A Tarot Spread Commissioned By @beetlepool​ During @technocoven​, For Helping Them Find The Source

Yule-Mothers Night Blót

I put this ritual together from various sources-I can’t claim all the wording myself only the final form of the ritual. This was used for my kindreds the first Mother’s night. Because of our eclectic group, we chose not to only focus on Frigg, and instead included many mothers. As offerings, each of the members that wished to partake creates a Poppet from straw in the shape of a woman, which was burned at the end of the ritual.

Hallowing-

To be done before the arrival of guests- it is not essential that there be witnesses{this was done to cut down on time, during the cold winter}

Godi holds the ceremonial hammer and opens the circle with the traditional blessing:

In the Elhaz position standing facing North the Godi speaks:

Hammer to the North, hold and hallow this holy stead.

Hail Odin and the Northern forces

Godi faces East and speaks:

Hammer to the East, hold and hallow this holy stead.

Hail Freyr and the Eastern forces

Godi faces South and speaks:

Hammer to the South, hold and hallow this holy stead.

Hail Balder and the Southern forces

Godi faces West and speaks:

Hammer to the West, hold and hallow this holy stead.

Hail Thor and the Western forces

Hammer above and Below me Hold and hallow this holy stead

Hail the Aesir and Vanir, the Ancestors and the wights of the land

Sacred Fire

Loki.

Pine-fire.

Through the power of my love for you, I ask that you kindle the flame of this sacred fire.

As you have you have kindled one in me.

As we honor this evening our mothers, I ask for the comfort of the hearth for my kin.

May they know your gifts, as the gods have done

***

{godi speaks}

Welcome, to the Wolves of the North Mother’s night Blót. I hope the evening finds you well and warm. Tonight, the longest night of the year, we come together in this circle to praise the many mothers in our lives.

Motherhood is a sacred charge, AVAILABLE, to every woman.

Whether conceived through coitus, or artificial insemination.

Through natural birth, or C-Section.

Born of the blood, or adopted.

How a woman becomes a mother varies, but what never changes is her love and her place as a guardian and teacher of the next generation. Like Skuld of the Norns and all mother Frigg, every mother is a safeguard of the future. Let us honor them.

Invocation

The Godi faces the altar, holding high with both hands a horn of mead and recites:

I call to the Mothers of the Aesir!

Frigg, Sif, Sigyn and Nana

To the Vanir!

Freyja and Nerthus

To the Jötnar

Laufey, Jörd, Jarnsaxa, And Rán

To the Disir-Ancestors of our families-living and passed on

Be with us this winter solstice

Mothers of our people! You are manifest in the promise of the sleeping seeds and waiting buds; you give life to forest, field, and family!

We praise you and seek your blessing on us and call for your protection in our time of need.

Ancient Disir of our families we call upon you this night as we give praise and sing of your deeds. Watch over us on the longest night of the year as we wait for the lady Sol to warm us once again.

Meditation

{insert name/Gothi} will now lead us in a mediation; hold your poppet and reflect on your Disir, your ancestors and ancient mothers. Reflect on your living mothers and most of all your respect and love for them and theirs for you.

Hailing

We will now commence with a Sumbel, a little different than usual. In the first round I invite each of you to hail a goddess, Round two you may hail one of your Disir and on the third round a living mother of your family. At any point you may offer your poppet to whomever you would And As You cast it to the fire, reflect, feel their love for you. And give it in return. If you wish to pass on a round simply pass the horn to the person next to you.

Gythas example - Hail to Laufey, also called Nal, the Needle and weary Mother of Loki.

*poppet is offered to the fire*

Closing

Spirits of the nine realms we thank you for your presence here in this circle. We ask for your blessing and while you depart to your noble realm we bid you hail and farewell. I hereby release any Spirits that may have been imprisoned by this ceremony. Depart now in peace to your abodes and habitations. The blót is now ended, let the merriment begin.

Offering cookies recipes

Cookies are one of the best baked goods to give as offerings, because they're 1; easy to make, and 2; greatly enjoyed by most deities.

The recipe(s) I use is a modified chocolate chip cookie recipe, which can be easily modified to preference.

I prefer to use sifted cake flour instead of all-purpose, because it makes them a bit thicker and more firm.

Keep in mind that I'm no professional baker by any means, so there may be some oopsies in this post. If so, please don't hesitate to point it out!

Version 1: Dark Chocolate Chip Rosemary Cookies

2 & 1/2 cups flour, sifted

3/4 cup softened coconut oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 heaping tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon cardamom (optional)

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Cream together the coconut oil and the sugars with a hand mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla extract.

