#wiccan 101

[fairy-magick]

[sovaghoul]

Wicca 101 Masterpost

Introduction

Definition

Categories

History

Ethics

Theism

Magick

Death

Celebrations

Elements

Roles

Tools

Names

Ritual

[hiddenhearthwitch]

🌸All About The Pink Moon ~ April's Full Moon🌸

Hi angels! With the Full Moon coming to fruition tomorrow I wrote an article to talk about it's meaning, history, and ways to celebrate it. ✨

Friendly reminder there are public posts and free trials to every witch that's curious!

Patreon • Shop

[greenpanda-basicfakewitch]

Weeks | Calender

Sunday: The sun- solar power, success, personal empowerment, material wealth, health, beginning anew. Monday: Moon- Lunar Power, Purity, Spiritual cleansing, astral work, divination, psychic ability. Tuesday: Mars- psychical power, passion, sexuality, drive, ambition, achievement, masculine power, activate protection talismans, reverse hexes and psychic attacks. Wednesday: Mercury- knowledge, money, communication, the arts, change, acceptance, adaptability. Thursday: Jupiter, luck, growth, fulfilment, worldly power, justice, authority, health and prosperity. (Mercury brings quick cash, but jupiter governs the long term accumulation and preservation of wealth) Friday: Venus, fertility, love, money, prosperity, healing, charm, goodness, blocking, glamour, self-care, Feminine power. Saturday: Saturn-Binding, banishing, stopping, ending, loss, renewing, transforming, protection. 

[Source]

Spell timing:

Night time: Inventing. [HA hear that night owls! Midnight: Banishing Sunrise: New beginnings Day-Time: Expansion Midday: Power Sunset: Truth Finding

[scarlet--wiccan]

It is interesting that gaymede uses she/her pronouns; particularly if the character is meant to be the mythological Ganymede, I think I’d have expected he/him. Plenty of mythological marvel characters don’t necessarily adhere to the “canon” pronouns of their inspiration, like multiple externals and loki, but I feel like most of those are unique cases

It would be cool to get a character that radically subverts pronoun expectations (ie a woman using he/him or man using she/her outside of drag/magical transformation contexts etc) but I’m not getting my hopes up. I still feel like it was a big deal that x-23 deadly regenesis has a very masc (sympathetic) villain character exclusively using they/them

I don't know if I missed this detail, or if I just forgot, but, yeah, the preview for SW#6 uses she/her pronouns for Ganymede.

It's not unusual to depict gods and deities as having fluid genders, especially in settings where they might reincarnate or take on multiple forms. Ganymede isn't really a god, but you could consider him a deified mortal. In modern times, he has become an icon of gay desire and male beauty, and is sometimes framed as a patron of the gay community, but his origins and the development of his mythology are more complicated than that.

Ganymede's tale is widely considered to be a model for paiderastia, which is a very difficult subject, so I don't want to get into it here. The point is that this character has been used to reflect changing cultural viewpoints on homosexuality, specifically relationships between men, across the ages. You will find instances where his name and story are used in both empowering ways, and derogatory ways. It's worth noting, too, that the story itself is one of abduction, and in some tellings, sexual assault. I think it's important, when we revisit these myths, to do right the by the historically marginalized people whose abuse is being mythologized. I feel the same way, for instance, about how women are treated in retellings of, say, Persephone and Hades.

That's a very long-winded way of saying that any adaptation of the Ganymede myth should remember that this story is centered around the experiences and, in some cases, victimization, of young men in homosexual relationships, so the character should probably remain grounded in that identity. Obviously, I am very much open to representing gender expansiveness and non-conformity within the gay male community. Gender-fluidity is not a part of Ganymede's myth, but it is a vital element of gay life, and always has been. As a reminder, I, myself, identify as a genderfluid MLM who uses she/her pronouns, and just to drive the point home, here's a recent picture of me, next to a picture of Scarlet Witch's Ganymede.

I think you can see the similarities, right? The character can look like this, and use she/her pronouns, and still be representative of the identity and experience that are essential to the Ganymede myth-- but it's definitely a big swing, and it's not what I would expect for a single-issue character. This might not even be the mythological character, but I do think it would be weird to use mythological names for an original character when the literal Greek gods are real people who exist in your universe. It does happen, but not that often, and not usually in books where those gods have already been featured.

[thecatsandthecrone]

Wheel of the year: Litha.

Photo by Georgiana Avram on Unsplash  

☽🔮☾🕯🃏🌕🕸✨🍃🍄🧿🌙✩ 🪄📚

Litha. Midsummer. San Juán. Summer solstice. Every culture has a different denomination for this festivity, which is just as popular in countries of celtic or pagan tradition as in those that are christian. This festivity celebrates the solstice of Summer, the beginning of this season and it marks the longest day of the year. In the Northern hemisphere it is originally celebrated around the 20th to the 21st of June, but in some countries the celebrations are stretched just until the 26th. In the southern hemisphere, Litha happens around the 20th to 21st of December.

Litha comes right after Beltane and before Lammas.Supposedly, this festival is more closely tied to Anglosaxon traditions than to celtic or pagan religions, and it is therefore not really linked to any deities. The name of this festival supposedly comes from the old Anglosaxon name for June, albeit some historians believe it might come from old Anglosazon words for "summer", "gentle" or "navigable". It is unclear where this festival started, but what it celebrated and its associations are clear and evident.

