rainbowmoonstoneghost

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

low effort witchy things ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ

first thing in the morning—take three slow deep breaths (air/sky) more grounding than immediately checking a phone

notice your feet on the ground taking root when you stand up for the first time of the day, take a little stretch (earth/land)

wash or splash your face to get alll the way awake. then chug a big glass. (water/sea)

appreciate any trees, plants, dirt, or clouds you see

place both hands on your heart to feel your own heat and warmth. feel your heart beating. “i am alive” (fire)

wear or carry a rock, hagstone, crystal, talisman, or amulet

in times of stress or dissociation, rub your thumb in small circles on the back of your other hand to ground and soothe. (clockwise for attracting an intention, counterclockwise for banishing)

color magic with clothing

add cinnamon, lavender, or peppermint to coffee according to intention if you don’t want to drink tea

stirring tea/coffee according to intention

sometimes i pick a little affirmation for the day— “may i forgive myself” “the universe is within me/the wild is within me”

visualization—inhale a bright light and let it fill your lungs, exhaling clouds of negativity

or create a shield with breathing. with each breath, imagine a bubble forming around your body, then your aura, growing with strength.

cleansing shower at the end of the day (intending it to cleanse my aura makes me more motivated to take one, idkw)

if taking a bath, add a dash of moon water

sniff lavender essential oil before bed

look at the moon, talk to it. remind yourself that it’s the same one your ancestors knew.

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

So. Leaving food offerings outdoors:

When I do, I make sure it's food items that can be #1 safely consumed by wildlife and #2 safely biodegradable.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are generally my go to. Ingredients that can be found in wild bird food. Honey. Water. At times, uncooked rice and oatmeal.

Bread and milk types of food items, I set outside by my front door for only a short period of time, then bring back inside. Critters brave enough to get so close to residential entryways, well, they are usually the ones that can eat anything.

Absolutely no salt and sugar of any kind.

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

𝐻𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓂𝒶𝒹𝑒 𝒮𝓅𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝒥𝒶𝓇𝓈 🫙💕

𝐼𝓃𝑔𝓇𝑒𝒹𝒾𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈: 📜

1. 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚 🎨

Intention: ���𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕.

✧~ Pink Himalayan Salt

✧~ Jasmine

✧~ Rosemary

✧~ Cinnamon

✧~ Citrine

✧~ Lapis Lazuli

✧~ Rose

2. 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 🧿

Intention: 𝚂𝚊𝚏𝚎𝚝𝚢, 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚎𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚗𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

𖤓~ Black Salt / Egg Shells

𖤓~ Cinnamon

𖤓~ Rosemary

𖤓~ Lavender

𖤓~ Black tourmaline  

𖤓~ Bay Leaf

𖤓~ Clear Quartz

𖤓~ Cloves

3. 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 💗

Intention: 𝚂𝚎𝚕𝚏-𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜.

♡~ Himalayan Pink Salt

♡~ Sugar

♡~ Rosemary

♡~ Lavender

♡~ Rose Quartz

♡~ Rose

4. 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 💵

Intention: 𝙰𝚋𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕-𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐.

$~ Sea Salt

$~ Mint

$~ Chamomile

$~ Bay Leaf

$~ Aventurine

$~ Citrine

𝐻𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝑜 𝒰𝓈𝑒:

• Carry It With You: You can carry the spell jar in your bag, pocket, or purse to keep its energy close. This allows you to tap into its intention whenever you need it.

• Wear It: If you prefer, place the jar in a macrame necklace or another wearable item. This makes it a personal talisman, connecting you to its energy throughout the day.

• Create a Sacred Space: Set the jar in a special place in your home where you can see it regularly. This will help you stay aligned with its intention.

• Set Intentions: Take time to hold the jar and focus on your intention. Visualize what you want to manifest as you connect with its energy.

• Incorporate in Rituals: Use the jar in your rituals or meditative practices. Before starting a new project or during moments of reflection, hold the jar and invite its energy to support you.

𝔁𝓸𝔁𝓸- 𝓚𝓲𝓴𝓲 🔮

𝙲𝚛𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜

𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗—𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎𝚍! ✨☺️

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

Critical Thinking in Witchcraft and Spirituality: Some Logical Fallacies You Might Find

Ad Hominem: Asserting that something is true or false depending on its source. If someone claimed that gravity obviously isn't real because it came from Isaac Newton, an occultist, that would be an Ad Hominem attack.

