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By The Moon Salibi

[ms-dlish]

[ms-dlish]

Introduction to Shielding

If you haven’t already, check out my lessons on visualisation for the basic knowledge you’ll need to begin practicing shielding.

So what is shielding?

Shielding is a manipulation of energy, used to create a barrier between yourself and unwanted, usually negative or malicious energies. It’s a basic aspect of spellwork that everyone, beginner or experienced, should use to keep themselves safe.

What can I use shielding for?

Some beginner-level uses for shielding are drawing a circle, or casting a spell. A more experienced individual might use shielding in astral travel or spirit work, where there are a lot more malicious energies involved. Personally, I use shielding as often as possible, for instance when I do tarot readings, spells, spirit work, shadow work, and especially cursing. It gives that extra guarantee that you won't flood your personal space with unwanted energies.

Other uses include shielding against real-life dangers, to a certain degree. I often shield when I am walking through town at night for extra protection. But please remember to take other measures too! Call someone, pretend to be on the phone, plan your route, and even carry pepper spray if it's legal where you are.

An easy shielding method:

The easiest way to explain this is to think of your energy as a physical manifestation. Think how power attacks are shown in anime or cartoons - a streak of colour or light, or an element. Make it personable to you: fire signs (Leo/Aries/Sagittarius) might visualise fire, or a red energy or light etc.

Firstly, some people prefer to cleanse before shielding. I don't think its all that necessary but the choice is yours.

Begin by easing yourself into meditation. Get comfortable, and use whichever technique works for you. I have various methods for this in my visualisation lessons if you are struggling.

Attempt to visualise the energies surrounding you in your mind. It might be a swirling colour of light, almost like a cloud of dust. It could be flames, it could be water. Maybe try to see it held within your hand.

Now, attempt to shape this energy around your entire body. You might want to start with a bubble or a cube surrounding you. Feel this shape surrounding and protecting you. Visualise negative and unwanted energies being held back by it.

You can also layer shields, so if you are working with a particularly malicious energy you might want to have multiple shapes surrounding you, all within each other. You can also work with deities or spirits to ask them to shield you too.

Shielding Incantation

When I am shielding, I recite a spell as well as using visualisation techniques.

The shield of protection, I carry it strong, No ill wishes or trouble shall come along, You cannot harm me, or weaken my soul, My light is my weapon, and peace is my goal.

Try it out for yourself and let me know in the comments how it went! Thank you as always for reading. Please message for requests.

[ms-dlish]

Graveyard Etiquette🪦

Before you go protect yourself you don't want a spirit attached to you.

Bring coins as offerings to the gatekeepers.

Bring with you offering for the spirits (food, water, flowers ect...) and leave it by a tree or away from the headstones for the spirits.

Make sure you don't step on anyone and apologiz if you do by accident.

Clean up neglected tombstones.

Ask before you take dirt. Use your intuition or divination to get a response.

Don’t take anything that is left for the dead.

Don't leave trash behind and if you find trash clean it.

Leave the way you came.

tip jar

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𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐚

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What is Litha?

Litha is a solar festival celebrated between June 20th and 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere, and around December 20th to 22nd in the Southern Hemisphere. It marks the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and the moment when the sun reaches its peak power. Traditionally, Litha honors the height of light, the fullness of life, and the abundance offered by the Earth in bloom. It is the midpoint of the Wheel of the Year, when nature is at its most alive: fields are green, flowers are open, fruit begins to ripen, and warmth fills every corner. Litha celebrates vitality, strength, joy, and the energy of the sun at its zenith. Fires are lit in its honor, herbs are gathered, and the power of manifestation is strong. Yet, within this brightness lies a quiet turning point, from this day forward, the light will begin to wane. Litha carries both celebration and awareness: the joy of what has flourished, and that all things are cyclical, Now it’s a great time to reflect on personal radiance, express gratitude and to honor the sun and all solar deities.

