#witchcraft facts

[coven-of-genesis]

Ten lesser-known facts about witches & witchcraft

Witch Bottles: In the 16th and 17th centuries, people believed in the protective power of witch bottles, which were filled with items like nails, hair, and urine to ward off evil spirits and witches.

Flying Ointments: Historical accounts suggest that witches' "flying" was sometimes linked to hallucinogenic ointments, often made from toxic plants like belladonna or mandrake, which were applied to the skin.

Familiars: Witches were believed to have familiars, which were often animals like cats, toads, or birds that assisted them in their magical work. These were considered evil spirits in animal form.

Witch Hunts in the Americas: While the Salem witch trials are well-known, fewer people are aware that other parts of the Americas, such as Brazil and the Caribbean, also had their own witch hunts and trials.

Malleus Maleficarum: This 15th-century book, also known as "The Hammer of Witches," was a significant text that contributed to the witch hunts in Europe. It outlined ways to identify, prosecute, and punish witches.

Witch Marks: During witch trials, accused witches were often searched for "witch marks," unusual blemishes or growths on the body believed to be signs of a pact with the devil.

The Witch's Sabbath: A folklore belief held that witches gathered for secret nocturnal meetings, called sabbaths, where they worshipped the devil, performed rituals, and engaged in revelry.

Witchcraft in Ancient Times: Witchcraft isn't a solely medieval or early modern phenomenon. Evidence of magical practices and beliefs in witchcraft can be traced back to ancient civilizations, such as ancient Greece and Rome.

Witchcraft as a Capital Crime: In many parts of Europe, witchcraft was considered a capital crime, punishable by death. This led to the execution of thousands of people, primarily women, during the witch hunts.

Modern Witchcraft: Contemporary witchcraft, often referred to as Wicca, is a recognized religion that emerged in the mid-20th century. It emphasizes the worship of nature, the practice of magic, and the celebration of seasonal festivals.

[im-trying-my-best-yall]

George Weasley likes sweet girls who are kinda mean to him and i dont make the rules

[breelandwalker]

You seem like you're more familiar with the broader occult community than my scholarly shut in ass. I'm curious. If there were a few lessons you wish you could drill into the head of every prominent social media occultist, what would they be?

Ohhh the number one thing I wish I could drill into the head of every aspiring occultist and magical practitioner is that CRITICAL THINKING IS YOUR FRIEND.

Study magic but keep fact-checking! If there's a claim in a book on witchcraft that should be able to be backed up by mundane sources, look for those sources. If they're not cited in the book, that's a red flag. If the sources you do find don't support the claim, that's another, bigger red flag. This is especially true with claims about history, science, medicine, psychology, anthropology, and religion.

Also, be wary of anything New Age. There's a pipeline to anti-science, eugenics, and racism there that runs directly through portions of the modern pagan and witchcraft communities and it's brightly painted with New Age buzzwords.

If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. If something seems geared to appeal to your emotions, especially that which seems formulated to make you feel special or "chosen" or to fire up some kind of righteous anger or feelings of superiority, you should immediately be suspicious of it.

If a source tells you to disregard science, modern medicine, or recorded history, or tries to tell you that some people are inherently more special or magical or deserving of power than others, discard it immediately. That is a bad source.

Don't believe everything you see or hear online. Too many witches roll their eyes at their parents and grandparents believing everything they read on Facebook, then turn around and insist that everything they've seen on TikTok or Tumblr or YouTube is Absolute Truth.

Believing in and studying magic does not mean that common sense goes out the window. You should be supplementing your magical studies with parallel practical topics (i.e. botany, geology, chemistry, mythology, etc) and ALWAYS keep one foot squarely planted on the ground.

[heatherwitch]

Bedridden Witch: Solar and Lunar edition

Since creating my bedridden space witch post I’ve had many requests for one specifically on solar and lunar witchcraft, so I figured I’d make an expanded version on those topics!

