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🧚🏻‍♀️Protection From The Fae🧚🏻‍♀️

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Iron

Iron in any form or shape has always been considered the very best protection against fae – in almost all legends, the metal is like kryptonite to Superman. If you kept an iron nail in your pocket, you couldn’t be carried away by them. Sometimes iron nails were sewn into the hems of children’s clothing for that reason. A pair of iron shears hung on the wall near a baby’s bed was said to prevent the child from being swapped for an ugly fae baby.

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Steel

Steel is also effective against the faeries because it is created from processed iron. If a faery is cut by a steel or iron blade, the wound will not heal or will take a very long time. In some stories, the Fae is slowly poisoned by such a wound. Steel or iron weapons are among the few things that can actually kill a Fae being.

However, unless it was plainly self-defense (and sometimes even that wouldn’t help your case), you could expect the rest of the faeries to exact a terrible retribution!

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Horseshoes

You can put one above the main entrance of your house and it will help protect the entire home. For added protection, put iron near any opening a person could go through. If you have large windows, you may want to place some nails near it to make a barrier. You can do the same with your dog’s house to keep the fairies out.

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Bells & Chimes

Bells were also said to have frightened off evil faeries in Medieval Ireland and elsewhere in Europe. Specifically the big, deep-sounding Church bells that would ring to draw the people to Church. So this theory can be applied to your home by hanging deep-toned chimes on your front or back porch or by using deep sounding bells during magickal ritual.

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Food

Traditionally, bread and salt provided protection from the Fae. Carrying yeast-risen bread with you had a two-fold effect. It would repel some faeries. Other faeries would accept it as an offering and leave you alone.

My gramma taught me a Welsh tradition of leaving a saucer of milk and a slice of bread or some bread crusts on the back porch as an offering to the faeries, so they wouldn’t play pranks on the family or trouble the livestock. Sometimes, if you were seeking the faeries’ aid, you might add berries, honey, or cheese.

Even humble oatmeal was believed to be a fairy repellent. You could carry a handful of dry oatmeal in your pocket or sprinkle it on your clothes. As long as you didn’t mind looking flaky, you’d be safe.

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Salt

Salt’s association with purity made it an excellent tool against otherworldly beings. Spreading salt across the threshold and along the windowsills has long been the primary method of keeping faeries, demons, and spirits out of houses. If you had to carry food to the farmhands in the fields, sprinkling it with salt was said to keep the faeries from taking it – or from extracting the nourishment from it unseen!

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Offerings

Leave a pail of fresh milk, butter, or cream outside of your front door on the eight holy days to appease the fae and keep them from wreaking havoc on garden and home. Leaving faery offerings and libations dates back hundreds of years, and if you have any Celtic ancestors, you probably have ancestors who partook in this tradition. Some people in Europe still do! This is a preventative method of protection from trickster and evil fairies. Make them happy at the back door so they don’t intrude.

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Plants

Historically, garlands were often made of marsh marigolds and hung over the barn doors to protect the horses from being ridden to exhaustion by faeries in the night. Flowers, especially primroses, were spread over windowsills and hung above the door-posts of the house for safety. Your best bet, however, was a plant called St. John’s Wort. Wearing it was said to provide strong protection from fairy magic and mischief.

Fairies could vanish at will and remain invisible to mortal eyes for as long as they pleased. Carrying a four-leafed clover would allow you to see the faeries – but only once. A Celtic tradition was to sew several of the clovers into a tiny bag to be worn around the neck. You could then discern the faeries once for each clover in the bag. In some legends, the clover was said to allow you to see through fairy glamors and magical disguises.

Red berries were believed to keep fae at bay, especially if they were from rowan trees, mountain ash or holly. So did red verbena (a flower). Daisies were often tucked into children’s pockets or woven into fanciful chains to wear around their necks to prevent them from being taken away by the fae. And if you were walking through the woods, it was best to carry a walking stick or staff made of ash or rowan wood.

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Protection Charm

At this season, the Winter Court is in rule and you will want to look out for malicious, harmful beings in your interactions with the fae. You can make yourself a protection charm using:

St. John’s Wort

Sea Salt

Lemon Zest

Rosemary

Eggshells

An Iron Nail

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Ancestral & Deity Protection

One of the MOST effective forms of protection against evil faeries (and other spirits in general) is to invite your ancestors and gods into your home. Once your guides and guardians take up residence in your home, they do most of the work of keeping out negative forces like evil fairies and the like. In fact, my ancestors are SO good at protection, I have to ask their permission to allow any other spirits inside the home!

