Latest Posts by moss-pond - Page 4

Lady Adelina!

The term “potion,” I must frankly admit, is mostly used in fantasy stories that feature magick, such as Harry Potter and The Dresden Files. In the fictional universes of those stories, the term means a variety of things, but in general it refers to some sort of liquid designed to have a magical effect. Most famously, in Harry Potter in particular, potions and Harry’s study of them in school plays a major role in the plot, and fantastic concoctions with names such as “Drought of Living Death” show up. Many witches, magicians and alchemists scoff at using the term “potion” to refer to something they make in real life just due to it’s sheer association with fiction these days. I guess the thought is that, while saying you made a “spelled tea” or “infusion” might be well and good, saying “I created a potion today!” will bring out naysayers ready to point out that Harry Potter isn’t real in the snarkiest voice imaginable.

Obviously, I disagree. The word “potion” is useful, having been used for centuries to refer to the liquid creations of witchcraft and magick. It comes from a Latin term, potio, which simply meant “drink.” Actual practitioners have been creating potions far longer than Harry and Snape, and thus I think we’ve got as much of a right to use the term as those who parlay magick into fiction. It’s a very convenient word, allowing us to describe a whole genre of magical practice.

I use the word “potion” to conveniently refer to all liquids imbued with magical intent and having a magical purpose beyond their physical effects. This means that, when I say “potion,” I am referring to a wide variety of things, ranging from simple magical teas to tinctures, oil blends, and even alchemical spagyrics. The physical basis of each of these differs, and most, if not strictly all, potions somehow involve elemental water, if only by virtue of being liquids. There are those who would argue that concoctions with an oil or alcohol basis might find their primary elemental association elsewhere, but I hold that a liquid will always have a watery essence, insofar as elemental water includes all liquids, just as earth includes all solids to a degree.

It is important to note that while I tag most of my posts that involve potions under a general alchemy heading, and many books refer to potioncraft simply as “alchemy” or “herbal alchemy,” the vast majority of potions that witches make are not true alchemical formulas, though they may have been developed using alchemical theories and correspondences. 

When I use the phrase “true alchemy,” I largely refer to the practice of creating what some call spagyrics and similar, related concoctions, and I admit my understanding of it is currently a bit limited compared to some. If you’re interested in learning about the practice of true alchemy in a present-day context, I suggest reading Robert Allen Bartlett’s excellent book on the subject, Real Alchemy, or checking out Spagyrics, by Manfred M. Junius.

While I am writing this article as part of my series for beginner witches, and many beginners do create potions, it’s worth noting that potioneering, and in particular certain kinds, isn’t a very accessible part of witchcraft. Why? Well, many books tell you that you don’t need expensive tools and ingredients to do magick. While this is true in most cases, when it comes to potions, unless you’re very creative, you’ll have to invest a bit of funds and effort into just gathering the supplies. As I’ll hopefully show, these supplies needn’t be particularly pricy, and improvisation gets you a long way, but still, potioneering requires quite a bit more materials than most forms of witchcraft.

Another reason potion-making isn’t as accessible to a beginner as (for example) sigils or candle magick rests in the fact that many of the ingredients traditionally used in potion-making have physiological and psychological effects on human beings, making it risky to use them without doing a great deal of research, which can be daunting at best. It’s beyond the scope of this essay to discuss what herb or such is or isn’t poisonous and what can be consumed in which quantities, but many existing books and websites are full of that information. At the end of this essay, I’ll provide links to some potions I’ve developed that use highly innocuous ingredients, but everyone reacts differently chemically, and even with something like chamomile, be sure to do your research. I’m not trying to discourage anyone here, but if you choose to take up potion-making, do be mindful of your budget and research ingredients very carefully.

If you want to make potions, I suggest choosing a focus. There are many different types of potions, and alluded to earlier, ranging from simple to concoct teas to complex configurations of essential oils. Most witches work a lot with oil or water-based potions, and plenty also make tinctures and other potions with an alcohol base. I would recommend choosing one medium/basis to focus on - do you want to make drinkable potions and teas, tinctures, or oils?

Regardless of what sort you want to make, you will probably have to buy or find some equipment and ingredients, unfortunately. As I’ve said, most witchcraft requires little investment besides emotional commitment, but potioneering does involve equipment and ingredients I personally have built up a large collection of supplies for compounding potions and brews, and while not everyone’s going to want or need to do this, my advice to those who are looking to create a large laboratory-like setup is to start small. Below is an image of my current supply cabinet, with all my potion-making supplies visible, as well as some charm bottles and other things.

For the most part, herbs, flowers, and other plants make up the bulk of what is used in potions today. Choosing which herbs to purchase can be pretty overwhelming, but I always found it useful to buy herbs on an as-needed basis, slowly building up a collection over the course of a few months. Even if you cannot afford a lot of fancy ingredients, much can be done with simple household herbs and spices, like mint, basil, oregano and black tea. Many of the potions I make take the form of a tea-like infusion that may or may not contain actual tea leaves (often, it’s just herbs). 

For creating these, I find my porcelain mortar and pestle helpful, which I got from Amazon.com rather cheaply. I use it to grind up particularly difficult roots and herbs, and to bruise flowers such as lavender in order to better release their taste/scent into the mixtures I make. I also have a small scale, of the sort commonly sold in head shops, but I only really have this because some of the potions I make actually contain (legal) psychoactives and I’ve got to be careful about dosage. 

