Latest Posts by zen-the-wizard - Page 6

Timing: Sabbats

Yuletide:

Beverages: Ale, Eggnog, Spiced Ginger, & Wine. Creatures: Donkey, Doves, Goats, Robins, & Turkey. Deities: Artemis, Brigid, Holly King, Morrigan, & Odin. Flowers: Chamomile, Comfrey, Fir, Holly, & Mistletoe. Herbs: Cinnamon, Frankincense, Myrrh, & Sandalwood. Minerals: Diamond, Garnet, Gold, Pearls, Quartz, & Ruby. Nutrients: Berries, Fruits, Nuts, Pastries, & Poultry. Practices: Hanged Yule Balls, Yule Tree, & Yule Log. Saplings: Birch, Evergreen, Oak, Pine, & Yew. Shades: Gold, Red, Green, Silver, Yellow, & White. Symbols: Candles, Holly, Mistletoe, & Yule-Logs. Timing: December Twenty First till January First.

Imbolc:

Beverages: Cream, Herbal Teas, Milk, & Spiced Wines. Creatures: Cattle, Dragons, Lambs, Phoenix, & Sheep. Deities: Aphrodite, Bastet, Brigid, & Cerridwen. Flowers: Carnation, Chamomile, Iris, Pansy, & Poppy. Herbs: Angelica, Basil, Bay-laurel, Heather, & Myrrh. Minerals: Amethyst, Calcite, Carnelian, & Malachite. Nutrients: Grain, Poppy, Raisins, Seeds, & Tomatoes. Practices: Making Brigid’s Cross or Doll & Feasts. Saplings: Birch, Blackthorn, Rowan, and Sycamore. Shades: Browns, Greens, Whites, and Yellows. Symbols: Candles, Brideogs, Brigid’s Cross, Bonfires. Timing: First through the Second of February.

Ostara:

Beverages: Eggnog, Juices, Lemonade, & Wines. Creatures: Chicks, Dragons, Lambs, Rabbits, & Robins. Deities: Demeter, Eostre, Persephone, & Prosperina. Flowers: Daffodils, Honeysuckle, Lilacs, & Tansies. Herbs: Lavender, Marjoram, Meadowsweet, & Wheat. Minerals: Amazonite, Amethyst, Aquamarine, & Rose Quartz. Nutrients: Beans, Eggs, Grain, Ham, Nuts, & Seeds. Practices: Bake, Cleanse, Feast, Forage, & Manifest. Saplings: Acorn, Dogwood, Elder, Olive, Pine, & Willow. Shades: Pastel Blues, Greens, Pinks, Purples, & Yellows. Symbols: Butterflies, Chicks, Clovers, Eggs, & Hares. Timing: The First and Second of March.

Beltaine:

Beverages: Ales, Honeyed Teas, May Wine, & Meads. Creatures: Bees, Doves, Hares, Lambs, Swallows, & Swans. Deities: Apollo, Bacchus, Cernunnos, Freya, & Odin. Flowers: Daffodils, Lilacs, Lilly of the Valley, & Violets. Herbs: Honeysuckle, Lavender, Meadowsweet, & Mint. Minerals: Bloodstone, Emerald, Rose Quartz, & Sapphire. Nutrients: Aphrodisiacs, Grains, Honey-Cakes, & Poultry. Practices: Bonfires, Visiting Holy Wells, & the May-Pole Ritual. Saplings: Hawthorn, Holly, Rowan, and Sycamore. Shades: Pastel Blues, Greens, Pinks, Whites, & Yellows. Symbols: Bonfires, Faeries, Garlands, Maypoles, & Rabbits. Timing: The First Day through the Second Of May.

Litha:

Beverages: Juices, Lemonade, Nectars, & Sun-Tea. Creatures: Cattle, Eagles, Hares, Hawks, & Horses. Deities: Demeter, Freya, Juno, Lugh, Ra, & Vesta. Flowers: Calendulas, Lavender, Roses, & Sunflowers. Herbs: Meadowsweet, Mint, Mugwort, & Yarrow. Minerals: Carnelian, Citrine, Diamond, & Tigers Eye. Nutrients: Apricots, Grapefruit, Lemons, & Oranges. Practices: Baking, Bonfires, Foraging, & Picnics. Saplings: Fir, Elder, Holly, Laurel, Oak, & Rowan. Shades: Browns, Gold, Oranges, Reds, and Yellows. Symbols: Bonfires, The Fae, Oak Trees, & The Sun. Timing: June Nineteenth through the Twenty-Third.

