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Hey Bree! I'm pretty new on this Irish god stuff, and was wondering if you have any book/pdf recommendations (or those to avoid) regarding Brigid. I'm trying to do my homework before pursuing more. Sorry if you already answered an ask like this, but I trust your input! Thank you🤗

Oooo, yes I've got a couple for you!

My personal favorite is Tending Brigid's Flame by Lunaea Weatherstone. That's been my main reference since I started by journey with Brighid and it's also where I found the Nineteen Flames devotion prayers. Brigid by Courtney Weber and Morgan Daimler's book of the same name are also good resources.

Hope this helps!

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Hey Mate, got tips for Brigid Worship that doesn't involve American/English/Wiccan stuff? I'm an Irish ex-Catholic who's trying to worship the Tuatha Dé Danann (I'm mainly focusing on Brigid because I loved her Saint equivalent growing up), but a lot of my research keeps showing me English/American Neogpagan and Wiccan Shite. Any advice?

hey mate! i’ll link some resources for you to peruse, hopefully they help. mix up of gaelic-centric and celtic-centric pagan resources

Gaol Naofa (a website discussing Gaelic polytheism)

Tairis (another website discussing Gaelic polytheism)

An Introduction to the Tuatha  Dé Danann (video)

Na hÉireanneach

A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland

Pagan Portals - Gods and Goddesses of Ireland: A Guide to Irish Deities

Gods and Fighting Men: The Story of the Tuatha De Danann and of the Fianna of Ireland (not sure where to link, this was lent to me! fer sure you can find it though)

The Cailleach in Irish Megalithic Traditions

Druids, Deer, and Words of Power: Coming to Terms with Evil in Medieval Ireland

The Book of Celtic Magic: Transformative Teachings from the Cauldron of Awen by Kristoffer Hughes

The Religion of Ancient Celts 

Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts

Brigid of the Celts

An Introduction to Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism

The Tain (amazon bleugh)

Irish Imbolc Customs

Scottish Deities: Brighde

Brighid, Goddess and Saint

Tending Brighid’s Flame (amazon bleugh)

How to Make a Brighid Cross from Rushes

to keep in mind while reading: Cailleach is not a member of the Tuatha Dé, and her lore supersedes theirs by a long shot. The Cailleach - Brighid dichotomy is specifically a Scottish folkloric tradition and does not appear in Irish folkloric tradition.

as far as personal experience, i don’t know much about brighid. never formed a bond with her, honestly, and she’s never shown interest in me in return. but i still celebrate her feast and do a lot of basic worship of her that day.

my main tip for you would be that, well... it’ll seem harsh, but coming from a fellow irish person, the tuatha de danann are nothing like the catholic god. they don’t love you unconditionally, and they aren’t omnipresent or all knowing. wise and powerful, fer sure, but your relationship with them will be completely different and unfamiliar at first. 

the irish deities were originally venerated ancestors. they became divine as the legends of them spread. the tuatha de danann are more like if an EXTREMELY powerful and respected war general was your landlord. offerings are less about connection and more about payin’ your rent! 

at the bare bones basics: there was an agreement between humans and them that they’d retreat from the war that was resulting in the near-extinction of both their peoples, IF the human invaders would leave part of their harvest goods for them on the mounds and edges of forests and windowsills on certain fests and holidays. with that deal struck, the tuatha de danann retreated underground beneath the faery mounds and very soil we stand on.

so keep in mind: the gods do not love you until you build that relationship. they’re not your parent, they’re not a friend. they are wiser, stronger, and more powerful than you in every way. holy fear should be part of it at first when it comes to irish deities. obviously you can still form a close bond, even worship them or become a close communicator! but you have to earn that first. 

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Trans Witch tip

Keep a small stone/crystal/object with you. Whenever you feel gender euphoria, charge the object with it. Whenever you feel gender dysphoria, use the object to achieve balance again.

