hey boy don't kill yourself. green's dictionary of slang is available online and allows you to explore 500 years of english vulgarity. you can search by part of speech, source, time period, etymology, and usage. there's a whole category for gay slang. they even have specific citations listed so you can see the exact context for yourself. boy did you know that in 1927 "to kneel at the altar" was slang for "to sodomize"
Joseph Capehart, “Fire Escape”. Check out the full poem here.
Basil at the door, windows, or scattered in the home will increase money.
Lay thorny branches on your doorstep to keep evil from your dwelling.
Eat a pinch of Thyme before bed, and you will have sweet dreams.
Place chips of Cedar wood in a box with some coins to draw money to you.
Carry an Anemone Flower with you to ward against illness.
Hang a bit of Seaweed in the kitchen to ward evil spirits.
Keep a jar of Alfalfa in your cupboards to ensure the prosperity of your house.
Burn Allspice as an incense to draw money or luck to you, as well as speed healing.
Cut an Apple in half, and give one half to your love to ensure a prosperous relationship.
Carry an Avocado pit with you to let your inner beauty shine outwardly. Avocado is also an aphrodisiac.
Strawberries are an aphrodisiac.
Place a piece of cotton in your sugar bowl to draw good luck to your house.
Celery is an aphrodisiac.
Place Almonds in your pocket when you need to find something.
Scatter Chili Peppers around your house to break a curse.
Carrying a packet of strawberry leaves will help ease the pains of pregnancy.
Scatter some sugar to purify a room.
Throw rice into the air to make rain.
Carry a potato in your pocket or purse all winter to ward against colds.
Eat five almonds before consuming alcohol, to lighten the effects of intoxication.
Place a pine branch above your bed to keep illness away.
Chew celery seeds to help you concentrate.
Carry of chunk of dry pineapple in a bag to draw luck to you.
Ask an orange a yes or no question before you eat it, then count the seeds: if the seeds are an even number, the answer is no. If an odd number, yes.
Eat olives to ensure fertility.
Toss Oats out your back door to ensure that your garden or crop will be bountiful.
Eat mustard seed to ensure fertility.
Place Lilacs around your house to rid yourself of unwanted spirits.
Eat Lettuce to drive lustful thoughts from your mind.
Rub a Lettuce leaf over your forehead to help you sleep.
Add Lemon juice to your bathwater for purification.
Eat grapes to increase psychic powers.
Carry a blade of grass to increase your psychic powers.
Smell Dill to get rid of hiccups.
If you place a Dill sachet over your door, those who wish you ill can not enter your home.
Place cotton on an aching tooth, and the pain will ease.
Burn cotton to cause rain.
Place pepper inside a piece of cotton and sew it shut to make a charm to bring back a lost love.
Carry a small onion to protect against venomous animals.
Eat grapes to increase fertility.
Place a sliced onion in the room of an ill person do draw out the sickness.
Place an onion underneath your pillow to have prophetic dreams.
Place morning glory seeds under your bed to cure nightmares.
Walk through the branches of a maple tree to ensure that you will have a long life.
Mix salt and pepper together and scatter it around your house to dispel evil.
Smell Lavender to help you sleep. (Lavender makes me fall asleep so fast).
Hang a pea pod containing nine peas above the door to draw your future mate to you.
Eat a peach to assist in making a tough decision.
Carry peach wood to lengthen your lifespan.
Carry a walnut to strengthen your heart muscle.
She traveled the world and wrote books and took lovers and broke hearts. She didn’t allow life to just happen to her. She punched and pummeled and beat the living shit out of it.
Rick Yancey, The Last Star (via journaling-junkie)
Ashes fall to ashes & dust falls to dust whether bodies are buried with full honors underneath the Earth or thrown onto the wayside and left to rot."
The Girl From The Well by Rin Chupeco
Written and originally posted by manannanschild on GreyNecromancerJournal
Mullein: Erroneously described as a substitute for graveyard dirt, this in fact is a misconception. Known as the “Hag’s Taper”. The soft leaves are used as candle wicks and the dried stalks are soaked in beeswax or tallow to make a torch for rituals of necromancy. It is also burnt to see manifestations of spirits of the dead at night, to see into the Otherworld, and communicate with the spirits and deities that dwell there. Can also be used in talismans.
Wormwood: Used for summoning spirits and to help them manifest.
Cedar: The dried needles when smouldered serve both as a sustaining feast and call for the blessed dead, and the smoke is used to exorcise malevolent shades. The wood works for this purpose as well when turned into a fetish or as a staff.
Dittany of Crete: Used to aid in the manifestation of the spirits of the dead. Also has somewhat of a nasty reputation because of where it tends to grow. Harvesters tend to fall from the cliffs and crags where it grows and plummet to their death.
Aconite: Also known as Wolfsbane or Monkshood. Because of its incredible toxicity it is better to not to harvest it. If one has the dried root it can be preserved in order to serve as a tutelary spirit. Not to be used by amateurs.
