oldgreengods

[oldgreengods]

Witch Tip For The Day - Small Magics

Once you advance beyond the basics (pretty much when you start moving from What and When to How and Why and feel a decreased need for peer review alongside a greater trust in your own judgment), a goodly part of your witchcraft will be made up of things that you will never be able to explain to other people. Little personal rituals, intuitive understandings, flashes of insight, spur-of-the-moment spells, the use of unorthodox items and components that suit your needs and purposes.

You will find ways of working and feeling and connecting and casting that will be unique to you and your life experience. And you may not feel much like sharing the finer details. If you had to write it all out, it probably either wouldn't make much sense to anyone but you or it would be difficult to put into words. Many things will boil down to, "I just do the thing because of reasons."

You'll also find that a great deal of your craft will be made up of small magics that you do reflexively or out of habit or when the opportunity arises, as opposed to large-scale highly intricate castings which require lots of planning and preparation. And in a broader sense, without getting into the whether-to's and the why-for's of various traditions, that is how it should be.

Everyday personal magic is just as important to know and understand and practice as any full moon ritual or choreographed group casting. Because those small magics will be the heart of what makes your craft yours.

It does not particularly matter if your spells are powerful. What matters is that they are EFFECTIVE.

Happy Witching!

[oldgreengods]

the trees you grew up with have not forgotten you. their branches still whisper your name in the breeze and their roots remember the paths your feet once traced through their shade.

[oldgreengods]

2025 Witches' Calendar

For all my witches out there, here’s a handy list of the 2025 dates for the solstices, some commonly-referenced holidays, full and new moons, and special astronomical events. I’ve listed my sources at the bottom.

Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed and check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what special events will be visible in your area.

On a related note, readers are encouraged to create their own seasonal calendars, holidays, and observances based on your local biome and personal preferences. Enjoy!

Solstices, Harvests, Quarter Days, Some Common Dates

February 1-2 - Imbolc / Candlemas / High Winter

March 20 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

April 30-May 1 - Beltane / May Day / Walpurgisnacht

June 20 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer / Litha

August 1 - Lughnasadh / Lammas / Summer Harvest

September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon / Fall Harvest

October 31 - Samhain / Halloween / Final Harvest

December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule

Full Moons

January 13 - Wolf Moon ♋

February 12 - Snow Moon ♌

March 14 - Worm Moon ♍ (Lunar Eclipse)

April 12 - Pink Moon ♎

May 12 - Flower Moon ♏

June 11 - Strawberry Moon ♐

July 10 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♑

August 9 - Sturgeon Moon (aka Corn Moon) ♒

September 7 - Harvest Moon ♓ (Lunar Eclipse)

October 6 - Hunter's Moon (aka Blood Moon) ♈

November 5 - Frost Moon (aka Beaver Moon) ♉ (Supermoon)

December 4 - Cold Moon ♊ (Supermoon)

* The full moons in September and October are almost EXACTLY equidistant from the Autumn Equinox this year, so whether you'll have a Harvest Moon in September or October depends on where you live!

New Moons

January 29 ♒

February 27 ♓

March 29 ♈

April 27 ♉

May 26 ♊

June 25 ♋

July 24 ♌

August 23 ♍

September 21 ♍ (Seasonal black moon, second new moon in Virgo)

October 21 ♎

November 20 ♏

December 19 ♐

Special Celestial Events

March 14 - Worm Moon Total Lunar Eclipse

March 29 - Solar Eclipse

September 7 - Harvest Moon Total Lunar Eclipse

September 21 - Seasonal Black Moon / Solar Eclipse

November 5 - Frost Moon Supermoon

December 4 - Cold Moon Supermoon

(Check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what will be visible in your area!)

Mercury Retrogrades (in case you need them)

March 14 to April 6

July 17 to August 10

November 9 to November 29

Happy Witching!