Appeal to Anecdotal Evidence: It's not that anecdotes can't contain meaningful information, per se. It's that anecdotes don't always tell the whole story, and they aren't inherently trustworthy - consider all of the people who said they were beaten as kids and grew up just fine. Likewise, if someone tells you that they recovered from cancer after filling their room with crystals and meditating regularly, it doesn't inherently suggest that crystals and meditation cured their cancer. This person might have experienced spontaneous remission.

Appeal to Common Belief: When someone claims that a thing must be true (or is especially likely to be true) because many people believe in it. For example, "many people believe Earth has been visited by extraterrestrials in ancient times, there must be something to it." In reality, the reason many people believe this is because there is a proliferation of media that claims it happened.

Appeal to Emotion: When someone argues that the way a thing makes you feel is essentially evidence for or against it. An example of this are spiritual leaders/guides who tell you that you can discern truth by asking yourself whether it makes you feel good and uplifted, or whether it makes you feel fearful or angry. In reality, cult leaders often engage in practices that manipulate people's emotions, effectively conditioning them to associate certain feelings with whatever they want. This isn't to say that your feelings are unimportant and you should never listen to them, but you should always apply critical thinking before making any big decisions or deciding what you should believe.

Another form of this fallacy is assuming that if someone is passionate, then they must be right. "He was really passionate about what he said, he spoke with a lot of conviction, therefore there must be truth in what he said" - again, this is how a lot of cult leaders getcha.

It can include thinking that feeling bad must mean you're on the right track. "When the pastor talked about sin, I felt so guilty and knew I needed God's divine grace" - lots of people can make you feel guilty, it doesn't mean they're right.

This fallacy can include the absence of feelings, too. "He spoke so calmly, I knew he had to be completely rational." That's how a lot of pseudointellectuals getcha.

Appeal to Irrelevant Authority: When someone claims that a thing must be true because a famous and respected person believed in it. For example, "Isaac Newton believed in God, therefore God must exist." Rather than examining Newton's particular reasons for believing in God, the person making this argument just expects you to assume that Newton's (allegedly) superior intellect made him incapable of error, and that you should just outsource your own thinking to him.

Appeal to Nature: When someone claims something must be good because it's (at least supposedly) natural. For example, "herbal remedies are superior because they're all natural." While it's true that herbal remedies can be useful, it doesn't follow that they're inherently better - much less safer. Kava, which has been used to treat anxiety and depression, has caused severe liver damage in some cases. Lead and UV rays are also 100% natural.

Appeal to Tradition: Asserting that something must be correct or better because it's traditional. For example, "the ancients believed the earth was flat, so it must have been true." Also, "people have believed in Hell for thousands of years, so it must exist."

Genetic Fallacy: Asserting that something must be good/bad or true/false depending on where it came from. While it's true that claims that come from known bad faith actors should be given extra scrutiny, it doesn't follow that everything they say must be wrong. The world doesn't spontaneously turn flat just because the worst person you know said it was round. A visualization exercise isn't inherently bad for you just because a New Ager came up with it.

Misleading Vividness: Constant exposure to certain types of information or certain types of people can create a false impression about the world at large. An well-known example of this is when people on Tumblr assume that the average person out there in the world has an opinion on (insert topic of Tumblr discourse here).

Here's another example: when you go through Law of Assumption success stories and see numerous people claiming they manifested all of this amazing stuff, it's easy to think that this practice must be working really well for everyone. But if you're on a blog or tag where success stories are curated, there's going to be a huge selection bias here. And with how many people are shamed and bullied into silence when they come forward and say that the LOA didn't work for them, and with Living in the End providing an incentive for people to claim success they might not actually have, it's difficult to be sure what the actual success to failure ratio actually is.

Post Hoc: When someone claims that if X happened after Y then X caused Y without providing any supporting evidence, that's the Post Hoc fallacy. For example, "I knew a girl who cast a money spell, and one week later her grandpa died! This is proof that magic calls on evil forces and always comes with a price!" is this fallacy.

Critical questions to avoid falling for these fallacies:

Is this the whole picture, or is something being left out?

Has this been repeatedly tested to see if the same results happen each time?

Is this really how things always work, or are there counterexamples?

Where is the research? Where is the actual data?

