runedaze - Tumblr blog

[runedaze]

Feeling like I need to get back into witchcraft. Anyone have any recommendations or resources for baby witches? I struggle with lots of reading but I wanna get back into it.

[runedaze]

Ya boy is working two minimum wage part-time jobs and still has some crazy bills to pay and expensive meds. So! If you are looking to get a tarot reading, shoot me a message!

Tarot readings are $5 per card. If you want a 10+ card reading, the price will be $50 no matter how many more cards you want! If extra cards fall out of my deck while I’m doing your reading, I will include them in the reading free of charge!

Please do NOT pay me before I request payment. That said, tips are very appreciated! Just make sure to note that it’s a tip if you decide to do that :)

Payment methods:

1. PayPal - @cassfp

2. Venmo - @ChazzFP

3. Cash App - $chazzfp

I only accept payment through PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App. If you cannot pay through one of those methods I will not do a reading for you. Venmo and Cash App are preferred for payments, but PayPal is fine too!

If you would like a reading or have any other questions concerning my readings, please feel free to DM me directly!

[runedaze]

Friendly reminder this Halloween season that Voodoo (West African Vodun, Louisiana Voodoo, Haitian Vodou) and Hoodoo are a real religion and spiritual practice and are not scary, demonic, or meant for Halloween decoration!

[runedaze]

Reminder: Dia de los Muertos is not Halloween and it is not Samhain. It is separate. It has its own proscribed traditions and cultural importance. If you have a chance to celebrate with your local Mexican community cool! But it is not a neo-pagan or "witchy" accessory to use in Samhain rituals or pagan festivals, or whatever.

[runedaze]

The Welsh Viking is pretty cool! 

[runedaze]

Norse heathens, listen up. I’ve got a lineup of the unacceptable shit some of your own are spouting. I’ll explain why it’s unacceptable, since some people aren’t getting it.

Context: Jewish people have rightly pointed out that some Norse symbols have a history of being used by WS groups.

We’ve got this lovely one, where a person claiming to work with Loki also claims they are not responsible for attacking a Jewish person over this conversation, as Loki totally made them do it. I’m doubtful.

Here’s a Norse heathen expressing fear for their own safety during a conversation about Jewish people and Norse symbology.

“We didn’t do the Holocaust, stop oppressing us. It’s not fair.” Just, if you ever want to be taken seriously I recommend not using “I didn’t cause the Holocaust” as your argument.

“It’s not us, it’s the Christians! You don’t avoid Christians!” I promise you, we are cautious with Christian people as well.

We’ve known this for centuries. Honestly, this one bothers me a lot. How do these people have so little understanding of marginalised groups?

No one is saying you can’t wear them. We’re saying “you cannot wear them and expect to be received without caution by all members of communities historically targeted by these white supremacist groups.”

[runedaze]

Follow Me Boy! Oil

Typically, although not always, marketed with that exclamation mark in its name so as to emphasize that this is a command, not a request. Follow Me Boy! is the most erotic of the commanding oils. It may be used by either men or women but the target of the command is invariably male as exemplified by the legend that this condition oil was once a staple of New Orleans prostitutes […], reputedly guaranteed to generate business.

The basic formula:

Sweet flag/Calamus

Catnip

Damiana

Optional ingredients: Licorice, sweet flag’s traditional partner, strengthens the commanding aspect. Other botanicals and fragrances may be added as desired to strengthen erotic impact, particularly vetiver, bergamot, sweet orange, tuberose, or any vividly red flowers.

Grind and powder the dried botanicals.

Cover with one or a combination of these oils: castor, sweet almond, and apricot kernel.

Castor emphasizes the commanding aspect, sweet almond and apricot kernel increase aphrodisiac appeal.

(from The Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes)

[runedaze]

Trying to find contemporary rune books as an anti racist heathen is stupidly hard. I’ve read Diana Paxson’s book and I’m planning to study the rune poems as well as some of the more academic texts like ones by Page, but does anyone have recommendations for contemporary rune authors that do their research and aren’t massive pieces of shit? What about Pollington? I’ve heard mixed reviews.