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History of Litha

The name Litha comes from Anglo-Saxon sources and was recorded by Bede as the name of the months around midsummer. However, the solstice has been celebrated across many cultures for thousands of years. In Celtic lands, midsummer was a sacred time when druids lit bonfires on hilltops to honour the sun and support the fertility of the land. Sacred herbs were gathered at dawn, believed to be especially powerful when infused with the longest light of the year. In ancient Rome, this period was dedicated to Juno, goddess of marriage and women, and to Vesta, the goddess of the hearth fire. Her temple was opened to women, and offerings of grain were made to ensure household blessings. In ancient Greece, midsummer was connected to Hera, Aphrodite, and it was also believed that Prometheus stole the fire from the chariot of the sun and gifted it to humanity at this time. In ancient China, the summer solstice was linked to yin, feminine, earthly energy, in balance with the winter solstice, which represented yang. ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠄⠄⠂⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁

Litha and the Faerie Folk

Midsummer is also a time when the faerie realm is believed to be especially active. Just like Beltane, Litha is considered a liminal time, when the veil between worlds grows thin and the unseen becomes just a little more visible. In Celtic folklore, the fae wander freely during the solstice, drawn to beauty, music, laughter, and offerings left in nature. People once left milk, honey, or bread under sacred trees, near springs, or in gardens to honour them and ask for protection or blessings. Wildflowers and oak groves are especially associated with faerie energy at this time, and some believe that in the shimmer of heat on the solstice horizon, you can sense the opening of other realms: Avalon, Tir na nÓg, the Land of Youth. It’s believed that faeries hold their grand celebrations within mystical faerie rings. These circles, often found in grassy meadows or forest clearings, are thought to mark the dancing spots of faeries. To honor these elemental spirits, offerings of honey, butter, or creamy milk are left in the hopes of gaining faerie favor. (source)

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Midsummer Herb Ritual

Litha is also traditionally a time for harvesting herbs used in potions, elixirs, and spells, a moment long held sacred in magical practice. Since ancient times, it has been believed that when the sun is at its peak and the earth is overflowing with life, the bond between plants and those who work with them grows especially strong. Witches, healers, druids, and others in tune with the land’s rhythms would venture out to gather herbs with deep care, following the natural flow of the day. Some plants were picked at dawn, others at noon, some at sunset, and a few in the gentle quiet of late afternoon. They used small blades, sometimes curved or shaped like serpents, and approached the task slowly, with reverence. Before cutting, they would sit with the plant in stillness, offering a soft prayer or moment of presence. Only a small amount was taken, never more than needed, always leaving enough so the plant could continue to grow and thrive. Gratitude was at the heart of the act, gratitude for the plant, for the living earth, and for the unseen spirits watching over the wild. The herbs gathered during Litha were believed to be especially potent. Little was required. Just sunlight, clear intention, and a respectful hand. Many flowers are linked to this time of year, but the most well-known is St. John’s Wort, valued for its protective and healing properties. Roses, in every color, are also deeply connected to Litha, representing love, passion, and the fullness of life under the midsummer sun.

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The Rise of the Holly King

The myth of the Oak King and the Holly King is often told to explain the shifting balance of light and dark throughout the year. The Oak King rules from the winter solstice to the summer solstice, he is the spirit of the waxing year, of expanding daylight, growth, and vitality. He represents the rising power of the sun and the energy that brings life back to the land. But at Litha, when the light reaches its peak, his brother, the Holly King, returns. The Holly King rules from the summer solstice to Yule, guiding the year into the waning half. He is the spirit of stillness, reflection, and retreat. Their meeting is not a violent battle, but a symbolic shift, one steps back so the other may rise. This story reminds us that light and dark are both sacred, and that every high point contains the seed of return. Just like the sun, we too rise, peak, rest, and begin again.

Litha and Goddess Áine

Áine is a Celtic goddess very closely associated with Litha. is the Celtic Goddess of Midsummer and Queen of the Faeries, deeply tied to both the light of the sun and the mystery of the fae. As a solar deity, she is honored during Midsummer celebrations, being associated with summer, love, protection, fertility, wealth, and sovereignty. On the eve of the 23rd, just after the solstice, people used to gather on Cnoc Áine, where she was said to dwell. They would light bunches of straw and hay tied to poles. These poles were then carried in procession to the top of the hill. Later, people would run with the flames through their fields and between the cattle to bring good luck for the rest of the year. Áine is also connected to horses, animals considered sacred and symbolic of midsummer in Irish tradition. It was said that she could take the form of a red mare named Lair Derg and ride through the fields during the solstice, blessing the land with fertility and magic. Offerings to Áine might include flowers, honey mead, and horseshoes.

