Basil - Magical Uses

Witchcraft 102 Masterpost

So. You’ve covered the basics. You know what every kind of ritual tool does, you understand all the terms that seemed alien to you before and you think you’re finally starting to get a feel for this witchcraft thing. You’re not a baby witch anymore, but… where to from here? Making the move from beginner witch to intermediate witch is a lot more difficult than it seems, purely because resources aimed at intermediate witchcraft are few and far between. But there’s a good reason for that.

There are general rules and ideas that can be applied across all of witchcraft. There’s so much to learn from other witches, but your greatest teacher will always be yourself. There is a reason witchcraft is so customisable to the individual: some things just work better for certain people. Not to mention pretty much every magick practice in history was developed by witches using their intuition! Because of this, it’s hard to create resources that tell somehow how to go from a beginner to an intermediate. However, they do exist! You’ll just find that most of them will act as prompts or scaffolds. They’ll instruct you on how to figure things out for yourself.

This next stage of your craft will involve a lot of introspection, and a lot of trusting your gut. It’s the reason you learnt all that baby witch stuff in the first place. This is where most of the personal growth happens. It can be scary, but it’ll also be magical. It’ll be a while before you actually qualify as an ‘intermediate witch’, and there’s no shame in that. The process of moving from beginner to intermediate is one that can take years, simply because witchcraft is such a deep and complex art. I myself definitely wouldn’t identify as a baby witch, but I’m still a beginner in many aspects despite having been a witch for years.

Without further ado, I present to you witchcraft 102.

GENERAL

The Problem with Sharing Advanced Magic

Using Tumblr as a Resource

How to Stop Being a Beginner Witch

How to Deepen Your Craft

Developing Your Craft Beyond Tumblr

Creating a Spiritual Calendar

SOAP Journaling: a Devotional Framework

Devotional Journal (for deity worship)

Questions for a Deeper Spiritual Practice

ORGANISATION

When reading through information, I recommend taking notes on the content, as well as your thoughts on it. Do you notice any connections to other texts or ideas? Do you have any questions you’d like to follow up? This will not only help you remember the information, but encourage you to look at it critically and see the bigger picture. Here is an example of my personal note-taking scaffold which includes some of the notes I took a while ago. I adapted it from the Cornell notes system based on my personal needs.

At TechnoCoven, a recent online witchcraft convention, there was an hour-long panel about planning in witchcraft called Spirit Papers. Here is a link to the recording. It goes over different organisation systems, notebooks, etc.

Why you should cite sources

How to cite sources

What is an annotated bibliography?

I would highly recommend setting aside a specific time every day to study witchcraft. This way, you will be improving your craft every day. Even if you only set aside half an hour, you will be doing three and a half hours of study a week. An hour a day totals to seven hours a week. If you can’t find a specific time every day, then find a specific time every week. 6pm-8pm on Tuesday and Saturday, for example, or reserve all of Sunday afternoon. This structure obviously isn’t compulsory, but with it you will advance at a much quicker pace and probably find your craft more fulfilling.

You should definitely have a grimoire already, but if you don’t, get one. It can be on paper or online, if you’d prefer. OneNote, Evernote, Microsoft Word and Google Docs are all viable digital options. You probably have lots of loose information lying around, whether its physical, in note form or on your Tumblr blog. Categorise it and order it. Then go through it. Document the important and useful parts in your grimoire.

READING

Elemental Magick in Science

Elemental Systems

The Darker Elements

History of Magick Part 1

History of Magick Part 2

History of Magick Part 3

History of Magick Part 4

How Location and History Affect Spiritual Practices

Botanical Medicine for Women’s Health (ebook)

TAROT

Stop Learning Tarot Like Flash Cards

Learning the Major Arcana

Learning the Court Cards

Reading Tarot Cards Vertically

Reading Reversed Cards

How to Take Notes on a (New) Tarot Deck

Understanding Yourself Tarot Mega-Spread

Conceptions of the Self Through Spreads

Shadow February Divination Challenge

Daily Tarot Journal Printable

SHADOW WORK

Introduction to Shadow Work

6 Phrases for Shadow Work

Safety Planning (good to have one of these if you’re doing shadow work and have a mental illness)