Sift in the dry ingredients, then stir with a spatula until just combined.

Mix in the rosemary and chocolate chips.

Spoon 1' balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 375 for 9-12 minutes, or until browned.

Version 2: Milk chocolate chip chai spice cookies

The second uses the same recipe, except instead of dark chocolate chips and rosemary, I use a mix of chai spices.

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (be very careful not to use too much! Cloves can be extremely overpowering!)

1 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground star anise (you can leave this one out if you don't like the taste)

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Just sift the spices in with the dry ingredients and you're good to go!

Happy baking!

The Witch at Lammas

This post is the fifth in a series of posts exploring and celebrating witch archetypes at the eight seasonal festivals.

Lammas is a festival celebrated on August 1. It is descended from the festival of Lughnasadh, an ancient Celtic festival of Pagan origin. Still celebrated by many Neo-Pagans, Lughnasadh is one of the four “fire festivals.” It is the celebration of the first fruits of summer and it has long had connections to both the grain and hay harvests. It is named after the ancient Celtic sky god, Lugh. The “-nasadh” of Lughnasadh means something like “an assembly”, so the phrase “Lughnasadh” can be taken to mean “the assembly of Lugh” (sometimes translated as “the games of Lugh”).

Lughnasadh is traditionally associated with summer fairs. In ancient times, the “assembly” would have been a great fair, with food and games and opportunities for trading and other financial exploits. This tradition has never died out. It is still common to see fairs throughout the British Isles and even the United States and Canada during this time. Traditionally, Lughnasadh would have lasted two weeks.

With the Christianization of Europe, Lughnasadh became Lammas, its new name meaning “Loaf Mass”. Lammas celebrates the grain harvest, which is honored by making loaves of bread from the freshly gathered wheat. These loaves of bread were blessed by priests during Lammas services. These blessed loaves could then be used for folk magic. Superstitious farmers would break the loaves into quarters and hide them in the corners of their houses or barns for protection.

One theme that is prevalent throughout these celebrations is that of sacrifice. The tale of Lughnasadh is one of tragic death. According to an old Irish legend, the goddess Tailtiu, the foster mother of Lugh, cleared the great forest of Breg with an axe to make the plains of Ireland. These plains became fertile farmland. She wanted to provide for her people. However, the work proved to be too great and when she finished clearing the forest, she died. In her honor, Lugh established a festival of funeral games, which would become Lughnasadh. The Paleo-Pagans who inhabited what is now Britain and Ireland would have honored this festival by lighting great bonfires and giving sacrifical offerings to the gods.

Lugh is associated with the sky, but he is also a god of sovereignity and battle. It was he who slayed the giant Balor and threw his eye into the heavens to create the Sun. Even in his sky “aspect”, he is still a god of skill and war. Ancient depictions of Lugh typically show him wearing a torc and holding a spear. The torc is a symbol of sovereignty - he is a god of kings and rulers - and he holds the spear - a tool of war. He is a god of skill; his wars are not the foolish all-destructive wars of modernity, but are the skilled battles of old. He is truly a god of warriors.

The grain of Lammas is a symbol of sacrifice. Consider the drinking song “John Barleycorn”, which personifies the grain as a man who is murdered and cut to pieces. The grain and all the other first fruits of the harvest season fall at Lammas. The year is in decline. According to legend, in ancient Ireland, an old or senile king , no longer useful as a ruler, would be sacrificed at Lughnasadh. Whether this is a historical truth is a matter of some debate, but this theme still maintains its power.

The Christianization of the festival links it with Christ’s suffering on the cross and also his associations with bread and grain. According to the Bible, it was he who died to cleanse mankind of its sins. He is often called a sacrifical lamb. It was prophesied that he would be born in Bethlehem - the House of Bread. It was he who made the fishes and loaves multiply. It was he who said to eat his flesh and drink his blood, and what is his flesh but bread transfigured?

Because sacrifice is a predominant theme in the Lughnasadh/Lammas holidays, let us discuss the witch as warrior. Despite some claims that witches cannot and should not do harm to others, the historical records say otherwise. There are multiple, notable accounts of witches using their craft to defend their homes and loved ones.

We could discuss warding, but that topic is oft-discussed I do not see a need to go more in-depth about it here. Let us discuss, instead, three specific historical examples of practitioners using the magical arts to protect themselves and others.