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Faery Box

Decorate a small box by painting it and gluing on glitter or plastic gems. Inside place leaves, pinecones, crystals, and plants. Add a piece of felt or fleece in the centre as a soft bed you can add essential oil to. Draw a sigil on it that will protect you from harmful fae. At night, light a fake candle by the box, and leave out some food.

Make sure to protect yourself from negative influence. Then invite those of good intention to see the place you’ve prepared for them to rest in, and stay with you through the night if they wish to. Leave the candle on, as long as it’s a fake one, and then go to bed.

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The Circle Of Light

Another effective yet simple technique of faery protection consists of using one’s mind and energy. If you are used to using visualization in your meditations, rituals, and spells, this method of fae protection should be familiar to you. It’s what I like to call the Circle of Light.

You can do this visualization exercise any time of the day, any day of the week and as often as you’d like. For me particularly, I do it every night as I’m lying in bed and before I go to sleep to continue to build the circle’s strength around my home

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Running Water

Fae folk are unable to cross streams and rivers, so in any pursuit leaping from bank to bank will be a sure escape for the hunted human. Water courses running south are said to be especially efficacious.

Oddly, nevertheless, fae seem to have no objection to still water. They actively seek it out for washing themselves and they are from time to time associated with wells. For example John Rhys in Celtic folklore (1901, p.147 & chapter 6) notes the existence of several ‘faery wells’ in Wales which demanded attention from local people, in the absence of which they would overflow or flood.

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Hag Stones

According to John Aubrey, if a person could locate stones through which natural erosion had created a hole, they could protect their horses from night-riding by fae by hanging the stones over each horse’s manger in the stables- or by tying the stone to the stable key. The fairies would not then be able to pass underneath.

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Sources : http://aminoapps.com/p/4sn2it

Zauberhaftes Gänseblümchen.

Katja von Lipinski.

Grimoir

This is a collection of myths, deities and rituals in either english or german language.

German

Mythologie

Amerika

Der Inka Pantheon

Mystische Orte der Inka

Ix Chel

Heidentum

Strömungen des Neuheidentums

Neopaganismus

Wicca

Mittlerer Osten

Magie im Islam

Die drei Göttinnen von Mekka

Griechischer Pantheon

Nemesis

Eris/Discordia

Römischer Pantheon

Symbolik

Apotropaion

Augenidole

Die zwölf Archetypen

Rituale & Zauber

Ritual der männlichen Impotenz

Der böse Blick

Atzmann Gedicht

Schutzöl für Empathen

Hoodoo/Voodoo

Goofer Dust

Lougawu

Heilsteine

Brekzienjaspis

Pflanzen

Birnbaum

Rezepte aus der Natur

Deo mit Salbei

Waschmittel aus Asche

Fichtenharzsalbe

English

Spells & Rituals

Storm calling

Spell of courage and strengh

Don't mess with me tongue spell with Orisha Oya (prob. black magick)

Female Rituals

Chinese Gu

Incenses

Empath Protection Oil

Protection Oil

Summer Solstace Simming Pot

Mythology

The Americas

The Nazca Pantheon

The Mayan Pantheon

The Moche/Chimu Pantheon

Huaca de luna creation legend

Germany

Frau Perchta

Greek/Roman Pantheon

Nike/Victoria

Dike

Circe

Eris

Middle East

The First Words God Spoke To Eve

Ishtar

Hoodoo/Voodoo

Women mistaken for lougawu

Symbols

Master the devil archetype

Die Eberesche oder der Vogelbeerbaum

Mythologische Bedeutung:

Die Eberesche (Vogelbeere) - Sorbus aucuparia galt einst aus mythologischer Sicht als der heilige Baum von Hexen, Heiden und Druiden.

Rituale und große Feste wurden unter ihm gefeiert und Schutz, Kraft und magisches Wirken wurde ihm zugeschrieben. Aus dem Holz des Baumes fertigte man man Ritualgegestände und Amulette, die dem Träger Glück und Schutz bringen sollten.

Mit Aufkommen der christlichen Religionen und Reformation der Bevölkerung wurde der Baum, der die Menschen immer noch stark anzog, ein Dorn im Auge der damaligen Kircheväter und kuzer Hand erklärte man Blätter, Baum und Beeren für giftig und gefährlich.