Whether you need any of this or not really depends on what your plans are. If you intend to work with so-called “baneful” ingredients or anything that has a strong physiological or psychological effect on the human body, a scale might be a good safety precaution, as it helps you calculate dosage. If you plan on mostly working with things like mint and thyme, which are culinary and safe for most people, it might not be necessary or worth the investment. Similarly, while a mortar and pestle allows you to grind and mix ingredients rather easily and adds a level of effort (and therefore power) to the process, not everyone’s going to want or need one plenty of herbs don’t require grinding.  

If you’re mostly going to be working with oils and making magical perfumes/scents, dried (or even fresh) herbs won’t be as useful as pure essential oils, though. These compounds are called such because they contain the chemical essence of the plant - basically the active ingredients of whatever herb or plant they come from. While essential oils, for the most part, aren’t consumable or meant to be ingested, they capture much of a plant’s properties, both magical and chemical, and often have an extremely strong scent, making them useful for perfumes and anointing oils.

Above is a photo of some of my oil and perfume-making supplies. I personally use essential oils rather extensively, mostly to make custom magical perfumes and scents, to create anointing formulas for candle magick, and also for use in cleaning (both in a non-magical and magical sense). Because essential oils are chemically as well as magically powerfully, I also use them in a therapeutic fashion - for example, I add a few drops of rosemary essential oil to my shampoo to improve my hair texture.

You can go into many stores and buy “aromatherapy oils” or “fragrance oils,” but in most cases, these aren’t actually essential oils and are instead synthetic forms of the scent, or just the essential oil diluted into a carrier oil. For example, if you buy a vial of rose oil perfume, it’s highly unlikely to contain any rose essential oil, and is probably a synthetic imitation of rose scent mixed into a carrier oil. Fragrance oils like this can indeed be used in magick if their smell is evocative enough, but keep in mind that synthetic rose oil perfume won’t have any of the chemical benefits (for example, clarifying the skin) that actual rose oil might give, and might actually do damage if you try to use it in that way. Once again, it’s really beyond the scope of this article to give a lot of safety and usage information, so please do your research. If you want actual essential oils, most health food stores will have them, and they’re available online quite affordably, even on Amazon.

For the most part, if you buy herbs online or elsewhere, they’ll be packaged in some form of plastic bag. Even Mountain Rose Herbs does this, but their bag’s rather thick and is vaccum-sealed. Either way, I recommend moving herbs from their original plastic bags into jars, which should be as airtight as you can find. I personally got a bunch of random jars at craft stores and places like Target, and store my herbs there, as well as in containers I just saved along the way, such as jars that used to hold instant coffee or peanut butter. If you’re potioneering plans involve making anything that you’ll save for later (an oil for later use, a salve, etc), you will need to have storage for it, too. I keep a small selection of bottles for this purpose, mostly purchased from the same herb stores where I get my essential oils and raw herbs. 

One note about that, though - while some of the jars I use to store my loose herbs have corks, I would never use a corked vial or bottle to store a finished tincture, salve, or other concoction, as most of the bottles you get that have corks are unlikely to be watertight and simply invite spoiling. Pretty much anything you make, though, will spoil eventually. There are methods (such as adding Vitamin E or buying a carrier oil that already has it in it) that will halt the process a bit, but nothing really has an indefinite shelf life. In particular, don’t expect to be able to keep a tea-like brew in your fridge for more than a few days without it going bad.

I personally recommend Mountain Rose Herbs for both dry herbs (in bulk) and essential oils, as well as carrier oils and many other products you might need for creating potions. Of course, there’s plenty to be had at most health food stores and even grocery stores, too. One thing I want to say about shopping for herbs is that it’s almost always best to buy loose herbs (say, mint, etc), instead of herbs already portioned into tea bags and labeled as a herbal tea. It’s much less expensive and generally gives you better quality because the herbs are fresher and, again, there’s less overhead. 

With loose herbs, you’re not paying for the cost of them being slapped into tea bags. I recommend getting some sort of tea ball or strainer if you want to do teas, and avoiding the cost of commercially-prepared tea bags. This is much more cost-effective in the long run. I cannot, obviously, cite prices everywhere, but as an example, here in Poland, a box of mint tea is roughly 9zl, whereas a slightly-greater amount of the actual herb, loose and without bags, is only 2.50zl. In the image below, you can see the strainer I currently use. I actually have a larger one for making teas for the household, but this one works very well for making strong brews for myself. I prefer strainers that allow the herbs to spread out in the water, so I rarely use things like tea balls.

When you’re ready to take the plunge and make your first potion, ask yourself what effect you would want it to have. I am a firm believer that, in witchcraft, form has a complex interdependent relationship with function, but that the latter should be considered first and foremost. While almost any form of potion can be designed to have any number of effects, I’ve personally found that certain forms are more suitable (from my perspective) for certain tasks. Oils, when used to anoint the body, go a long way towards changing how the user is perceived, and thus I tend to use them to help me put my best foot forward. Teas and concoctions that are consumed are great for altering your mindset and deep internal changes. The creation of waters, floor washes, and similar products are obviously best-suited to spells designed to affect an entire area, household, or everyone who will encounter the formula. These are just some general rules I use in my practice - you might experiment and find things work differently for you, but I thought I’d mention them nonetheless.

Regardless of what form your potion will take, please keep safety in mind at all times. You might read in some old manuscript that a certain herb helps with a certain purpose, but if we now, here in the 21st century, know that herb to be poisonous, you probably shouldn’t use it, or at least exercise extreme caution! Safety first at all times. Choose ingredients based on the magical associations you personally have for them, first and foremost, which may or may not be based on whatever tradition you’re working within. 

