ewestitia

[ewestitia]

Offerings: Why, and How?

There are some spirits and gods in the worlds that really must be approached with the correct offering, or will be very offended if you bring the wrong one. This post is not about them.

Thanks goes to @river-in-the-woods for help proofreading and providing additional perspectives

Spirit and deity work is a huge part of my deal, and therefore so are offerings. When I help people with various spirit issues or perform divination that suggests a spirit wants to contact them, I usually recommend giving offerings as a first step.

This usually creates a lot of questions, like:

I don’t want to worship them, so I’m not comfortable with offerings.

I only want to work with spirits I don’t need to pay.

What kind of offerings are OK? I can't afford to buy extra stuff right now.

I can’t have a shrine or leave food sitting out so it’s not possible for me to make offerings.

The reasons why offerings are given change from culture to culture, and situation to situation. I personally see offerings as being one of two things: good manners, or equivalent exchange.

How to do so comes after the saucy radio dialogue and the fairy tale.

Good Manners

Your grandma comes over. She was just on a 5 hour flight to come visit you. She comes in through the front door. You offer her some water and a snack.

Offering grandma water and a snack isn’t a form of worship or payment. It’s polite and respectful. It took her a lot of energy and effort to come and see you. Her well-being and comfort are important to you (in this hypothetical, of course).

When I drive 10 minutes to see my best friend, she always offers me tea. She’s not paying me for my friendship – she’s happy I came, she wants me to be comfortable, and it’s a sign of mutual respect. “I value your presence; I’ll offer you some tea.”

If my friend stopped offering me tea, I’d wonder if our relationship was doing OK – and if she explained to me she was out of money, or she’s doing a no-tea challenge, we’d be perfectly good.

But if you greet grandma empty-handed and say you don’t think it’s your job to provide her meals, the situation feels a little different. It feels to me as if grandma might not be as interested in making the trip to see you next time.

Equivalent Exchange

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I’m going to bury some stuff. I just did ritual and an important part is burying the remnants at the crossroad.”

“Right on, we’re the spirits of the crossroad, so you came to the right place.”

“Yeah, so you’ll be opening the gates of the four directions and delivering my spell to manifestation, right?”

“Sure, we can do that.”

“…”

“…”

“Are you going to, uh… pay us for that service?”

“I don’t see why I should.”

“But you need us to open the gates for you. We have to spend our own energy to do this work. I mean it’s not terribly difficult, but still.”

“Yeah, but I don’t see why that should be on me.”

“Not even a tip? Have you got some change in your pocket?”

“To be honest, I don’t think it’s fair to me to have to pay.”

“So you want us to work for free?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t care what it costs us to do this work for you, you just want to take the fruits of our services without regard for us?”

“Yes.”

“And we should do it because you feel it's unfair to have to pay us for our work?”

“You got it.”

“And if others told you that you must donate your labor to give them what they want because it's unfair to give you a wage, this would be…”

“A huge injustice. This is actually a major problem in my country right now. We are so underpaid for what is demanded of us that it really is hurting my mental health and wellbeing. You have no idea how hard it is to be exploited for someone else’s prosperity. I kind of feel like one day I might just go off grid and refuse to be a part of their system.”

The Quality of Offerings Are Relative

The fairy queen Medb was curious about the humans beyond the Greenwood, so she decided to meet them all, from the wealthiest noble to the poorest villager, and to give a gold coin to the kindest one. Before she left, she cloaked herself in a human disguise and dressed as if she were a hardworking seamstress.

First she went to the house of a rich farmer who owned herds of cattle. She knocked on the door and was greeted by the mistress of the house, Frau Hilda.

Medb said, “I am a traveler and the road has been long, may I have some water?”

Frau Hilda kindly invited Medb inside. She sat the queen down at her large, clean table in her warm and cozy kitchen. Frau Hilda went to the larder. Medb could see that her larder was overflowing enough with fine wine, cheeses, and sausages to serve an army. Frau and fetched two jugs of milk and two loaves of bread. One of the jugs of milk was thin, and the loaf of bread was dry. The second jug of milk was thick, as if it was pure cream, and the loaf of bread was hot and fresh.