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

Bree’s Lunar Calendar Series

Bree’s Secular Celebrations Series

Moon Info - Full Moon Dates for 2025

Calendar-12 - 2025 Moon Phases

Full Moonology - 2025 Full Moon Calendar

AstroStyle - All the 2025 Full Moons

Your Zodiac Sign - Astrology Calendar 2025

Old Farmer’s Almanac - Mercury Retrograde Dates 2024-2025

Sea and Sky - Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events 2025

DarkSky International - Dark Sky Placefinder for Stargazing

Patheos - 2025 Wheel of the Year Astrological Calendar

Image Source - How Stuff Works

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[oldgreengods]

Fontainebleau State Park, Louisiana by Lana Gramlich

[oldgreengods]

(through gritted teeth) sometimes what's good for your mental health isn't another do nothing day or a little treat sometimes what's good for you is putting in some of the work. Not all of it at once but sometimes you have to finish that essay or at least take the next step or you have to clean your room or at least dust the shelves or you gotta do the laundry or at least put it all in the hamper and it's not fun and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks and it sucks but you have to because i read a post on the internet that told me that's what being nice to yourself is sometimes

[oldgreengods]

sunlight hidden in the gullies • twelve mile creek, queenstown, aotearoa

[oldgreengods]

[oldgreengods]

[oldgreengods]

Fern, lichen and moss. Värmland, Sweden (February 19, 2017).

[oldgreengods]

Puck's Glen

Nathan Mcgregor

[oldgreengods]

Aphrodite's shrine post-move on a fine June morning 🫶🪷💕✨

[oldgreengods]

does anyone have any tips or advice for getting back into witchcraft? i was super into it a few years ago but i got so busy and lacked energy and motivation :,,( and i really want to be more intentional with it. i’m looking for moooore low energy/minimalistic witchy tips and advice so i can establish a routine with it and then expand my practice :,) OH! i am also an artemis devotee too :,,,) so yeah

anything please

[oldgreengods]

Flower, Flame, & Flesh

On ritualistic offerings and sacrifices

One of the greatest joys I know is the delight in offering a sacrifice to your god(s); to know that something from your hands has been given over to one you adore in total faithfulness is bliss.

The first murder in the Bible was fueled by jealousy; from anger and distress that a sacrifice was not good enough. Cain saw that God rested his favor on the offering of his brother, and that broke him- to know that his gift to God was second-rate was unbearable. That this is one of the first stories in Abrahamic belief is no coincidence. Our offerings are not trivial. The gifts we give to our god(s) aren’t just for shits and giggles.

I’m honestly having trouble thinking of a religion WITHOUT an example on the importance of ritual sacrifice. One of the first acts of Prometheus was to steal from a sacrificial meal to the gods. In a Vedic Hymn, there is a tale of creation based out of the ritualistic dismemberment of man. Mayan culture is famous for its practice of bloodletting ceremonies to appease the gods. In fact, the entirety of the Christian religion itself is based upon the idea of a perfect sacrifice that was worthy enough to redeem all mankind; one that is still replicated every hour of every day in Masses throughout the world.

Clearly, the presentation of offerings to god(s)- whether for appeasement by tribute or out of love and devotion- is a crucial aspect of religions across the world. However, these sorts of sacrificies have dwindled as cultures become homogenized (due greatly to colonization) and as people become displaced from their faiths. This is especially noticeable in America, where religions that traditionally make sacrifices- such as Judaism and Hinduism, notably- are demonized, thanks much to the aggressive sanitation carried out by white Protestants.

As a result of this, I see a whole lot of people on tumblr who are diving into religion with absolutely no idea of how to make sacrifices or other offerings to their god(s). Now, this is by no means a definitive guide that you MUST follow to make any sort of worthy offering, but it is, i think, a good start to understanding the nature of the gifts we give.

(Of course, if your religion has a historical precedence of giving offerings a certain way, I totally encourage looking into that first! This is all based on my own personal experience and observation, and I’m absolutely open to criticism and other opinions here!)