[sunshine-and-strewberries]

A guide to Protection

i’ve seen a lot of people (especially on tiktok) emphasizing the importance of protection in magick. i couldn’t agree more, so i thought of piling up a few of my favorite protection methods

Wards🪴🧿

you can use any object you’d like as a guardian to ward off negative energies. plant wards are my personal favorite because working with plant spirits plays a big role in my practice.

simply cleanse the plant buddy with your preferred method (avoid using white sage if you’re not indigenous)

write a petition paper addressing what your intent is (in this case, ask the plant to protect you)

burn the petition paper and add the ashes to the soil

you may add some crystals to boost up your intention

visualize a ray of protecting light coming out of the plant which circles around yourself/ your home

thank the plant 🌱

if the plant catches something nasty it’ll usually wither and start to lose it’s leaves

there are many options when it comes to warding; you can use a talisman, a crystal, a plushie, spell jars, etc

Sigils

i personally like this method because you can get as creative as possible. personalize your own sigil! this works really well, especially if you’re in the broom closet because they can be as lowkey as you want.

Protective handmade bracelet

remember the friendship bracelets people used to make in middle school? i usually chant the witches ladder and state my intent with every knot that i tie and end up with a pretty powerful protection spell.

Protection oil & protection candle

i’m probably going to make a separate post with my protection oil recipe.

as for the candle, grab a white or black candle and carve protection sigils on it, or even runes or bind runes, dress it with the protection oil and corresponding herbs and meditate with it before lighting it. usually whenever i light my protection candle i’ll chant “candle candle burn so bright grant me your protection tonight”

Visualization

yep. that’ll do the trick. if you’re on the go or in an emergency, you’re most likely not gonna have the time necessary to grab everything and do a spell. close your eyes, ground and center yourself, and visualize a protective white light within you. or simply ask the universe/ deities/ spirit guides/ guardian angels/ god to surround you with protective light. make sure to thank them!

there are many ways to protect yourself from negative energies or spirits. these are just a few. i’d recommend reading the book “Protection & Reversal Magick” by Jason Miller

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White Feminism

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🌟 5 easy glamour incantations 🌟

I've been using these since forever and they work incredibly! Feel free to accommodate them to what resonates with you :)

I mostly say these phrases in my mind over and over again as I'm applying a certain product, you can say them out loud as well. Playing affirmations in the background can also work really well when you're putting that intention into your makeup! （˶′◡‵˶）

As you apply highlighter: "My essence shines through"

As you apply lipstick/gloss/balm: "My words are sweet. Everyone pays attention when I'm speaking"

As you apply lipstick/gloss/balm: "My words flow perfectly. Speaking my mind perfectly comes easy for me"

As you apply mascara: "These eyes see everyone's true essence. These eyes see through facades"

As you apply blush: "I am confident and assertive"

Remember to have fun with these! I mostly use these ones every time I'm putting on my makeup because they always work for me. However you can change them up to whatever intention you're setting for that day! Glamour magic helps me connect with my inner child and inner essence and I hope it has that effect on you as well ˙˚ʚ(´◡`)ɞ˚ Lmk how these go for you! ♡

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"I've be trying to manifest xyz but it's not working!"

Okay. Have you put in the effort to make that manifestation happen? Not journaling and visualizing what you want. I mean actually putting in the work to get what you want.

Y'all are being told that you can wish things into existence; that all you have to do is be open to it, visualize what you want and assume it is yours. Some of y'all are really believing this, and it's made some of y'all paranoid and depressed.

Some of y'all are gonna have to come to terms with the fact that some things aren't gonna come to you without effort. You're not gonna become a successful business owner if you don't open that business and advertise it. You're not gonna find a new lover if you don't go out and look for one. You're not gonna have everything handed to you without earning it yourself.

This is why I don't believe in the new age concept of manifesting. I'm tired of seeing people on social media make posts saying they've been manifesting xyz but it isn't materializing, what should they do if their manifestations aren't working, have they made the universe angry... Y'all. Please, realize that a lot of things in life requires you to do more than wish for it.

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The idea that "water is a very cheap offering" and therefore not good enough to give to the gods or your ancestors is directly tied to your own lack of self-worth and fear that you're not doing enough and therefore feelings of not being good enough to work with the gods or your spirits.

The feeling of needing to get something a lot more expensive or something that requires more effort in order to validate your desire to work with the gods or your spirits is just another way capitalism has conditioned you to demonize basic needs and reject them in order to access your own spirituality.

Until recently, filtered water was inaccessible (and depending on where you are, it still is). Your gods and especially ancestors are fascinated with you having access to cleaner water, something they have fought for you to get.