[runedaze]

Alone Time Reading for my December theme of “comfort and joy.” A great reading to try out for when you are feeling a little down or if you want to turn your attention to self-care and self-love.

[runedaze]

Totally ruined my morning reading about tea bags and microplastics but at least I know now and I'm gonna switch to loose leaf. Posting this incase others didn't know! Cause I know I didn't

[runedaze]

WITCHY PSA

DON’T YOU DARE PUT SALT IN THE GROUND.

DO NOT CAST SALT CIRCLE IN THE DIRT. DO NOT SALT THE GROUND TO CLEANSE IT. DO NOT BURY SACHETS THAT INCLUDE SALT.

STOP SALTING THE GROUND.

YOU WILL MESS UP THE SOIL AND HURT THE PLANT LIFE. USE SOMETHING ELSE.

[runedaze]

This is your obligatory Hermes love post

Reblog if you really love Hermes, like if you really love Hermes.

[runedaze]

Let me just hop on and rant a little bit…

Astrology does not have an effect on your mental health. Your brain composition, family history, and events/trauma you experienced are not determined by your chart.

I just saw a big post about what astrology placements may contribute to mental illnesses such as eating disorders. Spreading information like this is not only inaccurate, it’s very harmful. Mental health is complicated and extremely personal. Sharing posts like that can prevent people from seeking the help they might really need. I love analyzing my birth chart for so many different details, but knowing that your lived experiences also change the course of your life is so important in our life journeys.

The post also mentioned toxic relationships with family being predicted through certain conjunctions. It’s the same thing. Your life is one of a kind, and astrology can help us analyze many things, but individual relationships, especially harmful or toxic ones, cannot be mapped out at the time of your birth.

Many astrologers may disagree with me, but I encourage everyone, especially beginner witches and astrologers, who see discourse like this to question it a little bit!

Magic/Astrology and Science must work together in order for us to fully understand ourselves and continue healing.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[runedaze]

I've never heard anyone say that the term "gypsy" is offensive before. I know it used to have a negative connotation, but it seems like it hasn't for a couple of centuries. Do people still identify as gypsies? I'm not arguing, but this is news to me and I would like to understand more.

Thanks for asking with the intention of understanding better! 

On my father’s side, my family is Romani, the ethnic group historically called gypsies by outsiders. The name came from the misperception than we originated in Egypt (we’re actually from India). Other names for us include words that literally mean unclean or untouchable (in a taboo and gross way). We have always called ourselves Roma or Romani, so it’s not that we identify as gypsies, it’s that others identify us as gypsies. This name or label was forced on us.

Like Native Americans, we are not a dead culture. We have become splintered, and many Romani have been pushed into inescapable poverty thanks to institutional racism. Many of us have assimilated into the dominant culture of the places we live (my family fits here).

But the negative connotation to the word is very much alive and well. Romani girls and women are among the most targeted by sex traffickers. In 2017, Fox “News” aired a scare-mongering “report” on Gypsy immigrants threatening the very fabric of the US.

Historically speaking, the Romani have been forcibly relocated, sterilized, and subjected to genocide. To address the “gypsy problem,” in the 1800’s, Switzerland rounded up Romani males and sent them to North America. This is how one branch of my family arrived in the US. It tends to not get mentioned in history classes, but twenty-five to fifty percent of the Romani population living in Europe in 1939 died at the hands of Nazis.

Taking a word that has been used to label and other an ethnic group, and romanticizing and using it to describe a free-spirited and mischievous nature does not erase the baggage or harm that has been done. Gypsy and its derivative gyp (to steal or swindle) are vulgar and hurtful words that need to be retired and relegated to history.