In this short space, it would be impossible to describe all the accomplishments of Welsh mathematician, astrologer, and occultist John Dee. A Renaissance man in every meaning of the word, Dee was the court magician for Queen Elizabeth I. It was Dee who helped plan expeditions to the New World. It was Dee himself who coined the term “British Empire”. So, when Phillip II of Spain attempted to invade England in 1588, it was said that John Dee took action. According to legend, Dee used his occult knowledge to cast a spell on the Spanish Armada. Of course, the Spanish Armada was scattered by great winds and did not invade England.

Less than 400 years later, it is said the witches of England helped to drive away the invading Nazi forces during the Second World War. According to Gerald Gardner, a great gathering of witches occurred in the New Forest on the eve of the Nazi invasion. These witches came from all over Britain to cast a spell on the Third Reich. The witches commanded the Nazi planes to not invade and many died in the process, or so the legend goes. Like the Spanish Armada, the Nazis did not invade Britain. Despite the raids, England never fell to the German forces. One does hope that the current generation of witches will follow their lead and use magic to strike back against tyranny.

In the 1960s, Italian historian Carlo Ginzburg published his work The Night Battles: Witchcraft and Agrarian Cults in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. In this highly influential work, Ginzburg examines reports of the Benandanti, a group of magical practitioners who lived in Northeastern Italy in the 16th and 17th Centuries. The phrase Benandanti means “the good walkers.” By their own reports, the Benandanti rose (“walked”) from their own bodies while they were sleeping and fought off dark forces. These dark forces were witches, called the Maladanti (“the bad walkers”).

According to the Benandanti, who testified before the Inquisition, they fought the witches at night with fennel sticks. They did this on certain Thursdays to protect their crops. The nighttime visions of the Benandanti have been tied to the Sabbat-visions of witches throughout Europe during the same time period. The testimonies of the Benandanti led Ginzburg to conclude that they were members of a sort of “fertility cult”. Ginzburg’s work was considered controversial upon its first publication and continues to spark debate.

This Lammas, let us remember what it is to defend those we love. You does not need to be a solider to fight for the things you care about. You can be a scholar, a dreamer, a mystic - you can be an ordinary person and affect great change. With a bit of magic and a sense of determination, you can fight for what you believe in and win.

Yule ball

Ingredients:

🌙 salt/sea salt, pine needles, dried rose petals, rosemary, dried orange peel, lavender, star anise, *coffee beans

Process:

🌙 First add the salt, then your herbs. After this you can add *optional items like crystals, ribbons, sigils, ...

As you add your items, state your intent and the purpose of each one.

Now you can decide, were to hang youre Yule ball - I prefer it in the corners of the room or near the window.

Please feel free to put other ingredients in it and hang the ball wherever you like. ❤ Try to collect some ingredients outside. 🌙🌲

Have fun. 🌙

Yule Logs

The Yule Log is a long-standing Yule tradition. This tradition has evolved over time and has been represented in many ways, including the traditional French and Dutch desert cake (“bûche de Noël” or Kerststronk). In this entry, I will cover different traditions, the history of the Yule Log, and ideas so you can make your own this holiday season!

A. HISTORY

The Yule Log has its roots in the Nordic tradition, where Yule was celebrated as one of the two solstice festivals. It was originally an entire tree! The tree would be carefully chosen for the ceremony and taken into the home. Then, the thickest end of the tree would be placed into the hearth while, quite comically, the rest of the tree stuck out into the living room. The Yule Log would then be lit with the remains of the previous year’s Yule Log, which had been carefully stored in the home during the year. It was strictly stated that the person relighting the fire must have clean hands. The old Yule Log was then slowly fed into the hearth fire over the 12 Days of Christmas (Christmas Day – 5th of January). The Norse believed that the sun was in fact a massive fiery wheel that rolled away from the earth and began its journey back to earth at the winter solstice.

The French Yule Log tradition stipulates that the whole family must help cut the Yule Log. They would burn a little bit of the log each night, and if there was any log left after the 12th night, they would store it in the house because it was said to protect the home from

lightning. The Netherlandish tradition said that the log must instead be stored under the bed to bring protection. Other Eastern European countries waited and cut down a tree on the morning of Christmas Eve. The people of Cornwall, United Kingdom called the Yule Log “The Mock”, and the bark is taken off before it enters the home.

As Christianity became more of a presence, the tradition of the Yule Log melded with the Christmas Eve traditions. The log was sprinkled with libations of mead, oil, and salt by the head of the household. The ashes of the Yule Log would then be tossed into corners of the house to protect it from evil spirits.

