riskingmagic

[riskingmagic]

about me ^.^ !! april 27 2025 !!

wesley is the name, freak is the game

24 years here on earth

i practice hellenic polytheism

Apollo is one of my patron gods and we love him over here. i’ve worked with him since early 2020. i also worship Dionysus, who is my other patron, since mid 2020. Hermes is newer in my life, he came to me in a time of need during the fall of 2024. it was full of uncertainty, trauma, endings, and beginnings i wasn’t ready for. i am aiming to become more intentional with my focus and devotion to him, as i owe him a lot of credit for the guidance and clarity i received even when i wasn’t willing to see it.

this will be a bit of an internet journal of me rediscovering parts of myself i love and honor.

—

i am intentional about keeping this side-blog safe for all ages, however my main blog is where i like and follow from and i would prefer minors do not follow me there.

this blog is run by a nonbinary trans masc who uses he/xe/it pronouns. i talk about my gender sometimes. don’t be fucking weird.

DNI: racists, terfs, nsfw, phobes-of-any-kind (and whoever i want at my discretion)

a special shout out to the Sun, who brings light to the morning dew drops, illuminates the clouds against the bluest sky, warms the skin of each spider, shines energy into every root that digs deep into the earth, melts the icicles after the snowiest day and night, breathes a fresh breath into the day, and makes every day beautiful.

- wes

[riskingmagic]

it’s important to spend time on ur porch btw

[riskingmagic]

some tarot tips i've collected over the years

- when shuffling, pay attention to the cards that fall out of the deck. sometimes they have a special message for you.

- questions aren't always necessary when reading. letting the cards tell you what they need to helps to develop your intuition, and the relationship between you and your deck (or the spirit you are working with, depending on how you divine information).

- when reading with multiple cards (i.e. as a spread), try and string the cards together rather than interpreting them by their individual meanings:

recurring suits, themes, symbols, and numbers

proportions of suits and uprights vs. reversals

position of the cards (e.g. if people are present in the cards, where are they looking?)

colours of the cards (e.g. do any of the cards stand out more than the rest?)

- although each card has a core meaning, different decks with different art could emanate different "flavours" of the core meaning.

- draw a clarifying card if something confuses you, but try not to draw any more than two cards per reading.

[riskingmagic]

Grimoire ideas

About you:

How you got started in the craft

Your spiritual journey

Things you connect to (animals, elements, plants, ect)

Types of magic you do

Your natal chart

Your deities (if you have any)

Correspondences:

Remember, you don't need to write down correspondences you will never need! So instead, write about...

Crystals you have/want

Plants you can grow yourself/already have around you. Check your spice cabinet

And list things to use those for! So that would be herb bundles to burn, salves, recipes, and so on.

Other things you can use in magic that you already have

This would be things like sea shells, snail shells, grass, dirt, candles. Get creative!

Other witchcraft stuff:

Your sigils

Planets

The sun/moon +moon phases

Zodiac signs

The elements

Symbolism (animals, shapes, and whatever else you wish to add)

Spells:

What makes a spell that works!!! This should help with making your own spells

What NOT to do

Different types of spells

Spells you will actually use

Divination:

A section on tarot cards and their meanings

How to use a pendulum

Meanings of oracle cards

Rune meanings and how to cast them

Lesser known forms of divination!!!

Mental health:

Grounding and centering

Burn out care and being energy efficient

A list of what motivates you to do your craft

Small spells for self care

Astral work:

Your astral space (a map, a description, drawings of important locations)

Your astral body, if it's any different than your physical one

A list of spirits and important information about them

Protection, sheilding, banishing, and safety

Manners when interacting with spirits and what NOT to do

Methods of projection/travel that work for you

Post-astral grounding methods

General spirit work:

How to interact with spirits and how NOT to interact with spirits

Protection, banishing, shielding, and other safety things

How to give offerings (there's more than one way!)

Methods of communicating with spirits

Signs of spirits

Ways spirits can send signs and messages (animals, dreams, and so on)

A list of different kinds of spirits you work with/have encountered

A section for research, especially if you're doing deity work.

Grounding, if it helps you afterwards

A log of interaction with spirits. This can be like a divination journal but with spirits, if that's what you do.