Solar ☀️

Set up:

Decorate with sun-themed items

Wear sun jewelry

Collect crystals you associate with the sun

Hang red, orange or yellow curtains

Get a sun projector lamp

Make an altar for the sun

Hang a sunrise/sunset calendar

To do:

Make sun water, sun tea or sun oil

Spritz sun water on your pillow/bedding

Use sun water to cleanse; including your face/body by dabbing it on or using a washcloth

Make sun salts

Cleanse and charge items in the sun (if safe to do so)

Open the curtains and bask in the sun

Feel the warmth and strength of the sun

Drink teas with warm spices

Observe the different energies of the sun based on its position in the sky and utilize it in your practice [X]

Use The Sun tarot card as a base for a spell, enchantment or energy connection

Solar tarot spreads: [X] [X]

Sun sigils: [X] [X] [X]

Charge a solar light so you still have the energy of the sun on overcast days/long nights

Use a therapy light in the darker months

Other posts:

Sunrise / Noon / Sunset magic

Sun meditations

Sun spells: [X] [X] [X]

Helios/Sol

Ideas for using sun water

Lunar 🌙

Set up:

Decorate with moon-themed items

Wear moon jewelry

Collect crystals you associate with the moon/that are moon-shaped

Hang silver, white or pale blue curtains

Get a moon lamp

Make an altar for the moon

Hang a lunar calendar

To do:

Make moon water

Spritz moon water on your pillow/bedding

Use moon water to cleanse; including your face/body by dabbing it on or using a washcloth

Make moon salts

Cleanse and charge items under the moon

Open your window under the various phases of the moon

Feel the energy and strength of the moon

Drink sweet herbal teas, like jasmine or chamomile

Track the moon phases through an app

Observe the lunar cycle and the different energies it brings

Use The Moon tarot card as a base for a spell, enchantment or energy connection

Lunar tarot spreads: [X] [X]

Moon sigils: [X] [X] [X]

Create a lunar month journal and note how each day feels

Other posts:

Selene/Luna SDVA

Full Moon + New Moon 2025 calendar

Farmer’s Almanac moon + sun

Uses for moon water

You may also like:

Bedridden witch series

Bedridden witch: Space edition

Bedridden witch: Elements edition

Bedridden witch: Weather edition

Bedridden witch: Nature edition

[butch-reidentified]

fact: there is so much of the natural world we don't understand yet

many forms of women's spirituality is just... celebrating how cool that is. not believing in any fictional narrative. just celebrating nature and how much we have yet to understand.

that's why I take issue with the "it's just as fictional as Christianity etc" narrative. some forms, sure, but not any I'd ever be interested in.

it's just ignorance. your idea of witchcraft vs what I'm actually talking about. but you aren't taking the time to ask or listen. there's literally nothing "unscientific" about what I personally practice. it's just about my relationship to the scientific unknown.

edit to add some of what I just included in a different reblog:

fwiw, I still don't consider myself spiritual as (like I've repeatedly said) my witchcraft is, to me, artistic self-expression and is fundamentally about my personal connection to the universe, womanhood, nature, and, despite what certain women on here are insisting, to science. I've never been able to convince myself to believe in specific unseen/supernatural things like deities (learned this at a very young age trying to make myself believe in the Christian God, then tried with other gods, never believed in Santa even).

women engaging in scientific pursuits have historically so often been the ones labeled witches. new scientific creations have so often historically been called magic, witchcraft, heresy, etc., and those involved persecuted for it.

historically, women called witches have so often BEEN scientists, and that & the erasure of women throughout scientific history is exactly WHY using the term is so important to me, WHY I don't respect the patriarchally-derived dictionary definition* of "witch" or "witchcraft." I have a peer-reviewed neuroscience publication with my name on it, and that, to me, is part of my witchcraft. idc how anyone else feels about that but calling it antifeminist is absurd.

