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magick spiced hot cocoa

during the colder months, a cup of hot cocoa can bring wonderful warmth and coziness. you can add a few spices to bring magick into the mug that inspires happiness, healing, and self-love. you will need:

☾ ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (self love and grounding)

☾ ½ cup granulated sugar (granting wishes)

☾ 1/3 cup hot water

☾ ¼ tsp salt

☾ 4 cups milk (dairy or non-dairy)

☾ 1 tsp vanilla extract (love, restoring lost energy)

☾ 1 tsp fresh orange zest (abundance and happiness)

☾ a pinch of ground nutmeg (attracting prosperity)

☾ a pinch of allspice (warmth and healing)

combine the cocoa, sugar, salt, nutmeg and allspice with the water in a pot over medium heat. stir constantly until the mixture boils; continue stirring constantly for 1 more minute.

stir in the milk and continue to heat the mixture, without letting it boil. remove from heat and add vanilla and orange zest. serve immediately.

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bindrunes!! 

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Hail Freyja

Hail to the Vanadis Hail to the Lady  Hail to the Mistress of Love, Sex, and Battle Bless and walk with us this day

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🎃Halloween asks🎃

Afraid: what’s something you are no longer scared of? Bats: do you sleep with stuffed toys? Broomstick: what’s your favourite chore? Candles: what’s your favourite scent? Cat: what are the names of your pets? Cobwebs: are you scared of insects? Fangs: would you become immortal if you could? Ghost: have you had a supernatural encounter? Gore: are you squeamish? Mummy: do you believe in curses? Nightmare: what’s your favourite Halloween movie? Potion: do you have a ‘party trick’? Pumpkin: do you prefer sweet or savoury foods? Skeleton: have you ever broken a bone? Spells: what superpower would you choose? Sweets: have you ever been trick or treating? Tomb: have you ever been in a graveyard late at night? Vampire: what do you want to dress up as for Halloween? Witch: how long is your hair? Zombie: do you believe in an afterlife?

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Rådare (Norse Creatures)

I will be using the Swedish names/words as there are no English translations.

Rådare comes from the word “råda” which means “to rule/take care of” so a rådare is a creature that rules over something.

Every rådare rules over their own thing. For example there’s a skogsrå for every forest.

The easiest way to make them happy is through respect and gifts.

You can protect yourself from them by wearing metal.

Remember that the gift has to be biodegradable! A lot of sources say that you should give coins, clothes, tobacco etc. But this is extremely disrespectful as you’re destroying their home (and it’s generally shitty to pollute).

Even if you haven’t done anything to make them angry it’s always good to show respect by acknowledging them when you enter their home.

Skogsrå

Rules over the forest and the creatures that live there.

Usually looks like a beautiful woman with a hollow back and/or hooves and tail. She can also take the shape of different forest creatures.

If in a good mood she helps those who are lost and warns people about incoming storms.

If in a bad mood she makes sure people get lost.

If you live on your own in/close to a forest (or if you are camping) she might come at night when you’re sitting by the fire and attempt to seduce you. If you sleep with her she will keep a part of your soul and you will always have a longing and obsession with the forest.

If hunters give her gifts she might “give” them an extra big animal. Though if they manage to shoot one of the animals she protects they have to face her wrath

Havsrå

Rules over the ocean and the creatures that lives there.

Usually looks like a beautiful woman with long hair, gills, fins, and a fishtail. She can also take the shape of different sea creatures.

If in a good mood she shows fishermen where they can find the best fish or warns them about incoming storms. She can also give them good wind and help boats that are taking in water.

If in a bad mood she can trick boats into storms so they get lost or sink.

Sometimes she will seduce people and drag them down to her home at the bottom of the ocean where they are forced to work as servants.

She might stop boats and offer to buy their load, if this happens it’s best to accepts as if you say no she might get so angry that she takes down the entire ship.

Sjörå

Rules over lakes and the creatures that live there.