“Here, have some milk and bread,” Frau Hilda said. “It is much better than water, and will restore you from your travels.” Frau Hilda poured a glass of each milk, and handed the queen the thin milk and old loaf. Frau Hilda herself drank the rich, delicious milk and ate the hot bread.

“This is much better than water, and I thank you for your kind generosity,” agreed Medb.

The two women spoke kindly and politely to each other. Medb learned about the wealth and prosperity of the farmer and his household. They spoke until Medb finished her thin milk and old bread. As she left, Medb thought to herself that the thin milk and old bread, although better than water, were the poorest things in the larder. She kept her gold coin to herself, and walked down the road.

The next day, Medb came upon the hovel of a poor woodcutter and his wife. She knocked on the door and was greeted by Frau Brunhild.

Medb said, “I am a traveler and the road has been long, may I have some water?”

Just like Frau Hilda, Frau Brunhild kindly invited Medb inside. Frau Brunhild’s kitchen was small and cramped. She went to her larder and Medb could see it was almost empty. It only held a bag of flour, a scrap of bread, and a jug of water.

Frau Brunhild brought out the water and bread. “I am sorry I don’t have any milk for you,” Frau Brunhild said. “But let us share in what little we have.”

Frau Brunhild poured Medb some water and gave her one-third of the bread. “We must save some for Mister Brunhild,” she explained.

“I thank you for your generosity,” said Medb. “You show kindness in sharing what you have.” The two women spoke kindly and politely to each other until they had eaten the bread and drank the water. As she left, Medb thought to herself that although it was only water and a little slice of bread, Frau Brunhild had truly offered the best in her larder.

Medb was so moved by this generosity that she returned to the hovel that night, and hid the gold coin in one of Frau Brunhild’s shoes, and after that the Brunhilds always had better prosperity and fortune.

No matter what you have, your best is your best. You do not need to over-spend, give away too much, or sacrifice your wellbeing to give respectful offerings to spirits. If the best you have is a glass of tap water, that is good enough.

What kinds of offerings can you give?

I’m copying this over from my neighborly protection post.

Food and Drink: Good offerings include things with strong tastes and smells, foods high in caloric value, milk, honey, all nuts, eggs, and seeds (things which contain the potential for life are very good offerings), all home cooked/baked foods, fresh water (an especially good offering), coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, and juices all make very fine offerings.

Perhaps tellingly, the finest or most necessary offering is simply a glass of fresh water (yes, it can be tap water).

Consumables: Incense and candles both make good offerings. Both should be burned. I am actually more wary of using real resins and herbal powders for spirit offerings, since the natural powers of these plants are released and may affect what I’m trying to do (or make it easier or harder for spirits to speak to me, or drive away spirits I’m trying to talk to, or draw in ones I don’t want to talk to). For these reasons I like to use stick or cone incense for offerings. It is the light and warmth from the candle which is enjoyed by spirits so it can be any type or color of candle.

Artwork, fake paper money, origami, and other burnable stuff can be dedicated (another way to think about this is to gift it to them) and then burned. The point is not destruction; the astral essence of these things is released so the spirits can possess them in their world.

Non-consumables: Coins are very common offerings. Small, delightful objects (especially shiny ones), like shells, little figurines, or toys often make good offerings. The act of devoting a ritual tool or vessel to a spirit can be an offering. Things which can be consumed (like cigars or paper art) don’t have to be burned and can be given as regular offerings also.

Energy: Your personal energy is a great offering. You don’t have to give a ton of it away. Try making an energy ball and sending it upwards and away, intending that it reach the spirit you want to give it to. I often like to pattern these gifts into an object, like an energy coin or energy apple.

How do you give physical stuff to a nonphysical being, though?

