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phoebee-thame · 8 months

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INTRODUCTION TO WITCHCRAFT

These posts are based off my own personal study, these studies are taken from books, articles, posts and more that correlate with the type of practice i decided to take

I don’t promote my information in this blog as the ‘proper or correct’ one as witchcraft is a personal journey and everyone is gonna learn and do things differently than from what i post — That being said i am more than happy for people to use my blogs as some sort of reference or interest into the practice but it does not mean this is the ‘only’ way to do things.

BRIEF: Historically witches lived amongst nature, now a days witches live everywhere and can be literally anyone, they are not defined on who they are but rather who and what they choose to be/do, if that makes sense. They have a personal journey with witchcraft, a strong deep relationship with nature, and a relationship with one self that is developed over time regardless of the starting point — The Green Witch - Arin Murphy-Hiscock

I’m Italian and Mexican so i’ll dive in latin American and European Witchcraft

HISTORY: In the past witches were healers, they were mothers, daughters, sons, husbands, wives. Anyone could have been a witch as long as they were connected with nature and used nature as a mend to help others. — “In medieval and early modern Europe, where belief in witchcraft traces back to classical antiquity, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have used black magic (maleficium) against their own community, and often to have communed with evil beings, though British anthropologist Jean La Fontaine notes…” — these beliefs were mainly set off by the church as they feared that having people believe in anything that wasn’t their religion would falter off their power over the people, equally they did not agree for women to be leaders of any sort, and thus were correlated with worshipping the devil.

The term ‘flying on brooms’ and ‘devil’ would have likely have been depictions of drugs and hallucinatory rituals, as witches were mainly herbalists and medics, it was not uncommon for them to use strong plants as drugs.

Feminism & French Women in History: A Resource Guide — “Before the Scientific Revolution took hold, people looked to the Church to explain the mysteries of the earthly world. Frightening occurrences such as paralysis, a sudden seizure, or a baby born ill or disfigured left people looking for an explanation — and preferably someone to blame. The Church believed in the Devil and considered witches to be their willing disciples. It was therefore the duty of the Church to find and condemn them. In France approximately 2,000 witch trials occurred between the years 1550 and 1700. While some women admitted to their alleged powers, most women vehemently denied the accusations. The Church often resorted to torture in order to elicit confessions. The women targeted were typically marginalized women such as spinsters, widows, or those without a male protector. Many of the accused, while not convicted, were still subjected to a lifetime of suspicion and fear. Furthermore, women employed in healing occupations (such as laying-in-nurses) were in a vulnerable position. When children or mothers died during childbirth — as often happened — these nurses made easy targets. If they had the power to help, then by extension, they had the power to harm.”

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Northern Italy experienced its first wave of witch trials earlier than most of Europe, and it fact experienced its peak during the Italian Renaissance. After a high-profile case in Milan in 1384, there were a number of witch trials in Italy during the 15th-century

Stregheria was and still is a practice mainly focused in Southern Italy — Stregheria (Italian pronunciation) is a neo-pagan tradition similar to Wicca, with Italian and Italian American origins.While most practitioners consider Stregheria to be a distinct tradition from Wicca, some academics consider it to be a form of Wicca or an offshoot. Both have similar beliefs and practices. For example, Stregheria honors a pantheon centered on a Moon Goddess and a Horned God, similar to Wiccan views of divinity — What Is Stregheria? — “Stregheria is a branch of modern paganism that celebrates early Italian witchcraft. Its adherents say that their tradition has pre-Christian roots, and refer to it as La Vecchia Religione, the Old Religion. There are a number of different traditions of Stregheria, each with its own history and set of guidelines.”

Stregheria appears to be based primarily upon the writings of Charles Leland, who published "Aradia: Gospel of the Witches" in the late 1800s. Although there's some question about the validity of Leland's scholarship, "Aradia" continues to be the basis of most Stregheria traditions. The work purports to be a scripture of an ancient pre-Christian witch cult, passed along to Leland by a woman named Maddalena.

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Part 2 :coming soon….

#witchcraft #witches #fyp #for you page #tarot #witches of tumblr #witchblr #witchy aesthetic #grimoire #digital grimoire

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rockislandadultreads · 2 years

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Beautiful Book Covers: Hispanic Heritage Month Picks

Portrait of an Unknown Lady by María Gainza, Thomas Bunstead (Translator)

In the Buenos Aires art world, a master forger has achieved legendary status. Rumored to be a woman, she seems especially gifted at forging canvases by the painter Mariette Lydis, a portraitist of Argentine high society. But who is this absurdly gifted creator of counterfeits? What motivates her? And what is her link to the community of artists who congregate, night after night, in a strange establishment called the Hotel Melancólico? On the trail of this mysterious forger is our narrator, an art critic and auction house employee through whose hands counterfeit works have passed. As she begins to take on the role of art-world detective, adopting her own methods of deception and manipulation, she warns us “not to proceed in expectation of names, numbers or dates . . . My techniques are those of the impressionist.” What follows is a highly seductive and enveloping meditation on what we mean by “authenticity” in art, and a captivating exploration of the gap between what is lived and what is told. Portrait of an Unknown Lady is, like any great work, driven by obsession and full of subtle surprise.

Bindle Punk Bruja by Desideria Mesa

Yo soy quien soy. I am who I am. Luna--or depending on who's asking, Rose--is the white-passing daughter of an immigrant mother who has seen what happens to people from her culture. This world is prejudicial, and she must hide her identity in pursuit of owning an illegal jazz club. Using her cunning powers, Rose negotiates with dangerous criminals as she climbs up Kansas City's bootlegging ladder. Luna, however, runs the risk of losing everything if the crooked city councilmen and ruthless mobsters discover her ties to an immigrant boxcar community that secretly houses witches. Last thing she wants is to put her entire family in danger. But this bruja with ever-growing magical abilities can never resist a good fight. With her new identity, Rose, an unabashed flapper, defies societal expectations all the while struggling to keep her true self and witchcraft in check. However, the harder she tries to avoid scrutiny, the more her efforts eventually capture unwanted attention. Soon, she finds herself surrounded by greed and every brand of bigotry--from local gangsters who want a piece of the action and businessmen who hate her diverse staff to the Ku Klux Klan and Al Capone. Will her earth magic be enough to save her friends and family? As much as she hates to admit it, she may need to learn to have faith in others--and learning to trust may prove to be her biggest ambition yet.

A Woman of Endurance by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa

A Woman of Endurance, set in nineteenth-century Puerto Rican plantation society, follows Pola, a deeply spiritual African woman who is captured and later sold for the purpose of breeding future slaves. The resulting babies are taken from her as soon as they are born. Pola loses the faith that has guided her and becomes embittered and defensive. The dehumanizing violence of her life almost destroys her. But this is not a novel of defeat but rather one of survival, regeneration, and reclamation of common humanity. Readers are invited to join Pola in her journey to healing. From the sadistic barbarity of her first experiences, she moves on to receive compassion and support from a revitalizing new community. Along the way, she learns to recognize and embrace the many faces of love—a mother’s love, a daughter’s love, a sister’s love, a love of community, and the self-love that she must recover before she can offer herself to another. It is ultimately, a novel of the triumph of the human spirit even under the most brutal of conditions.

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father is executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost. But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined. When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark its doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano? Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will help her. Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to fight off the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda and protect the woman for whom he feels a powerful, forbidden attraction. But even he might not be enough to battle the darkness. Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom.

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elhoimleafar · 1 year

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JOIN US ON MAY 20~21. Our Sorcery Hour is Collectively hosted by a group of LGBTQIA members of the craft and made with love for everybody in a safe virtual space for everyone. Recordings are Available immediately after the event for the attendees.