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

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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If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar, tune in to my podcast Hex Positive, or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

How the "divine feminine" and the "divine masculine" perpetuate patriarchy - and what we can do about it

One thing the occult is very good at is coming up with systems to categorize and conceptualize things. These can be incredibly useful to us in various ways. But we also have to remember that these systems we come up with are mere constructs, and the actual world itself probably doesn't conform to them as we might like. As the saying goes, all maps are wrong. But as the saying also goes, some maps are useful, and some are more useful than others.

One thing that often comes up in esoteric and occult systems are various forms of binaries or polarities. This often makes sense; for example, without light, you have dark. Without heat, you have cold. One party gives, the other takes. Creatures are born, and eventually they die.

But we can run into problems when we start trying to lump all apparent forms of polarities and dualities together. Here's an example: Life/Death, Masculine/Feminine. In doing this, we create an association that might lead us toward some terrible ways of thinking about real people. If we associate masculinity with death, we can find ourselves thinking that waging war and inventing weapons of death is just what men and masc people do, but women can always be counted on to be diplomats and peacekeepers. Or if we associate femininity with death, we might find ourselves more inclined to think that women and femmes have a natural desire to commit infanticide and tear apart societies, and they must be carefully watched and their freedoms limited so they don't upend civilization and endanger the human race.

These are of course extreme examples, but they are real ways that some people think. And you might think to yourself, "well, I don't polarize genders this way, I think people should try to be a healthy balance of masculine and feminine." And if this is you, I want you to ask yourself why you're so attached to categorizing traits as "masculine" and "feminine" at all.

If you're like most people, you probably just came across this in some form of occult or spiritual literature and just adopted it without really asking yourself too many questions about it. When we see something framed as ancient or higher wisdom, it's pretty easy to take it fairly uncritically, especially if it aligns with our unconscious biases in some way. It often doesn't cross our minds to ask where these terms really come from, and what they signified in their original contexts.

You may have heard that male/female stuff has roots in alchemy, which is true. But the thing with alchemy is that it was using familiar terms and concepts to describe chemical processes and reactions. Think of it a little bit like how we use terms like "male plugs" and "female plugs." While old-time alchemy did have a spiritual component to it, it was more about believing that you had to be spiritually pure to make your desired alchemical reactions happen. When alchemy gave way to chemistry, and people began to realize that your spiritual condition had nothing to do with your ability to make things happen in the lab, certain people began to seek more mystical meanings in the works of alchemists, and this idea of masculinity and femininity as transcendent mystical forces unto themselves really started to emerge. It was an incredibly easy concept to project on all kinds of mythologies, because a lot of myths have male and female figures interacting in various ways.

Now the thing is, having myths with male and female figures doesn't mean seeing masculinity and femininity as discrete forces or powers unto themselves. It can mean that they simply personified various figures as male or female depending on what their own experiences and cultural biases suggested to them. For example, straight men tend to think of love and lust as something they experience when they see a beautiful woman. In a patriarchal society, where men are calling most of the shots in conceptualizing the divine, a love deity is thus likely to be personified as a beautiful woman. Straight men can also see beautiful women as a source of discord and strife, so it makes sense that love goddesses would have war aspects to them.

A society where men are sent to war while wives are left behind to raise the children and tend the farm is going to produce an association with men and violence, while the act of nurturing will be associated with women. Men who deny higher education to women are going to produce a society where intellectual pursuits and higher abstract reasoning are associated with masculinity, and intuition and practical knowledge are associated with women. A society where men are seen as bringers of social order and upholders of civilization while women are viewed more like forces of nature than rational actors will associate men with civilization and women with natural, wild spaces.

In continuing to associate these characteristics with the "divine feminine" and the "divine masculine," we preserve and perpetuate the implicit biases created by these patriarchal societies. And while there is absolutely value in saying, "hey, these 'feminine' things are actually valuable and worth respect actually," framing them as intrinsically feminine in any sense - physically, psychologically, or metaphysically - will undermine any effort to dismantle patriarchy and bring true equality.

So what can you do? I would suggest being more specific.

Do you mean passive/active? Then just say it.

Do you mean giver/receiver? Then just say it.

Do you mean harmonizing/disrupting? Then just say it.

Whatever you have filed under boxes labeled "masculine" and "feminine," you can simply take them out of those boxes and find better categories for them.

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

the one i use most often is a classic three card spread. its handy for when im just looking for some general insight!

My twin recently asked me what my go-to tarot spread is and I couldn't give them a solid answer cuz I don't have one?