Shadow Working with Stuck Points

Shadow Work with Hillbillyoracle (pt. 1)

Shadow Work with Hillbillyoracle (pt. 2)

Hillbillyoracle’s Personal Shadow Work Framework

RESEARCH

Good Things to Research When You Don’t Know What to Research

Areas of Research for the Intermediate Witch

Masterlist of Journals, Articles & Books on Folklore, Mythology and the Occult

Index of Old Grimoires

Working with Plants

Tips on How to Google Correspondences

The Cornell University Library Witchcraft Collection

Sacred Text Archive

Bocastle Museum of Witchcraft

Occult Library

Hermetics Library

Project Gutenberg Paganism Bookshelf

Legal Free Ebooks Masterpost

Good Pagan & Wiccan Publishers

How to Get Use Out of Older Texts

Finding Experienced Witches

PRACTICE

What to Do When You Fall out of Practice

Making Your Own Correspondences

Pendulum Dowsing for Correspondences

2019 Grimoire Challenge (a year of grimoire prompts)

Stones for Advanced Practitioners

On Tools and Psychodrama

A Way to Astral Project

Energy Alignment Identification

Magic in the Body

Spell Circles

Irish Concept of “On the Breath”

Sky Catch

Verbal Sigils

PODCASTS

Tea With the Gods

The Hillbilly Oracle

Hex Positive

The History of Witchcraft

The Empowered Modern Witches Show

Academy of Affluence

TESTIMONIALS

A Samhain Fairytale

Foundations of Diywitchery’s Practice

Godphoning

Devotional activities

GET OFF TUMBLR (AKA GET SOME VARIETY IN YOUR SOURCES) I’ve got some examples listed here but there are definitely more out there!

Bree NicGarran’s Blog

Luna Luna Magazine (Blog)

Witchy Words (Blog)

Mumble & Things (Blog)

Down the Forest Path (Blog)

The Travelling Witch (Blog)

Prisoner’s Apothecary (Blog)

Harmony Nice (Youtube)

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

6 Books for Advancing Your Craft

Hellenic Polytheism Books

Walker Between Worlds by Robert Kirk (I haven’t read it so I can’t vouch for its quality but I’ve heard its a valuable resources for those wanting to learn about the fae)

The Study of Witchcraft: A Guidebook to Advanced Wicca by Deborah Lipp (I will link to my book review here; this book is essentially a study guide)

Evolution of Goddess by Emma Mildon (book recommendation) (especially good if you are looking to find a deity but are unsure of where to start)

The Occult, Witchcraft & Magic: An Illustrated History by Christopher Dell (a fantastic starting place for looking into occult history)

Perfect Bread:

I absolutely love this recipe! The bread is soft, and is perfect for sandwiches, French toast, and pretty much everything you can think of. I don’t want to buy bread from the store ever again!

6 Cups all-purpose flour

2 ½ Cups very warm water

2 Tbsp. Active dry yeast

2 Tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Butter

Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar and let sit until the surface is foamy (If it’s doesn’t foam, the yeast doesn’t work).

When yeast is activated, add 3 cups of the flour, the salt, and the butter. Mix until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes.

Once mixture is smooth, add the remaining 3 cups of flour. I recommend folding the flour in until fairly combined before kneading.

Once combined, knead dough for 6-8 minutes in a stand mixer, or 8-10 minutes by hand.

Form dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap or a cloth, and let rise for 45 minutes.

Cut dough into 2-3 equal pieces and place into a buttered bread pan, and brush melted butter (or olive oil). Allow to rise in the loaf pans for an additional 10-15 minutes. (🍞 Tip: Use a small knife to make a slit longways across the bread to prevent splitting along the side of the bread.)

Bake bread in a 375°F oven for 30 minutes uncovered, and and additional 10 minutes covered in foil to prevent excess browning.

Makes 2-3 loaves of bread.