[astrosouldivinity]

I made a masterlist to keep track of all of my posts. Thank you for your support 🤍

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𝙽𝚘 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍. 𝙷𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝: @𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢

𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚, 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚, 𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒚, 𝒑𝒔𝒚𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚. ⁴⁴⁴

Journal Prompts

1. Full Moon (Pisces) Journal Prompts

2. New Moon (Libra) Journal Prompts

3. Full Moon (Aries) Journal Prompts

4. New Moon (Scorpio) Journal Prompts

5. Full Moon (Taurus) Journal Prompts

Random Astrology Observations

1. Astro Observations One

2. Astro Observations Two

3. Astro Observations Three

4. Astro Observations Four

5. Astro Observations Five

6. Astro Observations Six

7. Astro Observations Seven

8. Astro Observations Eight

9. Astro Observations Nine

Astro Enemies Series

❁ Hidden Enemies

❁ Open Enemies

Venus Sign Observations

𖦹 Mutable

𖦹 Fixed

𖦹 Cardinal

Astrology / Tarot Observations

🀧🀣🀢🀤🀦

Philosophy

✎ Attract

✎ Affirmations

✎ Halloween Affirmations

✎ Yin & Yang

✎ Self-Acceptance

✎ Authenticity

✎ Authenticity Pt. 2

✎ Stoicism

✎ Reflections

✎ Perspective

✎ Capitalism

✎ Capitalism Pt. 2

Manifestation

𑁍 Part One

𑁍 Part Two

Houses in Astrology

𖤓 Houses in Astrology & What They Represent

𖤓 Chiron Throughout The Houses

𖤓 Pluto in Aquarius (Throughout The Houses)

Evolved / Unevolved Zodiac Signs

⟡ Air

⟡ Earth

⟡ Fire

⟡ Water

Age of Aquarius ♒️✨

2024 Presidential Analysis

Planets / Outer Planets

Throwback (Me)

Major Asteroids

Black Sheep

Styling

Evil Eye 🧿

Evil Eye 2 🧿

Evil Eye 3 🧿

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

Astro / Psychology Observations

✮ OCD / Anxiety Part One + Autism / ADHD

✮ OCD / Anxiety Part Two + Autism / ADHD

✮ BPD Part One

✮ BPD Part Two

My Art ~

ꨄ Spell Jars

ꨄ Beaded Rings

ꨄ Spell Jars Updated

ꨄ Wire Wrapped Rings

Spells ~

• Return to Sender/Freeze Spell

Etc.

1. What The Zodiac Signs Can Teach You

2. Healing Journey (Scorpio Season)

3. Some Facts About Astrology

4. Astro Love Struggles Part 1

5. Astro Love Struggles Part 2

6. Quintiles/Biquintiles

7. Pluto in Aquarius

8. Earth Sign Coded

9. Fire Mercury Coded

10. Zodiac Hedonism

11. Psychic Abilities

12. Blocked Chakras

13. Omnist (Spirituality)

14. Zodiac Karmic Lessons

15. Healing From Wounds

16. Beauty Placements/Degrees

17. Roles of The Zodiac Part One

18. Roles of The Zodiac Part Two

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

𝒜𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝑀𝑒 ~

♉︎ ✹ ・♊︎ ⏾ ・♋︎ ↑

INFP

Life Path Number 6

Favorite Color ~ Midnight Blue 🌌

Favorite Animal ~ Cat

Favorite Bands ~ The Internet & Tame Impala 🎶

Moon, Jupiter, & Uranus Dominant ♅ ☾ ♃

©𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚁𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚍.

[suncast-moth]

Goldfish goblet for Loki ✨️✨️

[nyxshadowhawk]

Hellenic Gods Fact Sheets and Hymns: Hecate

Other Names: Trivia, Brimo

Epithets: Anassa eneroi  (queen of those below), Aidonaia (lady of the Underworld), Amibousa (she who changes), Atalus (tender, delicate), Borborophorba (she who feeds on filth), Brimo (angry, terrifying), Despoina (mistress), Eileithyia (of childbirth), Enodia (of the roads), Epaine (dread), Euplokamos (bright-tressed), Khthonia (of the Underworld), Kleidouchos (keeper of the keys), Kourotrophos (protector of children), Krokopelos (saffron-robed), Liparokredemnos (bright-coiffed), Nycteria (nocturnal; of the night), Nyctipolos (night-wandering), Perseis (destroyer/ daughter of Perses), Phosphoros (light bearer), Propolos (guide), Propylaia (the one before the gate), Scylacagetis (leader of dogs), Soteira (savior), Trikephalos (three-headed/of the crossroads), Trimorphos (three-formed), Trioditis (of the three ways), Trivia (of the three ways).