With the added safety precautions required of something to be consumed, worn, or doused about, the advice I give in my article on bottle spells for choosing ingredients mostly applies here, too, but there’s other issues to be considered, as well. If you’ve decided your spell will be a tea, you must concern yourself with how it will taste, and if the taste of the finished product lends itself to the goal in question. With an oil, you don’t want it spelling foul in most cases, so the harmony of scents, as well, must be considered. There’s actually a really good book out there, called Mixing Essential Oils for Magic, by Sandra Kynes, that, while also giving excellent traditional information on the correspondences of various flowers and herbs, also explains the theory behind perfumery and how to make blends that smell delicious.

Basically, when choosing ingredients for a potion of any sort, many factors should be bouncing around in your brain, and these include:

Safety (first and foremost!)

Scent/taste

Appearance

Traditional correspondences.

Personal correspondences

Safety (of utmost importance!)

Usually, when I’m making any sort of potion, I start by listing ingredients that are safe, appropriate to the form I’ve chosen, and associated in my mind with my goal or purpose. I then experiment a bit with them, mixing and matching until I’ve got something that works and fits with what I’m trying to do. For example, if I’m making a perfume oil for prosperity, I might begin by just setting out all the essential oils and herbs I currently have that I associate with prosperity, then make tiny batches mixing and matching until I get something that works scent-wise and in terms of general association, at which point, I’d make a larger batch. 

For teas, once you’ve factored in and taken proper safety precautions, a lot of it is simple trial and error. Some of my recipes are modifications of tea recipes I found online, having worked out the correspondences. Others are just things I’ve tried and found delicious and workable. I admit to using my fiancé to taste-test some of my infusions, too! This isn’t really an exact science, though there are aspects of science to it. If you’re being safe, don’t feel bad if you end up a few times with a concoction or scent you hate - just dust yourself off and try, try again. It took me forever, for example, to find that I hate the taste of lavender unless it’s combined with mint, and that, while I love eucalyptus as a scent, it lingers too much and is ill-suited to my preferences in terms of a floorwash or area cleanser.

One thing that bears mentioning, though, is that magick is not about following a recipe or even creating one, and in my experience, a tea or perfume will be just that (i.e., not a potion) until it is in some way magically empowered or enchanted. I’ve written an article about this, too, which you might want to read. Most witches realize the importance of intent and that strange factor that seems to separate the magical from the everyday, and I personally do go about enchanting each ingredient, whether it’s an oil or herb, that I add to a potion. I also, as I mentioned doing for spell bottles, add a final bit of enchantment to the finished product before using it, and with some things (oils, etc.,) I continually empower them with each use. This is one of those things that’s incredibly difficult to explain, though most people who do magick have a way of doing this that works for them, I’ve found.

Here, at the end of this very brief introduction, I’ll include links to potion recipes I’ve written and posted here. I’ll admit there’s only a few, and not all of them are meant for human consumption. As usual, use caution and do research before mixing up something from an online recipe. Also, I’d like to include a link here to @honeycoyote​, a Tumblr user who’s blog features a wide array of tasty, tea-like potion recipes - check them out here. I’ve made quite a few of those and enjoyed them! Here’s my own small list of potion recipes I’ve posted:

Devotion Oil

Attraction Potion

Concealing Your Craft

Focus Enhancement

Blogging Potion

To Bring the Sun Inside

I also want to recommend the following books for those looking to learn more about potioneering and herbal alchemy! The following is just relevant bits posted from my masterpost of book recommendations, specifically the books focused on potioneering and alchemy, but they’re really quite useful.

The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook, by Karen Harrison. I cannot praise this book enough for its concise and well-formulated approach to astrology, herbs, and magick as a whole.

The Weiser Concise Guide to Herbal Magick, by Judith Hawkins-Tillirson. This is excellent for anyone who’s interested in any kind of magick. Yes, the focus is generally herbs, but there’s a lot to be learned here about Kabbalah and other correspondence systems, as well.

Real Alchemy, by Robert Allen Bartlett. Excellent book, lots of history and detail. There’s a strong focus on tradition within the text, yet the author is quite accommodating of his audience and describes alternate methods that work better in a modern context.

Spagyrics, by Manfred M. Junius. With a highly-developed academic tone and attention to detail, this book is a meaty look at traditional alchemy. I recommend this more for intermediate practitioners due to the sheer density of information.

Mixing Essential Oils for Magic, by Sandra Kynes. Fills a very difficult gap in published knowledge regarding the use of essential oils by discussing, in great detail, how scents interact with each other and how to create a formula that’s not only palatable, but evocative.

I hope this article was useful and interesting. It’s meant to just be a short introduction to the concept of potions rather than a full guide. I’ve got plans for more potion-related articles and writing, and if there’s something in particular you’d like to see, don’t hesitate to contact me. Also, if you enjoy my work, consider offering support to help fund future endeavors. Thanks for reading! 

A Simple Bind To Shut Someone Up

For when you want someone to quit talking shit.

Procedure:

Take a piece of paper and draw a tongue (a horseshoe shape with a line going down the middle) then draw a large X through it.

Write beneath the drawing “You will hold your tongue.”

Fold the piece of paper over and glue it shut, or take a safety pin and pin it closed.

Slip this into a jar with a layer of black salt (or mud) at the bottom of it. Seal the jar and store in a place that light will not reach it.

* I did this simple binding when a manager would not lay off my ass and it worked fairly well for me. Happy binding!

