#bruja magic

[texaschainsawmascara]

me n one of the tumblr girlies

2girls1bottl3

[365filmsbyauroranocte]

Three Witches Sculpture. Available at Etsy, click here!

[fermentedcherries]

🌙🦋hoodoo inspired witchy moodboard✨🔮

[sweetmournings]

Santa Muerte shrines

[magicaguajiro]

Caribbean Folk Saints and Mighty Dead: A Precursor

We all have family members who take on an almost Mythic quality after they pass on. They may have been a character in life, or a perhaps a spiritual practitioner. Maybe they were known for their generosity, or lack of it, or their strength or brilliance. Nonetheless, it is someone who, even in death, still makes an impact. In personal practices, we may work with these ancestors for guidance and healing, but what happens when their influence spreads past your family, into the local community or even entire country? This and many other strange circumstances often explain the origin and powers of Folk Saints and Elevated Dead. I will be going into the various Folk Saints and Deified Ancestors of the Caribbean, (including Florida), but before I can do that I need to explain where these spirits come from, and why they are so potent in our everyday lives.

What are Folk Saints and Mighty Dead?

Folk Saints and Mighty Dead are spirits of dead people who were either elevated in life, or became elevated after death. Their elevation often is then connected to their ability to grant various petitions made to them. Some of the Folk Saints I will be talking about were used to disguise other figures who were outlawed by the Colonial government at the time, while others are various figures of marginalized communities who gained sorcerous or otherworldly reputations after death.

Cuba and Florida are Lands of diaspora and syncretism. Many different traditions abound and each tradition has multiple lineages, so the classification of spirits differs depending on the worldview of the person explaining. Some practitioners work within a framework of Catholicism, some use elements and some flat-out reject Catholicism completely for decolonization purposes. For this reason, I have differentiated Folk Saints from the Mighty Dead.

Folk Saints will include those spirits who are worked with in a Catholic context, but are usually not canonized or not at first. On the other hand, the Mighty Dead will include spirits who are venerated amongst Indigenous and African traditions in Cuba as well as the surrounding areas, as to not group them under a title created by Colonizers. If you are Cuban or Caribbean, these Folk Saints and Mighty Dead offer power at a closer degree because they are more proximal to your Spirit Court, and may even already have bonds with them.

It is important to note, spirits like Orisha and Cemí have very specific protocols, manners and taboos when approaching them, so this is best done with the help of a priest, such as Oloricha or Babalawo, or a Taíno Behike. These are not energies you simply feel drawn to and work with. Orisha and Cemi are in some cases Deified Ancestors and others Personified Forces of Nature, among other things. This varies from the Ancestors and Spirits I will be discussing in this series.

Benefits of Working with The Mighty Dead

Folk Saints and Ancestors give us a closer connection to the divine through their proximity to the Divine and their individual virtues and personalities. As with all spirit relationships, you will get out what you put in.

Folk Saints who are related to the Land you live on, such as Uncle Monday or Bessie Graham for us Floridians, can help to deepen your connection with the local community. They can help you to further your relationship with the Earth and introduce you to other Land spirits.

Spirits related to your Ancestry can help to work through generational issues. Some ancestral spirits, like José Martí or Guamá for us Cubans, are related to ideas of War, Rebellion, and overcoming oppression. These spirits can be worked with for the same pursuits of defeating oppressors in the modern day. Each spirit has a story and is multi-faceted, so it really depends on what your connection is to the Spirit and what you are capable of offering them.

How to Work with Deified Dead

Working with these spirits is individual to each spirit, based on what their heritage is, as well as their personal tastes. When starting out, it’s best to keep things simple. Instead of going and creating an entire altar dedicated to a spirit, begin by praying about it at your Bóveda or ancestral altar. Here, you may find that a spirit is not compatible with your current situation, or doesn’t want to work with you ever! Should the omens be good, however, and you may begin establishing a connection to that spirit Research and talking to other devotees can give you great insight into what a relationship with that Spirit can look like.

