bansheesgrimoire

[bansheesgrimoire]

It's anyone's preference to use or not use the term "baby witch," but I cannot stand people infantilizing young or inexperienced witches, with or without the term. Young people should be cared for, and inexperienced people should be supported. Coddling does nothing but set the expectation that either:

A) Someone else will always be around to do their critical thinking for them; or

B) The witching world outside their curated bubble is Extremely Dangerous, and they must be So Careful All The Time to not fuck up.

Danger exists; ignoring it and/or shielding others from it entirely on their behalf does that person a disservice, in my opinion. Exposure is often the best teacher. You can prepare all you like, but hands-on experience will teach more than a thousand hand-wrung warnings ever will.

Young, inexperienced, and/or "baby" witches have the right to make mistakes and get into trouble. It's good for them. Don't take learning opportunities out of their hands just because you are afraid. Perhaps they won't be.

[bansheesgrimoire]

I’ve been seeing a lot of posts around social media talking about people hearing the call of Hekate, The Morrigan, and Lilith.

I’m not here to dissuade any of that, just want to remind my fellow pagans and witches that there are a plethora of other deities you can work with in regards to what we’re all currently going through and anticipated to go through.

As a Hellenic Polytheist here are some of my suggestions:

Aphrodite (especially her war side, yes Aphrodite has a war side)

Ares (THE feminist of the pantheon, I will die on that hill)

Artemis (protector of women and children, killer of dickheads, a witch, and a primal goddess. Don’t sleep on her!)

Athena (THE strategist. She’s going to lead you to the path of victory)

Dionysus (THE revolutionist. Dionysus is the destroyer of empires and harbinger of change. Especially in regard to women. Their maenads are lethal to men who try to oppress and suppress them)

Eris (MY GIRL! I mean this bitch started the Trojan War with an Apple. Do I need to say more??)

Demeter (Also a witch and single handedly brought two of the 3 kings to their knees and almost destroyed the entire world because she went against the patriarchy. This is the goddess you want to fight alongside of in this battle! Stop sleeping on her!)

Hera (Arguably the most terrifying deity in the entire pantheon. Even Zeus is terrified of her. She lead the Greeks to victory in the Trojan War using her rage, spite, and power. And she can do the same for us!)

There are of course other deities especially in other pantheons. And you can absolutely and should lean on the deities you already have relationships with. This is just a suggestion in case you would like to connect with a new deity for the collective work we are preparing to do.

As always, if you have any questions about the deities I listed don’t hesitate to ask! 💖

Happy hexing and dismantling oppressive systems, my darlings! 😘

[bansheesgrimoire]

Okay, my fake sockcourse post has too many genuine reblogs on it, so here are some actual spirit work/cemetery-related superstitions I have and practices I do:

I never go anywhere without a head covering. I generally consider it veiling, though I'm usually in either a beanie or a baseball cap. It keeps a no-effort barrier up to keep me from hearing spirits when I don't want to be hearing them.

Anytime I visit a new cemetery, I bring a variety of options for offerings to leave at the gate: coins, bird seed, peanuts, handwritten notes, pretty stones, etc. Not all cemetery guardians want the same thing, so it's good to have options. They tend to appreciate getting to pick out their own goodies.

When making offerings, I try to have one thing representing each element (earth, air, water, fire). Again, options.

Sitting quietly in an appropriate place is a significantly more effective method of getting a spirit's attention than performing some grand ritual.

If I have to cross a bridge in a cemetery for any reason, I hold my breath. If I have to go under a bridge, I set my hand atop my head until I'm out the other side.

If I walk or drive by a cemetery, I remain silent until I've passed by out of respect for the resting dead. It'd piss me off if some guy went by chattering away while I'm trying to sleep.

Within the confines of a cemetery, graveyard, or other place sacred to the dead, I keep my voice low at all times and stay as silent as possible. Similar reasons as the above, but also so that I can hear and feel more clearly. You can't listen if you're talking, you know?

I always ask permission before bringing divinatory tools, magical items, or ritual supplies into any place where the dead have been buried. I ask again before starting anything, since permission to bring something in isn't always permission to perform an action.

Aaaaaand a whole bunch of other stuff.

[bansheesgrimoire]

Black Bottle Hex

Obtain a dark bottle; clay, glass or ceramic will do. Also obtain a selection of thorns, nine pins, vinegar, and a candle.

Insert the thorns first. Then heat each pin over the candle's flame and name them for your enemy (and their co-conspirators, if any). Drop into the bottle. Fill with vinegar and cap tightly.

"Witch's bottle, thorn and pin

blast their home, their kith and kin

swirl in enmity and strife;

cursed be their house and life."