[riskingmagic]

12 Days of Devotion: A p o l l o (Day 5)

I am using the shortened version compiled by @kalopsiapollo  

5. Variations of this deity (aspects, regional forms, places associated with this deity and their worship, etc.)

Okay, this is one of my favorite questions! I’ll be using info from “Apollo” by Fritz Graf and theoi.com

I love, love, love Apollo in all of his forms and aspects but my favorites are: 

Apollo, the Musician

One of the three ‘main’, or rather, most well-known and popular aspects of the god is that of a musician. Apollo is praised as the one who gave mortals the art of music (and sometimes dance). Both Homer and Herodotus often portray him as playing some sort of an instrument (lyre or a subtype of it, a cithara) during a joyful celeration. He’s said to be the creator of many hymns and is an ultimately central figure in anything related to song and dance. 

Apollo, Patron of Oracles

Probably the most popular aspect of the god aside from the musical one, prophetic quality of Apollo, the voice of Zeus will, has always been important in his portrayal. Multiple oracles were established, such as the ones in Dydima (with focus on Zeus as the one controlling and knowing the fates), Clarus, Miletus, and others - and of course Delphi, the birthplace of the god and his lovely twin. Oracular Apollo was of an extreme importance to the Greek as he was said to help with matters such as those of the state as well as those of individual life. His father and the god himself - alongside the Pythia - were the main sources of oracular advice in the Ancient Greek world. 

Apollo, the Healer

Another well-known aspect of the god, healing, was quickly overtaken by his son Asklepios, made god by the father proud of his achievements in the art of medicine. Apollo was seen as a deity to go to if one suddenly fell sick with some sort of a disease; he was regarded as the one to reverse the illness as well as cause it upon the heads of his offenders. 

Apollo, God of the Youth

In Ancient times, the tradition of the young men - kourotróphoi - to cut their hair to mark end of their adolescence was quite wide-spread. The men usually did it at local rivers and “together with lord Apollo” (Hesiod), which ties him to the concept of the youth he was said to guard over. Apollo himself was depicted with gorgeous long untrimmed hair, which earned him the epithet akersekómēs, ‘he of uncut hair’; he was seen as the absolute peak of youthful joyful man, a koûros - dancing, singing, and long-haired.

Apollo, the Ancestral God

Mostly praised by the people of Ion who considered him to be the father of the entire community, this version of Apollo was seen as a leader (leader of the kin - paternal aspect) of local communities. 

Apollo Lykeios

Praised in places like Argos, Wolf-Apollo was quite a noticeable aspect of the god. Fritz Graf gives the following description of the title in his Apollo:

There were three basic ways of understanding the epithet, as deriving from the Lycians, light, or the wolf; among the derivations from wolf, there were again three options: the totemistic interpretation, Apollo as wolf totem; the agricultural one, Apollo as protector of the herds against wolves; and the sociological one, Apollo as leader of adolescent wolf societies. 

All in all, Apollo had numerous forms all across the Greek world and all of them deserve attention, respect, and love. 

[riskingmagic]

Witchy Things You Probably Did Before Learning/Realizing You Were A Witch:

Talk to trees or animals/Connect with nature and/or animals as if they were your friends🌿🐾

Use leaves to make "potions" and magical concoctions🍵

Make wishes with candles and/or above mentioned potions🕯

Pretend that your food or drink was a magic potion of power or whatever you had wished for, lol 🥘🧃

Pretend to be a witch, goddess, powerful being, forest/water nymph, mermaid, or some celestial/"mythical" being🧚‍♀️🧜🏻‍♀️🧞‍♂️🧝🏽‍♂️

Try to see if you could control the weather with your emotions ⛈

Try to move things with your mind or read other peoples 🧠

Talk to the sun, moons, stars, etc. ⭐🌙☀️

Write spells, chants, or incantations in your notebook or on paper (or napkins, lol) 📜

Notice things you have spent time thinking about seem to happen the way you thought it would or wished it would (maybe sometimes how you wished it wouldnt have turn out *unconsciously manifesting the negative*) 💭

Experience dream deja vu and/or dream messages 🛌

Believed in ghosts and spirits or had some sort of supernatural experience(s) 👻

Collected Rocks, seashells, twigs, etc🐚

Looked for or was more frequently drawn to supernatural/mystical/mythical based books 🔮