⁂

Here are some sources and articles, should they be of interest:

The Problem with the Word ‘Gypsy’ (this whole site can be helpful)

The Harmful History of ‘Gypsy’ – discusses the modern myths and the current state

Romani Genocide – Romani specific Wikipedia article on the Nazi Holocaust

Remembering the Roma victims of the Holocaust – discusses how the Romani are often excluded from historical accounts of the Holocaust, and the impact on the people – less dry than the Wikipedia article

Persecution and Politicization: Roma (Gypsies) of Eastern Europe – nice summary of the history associated with the word from Cultural Survival Quarterly magazine

The “G” Word Isn’t for You: How “Gypsy” Erases Romani Women – from the National Organization for Women (NOW) this focuses a little more on how the long-standing stereotypes and racism hurt Romany, especially the women.

[runedaze]

Valentine’s Witchery

Witchy things for everyone on Valentine’s day, not just the hopeless romantics! (More related masterposts linked at the bottom!)

Correspondences:

Flowers: Roses, jasmine, lilacs, daisies, marigold, most flowers!

Spices and Herbs: Vanilla, lavender, chamomile, pepper, basil, cinnamon, bay leaves.

Crystals: Rose quartz, pearls, opal, citrine, jade, clear quartz. 

Incense: Amber, cherry, jasmine, rose, sandalwood, ylang-ylang [X]

Glamour:

Aphrodite glamour water

Siren’s lipstick spell

Basic glamour spell

Affinity potion

“Life of the party” glamour charm

Attracting Romance Spells:

To attract a desired lover

Attracting lover spell

Simple love attraction spell

Love spell for a third party

Love drawing bath soak

Romance Tarot Spreads:

Valentine tarot spread (3 card)

Love tarot spread (4 card)

What are the chances here? (6 card)

Anti-Romance Spells:

Ice queen breath spray 

Repelling unwanted romance

Love repression spell

Banish an unwanted lover

Anti-lust spell

For the Brokenhearted: 

Mend the heart spell

Spell for emotional healing and moving forward

Simple spell to heal the heart

Selkie spell to ease heartbreak

Broken heart bath

Self Love Spells:

Lavender self love jar

Self love spell

Simple self love spell

A simple self love spell

Romance myself spell bath

Self Love Tarot Spreads:

Beautiful you tarot spread (3 card)

Self love spread for V day! (6 card)

Self love spread (7 card)

These lovely masterposts:

themanicnami’s list of love spells

sylvaetria’s list of magic for strengthening romantic bonds

orriculum’s valentine’s day masterpost

[runedaze]

Poseidon rapes Medusa. Rape is evil. Therefore Poseidon is not a god. Correct?

Not really.

There are many things implied with this logic. The first thing that's wrong is that it assumes ancient myth literalism.

Myth literalism is a normal thing in our society because of christianity's fundamentalism. The bible in christian traditions is read sometimes literally, and even if its not, the stories told there are of vital importance to the religion. However, this doesn't happen in all religions, specially in pagan religions.

The second thing that's wrong is that it assumes the specific context of the myth. We may have a myth that uses the element of “rape” as we understand it to mean something else. But what we today understand as “rape” in ancient Greece meant probably these two things: 1. Abduction, 2. Sexual relations without the consent of the parents.

The importance of not reading myth literally (I mean, not regarding the Gods' actions in myth as factual, or their behavior as true to their nature) is that of independence. Being able to interpret myth metaphorically helps us arrive at different conclusions regarding the true nature of the Gods, and it also influence us philosophically.

See, a God cannot make evil; Poseidon is a God; therefore, Poseidon cannot make evil (he cannot “rape” anyone). But if Poseidon cannot rape, then the actions of Poseidon in myth are 1. False, or 2. Symbolic.

If Poseidon's actions in the myth of Medusa are false, then the myth serves no purpose but to entertain. However, if Poseidon’s rape in the myth of Medusa is symbolic, then it is illustrative of the God's power: perhaps, in the temple of Athena, one could experience Poseidon's presence unwillingly.

Remember what some historians used to say about Pythia’s moment of invocation? When the Priestess got possessed by Apollo? That sometimes she would get seizures? That the possession was so powerful her body could barely bear it? I imagine this is what “rape” myths refer to; experiencing a God (specially a deity regarded as “male” traditionally, for some reason) in an overwhelming rapture, perhaps randomly, without expectation. But this is a mystical reading of the myth.

