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I've seen some people online post about how men shouldn't worship feminine goddesses, and how women shouldn't worship masculine gods, and I just wanted to post a rant on here giving my thoughts and debunking this take.

So, basically, the idea is that goddesses such as Juno, Venus or various goddesses that fall in the mother goddess group should not be worshipped by men, because they preside over things which are exclusive to women, and which men can't metaphysically relate to.

The issue is that these goddesses preside over aspects of everyone's experience. Venus, for example, is the goddess of beauty and love. Is a person of either gender somehow unable to relate to these ideas?

As for the mother goddesses, to deny any group of people, the worship of mother goddesses would basically deny their nature. They are universal mothers, and as such, this group of deities is the most open and accepting of worshippers of different kinds. A mother loves all her children equally, and is equally willing to help them all.

Even in incredibly masculinity centred religions such as Christianity, mother goddesses such as Mary are widely worshipped because of this motherly quality of universal and unconditional love.

In pagan spaces, I often see people reducing various deities to glorified vending machines that give out specific kinds of things in response to prayer or ritual. The Gods are not simply sky people who give gifts to people who say the right words. We owe them unconditional love, even to ones we feel like we can't relate to, because that is the first step in our awakening. Realising that everything in our reality is spiritual and that the spiritual/material dichotomy is a false one is the most important breakthrough.

To learn to see and appreciate the influence of a blacksmith god in your daily life, or of a childbirth goddess is a good way to start this process. Don't reduce deities to their gender, and be wary of anyone trying to push for this rigid division.

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Regarding crystals, in HMCA we were taught to not look up meanings for crystals but to work with them and write our own. 90% of us all had the same "meaning" with the other 10% being more personal associations.

What is frustrating is that mentality of my way or your wrong especially in online spaces.

As a crystal seller that mostly vends at fairs, I tell folks that I do have suggestions for what they ask for BUT I want them to look first and use their intuition. Sometimes they pick something I would sometimes it's the opposite.

With events I talk and or suggest shadow work into the why regarding crystals. Everyone is different.

You can write down as many correspondences as you want, memorize entire lists from someone else's blog or book or whatever, but none of it will matter if you do not understand those correspondences. It's so critically important to ask "Why?"

Why is spirit purple? Why is love red? Why is chamomile calm? Why is quartz "all purpose"? Why does cinnamon speed up a spell?

Why, why, why?

What do you actually believe? And why?

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Léna Mačka.

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Also a few things to note about crystals.

1. The only way a crystal is "ethically sourced" is if you know the person who dug them out of the ground or you did it yourself. There is no regulation and any seller that claims otherwise is a liar or choosing to ignorant. This industry is so messed up.

2. Crystals are older than any of us. Older than our ancestors and older than theirs. Sure their energy can be affected but not as easily as the new age spiritually spouts to sell us more stuff.

How could stealing a crystal affect it's energy more that the child who dug it out of the ground? 🤔

Ik I sound kinda aggressive here, not my intention. But the labor and crystals conversation has come up a lot the last month. Why? Because I run a small crystal selling business and I am as transparent as I can be and educate myself regularly on my industry.

Hi, I saw a comment on a video about some woman stealing crystals from a witch shop near me (the shop is called Meadows Crystals, in Lehi Utah), saying that you can lower the vibration of the crystal and that it won't work the same way after..... is that true?

Also they were talking about karma, what do you think of that?

Oh! I saw that, too! (I'm based in Utah as well).

I don't believe that it will lower the vibration perse. Crystals have spiritual correspondences of course, but I think in order to "activate" a crystal, an intention has to be put into it.

Like you have a stove, right? But the stove doesn't work until you turn it on. Same with crystals. Crystals have energy, but that energy doesn't really do much unless you turn it on.

So no, the lady stealing the crystals isn't turning them on, so the vibration isn't being messed with.

As for "karma," I think about it the same way as chakras.

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Rutilated Quartz and Flowers // vanir-nebulae

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Witchy Reminder!!

Don't forget to go through your Book of Shadows and make sure the information is accurate!! As your practice grows and develops, you might unlearn certain things or find new verified sources that don't line up with the information you thought you knew, or that bring it into a new perspective or light. Go back and check! Make sure the information you're learning is the right information!

And most importantly - remember that there is nothing wrong with being *wrong!* In fact, being wrong is an important part of your practice! Admitting you're wrong shows humility and courage. It takes a lot to admit that you're wrong.

And remember to go through your Grimoire and make sure that your spells are up to date, and see if any of them could be improved! I'm not a witch that does a lot of potions or spell jars, rather, I work with sigils, bowls, charms, and enchantments, but I still try to make sure that my spells and such are all up to date and still aligned with my current practice.

Again. It is never a bad thing, to be wrong. And owning up to it is even better. Updates are important in your practice! Yes, tradition is important, especially in folk practices and family-lineage crafts, but it is okay to throw some personality, flair, and nuance into your spells and charms. It is okay to throw in some modernization or updates into traditional crafts. Don't be afraid to stray away from tradition.

