draoidhwitch-blog

[draoidhwitch-blog]

visit my page for more nature

[draoidhwitch-blog]

Wild garlic woods - Herten, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany by MichaelWi

[draoidhwitch-blog]

[draoidhwitch-blog]

[draoidhwitch-blog]

Hello, dear friends.

@its-that-witch-again has asked me to share my story with you all because they do a weekly witchcraft themed topic and this week’s topic is “Male Witches and Pagans”. So I thought I’d happily oblige.

I found my path a little over two years ago after being in a very lost point in my life. I had a lot of unhealed scars and emotional baggage and was feeling very lost. I was born and raised Roman Catholic and for a long part of my younger years, I was a very devout Christian. But as I grew older, the concept of Christianity grew less and less appealing as I started questioning my upbringing and beliefs. I soon after found myself as a sort of deist, believing that there was most likely a higher power but I felt they were inactive and uninterested in our lives. But when I was going through my aforementioned struggles, I really didn’t believe in anything.

From a very young age I was a lover of all things magical and fantasy. So when I saw my first set of runestones at my local fair, I thought to myself “You know, these have always been interesting to me. I should just buy them.” So I picked up a set of black, beautiful onyx runestones.

It wasn’t long after that I learned the runes had meanings and purpose. And that they were used for divination. I delved deeper into mystic aspects of the runes, driven by a need to know more. Then I found they were tied to Odin and deeply a part of paganism. I started learning of rituals and spells and rites and I fell into a spiral of curiosity. I was consumed and although hesitant to call myself a witch or a practioner of magic, with time the title fell into place. Now I call myself a heathen and a witch and a Vitki, though I know my path is still starting and I have much to learn and discover. I have found immense strength not only in my craft but also in the concept of Heathenry and polytheism. The Gods and Goddesses don’t claim to be perfect, nor is there often the Christian concept of “Good” or “Evil”, rather a concept of order and chaos, both of which have a place and a power of their own. And that allows me to make more sense of the beautiful and terrible things that happen in our day to day lives and to process it in a more healthy fashion.

(photo credit @thewitchofwonderlust)

Nowadays, I practice when and how I can in our busy modern world and do what I can to share and inspire others. Witchcraft is a very female dominated niche and, respectfully, I say it is rightfully so. History has long repressed women and witchcraft has been a place of power for those that may not have power in other aspects of their lives. But I still hope to encourage masculine identifying individuals to find their own strength within and find their own magick and empowerment in a society that mistreats all the poor and marginalized. Magick comes from within ourselves, and we have every right to create such beautiful and vibrant power.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

Walk gently on the path, dear friends.

[draoidhwitch-blog]

An Update

I got locked out of my blog for seemingly no reason for the past while? I bitched at Tumblr a lot and now I’m back? No idea why or what happened since I could still view the blog, I just couldn't log in? 

[draoidhwitch-blog]

Happy mothers day to all the mothers who deserve it, and for anyone struggling today, like I am, it’s ok to not celebrate mothers day.

You don’t have to love your mother just because she’s your mother. You don’t have to celebrate. To those who are forced to spend time with their mothers today, either due to guilt, or because they live with them, I light a candle for you and keep you in my thoughts and hope today passed smoothly. 

There’s so much pressure around mothers day, because it’s your mother and “you have to love your mother”, but this day is for mothers who deserve it, not for abusive mothers. Not for the mothers who up and vanish. Not for the mothers who hate who their kids are due to sexuality, disability, religion, etc. 

And quite frankly there’s not enough support for people with shitty mothers, and we are always pressured and guilted into celebrating her because she gave birth to you. And that a “mothers love in unconditional”. 

So here’s to all the kids, adult or not, having a rough time today. It’s ok to not celebrate.  

-A

[draoidhwitch-blog]

🌷🌿 Spring Witchcraft 🌿🌷

a list of things to do through the spring months, as a witch 🌷

🌿 studying flower and herb correspondences for spellwork

🌿 going outside and letting the wind and sun hit you to recharge

🌿 putting your bare feet in grass or soil and imagining being rooted to the earth to help with grounding

🌿 planting wildflowers around your house to save those bees baby

🌿 working with fae and other nature spirits and guardians

🌿 starting an herb or vegetable garden

🌿 spring cleaning to get rid of any old energy and welcome new, clean energy

🌿 opening your windows and letting spring breeze into your home to invigorate you

🌿 harvesting flowers to use for spells (ask nature spirits for permission first and maybe leave a lil somethin in its place as an offering)

🌿 making sunwater/flower teas

🌿 making wishes on dandelions

🌿 spells involving new ideas, growth, and refreshing your mind and body

[draoidhwitch-blog]

Broke af?

But still interested in feeding yourself? What if I told you that there’s a woman with a blog who had to feed both herself and her young son…on 10 British pounds ($15/14 Euro) per week?

Let me tell you a thing.

This woman saved my life last year. Actually saved my life. I had a piggy bank full of change and that’s it. Many people in my fandom might remember that dark time as when I had to hock my writing skills in exchange for donations. I cried a lot then. 

