Grimoire Prompts

Erle (Alnus glutinosa)

Heilwirkungen: desinfizierend, zusammenziehend, fiebersenkend, schleimhautpflegend.

Die Erle wächst in Auenwäldern, oft an unzugänglichen, nebligen Orten, im Wasser stehend. Sie gehört zu den Birkengewächsen; es gibt mehrere Arten, die sich zwar im Aussehen, nicht aber in der Anwendung unterscheiden.

Dass sich so unheimliche Sagen und Geschichten um sie ranken, liegt sicherlich an ihrem Wuchsort und ihrer Erscheinung. Sie liebt Feuchtigkeit & hat kein Problem mit stehenden Gewässern. Venedig steht größtenteils immer noch auf jahrhundertealtem Erlenholz.

Sie wächst gern allein und wird groß mit ihrer schrundigen Rinde & ihren knorrigen Ästen, die an lange Hexenarme erinnern. Ihre Wurzeln reichen tief in die Erde, sie steht fest & verbessert den Boden, indem sie Nährstoffe aus der Tiefe nach oben holt. Ihre Blätter werden gut mit Stickstoff versorgt, was sich an der schwarzgrauen Verfärbung im Herbst zeigt. Mit ihrem Laub & ihrer Krone, die viel Licht durchlässt, lockt sie zahlreiche Kräuter, Pflanzen & Tiere an, sodass sie von Leben umgeben ist. Wird sie verletzt & dringt ihr Saft an die Luft, verfärbt er sich rot, was ihren weiblichen & etwas unheimlichen Charakter noch unterstreicht.

In den alten Geschichten verkörpert die Erle die Kraft des Urweiblichen, die durchaus nicht nur schöpferisch, sondern auch zerstörerisch wirken kann. Als ihr Gegenstück galt die Esche, die vornehmlich für das männliche Prinzip stand. Unsere Vorfahren entzündeten Feuer in einem Erlengefäß, das sie mit einem Stößel aus Eschenholz so lange bearbeiteten, bis Funken sprühten.

Überliefert ist die mittelalterliche Sage Wolfdietrich, die um 1221 aufgeschrieben wurde, vermutlich aber viel älter ist. Hier erscheint eine schrundige, wilde Waldfrau, die »Erlenfrau«, auch raue Ilse genannt, bedroht Wolfdietrich & zwingt ihn, sie zu »minnen«, also zu lieben. Dreimal muss sie ihn teils übel traktieren, bis er schließlich nachgibt, sich seinem Schicksal fügt

und ihr folgt. Das Handeln wird belohnt, denn sie verwandelt sich in eine Traumfrau, die Sigeminne, die ihren wahren Kern nun enthüllt. Wir kennen den »Erlkönig« von Goethe, bei dem vermutlich ein Übersetzungsfehler vorliegt: Sein Erlkönig beruht auf dem dänischen Ellerkonge, was auf Deutsch Elfenkönig heißt.

Dennoch: Der sagenhafte und unheimliche Zug der Erlen passt gut in diese Ballade. Hauptsächlich verwendete man die Erlen zum Färben & Gerben.

Das Holz konnte nur für Brückenpfeiler verwendet werden. Es ist gut haltbar, solange es im Wasser steht, trocken ist es den Holzwürmern eine begehrte Nahrung. Holzkohle stellte man auch aus dem Holz her. Die klebrigen Triebe hängte man früher in den Häusern als Fliegenfänger auf, das verlieh ihr auch den lat. Namen »glutinosa« (klebrig).

Die zusammenziehende und desinfizierende Wirkung der Rinde & der Blätter dient der Nutzung als Gurgelmittel bei Erkrankungen der Mundschleimhaut: Dafür 2 TL getrocknete Blätter & Rinde 5 Minuten in einer Tasse Wasser kochen. Dieselbe Mischung kann man auch als Umschlag auf eitrige Wunden oder Ausschläge geben. Hildegard von Bingen empfahl, Pflaster aus Erlenblättern auf Geschwüre zu legen.

