Zen-the-wizard - Cottagecore Is Racist, Just Say Farmcore

“I Don’t Hesitate When Necessary”

Meditate with this as needed or carry it with you

It’s not fair, I found love It made me say that Get back you’ll never see daylight, If I’m not strong, it just might

Add Some Oomph to Your Spells with Magical Timing

Like herbs, oils, and crystals, you don’t need to work with magical timing for your spell to be successful. You can cast a spell at any time, no matter your intention, and get your desired results. However, working with the energy of the sun, moon, and days of the week can add an extra power boost to your magic.

Think of it this way: certain energies are dominant at certain times. Those energies are easier to connect with because they are closer at hand, so to speak, so you can bring them into your life and your spells more easily and in a more powerful way. That doesn’t mean you can’t call on other energies during these times — it just means that you may not connect to them quite so easily.

If you choose to work with magical timing in your spells, there are several yearly, monthly, weekly, and even daily cycles you can align your spells with.

The Cycle of the Sun: Solstices and Equinoxes

These are the turning points that mark the solar year, and are associated with the relationships between day and night, light and dark, summer and winter. Each solstice or equinox marks the end of one season and the beginning for the next. Because they are so rare and so potent, these days are a great time for your “big picture” spells or for spells that need a big power boost.

Winter Solstice. The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, and falls between December 20 and December 23, depending on the year. In some pagan traditions the winter solstice, or Yule, marks the beginning of the new year — you may choose to set intentions for the coming year on this solstice. After the winter solstice, the nights start getting shorter and the days start getting longer — so spells related to healing and bringing things into the light are especially effective at this time of year. The winter solstice marks the end of the “dark half” of the year and beginning of the “light half” of the year; at this point, our focus turns from inward reflection to outward manifestation. You may choose to think of the time between the winter solstice and spring equinox as a “planning phase,” where you examine yourself and your desires, decide what you want to work on in the next year, and make plans for manifesting what you want.

Spring Equinox. An equinox occurs when the day and the night are exactly the same length, representing a perfect balance between light and dark. The spring equinox marks the beginning of spring and occurs between March 19 and March 22. The Christian holiday of Easter and the pagan holiday of Ostara are both related to the energy of this equinox. At this time of year, the natural world is coming back to life as winter begins to fade. Plants are beginning to grow, and baby animals are being born. This is a powerful time of year for fertility magic and any magic related to new beginnings. You may choose to think of the time between the spring equinox and the summer solstice as a “planting phase,” where you “plant the seed” of the things you want to manifest and begin doing the work to make it happen.

Summer Solstice. This solstice marks the longest day and shortest night of the year. It occurs between June 19 and June 23. As I am writing this post, we are coming up on the summer solstice (June 20, 2020). Life, fertility, and growth are at their peak during this time of year, which makes this solstice a perfect time for big manifestation spells. At the same time, this marks the end of the “light half” and beginning of the “dark half” of the year, so after the summer solstice our energy shifts from outward manifestation to inward contemplation. You may choose to think of the time between the summer solstice and fall equinox as the “harvest phase,” where you reap the results of your hard work and manifest your desires in the physical world.

Autumn Equinox. This is the other time of year when the day and night are perfectly balanced. The autumn equinox occurs between September 19 and September 23 and marks the beginning of autumn. This is traditionally the time of year when crops are harvested, and many pagan groups celebrate harvest festivals around this time. Nature is beginning to die or go into hibernation in preparation for the coming winter. This is an especially powerful time of year for shadow work or for magic related to endings and transitions. You may choose to think of the time between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice as the “reflection phase,” when you retreat from the outside world to rest, focus on yourself, and do your inner work and self-healing.

Important Note: This post lists dates for the solstices and equinoxes in the Northern hemisphere. In the Southern hemisphere, the seasons are reversed. If you live in the Southern hemisphere, you would observe the winter solstice in June, the spring equinox in September, the summer solstice in December, and the fall equinox in March.

The Cycle of the Moon: Lunar Phases

If you don’t have time to wait for the appropriate solstice or equinox, you can still connect with the cosmos in your magic. One of the biggest pros of the lunar cycle is that it happens roughly every month — so you never have to wait very long for the next full moon. The moon is also associated with magic and spirituality in several traditions, which makes it an especially powerful astral ally for witches.

