unseelie court, I’d wait until you’re more experienced working the fae and having the etiquette down

How important is etiquette?

I've personally found that the closer you are to a faerie, the less important etiquette is.

I don't speak to my selkie friends the way I speak to the flower faeries that are local to my area. The way I talk to banshee I know is very different than how I talk to banshee I don't know.

So yes, it is important to learn the proper etiquette to avoid angering a faerie. But the closer you get to the specific folk in your lives, should the relationship go beyond acquaintanceship/transactional, you'll find yourself speaking a bit more casually with them over time.

Faerieland: A Personal Dive

The home of the Good Neighbors.

You can go to Faerie by way of the astral or by slipping into a pocket of Faerie found in our realm (ex. you're on a nature hike and suddenly you've found yourself walking into a revel).

You could write a 50 page dissertation on the courts of Faerie and still not be done covering it. There are hundreds of Courts outside of the main few that you'll hear tossed around by fae workers and folklore enthusiasts and even with those known few there can be dozens of Sub-Courts.

I've met faeries from the Flower Court, a Summer pixie who came from a specific sub-Court called the Lake Court. I've heard of fae workers talking about Winter Sub-Courts that have to do with specific wintery holidays. So yes, there's definitely more than just the Seasonal Courts.

I always let people who frequent this blog what I can and cannot do and what I have and have not done. So in the spirit of keeping things transparent, I've only ever visited two Courts in Faerieー the Autumn Court and the Death Court. I can't really tell you much direct information about the other Courts because of that.

So I can't really give any 'here's a place I recommend visiting in Faerie' beyond a simple 'avoid any place embroiled in politics'. Any court going through serious issues whether that’s a change in power or what have you, won’t be the best place to visit.

Stick to well-populated places to start. You’ll likely find less problems there than say remote areas of Faerie. Just know, Faerie can be as terrifying as it is beautiful.

As for leadership, that looks different from Court to Court, Seelie to Unseelie.

I usually hear more about matriarchal rulership in Faerie, but there are faerie kings.

Who counts as 'Fae' and who doesn't?

If they consider themselves fae, they're fae. If they don't consider themselves fae, they aren't. That's really all there is to it. I've met merfolk who consider themselves faeries and I've met merfolk who consider faeries separate entities from themselves.

So in my experience, I've found that you just learn what the entity in question thinks of themselves as and respect that.

I'm just trying to keep faeries out my space tbh

You'll find the old timey methods to be very suitable. Iron, salt sprinkled around and so and so forth.

And should be out and about in nature, and you want to enjoy a hike without the fair folk messin' with ya, I'd recommend keeping an item of clothing inside out, carrying rowan or iron charms. And keeping to the trails. Faeries are more likely to avoid areas with heavy human foot traffic.

suitable offerings

The disclaimer here is that these are general offerings that most faeries should like. Should you ever find yourself working frequently with a faerie or find yourself the companion of one, there could be other things that they specifically like or dislike. But you usually can’t go wrong with:

General

Anything from nature like flowers, leaves, etc.

Tea

Honey

Cream

Berries

But should you be trying to get the attention of a faerie of a specific species, fine tune your offerings to that type of faerie. Seashells for selkies, bones for dullahan and so on and so forth.

how to gain the attention of a faerie

1) old fashioned offerings

2) astral travel

3) spirit attraction spell

I’m not a promoter of conjuring or otherwise, forcefully bringing a spirit to your vicinity. Think about it like this: you’re at a wedding. You’re best friend in the entire world is getting hitched to the love of their life, and you’re among the audience. You’re welling up with emotion and pride for your friend to have made such an important milestone in their life when… Suddenly, you’re not at their wedding anymore.

No, instead you’re looking at some random stranger who summoned you to their home who say it’s because they’re interested in working with those of your kind. You wouldn’t be too happy about this, would you? 

Not only is conjuring or summoning bad for the entity, it can be bad for you if this entity isn’t easily forgiving of being torn away from their personal life to your home and you can end up paying the consequences for it. Instead, I recommend a spell that attracts entities to your home or if you’re sufficiently prepared, astral travel it up.