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Magic Correspondences

Planets: Sun

Season: Summer

Element: Earth, Fire

Time Of The Day: Noon (when the Sun is at its highest)

Tarot Cards: The Sun, The Empress, The Wheel Of Fortune, 9 Of Cups, The Emperor, The Strength

Colors: Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, Gold, Red

Herbs: Fennel, Ivy, Yarrow, Verbena, Mugwort, Sage, Mint, Basil, Clove, Thyme

Fruits: Cherry, Raspberry, Peach, Strawberry, Berries, Pineapple, Orange, Apricot, Nectarines

Vegetables: Spinach, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Carrots

Crystals: Jade, Carnelian, Peridot, Citrine, Tiger’s Eye, Sunstone

Runes: Kenaz, Fehu, Ehwaz, Sowilo

Trees: Oak, Birch, Elder, Linden

Goddesses: Brigid, Hel, Amaterasu, Hestia, Juno, Hera, Aphrodite, Áine, Freyja, Bastet, Hathor, Sunna, Flora, Vesta

Gods: Apollo, Helios, Lugh, Baldur, Ra, Zeus, Horus, Dionysus, Aten, Loki, Jupiter, Thor, Cernunnos

Dragons: Fafnir

Flowers: Daisy, St. John’s Wort, Rose, Lavender, Sunflower, Poppy, Calendula, Honeysuckle, Foxglove, Chamomile, Marigold, Jasmine, Peony

Animals: Horse, Bee, Butterfly, Lion, Wren, Moth, Bull, Cow, Hawk, Lizard, Donkey, Hawks, Eagles, Swans

Magical Powers: Good Energy, Solar Magick, Confidence, Healing, Love, Power, Warmth, Success, Fire Magick, Fertility

Symbols: Birch, Sun, Horseshoe, Flower, Butterfly, Summer Birds, Sea Shells, Sun Wheel, Bonfire, St. John’s Wort, Faerie Rings, Roses, Oak, Spiral

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Activities to Do:

☀️ Read A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

☀️ Take a bath with rose petals or rose essential oil

☀️ Swim on this day to honor both the water and fire elements

☀️ Drink St. John's Wort tea (⚠️Just a quick warning: consuming St. John's Wort while on certain medications, like antidepressants or some painkillers, can trigger serotonin syndrome, which is a serious and painful condition. So make sure to check first or skip it if you're unsure.)

☀️ Craft faerie houses in your garden

☀️ Meditate while lying in the grass, letting the sun touch your skin

☀️ Bake a honey cake for the sabbat

☀️ Go camping to connect with nature

☀️ Craft a homemade sundial

☀️ Leave offerings for the faerie folk

☀️ Create a Litha altar

☀️ Make a flower wreath or crown

☀️ Honor solar deities

☀️ Dance around a Birch tree

☀️ Wear bright colors (yellow, orange, green, blue) to reflect solar energy

☀️ Make lavender lemonade

☀️ Spend time in the sun (don’t forget sunscreen!)