Bury the bottle, upside down, where they will be sure to walk past or over it.

[bansheesgrimoire]

I feel like not enough people know that you can just go do witchcraft. Like yeah, all the pretty and aesthetic things you see online can be really expensive, and if you live in a place where witchcraft is frowned upon it can be hard to hide things, but your practice can literally be anything you want.

Part of my practice is making friendship bracelets with colors of what I want to manifest. I learned morse code and tie my goals into the bracelet. It look like a normal bracelet, no one would know the difference unless I told them. Your manifestations and spells can be verbal and whispered to the wind, your sigils can look like doodled stars or stick figures, your altar doesn't need to be anything more than the tools you use (if you even need an altar). You can put spells together based on what you have and what the things around you mean to you.

You do not need to buy things for witchcraft or have a very visible practice, just do what feels right for you. Your practice is what you make it.

[bansheesgrimoire]

My third SASS (secular, agnostic/atheist, skeptical, science-seeking) witchcraft zine is up on itch.io!

This one focuses on magical activism and resistance and features both mundane/practical content as well as witchy approaches. Everything from sigils for protesting to mutual aid suggestions.

The first two zines in the series are a SASS witchcraft primer and a SASS approach to divination.

They are all available for a $2 suggested donation or for free!

Please share!

[bansheesgrimoire]

Some little things I've learned over a decade of witchcraft:

If you are feel called to work but are tired/drained, sit outside. Take in all the energies around you. Nature can help charge you

Every witch does a little bit of a bunch of types of magic but sticks mainly to one or two in general. You usually won't be eclectic forever. You'll find what magics work best with you.

Never be lazy or cut corners with spirits. Always be respectful and always tell them to leave when you're done

When you see a plant or ingredient with a long list of properties, there are different things at play. Season of collection, the part of the plant, the health of the plant, etc all play a role in impacting which properties it will carry.

Don't call on spirits unless you have confidence and control

Be careful with sea/water magic. Get into it gently and slowly until you have the energy figured out because it can get out of hand quickly.

Adding a little pinch of magic into your breakfast can make a major difference in your day.

Your personal emotions/feelings over something will impact a work

Planting some plants is good, not only to have a garden, but the dirt helps cleanse you too. Get all dirty and muddy. It's good for ya

Not all trees are nice

The more you listen to your intuition, the easier it will be to tell it apart from your anxieties and worries

Incense is very easy to make which is why it's usually cheap to buy. But you can find a million tutorials online on how to make your own personal incense which is great if you want a spell to take effect over a while but also want to infuse the fire energy in it.

The more you work with something the better feel you get for it. Cinnamon goes in almost everything i cook and most of my spells because me and cinnamon just get right along

Your path is yours and no one else's. It will look like yours and no one else's

[bansheesgrimoire]

How Do I Make an Altar?

In reviewing the content I made over a decade ago I realized that a lot of the differences in both my practice would be beneficial to share to others struggling with foundational concepts. What I have seen in the Community thusfar has lacked this perspective, which is by no means unique, but I think would benefit repeating regardless.

So, lets get to it, how do I make my altar?

Firstly I think it is important to ask yourself additional questions before you even start gathering items or spending money on ill-suited objects.

Some questions worth considering would be: Where will I be doing this work? Indoors? Outdoors? In secret? With others? Can the altar remain up or does it need to be frequently dismantled? What is my realistic budget? What is the most important item or element in order for this to be a workspace? How will I clean this? How will I dispose of items (both magical and mundane) after they've been exhausted or if they break? Will I update this altar seasonally? Will I update it for certain celebrations or feasts? Who will be aiding me in my work (if anyone, like gods, spirits and so on), How will I set a space for those elements of work? Is there a hierarchy? Do I need shelves or tiers or other methods of separating beings that may not agree to work below or above others?

Brainstorming before even doing this work is a crucial step I often see overlooked. People are in such a hurry to throw down candles on a tablecloth with some random bones that they don't even know what they're for.

If you do predominately love magic and work with sea spirits perhaps you don't cover the workspace in plants you associate with baneful magic and fire. Maybe you want to do the work near a specific place that resonates with you so you need something that fits in a backpack. Maybe your altar IS A BACKPACK.

Maybe you stitch sigils and symbols into the fabric. Maybe you have pockets to denote each area of the the altar. Maybe you have different bags for different work and each is stored in different places when not in use. Maybe you work with planets and have a bag for each day of the week. Maybe you don't.

So once you know what you want to do and figure out what materials you need to do it becomes a question of how you will obtain the items.