Lay out the offerings on a clean surface. It doesn’t have to be an altar or a shrine, although I suspect such consecrated places can make it easier for spirits to access and enjoy your offerings. It can be just like setting out a glass of water and half a sandwich for grandma.

Do something which indicates the offering is for the spirits or a specific being. My friend can make me a cup of tea, but if she just sets some tea down on the table and walks away, I’m not going to be sure it’s OK for me to drink it until she says, “this is your tea!”

What you do can be as simple as standing before the offering and saying or thinking, “This is for [names of spirits, or ‘the household spirits’, etc], please enjoy! I’ll come clean it up by noon, enjoy it before then.”

At a minimum I recommend leaving non-consumable offerings out for fifteen or thirty minutes. If it’s a candle or incense, they burn out when they burn out (you do not have to let large candles burn completely, but be careful of promising a candle as a gift to spirits, then going back on that promise and using it for something else). Energy offerings are given instantaneously and no waiting period is necessary.

Whenever you return to clean up the offering, it’s polite to say something like, “thank you for coming by, and I hope you enjoyed! It’s time for me to clean up now. Please return to your abodes; as you came in peace, leave as friends.” I personally like to affirm the purpose of giving an offering - that it’s because I want to be a good neighbor, I want to have solid relationships with the spirits around me, and that I hope we’re all going to be friends. I also like to affirm that although I invited them all to the offering, they should go home now - I wanted you for the BBQ but it’s like 9pm now and we’re going to bed, so you need to go home too.

I throw out food. I compost it if I can. Whether or not you can eat food already offered to spirits is a whole discussion and beliefs vary. My belief is that you shouldn’t eat it after it’s offered.

Other non-consumable objects can be buried if they’re nontoxic to the environment. They can be left on an altar or shrine, and cleared out on a regular basis (like once a full moon, or on holidays).

To Eat or Not to Eat?

I mentioned briefly above that I don’t believe you should eat offerings after they’ve been offered. This is a pretty complex topic that does merit discussion.

For example, I sometimes eat the offerings while they’re being offered. I have a close relationship with various spirits, and sometimes I invite them into my body to taste and experience the food and drink I eat.

The reason I don’t prefer to eat offerings after they’ve been offered is that my belief is that the metaphysical substance which supports us as living creatures has been removed and taken away from the spirits. I don’t believe the food would be harmful, but that it also wouldn’t be helpful. To me, throwing the food away isn't a waste because it already fulfilled its purpose.

However, tons of people believe that you should eat food and beverage offerings. This is in order to avoid waste (because after all, even if I say metaphysically the food served its purpose, I’m still throwing away totally edible food). I am advised that in Buddhism, offerings given to ancestors, buddhas, and bodhisattvas aren’t degraded at all, and you can safely eat and drink offerings afterwards (and not doing so would be wasteful). For buddhas and bodhisattvas offerings are just a sincere gesture; the ancestors do get nourishment from food offerings and they greatly benefit from it. Even so, food offered to ancestors is still perfectly wonderful to eat.

In other belief systems, some people think that eating offered food can actually make you sick, especially if it’s offered to the dead. This may be due to a metaphysical change in the food, or because the spirits don’t want to share.

Sometimes, whether or not food is eaten after being offered depends on the type of spirit or god it’s given to; chthonic entities often seem to frown upon their offerings being eaten or shared.

Some believe that food offerings shouldn’t be eaten but neither should they be trashed; they should be burned or buried.

Sometimes, dedicating a food or drink offering to a spirit is a way to bless it under their power. If I dedicate a glass of water to the Indweller of the Sun, it’s understood to be imbued with the virtues of the Sun. If I drink it, it becomes a form of equivalent exchange - I gave something to the Sun, it gave something to me, and this ritual action is completed when I consume the offering.

Given all these varieties of belief, it’s safe to say that you probably can’t go wrong. If you can’t or don’t want to waste food, or it isn’t counter-indicated by your path, eat food offerings.