In der Erlenrinde findet sich fiebersenkendes Chinin. Knospen & junge Blätter ergänzen einen Smoothie wunderbar, aus den jungen Blättern lässt sich mit Öl, Knoblauch, gehackten Nüssen, Zitronensaft & Salz ein köstliches, tiefdunkles Pesto zubereiten.

In der Gemmotherapie steht ihre heilende Kraft für die Schleimhäute im Vordergrund. Das Mittel wirkt nicht nur auf die Atmungsorgane, sondern auch auf den Verdauungstrakt, die Harnwege & den Genitaltrakt. Auf den arteriellen Teil des Blutkreislaufs übt es eine stärkende Heilkraft aus, es schützt die Gefäßwände und verbessert die Blutversorgung im Gehirn. Somit ist die Erle auch ein gutes Altersmittel & hilft auf der seelischen Ebene, den Überblick zu bewahren.

Die Erle ist die blutende Heilerin, die bemüht ist, die Schwere zu nehmen & Frische & Leichtigkeit ins Leben zu bringen.

Bettina Hauenschild.

Blick in die Zukunft: Orakel.

In der Oberpfalz blickt man mit Hilfe der Erlenblätter in die Zukunft: Güte und Umfang der Krauternte werden anhand des Zustandes und der Vitalität junger Erlenblätter bestimmt, ein grundsätzlich schlechtes Jahr kündigen schwach belaubte Erlenstauden an. Genau anders herum in Mecklenburg „Ellernholz voll Knöpfe bringt volle Töpfe“. Im Voigtland wird die beste Saatzeit bestimmt: „Wenn die Erlen spitzen wie die Mauseohren, säe Gerste; wenn ihre Triebe sind wie die Sauohren, ist es zu spät“. Sinkt in Finnland ein ins Wasser geworfenes

Erlenreis auf den Grund, ist Gerste zu säen. Je nach Ausschlag der weiblichen Blütenstände ist in Estland Gerste zu säen, Roggen dagegen mit den männlichen Kätzchen.

J. Andreas Volland.

SHADOW WORK SIMPLIFIED

What is shadow work?

If I had to describe shadow work in one word, it would be introspection. Introspection is the examination of your own mental state and is necessary in order to learn more about your fundamental nature. Although it may sound off-putting and even scary at first, shadow work is a necessary component in the process of healing. We all have aspects of ourselves that we’ve rejected and hidden away out of fear. Through shadow work, we’re able to reflect on our thoughts, emotions, and habits so that we can find the root cause of our suffering and heal ourselves. By reincorporating those aspects of ourselves that we’ve denied, we feel more fulfilled and can begin to love ourselves fully. 

Where does shadow work come from? 

The concept of the shadow self comes from Carl Jung who believed that our shadow self is the subconscious aspect, or “dark side”, of our personality that our conscious ego doesn’t identify with. However, I would like to clarify that “dark” does not imply or equate with bad. That which resides outside of our consciousness can be either good or bad, but aren’t inherently reflective of our value or “goodness” as a person. 

Although these repressed aspects of ourselves can manifest negatively, it isn’t because those parts of us are “bad”, but that the process of repression is inherently painful and toxic. This is reflected by Jung when he states, “Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.” He believed that until we’ve merged our conscious and subconscious selves, that our conscious would be “the slave of the autonomous shadow”. This is due to the shadow self overwhelming our conscious selves by falling victim to our own self-imposed traps. 

Through assimilating this shadow self, not over-identifying with it, Jung believed we go through the process of enantiodromia, thereby integrating the subconscious by reincorporating our shadow selves into our personality and allowing us to solidify ourselves through wholeness. He best described this by stating “assimilation of the shadow gives a man body, so to speak.” However, don’t fall into the misconception that shadow work is a short-term practice. Shadow work is a continuous practice and integration of the shadow self is a will take place throughout your life.

How do I do shadow work?