I HIGHLY encourage you to scour thrift stores, local artisans, trash pick (figure out the legal and ethical footwork there on your own), trade, create, and build. Altars of the past were both ornate and humble, you do not need any specific items for an altar to "count" aside from being able to do your work at it.

Which is all to reiterate that you do not need a $50 Etsy Witch Box of random bullshit. Buying one out of fear or lack of confidence will not make your workspace "valid" especially if you don't use half of it anyways. What is important is the items resonate with you and serve a purpose. The joy of an altar is that is builds up over time with your craft. If it starts small then it starts small. What matters is if it gets the job done or not.

Some items to consider:

Candle holders: I have several thrifted taper holder varying in ornate material, I use the lids to tea bottles for tea lights, I use bark from my yard, I use thrifted small dishes and plates.

Candles: Beeswax candles supporting local apiaries will always be your best candles (this is my opinion obviously denoting that here so I don't get comments). Soy candles not an option for a majority of work and offerings in my personal approach. That said you can even THRIFT CANDLES if you need to. Be careful using cheap candles because they can burn strange, and be made with unsafe inhalants. I use a majority of my budget for candles and food because that's what matters in my craft. Mileage will vary.

Food: Any offering is valid if it works and suits your needs. If you are genuinely unable to offer any food there are edible items that can be foraged. If you are unable to forage edible items images of food may suffice in some instances but truthfully a few scoops of what you're nourishing yourself with is a valid offering in many workings. In a lot of practices practitioners will also eat offerings after they have been offered. It depends on numerous variables.

Symbols: If you need a statue or a depiction of a God or Being or Spirit you can make it, even if you are not artistically inclined in the slightest. Collage, Sculpture, Paintings, Drawings, Printouts, Poems, Stories, Descriptions, Found Items, you are NOT limited by what you can use. You can use a rock with a Sharpie symbol on it if that resonates with you. What matters more is how you treat the item (with respect or lack there of depending on what work you're doing).

Additionals: Books are great but you don't need them, and if you do you can find them for free I promise you. I agree authors deserve to eat and I think you should definitely support smaller or independent publishers. I also personally have no issues with you ripping a PDF for an occult text written hundreds of years ago. Again those who translate deserve compensation so if you can toss them a couple bucks but if you can't at this time do your best.

Notebooks can be acquired for cheap, check big box stores after Back to School sales and snag some. You can usually thrift some too, and then just decorate them over time if you don't like their aesthetic. Alternatively Notes in your Phone is free in the meanwhile.

Water makes for a great offering all around, whether or not you subscribe to the whole 'Moon Water/Solar Water' or not you can also incorporate other methods of using water in your work such as bathwater or water you used to clean yourself, water from your mouth, water poured from a ritual vessel or water collected form a specific place, on a specific day, while reciting specific words. You can take any item and add layers to it, simply by incorporating additional elements that work within your practice.

Tools: A knife is a knife, use one you've got if you need it. Don't have one? Designate a kitchen knife as tribute (I don't suggest mixing magic and food unless you are specifically set on doing that. Both for magical and mundane sicknesses). Need a specifically Named pen for spells? Use whatever you have, the Naming of the item is the important part. A Sharpie is reliable to write on 99% of items and remains pretty permanent (unless you want it removed). Scissors? Glasses? Needles? Bookmarks? Bowls, Cups, it goes on. The intent and the process by which the items are given a purpose and power is the focal point. You can use a Solo cup and a Index Card if you need to is my point.

In all this I hope I can impart on you simply the idea that thinking about what purpose and item will serve FIRST and then acquiring the item after will save you a lot of time, money, and headaches.

If you thrift frequently having a running list of items you're looking for before you go in will also help a lot.

Feel free to contribute in the reblogs and comments, I think that others who practice similarly have likely come up with other unique and similar solutions to problems we all sometimes encounter.

[bansheesgrimoire]

In the witchcraft community we talk about witch's ladders a lot but y'all are seriously sleeping on the potential paper chains have. Yes the ones you made in Kindergarten.

For example, I just did a protection spell for myself and my community by making a paper chain from recycled local newspaper and some light sigilwork on each loop. You could do all sorts of workings with paper chains by changing the material, using color correspondences, sigils, etc.

[bansheesgrimoire]

Rune combination to find refuge and belonging

Wunjo, Eihwaz, Algiz, in this order.

ᚹ ᛇ ���

You may make use of these runes by meditating on them, incorporating them in your workings, or wearing them on your person during the day. I also love to write such rune combinations on a piece of paper to place near my head during sleep, for example, above the bed or under my pillow. I wish for your all to have a safe and peaceful spring!