Litha celebrates the first of Summer, the heat of the Sun at its peak, and the season where Spring dies down to bring forth a full, lush summer. Flowers begin to die down leaving their place to fruit, baby animals are now in their infancy, the weather is hot and nature is bountiful.

Litha is a celebration of life and abundance in every sense of the word. It is a time for joy and celebration, and for letting go of inhibitions. This is a good time to manifest abundance and wealth into your life. As it is to be expected Litha is also closely tied with elements such as the Sun and fire, as well as with certain tradititions related to abundance or fertility. This is also a good moment to rejoice in the joy of life, to reflect on the abundance and blessings that the Gods have cast upon us and to share love and abundance with your loved ones. Litha is a moment of excess, no holding back here: celebrate, feast and love to your heart's content! While this festivity is not closely associated with any deity in particular, it is fitting to celebrate those related to sensuality, sexuality, abundance or fertility here. Both very feminine and very masculine Gods are in honour here, as well as those relating to the Sun. In Wicca, this is the moment where the Maiden aspect of the Goddess becomes the mother, while for Romans the Gods to honour were Juno (goddess of motherhood and the household) or Apollo (God of the Sun). Other good deities to worshio might be Lugh, Sunna, Horus, Hestia, Minerva... as well as any God or Goddess related to masculine or feminine energy! Likewise, this festival honours lush, virile or yonic imagery as well. Sensual images would not be out of place for Litha, but anything vigorous works as well: the most common association is the sun, but fires and candles are also important. So are certain types of flowers (particularly those yellow or orange, said to mirror the sun's exhuberance), certain types of trees (the oak tree in particular), water (as a balancing force for the sun and the other element required to enliven nature)... and, of course, this festival has strong ties to the Fae Folk. There are plenty of traditions associated with Midsummer, all of them heavily dependant in the area where you live. In Spain the most common tradition is "las hogueras de San Juán", where people barbecue, lit fires and enjoy a wonderful time partaking in different traditions with their families (in the north of Spain, you must jump over the fire 7 times to make a wish, while in the south you must find certain flowers, soak them in well water and wash yourself with it 1st thing in the morning to stay young). In Sweden, they dance around a Maypole, drink schnapps and eat pickled herring with potatoes. In some areas of the UK, they sing and dance while waiting for the sunrise.

Of course not all of this traditions will be celebrated in your country: it's possible that they don't celebrate any at all! In any case, no matter if you are a solitary practicioner, part of a community, in the broom closet or out of it there are numerous traditions that you can partake in to celebrate Litha! -Feast: Like with most festivals, Litha is a good time to feast. However, Litha is particularly suited to it as it is a festival that celebrates wealth and abundance. Don't hold back today, and make sure to share with your community, the loved ones or the less fortunate. A barbeque on top of a fire would be a good option, but so would a picnic close to a nearby body of water. Read more for some foods that are particularly suited to a Litha festival. -Dance: Dance is not only associated to celebration, happiness and merrymaking but it is also associated with sensuality and fertility. Many midsummer traditions around the world include dancing, so this would be a good time to let loose and enjoy all your body has to offer. Make sure to pay attention to how your body feels, and how the music makes you feel for an extra-sensual experience! -Light a bonfire: Bonfires remind us of the power and strenght of the sun, and are often used to honour it. A lot of midsummer traditions include bonfires, lighting them, sitting by them, or jumping over and dancing around them. If in your country they light bonfires, find a local one and join the festivities; but you are welcome to make one in your backyard as long as it is allowed and you follow all the regulations required in your country. -Light candles: No luck with bonfires? Not a problem. Candles are a good, simple and discrete option if you cannot have a full-on fire. Consecrated or not, particularly fitting candles would be white, red, orange or yellow.

-Honour the sun: A good way to enjoy Litha would be to watch the sunrise or the sunset, and to truly appreciate all the beauty and good that the sun offers us. The sun is such an important force in our lives, dictating the rythm of nature, keeping us warm, feeding the plants... Enjoy a moment of sun and meditate on just how much it offers us. -Go be by the waterside: A counter force to the sun, water is also celebrated during Litha. Water is another important source of life, vigour and vitality and required to keep our crops healthy and alive just as much as the sun. If possible, spend your Litha next to the sea, a river, a lake or even a well. -Enjoy freshness: Litha is a time where plenty of fruits, berries, flowers and herbs mature and are at their most fragant and tasty. It would be particularly fitting to enjoy foods including this ingredients, or to enjoy them as is. Going out to pick some of this ingredients is also an excellent idea. -Decorate your altar: Just like with any other festival, decking your altar in the colours of Litha is a good option.Decorate by using colours, stones, flowers, herbs or anything associated to the festival. Consecrate it to any deities that relate to this festivity of you want. This are only some of the options that you have to enjoy this festival, but of course there are much more. Explore, enjoy yourself and let loose! Colours associated with Litha: White, red, orange, yellow, purple, gold Crystals associated with Litha: Amber, tiger's eye, jade, onyx, cinnabar, fire opal Food associated with Litha: Meat, fish, honey, fresh berries and herbs, seasonal fruit, honey, bread

I hope you have enjoyed this post. If you would like me to continue making posts like this please support me so I can continue making them: you can support me by donating here https://ko-fi.com/bunnymatchamochi or by visiting my Etsy store here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LovenestAtelier?ref=profile_header Reblogs and likes also help ! Thank you so much for reading me !  