If I'm just reading to read I may do a spread but if I have something I need to read for specifically I tend to go for a three card pull and put the answer together that way.

But it made me curious, what is your go-to spread?

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

Whether your practice itself is solitary or not, I still hold that it is so hugely important to incorporate discussion into your practice. Ask other people's opinions, if you disagree find out why rather than just "nah I don't like that answer." Maybe you didn't think about a topic before, or see it in a certain like previously, but someone happened to word it in a way that caused something to click within you.

Discussion, true discussion, not just disagreement or fighting, is a big part of growing in any aspect of your life, including magic!!

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

if you want to help me, a transgender, unemployed, soon to be evicted person, please please toss me some cash. im desperate for anything, im going to be evicted this friday and im so scared. if you cant give me anything, i totally understand. please just reblog so maybe someone who can help can see

venmo

cashapp

paypal

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

🕸️𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐉𝐚𝐫 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚 🎃

Hello guys!!! I just want to wiah you a blessed Samhain and may this time of tje year bring you only peace, great new beginnings and everything that you wish for!! This is a magic spell jar that I made a few years ago and that connect me deeply with the spiritual realm with the overral Samhain energy. Unfortunately this year I couldn't make one due to I'm very busy but I'm still going to celebrate it in a lower way energy. For making the magic jars I use elements or symbols that I feel that most fit with this sabbat and that can help my honor Samhain and especially, the dead.

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠄⠄⠂⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁

Here's the list of ingredients I use for my Samhain jar, along with the energies I hope to attract from each:

Chestnuts: Abundance, Grounding Orange Candles: Creativity, Joy Dried Rose Petals: Gratefulness, Love, Psychic Powers Pumpkin Seeds: Prosperity, Protection Soil: Life and Death, Grounding Red Leaves: Transformation, Energy Acorns: New Beginnings, Good Luck Dried Apples: Vitality, Harvest

These are the items and their meanings that I used. If I were to do it this year, it would be lot different, but hopefully, next time. Feel free to add anything that resonates with you or that you already have at home. Blessed Samhain to everyone! 🦇🕷️🎃👻💀

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

Samhain

Crisp air like a freshly picked apple and leaves the colors of sunset indicating the ending of a season; here comes Autumn and with it a very popular pagan holiday: Samhain!

This is a remake of my original Samhain post. This one is going to be a long one so buckle up!~

While us those in the northern hemisphere are celebrating Samhain, our friends in the southern hemisphere will be celebrating Beltane!

Historical Samhain

The name “Samhain” (pronounced Sah-when) comes from the Old Irish samain which literally means “Summer’s end” as it was created using Old Irish sam ”Summer” and fuin ”end” (etymonline.com).

By now I’m sure you’ve guessed Samhain’s origin, it’s a Gaelic* festival, one of four major holidays.

*To learn the difference between Celtic and Gaelic please read this article

For these folks, Samhain was likely the beginning of the new year. Due to the oral nature of the culture, not much is known about the traditions of Samhain, though we have some documentation from other cultures as well as some ideas from historians as to what they may have done.

Traditions

The traditions of Samhain may vary by group or even by family, but one common tradition was to have a large, public sacred bonfire. (Fun fact, the term “Bonfire” comes from the English “bonefire” meaning literally “a fire of bones”). During these bonfires, they would sacrifice livestock and crops as offerings to their deities.

Households would extinguish their hearth fires earlier that day and would take the flame from the public bonfire to reignite their hearths. This was likely to represent renewal or new beginnings as they transitioned to the new year as well as a representation of community.

The veil between this world and other worlds is thought to be very thin on Samhain, making it easier not only for us to reach out to spirits, deities, and the like, but for them to reach out to us. These otherworldly beings are thought to be able to influence our world more powerfully during Samhain.

In some places, like Britanny, they believed that the dead would visit their living friends and relatives during this time.

In Welsh tradition, people would leave out food, leave doors unlocked, and prepare the house for the spirits of relatives that may come to visit.

Large turnips were hollowed out and would have faces carved into them and then place on window sills to ward off evil spirits.

In other places, like Scotland, Samhain was a time for mischief. Young men would dress up as spirits, donning masks, painting their faces, or wearing costumes.

Divination was very popular during this time, especially marriage divination. This wasn’t just done by druids but by the common folk as well.

In some places, it was considered taboo to forage for fruit or grain during and after Samhain, it was thought that the fae or spirits would have passed over and tainted them. There were even laws against doing so.