Usually looks like a beautiful woman with a hollow back. Unlike havsrået she has legs. She can also take the shape of different freshwater creatures.

If in a good mood she might help fishermen and warn them about incoming storms.

She only drowns people who have made her angry or if she is very hungry.

Just like skogsrået if fishermen give her gifts she might “give” them an extra big fish. Though if they manage to catch one of the creatures she protects they have to face her wrath.

Gruvrå

Rules over mountains and mines.

Usually looks like a tall woman in an elegant, grey dress. If seen wearing black it is a sure sign of death.

If in a good mood she shows miners better ore veins or warns them about any dangers.

If in a bad mood she tries to scare people away, if they ignore the warning signs she makes sure they get lost in the mine.

Enjoys silence and solitude.

Doesn’t like it when people make too much noise.

Becomes very angry if miners manage find one of the ore veins she protects.

Källrå

Rules over natural springs.

Usually looks like a young girl but most of the time she’s invisible. She can also take the shape of a toad.

If in a good mood she might show you the future though the water surface. It’s important to remember not to look for too long or too deep as you might lose yourself.

If in a bad mood she can make you sick after you’ve drank the water.

A lot of sources will say that if you sacrifice something to her before you drink the water it will heal you as well as make the water clean/drinkable. This is not true. There’s not a magical cure for deceases or disorders. Also there’s no way to magically make water drinkable. Always make sure a natural spring is clean before you drink from it.

This is compiled from my own grimoire / what I was taught growing up

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October by Mary Oliver

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Ok, so I get a lot of shit for calling low level spells weaker or low level, so here's a guide to actually crafting powerful spells.

What you need to know right off the bat is that you're layering powers on each other, and if you draw on more powers, you generally get better results. Now, there is some level of balance to this, as doing too much can muddle the intent of your spell, but the "too much" threshold is going to be something you learn to use intuition to find for yourself.

So, let's begin! Here are components of your spells to layer on top of each other

The most basic, your ingredients: what are the correspondences of your oils, waters, herbs, candles, and stones?

The time you do it: what day are you doing it? What phase is the moon in? Where are the planets? What day of the week are you doing it?

Location: Are you doing it in the woods? Near a river? Can the light of the moon touch you? What cardinal direction are you facing?

Visualization: While I don't believe intent alone is the driving force behind all magical works, that doesn't mean mental pursuits during your spell work are worthless. Visualization can be an incredibly powerful layer in your spells. What does the magic you're controlling look like? What is it doing?

Who you call on: Will you petition deities, spirits, ancestors, or fae for power? How will you do this?

Symbols: What shapes are your stones? Did you use runes or alchemical symbols? Did you make a sigil? How are your symbols incorporated into the spell?

Energy: Where are you getting the power for the spell? Yourself? The earth? A charged crystal? The spirits you petitioned?

Repetition: How many times has this spell or ritual been done before? An old spell has a lot of power behind it due to the sheer amount of times it has been used. Additionally, how many times do you perform an action or speak an incantation in the spell?

Incantation: what are you saying? Are you speaking to an entity or the earth itself? What language is the incantation in? Is the language related to who or what you're petitioning or is it just the language it was first written in?

Numbers: How many ingredients are you using? How many times will you perform an action? How many crystals/flowers/spoonfuls/candles/etc will you use? Numbers have correspondences.

Colors: Colors have correspondences too. What color is your candle? Your ink?

Tools: What tools are you using? How have those tools been powered or charmed? What have you used them for previously? How old are they? What energies power them?

Traditions: What traditions are you using? Where did the correspondences you use come from? If you're mixing traditions, do those traditions mix well? I do some amount of brauchery, and it doesn't play well with other traditions.

Order: What order do you do things in your spell? Which way do you stir? Do you petition spirits before the spell or during it?

