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[whit-and-wisdom]

Genius Gardening Hacks

[whit-and-wisdom]

Quick and Subtle Grounding.

Feel the through bottoms of your feet. Really focus on what they touch. Every fiber you can discern in the carpet. Have you ever focused on the texture of the inside of your shoes? If you’re outside, feel the subtle bumps in the concrete as you walk, or feel the grass bending underneath you. You can feel a lot even through your shoes if you direct your focus that way.

[whit-and-wisdom]

The Wheel of the Year

Imbolc: Hell yeah it’s almost spring

Ostara: Hell yeah it’s spring 

Beltane: Hell yeah it’s summer 

Midsummer: Hell yeah it’s the middle of the summer

Lughnasadh: Hell yeah it’s the first harvest 

Mabon: Hell yeah it’s the second harvest 

Samhain: Hell yeah it’s the last harvest

Yule: Hell yeah it’s winter

[whit-and-wisdom]

things to do with spirit companions

everyday things that require little to no preparation. all based off my personal experiences listed in no specific order

greet them good morning and good night each day

tell them how much you appreciate them from time to time

share meals. i just invite them all and tell them to grab what they like

actually cook with them if you cook your own meals

listen to songs together, they seem to enjoy this

take them grocery shopping. sometimes they say funny things

watch movies if they’re into that!

or watch youtube videos cause that works too (ask what they wanna watch)

dance with them (or for them)

sing! it doesn’t even matter if you’re bad as long as you’re having fun

read stories with them!

ask them to pick out your outfits hahaha

clean together with them! you can do the physical cleaning and they can help with the metaphysical cleaning

cuddle them in bed. or in astral, either goes

meditate on their energy. sometimes you’ll learn a lot about them by doing this, and it just feels nice to feel them there

invite them to any other activities that you think they might enjoy. really doesn’t hurt to do this

love and cherish them, don’t hurt them. respect them

[whit-and-wisdom]

How to Make Rose Water

Hi everyone! Since the roses are in full bloom now, I’d thought I would make this simple tutorial on how to make rose water. Roses are great for many different kinds of magic, but since they’re either expensive or unavailable during certain times of the year, their water is great substitute, and can be used for many things on its own!

What you’ll need:

3 rose heads (the flower part, not the stem)

Approximately 6-8 cups of water

A big pot (with a lid)

Step 1:

Fill your pot with the water and strip all of your rose heads of petals. If you want your water to be more potent, throw in the petal-less head in, too.

Step 2:

Simmer (not boil) your water with the roses in it and the lid on. Keep a close eye on it; you’ll want to remove the pot from the heat when the rose petals lose their color. This can take 10-20 minutes depending on your stove. You don’t want to let the petals heat for too long, or they’ll disintegrate.

Step 3:

Strain your water thoroughly, making sure to press the petals of any excess water. After this, you can bottle your newly made rose water! It can keep indefinitely, so I recommend making big batches that’ll last you until the next rose harvest.

[whit-and-wisdom]

OK so at this point nearly all of us have had our decks troll us with that Moon-Sun happiness finding trick brought to us by the wonders behind @recreationalwitchcraft (http://recreationalwitchcraft.tumblr.com/post/121206878549/5-super-easy-tarot-tricks-anyone-can-do). The idea is to pull the cards between the Moon and Sun to find the steps to leave behind sadness - but it gets a bit unwieldy when you get half the deck or more there! So, I’m expanding on that idea, to hopefully make it a bit more manageable!

It starts the same. Shuffle. Breathe. Shuffle more. Flip the deck, rifle through them face up until you find The Sun or The Moon card.

If you got The Sun first, thank your deck and put it away. You’re good.

If you found The Moon first, there’s work to be done…

Start by setting aside all of the cards that came before The Moon (or, if you’re a keener, analyze them as a group to get some insight into the nature of your sadness!)

Then, you’re going to grab all of the cards that fall between The Moon and The Sun, wherever it is in the deck. Take this pile, large or small and separate it into piles of 7 cards each. Each of these little piles will represent one step of your journey from Moon-driven sadness to Sun-kissed happiness!

As I stated above, each pile will be one step in your path to happiness. I’ve outlined some potential steps below - start from Step 1, and read as far as you have cards. Some of you may have only one pile, some may have all of them. If you have many steps to work through, please don’t be discouraged! This is a growth based excersize, not a judgemental one. With each step you complete, you are building a strong root system, to support lots of growth!