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beginner witch tings

m a s t e r p o s t 💫🔮🌙

wheel of the year/ sabbats (yule) (imbolc) (ostara) (beltane) (litha) (lammas) (mabon) (samhain) *

basics of sigil making (x) (x) (x)

intent/intention and why it’s so important

candles + color magick

beginner herbs and their correspondences 

book of shadows vs grimoire (how to begin)

grounding

beginner crystals and their correspondences

c l e a n s i n g (room) (crystals) 

random books i found (e-books) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

*i corrected the links

sketching some ideas 🌿

Deity Guide; Lugh

Sources:

Encyclopedia of Spirits; The Ultimate Guide to the magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses // Judika Illes

@skyewillow, Tumblr

☀️ Irish God of the Sun, Storms, the Harvest, Oaths, Kings and Justice

☀️ Patron of Kings, Artisans, Poets, Blacksmiths, Carpenters, Craftsmen, Poets, Physicians, Soldiers and Warriors

☀️ Also known as: Lug, Luc

☀️ Titles Include…

Lugh of the Long Arm

Shining One

Lamhfada

Lugh of Artful Hands

The Skilled God

Master of All Arts

Lugh, Lord of Craftsmanship, Light, Victory and War, is a master builder, harper, poet, warrior, sorcerer, metalworker, cupbearer and physician. It’s hard to envision anything that Lugh isn’t good at.

Lugh was venerated throughout the ancient Celtic world. At least fourteen European Cities are named for Lugh, including Laon, Leyden, Loudon and Lyon. Lyon’s old name was Lugdunum, meaning “Lugh’s Fort”. That city is believed to have been his cult center. Its coins bore the images of ravens, which may be a reference to Lugh. The Romans identified Lugh with Mercury. Many European churches dedicated to Michael the Archangel are believed to have been built over sites once dedicated to Lugh. Post-Christianity, many of Lugh’s sacred functions were reassigned to saints like Patrick and Luke.

Lugh apparently traveled westward through Europe. Irish and Welsh myths describe his first appearance in their pantheon. He is greeted with resistance from women in Wales. His first public act in Ireland is to join battle with the Tuatha Dé Danann (his father’s people) against the Fomorian, his mother’s people. Lugh chooses allegiance with his paternal line; the myth may be interpreted as indicating the beginnings of patriarchy in Ireland.

☀️ Manifestation: He is often described as shining, handsome, charming and witty. He has a silver tongue to match his skillful hands.

☀️ Consorts: Lugh has different consorts in different locations, but he was frequently linked to Rosmerta

☀️ Spirit Allies: Lugh shared the city of Lyon with Kybele, and Paris with Isis. In battle, Lugh used his own weapons, but also those belonging to Manannan.

☀️ Animals: Lion, Horse, Raven, Stag, Crow, Hound, Lynx

☀️ Trees: Apple, Oak, Hazelnut, Holly

☀️ Flowers: Marigold, Goldenrod, Sunflower, Carnation, Rose, Gorse

☀️ Herbs: Bay, Basil, Allspice, Rosemary, Cinnamon

☀️ Foods: Corn, Bread, Apple, Potato, Berries

☀️ Beverages: Wine, Mead, Apple Cider

☀️ Colors: Brown, Gold, Yellow, Green

☀️ Crystals: Citrine, Carnelian, Sunstone, Topaz, Quartz

☀️ Element: Air, Fire

☀️ Day: Sunday

☀️ Sabbat: Lughnasadh

☀️ Festival: August 1st, the festival of Lughnasa. Lughnasa means “the marriage of Lugh”. Lugh the sun and the Earth Mother renew their vows annually during the full moon in August and invite all to gather and revel with them. Lughnasa celebrates the consummation of their sacred relationship.

Once upon a time, Lughnasa was a four week festival; the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August, roughly corresponding to when the sun is in Leo, the astrological sign that belongs to the sun and epitomizes its power. In modern Irish Gaeilge, the month of August is Lunasa. However, the modern wiccan sabbat of Lughnasa is almost devoted solely to the eve of July 31st leading to Lughnasa Day on August 1st.