Had memories that you couldnt explain or were too young to have and/or had *visions that were true or came true 👁

There are plenty more examples, these are just a few that I could think of on the spot 🤓, please reblog or comment with your own 😬🦋🧿🔮🌙🍃

You have always been a witch, you just didn't know it yet. ☽🧿☾

[riskingmagic]

Athena Offerings

Large altars:

Olive oil

Honey

Wine or juice

Bread

Olives

Pomegranates

Pears

Olive tree bark or leaves

Blue, gold, red, and white candles

Dragon's blood, frankensince, orange blossom, cedarwood incense

Large crafts such as pottery, textiles, etc.

Ship figurines

Snake skins

Figures of owls

Helms (toy or otherwise)

Shields (toy or otherwise)

Lace or spears (toy or otherwise)

Trophies and medals you've won

Your favorite books

Small/hidden altars:

Roses and sweet smelling flowers

Spices, especially cinnamon

Crystals such as lapis lazuli, azure, turqoise, onyx, star sapphire, ruby

Drawings of owls, snakes, ships

Small crafts like art, paper crafts, candle making, embroidery, or small items made by sewing or crocheting

Wool

Golden jewelry

A difficult test that you got a good grade on

Your job resume

Your diploma or graduation cap

Owl feathers

The playing card Queen of Spades

Pencils and pens (you can ask Her to bless them and use them for tests or writings)

Craft supplies such as needles for sewing/crocheting

Take some of your hair (gathered from your hairbrush) and wrap it around a spindal and offer it to Her

Actions:

Learn about self-defense

Learn about your rights

Defend and stand-up for others who need help

Create art dedicated to Her or of Her

Make or listen to music for Her

Make hymns or poems dedicated to Her

Handmade crafts for Her

Your work in general! Yes, really, She enjoys her devotees to work hard at their job(s), crafts, or classes!

Study and learn new information or skills

Read and learn about Her history

Learn more about the politics of your country/state, write letters to your senator or mayor etc.

Read

Learn about welding

Grow an olive tree

Wear clothing with her colors (royal blue, gold, orange, yellow, emerald green, red) or with owls on it

Wear jewelry with her favorite crystals

Play strategy games

Decorate your room with owls

Pray to Her for wisdom, knowledge, strength, help with studying, and help with your work or crafts

Self-care bath spells and rituals

Sources:

https://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/goddess-athena/amp/

https://occult-world.com/athena/

https://vocal.media/futurism/ways-of-worship-athena

[riskingmagic]

|1|

Pretty sunshines, happy days

Of silent winds and gloomy nights

As I sit here gazing at the sky

How wonderful of a day it is

When the flowers bloom to the melody

When the choirs sing to his song

And shiver at the sight of his bow

Don’t panic, instead rejoice

For the day has arrived

And the awesome Apollo is here.

[riskingmagic]

4 Ways to Juggle Adult Life With Your Craft

As the years go by, teenagers who experiment with witchcraft grow into adults. Some of these adults keep with the craft and find a lifestyle that really speaks to them. But, as we grow into adulthood, life (and our responsibilities) change. All of a sudden, we have jobs, relationships, finances, and more. At the end of the day, this means that life becomes busy. So busy, in fact, that sometimes our craft becomes lost and it become hard to find time between it all.

Miss your craft? Here are some tips to help you find your magick again!

1. All the Small Things, True Care Truth Brings

Magick doesn’t always need to include elaborate, skyclad rituals. There are tons of small, magick-filled actions that you can easily incorporate into your life on the fly.

A simple cleansing. You can clean more than your physical body in the shower. Imagine the soap taking the dark sludge of negative energy with it down the drain.

Charm your perfume as a quick and easy glamour. You can also do this to your make-up as well! Glamours are essentially real-life shape-shifting and/or invisibility spells. Here’s a quick glamour, if you don’t know where to begin:

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Ingredients:

A rose quartz crystal

An amethyst crystal

10 (preferably small) regular quartz crystals

A black candle

Procedure:

Find a flat surface.

Place the candle down and place the rose quartz in front of the candle and the amethyst behind the candle.

Place 5 of the regular quartz crystals to the left of the candle and the other 5 to the right. The crystals should form a circle around the candle.