Offer them water. They really do treasure it.

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Gather ‘round kids: I had a coworker mention to me this morning that it’s impossible to get grease stains out of fabric. As a former chemistry minor who worked two years under the table doing housekeeping and who generally tends to be a fucking disaster, I am here to tell everyone that it absolutely is not impossible, in case this is a widespread belief. Here are a few of my favorite cleaning stain removers that I always have at home.

Here are some options:

A Tide™ pen.

I’m a generic kinda lady. I hate promoting brands 99% of the time. BUT if you catch absolutely any kind of stain before it gets ground in, you can get most of it out with one of these babies. I’ve tested it on blood, chocolate, coffee, guacamole, pizza sauce, red wine on, on that one time i accidentally slopped some oil I was supposed to be using on antiques onto a fancy rug (also an antique but not the one I was gunning for). If you’re washing something delicate, pump it onto your finger a couple of times and gently rub it in. I’m not sure what they put in these things but I’m pretty sure it’s an arcane secret.

Dish soap

Granted, this is a little trickier for upholstery/carpet, but it can still be done using a rag, some water, and some patience. But for clothing, just pour some soap on the stain and rub it in under cold running water.

Absolutely any clear alcohol is your new best friend

You know the old “white wine to clean red” trick? Well, this is its updated sister I like to call “you, too, can use coconut rum to get red jello shot out of your nice white dress”. It’s a nice party trick. Straight vodka works even better. For every day situations involving any kind of alcohol-related spills (including markers)–and especially work situations–rubbing alcohol is ideal. To quote another adage, this one from every chemistry teacher you will ever meet, “like dissolves like.”

Hydrogen Peroxide

It can get blood out of absolutely anything, including your mattress. It reacts with the iron in hemoglobin, which breaks down the molecule, causing it to lose its red color. So make sure you’re not using a cast iron skillet to wash your period underwear in.

Vinegar

This will dissolve lime buildup overnight. Fill a bag, tie it around your showerhead, and presto. You can also use it to scrub the area around your sink and to break up any buildup in pipes. (Limeaway™ is for rich people.) 

Baking soda

This is great if you have a pet or child who peed on the carpet. Just cover the area, wait until it dries, and vacuum it up. The longer you leave it, the better it will do at removing the smell. It’s also good removing mild odors from a small space, like a fridge or a laundry hamper. 

Charcoal

This is your heavy duty odor killer. A little goes a long way. In chemistry, activated charcoal is used as a purifier in reactions, and in medicine, it can be used to treat mild poisoning/overdoses. In your car that smells like someone died because you forgot you had potatoes in the trunk for six months? All you need are regular old charcoal briquettes. Stick a couple handfuls in a flat box and the smell will be gone overnight. Guaranteed. For larger areas, just use more charcoal.

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shoutout to trans men, nonbinary men, transmascs, etc who are curvy, fat, have wide hips or chests they can’t flatten, who are short, who have long hair or babyfaces or high voices, who are gender nonconforming, who can’t or don’t want to transition medically for whatever reason, who will probably never “pass” in a way that looks cis.

cis men are not the height of masculinity and you don’t have to be indistinguishable from them to be masculine. people misperceiving you doesn’t define what you are.

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"EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL TO THE POINT OF STERILE UNFUCKABILITY. " 1 . // 2. // 3. // 4.

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This. Let’s get it

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Witch Tip #13

Sick of cleaning wax out of your chime candle holder? Place a tiny bit of oil all over the inside of the candle holder or anoint your candle with it. This will prevent the wax from collecting and sticking to your chime holder!

- Erika, The Clumsy Witch

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Cahil kimseyi dinlemez kendini alim sanır,

Yolu şaşırır.

Akıllı olan kişileri dinler fikiir alır araştırır,

Yol alır.....

Kimseyi hor görme,

Akıllıyım diye geçinme,

Bazen o aklın yetmez küçük bir kediye🐈

Asikan

[sunshine-and-strewberries]

jk rowling may not have caused transmisogyny in the uk, but by being a high-profile figure who actively supports transmisogyny and funnels money into transmisogynistic groups she is a huge influence in keeping it both alive and, more dangerously, seen as a legitimate viewpoint and ‘acceptable’ in the eyes of the media. it is dangerous to ignore this and to ignore her significant influence