Yew: Known in European countries as the Death Tree, it is a symbol of death, reincarnation, and longevity. Is planted in graveyards to protect the spirits of the dead. It can be used to banish malevolent spirits of the dead. Often associated with sorcery and dark magic. It is considered the sister of the Tree of Life, the birch.
Apple: Considered the food of the Irish dead and the inhabitants of the Otherworld. Can be added to incense blends to feed the spirits of the dead and ancestors.
Mugwort: Ingested as a tea to aid in divination and talking to the dead. Also boiled in water and, then the liquid is used to wash divination tools.
Copal: Serves as a offering to the dead and can be used to appease the spirits who remain in states of trauma or confusion after death.
Willow: The wood of the willow is used in incenses and in the construction of fetishes dedicated to the dead.
Tobacco: May be presented as a herbal offering upon a ancestral altar or a grave in the form of a incense or sacramental smoke to honor the shades of the dead.
Cypress: The oil of this tree serves as a great addition to incenses and formula of the underworld.
Myrrh: The oil aids in all blends of a necromantic design. Can also be mixed into incenses.
Graveyard Mold: Technically no folklore or magical traditions associate this herb with necromancy of any kind. However I have included it here because I believe it can be used as a compound in necromantic incenses. Since it grows on graves it should contain some of the essence of the dead.
Mandrake: According to legend King Solomon carried a piece of this root in his seal ring to give him sovereignty over souls. Since one of its names is the “Little gallows man” it can be used as a poppet for laying curses of death, illness, pain, etc.
Birch: Petitions and blessings are written on the bark of this tree which is then burnt or buried in the grave of the spirit.
Bay Laurel: Used to communicate with the dead, possibly through use as an incense. Easily available in the form of bay leaves.
Chervil: Also known as garden chervil or “gourmet’s parsley” a tea or other drink made with it can be imbibed to aid in rituals of communion with the dead.
Lavender: Burnt as incense in order to bring peace of mind to the dead.
Marigold: Associated with funerals and used in funeral sprays.
Asphodel: In Greek legend is connected with the dead and the underworld. Sacred to Hades, Persephone, and Hekate. The roots were eaten by the poor of Greece and hence thought good enough food for the dead. Could be burnt as incense or the roots could be given as food offerings.
Thyme: Burnt as an incense helps ease the soul of a person who died a violent death.
American Sycamore: Known as “Ghost Trees” for their distinctive patchy appearance. Associated with the dead and poverty.
Elder: In Norse mythology the tree is considered the Guardian of the Road to Hel (and thus sacred to Hela, Goddess of the Dead). Also associated with the ancestors.
thebluechicory:
The Book of Shadows (BOS) is used to store information you’ll need in your magical tradition, whatever it may be.
Many Pagans and Wiccans feel a BOS should be handwritten -this will not only transfer energy to the writer, but it also helps you to memorize the contents. (Make sure you write legibly enough that you’ll be able to read your notes during a ritual!) - but some use a computer to store information as well.
Bear in mind that a BOS is considered a sacred tool, which means it is an item of power that should be consecrated with all of your other magical tools.
To make your Book of Shadows, begin with a blank notebook. A popular method is to use a three-ring binder so items can be added and rearranged as needed. If you use this style of BOS, you can use sheet protectors as well, which is great for preventing candle wax and other ritual drippings from getting on the pages!
Whatever you select, your title page should include your name. Make it fancy or simple, depending on your preference, but remember that the BOS is a magical object and should be treated accordingly. Many witches simply write, “The Book of Shadows of [your name]” on the front page.
What format should you use? Some witches are known to create elaborate Books of Shadows in secret, magical alphabets. Unless you’re fluent enough in one of these systems that you can read it without having to check notes or a chart, stick with your native language. While a spell looks beautiful written out in flowing Elvish script or Klingon lettering, the fact is that it’s just hard to read unless you’re an Elf or a Klingon.
When it comes to the contents of your personal BOS, there are a few sections that are nearly universally included.
Laws of your coven or tradition: Believe it or not, magic has rules. While they may vary from group to group, it’s a really good idea to keep them at the front of your BOS as a reminder of what constitutes acceptable behavior and what doesn’t. If you’re part of an eclectic tradition that doesn’t have written rules, or if you’re a solitary witch, this is a good place to write down what YOU think are acceptable rules of magic;
A dedication: If you’ve been initiated into a coven, you may want to include a copy of your initiation ceremony here. However, many Wiccans dedicate themselves to a God or Goddess long before they become part of a coven. This is a good place to write out who you are dedicating yourself to, and why;
Gods and Goddesses: Depending on what pantheon or tradition you follow, you may have a single God and Goddess, or a number of them. Your BOS is a good place to keep legends and myths and even artwork concerning your Deity. If your practice is an eclectic blend of different spiritual paths, it’s a good idea to include that here;
Correspondence tables: When it comes to spellcasting, correspondence tables are some of your most important tools. Phases of the moon, herbs, stones and crystals, colors – all have different meanings and purposes. Keeping a chart of some sort in your BOS guarantees that this information will be at the ready when you really need it;
Sabbat rituals: The Wheel of the Year includes eight holidays for most Wiccans and Pagans, although some traditions do not celebrate all of them. Your BOS can include rituals for each of the Sabbats. Click here for more information.