Lughnasadh:

Beverages: Ciders, Meads, Sun-Tea, & Sun-Water. Creatures: Boars, Calves, Corvids, & Roosters. Deities: Ceres, Cernunnos, Cerriddwen, & Lugh. Flowers: Acacia, Honeysuckle, Myrtle, & Sunflower. Herbs: Frankincense, Myrrh, Sandalwood, & Wheat. Minerals: Amber, Carnelian, Citrine, & Tiger’s Eye. Nutrients: Berries, Breads, Corn, Grains, & Poultry. Practices: Baking, Bonfires, Gardening, & Harvesting. Saplings: Apple, Hawthorn, Heather, Myrtle, and Oak. Shades: Bronze, Gold, Oranges, Reds, & Yellows. Symbols: Bonfires, Cornhusks, Cornucopias, & The Sun. Timing: The First of Every August or February annually.

Mabon:

Beverages: Apple Cider, Ginger Tea, or Mulled Wine. Creatures: Blackbirds, Deer, Owls, Salmon, & Wolves. Deities: Cernunnos, Demeter, Persephone, & The Morrigan. Flowers: Chamomile, Marigolds, Rosehips, & Sunflowers. Herbs: Cinnamon, Frankincense, Ginger, Sage, & Thistle. Minerals: Amber, Citrine, Jasper, Obsidian, & Tiger’s Eye. Nutrients: Corn, Gourds, Grains, Pumpkins, & Squash. Practices: Apple Picking, Bonfires, & Dumb Suppers. Saplings: Aspen, Cedar, Maple, Oak, Pine, & Rue. Shades: Browns, Copper, Oranges, Reds, & Yellows. Symbols: Cornucopia, Leaves, Pinecones, & Seeds. Timing: The annual occurrence of the Autumnal Equinox.

Samhain:

Beverages: Apple Cider, Cranberry Juice, & Mulled Wine. Creatures: Bats, Cattle, Crows, Felines, & Ravens. Deities: Hades, Hecate, Hel, The Morrigan, & Rhiannon. Flowers: Chamomile, Marigolds, Rosehips, & Sunflowers. Herbs: Cinnamon, Frankincense, Mugwort, & Valerian. Minerals: Amber, Citrine, Jasper, Obsidian, & Tiger’s Eye. Nutrients: Gourds, Grains, Pumpkins, Poultry, & Squash. Practices: Apple Picking, Bonfires, & Dumb Suppers. Saplings: Aspen, Cedar, Maple, Oak, Pine, & Rue. Shades: Blacks, Browns, Oranges, Purples, & Reds. Symbols: Bats, Coffins , Jack o’ Lanterns, & Ghosts. Timing: October Thirty First.

Witch tip:

Put moon water in your diffuser!! It’s a quick way to cleanse your space if you’re short on time, can’t burn incense, or you’re a closet witch!

🌿🌱🌻🪴

🌌 Witchcraft PSA: The Chakras & Cultural Appropriation ❌

Warning: This is probably the longest post I've written so far, so be prepared for a VERY long read.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert, a historian, or a theologist. I am simply a witch, a student, and a POC living in the United States where many aspects of pagan spirituality are often appropriated from other cultures and perpetuated through simple ignorance. I'm sure this post will generate some type of controversy, but I do not mean to attack anyone or their beliefs with this post.

So. Here's the big one, guys. The post I've been dreading making but have really wanted to write for a while.

Cultural appropriation is one of the hottest topics in the modern witchcraft community, and the discourse about it on tumblr is far-reaching and incendiary at best. The problem: Where should witches draw a line between explorational spirituality and cultural appropriation?

I'm not here to lay down laws of morality. I'm not the cultural police. But I DID have a very eye-opening experience recently that led me to create this post.