Man erhoffte sich so eine vorteilhafte Umkehr! Auch heute noch glauben noch recht viele Menschen an dieses Märchen und halten die leuchtend roten Beeren für giftig & nicht genießbar.

Die roten Vogelbeeren, die im Herbst reifen Früchte der Eberesche, eignen sich wunderbar, um daraus Ketten und Armbänder herzustellen.

Fädeln Sie die frischen Früchte auf einen dicken Baumwollfaden, solange  sie noch weich sind. Im trockenen Zustand lassen sie sich dann sehr schön zu Ketten und Armbändern verarbeiten.

Die Eberesche war bei den Germanen hochgeschätzt, denn sie sollte vor

psychischen Angriffen schützen, übersinnliche Fähigkeiten unterstützen und die persönliche Kraft stärken.

E. Courtenay.

Getrocknete Vogelbeeren (Früchte der Eberesche) sind ein altes Hausmittel gegen Magenverstimmung und Durchfall. Bei Bedarf täglich zweimal 10 getrocknete Beeren kauen. Schmeckt bitter, aber die Bitter- und Gerbstoffe sind gut für Magen und Darm.

Markusine Gutjahr.

Ebereschen- Marmelade.

Herb- süß und gesund.

500 g Ebereschenbeeren, 250 ml Apfelsaft, zwei Äpfel, 500 g Gelierzucker 1:1.

Ebereschenbeeren über Nacht ins Gefrierfach legen, damit sie süßer werden. Am nächsten Tag abgerebelte Früchte mit Apfelsaft aufkochen und zugedeckt ca 30 Minuten weich kochen. Durch ein Sieb streichen oder eine Flotte Lotte benutzen. Beerenmus mit würfelig geschnittenen Äpfeln und Gelierzucker unter Rühren aufkochen und fünf Minuten sprudelnd kochen lassen. Eventuell pürieren. In sterile Schraubdeckelgläser abfüllen und erkalten lassen.

Aus: Haus und Garten. 2021.

Eberesche (Vogelbeere) - ein heiliger Baum.

Bei den Germanen war die Eberesche dem Gott Thor geweiht.

In der Göttersage Edda wird berichtet, dass sie Thor das Leben rettete. Als dieser bei der Jagd in einen Fluss stürzte & ihm das Wasser bis zum Halse stand, bekam er einen Zweig der Eberesche zu fassen & konnte sich so aus dem tosenden Strom retten.

Daher heißt der Baum in Norwegen auch Thorsbjörg (Thors Begegnung)

Wohl aus dieser Zeit hat sich in einigen Gegenden Deutschlands der Glaube erhalten, dass die Eberesche den Blitz abhält. Dazu werden die reifen Früchte in Kränzen oder Büscheln vor die Fenster oder an die Dächer gehängt (Schütt,1994).

Für kranke Ziegen soll das Laub der Eberesche eine gute Arznei gewesen sein. Fraßen die Ziegen von Thor, Tanngniostr (Zähneknirscher) & Tanngrisnir (Zähneblecker)  deshalb so gerne diese Blätter? Als Futterquelle für Ziegen & Schafe wird die Eberesche regional auch heute noch geschätzt.

Magie der Bäume: die Eiche

Do you know anything about creating servitors?

A servitor is a spiritual being you create in order to do your bidding.

Servitors are used for:

Protecting you spiritually.

Guarding your property or your loved ones.

Creating glamour: creating a certain aura about you, and how others perceive you.

Bring you things you might need.

Aid in tasks.

Some servitors are such powerful thoughtforms that even others can see it (although this tends to be rare or is reserved for long-existing servitors).

Essentially, creating a servitor is put into three parts:

Construction.

Charging.

Casting.

It is outlined as follows:

Construction

You will need to create a symbolic representation of your servitor. What do you want your servitor to do? If, for example, you would want your servitor to guard you, you might want to create one in the form of a knight or an intimidating dog. Or, if you want to create an appearance entirely of your own, you may wish to add features such as sharp teeth, claws, weapons, armour, etc.The possibilities are endless although I do suggest using features that you associate with protection (I prefer using traditional associations, sometimes I even borrow imagery from tarot cards). Even drawing it out on a piece of paper helps you mentally create a “solid” representation of it if you don’t want to solely rely on your imagination in your head. Also consider: what special powers does your servitor have? What colour aura does it have? It is advisable to create a smaller servitor to begin with because larger ones require more energy.