[divi-witch]

Tarot reading prices

Yes or no sample: free

1 card sample: free

3 card reading: 5$

4 card spread: 7$

5 card spreads: 10$

Celtic cross: 25$

The samples are one time only.

I’ve been doing tarot reading since I was 14!

I’d love to share my wonderful witches tarot deck with everyone.

For the reading I’ll only need a name to call you (doesn’t necessarily need to be real, but it helps) and what you desire to be read. (No love readings.)

[lilianasgrimoire]

Witchcraft 101: An Introductory Post

What is Witchcraft?

Witchcraft is the practice of magick. It's a series of techniques one uses to harness and/or manipulate energies externally or internally to change one's surroundings of circumstances as well as themselves. This can be done through using herbs, stones, crystals, and other materials.

Witchcraft can, and is, performed in a plethora of ways. It can be done through meditation, spell work, rituals or even baking and cooking. Witchcraft is as unique as you are. To practice witchcraft you do not need a religion, however most people practice witchcraft to feel more connected to their chosen religion. Witchcraft is as unique as the individual demonstrating it.

What makes someone a witch?

A witch is a person who practices magick. Witches can come from any background, any age, race or gender and religion. The term 'witch' is a gender-neutral, universal name. A being who claims the title may do what they desire with the craft. There are many types of witches, all of which are nature based. Not all witches are interested in the same type practise, however. One may prefer the study and use of crystals, and another being drawn to divination or even one of the elements.

A witch is neither good or bad, as they are only human.

There aren't any rules to being a witch (unless your religion states otherwise). Whilst you don't have to be religious to be a witch, most witches who practise, are most commonly Wiccan.

What is Paganism?

Pagan is an umbrella term for the many non-Abrahamic religions. This included Hinduism, Wicca, Buddhism, Sikhism, etc. However, not a lot of people fall into a specific type of religion that comes under paganism but still believe in & worship more than one God/Goddess or Greater being such as the elements, for example. Many, if not most, witches, fall under the Wiccan religion.

Paganism, across all sub-genres, follow holidays/festivals, and in many religions, many they follow The Eight Sabbats, or Wheel of the Year. The Sabbats, depending on the religion, have slight variations in terms of rituals, timing and practicing of the holidays i.e. which God/Goddess is associated, traditional colours or foods. It also is up to the individual as to what they do and don't want to celebrate.

"All Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are wiccan. All Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Witches."

Religion VS. Spirituality

Religion and spirituality are often meshed together and difficult to differentiate the two. Some people believe there is a blurred line between them, whereas another may believe they are two completely different topics.

So, how can we tell the two apart?

Religion is an institutionalised system of certain attitudes, practises and beliefs; often the service or worship of a greater being than ones self or the supernatural. A religion is often based upon life lessons and teachings of a historical or archetypal figure. Typically, there is a place of worship, such as churches, temples, mosques and cathedrals. Religion is a structured organised system that is heavily rule based with it's main focus on the faith of the religion (scriptures of being infallible and ultimate or truth. Acceptance and the surrender to the Divine are taught as the path to complete and ultimate salvation. Religion is one path for all to follow.

Spirituality is a connection that one has to something that is much larger than yourself. Spirituality is an aspect of humanity where an individual seeks and expresses meaning and purpose through the connection they experience to a moment. People who are spiritually awakened liv4e life in a reverent and sacred manner. Yoga, meditation and contemplation all help a person to start, progress and explore their journey. Many use these practices to reach out to their spirit guides, past lives and even advice from outside forces. Each journey is unique. Spirituality is often referred to as a "pathless path". Spirituality is about following your own path and learning, growing, loving and acceptance on a more personal level. Unlike religion, spiritualists do not follow a set of rules n regards to their inward journey but, faith is not dismissed and entirely acceptable to incorporate with spirituality.

[calcifugous]

Things what I have learnt as a baby witch

As a baby witch who has recently became more spiritually connected and grown as a pagan, i want to give out advice what I have learnt over the 2 years of doing witchcraft.

1) Don’t jump straight into the deep end

Never jump into the deep end by doing spell’s straight away, witchcraft isn’t some aesthetic cutesy thing, it can be serious, jumping into spells without having no idea what you are doing can be extremely dangerous.

Ideally, you want to ease yourself into it, by doing research, yes the word research can be daunting but it will help you in the long run. Research on what witchcraft is, get an overall understanding what its about, find out the pagans holidays, pagans new year, and so much more!

If you have no idea where to start I highly recommend buying this book - ‘Wicca For Beginners’ by Frank Bawdoe

The book explains the introduction of the basic Wiccan religion including Wiccan beliefs, a brief history of Wiccan Religion, and their traditions. How to practice Wiccan Religion, the benefits of witchcraft and so much more.

2) Never buy your own tarot deck

this is very important so please take note and to remember! Never! buy your own tarot card decks, in witchcraft, it is extremely bad luck for you to buy your own tarot decks. So always either get a family member or a friend to buy it for you.