☀️ Do a tarot reading outdoors

☀️ Read poetry in nature

☀️ Host a garden party or BBQ

☀️ Make a Litha magick jar

☀️ Watch the sunset or sunrise from a peaceful place

☀️ Water your garden with intention

☀️ Leave water bowls outside for animals

☀️ Dance around a bonfire at dusk

☀️ Eat fresh fruits in celebration of the season

☀️ Meditate outdoors and ground yourself in the sun’s energy

☀️ Bake sun-shaped cake or bread

☀️ Make a fruit and veggie salad

☀️ Cleanse your crystals in the sunlight

☀️ Leave seeds out for the birds

☀️ Plant trees or herbs in your garden

☀️ Make sun tea by infusing herbs in a jar under the sun

☀️ Hang a horseshoe on your door for luck and protection

☀️ Create a sun catcher

☀️ Spend time outside with your pets

☀️ Make sun water

☀️ Eat honey

☀️ Host a mini gather with loved ones

☀️ Learn about sea witchcraft

☀️ Do your makeup, nails, or outfit in festive Litha colors

☀️ Go collect seashells if you live near a beach

☀️ Draw the sun wheel symbol and place it on your altar

☀️ Bake sun shaped cookies

☀️ Collect flowers and place them on your altar

☀️ Read about solar deities and their myths

☀️ Make lemonade with herbs or edible flowers

☀️ Reconnect with your inner child: play, dance, read, do activities you loved as a kid

☀️ Make a daisy chain

☀️ Set intentions at sunset for the rest of the year (until Yule)

☀️ Craft a sun wheel

☀️ Honor the sun through rituals

☀️ Harvest herbs from your garden

☀️ Start a herbarium

☀️ Research about draconic magick, dragons resonate with Litha’s fire energy

☀️ Have a picnic at noon to soak in the sun’s peak

☀️ Get yellow or orange candles and inscribe them with runes or sigils

☀️ Engage in gardening and connect to the Earth

☀️ Practice a solar plexus chakra meditation

☀️ Perform spells for confidence, personal power, and abundance

☀️ Visit a botanical garden

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Food and Drinks:

Grilled veggies, grilled chicken with rice, barbecued or flame-grilled food, honey cakes, honey, lavender cheesecake, lemonades, orange juice, summer salads, croissants with jam, bread and pastries, cakes with edible flowers, mead, sun tea, mint tea, spiced punch, rum, ale, wine, milk (for the faeries), strawberries, raspberries, peaches, oranges, lemons, pears, grapes, summer squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, butternut squash, carrot cupcakes, tomato soup, mushroom appetizers, spicy foods, curries, spiced cakes, cinnamon toast, pumpernickel bread, bread with grapes, white bread, potato salad, pasta salad, rice salad, strawberry tart, raspberry tart, leafy green vegetables, spinach, basil, thyme, sunflower seeds, pine nuts.

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sources: Midsummer: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Litha (Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials, 3); Midsummer: Magical Celebrations of the Summer Solstice by Anna Franklin; Magie Blanche by Eric-Pier Sperandio; https://thebusypagan.com/pagan-holidays/litha/

[ms-dlish]

A Reminder to my U.S. Witches -

Whether you're a private practitioner or a witchy business owner, it is now more important than ever to KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.

Wicca as a religion is officially protected by Freedom of Religion under the First Amendment. This extends somewhat to other less organized pagan religions as well as the general state of Being A Witch, which is also protected by Freedom of Speech.

But we must remember that this only protects you from PROSECUTION, not PERSECUTION.

You have the legal right to present as a pagan or witch in public spaces and technically you cannot be discriminated against in the workplace for such things. However, we all know how that kind of bigotry disguises itself and the way things are going, resources for reporting and resolving such grievances may soon be in short supply.

You also have the right to own and operate a pagan-oriented or witchcraft-related business, provided that you obey all applicable tax codes and consumer protection laws. (This is why we have to mark so many of our goods and services as "For Entertainment Purposes Only," and I strongly suggest updating your disclaimers to include additional language if need be.)

Again, as we've seen, this doesn't always protect business owners from harassment or help them with seeking reparations if there's trouble. But it's important to know, as more and more "proclamations" roll out from the "new management," that executive orders do not immediately or fundamentally change the law.

This is nowhere near a comprehensive explanation of the constitutional rights and laws applicable to witches and pagans currently living in the United States. I urge everyone to familiarize themselves with all applicable laws in their area which deal with public gatherings, small businesses, consumer protection, public transit, loitering, search & seizure / "stop & frisk," and anything related to being detained by law enforcement for any reason.

Familiarize yourself also with social and legal resources in your area, just in case you or someone you know needs them. Talk to the elders in your local LGBTQ organizations as well - we've been there before.