And finally: intent and will. Yes, I'm not a fan of this stuff because tumblr sees it as the end all, be all. However, your intent will guide the way the spell goes, and your willpower is going to get you through anything tricky. YOU have to have the power and knowledge to make the spell work. If you're in a place that is specifically yours (like your house) you have sovereignty and your willpower will decide whether or not entities in the area respect that sovereignty. I could talk for a long time on this but I won't because this passage isn't the whole point of the post

To conclude:

Hopefully this illustrates why a cup of tea isn't the greatest spell when it only includes ingredients and maybe some intent. I know I probably didn't get every component you can add to a spell, but hopefully I got most of it.

Hope this helps someone out there!

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Hail Tyr

Hail to the elder adopted son of the All-Father Hail to the ancient god of War Hail to the Oath keeper Bless and walk with us this day

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Out of the fog, I come screaming I am the terror in your bones Out of the fog, my wail is heard through the valley Know not the terror in your bones Until you’ve felt my cold breath upon your skin My eyes are bright and furious  With the rage of a thousand forest fires Out of the fog, I come screaming  Berserker, mad man, Old God What they’ve called me Matters not I am the blood of poets I am the raging storm  I am the clap of thunder I am the strike of lightening  Out of the fog, I come screaming  I am the terror in your bones

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My Favorite Spell-Book

Divination:

To learn the present character of a person:

Take the stem of an apple between your fingers and begin to twist counter clockwise whilst reciting the alphabet. Keep the person of interest in mind. Then refer to the rhyme.

Example: The stem breaks at “A”. The person in mind is currently focusing all their attention on accomplishing a specific goal. This could mean everything aside from this goal has been placed on the backburner and other life aspects are suffering for it.

————————————————————

“Tom Thumb’s Alphabet”

A was an Archer, who shot at a frog,

B was a Butcher, and had a great dog.

C was a Captain, all covered with lace,

D was a Drunkard, and had a red face.

E was an Esquire, with pride on his brow,

F was a Farmer, and followed the plough.

G was a Gamester, who had but ill-luck,

H was a Hunter and hunted a buck.

I an Innkeeper, who loved to carouse,

J was a Joiner, and built up a house.

K was King William, once governed this land,

L was a Lady, who had a white hand.

M was a Miser, and hoarded up gold,

N was a Nobleman, gallant and bold.

O was an Oyster girl, and went about town,

P was a Parson, and wore a black gown.

Q was a Queen, who wore a silk slip,

R was a Robber, and wanted a whip.

S was a Sailor, and spent all he got,

T was a Tinker, and mended a pot.

U was a Usurer, a miserable elf,

V was a Vintner, who drank all himself.

W was a Watchman, and guarded the door,

X was Expensive, and so became poor.

Y was a Youth, who did not love school,

Z was a Zany, a poor harmless fool.

————————————————————

To cause confusion:

Simply use the name of that which you want to confuse.

————————————————————

Anna Elise, she jumped with surprise;

The surprise was so quick, it played her a trick;

The trick was so rare, she jumped in a chair;

The chair was so frail, she jumped in a pail;

The pail was so wet, she jumped in a net;

The net was so small, she jumped on the ball;

The ball was so round, she jumped on the ground;

And ever since then she’s been turning around.

————————————————————

To trap a spirit:

Recite “Anna Elise” whilst braiding rope and tying knots. Replace the lines after, “…she jumped in the net”, with:

————————————————————

“…and now I’ve tied the final knot, and in my net was Anna set.

Try all her might, it’s structure is sound,

And ever since then she’s been turning around.”

————————————————————

At the end of this last line, tie one end of the string to the other to create a circle.

To Overcome Adversity

Or to Strengthen a Wind or Storm:

————————————————————

Arthur O'Bower has broken his band

And he comes roaring up the land;

The King of Scots with all his power

Cannot stop Arthur of the Bower.

————————————————————

To Induce Spirit Flight with a “Fail Safe”:

————————————————————

How many miles to Babylon?

Three score miles and ten.

Can I get there by candle-light?

Yes, and back again.

If your heels are nimble and your toes are light,

You may get there by candle-light.