Domains: Witchcraft, magic, necromancy, ghosts, nightmares, death, initiation, the crossroads, gateways, passage between worlds, and the night.

Appearance: [My UPG] A tall (over 6’) woman, neither young nor old, with waist-length black hair, pale skin, prominent cheekbones, a heavy jaw, and intense green eyes. She is usually dressed in black folds molded into a simple dress or robes. She has a severe expression and an intimidating presence. She speaks with a low voice.

Sacred Days and Festivals: Eleusinia (22 Metageitnion). Nemoralia (August 13th-15th). Deipnon, last day of each (lunar) month.

Symbols/Attributes: Torches, keys, daggers, strophalos (iynx wheel)

Sacred Animals: Dog, polecat, serpent, horse, frog.

Sacred Plants: Yew, cypress, garlic, willow, hazel, black poplar, aconite, belladonna, dittany, mandrake, hemlock, asphodel

Elemental Affinity: Darkness, light, fire

Planet: Moon

Colors: Black, saffron, silver.

Crystals: Black onyx, hematite, obsidian, black tourmaline, moonstone, smoky quartz, agate, amethyst.

Incense: Myrrh, almond, cypress, camphor, saffron, mugwort, pomegranate.

Tarot Cards: The High Priestess, The Moon, Death

Retinue: Empousai, ghosts of the dead, dogs, Lampades (torch-bearing underworld nymphs)

Associated People: Witches (and other magic-users), the dead

Offerings: Bread, eggs, honey, garlic, menstrual blood, graveyard dirt.

Syncretized With: Artemis, Diana, Persephone, Eileithyia, Selene, Nephthys, Ereshkigal, Nicnevin, Heqet

Hymns to Hecate

Orphic Hymn to Hecate

Hekate Enodia, Trivia, lovely dame, Of earthly, watery, and celestial frame, Sepulchral, in a saffron veil arrayed, Pleased with dark ghosts that wander through the shade; Daughter of Perses, solitary goddess, hail! The world’s key-bearer, never doomed to fail; In stags rejoicing, huntress, nightly seen, And drawn by bulls, unconquerable, monstrous queen; Leader, Nymphe, nurse, on mountains wandering, Hear the suppliants who with holy rites thy power revere, And to the herdsman with a favoring mind draw near.

Hecate’s Hymn to Herself

I come, a virgin of varied forms, wandering through the heavens, bull-faced, three-headed, ruthless, with golden arrows; chaste Phoebe bringing light to mortals, Eileithyia; bearing the three synthemata [sacred signs] of a triple nature.  In the Aether I appear in fiery forms and in the air I sit in a silver chariot, Earth reins in my black brood of puppies.

(From Porphyry’s lost commentary on the Chaldean Oracles, preserved by Eusebius of Caesaria in Praeparatio Evangelica. According to Porphyry, this hymn was composed by Hecate herself.)

Magical Invocation to Hecate

Approach, you of the netherworld, of earth, of heaven, Bombo! You by the wayside, at the crossroads, light-bearer, night-wanderer, Enemy of light, friend and companion of night, Rejoicing in the howl of dogs and in crimson gore, Lurking among the corpses and the tombs of lifeless dust, Lusting for blood, bringing terror to mortals, Grim one, Ogress [Mormo], Moon – you of many forms, May you come gracious to our sacrificial rites!