Light the candle and chant, “By my will, I shall control perception of me.”

Wait until the candle burns out.

Place the amethyst, rose quartz, and 1 of the quartz crystals either in your bottle/cap of perfume or in a baggy near where you get ready for the day. This will need to be charged once a week!

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Take 5 minutes each day to say your thanks/prayer to your gods. This doesn’t need to be spoken out loud. You could even think it while on the bus!

Coordinate the colors of your outfit with your intent for the day. For example, wear blue to help with a stressful event, yellow if you want it to be a happy day full of good communication, green if you are asking for a raise, et cetera. Colors hold power!

As an easy offering to your gods, make a playlist dedicated to them.

2. Going Incognito

Sometimes, we want to proudly display our witchiness. However, with the stigma behind witches, sometimes we want to be recognizable to other witches, but not to the mundane.*

Wear crystal necklaces. While the popularity of this is growing, every time I see someone wearing a crystal necklace, I wonder.

Wear clothing with your deity’s image or symbol(s) on it. Not only is this noticible to other witches, but this is also a wonderful and easy way to worship said deity.

Try out rune/sigil nail art. To others who are not familiar, they will appear as simply abstract art.

Magickal symbol tattoos. The same logic as the last point applies to this one.

Find a community of witches near you! Having a community means that there is a space where you don’t have to hide who you are. Back in the so-called olden days, we could use a website called Witch’s Vox, but at the time of writing this article, it is going away soon. Instead, it is easy to find a community by looking for your local pagan society, Facebook groups, or other social media. You can even find a community online! Websites good for that include Reddit, Tumblr, and the Amino app.

3. Baby Shield Me One More Time!

No matter how busy, actually, especially if you’re busy, shielding is a very important task. If you are an empath, one could argue that it’s absolutely necessary. By shielding, I do not mean walking around with an actual shield. It means using your magick to protect yourself from unwanted negative energy. Sometimes this energy comes in the form of the stress from those around you, too many emotions or energy from a crowd around you, and even a magickal (usually psychic) attack. This writer’s favorite way of shielding is to imagine a golden, shimmering, impenetrable bubble.

4. You’re Stressed? Have You Tried Yoga?

A little stress is good for you! It’s what kept our species alive by telling us, “Hey, you should worry about this for your survival,” such as for finding reliable food and water and guarding against predators. However, there is a line (that is different for every person, dog, cat, and hedgehog), where it becomes unhealthy. Too much stress can impact your sleep and eating habits, your mental health, your productiveness, and even your physical health. If your stress is so bad that it is severely impacting your quality of life, you should consider speaking to a medical professional. So, as you read the tips below, remember, magick should be a supplement to medical help, not a substitution!

Carry a rose quartz with you. This crystal is known for its strong properties of calming and confidence. Alternatively, selenite will continually cleanse and shield your aura from negativity and/or harm.

Burn a blue candle/wear blue clothing. Once again, we reach the idea that colors are powerful! Blue is the most common color used for calming. Try burning one while meditating!

Meditating is probably one of the most irritating thing that people suggest when you say you are stress, but it really has the potential to help alongside professional help. The point of meditation is to work on controlling your state of mind. It is also a wonderful way to reach a solution to a particular problem that has been stressing you out.

Cleanse your working and living area. Chances are, your stress has caused the area to be saturated with negative energy. The more you stress, the more negative energy seeps from you, which causes more stress, becoming a vicious cycle.

Ever heard of Fung Shui? It is defined as a system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy (qi), and whose favorable or unfavorable effects are taken into account when siting and designing buildings. Basically, it means that the way you organize your furniture has an impact on how energy flows around you.

Have any personal favorites for how you incorporate your craft into your adult life? Share them in the comments below!

*The Solar Scholars of Magick are not comparing the attitudes of people towards witches to those attitudes towards religious and ethnic minorites.

If you liked this article, please consider supporting us by visiting our website, here!