[yourwitchybrother]

On Worshipping Lord Apollo;

I've decided to start a little series about the deities I worship, have worshipped, and will worship in the future. I've always found posts like these to be more helpful and, if I can help anyone, I think this is an amazing way to to so. In this post, I'm going to cover a lot, so buckle up! And I will make a master post for all of the posts I make in this series.

First up! Lord Apollo.

Hands down, he is the deity with whom I have the most experience and personal anecdotes. Apollo has been in my life since the very beginning. I go into a little bit more detail in this post, in which I detail how I view him as a worshipper, my patron, and a godspouse. For information's sake, however, I will try to keep this post a little bit more factual than UPG. UPG stands for "Unverified personal gnosis", which refers to a spiritual belief that stems from intuition or personal spiritual experience. So, while UPG may seem to line up with mythos or just "make sense" for the deity, it varies from practitioner to practitioner and from relationship to relationship. With that being said, I'll focus mostly on the facts with some little bit of advice thrown in from your older brother :)

Correspondences!

First, let's talk correspondences. Consider this a little cheat sheet if you will.

☀︎ You can refer to him by Apollo / Apollon, typically he will clarify which. Many regard him as "Lord Apollo/n", though it is fully dependent on your relationship with him. I drop the Lord unless I'm praying or invoking him, such is the nature of our relationship. For the sake of this post, I shall be referring to him formally as Lord Apollo.

☀︎ He has... a lot of epithets. You can view them here (theoi.com) if you'd like to see a full list.

☀︎ Apollo is typically associated with Sunday, and such is associated with the Sun.

☀︎ He has many sacred animals - The raven, dolphin, swan, mouse, and wolves.

☀︎ Tarot-wise, he is associated primarily, and most commonly, with The Sun. He has also been associated with The Star, though I do not see this one in many sources.

☀︎ He is the God of a plethora of things. The Sun (he is responsible for pulling it across the sky), Light, Poetry, Music, the arts, plague, prophecy, logic and reason, truth, beauty, agriculture, and archery. I am sure I'm missing things. And if you know other deities to be associated similarly, that is okay. Many Gods can share domains and rule over certain things.

☀︎ He is associated with the colors red, white, orange, yellow, and gold!

☀︎ Symbolically, he is related to the Sun, the Lyre, the Bow and Arrow, and the Laurel Wreath.

☀︎ For incense, he is linked to frankincense, myrrh, cypress, clove, cinnamon, and bay.

But that is a lot of correspondence. What can we do with these? Why, I'm glad you asked! With this list of correspondences, we can start to worship Apollo by the book. These would be some more traditional things that would assist you in learning what you want to offer him, what to associate with him, and what you should keep an eye out for. In a later section, I go over some familial ties that can prove useful as well.

Apollo, as an individual

Lord Apollo has typically been regarded as a "beginner deity." He is very easy to work with, incredibly receptive, and is universally known as being a little more laid back with things such as offerings, prayer, and worship. Though I've found all deities to be understanding of circumstance, there is no strict schedule unless you decide to adhere to one.

At the start of our relationship, I found Lord Apollo's energy to be rather bright. I was very new to picking up on spiritual energy and the metaphysical, so his energy felt very overbearing, and we did not spend much in-person time together because of this. He was understanding of my limitations, but he did not hesitate to push these limitations as much as he could for my personal development. This is something he continues to do to this day.

While he does tend to carry himself rather relaxed and carefree, he has no issue being serious and stern whenever needed. If there were signs he was sending me and I would intentionally ignore them because they pointed in directions I did not like, he would respond sternly and ferociously, forcing me to face the negative sooner or figuratively shoving my nose in the signs so I couldn't avoid it. If I needed to face a brutally honest truth, he had no issue being brutally honest. This makes sense, considering he is the God of Truth and Knowledge.