I'm a white-passing minority, and I won't pretend that this doesn't lend me a degree of privilege in America. Especially as a witch, many doors are open to me. Just within the witchcraft community, I look white enough to be welcomed whole-heartedly into most neopagan circles. That's not to say that blatant racism is abundant within the pagan community, but we can't deny that many non-white cultural practices are heavily stigmatized. For instance, as SOON as any of my "light worker" friends hears that I have a family background in Santeria and Brujeria, the FIRST thing I hear is, "Oh, I don't mess with that dark stuff," or "Well, I don't like the idea of hurting animals and other people." And don't get me started on the ignorant conversations one of my dark-skinned, Vodou-practicing friends has had to sit through before.

Like, what?

Because of this, I'm often the first person within my social circles to stand up for cultural barriers and denounce cultural stigma. Above all else, I try to respect the hell out of closed cultures and educate myself about cultural appropriation.

So, it was much to my dismay when I discovered that I have been culturally appropriating the chakra system for the last 11 years of my witchcraft practice.

The chakra system and its use in western occultism is one of the most heavily debated topics in the witchblr community. A simple search will yield dozens upon dozens of posts, each filled with witches claiming that usage of the chakra system either IS or IS NOT appropriation. For the most part, I've tried to stay out of this debate. I've incorporated the chakras into my practice since I began, but I thought my oriental heritage and my "thorough" understanding of the chakras made this okay. But, lo and behold, I was sorely mistaken.

So, after some deep research into this topic, and after talking to several Hindus and Buddhists, here's my attempt to shed some light on this issue.

What are the chakras (according to Western occultism)?

As a brief overview, the chakras are believed to be spiraling energy centers that exist within the subtle body. There are seven of them, and they lie along the spine in places where large amounts of nerves and vital organs exist. Similar to the way our brain is a large compilation of nerves, these chakras are believed to be the intersection points of energy currents within our spirit.

Each chakra rules over a particular psychological, physical, and spiritual state of being, and disruptions within the chakras are believed to lead to different types of mental, emotional, and physical illnesses.

These chakras are depicted as lotus flowers with varying numbers of petals, and each is represented by its own color. Each one also corresponds to a Sankskrit syllable mantra which is believed to activate the chakra when spoken aloud.

In order, they are:

❤ Muladhara - The Root Chakra - Connection to the Earth and the Self - Located at the base of the spine - Depicted as a red lotus with 4 petals - Mantra: LAM

🧡 Swadhisthana - The Sacral Chakra - Connection to sexuality and instinct - Located near the sexual organs - Depicted as an orange lotus with 6 petals - Mantra: VAM

💛 Manipura - The Solar Chakra - Connection to will and identity - Located in the Solar Plexus - Depicted as a yellow lotus with 10 petals - Mantra: RAM

💚 Anahata - The Heart Chakra - Connection to love and relationships - Located in the heart - Depicted as a green lotus with 12 petals - Mantra: YAM

💙 Vishuddha - The Throat Chakra - Connection to voice and communication - Located in the heart - Depicted as a blue lotus with 16 petals - Mantra: HAM

💜 Ajna - The Third Eye Chakra - Connection to spiritual awareness - Located above and between the eyes - Depicted as a purple lotus with 2 petals - Mantra: OM

🌈 Sahastrara - The Crown Chakra - Connection to Source/the Universe - Located at the top of the head - Depicted as either a purple, rainbow, or white lotus with 144,000 petals - Mantra: Silence

Along with these associations, each chakra is often associated with various crystals, herbs, and spirits.

What are the chakras within their original cultural context?

The concept of 'chakras' arose from a practice known as Tantric Yoga. This was a spiritual system that began to gain popularity in India and other eastern cultures between 600-1300 CE. Up until this point (and concurrently as well), most types of spirituality in these cultures was very transcendental - that is, they had a fundamental belief that the Divine was transcendent and inherently 'above' the natural world. Therefore, in order to commune with the divine, it was believed that the material world had to be renounced and denied, and higher states of consciousness had to be achieved in order to commune with divinity.

Tantric spirituality flipped the script. It adopted the idea that divinity was an inherent quality of the natural world, and that a person could freely commune with the divine by opening themselves up to the world around them through mindfulness and all-embracing compassion.