Historically Accurate Offerings to the Theoi

Zeus

Oak

Carnations

Olive branches

Styrax incense

Eagle, bull, swan images

Hera

Lilies

Peacock feathers or images

Pomegranate

Incenses

Cuckoo images

Athena

Olive branch/oil/fruit

Weavings

Myrrh incense

Perfume

Owl images

Apollon

Laurel

Red roses, sunflowers

Frankincense (manna) incense

Palm tree

Raven, swan, wolf, mouse, dolphin images

Artemis

Cedar, palm and cypress trees

Tokens of deer

Jasmine

Myrtle, white flowers

Frankincense (manna) incense

Amaranthus

Peanut

Wormwood

Deer, dog, bear, partidge, quail images

Hestia

Incenses

Chaste-tree

Pig images

Poseidon

Sea anemone

Myrrh incense

Pine

Bull, dolphin, horse images

Dionysos

Ivy

Grape vine

Pine

Styrax incense

Leopard, panther, donkey, bull images

Hermes

Tongue-shaped tokens

Rosemary, saffron

Almond tree and pine tree

Frankincense and styrax incense

Mint (for Kthonios epithet)

Cow, ram, hawk, turtle, hare images

Wild strawberry (purslane)

Ares

Bronze weapons

Frankincense (manna) incense

Swan, vulture, dragon/poisonous snake, owl images

Aphrodite

Roses, myrtle, anemone (poppy)

Quince

Apple, pomegranate

Perfumes and fragrances as incense

Dove, goose, sparrow, turtle images

Hephaistos

Daisies

Frankincense (manna) incense

Donkey, dog, crane images

Asklepios

Frankincense (manna) incense

Bread

Serpent, dog, goose, rooster images

Pan

Pine, beech trees

Fern

Wild flowers

Herbs burnt as incense and the smell of perfumes

Reeds

Goat, turtle images

Demeter

Poppy

Tokens of pigs

Styrax incense

Mint (for Kthonia epithet)

Wheat

Dove, bee, pig images

Persephone

Asphodel

Wheat

Hades

Pitchfork

Pomegranate

Daffodil

Styrax incense

Dried laurel leaves

Poplar, cypress trees

Mint

Daffodil

Hekate

Saffron

Rosemary

Garlic

Red Mullet

Amphiphon (candy)

Styrax incense

Dry laurel leaves

Oak

Ferret, dog, bull, lioness images

Source: LABRYS’ Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship and Theoi.com

Hellenic Polytheism 101-Eusebia and Kharis

Eusebia and Kharis are important factors for building and maintaining a relationship with the theoi. A lot of us are practicing Eusebia and Kharis without necessarily being aware of those words and what they mean even. Eusebia and Kharis are two concepts that can be difficult to define and pin down. I’m sure other people have different takes on the two practices, but I’m goign to talk about how I define them, and what they mean for my practice. Hopefully this is useful to some folks :)

Keep reading

Name Numerology

Every letter of the alphabet matches a number from 1-9. The number can be calculated by the digit sum equaling the place of the letter in the alphabet. E.g. ‘K’ is the 11th letter, the digit sum of 11 is 2, so ‘K’ equals the number of 2.

Alphabetical number table:

1      A      J      S

2      B      K      T

3      C      L      U

4      D      M     V

5      E      N      W

6      F      O      X

7      G      P      Y

8      H      Q      Z

9       I       R

For the calculation of your Name, Personality and Heart number use your complete name(s) with first, middle and last names as it is written on your birth certificate! (This will bring the most accurate results.)

Here’s an example of how to calculate the Name number:

                          J   E   F   F   R   E   Y         L   E   B   O   W   S   K   I

                          1   5   6   6    9   5   7         3   5   2   6    5    1   2  9

add together                     39                                          33

build digit sum                3+9=12                                 3+3=6

                                       1+2= 3                                  stays 6

add together                                           3+6=9

NAME NUMBER IS                                     9

What your Name number indicates:

(1)    A leadership personality with frontier spirit, strength, independence and determination.

(2)    A diplomat and peacemaker who is sensitive towards the own and other people’s emotions.

(3)    A master of words, always appearing to be youthful who is able to do many things at once and who becomes more self-confident in the process of getting older.

(4)    A practical person who works hard, is patient and possesses a sense of detail.

(5)    A freedom-loving traveller who appreciates diversity and change and who is able to do many things at once.

(6)    A harmonious person who loves a peaceful home, family and all things beautiful and who is responsible as well.

(7)    An analyst who is wise to use his time for reading and writing and moreover doesn’t miss the forest despite of all the trees.

(8)    An organiser who gains power and success when being in charge of one’s own fate.

(9)    A true humanist who loves art, music or voyages. You give generously and need recognition.

For calculating your Personality number you do the same as above only using the consonants of your name(s).

E.g.  J E F F R E Y     L E B O W S K I  —  J F F R Y    L B W K S                       Personality number: 6

Your Personality number indicates that the people surrounding you see you as:

(1)    daring, independent, original, strong-willed, competitive

(2)    receptive, sensitive, empathetic, cooperative, diplomatic

(3)    friendly, optimistic, eloquent, happy-go-lucky, entertaining

(4)    disciplined, practical, hardworking, reliable, loyal

(5)    astute, versatile, active, adventurous, modern

(6)    affectionate, adaptable, helpful, responsible, fair

(7)    restrained, self-confident, critical, analytical, trust-worthy

(8)    modest, disciplined, efficient, powerful, successful

(9)    gentle, generous, helpful, tolerant, influential

For calculating your Heart number you do the same as above only using the vowels of your name(s).

E.g.   J E F F R E Y     L E B O W S K I   —   E E     E O I   —   Heart number: 3

Your Heart number indicates that your deepest inner feelings, wishes and skills motivate you to:

(1)    use your own ideas to lead and guide others exemplary.

(2)    collaborate with others and to use your sensitivity and diplomatic skills to be a joy to the people around you.

(3)    express your optimism and creativity.

(4)    bring sacrifices to reach tangible results for all your hands-on plans.