In the last question, I identified that practicing self-reflection is a key component of shadow work, but what does that mean? What am I supposed to be reflecting on? Well, the first thing that you should focus on is being present throughout the day. Identify feelings that come up throughout the day and observe them objectively. What situation or interaction triggered these emotions? How did I react to those emotions? Were my emotions controlling me or was I in control of my emotions? Why did this situation or interaction cause me to feel this way? How did I cope with those feelings (self-harming, lashing out at others, communicating my feelings, journalling, etc.)? Did I punish myself for getting upset? If so, why? 

There are numerous ways to reflect on your feelings and experiences in order to get a better understanding of yourself. Through evaluating how you react to situations, which situations upset you, and how you managed those feelings, you’re able to build the foundation to understanding your emotions and bridge the gap between your subconscious and conscious mind.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll find that the emotions you feel in the present are reflective of unhealed emotions from your past. Perhaps the reason you feel that you’re unable to set boundaries as an adult is because as a child, your parents never respected your boundaries by going through your phone or diary, yelling at you when you said no to a request, forcing you into situations that made you feel you had no choice. 

By identifying the root cause of your emotional pain, you’re able to address it in the present and heal from the trauma. The simplest way that I’ve found to address them is through journalling. You can purchase a physical journal or even use your notes app, either way, you’re writing out your feelings and reflections to gain deeper insight. It’s important to remember that this looks different for anyone and that the best way to approach shadow work is by doing what feels most natural! You can choose to stick to self-reflective journal prompts, vent about whatever is upsetting you, write letters to whoever has hurt you, etc. Ultimately, you can guide yourself based off of what you feel you need and where you are in your journey.

What parts of yourself do you find yourself rejecting the most? Many of us have experienced the pain of rejection in some aspects of our lives and sometimes, it’s incredibly painful and leaves us with long-lasting wounds. We end up going through our lives carrying baggage that we don’t even know we have! Many times, I’ve found myself wondering why I felt so repulsed by aspects of myself and why I felt so strongly that they needed to be locked away forever. I couldn’t allow myself or others to see my truest self, my whole self, out of fear. I was scared of being rejected, shamed, humiliated by the people around me. I was scared of hurting other people by being myself and of being hurt by others. That’s no way to live, is it? When we tell ourselves that aspects of ourselves aren’t good enough, we end up going through life devaluing ourself. We’ve broken our own trust by rejecting ourselves, we’ve told ourselves that we aren’t good enough or worthy of love. In shadow work, you’re called to go inward and unpack everything that we’ve kept hidden for years and sometimes even decades. 

Bring the parts of yourself that you’ve repressed to the surface and nourish them with love, allow yourself to see that ALL OF YOU is deserving of love and support. For you, that could mean unlearning your unhealthy beliefs about food or eating, allowing yourself to be emotional around the people you love (despite how much you were told that you were too emotional, a crybaby, too sensitive in the past), allowing yourself to relax without feeling guilty about not being productive because you recognize your needs (even though you feel your sense of worth is tied to being productive at the cost of your own health).

Common misconceptions about shadow work?

Shadow work is evil or bad, the shadow is evil or bad 

The purpose of shadow work is healing through working with your subconscious to release repressed aspects of yourself and heal from painful, traumatic experiences. Your shadow side is simply your unconscious and to believe that it’s bad is to believe that you are bad. It’s merely the part of yourself that you aren’t aware of consciously and shouldn’t be feared. 

Certain emotions are “bad”

When you let go of the idea that emotions are either good or bad, you’ll allow yourself to just be and stop putting so much pressure on yourself to feel “good” all of the time. Happiness isn’t a constant state of being so stop expecting to be all of the time, we have a range of emotions for a reason so stop being ashamed of them. Your feelings are natural and if you feel like they’re out of control and something to be ashamed of, there is nothing wrong with that! It’s okay to feel like your emotions are controlling you because that isn’t permanent. Your feelings aren’t permanent and are completely manageable with proper guidance! The reason you feel like your emotions are controlling you is because you probably don’t have the knowledge to cope with them in an effective and healthy way. It’s helpful to sit with your emotions alone and look at them objectively without placing any judgement on them, this will help you calm down and assess your feelings. From there, you can identify what you need to relax and recover as well as acknowledge to yourself that your feelings are natural. When you stop categorizing your emotions as bad, they’re no longer shameful to experience and therefore you can see with better clarity how to cope with them and move on.