Featuring; Laura Davila (Texas), 'Mexican Sorcery' Author. Mawiyah Bomani (New Orleans), Author of 'Conjuring the Calabash'. Ylva Mara Radziszewski (New Orleans), Author of 'A Practical Guide for Witches' and creator of 'The Living Altar.' Nicholas Pearson (Florida), Author of eight books published by Inner Traditions. Moss Matthey (UK), author of an upcoming book with Llewellyn. Ella Harrison (Latvia), author of 'The Book of Spells'. Aly Kravetz AKA The Bronx Witch (New York), creator of The Bronx Witch Headquarters. Elhoim Leafar (New York), author of 'The Magical Art of Crafting Charm Bags' and the upcoming 'Dream Witchery'.

I'll be here teaching my South America Folk Indigenous Magic class. Which is not just my second most popular class of all time but also the most well-curated, for which I'm constantly researching new information, tales, and folklore.

This virtual-live event includes A Welcoming Ritual, eight workshops of Magic & Witchcraft in two days, and a Meet & Greet with the presenters and host at the end of each day. Recordings of the classes will be available via a private channel on youtube just for the attendees to rewatch and listen to how many times they want for a Year. The whole price of the event is just $40.

Save Your Ticket Here: https://elhoimleafar.com/oursorceryhour/

#solitary witch #mexican witch #witches of tumblr #witches on tumblr #witchcraft #witches #witchblr #sorcery #magick #hoodoo #voodoo #black witch #calabash #lucumi #brujos of tumblr #brujas #black witches

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a-typical · 10 months

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Exactly eight days after Kepler’s discovery of his third law, the incident that unleashed the Thirty Years’ War transpired in Prague. The war’s convulsions shattered the lives of millions, Kepler among them. He lost his wife and son to an epidemic carried by the soldiery, his royal patron was deposed, and he was excommunicated by the Lutheran Church for his uncompromising individualism on matters of doctrine. Kepler was a refugee once again. The conflict, portrayed by both the Catholics and the Protestants as a holy war, was more an exploitation of religious fanaticism by those hungry for land and power. In the past, wars had tended to be resolved when the belligerent princes had exhausted their resources. But now organized pillage was introduced as a means of keeping armies in the field. The savaged population of Europe stood helpless as plowshares and pruning hooks were literally beaten into swords and spears.* Waves of rumor and paranoia swept through the countryside, enveloping especially the powerless. Among the many scapegoats chosen were elderly women living alone, who were charged with witchcraft: Kepler’s mother was carried away in the middle of the night in a laundry chest. In Kepler’s little hometown of Weil der Stadt, roughly three women were tortured and killed as witches every year between 1615 and 1629. And Katharina Kepler was a cantankerous old woman. She engaged in disputes that annoyed the local nobility, and she sold soporific and perhaps hallucinogenic drugs as do contemporary Mexican curanderas. Poor Kepler believed that he himself had contributed to her arrest.

In the midst of other grave personal problems, Kepler rushed to Württemberg to find his seventy-four-year-old mother chained in a Protestant secular dungeon and threatened, like Galileo in a Catholic dungeon, with torture. He set about, as a scientist naturally would, to find natural explanations for the various events that had precipitated the accusations of witchcraft, including minor physical ailments that the burghers of Württemberg had attributed to her spells. The research was successful, a triumph, as was much of the rest of his life, of reason over superstition. His mother was exiled, with a sentence of death passed on her should she ever return to Württemberg; and Kepler’s spirited defense apparently led to a decree by the Duke forbidding further trials for witchcraft on such slender evidence. The upheavals of the war deprived Kepler of much of his financial support, and the end of his life was spent fitfully, pleading for money and sponsors. He cast horoscopes for the Duke of Wallenstein, as he had done for Rudolf II, and spent his final years in a Silesian town controlled by Wallenstein and called Sagan. His epitaph, which he himself composed, was: “I measured the skies, now the shadows I measure. Sky-bound was the mind, Earth-bound the body rests.” But the Thirty Years’ War obliterated his grave. If a marker were to be erected today, it might read, in homage to his scientific courage: “He preferred the hard truth to his dearest illusions.” Johannes Kepler believed that there would one day be “celestial ships with sails adapted to the winds of heaven” navigating the sky, filled with explorers “who would not fear the vastness” of space. And today those explorers, human and robot, employ as unerring guides on their voyages through the vastness of space the three laws of planetary motion that Kepler uncovered during a lifetime of personal travail and ecstatic discovery.

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yarnreader · 1 year

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April TBR | 2021 | Yarn Reader (4/13/21)

https://youtu.be/IVTT7d0uh14

Thanks for watching! Books mentioned: The Modern Guide to Witchcraft: Your Complete Guide to Witches, Covens, and Spells by Skye Alexander How to Read Tarot: A Practical Guide by Adams Media Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia State of Wonder by Ann Patchett Amari and the Night Brothers by B B Alston Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas Small Spaces by Katherine Arden The Fifth Season by N K Jemisin The Disaster Tourist by Yun Ko-Eun Magic Lesson by Alice Hoffman The Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness Blog: https://yarnreader.blogspot.com/ Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheYarnReaderShop?ref=seller-platform-mcnav Where to find me: Instagram: yarnreader Twitter: @yarnreader_Sam Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5832652-samantha-williams

#monthly tbr #tbr

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myeclecticjourney · 2 years

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BoS series: Herbology and quick mushroom guide

Hi guys! Merry meet to y’all! Today I want to share with you another few pages of my Book of Shadows series. I must admit, that this topic is one of my favorites and one that I use non stop in my witchcraft. Long post with pictures✨

BoS series: Herbology and quick mushroom guide

As I said in my last post regarding my BoS, most of my writing is in Spanish because I’m Mexican. But with some topics, like today’s I’ll include in this blog a little about each plant and mushroom 🍄🌱. Hope you like it and find it useful.

Plants, herbs, mushroom and everything related to this interesting category is really helpful while making magic. Thanks to their individual or collective properties they work as an auxiliary ingredient in our craft.

Magic herbs

Grape seeds

They have amazing antioxidants properties. Also they help reduce blood cholesterol and improve the blood circulation in our body.

Tea tree

They produce an oil that benefits our skin. It helps with acne problem, wounds, insect bites. It is recommended to dilute it with other oils or products.

Echinacea

It has been used over the centuries as a medicine in a variety forms, like tea, juice or extract. It helps against the cold and it boost the immunity system.

Bazil

Not only is it perfect for kitchen magic, but also in liquids to purify and cleanse your home. It attracts good luck when moving to a new home. It brings love and happiness.

Dandelion

Normally used tu heal and purify. It brings positive changes. You can also use it during divination as it attracts positive energies. It helps to remove bad habits and transformation.

Lavander

Perfect for aromatherapy. It helps reducing stress and anxiety. Improves concentration and your mood.

Primrose

It helps relieve menstrual and chest pain. Also reduces skin problems. It work as a natural anti inflammatory.

Peppermint

It brings good luck, healing and economic abundance as it has amazing good luck properties. It incentives Journey and traveling. When boiled it helps with asthma and flu. Another great natural anti inflammatory.

Sage

Not much explanation needed. One of the most commonly used herbs by us witches. It has amazing protection properties. It’s great when cleansing tools, and homes or spaces in general. It attracts clarity, intelligence, economic abundance and reaching your goals.

Pennyroyal

It’s normally associated with money, physical and mental strength and protection. It helps to fight against the evil eye.

