theeighthsunrise

[theeighthsunrise]

I love watching all the different practices but I noticed that no one talk about like doing magic just because you can.

I like to create little trinkets that will cheer people up and leaning them in funny places or curse and hexes toward people who litter.

Is anyone else doing it? Just bringing good fortune or bad fortune to people you don’t even know?

[theeighthsunrise]

Samhain

Activities

Put up wards to keep out unwanted spirits

Put jars of salt by your door to protect your home

Sprinkle some salt in your mouth right before you go to bed to protect your dreams

Light candles to help guide spirits

Tell stories of dead relatives and friends

Write about the dead in your book of shadows

Give offerings to your ancestors

Pray at your altar

Cleanse your space with incense

Drink hot drinks

Bake bread or pies

Add fall recipes to your book of shadows

Paint and decorate pumpkins

Contact spirits through divination

Ask for advice from your ancestors

Be thankful for the food you have

Dust and tidy your altar

Look at pictures of deceased loved ones

Dress in fall colors

Go for a walk in nature, observe the leaves turning. Consider the cycles of life and death that govern our world.

Light a bonfire/small fire (safely!) and burn papers with things that no longer serve you, that you cannot afford to take into winter.

Make an offering to your deities or ancestors

Make food with seasonal ingredients symbolic of the final harvest: squashes, pumpkins, grains, apples, spices. Even wine, if you’re allowed to drink.

Prepare your home and yourself for the coldest part of the year. Redo protection spells, clean out clutter, develop sustaining spells for winter.

Reflect on the past year. What did you lose? What people left your life, what things no longer hold meaning for you? How did you change as a person?

Work with various forms of divination, like runes, pendulums, tea leaves, or tarot.

If you do work with ouija boards you better be SUPER DUPER careful. Do not neglect protections, and if you feel uncomfortable, stop, protection spells and cleanse, cleanse, cleanse.

Give some time or money to a cause you’re passionate about. If your harvest is abundant, give back to those who were not so fortunate.

Colors

Black

Orange

Brown

Gold

Scarlet

Animals

Bat

Boar

Cat

Cow

Dog

Crow

Crystals

Jet

Obsidian

Amber

Carnelian

Fossils

Onyx

Sandstone

Turquoise

Bloodstone

Herbs and Flowers

Acorn

Angelica

Broom

Catnip

Deadly Nightshade

Dittany

Hazel

Heather

Mandrake

Mugwort

Oak leaves

Sage

Straw

Wormwood

Trees

Apple

Beech

Blackthorn

Locust

Pomegranate

Willow

Witch Hazel

Yew

Foods

Soul bread (I recommend putting something on it, it can be bland)

Roast turkey or chicken

Venison

Rice

Cod

Sea Bass

Lamb

Duck

Scallops

Oysters

Mussels

Apples

Pears

Grapes

Citrus

Pomegranate

Eggplant

Tomato

Fig

Brussel Sprouts

Kale

Pumpkin

Squash

Mushroom

Broccoli

Plumbs

Cranberries

Ginger

Peaches

Cabbage

Key limes

Passion Fruit

Radishes

Chestnuts

Beets

Fruit Pies

Fruit Cobblers

Apple Cake

Spice Cakes

Apple Cider

Hard Cider

Pumpkin spice Latte

Hot Cocoa

Apple Juice

Adult Appel Juice (wine)

Mulled Wine

Mulled Cider

Grape Juice

Chai Tea or Latte

Herbal Teas

Deities

Arawn

Belenus

Dagda

Hades

Loki

Odin

Pluto

Badb

Banba

Cailleach

Durga

Hecate

Hel

Inanna

Ishtar

Kali

Morrigan

Rhiannon

Horned God

Spells

Write a list of things you want to release and burn it

Light candles to help guide and honor spirits

Practice Spirit work

Samhain Divination

Family Meals with a place for the dead

Meditate and Reflect

Other names

All Saints Day

All Hallows Eve

Halloween

Incense/EO

Sage

Pumpkin

Patchouli

Myrrh

Straw

Flax

Wheat

Corn

Rosemary

Nutmeg

Allspice

[theeighthsunrise]

Blessed Samhain 🍁

Today I honour the past so tomorrow I may embrace the future.

[theeighthsunrise]

Happy Samhain!

[theeighthsunrise]

While the veil between worlds is thinnest don’t forget to high five your bros on the other side

[theeighthsunrise]

feeds angels communion bread like i’m an old person on a park bench throwing crumbs to birds

[theeighthsunrise]

Secular Celebrations - Autumnal Equinox

From there, we move into the fall and come to the Autumnal Equinox and my favorite time of year. September brings the second harvest - more fruit, lots of gourds, and the rest of those autumn vegetables. Of course, there are some plants that will continue on well into the winter, but this is when most of the produce comes off the vine, and we begin storing them up for the colder months. The year begins to slide more noticeably toward winter, the leaves start to turn, and when the equinox comes, the day and night are equal once again.

This is a time for restoring balance. If things are feeling off in your home or in your life, take steps to restore that equilibrium and re-establish your routines. Cleanse your home of any lingering “summer grump” and make sure you air the place out once the weather isn’t so blazingly hot. I mean, who doesn’t love a bit of fresh autumn air in the house, especially when it has that little tinge of burning leaves to it? Mm, chef kiss, perfection. I mean, in 2020, we’re all sick of that because of the wildfires, but STILL. Do that end-of-summer cleanout, get ready for back-to-school if you have little ones, and start changing out your wardrobe.

