My Yule Traditions:

Hey if any of you guys are interested in demonology at all to any extent, grimoire.org is the most amazing and well-sourced resource I’ve ever seen, it cites everything from multiple historical grimoires, has a publishing timeline for them, displays sigils, has a section set aside for each demons powers, even lists similar demons, and it’s all very easy to understand the way it’s set up. Can not recommend it enough, it has more demons and more info than I’ve seen listed elsewhere

A Sea Witch’s Knots 101 - The Bottle/Jar Sling

I’m sorry this took so long! Some things came up in real life, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t rush the class just to get it up. Prior lessons are here:

The Square (Reef) Knot

The Bowline

So, let’s move on, shall we?

Keep reading

🍂     SAGE    🍂

Sage is a very versatile plant; it’s not only used for cooking. This kitchen witch likes to make incenses from it or just plant it for decorative reasons in her garden. In my childhood however, I mainly knew the herb as a medical plant. Especially in summer, when I fell asleep with the windows still  open, I often awoke with a sore throat. Of course, my mom and her mother before her had a wonderful recipe for that - didn`t I mention that sage is a great natural remedy for a sore throat? Let’s brew some SAGE TEA! There’s a good reason, why the herb’s name is based on the Latin word “salvare” – healing - after all.

GROWING SAGE  🌱

Sage is a low maintenance, sun loving ancient Mediterranean herb. Basically it can survive mild winters outside and therefore can be harvested all year long. (I’ve had some on my balcony and now in my garden for years and it only happened once, that it didn’t make it through the dark season.) To keep the sage healthy you should cut it from springtime to late summer without removing the wooden stalks. ~~~

STORING SAGE  🌱

Drying the leaves is pretty easy. Harvest the upper parts of the stalks and pluck the leaves off, put them on a flat plate or a piece of baking paper. Don’t expose the sage to direct sunlight! Once the leaves are completely dry, just crumble them and put them into a nice glass jar. Store it at a dark and dry place. The jar above is actually the one I took from my grandmas kitchen after she had passed away. It still got her handwriting on it. ~~~

SAGE TEA  🌱

To brew one cup (1/4l) only one tablespoon of the dried or fresh leaves are required. The tea should then cool down a little before using it for curing a sore throat. From now on you should gargle three times a day (preferably after eating). Other uses for the, in this case still warm tea are to prevent night sweats and stomach ache. ~~~

More on this amazing herb later on  🍃

disclaimer: no household remedy will ever replace a visit to the doctor!

Sage series 1/?

Let’s Talk Litha!: Celebrating the Summer Solstice

June 21st marks this year’s Summer Solstice - the Sabbat known as Litha (or Midsummer)! If you celebrate the Wheel of the Year, Litha is one of the key points in the calendar: The summer solstice marks the Sun’s peak of power, and also marks the longest day in the year!

Litha, or, The Summer Solstice

Litha marks the longest day of the calendar year - the Summer Solstice - and is positioned at the bottom, Southernmost quarter point in the Wheel of Year. Traditionally, this is a great time to commune and connect with the Sun, do solar magic, and use the Sun’s peak power to spellcast, charge, and cleanse.

Colors: Red, orange, and other fiery, bold tones

Incense & Scents: Dragon’s blood, orange, musks (personal correspondences here - use your own for max results!)

Altar Setup: Find stones and crystals that have washed up on the summer shore, local flowers, seasonal fruits, and plenty of candles. A bonfire is traditional (a red candle is practical!)

The Litha Feast: What would a Sabbat be without a feast? Litha is a perfect time to eat outdoors (if possible!). Traditional foods include herbed breads and pastries (baked!), desserts and dishes with summer fruits (try berries, stone fruits, or citrus, depending on what’s local to you!), cold cooked poultry for our omnivore witches, and flower or berry wines. More modern foods for Litha could include potato salads, dishes made with lavender or sorrel, peppery foods, or dandelion greens.

Litha Traditions:

Light a bonfire and jump over it (if it’s small enough!) to cleanse yourself of past ills.

Stay up on Midsummer Eve to wait for the rising sun.

Dispose of old amulets in the Litha fire.

Work magic with stone circles.

Make speeches to Fortuna, the lady of Fortune (is my Hellenic Revivalism showing?).

Phone past friends and invite them over.

Honor the Oak tree by paying one a visit in your local neighborhood.

Lead the way to your Litha celebration with a torchlit procession (or lantern or sparkler-lit, as it were!).

Magic for Litha: Healing, purification, cleansing, fire, protection, rebirth, power, sun magic, magic with stones and crystals, reaffirmations, and oaths.

Have at it, witches! (and link me to your Litha altars/plans/feasts! I’m a sucker for peeking on all your aesthetics & magics :>)

English vs French Lavender

While it’s well known that lavender has a calming and soothing effect, (I’ve seen it used a lot in sleep spells and drinks, etc) I’ve only recently found out that it’s not true for all varieties.

English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) in the picture on the left is your go-to for those soothing bed-time vibes. This is the more common variety.

French lavender (Lavandula stoechas), the tufty flower on the right, actually has an invigorating effect. It’s also brilliant for cuts and grazes to prevent infection and promote healing, but if you’re growing this plant to help you sleep it will not have the desired effect in your bed-time tea/pillow sachet!