Lord Apollo is also very playful. He's easily excitable. He loves seeing the people he works with make good progress. And if you take a few steps back, depending on your relationship, he is absolutely there to catch you. He is reliable and present. Additionally, he likes attention. He absolutely adores being talked about, thought about, referenced, and thanked. He adores being said good morning to, or even just getting a wave. Some people regard such deities as "high maintenance", but I really just consider it part of his character.

You have every right to decline to work with a deity, by the way. Don't feel as though there's any obligation to work with every deity that is considered "of your skill level", as there is no such thing, and you should only work with a deity once you are ready. The Old Gods do not come with stats above their head and white text that says "PREFERRED LEVEL." They are Gods. You should not get involved with them if you do not feel ready. And even if you feel ready, there is no pressure to invite them into your life.

Worshipping Tips!

This one is a bit lengthy. Apollo, being one of the twelve Olympians, has a lot of lore surrounding him. But this gives us a lot to work with! You can devote time to him in a lot of ways. This involves worshipping or leaving offerings to his family!

His mother is Leto, his father is Zeus, and his twin sibling is Artemis. Familially, he is not married to anyone, but he has had a series of lovers. One account says he was, at one point, a lover to Hekate and together they had Skylla, a sea monster. Though this is unusual. He was said to be a lover to each of the Nine Muses but married none. He fell in love with a myriad of nymphs; Aethusa who birthed Eleuther, Akakallis who birthed him twins Philanderos and Philakides, Daphne who was turned into a laurel tree, and more. There's famously Hyacinthous, a prince, who was accidentally killed. Hymenaeus, another prince, and Cyparisus, another prince, who died of grief and was transformed into the cypress tree.

This gives us a whole lot to work with. Especially for offerings! You can leave him a lot of things:

☀︎ Cypress tree leaves or seeds. ☀︎ Bay leaves ☀︎ Laurel leaves ☀︎ Sun imagery - charms, pictures, drawings, anything. ☀︎ Crystals - Sunstone, citrine, tiger's eye, amber, bumblebee jasper, orange selenite, carnelian, and other yellow, red, or orange stones. ☀︎ Coffee, energy drinks, or anything with caffeine in it. ☀︎ Citrus! Oranges and lemons! Grapefruit! ☀︎ Flowers - Hyacinths, sunflowers, orange roses, larkspur/delphinium, palm, aloe, or any plant that reminds you of him. ☀︎ Instruments - String instruments are the main thing people offer, however you can offer him any instrument. ☀︎ Art - Things you made. Drawings, sculptures, compositions, poetry, paintings, song lyrics, photography, literally anything you made with your two hands.

In terms of what you can do to worship him, there are a few things you can do.

☀︎ Maintain your physical and mental health. Go to the gym, take your medicine, and positively affirm yourself. ☀︎ Sing for or with him. Play an instrument. Learn an instrument! ☀︎ Write short stories or poetry. ☀︎ Go outside and bask in the sun for a little while. ☀︎ Say Good Morning and Goodnight; Thank him for pulling the sun across the sky. ☀︎ Write about him. ☀︎ Draw him offerings, or draw in his honor. Create in his honor. ☀︎ Do a paint-and-sip class, or follow a Bob Ross tutorial. ☀︎ Pick up a new creative hobby. ☀︎ Volunteer at a local hospital or nursing home. ☀︎ Grow some of the plants that are sacred to him! ☀︎ Go to your local museum or art gallery. ☀︎ Support small artists! Support local artists! ☀︎ Create a hymn in his name and honor. ☀︎ Wear jewelry with his symbols on it. I wear a sun necklace! ☀︎ Wear perfumes or colognes that are citrus-scented or scented like any of his preferred incense.

At the end of the day, you can really do whatever you want for Lord Apollo if it reminds you of him. And you can give him whatever you want, so long as it reminds you of him. If you think that it may not mean anything to him, let me give you a bit of brotherly insight. Offerings were left for The Old Gods as a thank you. A form of appreciation for the divine from the physical, mortal plane. People left whatever they had. And if they had nothing, they would pray and hope to be heard. While offerings are not optional, remember that your words count, as well. Even if it seems small.