Create your statement of intent for your servitor (what you want it to do). However, be specific and create guidelines - for example, if you want your servitor to help you gain money, you may want to tell it that causing misfortune in order to gain money is not permissible. You don’t want anything to backfire! 

It is also advisable that you create a sigil for your servitor or a symbol by which you will know your servitor. Finally, you will need to give your servitor a name. It can be any name you like or deem fitting. Do not tell anyone its name. 

Charging

After you have created the appearance and description of your servitor, you will need to actually bring it to life.

Draw the sigil or symbol of your servitor on a piece of paper and find a place where you will not be disturbed. Focus all of your attention on the sigil, repeating the servitor’s name. Visualise as vividly as you can the servitor’s shape forming. Firstly the base, and then the main symbols and features, and then the detail. You need to believe with all your will that the servitor is real and alive. There is no point in creating something which you think does not exist. This can take from 10-30 minutes. Repeat this for three days. Afterwards, the servitor will be able to function and appear on its own. 

Casting

You will need to give the servitor concise instructions on how to do your bidding here. See the servitor alive before you and call its name. Then, give it your instruction and then send it out to do your bidding. Never be afraid of your servitor, it is bound to you and it exists in order to fulfil your work and desires. 

You will also have to decide on what your servitor will feed on in order to require energy (you may wish to do this on the creation section too). Here are some examples:

Sunlight.

Moonlight.

Incense.

Candles.

Attention.

Prayers.

Water.

I suggest not using your blood or yourself as a way to charge it because this can very quickly spiritually drain you, especially if it is a larger servitor. 

You might also want to create a vessel or talisman for your servitor, and this way “feeding” it is easier as you can place the object on the feeding source. You can use anything you deem fitting for this, either jewellery, a statue, a drawing, a crystal, etc. 

To get rid of a servitor

If you no longer require a servitor because its purpose has been fulfilled, you may wish to destroy it. You can either stop using it and feeding it, destroy its vessel, or simply tell the servitor to stop and return to you. 

Damon Brand suggests that you add a code word or ritual to the job description that when spoken or done ends the life of the servitor – the warning being that it shouldn’t be a word or ritual that you could do by accident and destroy your Servitor without that being your intention.

Poisonous Herbs List

1. Belladonna

2. Foxglove

3. Datura

4. Angel's Trumpet

5. Lily of the Valley

6. Wolfsbane

7. Henbane

8. Daffodils

9. Hemlock

10. Mandrake

Underworld Ariel’s Guide to…

Reading Pendulums

So, pendulums are a form of divination which many seem to shy away from as they cannot make them work. I won’t claim to know exactly what everyone means by that, because I’ve never really had that problem, but pendulums do take some reasoning with.

Pendulums can work through a variety of sources, again, that’s something you’ll need to ask your own pendulum for yourself, but one thing which applies to all pendulums is that they work via energy. Pendulums will use energy, from you and/or deities or spirits or however your pendulum works, and use this to divine answers. That’s an important note because if you don’t know how your pendulum is working, it may not be able to work to it’s full potential!

The first thing you need to establish is how your pendulum says yes and no because no two pendulums are the same. Simply ask! Do so twice over to really get the idea, then ask test questions. Here’s how my session with a new pendulum usually starts:

Which direction is yes

Which direction is no

Just to clarify, please swing yes

And swing no

So is my middle name G* (will swing yes)

And my dad’s name is F* (will swing no)

Am I X (yes question)

And Y (no question)

Doing a little session like this gives you the chance to see how your pendulum swings. If you use pendulum boards, this won’t be as applicable because it’ll respond via a board, but it’s still good to get an idea of how your pendulum moves freestyle.

One thing you’ll notice right off the bat is the change in direction is not abrupt. After asking a question, wait a few seconds, and you may notice your pendulum begins to swing a circle, before settling in a new direction. A circle can be “Maybe” to some pendulums, or “Can’t answer” and so on, but if it doesn’t settle on a circular motion, it is gaining momentum to swing a new direction.

I quickly made these gifs to give everyone an idea of how your pendulum may move. They’re a bit shaky because nothing was supporting my arm in these, haha!

For my pendulum, the gifs left to right show: yes, changing answer, no

(Full video for example)

In some parts of the gifs, you can see my arm shake a bit. Slight tremors and shakes doesn’t mean you can’t use pendulums, we all get them in some form! If your hand jolts, shakes, or moves, simply steady yourself again (re-ask your question) and wait on a clear answer.