(Preserved in Refutation to All Heresies by Hippolytus)

Invocation to Hecate from PGM IV 2708-84

Come, giant Hecate, Dione’s guard, O Persia [daughter of Perses], Baubo Phroune, dart-shooter, Unconquered Lydian, the one untamed, Sired nobly, torch-bearing, guide, who bends down Proud necks, Kore, hear, you who’ve parted / gates Of steel unbreakable. O Artemis, Who, too, were once protectress, mighty one, Mistress, who burst forth from the earth, dog-leader, All-tamer, crossroad goddess, triple-headed, Bringer of light, august / virgin, I call you Fawn-slayer, crafty, O infernal one, And many-formed. Come, Hekate, goddess Of three ways, who with your fire-breathing phantoms Have been allotted dreaded roads and harsh / Enchantments, Hekate I call you

[…]

O Hekate of many names, O Virgin, Kore, Goddess, come, I ask, O guard and shelter of the threshing floor Persephone, O triple-headed goddess, Who walk on fire, cow-eyed BOUORPHORBE PANPHORBA PHORBARA AKITOPHI ERESHKIGAL / NEBOUTOSOUALETH Beside the doors, PYPYLEDEDEZO And gate-breaker; Come Hekate, of firey Counsel, I call you to my sacred chants.

[polymorphousperve]

I do not know which hardcore mystic needs to hear this today ,but enlightenment is not a substitute for therapy.

[kingstarkingslay]

“ The stars are beautiful, aren’t they?” , said Remus staring up at the sky.

Sirius looked at him, admiring his profile.

“ No, the moon is prettier ” , he confessed.

[savingsallow]

— it has always been the moon and me~

@acslytherpuff cass, look! it's youuu 🤭 luna 🌙

[starsthewitch]

Some Freyja facts for those who want to know more! (an addition to my Aphrodite facts)

✶ As the daughter of Njord, the sea god, and sister to Freyr, the god of prosperity, Freyja holds a prominent position among the Norse gods.

✶ She possesses the magical necklace Brísingamen, acquired through a deal with four dwarves, which enhances her power.

✶ Freyja's name translates to "Lady" or "Mistress" in Old Norse, reflecting her status as a powerful and respected goddess in Norse mythology.

✶ Freyja is often associated with falconry, as she is said to possess a cloak of falcon feathers that allows her to transform into a falcon, granting her the ability to travel between the realms of the gods and the mortal world.

✶ In some stories, Freyja is depicted as the mother of two daughters, Hnoss and Gersemi, who are personifications of beauty and treasure, further emphasizing her association with wealth and prosperity.

✶ Despite her prominence, much of Freyja's mythology and worship have been obscured over time, with many details about her cult and rituals lost to history. However, she remains a beloved and enigmatic figure in Norse mythology.

[cissa-calls]

Countdown to Agatha: Day 753

Agatha: “I’m not going in the water, I can’t swim!”

Y/N: “What do you mean? You’re several centuries old, and you never learned how to swim?”

Agatha: “When people in the 17th century were able to swim, guilt on crimes of witchcraft usually followed!”

Wanda: “…but you actually are a witch”

Agatha: “That’s beside the point! I was trying to avoid being hung or burned!”

[growing-yet-into-magic]

What cannot be removed by force may be removed by water; what cannot be removed by water may be removed by alcohol; what cannot be removed by alcohol may be removed by oil.

Source: I de-stickered my laptop last night

[pratchettquotes]

That was the problem with witchcraft: It was as if everybody needed the witches but hated the fact that they did, and somehow the hatred of the fact could become the hatred of the person. People then started thinking: Who are you to have these skills? Who are you to know these things? Who are you to think you're better than us? But Tiffany didn't think she was better than them. She was better than them at witchcraft, that was true; but she couldn't knit a sock, she didn't know how to shoe a horse, and while she was pretty good at making cheese, she had to have three tries to bake a loaf that you could actually bite into with your teeth. Everybody was good at something. The only wicked thing was not finding out what it was in time.

Terry Pratchett, I Shall Wear Midnight

[thebeadrescue]

☀️ Have a great Friday everyone! ☀️

💛 Find 'The Sun' tarot card charm bracelet here on Etsy! 💛