The philosophies and teachings of tantric yoga (loosely known as 'tantras') became extremely widespread throughout this period and dramatically shaped many emerging sects of Hinduism and Buddhism. As this philosophy spread, many different types of specific spiritual practices arose, many of which can be recognized in our Western ideas of holistic meditation - such as mantras, mudras, mandalas, and even modern Western yoga.

One such concept that gained popularity was the idea of chakras - focal points of spiritual energy in the body. However, these chakras were very different than what Westerners think of today.

There were a LOT of different traditions that arose from Tantric teachings, and each one had its own unique belief about chakras. The most obvious difference between these chakra traditions was that each one believed in a different number of chakras. Some systems had three, others had six, others had seven, others had nine, others had 10, others had 21, etc.

Each one approached the chakras a bit differently, and so each one believed in a different number of chakra centers.

What are some of the primary differences between Western Chakras and Tantric Chakras?

The most eye-opening difference for me was that Tantric chakras have none of the associations that Westerners believe in today. Original practitioners of Tantric spirituality did not associate specific colors with each chakra, they did not associate physical or psychological states with them, they did not associate any herbs or crystals or planets with them, and they did not even associate Sanskrit syllables with them. What's more, they didn't even believe they were located in fixed points on the body.

Loosely, they believed that the chakras - like all things spiritual - were very fluid. They could often be accessed through general areas of the body, but they definitely were not stagnant, fixed points. This also accounts for the varying number of chakras, because it was believed that the chakras would manifest in different ways depending on what traditional practice you used to approach them.

Many traditions did believe that these chakras could be depicted as lotus flowers with various petals, but these were not meant to inherently describe the individual chakra. Rather, these depictions were meant to serve as a visualization for a person to meditate on when trying to access a specific chakra.

Along with this, these traditions did not assign specific names or syllables to these chakras - at least not the ones we use today. Rather, it was believed that Sanskrit syllables carried an inherent magic or divine energy within them (similar to Kabbalistic views of the Hebrew language), and they assigned various letters and syllables to the petals of each lotus flower, which corresponded to various energies in nature.

The symbols, names, and Sanskrit syllables popularized in the West today don't even correspond to any kind of Tantric chakras. They actually correspond to the elements within certain traditions of eastern spirituality. They also are not meant to be uniquely associated with any individual chakra. Rather, these syllables were used in meditation to invoke specific elemental energies into different chakras depending on the situation.

If your tradition believed that the heart chakra could affect the relationships in your life, and your personal relationships happened to be very stagnant, you could vibrate the syllable for the Wind element and invoke that energy into your heart chakra to help your personal relationships become more dynamic. Etc.

This brings me to the final thing I'd like to talk about: Westerners are NOT using the chakras for their original purpose.

The only concrete associations that tantric traditions had for the chakras were deities. These traditions believed that each of their chakras was associated with a specific Hindu deity (though the specific order or deities listed varies between tradition and time period).

The original purpose of 'working with chakras' was to eventually invoke the energy of these specific deities into a person's chakras in order to become closer to these gods and goddesses and emulate their behavior and teachings in daily life.

How did the original concept of chakras get misconstrued in Western culture?

Oh, boy. This is a tough answer that's soaked in 1000 years of colonialism, racism, cultural and linguistic barriers, and simple misunderstandings.

But, simply put, the appropriation of tantric chakras can be narrowed down to four specific individuals.

In 1577, a spiritual teacher and academic named Purnananda Yati wrote a treatise of tantric teachings called the Shatchakra Nirupana, or roughly 'An Explanation of the Six Chakras'.

In this treatise, Purnananda lays out the modern framework we see today - six chakra centers within the human spirit, with an additional seventh chakra above the head that connects the spirit to the divine source. He based this concept off of an earlier writing from the 13th century, which also details this framework but openly acknowledges that this is just ONE tradition, and that many other traditions also exist.

In 1918, a British scholar named John Woodroffe translated Purnananda's treatise from Sanskrit into English, and unfortunately, there were many mistranslations in Woodroffe's version. This translation was what eventually gained extreme popularity throughout academic and occult circles in the West.