Other rituals: If you’ll be celebrating each full moon, you’ll want to include an Esbat rite in your BOS. You can use the same one each month, or create several different ones tailored to the time of year. You may also wish to include sections on how to cast a circle and Drawing Down the Moon, a rite that celebrates the invoking of the Goddess at the time of the full moon. If you’ll be doing any rites for healing, prosperity, protection, or other purposes, be sure to include them here;
Herbs/Crystals: Ask any experienced Pagan or Wiccan about a specific herb or crystal, and chances are good that they’ll expound on not only the magical uses of them but also the healing properties and history of use. Herbalism and crystology are often considered the core of spellcasting, because plants and crystals are ingredients that people have used for literally thousands of years. Put together a section in your BOS for herbs, crystals and their uses. Click here and here for more information;
Divination: If you’re learning about Tarot, scrying, astrology, or any other form of divination, keep information in here. When you experiment with new methods of divination, keep a record of what you do and results you see in your Book of Shadows.
Sacred texts: While it’s fun to have a bunch of new shiny books on Wicca and Paganism to read, sometimes it’s just as nice to have information that’s a little more established. If there is a certain text that appeals to you, such as The Charge of the Goddess, an old prayer in an archaic language, or a particular chant that moves you, include it in your Book of Shadows;
Magical recipes: There’s a lot to be said for “kitchen witchery,” because for many people, the kitchen is the center of hearth and home. As you collect recipes for oils, incense, or herb blends, keep them in your BOS. You may even want to include a section of food recipes for Sabbat celebrations. Click here for more information;
Spell workings: Some people prefer to keep their spells in a separate book called a grimoire, but you can also keep them in your Book of Shadows. It’s easier to keep spells organized if you divide them up by purpose: prosperity, protection, healing, etc …
The biggest dilemma with any Book of Shadows is how to keep it organized. You can use tabbed dividers, create an index at the back, or if you’re really super-organized, a table of contents in the front. As you study and learn more, you’ll have more information to include (this is why the three-ring binder is such a practical idea).
Keep in mind that as our technology is constantly changing, the way we use it does too - there are people who keep their BOS completely digitally on a flash drive, their laptop, or even stored virtually to be accessed by their favorite mobile device. A BOS pulled up on a smart phone is no less valid than one copied by by hand in ink onto parchment.
You may want to use one notebook for information copied from books or downloaded off the Internet, and another for original creations. Regardless, find the method that works best for you, and take good care of your Book of Shadows. After all, it’s a sacred object and should be treated accordingly!
Book of Shadows consecrating ritual
You can consecrate your new Book of Shadows and Pen(s) of Art with a simple ritual:
On the night of a New Moon, cast a Circle as you feel comfortable doing, and gather together your book and pen(s), along with a blessed bowl of water, inside the circle. By candlelight, consecrate your writing equipment by holding your hands out, palms down, over the equipment and saying words like these:
Book of Shadows, leaves of white Pen of Art with point so fine Soon be filled with Sabbat rite Magick charm and chanted spell. Day by day and night by night, White pages pen of art will fill.
Then anoint each pen, book, etc. with a symbol of your choosing (Pentagram, Crescent Moon, etc.) saying something like:
From this night of the moon, I dedicate this book and this pen (etc.) To the Mysteries of the Ancient Ways. As I will, so mote it be!
Now inscribe the first page of the book with its title, whatever you choose to call it, using your Pen of Art. Below the title write the date in Pagan terms like “The third night of the Wolf Moon, 1999,” - whatever the date is, along with whatever you feel should be there along with the title.
dziwożona aesthetic
The Dziwożona is a female swamp demon or evil fairy in Slavic mythology known for being malicious and dangerous. These beings supposedly live in thickets near rivers, streams and lakes. Dziwożona is also a shape shifter and can appear as a beautiful nymph capable of luring young men to their death.
my personal correspondences by time of day, complied form my grimoire.
dawn - breaking curses, beauty and glamour spells. weather and sea spells. magic involving delicate feelings, friendship and forgiveness, budding romance.
morning - fertility, good luck, green/herbal witchcraft. best time to brew potions. intuition and justice.
noon - wealth and career spells. success and motivation. confidence and courage spells. kitchen magic.
afternoon - the time to gather herbs. communication spells. travel protections.
evening - psychic protections, peace/balance spells. kitchen spells and pop culture spells
twilight - catalysts, movement and growth. astral travel and divination. love/lust spells. technology witchcraft.
evening - curses, hexes, banishment, bindings. space and cosmic magic. dream magic. hedgecraft
midnight - creativity, switching between realms. spirit work, liminal spaces, reaching through the veil.
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