If you’re especially nervous or worried about what might happen to you if you do eat them, then don’t. Or, avoid the problem altogether by just giving energy or incense offerings.

[ewestitia]

So I found a book of just symbols at the library near my new place but I couldn't check it out so I took pics of pages I found very interesting and thought I'd share some with yall

Planetary and astronomy symbols

Apparently these are botanical symbols

Elements, the scientific kind not natural

And weather symbols

I got a kick out of these. I'm sure someone else might. I just think they're cool but I forgot the name of the book so I'll have to go back on my next day off 😅

[ewestitia]

Witchy things to do with your ash

Put it above your door: If your ash comes from incense or an herb bundle, the ash shares the same correspondences and power as the herb. I’ve met some who think it’s even stronger, as it’s been activated. You can either use the bundle to make a light mark above a door frame or it can be done with a finger. This can be powerful protection, luck bringing, or love inducing, depending on your intent and correspondence

Use it in spells: Why get rid of something so powerful? As mentioned, the ash still has power and energy. Your correspondence is based on what was burned. You can use it in place of that herb if you’re out, or in addition. 

Use it in anointing: While it’s often used in conjunction with oil, ash has a long history of being used in anointing. Burning holy herbs, and then using a finger to swipe cooled ash onto someone being anointed is a powerful piece of the ceremony

Bury it: A lot of witches, including myself, find that burying the remnants of a spell is incredibly powerful. It’s often seen as giving respect to the earth for the power it gives. The phrase ashes to ashes, dust to dust comes to mind. It’s essentially the ending of a spell, returning the ash to the earth

Ward your home: Sprinkling protective herbs and ash around the perimeter of your home can help ward against negative energy and evil spirits.

Mix it in to art: Did you know you can make your art magic? Through sigils, colors, intention and more. But one possibility is to mix a bit of ash into your paints or use it as a charcoal substitute

[ewestitia]

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　𝔸 𝔹𝕖𝕘𝕚𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕣'𝕤 𝔾𝕦𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕄𝕠𝕠𝕟 ℙ𝕙𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕤　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

so you're a bit confused about the different phases of the moon or how and what they do or you're just too lazy to actively hunt down the info and put it in your grimoire. No worries, your witch dad is here to help you :)

New Moon:

new moon, happens every month, start of a new lunar cycle.

cannot be seen, sun behind moon-lighting side faced away from the earth.

best for: new beginnings, setting intentions for the month, best place to make plans and decide what to do.

Waxing Moon:

seen as crescent in the sky, illuminated on right-hand side as sun slowly starts to move from behind the moon. first sign that energy is building and in a few days the moon will be at full power

best for: working on self-confidence/compassion/self-assurance. put plans into place to reach goals. build yourself up

First Quarter:

can see a clear half-moon in the sky. at half power. sun is side by side with moon

best for: reflection, taking a pause, revel in what you have been working on and celebrate achievements. think about how u want to celebrate full moon, get ready for serious action.

Waxing Gibbous:

slither of dark moon left unseen. one step away from full power

best for: one phase away from full, hone in on intentions/goals/actions.

make sure you are paying attention to details and staying mindful of what is externally and internally happening

Full Moon:

Big boy moon. Full power. can tap into her energy to help gain insight or to 💫manifest💫. most powerful time of the moon

best for: manifestations, adding more power to your intentions. good for rituals/spells. great time for releasing or banishing rituals, manifestations spells and meditation. good for charging and cleansing. Moon water

Waning Gibbous:

winding down of moons power. sun is moving away and taking its light with it.

best for: turn inwards and evaluate what has happened over last few days. think about full moon ritual/meditation and readjust your intentions goals for the rest of the month

Third Quater:

illuminated on the left side. back to half power and is fading.

best for: let go of what is holding you back, let go of any negativity in your life. Examples: self-limiting beliefs, people who aren’t great for you or your life, fear and basically anything that isn’t serving you or letting you progress in your life. Cleanse yourself and home.