3) Connect with your spirit guide and your tarot decks!

Importantly, I personally believe its very useful and helpful to connect with your spirit guide, the more you connect with them, the more you’ll know a lot about them and who they are in general.

You can do this through connecting with your tarot decks first and getting a special bond with them, you do this by

- Keeping the tarot decks on your desk when your studying, or reading a book

- Shuffling through the decks every day, you don’t even need to do a reading or to use them, just shuffle them. This way you’re putting your energy into the cards.

- Place the tarot decks under your bed when sleeping.

- Ask your spirit guide questions, like what are the tarot cards intentions, am i being protected. Things like that.

- Doing Tarot readings

Doing these things will help you bond with your decks and your spirits guides.

4) Never touch someone else’s Tarot decks

I’m highlighting this in red because this is a massive 101 rule in witchcraft is to never touch someone else’s deck unless they have gave you consent and permission. By breaking this rule, you are also disrespecting and breaking the person who owns the deck boundaries. Everyone’s tarot deck is very personal for them, its their personal business and item, they are spiritually connected and bounded with that deck. If you touch it, not only are you putting yourself through harm. But you’re also pissing off the person’s spirit guide and disrespecting them too. So don’t do it.

5) Things don’t have to be expensive!

When people think of witchcraft and hearing about crystals, herbs and books, they think “oh god this is going to be a lot of money” but in reality you don’t have to go out your way to buy really expensive things! I’m from the UK so i buy most of my books from a store called WHSmiths or Work entertainment. Work entertainment is best for spell jars which only cost £1 or a simple crystal shop which sells those £1.50 crystals!

6) Learn how to do protection spells before doing anything!

If you feel like you are ready to do spells but don’t know where to start or what to do, practice doing protection spells, protection spells is pretty self explanatory but it will protect you from any negative energy or spirit

7) What to do if you got a negative spirit/energy

You’ll know when you have a negative energy or spirit around you as your mood and your health will change, if you feel like your mental health has been a bit down for a while and you’re constantly feeling drained and tired. That means something is draining your energy.

So what do you do?

Do an egg cleanse spell! This will help you detect if someone has set a curse, negative spell or if theres negative energy around you.

By doing so, grab a glass cup and fill it up half way with water, adding salt to it is optional but i recommend doing it as salt is really good at protection. Grab an egg, place the egg on your head, with your hand you would want to move the egg counter clock wise around your body, start from the head, and move the egg down to your arms and legs, back round to the other side of your body. Do not let the egg leave the body.

After you’re done crack the egg into the cup and wait 5 minutes, if its all clear then you’re okay! but if the egg whites starts forming like spider cobwebs with bubbles between it, it means someone has set negative energy around you or a curse. If you see a triangle base shape in the cobwebs and a bubble on top. It means you have been hex with the evil eye. If theres also red or brown spots in the yolk it also means a banishing spell or a curse spell.

So you do a return sender, if you got any spices, add a f*ck ton of it in the cup, the more spices the better as that will f*ck whoever sent you the hex up. Grab the cup and pour everything down the toilet, look away while you flush the toilet. Once its flushed look at the bubbles, less the bubbles less of the negative energy. Sometimes you have to do this more than once.

8) Your spirit guides will show you the answers in different ways

One thing I’ve learnt is your spirit guide will show you the answers in different ways, if you want to know if you are protected, there will be signs, for example I personally believe if a a white feather falls in front of you or by you or if you even see a white feather it means you’re being protected by a angel/your spirit guide. So if you see a white feather it means you are protected by them, or if you see your spirit animal or if you know a dead relatives spirit animal and it starts to show up.

Sometimes the signs will be right in front of your face, example for me is: My spirit guide warned me about people being back stabbers and to watch out. After seeing that in a reading, i had my mother who im very spiritually connected with, call me up saying she had a dream about me being stabbed and she feels like it represented me being back stabbed and warned me who i hang out with.

Then my closest friend used my tarot deck which broke my boundaries, pissed off my spirit guide so she started to get headaches, neck pains, back pains and it got to the point she had to leave. When she tried approaching me the day after that, a white feather fell right by me, seconds later, she started to feel unwell and went back inside. I suddenly felt the sense of relief and happiness, and when i said to my self everything is okay, another white feather fell and it landed on my leg. That made me personally feel that it was my spirit guide confirming me and saying yes everything will be okay.

That’s all the advice i can think of at the moment but hopefully this has helps a lot of you small baby witches! just remember, if you ever feel burnt out or you start to do witchcraft but dont have the passion or get into it but still want to, thats okay! it takes time!

9) Know what you are doing when doing spells!! And do it when you are ready!

Another thing, i know i said previously doing research is key! but please know what you are doing when doing spells especially jar spells! Don’t do what I did, I thought I was ready to do spells, I tried doing a protection spell and I ended up summoning a trickster spirit who is still attached to me and can be a little pissbaby sometimes by moving my things around. But overall he also does protect me when need be so he can be good when he wants to be.

Also if you’d like to know what books I have, i have these! (the pictures below) these have helped me over the past 2 years with my journey so I highly recommend checking them out!

Good luck and i wish you all positive energy!