There’s still time for a bit of last-blast outdoor fun, if you’re so inclined. Provided that the weather cooperates, you might plan one more beach day or camping trip or afternoon at the lake. Visit a farmer’s market or a harvest festival and have some fun. Visit that pick-your-own-produce farm again and bring from some seasonal fruits and veggies. I love apple-picking at this time of year, and it’s probably the thing I miss most about living in Pennsylvania. (Also, Stayman Winesaps are the tastiest apples on earth, and nothing you can say will change my mind.)

Go on a walk or a drive to view the changing leaves. Oh, and mark the day you first see leaves starting to turn. That’s a fun thing I do every year, I call it Turning Day. If there are maple trees in your area, those will probably be the ones that change first, so look for those. You can use fall foliage, acorns, and gourds to start decorating your home - real or silk, whatever works best for you.

This is another big holiday for bonfires as well - honestly, bonfires are pretty much part of ALL the holidays, they’re just fun - so if you can attend one or have one safely, that’s something to consider. Or maybe just have one more picnic or cookout before the weather turns too chilly for it to be feasible. Have a fall feast for your near-and-dear with lots of lovely seasonal produce and pies, maybe a roast fowl or brisket or fish, whatever you like best.

Speaking of food, this is my baking season. It’s finally cool enough to have the oven going without suffocating myself in the heat or running up a four-figure energy bill trying to keep the indoor temperature manageable. So if you’re a fan of baking, why not give that a try? There are plenty of recipes to choose from, like soda bread, pumpkin bread, spice cake, maple cookies, and so on.

Keep that sense of community going by making a little bit extra and sharing it with friends and neighbors. Some people do their autumn feasting around the equinox instead of in November, when Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. There is a holiday in September called Harvest Home that directly corresponds to this, so if you’d rather skip Thanksgiving but you still want to feast, that’s something to look into.

Start stocking your shelves for the winter too. Put up pickles and preserves. Refresh your canned goods and non-perishables, maybe save a few bottles of whatever libations you made earlier in the year. If you have kids, celebrate the idea of this gathering-in with a scavenger hunt. Have them help you find signs of autumn or needful items for the pantry.

As the year turns and the harvest comes in, meditate upon your own personal harvest. This might be a journaling activity. You’ve sown, you’ve tended, you’ve reaped. Now what is your harvest? What have you learned from the year? What abundance has entered your life? What have you lost? What surprised you? What didn’t go quite as you planned? What are you thankful for? What do you regret?

Meditate also upon the balance in your life. Do things FEEL balanced? Or are they out of whack? If so, how can you address this? Do you feel you need to change things, or is it more prudent to let them reach equilibrium on their own? What outside factors are affecting that balance, and what can you reasonably affect on your own?

- from Hex Positive, Ep. 011 - Secular Celebrations (Dec. 01, 2020)

[theeighthsunrise]

Happy Mabon!

[theeighthsunrise]

🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃

May your January be filled with love and healing. 

🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃🌸🍃

[theeighthsunrise]

yes we were

[theeighthsunrise]

365:00:00

[theeighthsunrise]

Baby Green Witch Tip:

If you see any green witch spells that ask you to pour coffee grounds, wine, or other liquids/food into your gardens, please research what you’re gardening first. Coffee grounds, wine, and other foods tend to be too acidic for some veggies, herbs, plants, etc. to grow! (Some compostables don’t vibe well with some plants.)

This doesn’t mean *don’t* use these items in your green witch magick. But please be sure to research what you’re putting to your garden before you accidentally hurt your plant friends!

[theeighthsunrise]

I don’t know who needs to hear this but

Do NOT cast spells for positive effects that involve:

Burning a picture of yourself*

Burning a piece of paper that anywhere contains your name*

Burning a piece of hair or other taglock*

*Unless you really know what you’re doing

I don’t know how sigil culture got people to think that burning anything = sending it off for spirits, but NO. Across pretty much every magical practice, burning involving a person = destruction. Burning as a means of generically sending things off is mainly used for offerings.

On a similar vein, do not cast spells for positive effects that involve taking a human figure and ripping up, burning, submerging in soil or water, or doing anything else to that figure that would maim or kill a real human. (unless you really know what you’re doing)

Remember the Law of Similarity. Destruction of an image = destruction of the thing itself.

Edit: I’ve seen a lot of comments of “fire isn’t just destructive!” and “burning can have other effects!” and yes, I completely agree. Hell, I can hardly do magic without a lit candle in the room. I’m talking specifically about harming images or pieces of yourself/your clients who you want to produce positive effects for.

I also made the caveat that if you know what you’re doing then there isn’t an issue. imo, “real magic” is any magic that works. If you have a technique that works for you and doesn’t cause unwanted side effects, great! My intention behind this post was to speak to those who are trying spells from online, modern spellbooks, their friends, etc. My goal is to encourage a critical eye, especially when techniques that have historically been used one way are being applied in another very different one. 

Regardless, I’m glad this post is generating a lot of good conversation.

[theeighthsunrise]

The universe is making a way for you. ✨

[theeighthsunrise]

Tea magic

Buy or make your own tea from flowers or herbs with their correspondences in mind. If you use sugar, make a sigil on the bottom of your cup before adding tea. If you use honey, charm it or add herbs to it for an extra boost. Stirring your tea clockwise to charge it. Don't forget to bless your tea!

[theeighthsunrise]

@sixpenceee this store in Maine was filled with all sorts of foreign preserved animals and rare/supernaturally charged stones

[theeighthsunrise]

THINGS YOU NEED TO BE A WITCH

a desire to learn

an oddly strong love for the moon, the sun, or both

an open mind

time

a little humility

salt, probably

THINGS YOU DON’T NEED TO BE A WITCH

a vagina

nor a uterus

fancy tools

money

formal training

a fancy witch name

a neurotypical brain

major talent right off the bat (this is a SKILL, you learn it, not everything will just come naturally)