Waning Moon:

power of moon is nearly over. small crescent left in night’s sky. nearly time for new moon and new beginnings.

best for: take a deep breath and surrender to whatever happened and what is beyond your power. don't beat yourself up if you didn't complete any of your goals. dust yourself off and pick yourself up and get ready for a new cycle. Remember to be kind and compassionate to yourself.

[ewestitia]

The Magic of the Pines & Correspondences 🌲

“In the pines, in the pines, where the sun never shines And you shiver when the cold wind blows”

–Dolly Parton

Pine Tree (pinus spp.)

Energy:  Both hot & cold

Planet:  Mars

Element:  Air ��

Associated Deities:  Aphrodite, Astarte, Attis, Cybele, Dionysus, Pan, Venus, The Horned God

Fertility • Love • Purification • Healing • Banishing • Protection • Abundance

There are around 115 types of pine trees and, aside from oak, pine trees are the most successful and widely ranging trees in North America.  Pinyon pine nuts are edible and can be ground to make flour, pine oil is used as an antiseptic, pine rosin can be used in soaps and sealing wax, and some Native American tribes used pine gum to treat boils.

The ancient Romans used pine trees cut from sacred groves in a manner similar to modern-day Christmas trees.  They would take the trees the night before Saturnalia and place them in temples to be decorated and used as a fertility symbol.

Dreaming of tall straight pine trees means that you will receive good news.

Pine needles can be burned to cleanse and purify the home (mix equal parts juniper & cedar) and to reverse spells and hexes made against you.  Scatter the needles on the floor to drive away those with ill-intent.   Add crushed pine needles to bath sachets in winter for a relaxing magical cleansing.  They can also be used in sleep and dream sachets—just make sure they won’t poke through!

Use branches of pine to sweep an outdoor area before performing magic.  Branches can also be placed above the bed to keep sickness away, above the entrance to the home to ensure continual joy within, and a cross of pinch branches or needles above the fireplace will keep evil from entering through it.

Pinecones can be carried or hung in the home to increase fertility and to stay well in old age.  Place one near your bed or under your pillow to draw or keep a lover.

Burn pinecones in your hearth to protect (and warm!) your home.

Place pinecones in your office to draw prosperity and success.

To draw positivity and blessings to you tie a bundle of pine needles with thread and burn them.  Pass pinecones through the smoke and place them on your altar or in a place you will see them often.  Send grateful energy toward them as you pass by them and good things will flow toward you.

References:  Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, Whispers from the Woods by Sandra Kynes, Magical Folkhealing by DJ Conway

[ewestitia]

Pages from my grimoire

[ewestitia]

Oatmeal Bread for Lughnasadh

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda (Omit this if you are at high altitudes +3,000ft)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 cup butter (unsalted)

1/2 cup nuts

3 medium chopped apples

1 cup raisins

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1-1/2 cups rolled oats

1 egg, beaten

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla or orange

Preheat oven to 350 F

Mix ALL ingredients together completely

Place in a greased 9-inch cake pan

Bake for 30 minutes, or until it pulls away from the edges

Enjoy

Source: A Victorian Grimoire

Correspondence:

Flour: Life

Salt: Purification, Protection, Grounding, Blessing

Brown Sugar: Love

Butter: Hard work, delayed gratification

Nuts: Prosperity, Love

Apples: Love, healing

Raisins: Wisdom, longevity

Cinnamon: Success, healing, purification, clairvoyance

Ginger: Aphrodisiac, love spell

Oats: Money

Eggs: Rebirth, fertility, protection

Vanilla: Love, peace, harmony

Orange: Love, joy, inspiration

[ewestitia]

My grimoire pages on the lunar phases. Left page are the phases labeled in english with their correspondents and a note on moon water at the bottom. The right page is the lunar cycle illustrated with its Latin names because I’m such a geek for Latin. 

Keep reading

[ewestitia]

good things will happen 🧿

things that are meant to be will fall into place 🧿

[ewestitia]

Hi there! In this installment of my book recommendations series, I’ll be tackling the topic of chaos magic! 