Hyacinth

It promotes peace and good sleep. It helps mend a broken heart and duels.

Patchouli

Highly used during rituals. It’s smell transports the person to magical places. Normally associated with love, richness and sexual power. It also brings economic abundance.

Ginkgo

It can be used in pills, extracts and tea. It helps elevate brain activity and health. Work against dementia and Alzheimer.

Yarrow

It helps curing wounds. When used in tea it helps improve your mood and fights against sadness. Improves self esteem, courage, love and passion.

Tumeric

It is believed that it has powers that prevents cancerous cells and DNA mutations. It’s also another great anti inflammatory.

Rosemary

Helps improve memory and brain activity. It has amazing protection of the body and spirit properties. Helps banish negative energies.

Violet

Offers protection, good luck, and helps during nighttime magic. Improves one’s sleep and loyalty.

Flax seeds

It has amazing antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties. Reduces blood pressure

Hibiscus

Promotes passion in relationships, love and lust. Attracts dreaming with people that loves or likes you. If you burn in, it bring loves in your direction.

Chamomile

Perfect for relieving stress and anxiety. Another great natural anti inflammatory, and brings concentration and meditation.

Ti plant

Amazing good luck, and happiness properties. It brings positive energy and fight against negative or bad spirits.

Crown of thorns

It is a highly toxic plant, keep it away from your pets. When you use it, be careful not to touch your eyes nor mouth. You can use it during shadow work, or rituals.

Brazilian joy weed

Medicinal plant, also know as “metal weed” helps fight inflammation, cough and attracts overall health and healing.

Rose

White: Symbol for peace, purity, love and clarity. Red: symbol for passion, love, lust, and positively.

Sea Lavander

It is not related to Lavander as many people think. It represents memory, psychic abilities, masculine energy, and it is associated with the planet Mercury.

Crossandra

Highly used in medicine. It has amazing healing properties. It helps with fever, headaches, wounds, and general pain.

Xanadu

Another toxic plant, though much less. Associated with angels, and romance. It attracts happiness and love of one’s spirit.

Firecracker plant

It was used to treat insect or snake bites. It helps relieve stomach pain, back pain, and burns. Promotes health and healing.

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The quick mushroom guide

Super important, most of the mushrooms have a toxic look alike, so please don’t just go grabbing mushrooms because they look like the ones you’re looking for. I recommend to do more research and educate yourself deeply in this topic. As I said before, this is just a little info about this pages in my BoS.

1) Romaria Formosa

Size: 10-20 centimeters // Color: Brown, with red touches // Habitat: Oak forest // Importance: Poisonous

2) Cantharellus Cibarius

Size: 3-6 centimeters // Color: Peach // Habitat: Oak forest // Importance: Edible - commonly confused with either the jack o'lantern or the false chanterelle. Although not fatal, neither should be eaten.

3) Craterellus Cornucopoide

Size: 2-4 centimeters // Color: Black // Habitat: Oak forest // Importance: Edible - no toxic look alikes.

4) Gomphus Floccosus

Size: 1-3 centimeters // Color: Orange - red - white // Habitat: Firs forest, subtropical and oak forest // Importance: Edible - commonly confused with the Jack O’lantern which is toxic.

5) Laccaria Amethystina

Size: 1-3 centimeters // Color: Violet // Habitat: Oak forest and subtropical // Importance: Edible - potential look alikes is the Incoybe Geophylla Lilacina or the Lilac Fibercap, both toxic.

6) Hygrophorus Conicus

Size: 1-3 centimeters // Color: yellow - red - orange // Habitat: Pine forest, firs forest and oak forest // Importance: Toxic

7) Amanita Caesarea

Size: 10- 15 centimeters // Color: Red - orange - white // Habitat: Oak forest, pine forest // Importance: Edible - commonly confused with a toxic mushroom similar in looks (Amanita Muscaria).

8) Lactarius Indigo

Size: 4 -10 centimeters (diameter) // Color: Indigo - gray - silver // Habitat: Oak forest // Importance: Edible - very few look alikes (L. Indigo Var Diminutivus, L. Paradoxus) both also edible.

9) Psilocybe Cubensis

Size: 5 -10 centimeters // Color: Yellow - white - blue stains // Habitat: Cow manure, tropical zones, subtropical // Importance: Psycodelic - some toxic look alikes are: Deadly Amanitas, Destroying Angel and Lepiotas.

10) Amanita Muscaria

Size: 10 - 20 centimeters (diameter) // Color: Red - orange and white scales // Habitat: Pine forest // Importance: Toxic. Fun fact: Mario Bros’ magic mushroom is inspired in this one.

11) Amanita Vaginata

Size: 3 - 8 centimeters (diameter) // Color: White - light yellow - silver // Habitat: Pine forest, oak forest // Importance: Edible - toxic look alike is the Amanita Phalloides.

12) Psylocibe Zapotecorum

Size: 3 -10 centimeters (diameter) // Color: Brown - yellow - orange // Habitat: Peaty and marshy soil, subtropical forest // Importance: Psycodelic

13) Lactarius Deliciosus

Size: 4 - 8 centimeters (diameter) // Color: yellow - orange // Habitat: Pine forest // Importance: Edible - commonly confused with Red Hot Milky Cap or Woodly Lactarius both toxic.

14) Cookeina Tricholoma

Size: 1 - 4 centimeters (diameter) // Color: orange - pink // Habitat: Tree trunks of tropical jungles // Importance: Ecological indicator

15) Clathrus Crispus

Size: 6 - 12 centimeters (diameter) // Color: red - pink // Habitat: Meadows, tropical gardens // Importance: Toxic

16) Leotia Lubrica

Size: 2 - 7 centimeters // Color: yellow - orange // Habitat: Subtropical forest // Importance: Toxic

17) Dictyophora Inclusiata

Size: 3 - 4 centimeters (diameter) // Color: light orange - pink - white // Habitat: Tropical jungles // Importance: Edible, medical - when the mushroom has a yellow vail it’s commonly toxic.

18) Cyathus Olla

Size: 1/2 - 1 centimeters (diameter) // Color: brown - gray // Habitat: Manure // Importance: Degradation

19) Cordyceps Militaris

Size: 2 - 5 centimeters // Color: orange - red - white // Habitat: On insects or larvae // Importance: Medical - a look alike is the Cordyceps Sinensis also edible and medical.

20) Geastrum Saccatum

Size: 2 - 5 centimeters (diameter) // Color: white - light brown // Habitat: Tropical forest // Importance: Medical - some look alikes are the Geastrum Earthstar also edible.

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This is pretty much it to this segment of my Book of Shadows. It is always growing and growing because there’s so many gifts our Mother Nature has given us, but these are just a few.

I really hope you like it and find it useful.

Image source: My camera

Blessed be,

- May xo.

#wicca #witch #witchcraft #witchlife #green wicca #green witch #herbology #mushrooms #book of shadows #grimoire #myeclecticjourney

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spiralhouseshop · 3 years

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BACK IN STOCK!

Just got some restocks back in the shop today!

