Theglitterdungeon - Amateur

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Attention Spell

This is not a spell to gain needless attention like for love but attention that is deserved and needed. 

You will need the following items for this spell:

Orange Candle

magnet

Hematite

Set up your altar as you see fit. Then invoke the gods of your pantheon. Never invoke a divinity not of your faith or one you know nothing about.

Start with giving to your gods first prayers. Follow by giving your offerings.

Now start the spell by lighting the candle and stare at the flame for a minute or two. Watch it dance. Hold your hands on each side of the candles and chant 3 times:

“I am the sun I am the key All attention be focused on me. See what I do and hear what I say. Let all head turn and face my way. I am the center, I am light I am this flame, dancing so bright. I sparkle interest, wherever I go Let all look at me, be it sunny or snow.”

Into the candle send orange energy of “drawing.” That is to say, drawing others attention to you. Continue to do this for as long as you can hold the visualization.

Now place the magnet in front of the candle, cover it with you hand and send into it the power of attraction. and chant 3 times:

“Magnetism is currently all mine Drawing the attention I deserve. And those that give me such Will be the first that I serve. People attention now drawn to me And as my will, so mote it be.”

Place the hematite in top of the magnet and chant 3 times:

“Stone of iron, ore from the ground To draw attention make this spell sound. As you go with me all day, all night In work and business, give me your might. You shall make all pay attention to me To hear my words and record my deeds And give me the credit that I’m due To these tasks I now ask of you.”

Leave the objects by the candle till it snuff’s itself out. Once out, take the hematite and carry it in you pocket or in a power bundle or satchet. Carry it where you are looking for the attention.

Note: remember not to abuse this spell. If you do it will not work or the stone may end up disappearing on you.

Of Imps and Familiars

The topic of Familiars in modern witchcraft is a bit  misinformed as to what exactly these beings are. Some say they are simply a pet belonging to a witch; however, it is far from the case. In the hopes of clearing things a bit up for my followers, I am writing this to explain what Familiars are and the differences between the different types. This post will provide a brief summary of the topic

There are a few different types of Familiars to consider. There are:

The Familiar Spirit

Imps

Familiar spirits

Bloodline Familiars

Let’s discuss what they are and how they differ from another.

The Familiar Spirit

Tam Lin by Jane Yolen and Charles Mikolaycak

This is somewhat comparable to the Holy Guardian Angel found in various practices of high and ceremonial magic, such as the Order of the Golden Dawn. It is the human familiar spirit, the fairy lover, the demon lover, the spirit companion, the familiar self, the witch’s doppleganger. It is the you that is separate, yet it is its own entity. These are the beings that witches met when flying to the sabbat, their spirit lover. Typically, it is opposite to the witch, “In 1633, Margaret Johnson, the Lancashire witch, stated that besides theire particular familiars or spirits, there was one greate or grand devill, or spirit, more eminent than the rest. Shee allsoe saith, yt if a witch have but one marke, shee hath but one spirit; if two, then two spirits; if three, yet but two spirits. Shee alsoe saith, that men witches usually have women spirits, and women witches men spirits,” (source). It might be that these spirits are complete opposites to their witch counterpart; however, it may also be they take a form most desired by the witch. It is why some have Familiar spirits of the same gender, or spirits that change gender along with their witch.

Examples of The Familiar Spirit

Tam Lin (from the Ballad of Tam Lin)

The Queen of Heaven (from Thomas the Rhymer)

Cupid (from the tale The Most Pleasant and Delectable Tale of the Marriage of Cupid and Psyche)

Imps

The Witches’ animal familiar, maleficent animals, divination animals, domestic familiars. These are, usually, physical creatures or vessels that act as the witch’s familiar. These are the creatures people typically think of when thinking of familiars. They are the witch’s pet, servator, companion, spy, and aid in the magical arts.

Now from this, there are 2 main sort of imps. A living creature of flesh such as a rabbit, cat, or dog. There are also imps that are merely spirits tied to a vessel. These vessels can be anything from stuffed animals to bottles or urns. The Familiar’s spirit possesses the vessel, which then it seeks to serve the witch. It can be an actual spirit or even created by a witch (or even by another spirit). Now the interesting part of this is that the living creatures can even act as vessels for familiar spirits.