As for the kind of wood used for the Yule Log, different countries have different traditions. The English use Oak, the Scottish use Birch, and the French use Cherry. Some traditions say to use Ash twigs instead of a log! This comes from the Christian tale of Christ’s birth, where the shepherds gave Mary and Joseph twigs of Ash to burn so they could keep baby Jesus Warm.

B. BUCHE DE NOEL

This take on the Yule Log tradition is a cake that is made up of sponge cake and chocolate buttercream covered in wonderful little sugar decorations. When I talked to my mom about baking one this year, she told me I was on my own because they are very hard to make! I guess one too many of her Yuletide bakes went terribly wrong…

The Tradition of the Yule Log cake stretches back to the Iron Age. After the Christian religion took over, it was becoming more and more impractical to have large trees in one’s home, especially when the hearths were also getting smaller and smaller. Because of this, it seems, the advent of a cake version of a Yule Log was created. This fit much more nicely into the hearth of Iron Age Europeans, and was also very delicious. Sponge cake, the base of the Yule Log, is one of the oldest forms of cake! The first appearance of sponge cake is in

1615 in a tome called “The English Huswife”. It wasn’t until the 19th century when Parisian bakers popularized the Yule Log, and used it as a vehicle to show off their decorating skills.

I don’t have a reliable Yule Log recipe because this is the first year I will be attempting to make one! There are plenty of recipes online, so make sure to share which ones work for you!

C. WHY A YULE LOG?

Yule or The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, and therefore the darkest day of the year. If we look at other traditions, we see many of them bringing forth light in the darkness. The Jewish tradition lights the Menorah, Kwanza is celebrated with the lighting of candles, and the Christian tradition as well as secular traditions see the lighting of a Christmas Tree. Yule is a celebration of the death and rebirth of the God and the return of his light as the days get longer once more. The Yule Log has become a very easy way to celebrate this return of the light.

D. CELEBRATING WITH YOUR YULE LOG

There are a few different ways of celebrating with a Yule Log, and all of them are entirely up to you! For a Kitchen Witch, you can use your Yule Log as a centerpiece for your Yuletide feast. This can be especially effective when surrounded by candles and in dim lighting.

One Yule Log ritual I came across in my research very meaningfully connects us to our ancestors. Write a few wishes or resolutions for the next year on a piece of paper and attach them to the Yule Log. Place the Log into the fire and meditate on all those who have come before you who followed this tradition. Ask them to aid you in fulfilling your wishes and resolutions during the next year.

E. IDEAS

Wood Correspondences: make your Yule Log from wood that corresponds with your intent! Aspen may be used for spiritual understanding and Oak may be used to symbolize the strength of the God. These are only a few suggestions, and I would recommend taking the Correspondences Series where you will learn more about Tree Magick! We also have a Tree Magick series at the school.

Decorations: this is up to you and your own correspondences! Traditionally, pine cones, mistletoe, holly , pine, and cinnamon are used. It is also traditional to decorate with candles to represent the return of the God. You can easily attach these with a glue gun, or by melting some of the candle wax on the log and sticking the end of the candle to the wax until it hardens. You can also tie a festive colored ribbon on your log to complete the look!

Location: sure, you can burn your Yule Log inside, but it would also be fun to burn outside! If you have a fire pit it might be fun to bundle up, bring a few cups of hot chocolate, and watch your Yule Log burn in the fire pit while surrounded by your friends and family.

Colored Flames: certain chemicals, when sprinkled on wood, will cause the fire to turn different colors! Perhaps you could correspond the flame color with a ritual or spell intention on the night of Yule. Make sure to take proper precautions and be careful!

Barium Nitrate: Apple Green                                                                          Borax: Vivid Green                                                                                       Copper Sulphate: Blue                                                                            Potassium Nitrate: Violet                                                                                  Table Salt: Bright Red

Disposal: you can follow any of the traditions stated above or make your own! It is important to also note that ashes from a Yule Log are also wonderful fertilizer for plants, so keep that in mind if you have a garden.

! Be very careful when disposing of the ashes of a Yule Log. It is considered very unlucky to throw the ashes out on Christmas Day, so wait before disposal.