The Zombie Tarot Cards: An Oracle of the Undead with Deck and Instructions

The Language of Birds: Some Notes on Chance and Divination by Dale Pendell

Magical Writing Grimoire: Use the Word as Your Wand for Magic, Manifestation & Ritual by Lisa Marie Basile

Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, and Magical Rebels compilation

Postcolonial Astrology: Reading the Planets Through Capital, Power, and Labor by Alice Sparkly Kat

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon

American Brujeria: Modern Mexican American Folk Magic by J Allen Cross

Queering Your Craft: Witchcraft from the Margins by Cassanda Snow

A Practical Guide for Witches: Spells, Rituals, and Magic for an Enchanted Life by Ylvadroma Marzanna Radziszewski

Besom, Stang & Sword: A Guide to Traditional Witchcraft, the Six-Fold Path & the Hidden Landscape by Christopher Orapello & Tara-Love Maquire

Backwoods Witchcraft: Conjure & Folk Magic from Appalachia by Jake Richards

Liber Null & Psychonaut: An Introduction to Chaos Magic by Peter Carroll

And while our free shipping sale is over we are still offering 9% for our 9th birthday until the end of the month with coupon code: BIRTHDAY9

#witchcraft books #baby witch #queer witchcraft #southern cunning #american brujeria #backwoods witchcraft #apalachain folk magic #fold magic #traditional witchcraft #spells #rituals #chaos magic

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screaming-in-reverse · 3 years

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Hallucinogenic Flying Ointment

Making hallucinogenic flying ointment: various recipes.

Flying ointment is an herbal hallucinogenic salve applied by witches for the purpose of soul-flight. I aim for this guide to provide a variety of recipes and ingredients to choose from, highlighting both psychoactive and non-psychoactive entheogens.

Historically accurate recipes

Egyptian

The Greek Egyptian magical papyri describes a religious consecrating oil producing visions called kentritis, the most likely ingredients being Verbena officinalis (vervain) and Mandragora officinalis (mandrake). It is also likely that because of the spread of the Mithras cult from Central Asia, and therefore their hallucinogens, that Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) may be a component in the kentritis oil.

Grimoire

I only found one mention of flying ointment in a grimoire, and it was comprised of multiple unnecessary herbs that had to be handgrown and picked in a complex ceremony. For simplicity’s sake, we may consider the only psychoactive herb in it: vervain. In essence, this ointment is comprised of a single entheogen.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that most grimoires also use hyssop as a consecrating oil. The Keys of Solomon use in the water and hyssop ceremony both vervain, sage, valerian, and hyssop.

Witches’

A traditionally described ointment from reputable sources on the history of witchcraft. These sources describe two recipes.

Parsley and poplar leaves

This recipe contains no psychoactive ingredients, however parsley and poplar are sacred plants in the witchcraft tradition. Unless parsley and poplar are undiscovered hallucinogens ;)

2. Water parsnip, Acorus calamus (sweet flag), cinquefoil, Atropa belladonna (deadly nightshade), Papaver somniferum (opium/poppy)

Our modern recipes

One could make the authentic recipes described above, but there are many other options other than what the old books say. For example, although the uses of opium and fly agaric as ingredients in flying ointment is rather unsubstantiated, they are used as entheogens in other facets of European occultism (opium as incense in Liber Juratus for example) so it would not be far fetched or unauthentic to include them in your ointment.

A typical recipe for us might look like:

2-3 cups of oil

A small amount of wax

1 ounce of dried henbane

10 grams belladonna

10 grams mandrake

5 grams opium

4 ounces fly agaric

10 grams vervain

Add as much parsley, sweet flag, water parsnip, cinquefoil, and poplar leaves as you want. They aren’t poisonous or hallucinogenic so their inclusion is for religious symbolism more than anything.

If one is using the ointment for an indigenous American ritual like a mesada (Originating in the Andes mountains, translating as “altar ritual”) or velada (Mazatec Mexican origin, translating as “candle ritual”) which I would love to outline in a guide later, then it will be fitting to use:

1 ounce datura

1 ounce brugmansia

This could also be used for European rituals as datura and brugmansia are in many ways more desirable because of their more hallucinogenic properties rather than sedative/toxic and because of their more consistency in effects. I made my first flying ointment with brugmansia, and it works just fine. It just isn’t entirely authentic.

How to make it

Just know that you will be working with wax, placing it on your dishes, and wax is a gigantic pain in the ass to clean up. So if you make it you got a lot of scrubbing to do. Also, wear gloves when handling the herbage material and keep windows and doors of the room open to prevent fumes from intoxicating you. You might also want to wear one of those paper masks. This is potent stuff, and you don’t want to be meeting spirits in your kitchen just yet.

Melt the wax in a crock pot (Do not attempt it any other way, slow cooking is the safest. Using a stovetop creates highly volatile oils that can cause a wax fire very quickly).

Meanwhile, place foliage and oil in blender.

Blend the concoction and pour it into a small pot.

Heat the pot on low for an hour.

Strain the liquid from the herbs.

Pour a small portion of the melted wax into the oil, enough so that it becomes a thick consistency. But be careful: while the wax is melted it looks like liquid so you might underestimate how much wax you put in.

Place outside the fridge (because it might cool too quickly, meaning the wax wouldn’t dissolve into the oil), and when it is cool, pour the ointment. It will probably be enough to fill two mason jars! (That’s about 30 doses).

And then you’re done! Apply liberally, but work your way up the doses slowly. You can apply more if you aren’t feeling it. It’s not too strong, you aren’t likely to completely leave this world on the witches’ ointment. Next I’ll teach you guys how to make a witches’ brew! Tripping with purpose.

EDIT: Some are upset that I have declined to put a warning on this post. Some may even say it’s irresponsible. I justify this by saying that the toxicity of nightshades is known everywhere and it is impossible not to encounter the ever-present warning about their safety.

I chose not to beat the dead horse. If you cannot do any research beyond what you read in this post, then nightshades aren’t for you and you should face the consequences of your own actions. I’m not a babysitter, so I’m not responsible for your own safety and well-being. You are.

I think also that the ‘dangers’ of the Amanita muscaria mushroom are vastly overstated and warning people not to ingest fly agaric because other members of the family are poisonous is a misnomer. There has never been a death from fly agaric. There has never been a death from transdermal nightshade for that matter, if I may be bold enough to say.

(COPIED FROM AN OLD FORUM THREAD)

#witchcraft #flying ointment #vampire aesthetic #dark romanticism #screaminginreverse #vampire #vampirism #vampcore #dark grunge #i-am-drinking-your-milkshake #bl00d #dark aesthetic #witchy

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thecaffeinebookwarrior · 4 years

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Monster of the Week: The Undead!

From spooky scary skeletons to the original zombies, let’s have a look at the undead who have risen around the globe! This will not include vampires (which I have already compiled a post on) or ghosts (which I plan to compile a post on.)

Note that many of these can best be understood -- or only understood -- in their original cultural context, and I encourage you to continue your research if the lore interests you.

Skeletons/Skeletal Creatures

I am, for whatever reason, enthusiastic about skeletons. There’s a drama to them. They look like they’re perpetually grinning, or grimacing, which makes them oddly relatable. As an artist, I’m always thinking about them as the framework for poses.

More importantly, there’s one in all of us -- sorry if that made you uncomfortable -- which makes them a universally recurring being in global folklore. Let’s take a look at just a few.

Gashadokuro

Literally translating to “rattling skull,” the Gashadokuro is also called Odokoru (giant skull) or simply “the hungry skeleton.” That basically tells you all you need to know.

These big boys (and I mean REALLY big) wander around the countryside at night. Their name derives from the eerie rattling noise produced by their giant skulls. As chill as this may sound, the Gashadokuro is not actually chill at all, and if you come across them they will not hesitate bite your head off. This may seem like a jerk move, since they don’t even have a stomach, but they need the energy of the living in order to sustain themselves.

Like most undead fellas on this list, the Gashadokuro has its origins in the real world. They are thought to originate from the mass-graves, usually of those who died under violent or inhumane circumstances, the supernatural byproduct of countless skeletons.