Notes

Samhain is the Irish name for the month of November.

Pigs were the choice of sacrificial animal for Samhain.

Samhain was a sacred time that often welcomed assemblies and would be used to settle important business matters like the inauguration of new kings, debts being paid, and trials.

In what is known of Gaelic mythology, the Second Battle of Mag Tuired begins on Samhain.

Trick-or-treating is a modern-day tradition but could have derived from the many different traditions of old.

The Cailleach is a seasonal goddess said to rule the “dark” side of the year (fall and winter) and would rule between Samhain and Beltane. Likewise, the goddess Brigid would rule the “light” side of the year between Beltane and Samhain.

While Wiccans may celebrate Samhain as part of their Wheel of the Year, it is not a Wiccan-specific holiday and has ties to much older traditions.

Modern Halloween is an amalgamation of Samhain and the Christian All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ day. Halloween found its popularity after many folks immigrated to North America.

Similar to these holidays is Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) which originated in Mexico. This holiday reunites the living and the dead, allowing the spirits of loved ones to cross back over to our world for a short period of time. Families will make altars and give offerings to those who have passed. Festivities and celebrations are held during this time. It is traditionally held on November 1st or 2nd but is celebrated on October 31st or November 6th depending on the location.

Modern Samhain

As long as you’re aware of and honor the history of Samhain and are being respectful you can celebrate this holiday however you choose!

Here is a list of correspondences and the like that I found throughout my research for Samhain, some have historical backing and others don’t. Take what speaks to you and leave what doesn’t.

Food

Mead, beer, and mulled wine

Meat

Bread, soul cakes, pies, and other such pastries.

Apples, squash, and potatoes.

Colcannon

Soul cakes

Barmbrack

Colors

Warm colors such as red, orange, brown, and yellow.

Black

Dark green

Rocks & Metals

Onyx

Obsidian

Citrine

Hematite

Carnelian

Smoky quartz

Tiger’s eye

Ruby

Copper

Jet

Plants

Rosemary

Thyme

Vervain

St. John’s Wort

Mugwort

Dragon’s blood

Saffron

Deities

The Morrigan

The Dagda

The Morrigan and The Dagda seem to be the main deities for Samhain as per mythology but you could also choose to honor any deity or even other deities on this day, especially those involving liminality and death such as:

Cerunnos

Diana

Anubis

Hecate

Heimdall

Here are more liminal deities and here are more death deities.

Magic & Spellwork

Spirit work: honoring or communicating with spirits

Banishing and cleansing (out with the old and in with the new!)

Honoring ancestors

Activities

Bonfire

Fest

Baking

Decorating or creating an altar for Samhain

Other Correspondences

Tarot: Death, The World

Death in the Tarot often means “the end of something with the promise of something new on the horizon”, and represents transition the perfect card for a holiday of similar sentiment.

The World tarot card indicates cycles, closure, and completion.

Zodiac: Scorpio

It’s Scorpio season!

Runes: Fehu, Eihwaz

Fehu can represent new beginnings.

Eihwaz represents transformation, out with the old and in with the new, which pairs well with the ancient new year.

Androgyny

In Samhain's past, it wasn’t uncommon for men to dress in traditionally women’s clothes and women to dress in traditionally men’s clothes. While the social idea of gender is shifting and we don’t gender clothes as often in some modern societies, we can still use this as a way of celebration. Androgyny is like the liminal version of gender, neither male nor female. So trans witches or gender non-conforming witches of all flavors: show yourself some extra love this coming Samhain holiday!

References and Further Reading

The Ancient Origins of Halloween - History.com

Samhain - Worldhistory.com

Halloween Customs in the Celtic World - by Bettina Arnold

Samhain - Wikipedia

Samhain - Flying the hedge

Secular Celebrations - Samhain - @breelandwalker

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

✨Pocket Tarot Deck w/ Guidebook and Rainbow Moonstone Rune Set on sale now! Message for bundles or questions! ✨

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

!THINGS ARE DIRE!