TYPES OF OFFERINGS AND THE MOTIVATION BEHIND THEM

I’ve found that most offerings that I give can be sorted neatly into three groups- all regarding the nature of the gift’s presentation. I’ve tentatively named these categories “Flower”, “Flame”, and “Flesh”.

Flower: Something that can grow; a living offering and constant sacrifice, either by deed or through cultivation

Flame: A sacrifice that has value to the god(s) despite its lack of “usefulness” toward humans; often one whose merit lies in its beauty alone

Flesh: A sacrifice of death; of snuffing out a life to give it over to the god(s)

Expanding upon them a little more, each type of offering has its own notable features that make it pleasing to the recipient. Though the mind and will of our god(s) is/are far out of our range of understanding, these types of sacrifices stay constant across many cultures and religions.

FLOWER

A flowering offering is one that expands to reach others, or one that betters the person giving it. It’s named as a nod to how one might upkeep a garden; though it has merit in its beauty and is pleasing to the eye, it can also serve for food or for meditation. Flowers may be cultivated to bloom into a great offering over a period of time and, though it may take a lot of effort, the steady blooming will be of great honor to both you and those you wish to devote the work to. Some examples of a flower offering are:

Regularly donating to or working with a charity that exemplifies the values of your god(s)

Educating yourself on a craft or skill that better prepares you to serve your god(s)

For example, if one worships a war god, one might wish to work out and hone your body to be capable of defending yourself. On your end, you get totally ripped. On your god’s end, you’re now able to serve them more dutifully and more in-line with what they require.

FLAME

A flame offering is one that has little practical use and is made primarily for the joy of the god(s). It’s named in honor of the practice of keeping an eternal fire burning in a temple- an act that is present in ancient and modern religions worldwide. Some examples of a flame offering are:

Keeping a literal fire going throughout your worship time

Curating and maintaining a shrine

Watching over a sacred space

For example, if there is a place that you feel particularly connected to your god(s), set that aside as a holy space just for them. Mark it appropriately and turn it into a space of adoration and devotion. Keep it clean, pure, and make it an example of your relationship with your god(s).

FLESH

A flesh offering is a literal sacrifice. It’s named, quite obviously, in homage to the practice of placing a living (or once-living) thing before one’s god(s). Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that blood MUST be shed to constitute a flesh offering; it can be as peaceful as plucking a rose and putting it in a vase at their altar. Some examples of a flesh offering are:

Literally making a blood offering

Preparing a meal for your god(s)

Giving over the first fruits of your labor- the first flower of spring or the first apple on your tree

For example, If one is an adept cook, they might decide to take a portion of the beef they were about to grill and set it aside as an offering. Though the specifics of how to actually “offer” it vary by culture and tradition, the act of giving something up from your hands and into the arms of your god(s) is a beautiful thing.

WHAT OFFERINGS ARENT: 

Your leftovers.

Offerings are not an afterthought. Though there’s really truly no WRONG way to go about honoring your god(s) with offerings when it’s done in sincerity, there’s a clear difference between, say, offering them the last dregs of your can of Sprite and pouring some inexpensive wine in a glass at their altar. Offerings do not have to be extravagant to be of value, but they do have to be made in love and with respect.

Bearing this all in mind, the relationship you have between you and your god(s) is between you and them, period. Your own experience with them is paramount, and I encourage you to delve into the mysteries of what they enjoy and what delights them. Look into historical precedence, if such resources are available. Use your own discernment. Above all, though, offer them the respect that is due. An offering of sincere loving prayer can be treasured above all the wine and riches in the world.

[oldgreengods]

[oldgreengods]

[oldgreengods]

Talking to a someone who is also into occult stuff: Yea, I have weird feelings about calling it a "religion" or "spirituality". I consider myself a soft animist soft polytheist, but divinity is a construct and doesn't necessarily imply significance over other spirits, with a focus on nature energy. But then again, I've changed my mind often and recently, so none of this is set in stone. The best way I can describe it is just "witchy shit".

Talking to literally anyone else: yea, I'm pagan

[oldgreengods]

hoodoo sunset; bryce canyon national park, utah

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