What is it? These books cover that, the history of this approach to magic, and more! Check them out!

I’ve also included a few books that aren’t necessarily chaos in description, but have a wholly postmodern bent. I hope you find something you like!

Liber Null and Psychonaut, by Peter Carroll. Classic book of chaos magick. I consider it required reading for almost anyone interested in the occult. Even if you have no love for chaos magick, do give it a read, just to understand how influential Carroll is, and why.

Liber Kaos, by Peter Carroll. Another Carroll classic! Written primarily for students of Carroll’s magical order, the Illuminates of Thanateros, this book gives a full curriculum that might be followed by the budding chaos magician. If you’re interested in the philosophical underpinnings of chaos magic, this is a good book for you, too.

Practical Sigil Magic, by Frater UD. This unusual book focuses entirely on sigilization techniques. It borrows a lot from Carroll, and quick googling will tell you that the author’s relationship with him and his order was quite colorful. Offers many innovative ideas for sigilization. Worth a read!

Sigil Magic for Writers and Other Creatives, by T. Thorn Coyle. An interesting book about using sigil magic for inspiration. Short, but worth a look! Coyle can be a bit obtuse, though.

Hands-On Chaos Magic, by Andrieh Vitimus. Knowing some of the people involved in the creation of this book, I’m a bit biased towards it. That said, even if I didn’t know them, I would still recommend it. It’s especially interesting to read alongside Liber Null and Psychonautin order to see how the chaos “current” has developed over the years.

Pop Culture Magic 2.0 by Taylor Ellwood. There aren’t a lot of books on using pop culture symbolism in magick, but this one is nearly perfect. The author writes in a highly erudite, literate fashion, while still being accessible to newbies. Many useful resources cited, as well, so prepare to branch off a bit while reading it.

Pop Culture Magic Systems, by Taylor Ellwood. Another work from @teriel, this one covers the do-it-yourself aspect of pop culture occult techniques, and building your own system. Definitely recommended for the chaos-minded, and anyone intersecting magick and pop culture.

Instant Magick, by Christopher Penczak. This book covers simple, quick magick without tools, and goes in-depth about the theory behind a results-oriented magical practice. Beginners will like this book, but it is best read slowly and while completing the exercises in it.

City Magick, by Christopher Penczak. While some long for agrarian times past, many witches inhabit urban landscapes. This book takes an innovative and very results-oriented approach to urban spirit interaction and magick. Recommended even for beginners, and obviously, any urban witches.

I hope you found something that interests you on this list! I’ll be posting more installments in this series of book recommendations, organized by topic. You can find all the ones so far here, under my #annobib tag. Also, if you buy the books via the links above, I get some pocket money which I will not spend on Red Bull energy drinks.

[ewestitia]

Hello, witches! Since I’m always harping on about learning your history and checking your sources, I thought I’d help folks get a head start by compiling some source material.

To that end, I’ve started a Dropbox folder with a stash of historical texts on witchcraft, magic, and related topics. Nearly everything I’ve managed to find so far is public domain (thank you Project Gutenberg), with the exception of a very thorough herbal grimoire I found online some years ago and a book of witchcraft from the 1970s that appears to be out of print.

I will be continuing in this vein with future texts that I find. Everything will be public domain or cited to the source that it came from, in PDF format. I will NOT be including PDFs of any book currently in circulation with a copyright linked to a living author or estate. The point of this folder is that everything in it should be free for sharing and open use as research materials.

Below is the initial list of titles. I tried to include as many as I could find, with a focus on some oft-cited classics. I will be adding new texts as I find them.