These are expenses I have coming up. I have to pay my electric bill by Nov 4th or else it will be disconnected, which is possibly survivable but will make things so much worse. And we have until Nov 8 to get $1826 or else me and my partner will be evicted. Currently I have $360. Please, anything to help me at all would be such a huge help, I need anything at all right now. I'm selling literally everything I owe that's worth anything.

v*nmo

c*shapp

pangobooks (buy my used books)

depop (buy my clothes & jewelry)

$360/$1826

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

some witchy necklaces i have on my depop✨

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

hi! i continue to be unemployed and broke, so i've begun selling off everything i own to try and avoid getting evicted. if you're interested in goth, witchy jewelry, i just put a bunch on my depop here! if you are looking for cheap used books, i have my pangobooks here! and today i'll be putting on a bunch of my vinyl for sale on discogs here, or maybe just on my depop again idk.

if you want to throw me some cash (i will love you forever) you can do that thru my v*nmo or c*shapp

and if none of this interests you, please just reblog so this can get around! thank you!!

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

Magical Correspondences 101

So I figured I should put all of my stuff on correspondences in one place for convenience's sake, since having them spread in a bunch of short posts isn't really helpful if I need to link them. Anyway, for those of you getting into magical correspondences, here's what I've got!

So, what are correspondences?

A lot of modern witchcraft operates on the belief that things like stones, plants, colors, and so on have certain metaphysical properties. Why do they have these properties? There are multiple explanations. Sometimes the properties are supposed to be innate. Sometimes they supposedly exist because the object in question is a symbol for something else. You'll find that many spells combine these two ideas, such as using an herb because of its inherent properties it's believed to have, then also using a flower because it's a symbol of a deity.

(Will it hurt anything to mix these concepts? Personally, I don't think so. Spiritual beliefs and metaphysical models are often messy, and occasionally contradict each other. I've never really seen it hurt anything.)

If you search around, you can easily find charts that describe various properties associated with various things. People sometimes assume that these properties were handed down to us from authorities who were so in tune with magic or the divine that they were basically infallible, and newbie witches just have no hope of figuring things out for themselves.

Fortunately, that's not really true!

Some correspondences are informed by nature. Others are social constructs.

You might see correspondence lists say that gold is associated with wealth, that apples are associated with love, and pink is associated with femininity. These are all social constructs that have nothing to do with the natural qualities of these things.

Other correspondences are informed by nature, however. Green is associated with life because healthy leaves are typically green. Hot peppers are associated with pain and torment because capsaicin produces a burning sensation.

(This isn't to say that social construct correspondences are all inherently bad, or even lesser. But it's good to be mindful of the differences, because it makes it easier to figure out what you can change and mess around with, and how!)

Even when correspondences are informed by nature, they can still be subjective.

The world is full of vastly different ecosystems, climates, and geological structures. Different regions have their own plants and animals. And even within your own region, you'll find that nature lends to many different correspondences for the same thing. Hot peppers might be orange or red, but so are many sweet fruits. Water can nurture life, or it can drown it.

Some people who acknowledge this will say that it's all about intent, but I personally believe it's a bit more about context. Just look at at the infamous children's hospital with the red path on the floor, and how the it creates an unnerving atmosphere despite whatever "positive connotations" red can have. I think if you're trying to figure out what to put in your spell, thinking contextually can help you make appropriate decisions.

In any case, I do think it's important to lean toward correspondences that have meaning to you. What some ancient guy who lived and died on the other side of the planet thought doesn't override your lived reality and your cultural experiences.

If you want to really learn correspondences, observe the world around you!

Correspondence lists can be good references, but they don't really help you develop a proper understanding. To do this, pay attention to plants, stones, colors, shapes, etc. and ask yourself:

Where do they turn up naturally?

How do they behave? What do they do?

Where and how do people use them, and what are they associated with in these contexts?

Where are things often grouped with other things? What is the significance of these groupings?

(If you keep a Book of Shadows or other magical journal, I recommend writing down your findings!)

So yeah, that's the basics on magical correspondences. They can look a little intimidating at first, but they're actually a lot more simple and straightforward than you might realize.

Happy witchin'!

[rainbowmoonstoneghost]

Genuinely, feeling really confident in telling other people that they're doing witchcraft objectively wrong is a strong sign you're experiencing the Dunning-Kruger effect on the low end of the scale. The more you actually study witchcraft and the occult in general, the more you learn that there's really nothing that's set in stone. You learn that what you thought was Very Serious Witchcraft was invented in the last century, and you learn that people living thousands of years ago had folk magic practices that fly in the face of everything you learned.

If you feel really super confident telling people what witchcraft absolutely can't be and can't include, you really, really should try doing more research. (And may I suggest ESOTERICA and Angela's Symposium as starting points?)