There are not just mystical readings. Doing them takes time and attention, but they're often very illuminative. However, moral readings also exist. And even natural or physical readings. For example, in a moral reading, we could say the myth’s lesson is to not have sex inside Athena's temple, because that's a holy place, and it belongs to a virginal goddess. On a physical reading, we could say that Poseidon represents the fury of the ocean, and that Medusa is perhaps the earth, getting moved and assaulted by the tides. Or anything of that nature.

Understanding those conclusions is better than reading myth literally and ending up thinking those gods are evil (and therefore are not gods, and therefore must be demons; which is indeed one of many christianity's premises regarding pagan religions. These types of premises, as you may understand, feed intolerance and supremacy).

Arriving at satisfactory and philosophical conclusions with myths is a hard task, but it's really worth it. Even in ancient times, these incorrect ideas about the gods were widespread, and it was the philosopher’s, and the priest’s, task to teach people how to actually understand myth.

So, in summary; no, Poseidon is not evil, because Poseidon is a God and therefore cannot rape; furthermore, Poseidon's myth with Medusa is symbolic of a deeper, more mystical truth.

Ultimately, the myth of Poseidon and Medusa is explicative of Athena's and Poseidon's power when it gets intertwined. Oh, and, I forgot; you can also make a historical reading about this myth, or at least how it originated. The Athenians, who first told this myth, used to be devoted to Poseidon on a city-state level, until the cult of Athena arrived, and they instead made her their patron deity, removing Poseidon (there's another myth that tells this story, in which Athena and Poseidon compete for the patronage of the city-state, and Athena wins). Often times different city-states would create infamous stories about another city’s patron god in a political attempt. There's a theory stating that in other city-states Zeus’ wife would be Dione, instead of Hera, but in Athens it was Hera, and so some athenian would find it funny to imagine the god cheating over Hera (as a silly explanation of why theogony differed accross Greece).

Often times, myths are incredibly ironical. Like all of Zeus’ myths cheating over Hera as I stated before; Hera is the Goddess of marriage, so it is laughable that her own husband would go around cheating on her with literally anyone. So it is clear here that the myth is implying something deeper than what's is being told. One might have to think and reflect on why the greeks would choose to portray their Goddess of marriage in such a light, and their God of morality too. Perhaps they were hinting at something bigger with the use of hyperbole and irony; Hera never cheats on Zeus. On the other hand, Zeus is the Big Papa. So basically the whole world is of his descendence, because he is the Father of humanity, and putting it that way the greeks were explaining this.

Conflicting things about myths have always been conflicting. The greeks didn't like their gods going around raping people and killing others in those stories either, but the stories existed nevertheless. So they wrote a whole ton of treatises trying to explain to themselves the deeper truths of those myths, one of them was On the Gods and the World by Sallustius, which I recommend a lot when trying to understand both the importance and the metaphorical narratives of myths.

[runedaze]

Use your own things for witchcraft

Fuck it, heres a list of random things you can use in spellcraft that feels personal and gives the spell an emotional connection.

Rock you picked up at a beach

Pet fur

Your own hair clippings

Random plants from your local park

Berry liquid from anywhere

River water from your local woods

Leaves of your plants (find you own meaning and interpretation for them!!)

Here is some other stuff to use in witchcraft instead of buying stuff

- toilet paper rolls are compostible, use them as little containers for your spells

- foraging and drying your own locally found plants can substitute buying herbs

- you can use pet fur as a symbol of companionship/friendship and protection against any harm to them

- if you have a diffuser use that instead of incense, just add an oil with intention and let it cleanse the room

- carve sigils in candles you have laying around and set them with intent of protection

- coordinate the color of your clothes to days of the week

- empty egg cartons (can paint it) makes good holders for enchanted salt jewelry (add some salt to the egg holrder and then put your jewelry on top)

- old food jars are great if you don't wanna buy jars for storage

- always cleanse your things after buying them, especially if they're second hand

- (local superstition) keep a teacup in your room with dried flowers (can be any plant rlly) to keep harmful spirits away