My formula for reaching out to these spirits is always different, but I follow basic principles. I always begin with a representation of the spirit, a small offering and a candle. The representation can be anything, from a statue to a printed picture or even just their name on some paper. The offering is in most cases water until the spirit makes other wants known to me, but when a spirit doesn’t take water I offer food or tobacco instead. The candle is something I was taught helps to enhance spirit communication, carrying messages between the worlds. It is helpful to research about whoever you are attempting to communicate with, and if possible you should speak to other practitioners who work with the same Spirit. Often times, this is someone-you-know’s father or grandmother. From here, you should sit with whatever entity you are contacting, allowing yourself to experience a personal relationship with them. I will share individual experiences of what each spirit has been like in practice for me, or people I know, but for beginning this is a good basic way to start out.

I look forward to sharing more about these incredible figures who influence my favorite corner of the world to this day.

Paz y Progreso 🕯️

[weirdlookindog]

[notdelusionalatall]

[southernmermaidsgrotto]

🌿How to harvest & dry herbs🌿

⚠️This is just my personal approach based on research, mentors and my own experience, please do your own research too ⚠️

Some general guidelines:

These are all recommended for both uses, magical and medicinal, but particularly for plant material you’ll want to give medicinal use.

Always harvest ~10 meters away from contamination sources (roads and cars, railroads, constructions, factories, etc. Even more serious stuff like landfills and heavy metals) Plants can absorb toxic chemical compounds from any these sources, so if you plan to ingest them or apply on your skin etc, avoid contamination sources. Examine your area to find where it’s safest to harvest plant material from.

Only take up to 30% of plant material, preferably less (leaves, flowers, berries, roots) this is to allow for healthy regrow.

Don’t take material with visible harm, illness or bugs, such as yellowed or bug bitten / holey leaves, etc. Educate yourself to recognize different possible bugs or parasites or plant illnesses that may affect your local flora to avoid these.

Sometimes you’ll have better results with fresh materials, you don’t always need to dry them. Know when to use what, depending on your goal and what compounds you want to extract, and how it’s best to extract them.

If you prefer fresh, you can keep fresh herbs in a vase with water for up to a week, more or less.

Clean the branches & leaves by soaking them or washing them in saltwater to scare away little critters, and dry them stem-up, making small bundles with stems fairly separated so everything is well aireated, and always away from sunlight. Do not clean with alcohol, detergent, or any other substances. Just water or salty water will do.

Roots, flowers, berries and bark can be dried in drying racks or basquets. Separate them from each other, specially flower petals, to dry them thoroughly and keep in a dark place until they’re fully dried (you’ll know if they crack when handling them and don’t feel soft anywhere anymore). For roots, bark and berries, move and rotate every so often to make sure they dry evenly, or just dry them in the oven if you’re brave! (be careful not to burn them)

Aromatic herbs should be harvested before they bloom, when you see the fully formed buds and their smell (and taste!) is strongest. 

When cutting the stems, cut at an angle to allow for healthy regrow.

Always make sure you’re harvesting what you think you’re harvesting. Learn to identify plant species properly, and always, always research about lookalikes it may have, as they could be toxic or poisonous or harmful in some way. This is necessary for safety reasons.

Store everything in glass jars or paper bags, away from humidity, to prevent mold. I don’t recommend plastic bags or containers as they can more easily retain humidity but that’s me. Check on your stuff often too!! Different things will last more or less time on the shelf.

⚠️Extra reminder to always check which part of the plant is medicinal, check if any other parts could be toxic or harmful, check for dosages, contraindications, possible allergies, and possible interactions with anything else you’re taking!!!!!!!!

For specific plant parts:

Flowers: Harvest as soon as they’ve fully bloomed, during the full moon.

Berries and fruits: Harvest right after the first frost, generally in autumn. Look for deep color and tight, glowy skin. I like to harvest these under a waning moon.

Seeds and pods: Collect these when all flowers are gone, usually in late summer, under a waning moon.