(5)    seek adventures and to live life on the fast lane.

(6)    create harmony and a peaceful atmosphere.

(7)    spend time alone seeking for the truth and to reflect on the meaning of life.

(8)    take things in your own hands and to use your energy to gain money, power and success.

(9)    use your knowledge and compassion for the benefit of others.

Zeus/Jupiter

worship/correspondences masterpost part i

***DO NOT REPOST!!! reblogging is fine and encouraged!!!!***

(find part ii here)

Zeus (Roman: Jupiter) is the Greek god of the sky, weather, thunder, lightning, rain, strangers, hospitality, and kingship. He is the king of the Olympians, the eldest son of Kronos (Cronus), and is said to be the sender of dreams.

—————

Miscellaneous & Random

astrological associations: Sagittarius, Pisces

day: Thursday

elements: air, fire

gender association: male

health/body associations: blood, liver, pituitary gland

numerology: 1, 4

planet: Jupiter

tarot associations: The Emporer, The Wheel of Fortune, swords, wands

—————

Animals

bull, birds (especially eagles, hawks, and other birds of prey), cows, goats, sheep, unicorns

—————

Colors

sacred candle color: gold

universal colors: blue, green, gold, purple, violet, white, yellow

personal associations: grey, dark red/maroon, olive green

—————

Epithets & Cult Titles

Transliteration// Greek // Translation (personal favorites)

Amboulios // Αμβουλιος // counselor

Apêmios // Απημιος // averted of ills

Aphesios // Αφεσιος // releasing (rain)

Areios // Αρειος // of war, warlike

Astrapaios // Αστραπαιος // of the lightning

Basileus // Βασιλευς // king, chief, ruler

Boulaios // Βουλαιος // of the council

Eleutherios // Ελυθεριος // of freedom

Epidôtês // Επιδωτης // giver of good

Euênemos // Ευηνεμος // of fair winds

Herkeios // Έρκειος // of the courtyard

Hikesios // Ίκεσιος // of supplies

Hyetios // Ύετιος // of the rain

Hypatos // Ύπατος // supreme, most high

Hypsistos // ‘Υψιστος // supreme, most high

Ikmaios // Ικμαιος // of moisture

Kataibatês // Καταιβατης // descending

Katharsios // Καθαρσιος // of ritual purification

Keraunios // Κεραυνιος // of the thunderbolt

Khrysaoreus // Χρυσαοπεθς // of the golden sword

Klarios // Κλαριος // of the lots

Konios // Κοινιος // of the dust

Koryphaios // Κορυφαιος // chief, leader

Kosmêtês // Κοσμητης // orderer

Ktêsios // Κτησιος // of the house, property

Labrandeus // Λαβρανδευς // furious, raging

Laoitês // Λαοιτης // of the people

Limenoskopos // Λιμενοσκοπος // watcher of sea-havens

Maimaktês // Μαιμακτης // boisterous

Meilikhios // Μειλιχιος // gracious, merciful

Mêkhaneus // Μηχανευς // contriver

Moiragetês // Μοιραγετης // leader of the Fates

Ombrios // Ομβριος // of the rain

Palamnaios // Παλαμναιος // (punisher) of murderers

Panellênios // Πανελληνιος // of all the Greeks

Philios // Φιλιος // of friendships

Phyxios // Φυξιος // of refuge

Phyxios // Φυξιος // banishing, puts to fight

Plousios // Πλουσιος // giver of wealth

Poleius // Πολειυς // of the city-state

Prostropaios // Προστροπαιος // turner of pollution

Sêmaleos // Σημαλεος // giver of signs

Skotitas // Σκοτιτας // dark, murky

Sôsipolis // Σωσιπολις // city-savior, savior of cities

Sôtêr // Σωτηρ // savior, deliverer

Sthenios // Σθενιος // of strength, strong

Stratios // Στατιος // of war, warlike

Teleios // Τελειος // of marriage rites

Theos Agathos // Θεος Αγαθος // the good god

Tropaios // Τροπαιος // defeating, turning to fight

Xenios // Ξενιος // of hospitality and strangers

—————

Food/Drink

(note: more will be included/repeated in the plant/herb section of part ii)

almond, apple, artichoke, honey, globe artichoke, grape, milk, meats, olive

—————

Magickal Correspondences

Abundance, authority, career advancement, career growth, expansion, fatherhood, fatherly traits, growth, influence, increasing personality, leadership, legal matters, politics, self-awareness, self-confidence, stability, success

—————

Minerals & Crystals

name- correspondences

Amethyst- celibacy, piety, sobriety, luck, marital fidelity, protection, cleansing

Aventurine (Green)- luck, confidence, creativity, prosperity, imagination

Diamond- protection against insanity, wealthiess, leadership

Emerald- banishment, psychic protection, protection from nightmares and violence

Gold- energy, luck, wealthiness, leadership, prosperity, success, enlightenment

Lapis Lazuli- spiritual love, fidelity, relief from depression, psychic awareness, intuition

Lepidolite- peace, communication, serenity, objectivity, new beginnings

Sapphire- balance, love, peace, healing, fertility, self-discipline, overcoming depression

Sugalite- protection, purification, growth, balancing, forgiveness, friendship, eloquence

Tin- luck, expanding horizons, divination, prosperity, business success

—————

(find part ii here)

Candle Color Correspondence 🕯🔮

🕯RED: Binding, Courage, Strength, Lust, Magnetism, Competitiveness, Fertility, Health, Attraction, Protection Magick, Conflict, Dispelling Anger & Hate.

🕯PINK: Emotional Healing, Spiritual Healing, Love, Friendship, Compassion, Protection if Children, Affection.