That being said, I'm currently going through one of my old book of shadows and cross-referencing information, and I encourage you to do the same when you can! And if you're unsure of the difference between a book of shadows and a grimoire, I'll be making a post on that (will link it here when it's done). Blessed be, and may the Sun be your guide! A domani!

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Again needed because my neighbor sprayed pesticides/weed killer on my property....

It's June on Thursday. Time to amp up and add wards to my home. I do not want a repeat of last year...

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wandering by the water... /// src src src src

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CAILLEACH - Queen of Winter

One of the great Celtic ancestors, the Cailleach was the goddess of the cold and the winds. Sometimes known as the Veiled One or the Queen of Winter, the Cailleach determined the winter’s length and harshness. As both divine hag and creator deity, she remains a popular topic for poets and writers.

The Cailleach dwelled in Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man, and many places remain dedicated to her within these regions.

Etymology

Cailleach is a common word in both Scottish and Irish Gaelic meaning “old woman” or “hag.” This current word was derived from Caillech, a term meaning “veiled one” in Old Gaelic. These terms stem from a base root shared with many others that describe women, such as caillin.

Poets have given her different names across time: Digdi (or Digde), Milucra, Biróg (the fairy-woman who saved Lugh of the Long-Arm as an infant), Buí (one of Lugh’s wives), and Burach. Due to many of these being separate characters altogether, some scholars believe that Cailleach was more of a title than a name—any old woman could be called a cailleach.

Her most prominent title was Cailleach Bhéara, revealing her as master of winter. The many regions named for her often gave her unique titles reflective of their respective landscapes. Examples included An Chailleach Bhéara (The Hag of Beara) in County Cork, Ireland, and “the Storm Hag(s)” in Scotland.

Attributes

The Cailleach appears primarily as a veiled old woman, sometimes with only one eye. Her skin was deathly pale or blue, while her teeth were red and her clothes adorned with skulls. She could leap across mountains and ride storms. In the Manx tradition, the Cailleach was a shapeshifter capable of transforming into a giant bird.

The Veiled One was a creator deity that shaped much of the known landscape; whether she did so intentionally remains unclear. Her tools of creation and destruction included her hammer, with which she was able to control storms and thunder. In some legends, she also controlled a well that would occasionally overflow and flood the land.

The Cailleach was neither fully good nor fully evil; her intentions varied from tale to tale. Through her association with storms and thunder, she was a natural and wild destructive force. Despite this, she also cared deeply for animals both wild and domestic during the dark winter months. In all three Gaelic-speaking regions, she was the patron of wolves emboldened by winter hunger; in Scotland, she also served as a deer herder.

The Cailleach was both ageless and immortal; as winter gave way to spring, she would take a drought that returned her to youth. In Manx legend, she spent half the year as a young woman and the other half as a old crone—she was only known as the Cailleach during the latter half. In Ireland, she had seven periods of youth, after which she remained old permanently.

The seasonal division between summer and winter—where the Cailleach ruled winter and Brigid ruled summer—highlighted the association of the two goddesses. On Samhain, or October 31st, the Celtic year ends and winter begins, marking the return of the Cailleach. In Scotland and the Isle of Man, the Cailleach transforms into Brigid during Beltane, a fertility festival held on May 1st.

The Cailleach was also a goddess of grain, a key resource in surviving winter. The last sheath of grain harvested was dedicated to her, and used to begin the next planting season.

Like many Irish goddesses, the Cailleach was linked to sovereignty and rulership. Before anyone could rule the land, they had to first garner her approval.

Sites

One of the Cailleach’s most remarkable attributes was her association with places. The Cailleach was tied to inhospitable locations across the Gaelic-speaking Celtic world. The Cailleach had more ties to local geography than any other Celtic deity.

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Finally went to forest and took pics of my Cailleach doll!

She is made from old paintbrush, wire and pipe cleaners with head of air-drying clay and body of wool yarn and recycled scraps of fabric. Her hair is the same yarn with some beads. I also gave her some jewerly and accesories from broken jewerly and some trinkets.

She was so fun to make and to photograph! It was great weather and just right amount of cold. ❄️

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Offerings to Cailleach

Who is Cailleach?

The Celtic goddess of winter, cold and wind, and also often depicted as a wise hag with bear’s teeth. Cailleach is also the goddess of disease and plague. She is also associated with winter storms, blizzards and thunder, and is neither good nor evil. She is said to be full of knowledge of the world and nature, but is also considered to be very lonely. This makes her relatively easy to contact and work with. 

Offerings to Cailleach

- Warm home cooked food / baked goods - Wild berries, foraged food, mushrooms etc - White candles  - Hag stones - Shells  - Feathers  - Trinkets, nice things you’ve found on walks, thrift stores etc. 

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Cailleach by Shelly Mooney

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handmade spiderweb belt loop chains 🕸

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Today was fun.

Energy was off.

But I met a lot of cool folks.

Definitely not doing another show in Madison WI on Halloween weekend with home game for the badgers... Most vendors didn't break even. I'm lucky my mom lives here so I didn't have to pay for hotel and meals..

Next show is November 18th at Paradigm in Sheboygan WI!

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annie steg gerard