Most importantly, build links and relationships with trusted people around you, whether it's your neighbors or your colleagues or like-minded people in the community. We all need to be looking out for each other and the more we know, the better we can protect ourselves, our homes, our livelihoods, our communities, and our rights.

(If anyone has any applicable links or information, PLEASE add them in comments and reblogs.)

Stay safe!

[ms-dlish]

Offerings to The Morrigan

Who is The Morrigan?

The Morrigain is the goddess of death and war, and made up of three sisters (Badb and Macha and Nemain) she is also the goddess of destiny and battle. The three sisters can also act independently. The Morrigan appears as a raven before great battles, waiting to carry away the carrion and bones of the dead. She is also a goddess of feminine power, shadows, wisdom and the darkness of death. 

Offerings to The Morrigan

- Cloves - Red wine - Red meat  - Red and black candles  - Crow/raven/black feathers - Sage  - Black peppercorn - Weeping willow branches, leaves, or willow woven crafts - Storm water 

[ms-dlish]

How I perceive different deities' energies

(based on personal experiences)

Apollon ☀️: Light coming up from somewhere deep in the gut. An ache that almost burns. And it might if I stare too long. Swelling gold. A chorus of music too perfect to be written, words that could shatter my tongue if I tried to speak them.

Brigid 🔥: A lump at the back of my throat. Tears in my eyes while I smile. Joy and grief mixed together under my ribcage. Melodies sung through the ages, and through tears. Warmth at my back and a hand on my cheek. Baked bread. Garden herbs. Clear water from a well. An embrace that could last an age.

Nyx 🌌: The low, echoing hum of something eternal. Something too ancient to comprehend and too overwhelming to be perceived. Endless. Ethereal. Peace and chaos. Quiet and thunderous. Coffee. Red wine. Onyx.

The Morrigan 🐦‍⬛: A chant of words I can't understand, spoken in a language I never knew and never forgot. The cold steel of a blade's edge. Sharp, precise, and unwavering. Her language of secrets and ancient knowledge could swallow you whole if you let it.

Hekate 🗝: Whispers. Shadows against candlelight. A flickering flame that knows how to dance in the wind and never extinguish. The smell of old parchment and herbs. A ripple on the water. As intricate and mesmerizing as a spider's web. Silent and sharp like a viper. A bark and a growl heard from somewhere too far away for me to see.

Aine 🧚🏼‍♀️: Sunlight breaking over the surface of a river. Citrus. Wildflowers. Fresh grass. Wind sweeping over a meadow. Chimes. Fruit trees finally coming into bloom. The juice from an apple trickling down my neck. Laughter. So much laughter.

Aphrodite ❤️: Flower petals. Something sweet and soft like honey that trickles down the back of my throat and seeps into my belly. It spreads all through me like starlight trapped in my veins. Bells. Bliss. A want that could dissolve me. A yearning that would hurt if it didn't taste so lovely. The pain feels like a lifetime away.

Tiamat 🐉: Clusters of stars. Endless reflections of light on the water's surface. The deep song of a whale that echoes through the pulse of the sea. An eye that gazes down from the cosmos.

Caer Ibormeith 🦢: A lullaby that has been with me for longer than I know. A kiss pressed to my forehead. That place between sleeping and awake, between real and not. Cool air at twilight. Dew on the glass before sunrise. Clean fabric. A veil. Flying over the world as it sleeps.

Artemis 🦌: Freedom. Breath-taking, devastating freedom. A stag drinking fresh water from a spring. A doe and her fawn, sleeping as the songbirds chirp at dawn. A rush. An absolute rush like mountain air in my blood. Fireflies in an open field. Bones bleaching in the sun. The thrill of a wolf pack chasing its prey. The moon over the ocean at night. Teeth. Bird calls. Wildflowers. A great bear that walks in the stars. Hymns only beasts can sing. Jasmine and animal fur and the midnight air.

[ms-dlish]

House Of 1000 Corpses Directed by Rob Zombie (2003)

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Blessed Litha witches

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Velvet lights

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details by Roberto Ferri

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