[bansheesgrimoire]

Something I feel like people getting into folk magic need to understand, for many people of many backgrounds, is folk magic started as a means of survival. It was struggle magic, and it is still struggle magic.

Where I'm living now and where I'm from, people planted by the signs to ensure their crops wouldn't go bad before harvesting. People used ocean water to soothe joint and muscle pains when they got old. People studied the native plants for medicine and were mindful to only take what was needed. People did little rituals and minded their grannies' words to keep their good luck. If they didn't know how to do something (or couldn't), they went to people who did.

Learning folk magic to reconnect with ancestral traditions from before your time is valid. Learning folk magic to connect with and work with the land is valid. There are many valid reasons to take up folk magic. Still, understand that folk magic is survival, and folk magic is community.

[bansheesgrimoire]

[bansheesgrimoire]

nobody:

witches during a storm: "brb yall. gotta go outside and get this piece of rope wet real quick."

[bansheesgrimoire]

Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses by John William Waterhouse (1891)

[bansheesgrimoire]

Ancient Greek Religion & Hellenic Polytheism: A Reading Guide

I’ve been wanting to make something like this for a long while, and talking to my friend @olympianbutch today gave me the push I needed to do so. When I was starting out as a Hellenic Polytheist years ago, this is the kind of resource I needed. So I hope you all enjoy and find this helpful!

Introductory Reading:

Ancient Greek Religion by Jon D. Mikalson

Athenian Popular Religion by Jon D. Mikalson

Greek Religion by Jan N. Bremmer

On Greek Religion by Robert Parker

Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship by LABRYS

Comprehensive Guides:

Greek Religion by Walter Burkert

Companion to Greek Religion edited by Daniel Ogden

Understanding Greek Religion by Jennifer Larson

Rethinking Greek Religion by Julia Klindt

The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion edited by Esther Eidinow and Julia Klindt

Polytheism and Society by Robert Parker

The Gods and Theology:

Ancient Greek Cults by Jennifer Larson

Theologies of Ancient Greek Religion edited by Esther Eidinow, Julia Klindt, and Robin Osborne

Underworld Gods in Ancient Greek Religion by Ellie Mackin Roberts

Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World (Routledge Series)

Offerings and Sacrifice:

Personal Experience and Materiality in Greek Religion by K.A. Rask

Singing for the Gods by Barbara Kowalzig

Smoke Signals for the Gods by F.S. Maiden

Sharing with the Gods by Theodora Suk Fong Jim

Primary Sources:

Theogony & Works and Days by Hesiod

The Homeric Hymns

The Orphic Hymns

Sources for the Study of Greek Religion by David Rice and John Stambaugh

Greek Religion: A Sourcebook by Valerie M. Warrior

Ancient Greek Religion: A Sourcebook by Emily Kearns

[bansheesgrimoire]

Frankly, I'm of the POV and opinion that you really shouldn't be scared of your spirit guides, gods or not. Yes, you should acknowledge their great, tremendous power and how that could harm you. Like it's good to acknowledge that Zeus could absolutely fuck you up if He wanted to. But at the same time... why would Zeus want to fuck you up? That's the question.

See, when you worship, work with, or otherwise interact with a spirit, you're gonna hopefully seek out a friendly relationship. Even if it's more vertical than horizontal, you're still on good terms with your spirit.

Your friends shouldn't want to hurt you. Your teachers shouldn't want to hurt you. Your coworkers shouldn't want to hurt you. Etc, etc, just fill in whatever relationship type you have. So essentially, your spirit guide shouldn't want to hurt you, and if they do, that's a problem entirely.

I kinda somewhat get the idea of fearful obeisance, where you provide humble respect but keep a healthy amount of fear. I get the concept. It just does not fit in with my preferred way to work with spirits.

This post isn't saying "If your spirit guides hurt you, you must have done something to deserve it" either. I think, personally, that's a really bad take. Harsh lessons exist, yes, but that's not the same, and the difference should be that it's being done for your genuine highest good and that your guide isn't getting some kick outta the hard parts of it. If your spirit guide is actively trying to harm you for funsies or some shit, there's a problem.

It's fine to be a bit nervous. It's fine to feel a bit of fear when faced with such intense power. But you shouldn't be scared of the person that holds the power, is my opinion. If you do feel scared, consider (A) if this is a person you want to work with, and (B) if this is even the person you think it is, because a fear response can mean a malefic spirit.

[bansheesgrimoire]

Alexander Rothaug (Austrian, 1870-1946)

The Three Fates, 1910

Tempera on canvas, 124 x 174 cm