————————————————————

Use a small candle and when it burns out, you shall be pulled back to your body.

Hagriding with use of a Poppet:

————————————————————

Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,

To buy little Johnny a galloping horse;

It trots behind and it ambles before,

And Johnny shall ride till he can ride no more.

————————————————————

To Replace What’s Been Lost:

————————————————————

Little Betty Blue,

Lost her holiday shoe.

What will poor Betty do?

Why, give her another,

To match the other,

And then she will walk in two.

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caravaggio’s hands in various paintings 🌙

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PBW Witch Shop & Zine Distro

The PBW Witch Shop is a curated selection of witchcraft and magic related zines, books, pin-back buttons, tarot cards and more.

We focus on traditional and folkloric witchcraft, animism, chaos magic, secular witchcraft, magical herbs and plants, queer witchcraft, tarot & Divination, witchcraft & magic in politics, history, culture, and social & racial justice,  and aspects of non-Wiccan forms of witchcraft, magic, and paganism.

Pre-Covid the Portland Button Works primarily made custom pinback button. Selling zines and books was secondary and more of a hobby for me to share things I’d like to read. Right now our business is pivoting to focus on books and zines that people can read in the comfort and safety of their own homes. Some items are from well known witchcraft and occult publisher and some are titles from small publishers with interesting items I don’t see in other shops but I’m excited to elevate.

Not everyone has income to buy books right now, we totally understand that, but I would love it if you were able to reblog this post or share Portland Button Works and PBW Witch Shop with your friends.

If you have been looking for a book about something specific, or if you think something would be a good fit for our catalog, get in touch. We can order almost any book in print, even if it isn’t witchcraft or magic related.

With that being said, here are some categories of items we carry:

Some good books to get you started studying witchcraft:

Grovedaughter Witchery by Bree NicGarran

Making Magic by Briana Saussy

Magical Power for Beginners- How to Raise & Send Energy for Spells That Work by Deborah Lipp

Weave The Liminal by Laura Tempest Zakroff

Some creative books to help build your witch craft practice:

Spellcrafting- Strengthen the Power of your Craft by Creating and Casting Your Own Unique Spells by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

D.I.Y. Magic -a Strange & Whimsical Guide to Creativity by Anthony Alvarado

Psychic Witch- a Metaphysical Guide to Meditation, Magick, & Manifestation by Mat Auryn

Urban Magick by Diana Rajchel

Standing and Not Falling - a Sorcerous Primer in Thirteen Moons by Lee Morgan

Tarot Books

Queering the Tarot by Cassandra Snow

Tarot for Troubled Times by Shaheen Miro & Theresa Reed

Modern Tarot by Michelle Tea

Tarot Decks

Next World Tarot (regular and pocket sized)

Science Tarot

Rider-Waite-Coleman Smith Regular sized and Mini sized

Crow Tarot

Modern Witch Tarot

Cat Tarot

Check out the tarot and divination books in our catalog and also check out tarot and divination decks in our catalog here.

Condensed Chaos by Phil Hine

Advanced Magick for Beginners by Alan Chapman

Chaos Protocols by Gordon White

Hands on Chaos Magic by Andrieh Vitimus 

Liber Null & Psychonaut by Peter Carroll

Other books in the Chaos Magic section

Anthologies: Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, and Magical Rebels, Bringing Race to the Table: Exploring Racism in the Pagan Community, Shades of Ritual: Minority Voices in Practice

Magical Resistance: Witchcraft Activism by David Salisbury, Magic for the Resistance by Michael Hughes, Revolutionary Witchcraft by Sarah Lyons

Witches and Feminist Perspectives: Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici, Witches, Midwives and Nurses by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English , Witches Sluts Feminists by Kristen J. Sollee

Pagan Anti-Capitalism: Pagan Anarchism True to the Earth: Pagain Political Thology by Kadmus, All That is Sacred is Profaned: A Pagan Guide to Marxism by Ryhd Wildermuth, A Pagan Anti-Capitalist Primer

Queer Witchcraft: Witchcraft and the Gay Counter Culture, Sapphomanteion a Lesbian Oracle, Queering the Tarot

Check out the Witchcraft Culture and History and Witchcraft Politics and Resistance sections of our website.