[windvexer]

disappointment anon, i didnt actually know you could create spirit doors i thought i just had to hope that the spirits heard me after i called them to me because i dont have clairsenses or good divination.. LOL but thank you for that post that was extremely helpful :)

Hi! In Traditional Witchcraft and other related practices, I think I especially want to say Fairy Faith, the idea that the practitioner has the ability to find, capitalize on, or simply create portals, gateways, and roads into the spirit world is a dominant theme.

The only time I ever see this referenced in 101 stuff is casting a circle! The concept in Traditional Witchcraft is more or less the same as a Wiccan circle, but we call it a compass. If a lot of your education is coming from online sources, you may be unaware that a primary function of a magic circle is to "join the worlds" and, as Kelden puts it,

On a deeper level, though, and most central to Traditional Witchcraft, the compass is a liminal place, a doorway through which we can enter into the Otherworld.

On one hand, the word compass is synonymous with the word circle, but it also denotes the well-known navigational tool used in travel. This second meaning makes a lot of sense in the context that Traditional Witches use the compass round to navigate and traverse the different realms.

Kelden, The Crooked Path, 2020 (emphasis my own)

For a spirit-working witch, the skill of learning where to find spirits and how to reliably call them is a skill which I believe is separate from brokering deals. I also believe that working with these gateways is probably a fundamental skill of witchcraft.

The witch has many tools at their disposal for creating gateways into the spirit world and walking back and forth between this world and the next, with new knowledge, allies, and powers.

Some of these gateways are physical locations, each of which may lead to a different place in the otherworld, or make it easier or more difficult to access certain powers.

A small, secluded cave half-filled with water at the bottom of a steep riverbank may be the ideal location to enter the Underworld, or commune with chthonic powers.

A tiny thicket formed by the arch of a rosemary bush where it tangles with the branches of a thorny rose may be an excellent location to leave tiny gifts for the Greenwood and commune with the green folk.

Much more accessible for many of us is indeed just the concept of crossroads, either a 4-way X or a 3-way T. These locations are long famed for being the meeting places of spirits, or ideal locations to leave offerings or broker spirit deals. The Devil Himself is often said to be haunting just such remote crossroads.

But these gateways don't just have to be found. The witch has the power to create them.

Exhibit A - casting a circle (or more accurately to say, laying a compass).

Also, I believe the creation of a spellcasting altar, if properly magicked and tended to, begins to become liminal in and of itself - it literally becomes a doorway to the otherworlds.

Certain human-made locations, like gas stations and grocery stores, are often considered to be gateways and have been used by some practitioners to fulfill spellwork.

Various charms and talismans can assist with creating doorways navigating the liminal, most famously the Holey or Hag stone.

Robin Artisson details several methods of understanding, discovering, creating, and working with such doorways, I believe in Witching Way of Hollow Hill, but especially in An Carow Gwyn, in the section called The Breaching Charms: The Gateways into Sorcerous Experience.

Daniel Schulke, at least in Viridarium Umbris, provides several sigils and charms for obtaining entrance into the otherworld.

Roger J Horne, in A Broom at Midnight, details thirteen "gateways" to spirit flight. While these are specifically methods of entering astral travel, any student of the concept of gateways and doors within witchcraft I think would benefit from studying the rituals within.

Speaking of astral travel, many common methods espoused include imagining that a person is climbing down the roots of a tree, or inside of the trunk of a tree and floating down like an elevator; or going down a well. All of these things are analogous to (or, the same thing as) mentally seeking out a gateway to the otherworld, searching in mental constructs of places in nature where gateways are commonly found or believed to be found.

Indeed, the concept of roads, gates, thresholds, and doors, is (I think) a vital contemplation to the understanding of Witchcraft itself, and it is upon these bedrocks that a great deal of witchcraft has been built.

[psalmicwitch]

🔹 Psalm Magic 101 🔹

I practice with psalm magic a lot as a Christian witch, but it’s not exclusive to Christian witches. I’ve said this before on my blog, but the psalms are some of the oldest, most well documented pieces of magic we have.

The psalms, commonly attributed to King David, but there’s actually no evidence of who authored any of the psalms. We have no idea who they came from, but we know they came from much older sources. Using the book of psalms as magical test is a sort of pre-Wiccan traditional witchcraft practice.

I tend to follow Ariel Gatoga’s method of psalm magic, though there are many traditions.

Step 1: Start with a Psalm

Start with a psalm. It helps if it has a meaning that aligns with what your intentions are, but it isn’t explicitly necessary. You’ll have a harder time working the psalm, but it is definitely not impossible. I like this index of psalm meanings.

Your first read through of the psalm you’re going to treat it like an incantation. Recite with intent and with energy, whatever that means for you. Do this without stopping. (If you stop you do gotta start over)

This doesn’t have to be out loud, if you’re in the broomcloset, but read through it as if you were reciting it out loud. I like to describe this as “all but” letting the words come out of your mouth.

Step 2: Work the Psalm

Next, we move on to working the psalm. Our next read through, mentally or out loud, we’re reading and digging deeper, verse by verse, finding the occult meanings behind certain words.

What are occult or double meanings? I really like, again, Ariel Gatoga’s booklet on discerning the double meanings of certain words.