New Moon. The new moon is when the moon is completely invisible in the night sky, and is the phase opposite the full moon. The new moon is a powerful time for shadow work (because it deals with things that are hidden) and for magic related to new beginnings.

Waxing Moon. The moon is waxing when it appears to be growing in the night sky; this is the phase between the new moon and full moon. This is a powerful time for any magic that deals with drawing something in, building something up, or strengthening something that already exists.

Full Moon. Many witches believe that the full moon is the most powerful time of month for any kind of magic. This is a good time to cast any spell that needs a serious power boost. The full moon is also an especially powerful time to release what no longer serves you or to work healing magic.

Waning Moon. The moon is waning when it appears to be shrinking in the night sky; this is the phase between the full moon and new moon. This is a powerful time for any magic that deals with sending something away, banishing negative energy, or bringing something to an end.

Dark Moon. The dark moon is the three day period immediately before the new moon. In some traditions, it is believed to be bad luck to cast spells during the dark moon. Other traditions hold that the dark moon is the best point in the lunar cycle for destructive magic, such as curses and hexes. Many modern witches don’t recognize the dark moon as a separate moon phase at all. I personally like to use the dark moon as a time for self reflection, and may focus on shadow work during this time.

Magical Correspondences for the Days of the Week

The days of the week also have their own unique magical energies, and each day is linked to a certain planet and to certain deities.

Sunday. Sunday is, of course, connected to the Sun and solar deities. Sunday is the best day of the week for any manifestation magic that needs an extra boost. Its energy is also associated with healing, personal growth, power, and success.

Monday. Monday is associated with the Moon and lunar deities. Monday is a quiet, introspective day, and can feel very ethereal. It’s the best day for magic related to intuition, nurturing, and shadow work.

Tuesday. Tuesday is associated with Mars and with gods and goddesses of war and action. (It is named for the Norse/Germanic god Tyr/Tiw.) Tuesday is a very “active” day, and is good for magic related to action, activism, victory, or finding courage.

Wednesday. Wednesday is associated with Mercury and with gods and goddesses of wisdom, learning, and communication. (It is named for the Norse/Germanic god Odin/Wodan.) Wednesday is all about mental activity. It’s the best day of the week for magic related to thought, travel, communication (written, spoken, or digital), and learning/study.

Thursday. Thursday is associated with Jupiter and with gods and goddesses of prosperity, wealth, and protection. (It is named after the Norse/Germanic god Thor.) Thursday, like Jupiter in astrology, is all about outward expansion. It’s the best day of the week for magic related to career, prosperity, and wealth.

Friday. Friday is associated with Venus and with gods and goddesses of love, fertility, and sensuality. (It is named after the Norse goddess Freyja, or perhaps the goddess Frigg.) The energy of Friday is fun, lighthearted, and sexy. It’s the best day of the week for magic related to love, beauty, and sex/sexuality.

Saturday. Saturday is associated with Saturn and with time and wisdom. (The day and the planet are both named after the Roman god Saturn.) Saturday is practical and wise, but it does have a little bit of a dark side. It’s the best day of the week for magic related to banishing and protection.

Magical Times of Day

Okay, so you’d like to start working with magical timing, but what about emergency magic and last-minute spells? What if you don’t have time to wait for the next full moon, or even the next Sunday? You can still align your spell with magical timing! There are several moments of power each day, and each has its own magical associations.

Sunrise. Sunrise is, of course, the birth of the new day. This makes it the perfect time for spells related to new beginnings or expanded possibilities.

Noon. This is the peak or high point of the day. This is a powerful time for healing magic.

Sunset. Sunset is the end of the day, and forms a gateway between light and dark. This is a great time for spells related to accepting endings, releasing that which does not serve, and moving on from the past.

Midnight. If noon is the peak of the day, then midnight is the peak of the night. Midnight has a very ethereal, transformational energy. Like with the full moon, some witches believe that any spell will be more powerful if cast at midnight. This is a powerful time for both banishing and attraction magic.