And if you have any questions, as usual, please ask!! I love talking about Apollo. Not only am I godspoused to him but he's one of my biggest hyperfixations and I absolutely love talking about him and spreading his teachings and information on him. So this is me begging you to ask me questions, ask me anything, literally anything in the comments or in my inbox I will eat it up. Maybe I'll open up a brotherly advice box or something. Non lo so, ma vedremo!

Blessed be, and may the sun be your guide! A domani!

[plushiecemetery]

i wrote a little thingy to keep in mind certain aspects of Dionysus and youll be my witness:

((UPG will be in italics))

🍇 Who is Dionysus?

Lord Dionysus is best known as the god of wine and festivity, yet that is not the full story. With his status as the god of rebirth, madness, fertility, theater and many more He is a vastly more interesting God than He tends to be seen as. He is a kind yet erratic God, loving and caring for those who worship Him and that which He values, but as the most human God of the Olympus (as He is the son of Zeus and a mortal, Semele), He can be seen as vengeful, even if that is disputable.

being born twice (as when Hera found of Her husbands infidelity, She tricked Semele into making Zeus reveal Himself to her, causing her to die, with Dionysus only surviving due to Zeus stitching Him onto His thigh until Dionysus was born again) He represents duality, being both mortal and deity born, both young and old, from here and there, masculine and feminine, He is the link between us mortals and our Gods, and in my eyes a key piece for understanding hellenic religion, being paradoxical, nonsensical, brute, wise, mad, He is the God of wine, as wine is a great and ecstatic moment but take it too far and youll be lost.

He is very much a hunter, and in a lot of art of Him, He can be seen very prominently fighting the the Titans, with His sacred animals fighting by His side, even more than other more war centric Deities, as he is kind yet brutal when needed, He was and is seen as a protector for those who need Him.

🍇 Domains:

Dionysus is the nature God of rebirth, wine, frenzy, fertility, queerness, theater/drama/tragedy, fluidity of self, madness (divine or not), paradoxes, art, inclusivity, festivity, ecstasy, , prophesies, androgyny, transness, the moon, (volatile) emotions, winemaking, mental health

🍇 Associations:

💜 colours:

purple, moss green, black, gold, burgundy

💜 crystals:

grape agate, amethyst, tiger's eye, moss agate, amber, moon stone, serpentine, smoky quartz, malachite

💜 fauna:

panthers, leopards and tigers, crows, bulls, goats and sheep, snakes, rats, calico or orange cats

💜 flora:

grapevine and grapes, ivy, pine trees, bindweed, calamus, fruits in general, green apples, fennel, thistle

💜 consumables:

grape flavoured fizzy drinks, grapes, wine, spicy soup, fruits, chicken, cinnamon, honey, olive oil,

💜 tarot cards:

hanged man, death, fool, three of cups, moon, two of cups

[rosecoloredtarot]

Persephone is the girl who wears a leather jacket over her sundress. Flower crown and a necklace of teeth. Blood red lipstick, lilac perfume and a switchblade.

She hands you a bouquet of roses and says “watch the thorns” only after you’ve pricked your finger.

[waddleonmywaywardducks]

Practicing with adhd.... (A kinda long commentary on how to work with ADHD in your practice instead of against it)

(disclaimer: I'm making this post as someone who has a struggled with ADHD. In no way am I glorifying mental illness or symptoms of mental illness. This is just something I've dealt with all my life and i know other people have too. I'm just posting my own experience and advice. You do not have to use this at all.)

I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was either 7 or 9 and have been struggling with it ever since, idk why I never grew out of it. Over the years of practicing, I've encountered a lot of practitioners with the same problem as me, only all of their advice was to try to get rid of ADHD has much as possible, well I tried that, I'm still the same. But that's just it, ADHD is apart of me, whether I like it or not. For years, I've always hated my ADHD, I constantly feel stupid, childish, and not responsible, but I am, I just need to work with my ADHD instead of around it. And that my friends is what Im going to teach you all here today, so grab a nice comfort TV show and a fidget bc your ADHD ass WILL READ THIS POST!!!!!!!!