Leaves: Ideally, collect these from bright green and flexible limbs, the first warm days of spring when there’s new sap and no flowers yet, but for many species you can take some leaves all year round. Under a waxing or full moon does it for me.

Bark: Harvest during the first warm days of spring, when the sap rises. You’ll find newly formed bark easier to peel off. Rather than peeling the trunk directly, cut off a branch or limb and peel it off completely, it’ll cause less harm to the tree or bush. Under a waxing moon it is.

Roots, rhizomes, tubers: Harvest after all the leaves are gone, around late autumn, but before all the good stuff stored in them is used during the winter. Under a waning or new moon.

Some superstitions:

These are more specifically for the magical properties of the plant. 

Some folks say you shouldn’t harvest plant material with iron scissors or other iron tools, as iron scares away the spirit of the plant, and thus, the potency of whatever your working on will be less.

For some plants, you’ll find specific prayers, chants or charms, more or less complicated rituals, to harvest specific parts at specific dates. This is, again, for the spiritual properties rather than medicinal. I am the type to believe proper harvest makes both the work and the medicine stronger, but it’s up to you to decide how to go about harvesting certain plants considered “sacred”, and even what plants are considered “sacred” will also change depending on your own practice, culture, tradition, region and more, so do your research!

It’s common belief to not speak while you’re going to harvest the herb, and neither when coming back, as to not alert the spirit your intentions and out of respect for what it gave you or what it’s doing for you.

But while you’re there, after harvesting, let the plant spirit know why you’re in need of it’s aid and leave some kind of offering in return (again, do your own research on specific plants and their folklore, but some general things such as water, sugar or eggshells, and more traditional things like a certain number of coins, will likely work just fine)

With some plant species, particularly the poisonous kind, or some associated with the devil in folklore, you’ll likely find ways to protect yourself from the spirit’s anger upon being unearthed or cut. These range from giving praise to the spirit in the form of poems, songs, or offerings before getting to harvesting, to drawing circles in the dirt around it with holy water, a knife, or your own hand, and may even be having to cut the branches or unearth the plant in a specific manner (some say backwards, some say away from you) to prevent it from harming you. Sometimes simply carrying protective charms will do. Learn the folklore of each species you work with!

[texaschainsawmascara]

[365filmsbyauroranocte]

Three Witches Sculpture.

Three witches fly towards the coven carrying their black cat, brooms, and six secrets to discover. Handcrafted in marble resin, finished with acrylics and wax patina. 

Available at Etsy. Click here!

[magumsilvarum]

Spirits and their common uses and misconceptions

So today I wanted to talk about a few spirits which, not much is so far known of through literary writing, but more so through celestial knowledge. (each spirit will have its own section)

The Pythoness - many Christian and Judea religions view the pythoness spirit as a demon like spirit that is meant to steer one away from Gods path and imbue one with negative thoughts such as death and sickness through the mind, yet I've personally found and many civilizations prior and after that the story is not as such. In yogic practices there is a certain breathe and practice of the kundalini. Kundalini is the term for "a spiritual energy or life force located at the base of the spine", conceptualized as a coiled-up serpent. The practice of Kundalini yoga is supposed to arouse the sleeping Kundalini Shakti from its coiled base through the 6 chakras, and penetrate the 7th chakra, or crown. This allows for an open pathway as a connection to God, elevated spirits and the spirits of the afterlife, our ancestral spirits, within celestial planes. In buddhism giant serpents were seen as protectors of the dharma, the truth that liberates us, standing strong against any attack. Many psychics, seers, mediums, witches and tarot card readers tend to have a spirit who knows one of two things about divination, prophecy and esoteric knowledge, but the pythoness spirit is looked at more like the all seeing eye or the eye of ra and horus. In greek mythology Leto the great she-wolf was cursed to never give birth upon the land as Hera set her out to be cursed by her daughter and for Gaia to not allow her to give birth to her two children. Through Zeus' interference Leto was able to give birth to both Artemis and Apollo. Later Apollo went to go slay a Snake that had threatened Leto and therefore gained the ability to turn into a snake himself. He declared the island previously known as Pythos to be Delphi and as the God of prophecy later became a hub for those seeking answers from great oracles once a year, known as Pythias. These women were great prophets and witches alike that danced with fire and tamed snakes to dance along with them protecting the island from attacks and monsterous threats as to pay respect to Apollo. These were women and men of wild nature who allows there instincts to guide them through the understanding of the great divine. One with nature they became medicine workers, prophets, seers, musicians, dancers, pyromancers, snake charmers, witches and mages and dream weavers.