☀️ Symbols: Spear, Harp, Sun, Slingshot

☀️ Tarot Cards: The Sun, Justice

☀️ Moon Phases: Full, Waxing

☀️ Scents: Apple, Cinnamon, Rose

☀️ Planets: Sun

☀️ Offerings:

Grain Products

Whole Grain Wheat Bread

Freshly Baked Bread

Beer & Mead

Harvested Fruits and Vegetables

Corn Dolls

Allspice

Cloves

Cinnamon

Carnelian

Citrine

Gorse Flowers

Learn a new skill, especially if it’s related to Healing, Fighting or The Arts

Wine

Apple Cider

Hard Cider

☀️ Devotional Acts:

Make Art, in any form, that is devoted to him

Make Art of him, however you personally picture him

Teach yourself Self Defense

Teach yourself First Aid and Healing Magic

Acknowledge your duties and try to act more Regal, even in day to day life

Protect those who need it, and help those you know you can help

Take care of your body, both physically and mentally

Work to better yourself in any area

Wake up at sunrise

Treat your loved ones to a lovely meal

Always keep your promises

Support political and law-based justice, and sign petitions or give donations to make sure justice is appropriately given

Dress in Brown or Golden Colors

Try to become more a witty and confident person

Honor him on Sundays

Plant more Trees, take care of the Environment and do more Social Justice work

Buy a Kilt and wear it unapologetically

Go to a Renaissance Fair

Buy medieval-style weapons, particularly Spears or Slingshots

Practice Confidence and Self-Love!!!

Pagan Deities

This part is separated into “deity categories” where I will only be listing the deities in each category because they may overlap and I unfortunately don’t have the time to go through every single deity, if any interest you by name feel free to look them up, but the categories should be helpful if you want to find a deity in a specific category,  there are 15 deity categories from the website I used and I want to make sure my sources are good, so any feedback with corrections or additions you think I should add to it are greatly appreciated, especially since not every culture is represented in every category :)

Deities of Love and Marriage 

Aphrodite (Greek) 

Cupid (Roman) 

Eros (Greek) 

Frigga (Norse) 

Hathor (Egyptian) 

Hera (Greek) 

Juno (Roman) 

Parvati (Hindu) 

Venus (Roman) 

Vesta (Roman) 

Deities of Healing 

Asclepius (Greek) 

Airmed (Celtic) 

Aja (Yoruba) 

Apollo (Greek)

Artemis (Greek) 

Babalu Aye (Yoruba) 

Bona Dea (Roman)

Brighid (Celtic) 

Eir (Norse) 

Febris (Roman) 

Heka (Egyptian) 

Hygieia (Greek) 

Isis (Egyptian) 

Maponus (Celtic) 

Panacaea (Greek) 

Sirona (Celtic)

Vejovis (Roman) 

Lunar Deities

Alignak (Inuit) 

Artemis (Greek) 

Cerridwen (Celtic) 

Chang’e (Chinese) 

Coyolxauhqui (Aztec) 

Diana (Roman) 

Hecate (Greek) 

Selene (Greek) 

Sina (Polynesia) 

Thoth (Egyptian) 

Deities of Death and the Underworld 

Anubis (Egyptian) 

Demeter (Greek)

Freya (Norse) 

Hades (Greek) 

Hecate (Greek)

Hel (Norse) 

Meng Po (Chinese) 

Morrighan (Celtic) 

Osiris (Egyptian) 

Whiro (Maori) 

Yama (Hindu) 

Deities of the Winter Solstice 

Alcyone (Greek) 

Ameratasu (Japan) 

Baldur (Norse) 

Bona Dea (Roman) 

Cailleach Bheur (Celtic) 

Demeter (Greek) 

Dionysus (Greek) 

Frau Holle (Norse) 

Frigga (Norse) 

Hodr (Norse) 

Holly King (British/Celtic) 

Horus (Egyptian) 

La Befana (Italian) 

Lord of Misrule (British)

Mithras (Roman) 

Odin (Norse) 

Saturn (Roman) 

Spider Woman (Hopi)

Deities of Imbolc 

Aradia (Italian) 

Aenghus Og (Celtic) 

Aphrodite (Greek) 

Bast (Egyptian) 

Ceres (Roman) 

Cerridwen (Celtic) 

Eros (Greek) 

Faunus (Roman) 

Gaia (Greek) 

Hestia (Greek) 

Pan (Greek) 

Venus (Roman) 

Vesta (Roman) 

Deities of Spring 

Asase Yaa (Ashanti) 

Cybele (Roman) 

Eostre (Western Germanic) 

Freya (Norse) 

Osiris (Egyptian) 

Saraswati (Hindu) 

Fertility Deities 

Artemis (Greek) 