How you treat each pile is up to you - I recommend playing with the 7 cards. Check out what suits are prominent, if there is an abundance of Major Arcana cards. Any themes that you can pick out? Does any single card in the group stand out as especially meaningful? Move the cards around - like if one seems really important, put it into the center of a circle of all the other cards. How do all of the characters within each bunch interact?

I’m going to put the potential pile stuff under a read more, just to save on some scrolling for y'all…

Keep reading

[whit-and-wisdom]

Creating a Bee-Friendly Garden A Few Simple Homemade Devices Can Go a Long Way

“Have you noticed a dearth of pollinators in your garden of late? Honeybee numbers are declining due to several factors, and it’s finally starting to make headlines. The loss of bee colonies has far-reaching consequences. About one third of our crops are pollinated by bees.”

[whit-and-wisdom]

[whit-and-wisdom]

Items to include in your Book of Shadows

Everyone’s book will be different because all Witches are different. This list is a bunch of examples I have come across over the years of things you could include in your BOS if you so desired. Nothing on this list is mandatory, nothing here is required. If you don’t know what something is, please feel free to ask! If you don’t think that something on the list is for you, awesome, don’t include it in yours. 

-Personal wishes (I have sort of a magical last will and testament in mine)

-Index

-Book Blessings

-Magical Rules

-Quotes

-Magical Alphabets

-Deities/Pantheons

-Candle Magic

-Chakras

-Crystals

-Color Magic

-Ethics

-Earth Magic

-Herbology

-Ghosts/Talking with the Dead

-Myths/Legends/Stories

-Herbal Magic

-Correspondence Tables

-Magical Definitions

-Moon Magic

-Psychic Protection

-Spell Writing

-Spells (Those you have done and those yet to do)

-Symbols/Sigils and their meanings

-Tarot

-Wiccan Law and Rede

-Runes

-Statement of Beliefs

-Charge of the God and Goddess

-The Witches Rune

-Sabbats (History, meanings, suggested activities, chants, songs, rituals etc)

-Laws of Coven/Tradition (if you are in/follow one)

-Magical Recipes (Kitchen Witches)

-Altar Setups

-List of your favorite Wicca/pagan etc websites

-How to Cast a Circle

-How to Consecrate items

-How to Ground and Center

-Auras

-Monthly Moon Names

-Cord/knot Magic

-Terminology

-Tools of the Craft

-Invocations/Evocations

-Animal Magic

-Meditations

-Celebrations/Coming of Age Rites

-Witches Pyramid

-Other Sacred Texts

-Prayers/Blessings/Chants

[whit-and-wisdom]

Sooooo . . . . magic

I have been magic-ing my ass off this year, and I’ve made some observations. Most of these are for me, but you might be able to relate.

Sometimes you have to ask the question differently to get what you want.

Sometimes you have to settle for a tad less than what you want.

Sometimes you have to ask multiple times.

Did you know that impatience has an energy? Me neither. At least, I had never thought about it.

The Universe doesn’t actually like hearing you whine and will attempt to shut you up … that may just be me.

I’ve made several attempts to stop magic with telepathy and … no.

I’ve made attempts at performing magic with telepathy and yes.

Magic people can “smell” other magic people. The more magic you do the more fragrant you are. People also assume that you’re powerful as opposed to … .really busy.

The entities will laugh at you and go tell other entities … it’s fucking high school all over again.

Humans can be familiars and that’s weird.

If your spell fails, ffs just do it again. Spilled milk, man. We all have off days.

It’s not that big of a deal.

Always attempt to have a reversal spell on hand because … . reasons.

By reversal, I mean have a spell on hand that will cause the opposite result … not necessarily an actual reversal spell … per se.

Doing magic to fix magic is as much funny-haha as it is funny-oh-no.

Different people react differently to the same spell. If you’re flinging magic at people, you may want to keep that in mind.

You can randomly end up with astral pets, and pet thoughtforms. They’re yours be nice to them. They have feelings.

I’m hoping my next year is just as magical, if not more so. I’m looking forward to it. It’s important to look forward to things.

[whit-and-wisdom]

Spirit And Energy Work Masterpost

These are in order from newest to oldest. I was asked to make a Master List of all of these types of posts I have on this page, so finally, after much procrastination, I have done so. I will update this list with a new post whenever I accumulate more posts like this.

Good And Evil; Angels And Demons: Not As Cut And Dry As You May Think

Identifying If A Person Is An Incarnate Deity, Angel, Or Demon: Are There Markers?