F. WORKS CITED

James Cooper (2000-2019), T he H istory of the Y ule Log, Why Christmas?, https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/yulelog.shtml

Patti Wigington (October 14th 2019), Make a Yule Log, Learn Religions, https://www.learnreligions.com/make-a-yule-log-2563006

Stephanie Butler (August 31st 2018), T he Delicious H istory of the Y ule Log, History Channel,https://www.history.com/news/the-delicious-history-of-the-yule-log

Catherine Boeckmann (December 12th 2018), What is a Yule Log?, The Old Farmer’s Almanac,https://www.almanac.com/content/what-yule-log-christmas-traditions

🌼Healing Tea Recipes🌿

🌼Headache tea

-½ tablespoon of mint leaves

-½ tablespoon of lavender

-½ tablespoon of chamomile

🌼Nausea tea (not acid reflux)

-fresh sliced ginger root or candied/minced ginger

-1 tablespoon of mint leaves

-1 tablespoon of lemon balm

-½ tablespoon of chamomile

🌼Immune Boost tea

-1 tablespoon (or 10-20) of elder berries

-½ tablespoon of calendula

-½ tablespoon of echinacea

-a squeeze of fresh orange juice

🌼Menstrual Relief tea

-½ tablespoon of raspberry leaf

-½ tablespoon of chamomile

-½ tablespoon of hops

-ginger slices

🌼Acid Reflux tea

-½ tablespoon of fennel

-½ tablespoon of chamomile

-½ tablespoon of licorice or 1 stick

🌼Anti-Anxiety/Insomnia tea

-½ tablespoon of lavender

-½ tablespoon of chamomile

-½ tablespoon of passionflower

-½ tablespoon of lemonbalm

🌼Cold & Flu / Allergy tea

-½ tablespoon of nettle

-½ tablespoon of peppermint

-½ tablespoon cinnamon bark or lavender

-1 teaspoon of lemon juice & raw local honey

-fresh ginger slices

*these do not replace medications and aren’t meant to treat an issue alone. If you think anything’s wrong please see a doctor. Please do research on interactions before you use herbs if you’re on medication.

✨ All Of My Posts | Baby Witch Masterpost ✨

Basics For Babies [Where To Start] [Advice For Baby Witches] [A Baby Witches Dictionary] [Research/Grimoire Topics] [Types of Witches/Magick] [Common Spell Ingredients]  [Are You A Busy Witch]  Baby Witch Education - A to Z [Altars] [Altar ideas] [Cleansing]  [Circles - Casting & Closing]  [Crystals 101]  [Full Moon] (What to do for it} [Hag Stones]  [How To Identify A Crystal | Common Types Of Crystals] [What To Do With Your Crystals] [What I’ve Learned About Curses]  [Hex & Curse Ideas]  [Faeries]  [Graveyards] (How to behave in one, a guide for witches) [Grimoire] (Tips for making one) [Grounding]  [Moon Water]  [Spell Writing] (How to write a spell)  [Sigils]  [Taglocks]  [Spell Timing/Time Magick] (How to pick timing for a spell) [Warding] [Wheel Of The Year] (How to celebrate it) Divination [Astrology]  [Pendulums]  [How I Interpret My Dreams]  Tarot [How I Got Started In Tarot]  [How I Do A Tarot Reading]  [Tarot/Divination Tips]  [Feeling Stuck/Unsure Spread]  [Were Your Ancestors Witches? Spread]  [New Moon Spread]  [Identifying An Entity Spread]  Spells [My Spells Aren’t Working] [Rain Chant] [About Wish Boxes] [Harvest Moon Spell] [Glamour - Spell jar]  [Protection - Spell jar]  [Simple Banishment Spell]  Correspondences -  [Color] [Herbs]  Types Of Witches [Art Witch Ideas]  Closeted/Secret Witches -  [Closeted Witch Guide]  [Closeted Witch Masterpost]  [Common Spell Ingredients]  [Kitchen Witch Masterpost]  [Spoonie Witch Masterpost]

Personal [Some Sigils I Made] [Meet My Crystals] [Altar Tour]

Random  [Everyday Magick Tips] [Witchcraft Check-In]  [Witchcraft In The Movie Coraline]  [How To Tell The Difference Between Anxiety & Intuition] Always feel free to message me with any questions!  Reorganized & reblogged 7/1/2019  Reorganized & reblogged (again) 10/6/2019 

We are trying to buy a house - so soon I’ll make a series on my magical home!

Here are some ideas -

Packing with intent

Cleansing an apartment or home when leaving

Protection for your property

Wards and Hexes for your home

How to decorate with intent

Mantle altar set-up for different seasons

Kitchen altar set-up

Offerings to the land and house spirits

Communing with the land spirit

Painting - colors and their meanings

How to make a cozy, welcoming space

The 3 Hs - Hearth, Home, and Hospitality

How to bring the elements into your home

How to bring the seasons into your home

Witch decor on a budget

DIY witch crafts

DIY witchcraft

Decorating your home on a budget

Art/decor for intent

I have lots of ideas! I can’t wait to get started :)

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