I’ve already released it so…

Why am I still upset?

Why does it still keep popping up in my head?

Why haven’t I moved on?

Why am I not making progress?

With the rise of self development and spirituality, I find that more and more people are rushing to complete their healing. Healing is a continuous, life-long cycle and not a destination. Putting the pressure on yourself to reach the place of ultimate healing is not only toxic, but it impedes your ability to actually heal anything. Healing is about love, compassion, and patience and it’s not going to happen according to a timeline. Allow yourself the time to experience your emotions, see them objectively, forgive yourself and others and move on without the pressure of expectations. 

 Another reason that you could be experiencing this is that despite the work you think you’ve done, it hasn’t been sufficient. I’ve found that a lot of journal prompts provided online are surface level at best and can be more pacifying than revealing. If you’re not feeling anything while doing your inner work, you’re not doing it correctly. Ultimately, this is about uncovering what makes us UNCOMFORTABLE and moving through those feelings. When you allow yourself to experience the sadness, hurt, anger, and/or frustration than you’re telling yourself that these feelings are okay and don’t need to be suppressed. The reality is that no matter what you’re feeling, you are allowed to experience those emotions and it’s only human! Unfortunately, many people associate lower vibrational emotions as bad, but this is a huge misconception! Telling yourself that anger, sadness, etc. are “bad” implies that you shouldn’t experience these emotions and that you have to get rid of them which is not only wrong, but unhealthy. There is no right or wrong emotions so don’t buy into the belief that you should feel a certain way, simply allow yourself to be and you’ll find that it’s much easier to navigate your emotions and needs. The only way to make it to the other side is by wading through the water, be patient and know that you’re feeling exactly what you should be. When you stop censoring yourself, you’ll discover a newfound sense of freedom and wholeness. 

 If you find yourself circling back to certain topics, for example, your ex-boyfriend than perhaps there are triggers in your environment that remind you of the situation, you have more that needs to be addressed that you may not have been ready for or aware of previously (hence why shadow work is a practice that is ongoing), or they’re representative of a deeper issue that you’re repressing. Whatever the cause is, the same methods as earlier will apply and can be discerned through your own intuition. 

What are some basic journal prompts that I can do?

What feelings come up when you think of ____?

How did that experience make you feel emotionally? How did it make you feel about yourself? How did it make you feel about the other person or people?

Write a letter to yourself, your inner child, the people who’ve hurt you, and the people you’ve hurt. Express how you feel honestly, without holding back and then forgive yourself and the other person.

If you could say anything to yourself or another person for closure, what would it be?

How have these situations and experiences impacted your mental health? How have they affected your belief system about yourself, other people, and the world?

What about yourself are you ashamed of? What about yourself are you embarrassed of? What about yourself makes you angry? What do you regret? Why do you feel this way about yourself and where do these feelings stem from?

What makes you feel most alone? What makes you feel most loved? How can you incorporate that knowledge into your life to make it better?

What’s the most hurtful thing someone has said or done to you? Why did it hurt you so much? How does it still affect you now? How can you heal from it and allow yourself to move on?

What do you need to forgive yourself for? What do you need to forgive others for?

Where do you feel you lack security in your life? Why? How does this impact your life and your relationships?

This is a list of generic prompts for you to start with, but feel free to message me if you need help with more specific topics or I can make another post altogether for journal prompts.

Die Feenkönigin, Queen of Elphane

Here are my chakra pages from my book of shadows ✨✨✨

Mōdraniht

or Modranicht, “Night of the Mothers”, was a holy day observed by the pagan Anglo Saxons.

According to Bede, it was celebrated “the year on the 8th calends of January, when we celebrate the birth of the Lord.”, which would have been Christmas, or most likely, the December full moon. Bede suspected sacrifices were held on this night.