He describes finding these words as seeds which we plant and grow into magic. The description that resonates with me is knitting these words together to grow into a functional spell.

There’s no inherent magic in reciting a psalm. The magic comes from working and weaving its pieces together with intention to work towards your goal.

Sometimes, if I have the energy, I’ll do a second working of the same psalm. Don’t do more than one psalm a day. One thing about psalm magic is that it can be exhausting. I remember the first time I really had success with a working it completely drained me and I passed out immediately after. Even if you don’t get physically tired, it is mentally taxing, so don’t overdo it. (Remember to always raise energy before and ground after.)

Ending and Circuits

I personally end with incanting the psalm once more, putting special emphasis on those occult or double-meaninged words. I made this up. It helps me feel like I’ve gone full circle, but truly, we were finished after we worked the psalm. This second incantation is really just putting frosting on the outside of the psalm cake.

Circuits are an integral part of psalm magic, unlike my little frosting on the cake. When you work a psalm, it’ll work, but to add more energy to what you preformed, you’re going to want to recite similar psalms the next few days. My favorite circuit is definitely 9, 90, and 91 for healing illness.

To work a circuit, pick the 3-6 psalms you want to work, and work them, one a day, 3-6 days straight, depending on how many psalms you picked. After, take a few days rest and evaluate how you feel about what you did. I search deep for my gut to tell me where I stand in the problem. If you feel good, great! If you don’t, do the circuit again.

I like psalms because psalmic magic does not rely on anything else. You can create a ritual around it (I do!) but nothing else is required. You can be the most inconspicuous witch ever. You only need a Bible or a book of psalms.

A final note, if you feel detached from the language found in the book of psalms, especially if you’re not a devotee of an Abrahamic god, it’s important to reframe it. In this text, you are god. (Heresy alert lol). Remember, these texts predate what they’re used for in the Bible. Change your frame of reference, and realize you are the god of the texts. (Or if you do resonate with the way they are written, don’t bother.) It’s about how to make the text work with you. There is no power in the exact language with which the psalms are written.

Once you learn the process, psalm magic starts to feel like second nature.

If you ever don’t want to write your own spell, if you want to recite some old magic, or even if you are worried about getting caught, psalm magic has something for everyone. I really do implore you to give it a shot.

Lastly, if this has been helpful or insightful to you, please consider donating to the ALS Association.

I’m on a mission to end ALS. If you can’t donate, reblog my pinned post, or hey, send a psalm up for healing those with ALS, or knowledge for those working for the cure.

[sovaghoul]

Introduction

🔮 This is the start of my Wicca 101 series of posts. They’re meant to be informational, and provide perhaps a middle-of-the-road perspective on Wicca; I don’t believe one must be Initiated into any Tradition to be considered and accepted as a Wiccan, but I do believe there are things that are and are not part of Wicca, just like any other religion. That being said though, my focus for these posts is on what is, rather than what isn’t; I’m not interested in throwing shade at anyone else for their practices, choices, or preferences.

🔮 I am an Initiated Wiccan (2nd Degree Gardnerian), and a hereditary Witch. I was taught Wicca from a young age (mid-1980s) by my parents, and actively pursued Initiation beginning at about 16 (I’m now over 40). As such, honestly, I haven’t read extensively on Wicca, as I already had what I considered to be more than the basics. So if you ask me what books are good, I won’t be of much help there. I do have a few recommendations, however.

🔮 Everything I will post is all solely my own opinion, coming from my own experiences, thoughts, and interactions. I do not speak for anyone but myself, not even other Wiccans. Additionally, I will be talking about Wicca in general, and not the specific Tradition I was Initiated into. Anything I seem to be stating as fact should be viewed as generally accepted, though keep in mind that opinions and practices will always vary depending on who you talk to. Some of this information assumes a general knowledge of Wicca and Paganism more broadly, but if anything is unclear or unknown to you, just ask. I welcome any questions and respectful discussion in the comments and reblogs.

🔮 I hope everything here is interesting and thought-provoking. Please do not hesitate to comment/DM/reblog and ask questions, I am happy to answer. If you want to Trac this series, I'll be tagging them all "wicca 101."

Next post: Definition

[essence-of-wicca]

Notice: This blog is meant as a collection of informational essays I have written. As such, it will not update with new posts, although existing posts may be edited in the future. Notices of major edits will be posted to @sova-witch

🕯🌒🌕🌘🕯

Introduction & Contents

Very many books and websites about Wicca put a lot of emphasis on spells and other practical applications, on the Witchcraft aspects. While those components are valid and important, sometimes that emphasis creates too much of a surface level aesthetic of being a Witch, and the spiritual basis gets overshadowed. This all occurs with the ever-present reminder that Wicca and Witchcraft are not the same thing, while simultaneously removing the distinction by focusing on the Witchcraft, and still labeling it Wicca. 

It is my aim with this project to bring the focus back around to Wicca as a religion of substance, rather than the aesthetic. It’s also meant to be informational, and provide perhaps a middle-of-the-road perspective on Wicca; I don’t believe one must be Initiated into any Tradition to be considered and accepted as a Wiccan, but I do believe there are things that are and are not part of Wicca, just like any other religion. That being said though, my focus is on what is, rather than what isn’t; I’m not interested in throwing shade at anyone else for their practices, choices, or preferences.