Which brings me onto a big point: wait for an answer. Sometimes my pendulum is swinging a 180 degree answer at me, other times it’s practically non-moving, and some times it just means you need to wait for the energy to move it. You can also take the strength of an answer as part of the answer: mild, certain, strong.

And that basically sums up how to read a pendulum! It’s a lot of asking and checking. You can also make pendulum boards for answers which can’t be answered with just yes or no. Such board ideas include:

Number board

Letter board

Astrology wheel

Seasons wheel

Months wheel

Past, present, future triangle

The next thing is why you’re reading a pendulum. What is it you can ask a pendulum? Well, again, some don’t want to answer certain questions. You know when someone says their pendulum doesn’t like test questions? Just like that, some pendulums won’t be happy to answer certain things. Death questions, fatalistic questions, and invasive questions usually fall into that category. But there’s still so much more to ask! Some ideas include:

What species is your X past life

How many past lives have you had

Is Y a good decision

Will Z happen by H

Whatever your question may be, a pendulum can probably answer it in some way shape or form. Which brings me onto another thing: how can you use a pendulum? Plenty of ways! Here’s some methods I often find myself using:

Interrogative Pendulum

If I think I’ve been lied to or someone is trying to haze me, I grab my pendulum (and perhaps a friend also in that situation with a pendulum), I write out many questions around the topic, and I ask them all. Many will be very similar questions or slightly different wording, so that I can get as close to the truth as possible. This works best with another person also doing so, because when your answers align you know its more valid, and if they don’t, you can work out why. An example of a session may go like this:

Is E hiding something

Has E omitted the truth

Has E told 100% of the truth

Is E telling the truth about B

Is B fully accurate

Is B actually X

Is B actually Y

Is B affected by Z

And so on. Take your situation and tear it into multiple tiny chunks, then ask all your questions. Write down each answer, then once you’re done, you should have a better idea of the full story.

Estimation Pendulum

This is just using a pendulum to arrive at a number. I do this in past life readings. First, I intuitively feel a number, or I am told or see a number or an idea. Let’s say it’s how many lives you’ve had. I then do big grouped numbers, e.g. “Has D had more than 50 lives?” no, and from there I go down “40?” no, “30?” no, “20?” yes. Now I know it is over 20 but below 30. Then, try “more than 25?” no. “Has he had 24 lives?” yes. You get the idea. Big to small, finding the number by shortening the ranges as you get better answers.

Intuitive Direction

This one is very fun to do when you want a new and unique way to pull tarot or oracle cards, pick crystals, or almost anything. Let’s say it’s tarot. Lay out as many cards as you please on your surface, hold your pendulum over them, ask your question, and move your hand with its direction. It’s pulling left? Move your hand left. Follow it’s pull until it circles over a card. Simple, that’s the card answering your question! It’s nothing too serious, just like a physical intuition guide for those who may trust their own intuition a little less. I like to use this method when I’m having doubtful days.

There’s plenty of other wonderful ideas on how to use pendulums out there, like drawing out signs or letters, or carrying them into spiritually charged areas to sense spirit energy. However you wish to use your pendulum, however your pendulum works, there’s steps you can take to help center yourself and find answers more accurately or clearly:

Carry your pendulum around or put it under your pillow to help strengthen your connection

Talk to it as you ask your questions, just as you may do a friend

Take mild answers and ask questions which can clarify off of it, until you’re happy you understand the answer

Meditate and ground before a pendulum session

Draw tarot cards alongside each answer for more clarity

Spend time understanding your pendulum by writing about it in your grimoire

Be open because your energy affects your pendulum

Aaaaand that sums up my advice on reading pendulums! Your answers may not always be strong, but as long as you understand how your pendulum is working and what you can ask, your journey with it should be long and thought provoking.

Love, light, and everything bright 🌻

𝕾𝖆𝖇𝖇𝖆𝖙𝖘

{Art by Julia Nikita}

The sabbats are holidays celebrated throughout the year on solstices, equinoxes, and the midpoints between them. These sabbats form the Wheel of the year.

There is a controversy surrounding the dates of these holidays, as people celebrate them all over the earth, not only in the northen hemisphere but in the southern too. 

One viewpoint is that the Sabbats should be celebrated as they were originally created to be… in other words, Samhain is October 31st, regardless of where you live. In the Southern Hemisphere, even though you are just gearing up to summer on October 31st, this perspective says that you celebrate the cleansing and releasing, the honouring of the dead just as you would if you lived in the Northern Hemisphere. The other viewpoint (the one I personally agree with) is that you should celebrate when you feel like the season corresponds with the holiday, in other words, your craft, your rules. So if you live in the southern hemisphere, you have the choice.