The first Gashadokuro was thought to have originated after a specific bloody rebellion, in which the bereaved, sorceress daughter of a samurai summoned a giant skeleton from the mass grave of the rebelling soldiers and used it to attack the city. Queen behavior, if you ask me.

Santa Muerte

Image Source

Let’s conclude this portion with my favorite skeleton (excluding Baron Samedi, who doesn’t count, as he is often depicted as a man, or a man with a skull-like face), the goddess/folk saint Santa Muerte.

I still have a lot to learn about the rich folklore surrounding Santa Muerte, but to my understanding, she was born of a combination of pre-Columbian Indigenous religions and Mexican-American folk Catholicism.

Depicted as a skeleton in beautiful, feminine attire and considered to be embodiment of death, Santa Muerte is a healing and protective figure. She is beloved by legions of worshippers, despite condemnations from the Catholic church, and symbolizes a culturally positive relationship with death.

Despite appearances, she is a life-affirming figure.

Zombies and Reanimated Corpses:

The Draugr

When we hear “zombie,” we don’t traditionally think of “Norse mythology.” And yet, the Nordics had their very own zombie mythos, boasting some truly terrifying undead.

It is said that they first emerge from their graves as little more than wisps of smoke and a stench of decay, before adopting a humanoid form that boasts superhuman strength, the ability to change size at will, and the ability to shape-shift.

They aren’t mindless -- far from it. They boast an anthropomorphic intelligence, which makes them all the more dangerous.

As to what drives them from their graves? Jealousy and bitterness towards the living. Relatable, honestly.

The Jiangshi

(Note: I wish they were all as adorable as the one in this gif.)

This Chinese hopping corpse may have evolved into more of a vampire by Western influences, but it was originally far more zombie-like. And a unique zombie at that.

Due to rigor mortis, the Jiangshi hops stiffly from place to place, holding its arms straight out. What’s even more singular is their origin. Try to guess. Go ahead, try. You won’t be able to.

The Jiangshi is what occurs when a bereaved family, lacking the proper funds to send their loved one’s body back to their ancestral land for burial, hires a necromancing corpse driver to reanimate the cadaver and guide it as it hops back to its resting place. They’d travel at night to avoid or minimize decay, either prodded by a stick or to the beat of a drum.

Other ways to create a Jiangshi include improper burial, suicide, or possession.

Looking upon a Jiangshi is said to be bad luck, and presumably very unpleasant. However, the real problem is their insatiable appetite.

But fear not: if you see an unhealthy looking fellow hopping towards you with pasty, possibly decaying skin, you can protect yourself with mirrors, the hooves of a black donkey, or the wood of a peach tree. They can also be scared off by the sound of a crowing rooster, though that would require a bit of planning, and the cooperation of the rooster in question. Which, knowing roosters, is unlikely.

Haitian Zombies

All legends of the undead have roots in real tragedies, but this one is particularly upsetting -- and the source of the zombie legend in the Western world today.

The enslaved people of Haiti believed that death would set them free, sending them back to an idyllic version of their homeland unburdened by colonialism. But only if death came naturally. Suicide would turn them into mindless husks, carrying out the drudgery of their captors. A haunting parallel to the practice of slavery itself.

The concept was introduced to a contemporary audience by the 1932 film White Zombie, which sees a white “voodoo master” (who clearly didn’t know anything about the actual Voodoo religion) using witchcraft to create obedient slaves. He eventually uses this (ahem) “”voodoo”” on a white woman to try and force her to fall in love with him.

With the term “zombie” in public consciousness, it became an applicable allegory for all of society’s ills, and can now be used to refer to anything from mob mentality to consumerism. But few are as haunting and as disturbing as its origins.

Videos on zombies:

The Origin of the Zombie, from Haiti to the US

Where Zombies Come From

100 Hundred Years of Zombie Evolution in Pop Culture

Best Contemporary Zombie Movies*

*That I know of. Will update with more.

Night of the Living Dead - Though White Zombie introduced the term, it was arguably this film that popularized zombies as we know them today, particularly as an allegory for herd mentality and consumerism. Its successors, including Day of the Dead and Dawn of the Dead, prove similarly influential.

The Evil Dead Trilogy - Established that zombies can be fun, while also serving as an allegory for various societal problems. Also features undead that are refreshingly ravenous and evil without necessarily being mindless.

The Re-Animator - These days, the average zombie movie pushes the bounds of creativity is “make ‘em faster!” The Re-Animator’s take on the genre, however, would make Mary Shelley proud. Based loosely on the Lovecraft story, “Herbert West - Reanimator,” the films greatest triumph is its ability to have fun with its grisly premise, and compel the audience to have fun, too. It’s also a cautionary tale about why it’s important to be careful while getting a roommate.

Shaun of the Dead - I’m not kidding. This film is great, and shows that you don’t need a serious tone to be heartfelt, scary, or provide a thought-provoking social commentary. Way back when I was a sixteen-year-old college freshman, I turned up to class as a zombie cheerleader, and my psychology professor recommended Shaun of the Dead to me. She’s a woman of impeccable taste, and it did not disappoint.

28 Days Later - Before Cillian Murphy gave us Tommy Shelby, a gangster so pretty he could give Al Capone a sexual identity crisis, he was proving his mettle in the zombie-addled UK. For 2020 reasons, watching him wander the abandoned streets of London with a questionable haircut feels very topical. Add a stellar performance from Naomie Harris, and there’s a reason it sent me into a bisexual panic it’s considered a modern classic of the genre.

Little Monsters - An egregiously underrated flick, featuring a kindergarten teacher (who happens to be, you know, Lupita Nyong’o) protecting her class during a zombie outbreak. A must watch if you want a zombie movie with a powerhouse lead, a happy ending, and perhaps the most badass kindergarten teacher in cinematic history.

#monster of the week #writers reference #writers resources #skeletons #zombies #blood for ts #racism mention for ts