I am an Initiated Wiccan (2nd Degree Gardnerian), and an hereditary Witch. I was taught Wicca from a young age (mid-1980s) by my parents, and actively pursued Initiation beginning at about 16 (I’m now over 40). As such, honestly, I haven’t read extensively on Wicca, as I already had what I considered to be more than the basics. I do have a few reading recommendations, however, which I will share at the end of this series.

Everything I've written is solely my opinion, coming from my own experiences, thoughts, and interactions. I do not speak for anyone but myself, not even other Wiccans. Additionally, I will be talking about Wicca in general, and not the specific (Oathbound) Tradition I was Initiated into. Anything I seem to be stating as fact should be viewed as generally accepted, though keep in mind that opinions and practices will always vary, depending on who you talk to. Some of this information assumes a general knowledge of Wicca and Paganism more broadly, but if anything seems confusing or unclear, please don't be afraid to ask questions, either in comments or DMs.

I greatly appreciate your interest in my writings. Blessed Be.

Contents

Each title in this list has its own post. Simply keep scrolling to read in this order. After the 101 Series, I have included ritual scripts I have written as well.

Wicca 101

Definition

Categories

History

Ethics

Theism

Magick

Death

Celebrations

Elements

Roles

Tools

Names

Ritual

Recommended Reading

Scripts

1. Intro

2. Self-Blessing

3. Circle Opening:

Creating Sacred Space

Casting and Cleansing

Personal Consecrations

Esbat Deity Invocations

Sabbat Deity Invocations

Quarter Calls

4. Esbat:

Invocation

Drawing Down the Moon

Moonpool Meditation

5. Sabbats:

Samhain

Yule

Imbolc

Vernalia

Beltane (Supplement) (Appendix)

Midsummer

Lammas

Autumnus

Drawing Down the Sun

Sunmeadow Meditation

6. Cakes and Wine

7. Circle Closing

Credits

[carriechambers]

Wheel of the Year 101 - Beltane

The post on website

Hello tumblr! Today is Beltane and I've had this post mostly written for about a week now, just got caught up with other things. Hopefully I'm not too late though!

In this post, you'll find out:

the history of Beltane

when and how to celebrate (with reviving some old traditions!)

links to recipes and playlists (with over 100 songs)

correspondences (foods, herbs, incense, ...)

Click Keep Reading to read the entire post, or you can read it on the blog page Beltane. On the web page you can also find download link for the .md file if you'd like to import it as a grimoire page into notion or logseq!

Beltane

History

I will start it off with the following: Beltane is actually Anglicised version. It would be more correct to write it as Bealtaine, which also shows its pronounciation (Bee-awl-tin-a). If you’d rather like to hear the pronounciation, Forvo actually has 4 different voice notes of people from Ireland pronouncing it. I will probably keep using the word Beltane going forwards, but it is useful / interesting to know the etymology as well. It comes from celtic Baal or Bel, meaning “Bright one”. Like Imbolc (which was also called St. Brighid’s day), Beltane also is tied to a celtic deity. This time it is Belenus or Belenos, the god of fire, associated also with sun, healing and prophecy.

In Wiccan traditions this is the time when the Horned God fully matures and mates with the Goddess. 

Similarly to Imbolc, Beltane is also the midpoint between an equinox and solstice and is one of the 4 fire festivals. It is the beginning of summer and is usually celebrated on May 1st (although some may choose to rather celebrate on a different day, if that’s what the midpoint between summer solstice and spring equinox falls at).

I’ve seen it connected to fertility again, but that’s mostly because fertility is the undertone of most sabbats, or because that’s what the modern “May day” represents. Notice that the Wiccan celebration of this sabbat actually is about this, perhaps also coming from the later interpretations of Beltane.

It is also seen as the time when the Aos Sí (Fair Folk) interact more with the human realm, and so people make offerings to appease them and did rituals to also protect against them. Other than that, the festival is mainly all about protection. The fire rituals were meant to protect both people and the cattle, that they also moved from one pasture to another during this time (a concept called Transhumance). They were moved to the lower summer pastures. This Transhumance seems to have been actually the core of Beltane. 

One beautiful custom was to extinguish all fires in the home before Beltane. During the communal bonfires they walked around and invoked good fortune and protection for the coming year. Once they returned home after the celebrations, they carried back a torch from the communal fire, to relight the hearth.

The month of May is well known for the blooming flowers, and Beltane traditions reflected this as well. Flower garlands were made, and flowers would be seen pretty much anywhere. Most often used one was a yellow flower, for the colour is symbolizing sun and light.

One other custom was to burn bushes, once again because of the fae, who were thought to take refugee there. And one custom that has appeared later on was the crowning of May queen and dancing around the maypole, which I think most of us has seen somewhere, at least on pictures, since this tradition seems to have also grown nearly extinct.

How to Celebrate

As I’ve already mentioned in the history section, Beltane is one of the fire festivals. If it is within your possibilities, you can light a full bonfire! Or maybe a smaller one in a fire pit, where you would normally grill sausages. And of course the variant many of us go with - candles. And if you’d like, you can also bring out the old tradition of extinguishing flames at home (so mostly candles) and then relighting it again with protective intents. 