My biggest problem with adhd and witchcraft

honest to the Gods, my biggest problem has got to be that witchcraft isnt dogmatic, you aren't going to get a rule book, there is no duality, you pick what's right from wrong, you make your practice your own. I had such a hard time figuring that out because I'm a very hands on learner. I grew up in a Christian household, most historical events that I wanted to research I could read in the Bible, or go to a church, or if I wanted to find community to help me figure out where to go well....it's basically all around me. But we don't have that with witchcraft. We only have ourselves (unless you were born into pagan/witchy family then lucky you I guess 😭😭). So obviously the only thing we can do is research.

"but omg chaos,,, I can't research I have executive dysfunction!"

I understand. Executive dysfunction is so weird why do humans have this??? Why was this built into my system??? Anyways, the best advice I can give you for executive dysfunction is that you can either go one of two ways:

1.) while you are laying in bed, cursing yourself to get up and do something. At least do something, but you just can't. That's ok. Dont beat yourself up about it, honestly the more you do that the more you're not going to want to do it. Allow yourself to be like this, allow yourself to just lay there. If you need to give offerings but you just can't get up, say sorry out loud, I always find that this brings me comfort and that my deities will know I'm truly sorry. Then forget about it, now it's time to allow yourself to just be. And then you wait until you find the strength to do it. That's it. Just be.

2.) you're laying in bed and you really need to give offerings to your deities. Get up. Just do it. Immediately once you have the thought in mind don't even think about it just do it. I know this doesn't work 100% of the time but it does for me. So 🤷

"how do I know if my practice is my own or if it's just a hyper-fixation?"

OK OK. I don't know anyone else who has this struggle but I have. When I started out, I was just a bright eyed kid filled with questions about the "unholy". I really started practicing when I was like 13-15. During these times, I didn't know how strong my hyper-fixation was with Greek mythology and religion until I fell out of that fixation. It was very disappointing to see myself gain so much momentum only to come crashing down. One thing that helped me decipher whether my practice was my own or not was simply asking questions to myself about my own beliefs and upg. If I couldn't answer these questions then I knew I wasn't really practicing I was just researching. Without my own experience, my own UPG, my spells weren't working correctly, and my rituals were failing. If there is no emotion behind it for me then the spell is just a bunch of herbs in a bottle.

"I struggle with grounding and meditation, how can I become better at that?"

Firstly, I need people to realize that I don't believe there is one right way to meditate. For me, starting out, I listened to guided meditations which helped me A LOT. Guided meditations I feel like are really slept on but I got a lot of communication done with my deties through this way, I met one of my guides this way bro. Another way you could do is laying down. As long as you are allowing yourself time to get into the meditative state, and if you can't, oh well, don't beat yourself up about, you can always try again.

"I have trouble remembering herb properties, correspondences, and holidays"

Write. Everything. down. Every spell you've ever created, every experience you have with your deties, every tarot card reading. Write it all down. Cross-research everything until something sticks. Give up the idea that grimoires need to look a certain way or give off a certain vibe. Just start writing shit down. In any book.

How I work with ADHD in my practice

Have you guys ever seen those post, I think they were floating around here around like 2019 or 2020?? They we're like "spells to get rid of ADHD" or "spells to get rid of depression" and shit like that. Yeah, I never understood those. I don't understand why we are treating these illnesses/disabilities like they are monsters?? I hate the ideology that all illnesses are bad, because yeah they impose a great risk to our health, but we can always look on the brighter side of things. My ADHD allows me to feel more deeply, because of this I feel connected to the gods always. My ADHD makes me passionate about my Interests in the gods, my ADHD can work with me.

Some ways I work with ADHD in my practice is by making a schedule and sticking to it but a bigger importance to that is recognizing when I need a break. During days that are dedicated to the gods, or holidays, I often times have a big thing planned that might take up a lot of energy. I allow myself breaks with things that aren't witchcraft related at all, then when I'm ready I pick it back up from where I left off.