This is real talk, people: I marked down exactly what I needed to buy, totaled it, counted out that exact change, and then went to three different stores to buy what I needed so I didn’t have to dump a load of change on just one person. I was already embarrassed, but to feel people staring? Utter shame suffused me. The reasons behind that are another post all together. 

AgirlcalledJack.com is run by a British woman who was on benefits for years. Things got desperate. She had to find a way to feed herself and her son using just the basics that could be found at the supermarket. But the recipes she came up with are amazing. 

You have to consider the differing costs of things between countries, but if you just have three ingredients in your cupboard, this woman will tell you what to do with it. Check what you already have. Chances are you have the basics of a filling meal already. 

Here’s her list of kitchen basics. 

Bake your own bread. It’s easier than you think. Here’s a list of many recipes, each using some variation of just plain flour, yeast, some oil, maybe water or lemon juice. And kneading bread is therapeutic. 

Make your own pasta–gluten free. 

She gets it. She really does. This is the article that started it all. It’s called “Hunger Hurts”.

She has vegan recipes.

A carrot, a can of kidney beans, and some cumin will get you a really filling soup…or throw in some flour for binding and you’ve got yourself a burger. 

Don’t have an oven or the stove isn’t available? She covers that in her Microwave Cooking section. 

She has a book, but many recipes can be found on her blog for free. She prices her recipes down to the cent, and every year she participates in a project called “Living Below the Line” where she has to live on 1 BP per day of food for five days. 

Things improved for me a little, but her website is my go to. I learned how to bake bread (using my crockpot, but that was my own twist), and I have a little cart full of things that saved me back then, just in case I need them again. She gives you the tools to feed yourself, for very little money, and that’s a fabulous feeling. 

Tip: Whenever you have a little extra money, buy a 10 dollar/pound/euro giftcard from your discount grocer. Stash it. That’s your super emergency money. Make sure they don’t charge by the month for lack of use, though.

I don’t care if it sounds like an advertisement–you won’t be buying anything from the site. What I DO care about is your mental, emotional, and physical health–and dammit, food’s right in the center of that. 

If you don’t need this now, pass it on to someone who does. Pass it on anyway, because do you REALLY know which of the people in your life is in need? Which follower might be staring at their own piggy bank? Trust me: someone out there needs to see this. 

[draoidhwitch-blog]

[draoidhwitch-blog]

Today’s card is The Shadow Side. Major Arcana.

Description: The Shadow Side replaced the traditional Devil card in this deck, as many witches do not identify with the concept of a Devil figure. The Shadow Side shows what happens when you let fear and panic take over. This card shows a couple trying to hide from a cloaked, shadowy figure. They are alone in a sinister forest, fear has taken over and is ruling their decisions. Their clothes are dark and dreary, their postures and expressions illustrate their fear and show that they have inadvertently given their power to someone or something else. Running and hiding from the figure is not helping the couple, nor are they finding any comfort. They must turn and face their fears, stop letting frightening situations or people get the best of them. We all must walk through dark times now and again. Will you face the challenge head on? Or will you whimper and fret about it? 

Meaning: This card symbolizes allowing someone else or a situation to have power over you. This is a person who can walk into a room and ruin your day - because you let them. Break those chains and walk out of the shadows. Stop giving your power away and stand strong. Remember that you can break free of your reactions. It’s time to embrace the shadow side of yourself and look your fears in the face. Come to terms with whats holding you back. Work to find balance and courage.

Keywords: Allowing another person to have power over you, Defending yourself from baneful magic. Overcoming fear to emerge victorious. 

Reversed: Oppression. Illusion. Trickery. Deceit.

My take for me: The only thing I’m really worried about right now is that I might have to go inpatient in the hospital soon, but there’s not much I can do to take control of that situation. I’m afraid to go, but if that’s what has to happen. 

-A

[draoidhwitch-blog]

As a parent with a young daughter, this is important.

Tips That Can Save Your Kid’s Life.

[draoidhwitch-blog]

How To Stop Using Your Own Energy To Fuel Your Witchcraft

Do you ever feel like you have to wait to be in just the right state to do magic?

Maybe you’ve been told you shouldn’t do magic when you’re sick.

Or maybe you’ve just found that spells tend to flop when you’re tired or sad.

THE PROBLEM IS, FOR MANY OF US THIS CAN MAKE UP THE MAJORITY OF OUR LIVES!

From illnesses to working multiple jobs, raising kids or mental health struggles, life is messy and you just can’t maintain that optimal magic working state all the time.

This can be SO FRUSTRATING but today I’ve got a solution for you!

Now, sadly I can’t fix the parts of your life that drain you or wear you down. As much as I would love to have the ultimate answer to how to have that pinterest perfect life I am in the same boat as everyone else.

What I can do is show you how to work magic anyway.

You have to stop relying on your own energy. I know it sounds a little nuts, energy is literally what magic runs on and now I want you to just remove it from the equation?! What?