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theowlandthekey · 3 years

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When it comes to working with deities/spirits/entities and practices from a culture or ethnicity outside your own I follow a certain thought process. On one hand we are looking at entities that from their point of origin do not belong to us. The likes of Papa Legba (Haitian Voudun), Lilith (Judeism), Hopi tribal spirits, and Mexican brujería do not belong to us. They are not from witchcraft and white people have no rights to them. They exist within the context of their own paths and their own peoples and you cannot pretend to sit here and have an understanding of them in the same manner as the people who were raised with this knowledge and under this belief system. At the same time, religion and spirituality is transformative. We do this all the time with the gods from Greek and Norse mythology, breaking down the original meaning of their myths and reworking it to fit in more with our modern day understanding of the world. Right or wrong, this is part of how a religion or belief system survives over time. It changes, it evolves, it alters in accordance with the people who adopt it. We’ve always done this right through to Christianity. HOWEVER, this does not excuse white people coming in and stealing culture from others. We don’t have a right to claim practices and deities with such haphazard abandon simply because we get interested in them. It’s disrespectful to their culture of origin and the people who were persecuted for their practices during colonization and the subsequent eradication of these spiritual practices. The disrespect is real and I can’t imagine any entity from a marginalized ethnic group is going to receive that with enthusiasm. Looping back around...nobody can stop you. If you can take all the hate and canceling from the internet, nobody can stop you from attempting these practices on your own. If you put a Lwa statue on your alter or start doing chants to Tawa nobody can keep you from doing it. But it would behoove you to keep in mind: Nobody is coming to save your ass either. You do this? You fuck around with shit you don’t know and you don’t have a grasp on because you think it’ll be fun or grant you power? Nobody is gonna pop up to save you from yourself. Nobody is gonna knock on your door and offer to cleanse your house for you. Every serious practitioner is gonna look you up and down and say “You got yourself into this. Get yourself out.” Not out of spite (necessarily) but because nobody can help you solve the problem you created. At BEST if they are feeling generous they may be willing to open communication and offer you a line of reparations you’re gonna have to undertake to get shit back on the level. But thats not a promise. So you go fucking around sticking your nose into shit you know nothing about don’t act surprise when it gets sliced off. If you really wanna learn about spiritual practices and entities from a culture outside your own? Thats not a bad thing. It’s good to learn more. It’s good to increase your knowledge. It’s good to develop your understanding of other cultures and their spirituality so you can better respect it. You may discover some of the practices you’ve already been doing were stolen or copied and that gives you a chance to clean them out of your witchcraft and find better alternatives. If you really wanna start practicing under the heading of a non-Eurocentric, non Christian spiritual faith, show the respect necessary and find people who come by it honestly. You have to be willing to do the hard work. You have to be willing to do more than read The Idiots Guide To “_________” and pretending like you are ready. Ya’ll do this shit with witchcraft anyways and thats bad enough. But pulling that cheap trick on already misunderstood and oppressed spiritual paths is rotten on a whole other level. This shit is hard work. This shit is demanding. The gods/spirits/entities are not an unforgiving lot but they don’t have any patience for fools. If you’re lucky, they’ll laugh and ignore you outright. If not, they can fuck up your life in a thousand little ways. It may take you a long time to really connect and find your footing. You have to be willing to accept that you may not be accepted on this path for whatever reason. It’s not your lane. And that’s okay too. The good news is there are a lot of diverging paths in the forest and there is likely one for you. On a final note: there is no such thing as the ‘right path’. There is no universal correctness when it comes to spirituality. Older does not = better. Newer does not = woke. What matters most is offering that equitable exchange of ideas and being willing to enter into the conversation with an open mindset.

#witchcraft #vodou #lwa #native spirituality #brujeria #closed culture #closed spirituality

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ofcloudsandstars · 4 years

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Dream Ritual ☾・ﾟ✧

Our dreams are a portal within ourselves and sometimes a door connecting us to the astral plane. This ritual can be altered to resonate as much as possible with your unique needs or be as grandiose or minimalist as you like. There are a few steps but depending on your needs you do not have to do all of them if you do not have a need for it. This is just a guide!

The full post is a little long so just to be considerate of people’s dash I have added a read more:

Part I - Setting the space

Your bed will be your ‘altar’ and you are the main tool of magic. Make sure your bed is clean and comfortable. If you have time and want to really amplify the energy then wash the sheets.

Bonus: you could add some essential oils corresponding to your intention in the bundle (or if you have dryer balls, on those) before tossing it in the dryer.

Additional tools you can add to your beds makeshift altar space:

Herb sachets that can help you with your dreams!

Some great bundle ideas could have lavender for calm, burdock for positivity, rose for healing, rosemary for memory. I prefer a lot of sweet mellow nectar scents from jasmine, honeysuckle, gardenia then scents that are refreshing or energizing as those tend to make me more awake but everyone is different and some people may find citrus or mints soothing to sleep to while others might enjoy a warm spiced smell.Using crystals and tucking them in your pillow corresponding to your intent. Amethyst is a nice and easy to find crystal that helps with dreams. If you use a nightlight set it to a color that corresponds to the intention of your dream journey.

Part II - Preparing yourself

If you have a moment it's always nice to do a little shower spell before going to sleep. The warm water will help you relax, cleanse any unwanted energy and get ready for the journey. You can use this part of the ritual to use soaps or shower gel potions that correspond to your intent to prepare yourself for the dream magic. If you use any scrubs (or soap itself is cleansing you can just use plain soap for this too) you can scrub yourself counter clockwise to wash away any build up of energy you do not want to take with you into your space.

You can add energy back by hydrating your skin afterwards with an oil to prepare yourself for your dream flight. You can use some essential oils to help with your magic and dilute them with a few drops in a small dish of coconut/sweet almond (or whichever body oil works best for you), or even plain lotion that's nice on your skin and moisturize yourself. A fantastic oil I'd recommend you get your hands on for dream journeying is Clary Sage which aids to create dramatic, colorful and sometimes even multiple dreams in deep sleep. It also helps with stress, emotional tension, depression and anxiety by helping the body to relax and promoting positivity. Clary Sage is safe to go on skin in small drops diluted with oil or lotion (I wouldn't recommend putting any EO on the face, not that some of them couldn't be safe, but everyone's face is different and sensitive so it's best to avoid and just use this in a few drops to moisturize the body below the neck).

Part III - Dream Brew

There are a number of drinks you could make to help you on your dream journey. Whether it be a tea infused with tinctures, or a warm milk steeped with honey and herbs, there is a lot of possibilities to making a dream brew that works best for you. In this case it's good to review ingredients that can help you in your journey.

Herbs for Vivid Dreams

Mugwort: A tea that will come to most witches minds, Mugwort is incredibly helpful, local to many witches in North America and Europe and not too hard to get your hands on. It helps to enhance dream effects and adds a sense of vividness and heightens the consciousness so that you are more aware of what's currently happening. Mugwort also is helpful to add into a dream pillow. It can also be a little bit protective as well.

Peppermint is other herb that can help with vividness. It can support dream quality and make the scenes more vivid and alive. This could help in a tincture to add a few drops to your blend.

Rosemary is a great herb for a number of reasons but it also helps with your memory. You can add rosemary as well to your blend for protection as it's both cleansing and protective.

Herbs for Dream Journeying

Wild Asparagus Root is also known as 'the flying herb' due to it's ability to transport people into other worlds while they sleep. On a lovely note it is also known to help you open up your heart and improve your heart's energy.

Vervain takes a while to kick in but it helps to treat broken sleep and can help with clarity and opening the mind while both awake and during sleep. It helps to enhance dreams and create vivid journeying experiences.

Calea Zachatechi is considered the dream herb and can be bought in supplements or in tea. I am a firm believer of consuming what is local and native to you so if you are somewhere where mugwort is more accessible go with that but often the culture of witchcraft focuses on western Europe too much and it's good to give a range of possibilities since witches of anywhere can do this dream ritual. However if you do spot this in your local herbal/health food shop then it doesn't hurt to experiment. It helps massively with dream recall and boosting reoccuring dreams.

Another herb from the Southwest US desert/Mexico area is called Heimia Salicifolia which is also known as the sun opener. It has been used even by Aztecs to induce powerful often life altering dreams and recall even really distant memories they may have forgotten they had. I have never tried this and it sounds really intense (I found it while reading some more on Calea Zachatechi) so do some more research but if it's local to you or resonates with your energy then try it out in small dosages. If you are a witch from the Desert or of mexican heritage that re looking to connect to the land you are from, these two herbs could be of use to your practice.

Another helpful herb is Ginkgo Biloba which works by improving memory and increasing brain function which helps with having more detailed dreams. It works by improving blood flow to the brain and helps with lucid dreaming. If it's native to you or your roots it could be a helpful aid in your dream rituals.

Herbs for Positivity and Protection

Sometimes we need more protection for dream magic if we may be prone to nightmares or worse, night terrors. Some herbs to help with this can be Burdock, St. Johns Wort, Rhodiola and Lavender.

Burdock helps you to have positive dreams and guide it away from nightmares.

St. Johns Wort helps with fighting depression and uplifting the mood but you should avoid drinking this if you are already on medication as it can tamper with that.