Mastering Your Inner Shadows: Taking Unbiased Personal Inventory

Ouija Boards

Working With Spirits

Tricksters: Getting To Know Them

The Crystal Fence

Many Realms, Many Lives: Exploring Other ‘Yous’ And Other Realities

Personal Energy Cleanse

Energy Clearing And Infusing

Grounding

Soul Shattering

Spirits And Astral Walking

Grand Illusions

Elements: A Brief Intro To Getting Acquainted

[whit-and-wisdom]

In Which Diversity Isn't a Myth

Ok. I’m tired of the typical vampire, werewolf and fairy.I’m also tired of the occidental-centrism in mythology. Hence, this list. 

I tried to included as many cultural variants as I could find and think of. (Unfortunately, I was restricted by language. Some Russian creatures looked very interesting but I don’t speak Russian…) Please, add creatures from your culture when reblogging (if not already present). It took me a while to gather all those sites but I know it could be more expansive. I intend on periodically editing this list. 

Of note: I did not include specific legendary creatures (Merlin, Pegasus, etc), gods/goddesses/deities and heroes.

Dragons

The Chinese Dragon

The Japanese Dragon

The Korean Dragon

The Vietnamese Dragon

The Greek Dragon

The Indian Dragon

The Polish Dragon

The Austrian Dragon

The British Dragon

The Ancient Dragon (Egypt, Babylon and Sumer)

The Spanish Basque Dragon

Of the Cockatrice (creature with the body of a dragon)

Alphabetical List of Dragons Across Myths (Great way to start)

Little creatures (without wings)

The Legend of the Leprechauns, The Leprechaun

Chanaque /Alux (the equivalent of leprechauns in Aztec/Mayan folklore)

Elves

Elves in Mythology and Fantasy

Elves in Germanic Mythology

Kabeiroi or Cabeiri (Dwarf-like minor gods in Greek mythology)

Norse Dwarves

The Myth of Loki and the Dwarves

Ten Types of Goblins

Goblins

Tengu: Japanese Goblins

Gnomes 

More on Gnomes

Pooka: an Irish phantom

Creatures with wings (except dragons)

Fairies

All sorts of Cultural Fairies

Fairies in Old French Mythology 

A Fairy List

Bendith Y Mamau (Welsh fairies)

Welsh Fairies

Peri (Persian fairies)

Yü Nü (Chinese fairies)

The Celtic Pixie

Angels in Judaism

Angels in Christianity

Hierarchy of Angels

Angels in Islam

Irish Sylph

Garuda (Bird-like creature in Hindu and Buddhist myths)

Bean Nighe (a Scottish fairy; the equivalent of a banshee in Celtic mythology)

Harpies

Spirited Creatures

Druids

Jinn (Genies in Arabic folklore)

Types of Djinns

Aisha Qandisha and Djinn in Moroccan Folklore

Oni (demons in Japanese folklore)

Nymphs

Spirits in Asturian Mythology

Valkyries

Lesovik

Boggarts: The British Poltergeist

Phantom black dogs (the Grim)

Demons in Babylonian and Assyrian Mythology (list)

Demons in the Americas (list)

European Demons (list)

Middle-East and Asia Demons (list)

Judeo-Christian Demons (list)

Nephilim, more on Nephilim

Mahaha (a demon in Inuit mythology)

Flying Head (a demon in Iroquois mythology)

Ghosts

Toyol (a dead baby ghost in Malay folklore)

Malay Ghosts

Yuki-onna (a ghost in Japanese folklore)

The Pontianak (a ghost in Malay mythology)

Funayurei (a ghost in Japanese folklore)

Zagaz (ghosts in Moroccan folklore)

Japanese Ghosts

Mexican Ghosts

Horse-like mythical creatures

Chinese Unicorns

Unicorns

The Kelpie (Could have also fitted in the sea creatures category)

The Centaur

The Female Centaur

Hippocamps (sea horses in Greek mythology)

Horse-like creatures (a list)

Karkadann, more on the Karkadann (a persian unicorn)

Ceffyl Dwfr (fairy-like water horse creatures in Cymric mythology)

Undead creatures

The Melanesian Vampire 

The Ewe Myth : Vampires

The Germanic Alp

The Indonesian Vampire

Asanbosam and Sasabonsam (Vampires from West Africa)