I’ll be writing the dates for each holiday starting with the northen hemisphere and then the dates that many people celebrate them in the southern hemisphere

🌲𝐘𝐔𝐋𝐄

{December 21st//June 21st}

Yule focuses on rebirth and renewal as the sun makes its way back to the earth. It’s all about new beginnings, reflection and embracing warmth. Much like Christmas, many celebrate with a feast, gift giving, being cosy and appreciating the good.

↟Nature: cedar, frankincense, myrrh, mistletoe, pine, birch, ivy.

↟Foods//flavours: ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, wintergreen, apple, dried fruit.

↟Stones: citrine, ruby, garnet, alexandrite, green tourmaline.

↟Activities: decorate your altar with incense associated with Yule, burn ash wood for prosperity, bake using Yule flavours like ginger or cinnamon, make wreathes to hang around the house, spend time with loved ones.

🕯️𝐈𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐂

{February 1st//August 1st}

Imbolc focuses on celebrating the nature that is preparing to grow and renewal, also known as “candlemas” and the “Feast of Pan”.

↟Nature: basil, blackberry, heather, celandine, iris, wisteria, vanilla, bay, yellow and white flowers.

↟Foods//flavours: pumpkin and sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, peppers, onions, spices, and herbal teas.

↟Stones: amethyst, bloodstone, garnet, ruby, onyx.

↟Activities: decorate with candles and sun decorations, go hiking, have a bonfire, bake foods with poppy seeds, and burn any leftover winter herbs.

🌼𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐀

{March 21st//September 21st}

Ostara focuses on manifesting creativity and love. As the days become longer, energy becomes stronger.

↟Nature: ash, alder, daffodil, honeysuckle, narcissus, primrose, violet, jasmine.

↟Foods//flavours: olives, maple syrup, honey, edible flowers, chocolate, pine nuts, nettle or lavender tea, local fruits and vegetables.

↟Stones: amethyst, rose quartz, moonstone.

↟Activities: gardening and planting seeds, bake breads with olives or honey for example, start new projects, talk to plants, do some painting, decorate with wildflowers.

🌰𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐄

{May 1st//November 1st}

Beltane focuses on fertility, love and abundance. Also known as “may day”, on this sabbat many celebrate with dancing, bonfires and many high energy activities, including enjoying themselves sexually with a partner or even conceiving children.

↟Nature: frankincense, lilac, ivy, marigold, woods, rose, thyme, mint, yarrow.

↟Foods//flavours: oats, leafy greens, fruits, breads, honey.

↟Stones: malachite, amber, fire opal, red jasper.

↟Activities: dance, decorate with florals and symbols of the sea, go to the beach, go hiking, have a bonfire, feast on fruits, vegetables and grains, laugh and let your hair down. And if you’re trying to conceive or simply would like to have sex, Beltane is a wonderful time to do so.

🦋𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐀

{June 21st//December 21st}

Litha focuses on growth and celebrating the longest day of the year and the sun, before the shorter days begin.

↟Nature: fern, yarrow, sage, rose, oak, mugwort, lavender, chamomile, myrrh, pine.

↟Foods//flavours: herbed bread, honey, sunflower seeds, iced herbal tea, lemon, vanilla.

↟Stones: lapis lazuli, amethyst, malachite, tiger’s eye.

↟Activities: make or buy a sun catcher, surround yourself with warm tones, watch the sunrise and sunset, make sun water, spend time outdoors, make use of herbs.

🌾𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐒//𝐋𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐇

{August 2nd//February 2nd}

Lammas, or lughnasadh focuses on celebrating the first of the three harvesting sabbats and taking time to really feel the positivity in different aspects of life.

↟Nature: cornstalks, heather, acacia flowers, hollyhock, oak leaves, wheat, myrtle, spices.

↟Food//flavours: grainy bread, corn, potatoes, nuts, blackberries, wine.

↟Stones: amber, agate, citrine, clear quartz, obsidian, tiger’s eye.

↟Activities: bake bread, make corn dolls, visit a sunflower field, spend time in nature, acknowledged what you are grateful for, journal.

🍁𝐌𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐍

{September 21st//March 21st}

Mabon focuses on honouring the change of the seasons, balance and peace.