These great spirits are revered as a highly elevated court in spiritualist practices, sometimes just perceived as the spirits of tarot decks or oracular objects they are forgotten as being far too complex to be seen as just that. Through the force of light they bring great aid to those they are on spiritual journey's with, they rid of hexes, curses and spiritual illnesses. They guide through prophetic dreams, clairvoyancy, clairsentience, clairaudience and mediumship. They are capable of conjuring powerful spirits and the spirits of the dead (necromancy), as well as a straight line communication to God, gods and goddesses. They move through the celestial tides of the universe and bring forth great health, wealth, abundance, freedom and spiritual knowledge to those they favor. They are quite benevolent spirits who help bring in death or the spirit of change for the better and to rid old stubborn ways of the past. They are great teachers of dark and light magic. They aid in learning and music as well. Helping those with charisma and the ability to enchant and/or charm enemies and others alike. They have such affinity towards chocolates, gold, silver, wine, fire, candles, light, mirrors, divination tools, water, flowers and floral scents, perfumes, snakes and music. There number is 7 and their flower is the rose, particularly the white rose, but other colors are fine as well. They also enjoy sunflowers, as they venerated Apollo, and the Anise star. Their colors are Red, burgundy, gold, emerald green, white, silver, purple, and brown. Yet each is different and might prefer a royal blue for all we know each spirit is different to another so getting to know ones spiritual court is quite important. Stones like diamond, ruby, jade, emerald, citrine, labradorite and amethyst can be given to such spirit as well as Selenite and Amber each representing Artemis and Apollo. These spirits can sometimes be confused with a better known spirit Santa Martha la Dominadora. You may even have both within your spiritual court, but they two hold many similarities.

Prayer to the Pythoness

O Blessed Pythoness, I invoke your humble yet wild nature into my life, I give you thanks for the visions told and untold and for the sight to see my path clearly. May your connection to God and all living things be great and full of love and respect. May your tides of wisdom bring peace to the land and bestow upon me and my loved ones a blessed hand. Lady of the fire, imbue me with your holy flames may they burn away all evil done unto me by others or by my own hand. May your light charm those who seek no good into doing acts of kindness and greatness and may your soothing voice bring sweetness and riches to the land and seas. You the one who tamed the dragon and serpent to your gracious hand. Tame my enemies and bring good fortune to those in need. Help the world against devastation and may your great cobra bring forth the promise land. Lady of the land and sea, conjure your celestial winds to protect me and bring good news from the heavenly lands. Through the eye of the one who can see I plea to you humbly and in need. As it is. So mote it be. Amen

Say this prayer with Psalm 91 3x and Psalm 4 3x under the flame of a white(or yellow) light end with a Glory be. It will help receive divine messages through divination or prophetic dreams and help transmute negative energy and protect against evil eye.