One more tradition I haven’t mentioned - first dew on the morning of May, if applied to the face, would cause beauty. You can certainly do this as soon as you get up in the morning!

Next up is the famous Maypole. While you might not have the chance to participate in it in your town / village community, you can certainly make your own! I’ve seen an amino post by Isa and Björn (the name is down below), in which wrote their wishes on long strips of thin, biodegradable paper and tied them to a young birch tree, while placing a small gemstone at its base as an offering.  You can technically also tie strips of paper to some bonsai and then take them off after a while, perhaps burning them. The sky is the limit!

FLOWERS. Pick them, make garlands, make crowns, do anything! If they’re yellow, even better. Maybe it could also be time to look into herbology. Or make yourself some tea from scratch.

Other things:

Protection spell time!

Recognize any fae you work with / know live near you

Wear corresponding colours, decorate your altar, …

Check your wards / shields / other protections

Spotify playlist

YouTube playlist

Beltane tarot spread

Recipes to celebrate Beltane

Correspondences

Incense: rose, primrose, lilac, vanilla, cinnamon Herbs: primrose, hawthorn, rowan, elderflower, marigold, hazel, holly, cowslip, mugwort, daffodil, pretty much any yellow flowers (careful about toxicity!), lily of the valley, daisy, willow, woodruff Decorations: maypole (even tiny ones), flowers (mainly yellow), ribbons, candles Colors: yellow, orange, red, perhaps also green and white Foods: oatmeal, milk, milk products, wine, cherries, bread Stones: bloodstone, quartz, rose quartz, amethyst, onyx, orange calcite, citrine, amber, carnelian Other names: Lá Bealtaine, Latha Bealltainn, Beltain, Beltine, Beltany, May day, 2nd fire festival Other celebrations this time: Rowan Witch Day (Finish), Sacred Thorn Tree Day (Irish), Festival of Shashti (Hindu), Earth Day, Samhain (southern hemisphere) Misc: light, fire, protection, purification, fae, for some also fertility and growth

Sources

Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials - Beltane (Rituals, Recipes and Lore for May Day) by Melanie Marquis (2015)

wiccaliving.com - Beltane

mabonhouse.co - history of beltane

thornandclaw.com - beltane

paganpages.org - beltane correspondences

study.com - Belenus mythology, cults & facts

cpre.org.uk - origins of beltane

Bealltainn: Transhumance & The Gaels by Dead on P&W Amino

Mordred’s Guide To: Lá Bealtaine (Beltane) #HolidayCelebrations by Mordred on P&W Amino

Beltane: Overview and how to celebrate by city witch on P&W Amino

Blessed Beltane Happy Beltane and my Rituals this year by t. on P&W Amino

all pictures in this post are from unsplash, free stock images

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you found this useful, or at least interesting. If you'd like, go check out the library for more posts like this! There aren't as many right now, but it will keep filling up. I also reblog witchy posts I find useful, so consider giving a follow! And I'll see you in the next one.

[sova-witch]

Sova, Witch

~About Me~

🔮 I am an Initiated Wiccan (2nd Degree Gardnerian), and an hereditary Witch. I was taught Wicca from a young age (mid-1980s) by my parents, and actively pursued Initiation beginning at about 16 (I’m now over 40). As such, honestly, I haven’t read extensively on Wicca, as I already had what I considered to be more than the basics. However, I do have a few recommendations that I will be sharing.

🔮 I also have a hand in developing another form of Religious Witchcraft, called Sorgae. It has grown out of strict adherence to Traditional Gardnerian Wicca, but is decidedly Not That. It is my plan to share about that path on this blog as well.

🔮 Many of the initial posts here will be reblogs from my main blog, @sovaghoul , including my Wicca 101 series and the first few Sorgae-related posts I made there. But to begin, below the cut you can learn a bit more about me and my personal spirituality:

🔮 I have spiritual ties to several animals/species and their spiritual influences. To use a non-appropriative term, I am Other-Hearted to them. They are Barn Owl, Corvids, Lion, Cervids, Porcines, Scorpion, and Unicorn.

🔮 Specific Goddesses have made Themselves known to be my patron/tutelary Deities; in specific, The Morrigan and Blodeuwedd. I feel a draw to Freyja and Nicnevin as well.

🔮 In Sorgae 'Craft, practitioners are often assigned Directions by the Gods. This has happened to me, and my Directions are West, Northwest, and North, that arch of the Circle. The relevant influences for me are then:

Emotion. Daring. Autumn. Death. Endings. Creativity. Inspiration. Water. The Muse and the Dread Horned Lord.

The physical acts of Magick. Creating form from function. The Crossroads. Mystery. Clay. The Witch and the Manifestation.

Silence. Communion with the Divine. Completion. Justice. Gateway to understanding. past and present, day and night; the still point between. Winter. Earth. The Mother Bear Priestess and the Guardian at the Gateway.

I have also been asked to keep the Light-Bringer in the Southeast close to my heart. If I were to stand in my arch and face inwards, I would be looking towards Him.

~Frequent Tags~

#wicca - Posts pertaining to Wicca in specific

#sorgae - Posts pertaining to Sorgae 'Craft

#personal - Posts about my personal spirituality