↟Nature: sage, pine, marigold, thistle, acorns, milkweed, oak leaves, myrrh.

↟Food//flavours: cinnamon, nuts, beans, dark fruits, pies, soup, butterscotch.

↟Stones: citrine, carnelian, clear quartz, sapphire, yellow agate.

↟Activities: collect pine cones, donate food and old clothes, meditate, dry herbs, spend time with loved ones, speak to the nature around you.

🎃𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐍

{October 31st-November 1st//April 30th-May 1st}

Samhain focuses on celebrating life, and honouring those who are no longer with us.

↟Nature: heather, sage, pumpkins, straw, flax, patchouli, myrrh.

↟Foods//flavours: apples, cider, pumpkin, pies, soups, stews, potatoes, ginger.

↟Stones: amber, black obsidian, fossils, onyx, sandstone, bloodstones.

↟Activities: honour the deceased, spend time with family, make a hearty comforting meal, make or buy a scarecrow, spend time practicing divination.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐭

↟Do a tarot reading relevant to that sabbat.

↟Spend time in the moonlight, charging your crystals and tarot cards, as well as meditating.

↟Bake something using at least one traditional food of that sabbat to share with others.

↟Sage cleanse your living space and any of your magickal items.

↟Write down how you’re feeling and how you’d like to feel in the weeks to come.

Practicing Witchcraft in Secret

I love things that are traditionally “witchy.” I love dressing candles with herbs. I love setting things on fire. I love making poppets and charms. But not everyone is able to be so obvious in their craft. For various reasons, some witches choose to be secretive about their magical practice.

Why Would You Want to Keep It a Secret?

Historically, witches kept their practice a secret because it wasn’t safe to be open about their beliefs. In the late middle ages, the Catholic Church began to actively persecute witchcraft, herbal medicine, and folk spirituality with the publication of “witch hunting guides” like the Malleus Maleficarum. This witch hunting fervor would continue even after the Protestant Reformation, with some of the most famous witch hunts (such as the Salem trials) carried out by Protestants.

It is important to remember that the witch hunts were political at their heart and that very few of the people executed for witchcraft were what we would recognize today as witches. They were mostly women, poor folks, or members of ethnic or religious minorities. But even so, the danger of being accused of witchcraft and/or devil worship drove many medieval witches, herbalists, and pagans to hide their practice.

The United States experienced a modern witch hunt of sorts in the 1980s with the “Satanic Panic.” We still don’t entirely understand what caused this cultural phenomenon, but what we do know is that it resulted in widespread paranoia about devil worship. Anything that could be misconstrued as “satanic” was shunned or outright persecuted, from Dungeons & Dragons to heavy metal music to nature-based religions like Wicca — and, yes, witchcraft. People who had been comfortably open about their spirituality suddenly found themselves practicing behind closed doors. If you’re over 30, you may remember this. If you’re under 30, the Satanic Panic probably shaped how your parents view witchcraft and paganism, and they may still be grossly misinformed as a result.

Even today, a lot of witches choose to keep their practice a secret because it would be unsafe or uncomfortable to go public. Many witches have family members, friends, or coworkers who would be uncomfortable if they knew about their witchcraft, and may even choose to end the relationship because of it. Some witches live in culturally Christian areas where it might be harder for them to get jobs or make friends if they were openly self-identifying as a witch. Some of us live in places where an outdoor ritual could get the cops called on us, or have missionaries showing up to save our souls.

On the other hand, some witches just like privacy. You may feel like your spirituality is nobody’s business but yours, and for that reason you may prefer to do witchcraft in a way that is more subtle and secretive. Desire for privacy is a perfectly valid reason to stay “in the broom closet.”

There are also some magical traditions that require members to swear a vow of secrecy and to keep the group’s secrets. However, these traditions usually require an in-person initiation, so I won’t be discussing them here.

Inconspicuous Witchcraft

If you haven’t read my posts about magical journaling and kitchen magic, I highly recommend you check them out. Those are two forms of magic that are very easy to practice discretely.

No matter what your reason for keeping your practice a secret, here are a few tips for making magic without drawing attention.

Use scented candles. Candle magic is one of the easiest and most versatile forms of spellwork, and all it requires is a candle and your intention. Scented candles are perfect for undercover witches because, rather than adding herbs and oils, you can simply buy a scent that matches your intention. (For example, a vanilla candle is great for love, while a pumpkin spice scent will attract wealth.) Plus, they’re so commonplace that no one will think twice about seeing one in your bedroom or on your desk at work. If you’re a purist and want to make sure you’re using real plant materials, you can get all natural candles scented with essential oils — but lots of witches use artificial scents and get good results, so don’t feel like you have to go with the more expensive option.