I honestly think if you are reading this and you're like "yeah maybe I should start working with my ADHD instead of against it....but none of this stuff is hitting for me."

Then I advice you to look at your own symptoms and try to see if you can find any way you can work with yourself. For example, if one of my symptoms was that I was impulsive, one thing I would do is dedicate something impulsive to one of my gods. Like dying my hair, going out of town for the night, getting drunk on a Tuesday afternoon (keep it stable buddy.), who gives a fuck. You are using your symptoms in a way that works with it instead of against it.

In conclusion....

I've had this post in mind for a while I just never had the words for it until now, and I still don't even know if this makes sense😭😭 I just hope to help atleast someone (it's 3 am and I literally decided to write this like....20 minutes ago.) this post was also me bashing on people who think ADHD is "all bad." Anyways, if anyone has any other advice or suggestions on how to work with ADHD, please leave them in the comments! I would love to get as much advice from adhd practitioners as I can! Alright I'm going to sleep now

[undeadmagick]

Jörmungandr Guide

I've been posting a bit about the World Serpent and figured I should make a whole guide on him. Jörmungandr was the second deity that I began working with. And as he is a being with little information, despite having a major role in Norse myth, I find it difficult to easily devote myself to him so here's some advice for others! (Note: Most of the offerings and associations are UPG. This is what I have learned from my experience with Jörmungandr.)

Name: Jörmungandr (Yor-Mun-Gan-Dur). "jǫrmun" means "vast" or "immense". "gandr" is a little uncertain in definition but generally understood to mean "magic", "wand", or "beast".

Other Names: "Miðgarðsormr" meaning "World Serpent" or "Midgard Serpent". In Skaldic poetry, he can be seen as being referred to with some variation of "Reistr Jarðar" meaning "earth-twist" or "earth-curl".

Family:

Father: Loki, The Trickster God

Mother: Angrboða, Mother of Monsters

Brother: Fenrir, He Who Dwells in the Marshes

Sister: Hel, Goddess of Death

Main Myths: Thor lifting Jörmungandr disguised as a cat, Thor's fishing trip, Ragnarök

Common Misconception: Jörmungandr is neither evil nor the cause of Ragnarök. Jörmungandr is a neutral being who is the personification of rebirth and change. He is a warning of Ragnarök beginning, not the reason. Ragnarök is a fated event, always meant to happen. It's important to note that Ragnarök is not the END but the end of the world that WE know. In the myths, there are deities, like both Odin and Thor's children, who survive and begin anew in the new world which will be repopulated. Rebirth is core to Jörmungandr and it should be noted in his myths, besides Ragnarök, it is Thor who finds Jörmungandr. Jörmungandr is described to be an ouroboros who remains wrapped around Midgard, minding his own.

Past this will be UPG(Unverified Personal Gnosis) unless marked with an *, in which case, these symbols are mentioned in his myths.

Personality: Personally, in my presence, Jörmungandr is a very intimidating being. Not because he is purposely trying to scare those who interact with him, but because he is very firm and can be distant in his words. Very forward in his wants for you, he provides advice and doesn't demand anything in turn. Jörmungandr is not one who holds your hand to guide you. He is very much a being who wants to see you take charge in life. He cares less for physical offerings and more devotional acts that are beneficial to yourself. He wants your pursuit of change, your ambitions to thrive, your pursuit of life in general. While other deities may provide a familial bond with those who work with them, Jörmungandr is very much a stoic mentor who is waiting for you to show your efforts.