Resources:

You Are Magical by Tess Whitehurst

Green Witchcraft by Paige Vanderbeck

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin [specifically the chapter on the sabbats]

Qabalah Made Easy by David Wells [Note: Qabalah is based on an appropriation of Jewish mysticism, and I am NOT endorsing its practice. However, much of the magical timing associations used in modern witchcraft is shared with Qabalah and other forms of ceremonial magic, which is why it’s referenced here.]

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it was a good request since i think a lot of us need this.

dm or give me an ask for sigil requests !!

Basic Elements of Energy Work

Energy work is the ability of a person to control unseen energies. Almost all basic pagan/Wiccan/New Age/witchcraft exercises deal with energy work. Here is a short list of some of the things a young witch should learn.

Grounding. It’s extremely important. You may think it will be fun to carry around a lot of elemental energy - you will quickly change your mind. Grounding is the ability to get excess energy out and ground yourself back in reality. This is especially important if you want to work with dreams, spirits, or visions.

Centering goes hand-in-hand with grounding. As a magical practitioner, you do stuff that leaves your energetic body out of sorts. If you are working with real magic, there is also a chance your grasp on reality can be shaken. Centering is a focus on your physical body that gathers all your loose bits and reforms your energetic body back in to its natural shape. Combine it with grounding to get back to the real world.

Shielding is a basic energy work exercise that is also pretty danged important. Learn to shield yourself and how to place shields around other things, people, and locations. This is a vital element of protection.

Charging is the act of filling an object with energy. You can passively charge things by leaving them around natural elements, but you need to learn how to actively charge something as well.

Programing is the process of giving energy a ‘job’. Programing energy is the basis for all spellwork. When you dress a candle, you are filling it with energy and then programing that energy to do a job for you.

- Tho

Decolonizing your Practice: Smoke Cleansing

So, the cleansing most people seem familiar with is using White sage, sometimes it comes in a kit with and Abalone shell and a feather. However these shouldn't be bought as this IS A CLOSED AND SACRED PRACTICE FOR NATIVE AMERICANS KNOWN AS SMUDGING. And if you're a non-native you should not be using White sage as it's one of their sacred Medicines.

And because I know some of y'all are too lazy to look up alternatives I'm here to help.

So Smudging is a type of Smoke cleansing—burning botanicals, resins, wood, etc. for health and/or spiritual purposes. This type of cleansing is used by many different people and faiths throughout the world so you can find a type of Smoke Cleansing that doesn't make you appropriate sacred medicine from indigenous people.

There are no excuses.

Common Ways to Smoke Cleanse

Incense Sticks

Incense Cones

Resin Incense (straight up bits of sap from trees)

Powdered Incense

Herb Bundles / Burning Bouquets.

Herbs you can use other than White Sage

Green Sage/Kitchen Sage: Cleansing and Good Luck

Russian sage: cleanses and can be used for protection

Cedar: For Cleansing negative energy and protection. (Note: Cedar is still one of the four sacred medicines of Native Americans. So while it's not closed in the same way white sage is if your in America try and either buy from Native Shops or find a store near you that works with Native People and pay them fairly)

Rosemary: rosemary is perfect for burning as a purification herb. it's burned to create a "fresh start" in life

lavender: uplift the mood, dispel negative emotion and bring in a sense of calm and relaxation

White Pine: cleanses emotions and can be used for protection

( i do know there are other herbs used for smoke cleansing I just wanted to list a few that had the same affect as White Sage does)

General Etiquette for Working with the Dead

These are some of the guidelines I follow when working with the dead:

When entering a graveyard, be sure to greet and leave something for the guardian of the graveyard.

Never walk on the graves of the deceased.

Never take anything out of the graveyard without permission of the guardian or a specific grave’s resident.

Never take items people have left for their loved ones off the graves.

Only gather graveyard dirt from the perimeter of the graveyard, never from the graves themselves.

Upon leaving the graveyard, say farewell to the dead you encountered, and the guardian.

Never force the dead to work for you, if they are unwilling or unable to aid you try again later or try another spirit.

Be mindful of the dead’s beliefs in life, not all will be friendly to those who practice magic.

Give the dead the same respect and thought that you yourself would wish to be given.

Obey your local laws and ordinances regarding the dead and graveyards/burial sites.

i’m sorry, y’all are using AI for offerings? …do you know how the religion you claim to be a part of started? how it lived? how it works?