Imps are the creatures you see depicted being fed blood from witches. Witches allow familiars to suckle blood from their witch marks to forge the pact between the two. The imp receiving care and food, and the witch receiving aid and power from the imp. The pact between the two is what makes an imp the witches’ familiar (vs just a regular pet or spirit).

Familiar spirits

A witch can have many familiar spirits, which take many forms. Though, they tend to be animal in form. There are some known to be human or even “supernatural” in form. There are descriptions of familiar spirits that are fairies, spirits of the dead, saints, devils, demons, and even angels. Some witches state they had certain plants as their familiars.

They take similar roles to spirit guides and spirit helpers; however, they, like imps, also require a pact as well. A witch can have many familiar spirits all that serve their needs depending on the reason for the pact. However, the pact isn’t always made through physical means vs the pact made with imps.

Bloodline Familiars

Bloodline familiars are those that are passed down from hereditary practices, from parent to child. Covens have also been known to have these, and can give access to these familiars through initiatory means. They are familiars that serve specific bloodlines or groups, and only grant their power and aid to those within it.

One can also argue that a Bloodline familiar is not truly a spirit, but rather an icon. A symbol of that family or coven, in which appears in dreams as a sign or omen. I attempted to do more research into this, but it was only mentioned in one of my texts, “There is that which is used as the coven “totem” animal, mentioned earlier in connection with the symbolism of the witch bracelet. This symbolic animal form is decided upon at the formation of a coven by mutual agreement among the members and after much introspection and divination. The chosen totemic animal form or forms, for there may be several, is then ritually “assumed” by coven members during the chain dance at the Sabbat itself, and also should they at any time wish to indulge in the practice of “sending for the fetch,” commonly Omens and auguries of coming events may also be drawn by the seasoned practitioner from the appearance on the scene of one such specimen of a coven totem, a grey bird maybe or a large black cat. Part of this witchlore may have filtered out in the past and now be responsible for the common public beliefs about lucky or unlucky black cats crossing one’s path, and so on,” (Mastering Witchcraft by Paul Huson).

As a note, I believe it is more fitting to call these another name other than “Totem” familiars. It would be better to call them Bloodline Familiars. The source was written in the 70s. Though I do love that book, it does not address cultural appropriation. 

The Pact (how does one get a familiar?)

The pact is something that is spoken of within many witch confessions and trials. The witch obtains the familiar, forges a pact, and begins the relationship. Familiars were told to appear in a few different ways.

given from a spirit (the devil)

passed down from another witch

appearing by chance

created by the witch’s own “evil” desire (this references that familiars can be created by the witch themselves)

appearing after a great rite or initiation

There are those that believe every witch will have at least one familiar, whether it be a physical creature or not. Though, familiars don’t appear in every witch lore. It is mostly common in western European witch lore.

What does the pact entail? Typically, it involved the feeding of blood to the familiar to strengthen the bond and forge the union. I’ve seen reference to a few other methods such as spiritual sacrifice, offering of milk or food from the same dish, or even scraping off bits of your kitchen table to feed the familiar. Others reference to rituals being performed to summon the fetch and create the bond. Though one thing is very important, the witch and familiar must be bound to one another body and spirit.

This allows the witch to travel to the Sabbat with their familiar, perform magical acts with them, or even hag ride them into the night.