Rhodiola is another mood booster and it helps boost memory and cognition. It is also known to help cause dreams that are excessively vivid, graphic and rich with details. It also helps boost your energy while keeping you calm which allows you to sleep while still feeling mentally aware. (Also check if its something you could take with anti-depressants since Rhodiola is an anti-depressant as well).

Lavender is fantastic with calming the body, helping ease anxiety and inducing tranquility to help with sleep.

Herbs to help induce sleep

Valerian Root, though it truly smells like unwashed feet is fantastic to induce sleep and even help people whom have trouble sleeping fall asleep faster. It can also be used to have incredible prolific lucid dreams as well. One thing to note, from many witch friends, too much Valerian root can also make the user have an uncomfortable dreaming experience and to some it has induced nightmares, so do not add too much to your blend. A few drops in a tincture would be enough. A tincture would be the best way to consume this as the smell would be muted and it will have the properties concentrated. A full pippet for one cup of brew would suffice.

Passionflower can be easily found in a tincture and helps with reducing stress, minimizing pain and inducing sleep.

Chamomile is a bedtime favorite along with lavender (often the two are blended together, sometimes even with Vervain). It helps you relax and prepare for bed. Chamomile in a milk and honey blend is perfect to go to sleep with.

Lemon Balm is a natural sedative that helps the body to be calmer and improves the length and quality of sleep.

Melatonin isn't an herb but if you do get trouble sleeping its a nice supplement to take with your brew that helps your body know it's time to relax and rest.

Additional Notes:

There are some herbs that really help the body to relax and sleep but sometimes can be so powerful that it can make the body pass through the dream phase and knock out cold to just deep sleep. For this reason I wouldn't recommend something like marijuana or anything that creates too much pain relief. Sometimes weed can help with vivid dreams but the brain fog after makes it difficult to retain anything afterwards. In this case it's best to avoid it all together.

When making your elixir of choice, know your body well and what works for you and what doesn't. Some of our bodies may be more sensitive towards sugar so put less or avoid adding honey or sugar to your blend all together. The same could go towards dairy if you do wish to make a warm milk blend or milky tea brew. Instead use oat milk (which is pretty wonderfully creamy) or any other non dairy milk that works well with your body. Often if we consume something before sleep which could upset the balance of our system, our gut bacteria could end up having a riot and communicate some choice words to our brain which induces uncomfortable scenarios or dreams that can upset the flow that we are trying to channel. Some people can guzzle sweets and dairy before bed and be fine but just be aware of yourself and what works best for you.

Making the Dream Brew-

Tip: If you decide to do this on the full moon then leave out some water for 10 minutes under moonlight. (If it's not convenient for you to have a pot out then get a smaller cup of water or bottle and leave it on your windowsill.)

Bring the water to a boil then add your desired herbs. (Recommendation: Mugwort, vervain, lavender) Make sure to take note which ones need to be steeped longer than others in case you want to avoid any bitterness.

Add in any tinctures you may be using and essences if you work with those. (If it's not a full moon but you have a full moon essence, or lunar flower essence this could work perfectly well to help boost the potion's magic).

As you put in your tinctures and essences, (recommendation: valerian root tincture), stir three times clockwise with your intention for this ritual. If you are adding honey to your brew, this would be a good time to do so while you stir. Ask yourself what answers do you seek on your dream's journey? If you like to chant or say an incantation some helpful words to murmur as you stir could be: Reveal, Illuminate, Clarify, or some affirmations to say would be: I am ready to receive messages, I am ready to understand my depths etc.

Add warmed milk to help with ease to sleep. If you like a pretty alluring presentation, add a tiny pinch of edible glitter to make it more magical and swirl like the cosmos. If you are taking any supplements such as melatonin put it on the side and take the tea to your room.

Part IV - The Descent

Now that everything is set it's time for the journey to begin! Set your lights on low or turn off your lights and let your night light be your source. (If this is a nap during the day do not worry about the lights then. If you have trouble sleeping in the light use an eye mask). Also this may be obvious but I STRONGLY would not recommend using candles for this ritual as you will be sleeping and will not be able to monitor the flames. To add there are electric candles and fairy lights that come in different colors so those could help set the low-light mood and help you pick the color correspondence for your journey.

If you do have colored lights here are some correspondences I like to work with in colorology:

red light: dreams that can illuminate feelings attached to repressed primal emotions from anger, personal safety and sexuality.

orange light: dreams that are creative and induce imaginative fantasies and whimsical adventures.

gold light: dreams that help in exploring your mental state sometimes in what you feel you have control in or lack control or sources of mental stress.

Green light: dreams that help explore your inner creativity, self love, compassion, matters of the heart, family, connection to your roots and nature.

light blue/cyan light: dreams that help you explore your truth, suppressed secrets, help to clarify situations, highlight situations or truths you have been neglecting or not noticing.

dark blue/indigo light: dreams that help you foresee events, receive messages, connect with guides

Purple light: dreams that help you explore other worlds, the divine, the bigger picture, travel to other planes

Pink light: dreams that help connect with the inner child and our foundation of creativity, self love, old memories and things that have inspired us since we were kids.

white light: dreams that can help clarify truths in your personal journey and bring spiritual alignment.

Ultra Violet/black light: (Black light electric tealights are a thing!) Crossing the veil, revealing secrets, plunging into the deepest depths of subconsciousness

Colors are also very emotional thus it can very strongly from person to person so how you may feel about the color affecting the mood of the room will matter more than my own correspondences based on my personal experiences.

Cleanse the space with bells or shift the air around lightly. Highly recommend for this ritual is with incense smoke as scent and dreams go hand in hand and there are a number of dream smoke blends you could use. Additionally using air mists or floor washes could work as well. Clary sage oil would be fantastic to put in a dehumidifier/floorwash/air mist (or even just to sprinkle it across your bed). If you use an incense stick you can use it as a make-shift wand to channel your energy to clear the space and draw a circle of smoke around your bed. Wonderful incense choices to use would be lavender, jasmine, rose, rosemary or sage. You could also use a mugwort smoke herb bundle to clear the air and also heighten the energy of the space. Whatever calls to you and whichever is accessible.

Once your area is cleansed and the mood is set drink your tea and lie down the bed. Take a few deep breaths and think about your intention. What do you want to explore? What truths would you want to be revealed?

Some help to guide you on this journey would be some sleep meditative tracks you can find on youtube that goes on for 9 hours. Here is a favorite though there are many. Additionally there are binural beats or music set to frequencies to help with different energy pools in the body. Playing these on low volume in the background can help with your dream journey.

Tip: Do not set an alarm. This is best done when you have nothing to disturb you after your sleep. You should wake up gradually where you still have connection to your dream to recall it enough to write down.

Another Tip: If you like to use crystals, Amethyst is a great stone to help open up psychic connections and help with dreams. There are many other stones for dreaming and psychic connection but amethyst is the most common and accessible one.

Meditating for a half-hour before hand (or just chilling on your bed being relaxed and thinking about your intention) could help put you in the mood for the space. This also can give you time for the potion to infuse into you but also for you to have a bathroom break before going to bed. It takes around 50 minutes for liquid to pass through you and especially with warm tea it feels even faster. Take that window of time to meditate and be calm.

Once your intention is set, imagine it as a key. Close your eyes and envision a door. Whether this door be at the end of a hallway, in the trunk of a large tree in the depths of a forest, in a city's colorfully graffiti'd alleyway, hanging mysteriously as a portal before the shore of an empty beach, at the mouth of a dark cave, or floating in pure serene void is up to you. Take note of the details of the door. How does it make you feel? How do your surroundings make you feel? Take note of your breath. Remember your intention. Go towards that door.