I promise I haven’t lost it and YES, that’s exactly what I want! Or at least I want you to make energy way less of a key player in your magic.

I want you to never have to worry about whether or not you have enough energy to work magic ever again.

This is all explained in detail, including energy work and getting past all of the things that are stopping your from practicing your craft, in my new program Old World Witchcraft.

You achieve this by using other sources of energy to fuel your work.

Pulling energy from other sources is a way to fuel spells when you’re low on energy yourself or you’re working on something very big that needs more than you can safely offer.

Basically what you’re doing is finding an alternative source of energy and channeling the energy you take from it into your work in much the same way you would channel your own energy into it. Instead of being the source of energy in this case you’re simply a conduit, connecting power source to magic and allowing the entire framework to run without needing your input, only your direction.

The first step in this process is finding a good source.

This source can be anything;

Plants

Animals

Crystals

People

The earth

The moon

etc.

It’s important to take into consideration that if you’re pulling from a living source you must ask permission first. It’s usually easiest to choose a source that you’re comfortable with, if you don’t work with plants much using plant energy in your magic is going to feel clunky and unwieldy, stick to what’s familiar.

Once you’ve found a source it’s time to connect your energy to it. If you’ve ever grounded and connected your energy to the earth it’s much the same. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and feel for the energy of your source. Visualize your energy and the sources energy connecting and mingling together.

Begin gently pulling the energy from your source into yourself, it might feel a little odd to do this so be careful during this process. Often pulling too much energy into yourself can cause some unpleasant symptoms such as lightheadedness, nausea, and giddiness. For this reason I suggest you have whatever you’re channeling the energy into at the ready so you can immediately pass the energy from the source, through yourself and into your spell.

You do NOT want to use yourself as a holding bay for that energy any more than you absolutely must.

It can take a bit of practice to get this technique down well enough to be used in spell work. I would suggest starting with training exercises to get comfortable before trying to use it for any big spell work.

As an example, you could try pulling energy from a plant or the earth and passing it into a stone or crystal and then back again. As you get more comfortable you can work up to transferring different energies and in greater quantities.

This technique can be used in a variety of ways, obviously, as I suggested, it’s good for adding a little extra power to your spells but it could also be used to store energy for later spells in crystals or tools. You could use it to heal yourself by channeling the energy into your own body where there are deficiencies causing pain or illness. You could even do this in reverse to deactivate a spell (it’s suggested that you not deactivate a spell by channeling into a living being, the earth is best in this case).

It’s always a good idea to thank whatever has leant its energy to you, fertilizing or watering a plant, cleansing a crystal, picking up litter for the earth, whatever you can manage to show your thanks and be respectful.

After using this technique it is always advised to finish by grounding yourself. Moving large amounts of energy can pull your own energy out of balance leaving you with too much or too little or even leaving residue of whatever you were moving stuck to your own energy. Plugging into the earth and allowing your energy to equalize and come back to a balanced state will prevent any negative side effects.

Do you have a better grasp on how to outsource your energy needs? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

And if you want to know more about how to become a witch and work magic the smart way, go check out my program Old World Witchcraft!

[draoidhwitch-blog]

WITCH TIP! Nail polish remover gets that damn glue off glass bottles after you remove the label.

[draoidhwitch-blog]

Plant Buying Guide

When buying succulents or houseplants from large chain stores like Lowe’s or Home Depot, be wary of product marketing schemes

Succulents:

Avoid any plant with glued on strawflowers (vibrant pink, red, orange or yellow plastic flower), most succulents and cactus take their sweet time blooming so don’t be fooled by the plant store’s cheap tricks 

Check to make sure the plant isn’t glued in! This goes for other houseplants too, if the rocks or gravel don’t move/you wouldn’t be able to get the plant out of the pot, don’t buy it. How will you even water it?

Don’t buy spray painted plants��� DON’T BUY SPRAY PAINTED PLANTS. Super unhealthy for the plant and really tacky… No glitter either folks

Houseplants:

Check the soil and base of the plant for any kind of rot. If the soil seems really wet and parts of the plants feel squishy it’s probably not healthy..

Don’t buy Amaryllis dipped in wax… Seriously. Sure you “don’t have to water it!” but it’s also super unhealthy for the plant…

Always check the undersides of the leaves for any insect damage or any insects

If the plant just generally doesn’t look right (brown, discolored, yellowing middle) don’t buy it for full price, unless you have decent houseplant knowledge and know that the issue can be easily fixed

As always, happy plant hoarding!

[draoidhwitch-blog]

ᚦᚢ:ᚢᛁᚱᚦᚱ:ᛅᛚᛏᛅᚠ:ᛅᛏ:ᛚᛅᛁᛏᛅᛋᚴ:ᚢᛁᚦ:ᛅᛏ:ᚼᛅᚠᛅ:ᚮᛒᛁᚾ:ᚼᚢᚴᛅ

Þú verðr alltaf at leitask við at hafa opinn huga.

You must always seek to have an open mind.

[draoidhwitch-blog]

Rosemary essential oil/hydrosol in the making!

I guess I should also include this !