Oracion a La Pitonisa

O Bendita Pitonisa, Yo invoco tu humilde y salvaje espiritu de naturaleza entre mi vida, te doy las gracias por los visiones contado y no contado y por la vista para ver mi camino claramente. Que tu conexión a Dios y a todas criaturas vivas sea lleno de gran amor y respeto. Que las olas de sabiduria traen paz a toda la tierra y otogar a mi y mis seres queridos tu mano bendicida. Mujer de los fuegos, envuelvame con tus llamas benditas que me liberan de cualquier maldad sea enviado por enemigos o que han nacido de mi propia mano. Que tu luz encandile a los que no buscan el bien y les transformas hacer actos de carino y grandeza y que tu voz encantadora trae dulcisimiento y riquezas a la tierra y los mares. Tu que haz vencido el serpiente y el dragon con tu mano graciosa. Ayuda al mundo contra la devastación y que tu tierra prometida sea traido por tu gran cobra. Mujer de la tierra y mar, protejame con los vientos celestiales y que traen buena noticias del cielo. A través del ojo del que puede ver te suplico humildemente y de necesidad. Como es. Asi sera. AMEN

[eeriemortis]

Foresta Oscura

[generativetenebrousautomata]

[magicaguajiro]

Swamp Witch Travels: Finding Sacred Space

Myakka River and Paynes Creek State Parks

As I dive deeper into my practice of bioregional animism, I look to parks for sacred space and places to connect with spirits of all kinds. In Florida we live in cities divided by nature preserves and swamps, and we are also incredibly blessed to have an amazing State Parks system. These parks offer us peaks into ecology and history of the Land that reveal to us some of Its Mysteries. Here are a few things I’ve learned as a Folk Witch.

Make an offering when entering. For ancestral reasons, I use tobacco. Use what you're guided to. Introduce yourself, your intentions, etc. Also, pick up trash and be respectful. Don't wander in places you don't know, or take things you don't have knowledge on. It’s usually best to practice Leave No Trace but when have Witches been known to follow rules… Do as ye will. But always ask and give something in return.

There are different spirits!

Trees, plants, rivers, hills and even entire forests and parks can have their own spirits. At parks like Myakka and Payne’s Creek, there are platforms you can climb for an aerial view of the park. This is a great place to connect with the Genus Loci of a place! (For more on Genus Loci, I recommend Folk Witchcraft by Roger J Horne) Some spirits will want to talk to you, some won’t. Respect their choices and don’t expect anyone to talk for free.

Protection is Key!

Protection is important for witches and animists. Many spirits and natural places are dangerous, for example some Rivers are known for drowning and can be seen as having a harsh and dangerous spirit. When protecting myself day to day I wear spiritual jewelry from my Cuban traditions. Shark and gator teeth serve as great protection from water spirits and in general. My spiral shell ring is protective and I often use it in ritual. Bodies of water are also great places to bless things and hold rituals of cleansing and power! Not only spiritual protection, but physical protection is needed as well. In these swamps, we have gators, sharks, panthers, bobcats, bears, snakes, PEOPLE and even more things that would gladly expedite your role in the food chain. I’m not saying be afraid of animals, rather have respect and recognize you are in their domain. Carry bear spray, don’t wander too far off known trails, and be careful of other people.

I once heard a saying, the Swamp knows everything about death, and doesn’t consider it a tragedy.

Enjoy the Scenery, and Learn!

Take it all in and take your time! If you need to escape heat and mosquitos check out the visitor centers and gift shops! I justify spending a bit too much here on considering it an offering to the Land. Try talking to the people who work here or making friends! This is a great way to learn Folklore and secret places to explore.

On Remembering Ancestors of the Land

In working with the Land, you must honor the Ancestors of the Land. These are the spirits of all the people who lived on the Land before you. For me, this begins with my Ancestors and the other Indigenous groups of the area. In Florida, the tribes who remain today are the Seminole and Mikasuki. We should look to Indigenous tribes for wisdom on how to approach and respect the Land, but that doesn’t mean read online about it and go appropriate it. It means go and actually talk to real life people. You can and certainly should also honor other people, including any folk saints or historical figures who may serve as tutelary spirits or otherwise.

And always remember to say Fuck the Colonizers!

Happy Witching Friends, May the Dry Season bring us all Renewal!

[misscarmelitaleon]

New Moon in Aries, what a great time to manifest the most passionate, adventurous, harmonious desires you can even imagine. Any and every thing is truly possible.

[notdelusionalatall]