Once you take the key and unlock it imagine what is on the other side. Whatever mood or emotion that comes up is valid. Even if you don't feel anything. Even if a memory of that day or an emotion attached to someone comes up suddenly do not feel like it is irrelevant, unimportant or a distraction. Anything you are feeling now is important to your journey. Just breathe. Visualize what is beyond the door or if your mind takes you on a journey towards feelings of that day or a train of thought towards something unrelated, follow it. Just relax into a deeper realm of sleep....

...

Part V - Dream Oracling

Once you are awaken reflect on the images you have seen. Sometimes dreams can be wild and full of random imagery but they all can be relevant. Write down what emotions came up alongside some of these images.

Sometimes dreams take a while to resurface and memories of them could pop up throughout the day. Take note on your phone's note app. A great site to decipher some random dream omens is dreammoods.com. Many times when I thought something could be random as hell, dreammoods helps to clarify what many common dreams could mean for most people. Often you should take dream omen sites with a grain of salt as dreams are highly subjective and matters to what you feel the most so if you read about a sign that did not resonate with your dream at all do not think you are doing it wrong, it's just that dreammoods cannot be a one-size-fits-all site. However it's resource can be super helpful to check up on.

In your dream journal or your note on your phone write down what your intention was, what emotions the dream could have bought up for you and what characters, places you've visited or situations you have been in. Dreams taking place in a house have a lot to say about your personal life, body and mental state. Dreams taking place in a city have a lot to say about your social life. In the woods it can be a narrative for a long term issue you have been trying to resolve or work through. In a school it can be highlighting lessons in life that you are working through. Dreams revolving around children can reflect on your own inner child. Dreams about animals closest to you can reflect on your emotional state and sense of compassion. Dreams where you have powers such as flight can show the abilities you have to your advantage towards solving problems. Dreams where you may feel powerless or chased can show situations where you feel trapped or problems you are avoiding.

It's important to note mostly every detail that occurs. Something even as benign as you driving a car can say a lot about your current state. Are you driving the car perfectly? It can mean that you feel confident in life and in control of the situation. Are you driving the car haphazardly or on the wrong side of the road? It can mean that you lack confidence and do not feel in control. Did you speed off the side of the road and land into a body of water?? It can mean that not only do you not feel confident but you have a lot of repressed emotions that can get the better of you. Are you often a passenger and not the driver? It can mean that you are not in control of your current situation and are acting passively.

If you need further insight or guidance then tarot can help tremendously with this. You can pull a card for what each situation or symbol meant or do a spread for the whole dream. You can pull a card for 1. What does this dream mean overall in regards to my intention? 2. What themes did it want to highlight? 3. What obstacles was it trying to bring to light? 4. What solutions was it trying to suggest? - The card underneath the stack shows the underlying energy/situation which is perfect to examine as we are explore the subconsciousness so remember to flip the deck over.

(You could also do the same for an oracle deck!)

If you like to use cartomancy/lenormand ask your deck about what situation was the dream about? Pull three cards. The center is the main theme. The combination of the two cards on either side is the waking situation that your dream is trying to highlight. When you combine the first two cards (from left to right) to the second two it will highlight how the situation is impacting your mind and the mood of your current state.

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I hope you find value to this dreaming ritual! There are a few steps but once again you could take whatever resonates with you and do your own version. (Plus not every detail is so crucial every time, take what is necessary towards the current situation). If you do get some wild dreams I'd love to hear them!

#lucid dreaming #dream oracle #witchblr #blog bedroom #blog dreams

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anaveragewitch · 4 years

Text

Basic witchcraft survival guide

So, you want to be a witch but don't know where to start?

Well I've been practicing for a while now and although I'm in no way an expert on witchcraft I do have some things I wish someone had repeated to me while starting out

Research is KEY check your sources, get info from different sources: podcasts,witchblr, books, youtube videos; there are many creators around.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW THE RULE OF THREE if you dont want to and if someone shames you or tries to shove it down your throat then go. They're not worth it

Witch is a gender neutral term.

Learn to ground,center, ward AND banishing methods first. Try a couple of them out. See if they work for you, write down your experiences. The popular tree method for grounding does not work for me. As a sea witch I do a sea themed grounding but I did not know this and thought I was doing it wrong

There is no such thing as too much protection. Wards, talismans or amulets,sigils, powders, your own aura can be powerful tools.

Ask yourself what do you believe in. How do you think magic works? What are your thoughts on deities? How do you think we came into existence? Most importantly, what are you interested in? The weather, the ocean, the spirit world, energy healing, kitchen witchcraft, knot magic, crystals. Write all down and try them.

I know it can sound like "gatekeeping" but think twice before getting into deity and spirit work (includes working with the fae). Do you know to ground center,ward,bind or have your banishing stuff at hand? Do you know how to discern if you are talking to who you think you are? Don't jump into things for fun, you could get hurt

You don't need to have a book of shadows or grimoire. You can make notes on your phone,on Google docs, on power point. It doesn't have to be fancy and elaborated for it to work. Think about what you would like to keep track of and name your book however you want

Fancy and expensive tools don't make a more powerful witch

Get into energy work. It will save you a lot of headaches later when trying to learn how to discern spirits, divination,channeling energy into things or spells and it WILL strengthen your magic

Have at least one divination method, it will come in handy. There are a lot. Tarot,runes,pendulum, scrying,osteomancy, palmistry..etc

Don't just look into the occult section of the bookstore. If you're into sea witchcraft research the tides, how the sea is influenced by the moon, the different parts of it, the organisms, sailor lore, how to do knots..etc For example I use copper wire in storm witchcraft for lightning. Why? Cause it's a good conductor of electricity and heat. It's MY belief in MY path,makes sense to me

Weaving magic things into your life will make it a bit more exciting but watch out for burnouts. Sigils on your makeup, meditating,carrying charged crystals...be creative!

Correspondences lists are great! But your magic is for you to do. A lot of them have ingredients that don't even exist in my country. What am I going to get from something I've no idea what it is that's also really hard and expensive to get? Try to do your own. Think about an object, try to feel it's vibes, what do you associate it with? Write it down.

Same for spells. Following someone else's is a great way to start! But as you go further you can try to write your own. Intention, will , ingredients, time are the things to figure out. First have an intention and strong will to get it done. Then gather ingredients based on your correspondences and perform an action. For banishing it might be burning a photo of them or fluching it down the toilet. For binding it might be wrapping them.

There are a million of beliefs and practices out there. Yes,you can be a Christian witch. A satanic witch if you want.

WICCA IS A RELIGION. WITCHCRAFT IS A PRACTICE

Writing down your dreams is a good way to start on the hedge witch path. If you're interested in lucid dreaming or astral travel I reccomend doing this.

There are closed practices. Indigenous and native practices are closed to you if you aren't in that specific culture. Just because you live near a Native community doesn't mean you are part of it. Same for hoodoo and voodoo. If you're not black then don't do it. It's simple. They are closed for a reason,not to spite you. If you have 0.06% mexican ancestry and were not raised in our culture then don't appropriate our things. Blood quantum is bullshit. Same for every other culture.

You don't have to have an altar. If you want to you can have a digital one or just a table with some shells and crystals is good enough.

Careful with blood magic. Also careful when cursing or hexing, be sure to protect yourself before and take care of yourself after.

If your spells requires to bury something,make sure its biodegradable

That is all I can think of rn but if I have more ideas I'll put part 2! Feel free to DM me for any doubts or if you just want a witchy friend. I also do free rune readings :)

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