🕯ORANGE: Luck, Strength, Power, Attracting Luck, Creativity, Success, Professional Growth, Justice, Energy, Happiness, Ambition.

🕯YELLOW: Clairvoyance, Communication, Action, Inspiration, Psychic Power, Memory, Divination, Confidence, Imagination, Wisdom, The Sun.

🕯GREEN: Mother Earth, Balance, Growth, Wealth, Money, Health, Dispelling Envy & Jealously, Dispelling Greed, Beauty, Abundance, Luck, Harmony, Fertility.

🕯BLUE: Communication, Inspiration, Harmony, Occult Wisdom, Forgiveness, Fidelity, Focus, Protection, Truth, Loyalty, Banishing Anger.

🕯PURPLE: 3rd Eye, Psychic Power, Spirituality, Confidence, Success, Divination, Contacting Spirits, Increase of Willpower & Inner Strength, Independence, Spiritual Guidance, Protection.

🕯WHITE: Peace, Truth, Purification, Protection, Spirituality, Positive Outcome, Happiness, Moon Magick, Cleansing, Balance.

WHITE CAN BE USED IN PLACE OF ALL COLORS DURING SPELLS AND RITUALS

🕯BLACK: Binding, Dispelling, Reversing of Spells Hexes and Curses, Destruction of Evil & Negative, Habit Breaking, Grounding & Protecting, Repelling Spells.

🕯BROWN: Friendship & Balance, Intuition, Concentration, Animal & Earth Magick, Healing, Locating lost objects, Blessing of a Home.

🕯INDIGO: Balance restoring, Spell Blocking, Creating Balance, Karma.

🕯GOLD: Divination, Luck, Money, Success, Wealth, Sun Worship

Yule Resource Masterpost

A collection of categorized links for your Yule needs! What is Yule? [X] Yule is celebrated on slightly different days depending on who you ask, but the broad spectrum is: December 20th to January 1st.

 The basics:

Elements, foods, crystals and more! / Yule correspondences

Celebrating Yule

Yule: A very merry sabbat

Yule - ‘tis the season

Yule practices

50 Yuleisms

Yule Crafts:

Yule potpourri recipe

Witch balls / more witch balls

A twelve-herb sachet for Yule

Mini herb wreaths

Yule log

Yule craft ideas

Pine protection balm

Dried orange slices

Yule Recipes:

Herbal shortbread

Bread dipping oil

Chocolate yule log

Yuletide muesli

Yule tea

Yule Punch

Non-alcoholic mulled wine

Winter sabbat wine

Yule Spells:

Merry Yule jar spell / Let it snow! jar spell

Yule bath spell

Blessed Yule - For a positive holiday season

Spell for a happy family gathering

Happiness sachet for winter

Holiday home blessings

Bringing in the season

Yule Tarot Spreads:

Yule spread (3 card)

Tarot spread for Yule (3 card)

Winter solstice spread (3 card)

Yule reflection + advice spread (5 card)

A Yuletime tarot spread (6 card)

Other:

Music ideas / Yule playlist / Winter witch playlist

Altar/celebration ideas / Yule altar guide

Yule plants / Mistletoe Lore

Yule oils/incense / Yule incense

Emoji spell for a merry Yule

Spell ideas for the holidays

Okay but if you’re tired or need vitamins, I bought these and they’re saving my life so far. They’re great but they’re sorta as big (if not bigger) than your thumbs nail and they’re healthy. I take them whenever I’m tired or when I’m doing hw late at night and they boost my energy for like another 3 hours at night which is great! And I sometimes take them in the morning and I’m energetic the whole school day! Really recommend 10/10

Landslide by Fleetwood Mac except it’s playing through your car’s old radio cassette player as you drive alone through the desert at night. As far as you can tell, the nearest human life has got to be wherever that distant thunder is rolling in.

requested by @kawaiidesuyolo

Tasseomancy: The Reading of Tea Leaves

a divination or fortune-telling method that interprets patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments.

The terms derive from the French word tasse (cup), which in turn derives from the cognate Arabic word tassa, and the Greek suffixes -graph (writing), -logy (study of), and -mancy (divination).

Divination attempts to gain insight into the natural world through intuitive interpretation of synchronistic events.

Was It A Sign?

Well, maybe. Maybe not. Here are some little things that may help you figure out if it was really a grand message or not! The more of these you have, the more likely it is.

🦉It’s unusual. Let’s say you saw a deer. Sweet! That’s cool, but if you live in a wooded area and deer are really common, it’s really not that profound. It could be a message, or it could just be a deer.

🦉You asked for a sign. If you asked the universe or a certain deity for a sign, perhaps this is the follow through! For this type of thing, it’s usually good to ask for something specific enough that you couldn’t expect it every day, but not so much that it’s impossible. (My go to is a rose or a purple feather.) That way, you know that X thing is your sign without worrying too hard about it!

🦉It felt… different. Maybe the event isn’t terribly wild on its own, but it just really hit you, or the feeling was incredibly profound. Especially after doing research, and seeing how many things are symbols, your brain will make connections really quickly. That means sometimes we make something out of nothing. A strong emotional response is a good sign of a sign.

🦉It immediately felt like a sign. Let’s say you see a rainbow, and it’s really pretty. You enjoy it for a few minutes then go back inside. Later, you think, “Hm, that could have been a sign.” Maybe. But it also could be your brain going hey, I know things associated with rainbows! (In my opinion, this is the most important one. I feel like if you have to wonder if it was a sign, it wasn’t a sign. You might not know what it’s a sign of, but you will know it’s a sign. That’s just my UPG, though.)