What you may learn with Jörmungandr: How to set and enforce boundaries, how to be comfortable with change, how to accept change and move on, self-confidence, self-care, how to take charge of your life, learn shadow work, learn ocean magick, learn runes, healing past traumas

Colors:

Black

Silver

Blue

White

Green

Animals:

Snakes*

Oxen*

Cats*

Fish

Wolves*

Elements:

Water*

Earth*

Fire

Crystals:

Clear Quartz

Black Obsidian

Black Tourmaline

Amazonite

Aquamarine

Moonstone

Tarot:

Wheel of Fortune

Death

The World

Six of Swords

Physical Offerings:

Seashells

Sand or rocks from the Beach

Sea Water

Storm Water

Snake-Related Imagery

World/Earth-Related* Imagery

Eggs

Snake Skin

Runes (Jera, Algiz, Laguz)

Lotus Scents

Water Lily Imagery

Ouroboros* Imagery

Devotional Acts:

Meditate to Ocean sounds

Light Incense

Pursue your goals

Shadow Work

Clean your local beach

Donate to ocean preservation charities

Donate to climate change prevention charities

Build emotional and mental strength

Honor his family (Loki, Hel, Fenrir, Angrboda)

Practicing protection and cleansing magick

Wear snake jewelry

Adopt and care for a snake/reptile

Share your meals with him

[myrtles-and-blood]

✶ 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐿𝑢𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑟 ✶

Little offering for him 🫶🏻

⚠️ Extremely corny stuff ahead ⚠️

I was clearing some stuff on my YouTube playlists and I found this song again (See the end of the post). I remember listening to it quite a lot when I was a bit younger, I think this is where my fascination towards Lucifer started. Of course, I cried a little.

He has always been near me. When I first called him to talk, he was a scary and heavy energy, but it felt known. It may sound ironic, but he felt the same way as when I entered a church. The sensation of being observed by a much higher being, making sure I was protected.

I wanted to ask him a couple things just now, and I confirmed my theory, apparently. I have him just by my side writing this, so this goes for you Lord Lucifer 🫡 He told me to pull my cards, and the first thing thay came out was The Star. While I worship him, of course, seeing that he is actually listening and talking to me still surprises me so much.

He gave me really positive cards. I'm writing what I think he's telling me right now, so here it goes. I'm trying to get better at clairaudience and this is UPG, so keep that in mind:

Lucifer: I've been here for a long time with you, if that's what you're asking. I was at your communion, and at your baptism. I was there every Sunday, and I am the one you feel watching you when entering a church. I didn't hate the idea of you becoming a Christian, but I knew the way you were being raised wasn't the one you'd choose. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. When you called me that first time, I remember well, I wanted to make a good impression. I didn't think the first time you'd do it would be by writing a story, but now that I think about it, it is so much like you. I thought that was it at first, but then you called me that second time, begging me to work with you because you liked me so much, even not knowing where to start. I was excited, you know. But I wanted to test to what extent you were willing to go, regarding your journey. You were gonna start either way, I feel, but I didn't know when. It's been 6 months so far, I am very happy for you, know that. You have never been a normal child, in my eyes you were certainly special. You talked so much before, but now you've grown up and your precious voice has been hidden for some time. I'm hoping that, with me, I can get you to talk as freely as when you were 5. I want to get you to write all your stories, all your ideas and your thoughts. I want them to be physical, so you can see how much you've worked on them. I want to fill your head with knowledge, to answer all your questions. I will understand if you, at some point, want to stop our relationship. But remember that I will be with you, with my hands on your shoulders, every time you feel scared, sad or lost. My arms will always be open to hug you, and my ears will always be waiting for your call. Remember that.

Well now I'm crying and it's all his fault. This is just what I, subconsciously, thought he was trying to tell me. It's complicated to explain but yeah. I can't be more grateful for him.

As a kid this song hit the right spot. I never knew what was so wrong with Lucifer for him to be cast out of heaven. I never understood the logic behind wanting to dethrone God. Like, why? Out of pure evil? An angel created by God became, randomly, pure evil? Maybe it's the way it was explained to me, I don't know.

I really liked all his stories. Different versions of it, talking about why he could have done it, what happened after the fall, what happened before, even. Alexandre Cabanel has one of my favourite depictions of him, it's one of the best known, if not the most popular out of all. But how could I not love it? I mean, look at him. I could spend an eternity looking at that painting.

This post has the only function of me fangirling over Lord Lucifer I hope y'all enjoyed it. I don't like getting this corny in public so 👍🏻