The Aswang: The Filipino Vampire

Folklore Vampires Versus Literary Vampires

Callicantzaros: The Greek Vampire

Vampires in Malaysia

Loogaroo/Socouyant: The Haitian Vampire

Incubi and Sucubi Across Cultures

Varacolaci: The Romanian Vampire

Brahmaparusha: The Indian Vampire

Genesis of the Word “Vampire”

The Ghoul in Middle East Mythology

Slavic Vampires

Vampires A-Z

The Medical Truth Behind the Vampire Myths

Zombies in Haitian Culture

Shape-shifters and half-human creatures (except mermaids) 

Satyrs (half-man, half-goat)

Sirens in Greek Mythology (half-woman and half-bird creatures)

The Original Werewolf in Greek Mythology

Werewolves Across Cultures

Werewolf Syndrome: A Medical Explanation to the Myth

Nagas Across Cultures

The Kumiho (half fox and half woman creatures)

The Sphinx

Criosphinx

Scorpion Men (warriors from Babylonian mythology)

Pooka: an Irish changelings

Domovoi (a shape-shifter in Russian folklore)

Aatxe (Basque mythology; red bull that can shift in a human)

Yech (Native American folklore)

Ijiraat (shapeshifters in Inuit mythology)

Sea creatures

Selkies (Norse mermaids)

Mermaids in many cultures

More about mermaids

Mermen

The Kraken (a sea monster)

Nuckelavee (a Scottish elf who mainly lives in the sea)

Lamiak (sea nymphs in Basque mythology)

Bunyip (sea monster in Aboriginal mythology)

Apkallu/abgal (Sumerian mermen)

An assemblage of myths and legends on water and water creatures

Slavic Water Creatures

The Encantado (water spirits in Ancient Amazon River mythology)

Zin (water spirit in Nigerian folklore)

Qallupilluk (sea creatures in Inuit mythology)

Monsters That Don’t Fit in Any Other Category

Aigamuxa, more details on Aigamuxa

Amphisabaena

Abere

Bonnacon

Myrmidons (ant warriors)

Troll, More on Trolls

Golems 

Golems in Judaism

Giants: The Mystery and the Myth (50 min long documentary)

Inupasugjuk (giants in Inuit mythology)

Fomorians (an Irish divine race of giants)

The Minotaur

The Manticore, The Manticore and The Leucrouta

The Ogre

The Orthus (two-headed serpent-tailed dog)

The Windigo

The Windigo Psychosis

Rakshasa (humanoids in Hindu and Buddhist mythology)

Yakshas (warriors in Hindu mythology)

Taqriaqsuit (“Shadow people” in Inuit mythology)

Stick Indians

References on Folklore and Mythology Across the Globe

Creatures of Irish Folklore 

Folklore and Fairytales

An Overview of Persian Folklore

Filipino Folklore

Myths, Creatures and Folklore

Alaska Folklore

Spanish (Spain) Mythology

Mythical Archive

Mythology Dictionary

List of Medieval and Ancient Monsters

Native American Animals of Myth and Legends

Native American Myths

Bestiary of Ancient Greek Mythology

Mythology, Legend, Folklore and Ghosts

Angels and Demons

List of Sea Creatures

Yoruba Mythology

Ghosts Around the World, Ghosts From A to Z

Strange (Fantastic) Animals of Ancient Egypt

Egyptian Mythology

Creatures from West Africa

On the Legendary Creatures of Africa

Myths, Creatures and Folklore

References on writing a myth or mythical creatures

Writing a MYTHology in your novel?

How to Write a Myth

10 Steps to Creating Realistic Fantasy Creatures

Creating Fantasy Creatures or Alien Species

Legendary Creature Generator

Book Recommendations With Underrated Mythical Creatures

(I have stumbled upon web sites that believed some of these mythical creatures exist today… Especially dragons, in fact. I just had to share the love and scepticism.)

[whit-and-wisdom]

necromancer: RISE.

necromancer: RISE. RISE UP.

necromancer: RISE BEFORE ME

necromancer: RISE MY CREATION

bread: *does nothing*

necromancer: fuck i forgot the yeast

[whit-and-wisdom]

Cast yourself. You are the spell.