Bes (Egyptian) 

Bacchus (Roman) 

Cernunnos (Celtic) 

Flora (Roman) 

Hera (Greek) 

Kokopelli (Hopi) 

Mbaba Mwana Waresa (Zulu) 

Pan (Greek) 

Priapus (Greek) 

Sheela-na-Gig (Celtic) 

Xochiquetzal (Aztec)

Deities of the Summer Solstice

Amaterasu (Shinto) 

Aten (Egyptian) 

Apollo (Greek) 

Hestia (Greek) 

Horus (Egyptian) 

Huitzilopochtli (Aztec) 

Juno (Roman) 

Lugh (Celtic) 

Sulis Minerva (Celtic, Roman) 

Sunna or Sol (Germanic) 

Deities of the Fields

Adonis (Assyrian) 

Attis (Phrygean) 

Ceres (Roman) 

Dagon (Semitic) 

Demeter (Greek) 

Lugh (Celtic) 

Mercury (Roman) 

Osiris (Egyptian) 

Parvati (Hindu) 

Pomona (Roman)  

Tammuz (Sumerian) 

Deities of the Hunt 

Artemis (Greek) 

Cernunnos (Celtic) 

Diana (Roman) 

Herne (British, Regional) 

Mixcoatl (Aztec) 

Odin (Norse) 

Ogun (Yoruba) 

Orion (Roman) 

Pakhet (Egyptian) 

Warrior Deities 

Ares (Greek) 

Athena (Greek) 

Bast (Egyptian) 

Huitzilopochtli (Aztec) 

Mars (Roman) 

The Morrighan (Celtic) 

Thor (Norse) 

Tyr (Norse) 

Warrior Pagans

Mother Goddesses 

Asasa Ya (Ashanti) 

Bast (Egyptian) 

Bona Dea (Roman) 

Brighid (Celtic) 

Cybele (Roman) 

Demeter (Greek) 

Freya (Norse)

Frigga (Norse) 

Gaia (Greek) 

Isis (Egyptian) 

Juno (Roman) 

Mary (Christian, but not referred to as a goddess according to some Christian beliefs) 

Yemaya (West African/ Yoruban)

Source: https://www.learnreligions.com/types-of-pagan-deities-2561986 the links of each category show the deities provided

🌳Walnut Tree

The walnut tree is connected to the planet Jupiter, and the Sun. It is of the fire and earth element. Its qualities are healing, fertility, love, and mental acuity.✨

🌱Carry the nuts to enhance fertility, and strengthen the heart.

🌱Wearing walnut leaves either as a crown or around a hat, is said to prevent headaches.

🌱There is a legend that in the Golden Age humans lived on acorns but the Gods lived on walnuts, hence the genus name Juglans (walnut) comes from ‘Jovis Glans,’ meaning nut of Jupiter. 

🌱If you receive a gift of walnuts, your wishes will come true. 

🌱A bride who desired to postpone childbearing would wear in her bodice as many roasted walnuts as years she wishes to avoid childbirth.

🌱There is a legend named, ‘The Witches of Benevento,’ which according to the medieval legend; beneath the famous ‘Tree of Benevento’ which is said to have been a walnut tree that stood on the banks of the Sabato River, was a place where witches from around the world gathered to perform pagan rituals. Barbatus, a Christian saint, had the walnut tree cut down in an effort to halt the pagan proceedings. Centuries later, the legend formed when reports of witches’ gatherings was circulating in Benevento. The gathering took place underneath a walnut tree that was believed to be the same tree Barbatus had cut down. The tree was rumored to re-appear on the nights of the witch’s sabbats,     

🌱The fall equinox was the time to perform the yearly ritual of gathering walnuts in their green hulls. The fresh green rinds are peeled and added to healing salves.

🌱The husks and leaves of the walnut may be infused in boiled water, cooled, and poured on plants that are plagued by worms or other insect pests.

🌱The green unripe husks are antiseptic, germicidal, vermicidal, and a parasiticide. 

🌱A wand from the wood of a walnut tree is great for spells involving astral travel, weather work, healing, and empowerment. 

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I picked up a few new bee books recently

Fairy trees of the Baltic Coast II by Heiko Gerlicher

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