Green Witchcraft: The Green Witch by Arin Murray-Hiscock, Green Witchcraft by Paige Vanderbeck

Plants and Herbs: Under the Witching Tree by Corinne Boyer, Under the Bramble Arch by Corinne Boyer

The Poison Path: Veneficuim: Magic, Witchcraft and the Poison Path by Daniel Schulke, Pharmo/Gnonsis: Plant Teachers and the Poison Path by Dale Pendell , Plants of the Devil by Corinne Boyer

Witchy Crafts: Pestlework: a Book of Magical Powders and Oils by Bree NicGarran, Sew Witchy by Rachel Henderson, Sigil Witchery by Lara Tempest Zakroff

Other books in our Plants, Herbs, and Magical Crafts section

Books on Atheopaganism

Godless Paganism (anthology)

Atheopaganism by Mark Green

Other Pagan Perspectives

Jailbreaking the Goddess: A Radical Revisioning of Feminist Spirituality by Lasara Firefix Allen

The Wakeful World: Anismism, Mind, and the Self in Nature by Emma Restall Orr

Circling the Star by Anthony Rella

All That Is Sacred is Profaned: A Pagan Guide to Marxism by Rhyd Wildermuth

All Other Pagan books

Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways by Gemma Gary

A Deed Without A Name: Unearthing the Legacy of Traditional Witchcraft by Lee Morgan

Crooked Path: An Introduction to Traditional Witchcraft by Keldon

Backwoods Witchcraft by Jake Richards

Besom Stand and Sword A Guide to Traditional Witchcraft the Six-Fold Path the Hidden Landscape by Christopher Orapello & Tara Love Maguire

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

Folk Witchcraft by

The Flame in the Cauldron by Orion Foxwood

Craft of the Untamed by Roger Horne

Check out the rest of the books in our Traditional & Folkloric Witchcraft Section

What are zines? Small independently made magazine and pamphlets filled with stories and unique ideas that you won’t find from major publishers!

Some topics you will find in zines we carry are Secular Witchcraft, the fantastic Fiddler’s Green Pamphlets and lots of zine on the places where Politics, Paganism, and Witchcraft intersect.

Check out all of our witchy zines here.

Other Stuff

witchy buttons

 magnets and hand mirrors

We carry more than just witchy books.

Here are some of the other titles we carry:

You Were Born For This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance by Chani Nicholas

When Language Runs Dry: An Anthology for People with Chronic Pain and their Allies

What is Gender Nihilism?

Be Gay Do Crime by The Mary Nardini Gang

Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher

You Black Friend by Ben Passmore

Learning Good Consent an Anthology edited by Cindy Crabb

How To Talk To Your Cat about Gun Safety and Abstinence, Drugs, Satanism and Other Dangers that Threaten Their Nine Lives

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Honoring your Ancestors by Mallorie Vaudoise

Do-it-Your Self Guide to Fighting the Big Motherfucking Sad by Adam Gnade

Yes, I’m Flagging: Queer Flagging 101 by Archie Bongiovanni

Full online catalog of books, zines, buttons and more can be found at PortlandButtonWorks.com and the PBW Witch Shop can be found here.

All items are shipped from Portland, Oregon in plain packaging or United States Postal Service Flat Rate envelopes or boxes with the return address as Portland Button Works. We ship daily and most order come with small fun gifts of buttons or magnets.

Thank you so much for supporting your local witch!

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Odinn: “I have sacrificed myself, given my very life by hanging from the sacred tree of Yggdrasil to venture into the land of the dead, and have returned with the runes to spread knowledge and wisdom”

Me: ᚠᚨᚱᛏ

Odinn: ಠ_ ●

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Gif version of this