🦉Any post-research lines up. If you get a neat vision and run the details through Google, you may find details that line up with certain lore. Maybe you knew this before, maybe not. If you didn’t, and connections keep happening with surprising accuracy, it’s a pretty good indicator!

🦉Think of why you want it to be a sign, if you do. There’s a big narrative that everybody involved in magic, Paganism, etc. is constantly having these profound religious experiences. This simply isn’t true. There’s no shame in wanting a story to share, or to feel special, or to “fit in” by getting signs from the universe. Sometimes we want signs for the sake of receiving signs, so if you’re trying to manufacture them by pulling on every little thing, you’re distracting yourself from enjoying the world exactly how it is. Don’t worry about signs and enjoy yourself. Animals and rainbows and all that are still pretty great even if every little thing doesn’t have a personal meaning.

Better get your kids vaccinated so they don't catch

these hands

Why Aren’t my Spells Working?

A break-down of why your magickal intent may not be taking effect in your life

Hi there! So, if you’re reading this, you’ve probably had this problem at one time or another; in fact, almost all witches experience a ‘fizzled’ spell every once in awhile… but what happens when you’ve been casting multiple, and they all just won’t take? Here are some reasons why this could be happening:

⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜⧜

The spell was not transferred enough energy to take effect. Think of this as filling up a balloon with helium ~ If you don’t put enough in, the balloon with just roll around or float a few inches above the floor, rather than floating high in the air like you intended for it to do. This can also happen with spells! There needs to be enough energy transfer (The energy you put in, the energy you’ve taken from something/someone else, etc.) to allow the spell to ‘take hold’ and manifest strongly and in the way you preferred. 

You’re not helping the magick along when it requires you to do so. For many spells, such as magick geared towards jobs, people, physical events, etc. there needs to be more than just one magickal variable working towards your intent to manifest. You need to work for it; If you cast a spell for a job, you also better be turning in that application and resume along with it ~! A spell can increase your chance, luck, and appeal, but it cannot contact your employer and set up an interview. 

(A break-off from the above reason) Your conditions just don’t allow the magick to materialize easily. This is the most possible to happen in weather spells, such as those to bring heavy rain to a dry climate area, or magick for something that your life/area just cannot manifest. For example, imagine somebody trying to cast a spell to ‘make one of their friends fall in love with them’ whilst having not a single friend in their life; the spell is incapable of materializing, because their are no variables for it to work with! It is a sad thing to think about, certainly, but this example shows how casting a spell that is wrong for your life situation can cause it to work improperly or not at all. (Tip: This person should have cast a spell for new friends first! This also shows how you may be casting spells that are wrong for the situation) 

Your wording was not the best. Similar to how people will often word things in a positive or future-tense manner (EX: ‘I AM BRAVE’ / rather than ‘I WILL BE BRAVE’) during spellwork or how in some fairytales the genie will grant a wish in a horrible way according to the wording of a wish, you must be careful to be clear and concise in what you’re wanting! Stay away from vague or general wording; You’ll wish you had when you try to cast a spell for a person to love you romantically, and later find that they love you like a sibling or best friend ~ 

You forgot to/incorrectly grounded after a spell. Grounding is not only important to maintain your own energies, but it is also a good tool for assuring that the energies of your spell don’t simply go on floating ‘up in the clouds’, failing to come down to earth and manifest! Grounding after a spell also increases the chances that it will work faster. 

Your focus/energy was off during the spell. Common for those with a low rate of focus, who’s mind wanders easily, or with low/confidence and doubt (which can especially put off your energies) you might have broken the intent of the spell while casting it. Not to worry, for spells can be re-cast and focus can be sharpened, but be sure to have a strong mind when performing visualization or transferring your intent into a spell! This can lead to a spell manifesting in a different way than you intended (which may not always be a bad thing) or just all-together not working.

(For people-directed magick) The person on the other end of your spell has a protection ward. If you’re simply trying as hard as you can to curse, heal, bless, cast upon another witch without their knowledge, there’s a chance that they have up some magickal barriers of their own. Be cautious with curses on other witches especially, since there are wards to reflect curses back upon the sender, and you never know! This can also be so if you are casting magick upon somebody to improve an aspect of their life; they may unknowingly be mentally/spiritually guarding, or ‘closing’ their energy, making it difficult for the magick to attach to them. 

Further tip: Have patience! Some spells take a while to manifest or come to be, and if you’re becoming discouraged after them not working within a week, you need to have a bit of patience.

Keep in mind that these are things anybody can do without knowing; they do not at all make you a bad or incapable witch, but it is important to know and accept why they may not be working. I hope for those that experience it, these reasons can provide some insight ~ This post was inspired by all of the anons who have been asking this question frequently

Send me a message if you have any questions or comments ♡ Thank you!

~Rainy

🌿💐BIG WITCHY GUIDE ON HERBS AND FLOWERS💐🌿

Acacia: Protection, Psychic Powers, Money and Love Spells Adam & Eve Roots : Love, Happiness Adders Tongue : Healing African Violet : Spirituality, Protection Agaric : Fertility Agrimony : Protection, Sleep Ague Root : Protection Alfalfa : Prosperity, Anti-Hunger, Money Alkanet : Purification, Prosperity Allspice : Money, Luck, Healing Almond : Money, Prosperity, Wisdom Aloe : Protection, Luck Aloes, Wood : Love, Spirituality Althea : Protection, Psychic Powers Alyssum : Protection, Moderating Anger Amaranth : Healing Heartbreak, Protection, Invisibility, Anemone : Health, Protection, Healing Angelica : Exorcism, Protection, Healing, Visions Anise : Protection, Purification, Youth Apple : Love, Healing, Garden Magic, Immortality Apricot : Love Arabic Gum : Spirituality, Purify Negativity and Evil Arbutus : Exorcism, Protection Asafoetida : Exorcism, Purification, Protection Ash : Protection, Prosperity, Sea Rituals, Health Aspen : Eloquence, Anti-Theft Aster : Love Avens : Exorcism, Purification, Love Avocado : Love, Lust, Beauty

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Pastel Daydreams

Store | Instagram

doses_of_style

Ghibli Music for Studying

(All link to YouTube)

24 minutes - harp music

30 minutes - cello music

36 minutes - slow compilation

1 hour 32 minutes - slow piano, some ghibli themes.