T. Thorn Coyle, Evolutionary Witchcraft  (via she–is–magic)

[whit-and-wisdom]

Rose-Water Waffles

• 2.5 cups of all-purpose flour • 2 teaspoons of baking powder • half a teaspoon of baking soda • half a teaspoon of salt • 1 tablespoon of sugar • 3 large eggs • 1.25 cups of whole milk • 2 tablespoons of rose water • 1 cup of sour cream • 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter • ¼ cups of honey 🍯

1. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. 2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, rose water and sour cream. 3. In a small sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat, swirling the pan. When it begins forming brown bits, turn off the heat. Scrape up the burned bits and add honey to the warm butte. Stir until smooth. 4. Add the egg mixture to the sifted dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Add the butter- honey mixture, and stir to combine, taking care not to over mix. 5. Heat a waffle iron, spray each side with non-stick cooking spray, and cook each waffle until golden brown.

Here’s a little recipe I I found in Cosmopolitan magazine. I feel like the ingredients have witchy connotations and could by a nice treat for upcoming Ostara celebrations.

[whit-and-wisdom]

I wanted to find a nice home for my Cosmos Oracle deck, and @static-chaos had the PERFECT pouch! I'm absolutely in love with it, and my cards think it's utterly delightful. Thank you!

[whit-and-wisdom]

Charm School for Beginners in Dealing With Spirits

Everyone’s been a beginner, and if you think you haven’t, then you may be lying to yourself. Horror story upon horror story (pun intended) has been told about beginners in dealing with spirits messing things up terribly. We’ll all probably have a little mishap at some point, but there’s one thing many newbies miss, or simply don’t know enough about, that could save them a lot of trouble: being polite! 

I know, I know. It seems obvious, but hear me out. Certain things that are common to do might not be acceptable, and you may not even realize that you’re doing anything wrong. Sometimes it’s hard to keep in mind that you’re dealing with things that require just as much respect as you do, with their own boundaries. Your own mileage may vary, as there are all sorts of experiences (and in fact, different things you could encounter with varying levels of coherence and alignment). I’ll gladly take any question/comments/concerns, but generally these things will make your life much easier. 

Hosting a party? (summoning/meeting with spirits): You’ve picked up your pendulum, are honing a natural talent, or have a little more experience and are actively calling something to you? Well, good for you! We’ll assume that you’re speaking with or summoning something you’ve never dealt with before. In this situation, it is very important that you put your best foot forward, since some spirits tend to be gossips, and word will get around quickly what sort of person you are. Unlike dealing with humans, though, there can be some serious repercussions aside from a bad social reputation, including getting on the bad side of deities, haunting, and being stalked and followed in your own home and spaces. It’s always best to have a clean space (energetically and physically), a level head, and something to sweeten the deal for your guests– oh, I mean this literally. Most ghosts/spirits like sweets. Also, it’s important you speak in a manner that conveys respect, which brings us to our next point.

Conversation: Always keep in mind that you are talking to a dead creature, but a creature like you or I all the same. It is rude to order a spirit to do something for you with no payment, it is rude to ask deeply personal questions about a stranger (or about yourself to a stranger– imagine walking up to the man on the subway and asking him about your relationships or other personal matters!). It is rude to shove a spirit away because you’d rather talk to someone else. With regards to the dead, it is especially rude to ask how they died, specific questions about being dead, etc. Should you cultivate a relationship, these topic may be offered up or made easier to talk about, but never assume.

Attitude: A spirit is not a joke for you to laugh at. A spirit is not something to scream and cry at. It is not wise to summon something just to see if you can/if an entity is real. Divination tools don’t exist to be played with as toys. This is all rude, and some of it can be dangerous. You may find out that you’re biting off more than you can chew– like inviting a house party you didn’t intend to happen, or a full fledged murderer into your home. Remember: you are not better than anyone else. Your natural talent doesn’t make you the best to ever live of die. Getting cocky or talking trash about others will get you in trouble. Don’t do it.

Appearance: Oh, I’m not talking about yours! I just think it’s useful to remind that the dead can be tricky– what looks like a little girl could be an old woman, or an entity trying to feed off of you. What sounds like a nice man could be exactly that– or something that will become obsessed with you and stalk you around. What something appears to be or says it is may not be the truth. Yes, behave respectfully, but always with caution and proper precautions in case things get out of hand.

Doing their part: Just like a living guest, a dead guest should never overstay their welcome. They should never harm you or make you feel uncomfortable. if they do anything that you are not alright with, you may politely ask them to leave and cleanse your area. If this doesn’t work, gradually increase the forcefulness as needed. Remaining polite may keep you from getting in trouble in certain situations, but when anything was going to hurt you from the beginning, it is not worth it to continue trying with your safety at risk.