[riskingmagic]

❝I will remember, nor could I forget, far-shooting Apollo,

whom gods tremble before as in Zeus’s abode he is striding—❞

— Homeric Hymn to Apollo (translated by R. Merrill)

[ my little altar for Him |

*photography by me ]

[riskingmagic]

Altar Ideas

Apollo - Bay leaves - Laurel - Hyacinth (Candle or flowers) - Lyre/Any musical instrument - Poetry book - Concert Tickets - Arrows - Medicine - Swans/Ravens/Pythons - Runes or other divination tools - Printed Lyrics - Olive oil - Cypress wood (possible scented candle) - Ipod when not in use - Candles (yellow, white, green) Altar Ideas Amphitrite - Aphrodite - Apollo - Ares - Artemis - Asteria - Athena - Demeter - Dionysus - Hades - Hebe - Hekate - Hemera - Hephaestus - Hera - Hermes - Hestia - Khione - Nyx - Persephone - Poseidon - Selene - Zeus

[riskingmagic]

My love ☀️

[riskingmagic]

✨🌿𝕋𝕙𝕪𝕞𝕖🌿✨

- Thymus -

✨🌿 Thyme is a popular herb used in cooking and also in the craft. Thyme is a great addition to almost any dish due to its aromatic flavour, it’s often used in sauces, stews and soups.

✨🌿 In the craft it is used for courage and protection spellwork but has many other properties.

✨🌿Some of its other properties include:

Attracting prosperity

Cutting ties

Clearing negative energy

Purification

Promotes restful sleep

Renewing energy

✨(Always do your research on herbs before using them in any way!)✨

[riskingmagic]

making a spell masterpost

collection of resources for making a spell - correspondences, tools, etc. disclaimer: i didn’t write any of these posts, i just compiled them in one place!

tools:

wands

athames/ritual daggers

besoms

mortar and pestle

casting a circle

spell jars

correspondences:

days of the week + hours 

moon phases

herbs/flowers correspondences masterpost

tarot in spells

if you don’t have witch ingredients

guide to the seven classical planets

color correspondences

when to cast a spell by time of day

common kitchen herbs

sound correspondences

writing the spell:

how to write a spell

actions in witchcraft

disposing of spell materials

methods for spells

how to create your own spells

more:

why your spells don’t work

dangerous herbs

before jinxing/hexing/cursing

spell worksheet

i hope this was helpful! if you enjoyed this post please consider reblogging. 

[riskingmagic]

Its really interesting to me that the Gods I feel most connected to are Apollo and Dionysus and they're said to be opposites. But then again my bipolar ass isnt surpised at all.

[riskingmagic]

Just Little Apollo Worshipper Things

Smiling at the feeling of the Sun on your skin

Creating playlists for him

Having way too much gold-colored things in your wardrobe

Praying for a speedy recovery from a cold

Sleeping on the grass/in a hammock/lawnchair in the sun

Feeling inadequate for your lack of musical talent

[riskingmagic]

⛨ POTENT PROTECTION OIL ⛨

(Actually this can be made into incense, a spray or even a candle but it’s good to make a oil of it to anoint yourself or other things. This recipe is also very good with protection against spirits and or malevolent entities, along with those who wish you harm/ill and or give negative vibes)

What you’ll need:

Marjoram (This is a very powerful herb for overall protection. However don’t be surprise if your spirit friend/companion goes away for a bit due to this herb, it can make spirit communication a bit difficult.) I thank my grandmother (who is a native medicine women) for telling me this.

Salt (For obvious reasons!)

Frankincense essential oil or resin (Frankincense is considered to be holy and was said to be given from a Archangel)

Willow or sage (both are very good for protection and protection against evil)

A Carrier oil (or not if your making this into a loose incense)

A container to put it all in

OPTIONAL THINGS:

You can use Moon/Sun water instead of oil

If your making it a loose mixture, place a crystal in it to keep it charged!

You can place the mixture within sun or moon light to charge it or make it more potent

If you don’t like the smell of Frankincense you can use Lavender, Peppermint, Dragon’s blood, Myrrh or Rose essential oil or resin.

You can add the following herbs for more potency: Mandrake root, Lavender, Lemongrass, Rose, Basil, Wormwood, Bay, Sandalwood, Cedar, Pine, Cinnamon, Juniper/Juniper berries, Dill, rosemary. 

Directions: This is pretty self explanatory. You add everything into the bottle (BUT REMEMBER TO ADD YOUR INTENT ALSO!) I can’t stress this enough guys! You can add as much or as little as you want to your own mixtures!