Offering Cookies Recipes

hi! i'm a baby witch and i wanted to see if there are any spells you'd recommend for protecting others.

Sure thing. Though, just as a note, protecting others is a bit more difficult than simply protecting yourself just because (like all magic worked on others) you’ll need something of theirs or you may want to make something that they will carry with them. I won’t link many particular spells here, but I’ll give you some ideas and you can begin to craft your own. You might want to look through the protection tag for further ideas as well. I would recommend either creating a poppet of the individual you want to protect or (if you’re trying to protect more than one person at a time) you might make up a jar to add all of your items and taglocks into. Alternately, it might be easiest to create a charm or satchet or to simply cast on an object and have them carry it with them for protection. You can also, if you work with any spirits or ancestors, make an offering to these powers on behalf of the person you’re hoping to protect and send them to watch over them. (You can also use a picture of the person/their name/some taglock and, placing it in the center of the table, build a ward of protection around them with stone, earth, candle/fire much like this ward is being built) Either way, protection items typically include garlic, basil, salt, eggshell, witch hazel, aloe, (I usually also include mint cause the best defense is a good offense), tiger’s eye, oak, etc. Have a look about your area and see what is local to your space, what’s accessible, what associations do they have in your area that they may not have elsewhere.  

Freya! Ever since I listened to Neil Gaiman's 'Norse Mythology' I've been wanting to draw her really badly- I particularly loved the Freya design created by @irenhorrors on Instagram. Freya is the Norse goddess of love, beauty, fertility, war, and death. She's a total badass who never puts up with Loki's shenanigans even when he's convinced everyone else.

"Call on Freya when you need the push to be bold and embark on an adventure to pursue your heart's desire. - Ann Shen, 'Legendary Ladies'

Hi! Could you write some offering ideas to Odin?

Hey there Nonny! I’d love to take a crack at it.

Let me preface this all off by letting y'all know that I don’t specifically work with Odin, so these offerings are just what I can figure from research and my vague gnosis of the Allfather. I invite all who have more intimate knowledge of Him to add on! And if you want more historical detail for any of these, let me know, I’m dying to elaborate!

Whatever you offer, be sure to be hospitable. Basic offerings of food and drink are usually a good go to, but if you want to get deeper here are some ideas.

Material Offerings

Alcohol, specifically beer and mead.

Shiny things, stuff a corvid would want to steal. Coins and jewellery are good go-tos.

Blood. Preferably of your enemies.

Meat! Cooked to perfection.

Whatever best snack you have in the house.

Things with the word “bastard” on them.

Pinatas (animal sacrifices used to be hung by their neck until dead. This is the modern AllDad to the ancient AllFather)

Travel related things!

Neat books.

Something you made. A drawing of ravens, a neat stick you whittled, macaroni art of Sleipnir. Anything, as long as you put effort into it.

Non-Material Offerings

Learn all his names and use them.

Have a party and feed everyone! He does it daily in Valhalla, take His example.

Terrible dad jokes. Also springing said terrible dad jokes on loved ones.

Learn a new thing of philosophy and become more wise. Discuss.

Donate money to a charity that you think He would like (Heifer international lets you buy a goat for a family and that feels like a very Odin thing to do)

Learn the runes and use them to talk.

The important part of Norse offerings is that it is a sacrifice to make offerings. Something that would have benefitted you is instead going to the Gods, and there in lies the power. The Old Norse gave up their horses, their goats, and their slaves to the forests, weapons and money and tools to the lakes. And it takes a lot of work to make those things, not to mention the loss of lives.

Sometimes it’s the gods at your altar asking for the best chips in the bag, you know the ones you save for last because they’re perfect. Sometimes it’s the gods taking form in a homeless man, asking for something to eat when you only have five bucks for your own lunch. Keep an eye out for the holy places, there’s more places to make offerings than the altar.

I'm not sure who needs to hear this at the moment but if you have any kind of animistic slant to your practice and enjoy plants you absolutely should be reading Daniel Schulke's Viridarium Umbris. PDFs are extraordinarily easy to find, the information and tech is phenomenal, and it is easy to pick and find what you want to work on at any given time. I started getting my teeth into it for the first time last year and I'm only sorry I hadn't picked it up sooner. It should be required reading.

A Bit Bout Yule

Hey lovely witches, Yule is almost upon us so here are just a few things about Yule that I would consider useful for everyone

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Also known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, the sun’s “rebirth” was celebrated with much joy. On this night, our ancestors celebrated the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth. From this day forward, the days would become longer.

Symbols of Yule:

Yule log, or small Yule log with 3 candles, evergreen boughs or wreaths, holly, mistletoe hung in doorways, gold pillar candles, baskets of clove studded fruit, a simmering pot of wassail, poinsettias, christmas cactus.

Herbs of Yule:

Bayberry, blessed thistle, evergreen, frankincense holly, laurel, mistletoe, oak, pine, sage, yellow cedar.

Foods of Yule:

Cookies and caraway cakes soaked in cider, fruits, nuts, pork dishes, turkey, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider, wassail, or lamb’s wool (ale, sugar, nutmeg, roasted apples).

Incense of Yule:

Pine, cedar, bayberry, cinnamon.

Colors of Yule:

Red, green, gold, white, silver, yellow, orange.

Stones of Yule:

Rubies, bloodstones, garnets, emeralds, diamonds.

Activities of Yule:

Caroling, burning the Yule log, decorating the Yule tree, exchanging of presents, kissing under the mistletoe

Best spells during Yule:

Peace, harmony, love, and increased happiness.

Deities of Yule:

Goddesses-Brighid, Isis, Demeter, Gaea, Diana, The Great Mother. Gods-Apollo, Ra, Odin, Lugh, The Oak King, The Horned One, The Green Man, The Divine Child, Mabon.

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If you are seeing this then you have been chosen by the universe

Remember this date: August 27th

You'll see

Storm Witch Tip:

A storm is likely to come when:

deciduous trees flip their leaves due to wind direction

birds fly low in the sky, and go quiet

there’s a southerly wind (in the US)

there’s a red dawn in the east

layers of nimbus clouds move in opposite directions

the morning grass is dry of dew

an earthy scent rises from the soil and flowers

pine cones remain closed

a halo rings the moon at night

nights are warm in winter (cloud cover insulation)

smoke swirls and descends, instead of a steady rise

Remember, low pressure brings wet weather.

tips for giving off

big witch energy

crystals in your pocket

softly chuckle to yourself while staring into a strangers eyes like you know

dirt

talk to plants you walk by

nod at passing cats like old friends

when someone offers a hand to shake look at their palm instead and sigh deeply

rocks

stare at the sun stare right at it you coward

use a cauldron to cook all meals

…sage