One possibility is it may have been the Anglo Saxon equivalent of Dísablót, which was held before Jól in Scandinavia. It’s likely that it was connected to the worship of the Matres and Matronae (Mothers and Matrons).

The Matres and Matronae are known from several altars across England, Germany and France, depicting three women; reminiscent of the Norns. Several altars depict them with headdresses characteristic of the Ubii, a Germanic tribe that lived along the Rhine, pointing to a Romano-Germanic origin. A few altars are inscribed with “Matronis Gabiabus”, the “giving mothers”. This also fits with Old Norse Gefn, an epithet of Freyja, meaning “She who gives”, and Gefjon.

A few of these altars appeared in Roman camps, and one near Hadrian’s Wall, possibly made by Germanic auxiliaries. Their placement around military sites suggests that the Mothers were not mere fertility deities, but also protectors, spinning the fates of the soldiers.

Three goddesses ruling fate is recurring in Indo European religions; for example, the Norns, the Moirai, Parcae, Hekate, and the Sudička.

The Slavic Sudička and Greek Moirai spin a thread as they foretell the child’s life, cutting it when the life will end. New parents would leave out offerings of food for the Sudička, hoping they would make favourable predictions.

While Mōdraniht is a more challenging one to recreate due to fragmentary knowledge, it can still be observed today. ᛉ

Die verhüllte Göttin

BIG OL WITCHY MASTER LIST

POSTS BY ME ARE ITALICIZED!

This is by no means completed, up-to-date, or the only way you can view or perceive witchcraft. These are just some posts, found on my blog, put together in a list for easier access.

This is also being updated as I go through my archives, and whats on the list as of [Sept 22nd, 2018] is from start - August 2018. This list will be updated as often and as quick as I can possibly manage.

I PREVIOUSLY HAD MY DAILY WITCH TIPS ON HERE, I DELETED THAT SEGMENT.

This isn’t really as organized as I would like it, but I broke it down into categories and alphabetical order such as:

Moon Shit:

2017 Lunar Calendar 

August 2018 Lunar Schedule

Full Moons Of The Year

Lunar Eclipse Dates

Lunar Phases

Magick Of The Moon Phases

Moon Magic 

Moon Magic Grimoire 

Moon Phase Runes

Top Stargazing Events of 2018

Herb Shit:

5 Herbs Every Witch Should Have In Their Garden

Anti-Anxiety Herbs

Big Witchy Guide On Herbs And Flowers

Dangerous Herbs

Gardens  Of The Witches

Herb Masterpost

Herbs For Hexing

Herbs For Protection

Indoor Plants For The Space Conscious Witch

Poisonous Herbs

Reasons Herbs May Not Work

Sacred Herbs Of The Gods 

Top 10 Magical Herbs

Crystal Shit:

Crystals Every Witch Should Have

Gems For Depression

Taking Care Of Your Crystals

Emoji Spells Shit:

Easy Sleep

Spells Shit:

4 Free Spells

A Method To Cleanse And Ward After Unsavory People Leave

Anti-Anxiety Charm

Anti-Anxiety Jar

Bad Habits Tarot Spread

Bad Luck

Bandage Sigils

Banishing Nightmares

Bath For Sunburns

Belladonna’s Spell Page

Celestial Nail Polish Magic

Change Your Luck

Crow Bone Hex

Curse A Bitch

Dreams and Nightmare Protection

Easy Cleansing Ritual

Elemental Ideas

Forest With Me

From My Grimoire

Glamour Enchanted Jewelry

Hail The Glow Cloud

Hex For 2017

Icelandic Staves

Increasing Emotional Tolerance

Lavender Self Love Jar

Love Enhancer

Love / Protection 

Memory Aid

Mermaid’s Breath

New Year Purification Bath

Peppermint Spell

Recharging 

Return To Sender

Ritual For Positive Thoughts 

Ritual Of Gratitude

Self Love And Healing Jar

Seven Useful Powder Spells For Every Occasion

Sew Closed Your Heart

Simple Protection 

Simplicity

Sleep Spells And Sigils

Steps To Strengthen A Romantic Relationship

Stop Nightmares

Using Glitter In Spells

Ward Types and Components

Warmth In Winter

Advice Shit:

10 Common Misconceptions of Baby Witches

10 Daily Witch Things

10 Plants To Survive A Zero Sunlight Bedroom

10 Terms Every New Witch Should Know

26 Activities To Help Your Mind, Body, And Soul

A Collection Of Witch Tips

A Long List Of Ways To Spiritually Protect Yourself

Astral Temple Meditation

Aura / Energy Colors & Meanings

A Secret Witches Guide To Concealing Your Craft

Back To School Magic

Basics Of Kitchen And Cottage Witchcraft

Beginner Masterlist

Beginner Witchcraft 

Being A Witch

Blood Magic

Breaking Astrology Down

Candle Uses & Meanings

Charging/Activating Sigils

Cosmic Witch Masterpost

Daily Witchcraft

Discreet Little Witchy Things

Discreet Witchcraft

Earth Element Correspondents 

Enchanting Items

Everyday Magic Is Easy

Faerie List

Fire Safety

Hearthandhold Reading List 

How I Draw My Sigils

How Runes Work

How To Learn Witchcraft

How To Make Your Own Sigil

How To Use A Sigil Wheel

Imbolc

Incense Uses

Inexpensive/Free Witchcraft

Jarring Tips

Keeping Yourself Protected

Knot, Thread, and Cord Magic

Little Tips For The College Witch

Low Energy Tips

Magic For School/Education

Magical Herb

Modern Polytheism

Modern Witches

Modern Witches

My Advice For Baby Witches 

New Witch Budget Tips

Nik’s Tips For Discreet Witchcraft

Reading Tea Leaves

Rose Water Is My Religion

Salt & Witchcraft

School / Work Grounding

Some Things To Track

So You Want To Talk To Spirits?

Spell Books

Stoner Witch Tips

Succulents

Tarot Cheat Sheet

Tech Witches

The Wiccan’s Glossery

There Comes A Time When You Need To Stop Researching And Just Practice 

Tips For Discreet College Witches

Tips For Writing Incantations 

Types Of Witches

Types Of Witches And Witchcraft

Understanding Concepts In Witchcraft

Urban Witch 101: House and Home

Violets Witchcraft Masterpost

Ways To Start Feeling Again

Water Magic

Witchcraft In The Shadows

Witchcraft PSA

Witch Resources

Witch Tips For City Witches

Witches With Depression

Witchling Endeavors

Witchy Grimiore Ideas

Witchy Podcasts

Witchy Tips

Recipe Shit:

Anti-Nightmare Pouch

Apple Cider Love Bringing

Black Salt

Budget Witch DIY

Calming Sugar Scrub

Charming Lip Balm

Cleansing And Calming Salt

DIY Gemstone Necklace

Drawing Out A Latent Talent Pouch

Drying Out Roses

Infused Water Magic

Milkshake Magic

Moon Spell Cakes

Moon Water

Peaceful Sleep Sachet

Potion For Sleep

Rose Water

Smoothie Potions 

Soothing Dreams Sachet

Communication Shit:

Crystal Hand Of Prosperity

Dead Dash

Earth Witches Reblog…

Hey There

Like/Reblog if you…

Looking To Follow

Money Bear

Money Pentacle

Witchcraft Asks

Witches

Witches reblog if…

Witches Reblog If…

Witchy Asks

Wonderful Weekend

Rosenfrüchte

(Hagebutte).

Rezepte:

*Hagebutten-Ketchup

*Schwedische Hagebutten-Suppe

(Nypon-Suppa)

*Hagebutten-Biscuits

*Hagebutten-Sirup

*Hagebutten-Dessert

*Hagebutten-Taler

*Hagebutten-Leckerli/Hagebutten-Quadrate

*Hagebutten-Likör

*Kernles-Tee.

Renate Lehminger-Mertens