1 hour 33 minutes - pace varies, good for cleaning the house too.

1 hour 36 minutes - slow piano, sometimes a bit more upbeat.

1 hour 49 minutes - Ghibli music with fire crackling in the background

1 hour 52 minutes - slow piano.

2 hours 22 minutes - slow piano.

3 hours 32 minutes - Ghibli Jazz (cover)

+A different post on Ghibli playlists <3

Creating a Day Worth Living

1. Get up early

2. Express gratitude for what you have

3. Do something productive

4. Do something fun

5. Do something for someone else

6. Get some sunlight

7. Exercise – it doesn’t matter what – just do some exercise

8. Put a smile in someone’s face

9. Express gratitude or compliment someone

10. Learn or do something new.

Source: cornercanyoncounseling.com

Here’s something else I made, Reblog if you are anti maps

Click here to support Please help me pay my cat's surgery organized by Zoey Reeves

Hello, my name's Zoey and my cat's name is Leia. She's a 1 1/2 year old Siamese mix and she means the absolute world to me. I can't imagine my life without her, which is why I need help to keep her happy and healthy. She's recently become really ill with ringworm and also needs to be spayed, bu...

If anyone could donate to help me pay for my cat’s treatments and surgery, it would be greatly appreciated! I’m desperate as I’ve just lost my job and need what little money I can to pay my rent and other utilities. If anyone could spare any money, I can’t tell you how much that would mean to me. 

If you can’t donate, please share this post! Everything and anything helps. Thank you so, so much for reading this. 

If you want my Paypal instead, please message me!

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avengers + text post meme

Excerpts from the Ben & Jerry’s erotica: “Interpersonal Creameries“

“Oh Ben, I’ve read the Karamel Sutra and thought I’d prepared for everything, but when you unzipped your pants and showed me that Chunky Monkey, I realized I’d never seen such a Vermonster!”

“In a frenzy of ecstasy, Ben shouted ‘Jamaican Me Crazy’ as he climaxed. Jerry sighed with satisfaction at the feeling of fullness from his Late Night Snack. They lay there for a while, just breathing. Then, some time later, Ben grunted and reluctantly withdrew his Berried Treasure from his Chubby Hubby.”

“’…maybe I can have S’mores?’ Jerry’s pleading always helped Ben’s Cannoli swell with ruthless turgidity. ‘Maybe,’ teased Ben. ‘But only after you’ve had a go at these Schweddy Balls.’”

“Ben was poised over Jerry’s Cinnamon Buns as his lover whimpered and wiggled. ‘Please,’ he begged. Ben oozed a dollop of Vanilla on Jerry’s back. ‘Do you want it all?,’ whispered Ben. Jerry smiled. ‘Everything But The…’”

i’m pretty sure this twitter account is how sexting works in night vale

The story my grandfather told about why he got sent home from Vietnam might be the worst fucking thing I’ve ever heard.

I’m sharing the story because I was forced to sit through it during New Year’s Eve dinner and I’m so freaked out and god damn itchy that I need to get it out of my system. I’m sure some of you are going to breeze on by this little tantrum here and go right to the meat of the story because you’re thinking, “hey, I’ve got a strong stomach.” Well, go for it.

Boring stuff out of the way: he was drafted, and since he was short and skinny, he was a perfect tunnel rat. Those were the guys who wriggled their way through the ridiculously narrow tunnels the Viet Cong used to transport personnel and weapons, set boobytraps, and all that. And when I say narrow, I mean narrow. Here’s a pic.

So, gramps was wriggling around in a tunnel one day and a few bad things happened. First, the two other people with him got killed by a solitary VC while they were standing around the hole. Being a few feet underground and about twenty feet through meant grandpa couldn’t see who attacked them or know if anyone survived. He later learned he was the only one left alive, but he assumed the VC attacker would soon start throwing grenades into the tunnel and he’d be done for. After a few minutes with no sign of any incoming attack, grandpa breathed a sigh of relief and starting moving forward again. A little while later, though, it starting pouring rain. The tunnel began to fill with water.

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9 Ways To Communicate About Relationship Problems…Without Making Things Worse.

One of the biggest pitfalls in any relationship is getting caught in the trap of needing to be right. Inevitably the two (or more) people in the relationship come across things they disagree on; stumbling blocks that put the relationship in jeopardy. If you don’t know how to communicate when you come across these blocks, or if you find yourself not understanding each other, you end up with a mess. You two might start resenting each other, or you might start arguing even more. And if you’re already struggling with disagreements, fighting more could be the final nail in the coffin. Avoid this weird, complicated process by taking care of yourself and your partner, and making sure you two are on the same page.

1. Utilize “I feel” Statements

If you speak from a place of personal experience, there’s less of a chance for someone’s defense mechanisms to come into play. Many times in arguments and disagreements it’s these defense mechanisms that cause the most harm. People get angry, sad, and they no longer think clearly. By making sure you’re talking about your experience and what you feel, you’ll……

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