Diffuse essential oils. Essential oils contain the concentrated essence of a plant, which makes them a must-have tool for witches. Essential oils are also extremely popular right now, both for holistic healing and for aromatherapy, so you definitely won’t attract any negative attention for using them. You can get a good essential oil diffuser for under $20 online. Some brands overcharge for their oils, but you can find good quality oils for under $10. When choosing an essential oil, look at the magical correspondences for the plant it is made from. You can diffuse oils to infuse your space with their energy, similar to the way you would use incense.

Enchant your perfume. You can choose a perfume to match your intention or make your own custom perfume by mixing essential oils in a carrier oil. Focus on your intention as you spray the perfume, letting it infuse your energy field with magic. You can also buy magical perfume blends from witch-owned businesses online or on Etsy.

Learn shufflemancy. “Shufflemancy” is a modern form of divination that is done by putting a playlist on shuffle — whatever song plays first contains an intuitive message for you, either in the lyrics or in how it makes you feel. You can find playlists specifically made for divination by Googling “shufflemancy playlist,” or you can make your own by compiling a playlist of songs from different genres that deal with different topics. Just be sure to keep it diverse — if your playlist only has love songs on it, you might not get very helpful messages if you have a question about your career.

Learn bibliomancy. This divination method is similar to shufflemancy, but much older. Bibliomancy is done by asking your question while holding a book, focusing on your question while connecting with the book’s energy, and then opening it to a random page. There is a long, long tradition within Christianity of doing this with the Bible — if you feel connected to a certain sacred text, you could use it for bibliomancy. You could also use a book of poetry, a novel, or even a dictionary. However, I think it’s important to use a book you feel a connection to, rather than something randomly grabbed off the shelf.

Use Pinterest and Spotify as manifestation tools. You may have heard of vision boards, a tool used to manifest something by creating a detailed collection of images that match your intention. Pinterest boards are already essentially virtual vision boards, and creating one with focused intent can be a spell by itself. Likewise, you can use Spotify playlists for manifestation. To do this, create a playlist of songs that match your intention (songs about money or love, for example) and listen to it while meditating on your desired outcome.

Choose your outfits with intention. You can pick clothes based on color correspondences (see this post for a guide to color magic), the material they are made from (a wool sweater vs. a cotton T-shirt), or some other symbolism. For example, if you want to feel empowered, you might wear leopard print to channel the energy of a fierce predator.

Enchant a piece of jewelry for a specific purpose. You can choose your jewelry based on the correspondence of the metal or gemstones it is made from, make your own piece, or use whatever you already have on hand. You can enchant this jewelry by passing it over the flame of a candle or through the vapor of an essential oil diffuser. State what purpose you want this charm to serve, either out loud or in your mind. Wear this jewelry whenever you need to tap into that energy, and make sure to cleanse it often.

Create magical art. If you want to manifest something, draw or paint a picture of it. You don’t have to be a skilled artist — what matters is that you are taking your mental image of what you want and bringing it into the physical world. Fold up the picture and keep it in your pillow, or in some other special place. Likewise, if you want to banish something, draw or paint a picture of it and then rip it into little pieces and throw it out. This ritual allows you to purge yourself of the negative emotions tied to the thing you are banishing.

Take a magical bath. We rarely have more privacy than when we’re in the tub. Taking a bath is already a ritual of sorts, and it’s easy to add magic. You can, of course, make magical bath salts by mixing essential oils into Epsom salt, but you can also create bath spells with household objects. For example, a bath with salt and vinegar will clear up nasty energy, while adding milk to your bath will attract love and abundance.

Practicing in secret does not have to mean a less deep or well-rounded practice. There are lots of magical acts that can be done subtly or kept private. The suggestions in this post are by no means exhaustive, and I hope they will give you some ideas for other ways to fill your life with undercover magic.

Resources:

“Introduction” from The Malleus Maleficarum at http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org

The Fat Feminist Witch podcast, “Episode 34 — Witches, Midwives, and Doulas”

“Most witches are women, because witch hunts were all about persecuting the powerless” by Bridget Marshall for The Conversation

New World Witchery podcast, “Episode 118 — The Satanic Panic”