Lemon, Lavender, and Thyme Madeleines. A Midsummer treat!

Litha is here! It’s the Summer solstice, the longest day and the shortest night. The night is lit with huge bonfires and people are dancing until the dusk, can you hear the drums already? Solstices are a time for celebrations of what we have achieved so far and a reflection of the mistakes we have made and what we have learned.

I don’t know if you are still in lockdown, but here in Scotland we can move around a bit. I don’t know what you have planned for this special day, but I think I’ll just enjoy the sun outside in a park and take a long stroll in my city. There is nothing much I can do in these weird time anyway. I am a huge foodie, so my way of celebrating is more on the kitchen side. I have created the perfect recipe for you! These Madeleines are a treat! They are perfumed with Thyme, lemon and lavender, those herbs correspond to Litha, plus they have strong magical purification properties. Eating those on Litha and you will be cleanse of bad stagnant energies and ready for the second part of the year!

Ingredients

A handful of fresh thyme (plus some for decoration)

1 to 2 tsp dried Lavender (to your taste)

zest of 1 Lemon

3 eggs

120g unrefined cane sugar

125g room temperature butter

150g self-raising flour

Preparation

Prep the Thyme. Wash and dry you thyme. Leave out hard stems and pick the leaves. Mince them in small bits

Prep the Lavender. Grind Lavender in a robot or using a pestle and mortar.

Prep the dough. Beat 3 eggs with the sugar with a whisk until light and foamy

Add the butter then the flour. Mix quickly.

Add the rest of the ingredients: thyme, lavender and the lemon zest.

Mix quickly again. Leave it in the fridge to rest for an hour

Pre-heat the oven 180°C / 360°F

Rub the madeleine molds with butter. If you don’t have madeleine molds, any cupcakes or muffins molds will do too.

Pour the dough in the moulds.

Bake in warm oven 8 to 10 min 180°C / 360°F. They are ready when slightly brown on the edges.

Tips

They are the best eaten straight away from the oven. You can keep them a couple of days in an air tight container.

If you don’t have any cane sugar, regular sugar is fine.

They pairs really well with an Earl Grey tea.

To Feed Offering Candles

It's common practice for candles to be lit in offering to various spirits and powers for favor, power, or gain. The seven day glass jar candles which are available in just about every witchcraft store, Botanica, and apothecary are perfect for this purpose, as they are not only self-contained in their jar, but can be refilled and reused if you have the know-how. But that is a post for a different day.

One practice I have really fallen into a routine with is the practice of "feeding" offering candles. While the burning candle itself is already a great offerings, thay offerings can be made more sacred and appropriate. The "feeding" process is very simple, and only requires a candle and an oil.

Take your offering candle and prepare it however you feel is appropriate. For the glass jar candles, this may include anointing them, carving sigils into the top, or speaking specific prayers over them. Here I have a simple white candle.

Light the candle in the name of the figure to whom it will be granted. Allow it to burn for a moment to melt the wax around the wick. Then, grab your oil of choice. I tend towards a blend of Tunisian frankincense and myrrh, but Olive Oil will literally be PERFECTLY fine. I just like these because of the scent that is created.

With the dropper, drop several drops of oil into the wax pool.

If you like, you can reiterate your prayer as needed when feeding.

This process can be used to feed not only the offering candles, but can be used to offer various substances to spirits, even the witch's blood should it be desired, through the medium of the burning flame. As the oil is dropped into the wax, the wick will absorb it until the oil itself is burned off by the flame, completing the offering.

Just to make it clear, there is NOTHING wrong with the just burning these candles, as multiple practices and peooles do across the world. This is just a ritualistic process that helps me focus my offerings a little more, and one that I feel compelled to share.

Deities of the crossroads and beings that dwell in liminal spaces truly favour the bold. Remember that the next time you hesitate.

A Brief Guide to Yuletide Plants & Herbs

MISTLETOE: love, protection, luck, reconciliation, banishing.

SNOWDROP: hope, cleansing, beauty.

LEMONGRASS: banishing negativity, attraction, purification.

CINNAMON: love, happiness, money.

SAGE: longevity, wisdom, protection, wishes. aiding in grief. 

ROSEMARY: purification, dreams, healing.

GINGER: power, manifestation.

ORANGE: divination, fortune, health, love, good luck, money.

BAY LEAVES: cleansing, psychic abilities, wishes, dreams. banishing, protection.

ASH: prophetic dreams, luck, attraction, energy channelling. 

THISTLE: vitality, cleansing, purification, uncrossing.

CEDAR: protection, attraction, healing, invocation. 

PINE: positivity, protection, fertility, warding. 

FRANKINCENSE: cleansing, consecration, banishing. 

CHESTNUT: longevity, intuition, grounding, focus, success. 

IVY: fertility, protection, healing. 

HOllY: prosperity, protection, luck, dreams, rebirth, banishing. 

JUNIPER: protection, warding, divination, secrecy, love. 

OAK: money, success, strength, fertility, stability, health, healing, luck.

SANDALWOOD: healing, purification, consecration. 

YEW: necromancy, astral travel, death.

CYPRESS: purification, stability, focus.

MYRRH: purification, banishing, protection, healing.

Disclaimer: do your research before using or handling any plant or herb. Some herbs are dangerous when burned or ingested.