Hope this helped clear a bit up! My resources are below. As a note: I do reference reading Margaret Alice Murray, not for her incorrect theories, but for her amazing resources. When reading her books focus on quoted references. You can also do further research by searching into her sources (though some are difficult to find).

reading list

Demonology: demons & devils / Spiritual Warfare By Dr. Phillip Botha

Witches’ Familiars in England by M. A. Murray

Malevolent Nurture: Witch-Hunting and Maternal Power in Early Modern England by Deborah Willis

The Esoteric Codex: Supernatural Legends By Cedrick Pettigrove

The History of Witchcraft and Demonology by Montague Summers

Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic by Emma Wilby

The Visions of Isobel Gowdie: Magic, Witchcraft and Dark Shamanism in Seventeenth-Century Scotland by Emma Wilby

Traditional Crafte translated by Robin Artisan

Mastering Witchcraft by Paul Huson

The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer

The Witch-Cult in Western Europe by Margaret Alice Murray

Irish Witchcraft and Demonology by St. John D. Seymour

As my personal grimoire here has grown, I finally felt it was time to begin compiling posts from amazing witches into lists for people to use as references in their own learning (None of this information is my own, I just feel that it needs to be shared).

So here is my current list of posts relating to the magickal properties and uses of herbs, this is an ever growing list so check back to see if there have been any additions or send me a message if you find a post that you think should be on the list and don’t forget to follow the people who originally posted these amazing information sheet, they really deserve your support.

General Information ☽  Herblore ☽  List of Herbs and their Uses ☽  How to use Herbs ☽  Witch’s Garden ☽  The Magick of Rosemary ☽  The Magick of Cloves ☽  Herbalist Symbols ☽  Sabbat Herbs + Incense ☽  Herbal Incense

Storage ☽  Mini herb storage ☽  How to Store Magickal Herbs ☽  How to Dry Magickal Herbs

Magickal Associations ☽  Herbs Associated with the Dead ☽  Herbs in Rituals ☽  Banishing Herbs

Kitchen Witchery ☽  Kitchen Herbs ☽  Elder Flower Syrup ☽  DIY Salves

Pouches ☽  Sleep Tight Sachet Baths ☽  Herbal Tea Baths ☽  Herbal Bath ☽  Purification Bath

Teas ☽  Herbal Teas ☽  Calm Anxiety Tea ☽  Good Day Tea ☽  Witch’s Brew - Tea Recipes ☽  Herbal Tea Remedies ☽  Evening Tea

I will be gradually expanding this list as I find more useful information, I hope this helps someone, I am certainly using all of this information.

Don’t forget to follow the original posters, they post some great information.

It's about time I make another one of these posts

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“I am focused” and “I am full of energy” sigils

Hi! I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about your 'getting to know you' spread for a new deck? It probably sounds silly but my new deck feels a bit 'reluctant' compared to my previous one, if that makes sense, and I was wondering if you had any pointers 😊

Hello! First off, you don’t sound silly at all. Some decks, just like some people, are a little shy or reticent when they meet someone and need a prompt to open up. Which is where Deck Interviews, like my Getting to Know You spread, come in. 

The standard deck interview, which I first came across quite a few years ago, is a six card draw. However, as I’ve worked I’ve expanded on that and my current spread is a nine draw. Yes, this is because I’m quite attached to the magical significance of 3x3 but also because I’m one of those people who can’t resist tinkering to make things personal. 

Caveat at this point to say everyone should please feel free to change this in anyway that feels right to you.

So, the spread itself:

The five cards in the bottom row focus solely on the deck:

1. What is your nature? Basically tell me about yourself, give me an idea of your character.

2. What are your strengths? Tell me what type of readings you’re going to excel at.

3. What do you like doing best? Which may at first glance look like a repeat of question 2, but it isn’t. I have observed that, again like people, some decks may not always enjoy doing the thing they are best at - I’m brilliant at maths but I get much more joy out of reading tarot and writing (which I’m good at but not as good as I am at maths).

4. What are your weaknesses? Tell me what type of readings you’re going to struggle with.

5. What do you not like doing? Again, like people, the thing your deck might like least may not correspond to what it is weakest at.

The three cards in the middle row focus on the immediate relationship between you and the deck:

6. How do you feel about me? (no explanation needed)

7. What do you think I need to learn? Tell me what you’ve come into my life to teach me/help me understand.

8. How can I work to achieve that? Tell me what you want us to focus on first.

The final card on the top row is looking ahead at the relationship between you and the deck:

9. Where do you see us going together? Tell me which path we’re on, in this journey we’re about to take together!

I hope that helps. If you do use it, or create your own deck interview spread from this, please do share the results!