A Collection of Rare and Curious Tracts on Witchcraft and the Second Sight, by David Webster (1820)

A History of Witchcraft in England from 1558 to 1718, by Wallace Notestein (1909)

British Goblins, Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions, by Wirt Sikes (1880)

Curiosities of Superstition, by W. H. Davenport Adams (1882)

Daemonologie, by King James I/VI (1597)

Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, Edited and Selected by W. B. Yeats (1888)

Irish Witchcraft and Demonology, by St. John Drelincourt Seymour (1913)

La Sorcière, or The Witch of the Middle Ages, by Jules Michelet (1863)

Lives of the Necromancers, by William Godwin (1834)

Magic and Fetishism, by Alfred C. Haddon (1906)

Magic and Witchcraft, by Anonymous (1852)

Modern Magic, by M. Schele de Vere (1873)

Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics, by Richard Folkard (1884)

Practical Psychomancy and Crystal Gazing, by William Walker Atkinson (1908)

The Devil in Britain and America, by John Ashton (1896)

The Discoverie of Witchcraft, by Reginald Scot (1594, 1886 reprint)

The Extremely Large Herbal Grimoire (date unknown, internet publication)

The Golden Bough : A Study of Magic and Religion, by Sir James George Frazer (1890)

The Illustrated Key to the Tarot, by L.W. de Laurence (1918)

The Magic of the Horse-shoe, by Robert Means Lawrence (1898)

The Mysteries of All Nations, by James Grant (1880)

The Mystery and Romance of Alchemy and Pharmacy, by Charles John Samuel Thompson (1897)

The Superstitions of Witchcraft, by Howard Williams (1865)

The Witchcraft Delusion in Colonial Connecticut by John M. Taylor (1908)

The Wonders of the Invisible World, by Cotton Mather and A Farther Account of the Tryals of the New-England Witches, by Increase Mather (1693, 1862 reprint)

Witch Stories, by E. Lynn (Elizabeth Lynn) Linton (1861)

Witch, Warlock, And Magician, by W. H. Davenport Adams (1889)

Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland, by John Gregorson Campbell (1902)

Witches’ Potions & Spells, ed. by Kathryn Paulsen (1971)

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that these texts are (with few exceptions) more than a century old, and may contain depictions, references, or language that are outdated and inappropriate. The point of including these documents is to provide access to historical texts for research and reference. Inclusion in the collection does not equal unconditional agreement with or wholesale approval of the contents.

Take everything with a grain of salt and remember to do your due diligence!

Happy Witching!   -Bree

[ewestitia]

WHAT THE FUCK IS CHAOS MAGICK I NEED TO KNOW

[ewestitia]

🎃Samhain - October 31st🎃

Halfway between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice, it is a celebration of the deceased and the third and final harvest.

Animals

Bats

Dogs

Colors

Orange

Black

Stones

Fossils

Obsidian

Bloodstone

Plants

Nutmeg

Thyme

Cinnamon

Food & Drink

Apples

Pumpkin Pie

Cider

Squash

Pork

Pumpkin Seeds

Ways to Celebrate

Carve Pumpkins

Cook a Family Recipe

Visit the Deceased

Leave Offerings for Spirits

Have a Feast of the Dead

Leave a Candle in the Window to Guide Gpirits

Learn About Family History

[ewestitia]

i picked more dandelions today and decided to experiment with drying them in the oven. our oven only goes as low as 170 degrees (fahrenheit) so i watched them closely to make sure everything was going well. overall i’m satisfied with the oven-drying method though and i think that’s how i’ll dry my garden herbs in the future.

[ewestitia]

i went searching for a chamomile plant and a gargoyle today, but couldn't find any no matter where i looked. i did pick up a new houseplant, though, so it wasn't for naught. meet my new fern friend!

[ewestitia]

dandelion update

[ewestitia]

i checked in on my drying dandelions today. the smaller leaves are already small and crispy, but it’ll probably take a full three days to get them jarred. the next thing i need to invest in is a mortar and pestle!

i bought my herbs for my serious garden today! i’ll have to wait a bit to plant them; i don’t have all the dirt i need. i got various varieties of basil, mint, lavender, dill, thyme, rosemary, and sage. i plan to label all of them, and the various flowers/ground cover plants i got with little sigils on the garden stakes.