Throughout the 1930's, 40's, and 50's, the renowned European psychologist, Carl Jung (who you might recognize from your Psych 101 class), became fascinated with the idea of chakras and their relation to consciousness. Throughout this time period, Jung wrote extensively about potential connections between the seven chakra centers and various psychological states. This is where the chakras became associated with different states of being, such as instinct, will, and sexuality.

Finally, in 1987, an American occultist and spiritualist named Anodea Judith published a book entitled Wheels of Life. In this book, Judith talks extensively about the seven chakras, and even lists correspondences between the chakras and various herbs, crystals, elements, planets, tarot cards, deities, and archangels.

Her book became wildly popular within holistic and spiritual circles, and set in stone the way that modern neo-pagans view the chakras in the West.

So, are chakras part of a closed culture?

Yes and no.

Chakras as we view them in the West are, at best, a distorted and bastardized version of a beautiful, ancient belief. They were studied and theorized by many traditions for over a thousand years, and many of these traditions still exist today. Most commonly, they are still used in Shaivism, which is one of the most prevalent forms of Hinduism in the East.

Many of these living traditions ARE, in fact, closed. But more than that, to perpetuate (and worse, claim spirituality from) a distorted, white-washed version of an Eastern religious belief is just plain disrespectful and potentially racist at its worst.

That being said, though, there are certain living traditions which ARE NOT closed, such as the exceedingly popular Tibetan Buddhism. These traditions recognize many of the same teachings and are freely shared with people of any nationality or background - as long as you put in the work to learn about them.

The Main Takeaway

The chakras, as viewed in the West, are incorrect. This is not to disclaim any type of spiritual experience Westerners may have had by utilizing chakras in their practice, but I'm of the opinion that Westerners should recognize that the "chakras" they believe in don't actually have any basis in ancient spirituality.

That being said, the concept of a subtle body and energy centers within the human spirit is not unique to the Far East.

The concept of currents and centers of energy within the body can be found in cultures the world over, from India to Japan to Korea to Africa to the Middle East, and even among the Native Americans who never came into contact with these other cultures (as far as we know).

The human soul, the subtle body, and spiritual energy are concepts that supercede cultural boundaries, and if studying and utilizing them is an integral part of your craft, then I encourage you to follow your personal path and find connection with the Universe in whatever way you feel called to.

But. Perhaps developing your own unique system and beliefs about the energy centers within the body is the best course of action for us Westerners. Until we ourselves make the effort go join one of those (open) traditions, subscribing to the modern Western system of "chakras" is, in my opinion, cultural appropriation.

• • •

Brightest blessings, and best of luck 🌙

Shadow Work Prompts 1

1. what emotion do you try to avoid (e.g. anger, sadness, jealousy...)? what makes you afraid to feel it? what are you afraid will happen if you feel it?

2. in what ways are you priviliged? what do you take for granted?

3. pick an adjective from the list below that would trigger you if someone would use it to desscribe you and then ask yourself: "why would this trigger me? what would be bad about it being true? is it the accuracy or inaccuracy that bothers me? what could be a positive aspect to being that way?"

list: arrogant, lier, jealous, mean, cruel, possessive, bitchy, bossy, loser, greedy, mysterious, sneaky, codependent, sick, fat, disgusting, stalker, stupid, idiot, fearful, unconscious, masochistic, narcissist, insignificant, frigid, sexist, manipulative, racist, victim, egositic, arrogant, ugly, careless, passive, aggressive, lame, boring, tactless, irresponsible, incompetent, lazy, unfair, childish, know-it-all, insensitive, psychotic, sad, ordinary, hypocritical, reproachful, gloomy, jealous, envious dirty, tyrannical, inflexible, heartless, resentful, dominant, bad, ignorant, uneducated, tasteless, insecure, depressed, hopeless, not good enough, cry baby, paranoid, pushy, stubborn, inferior, weak , impatient, unreliable, self-destructive, over-sensitive

4. what is the biggest promise you made to yourself that you have broken? how does that make you feel?

5. how do you lie to yourself in daily life? what are you trying to avoid?

6. what do you think is your worst trait? why is it "bad"? what positive aspects does this trait bring with it?

7. if you truly loved yourself, what would your life look like? is it very different to how it actually is? and if yes, why?

8. think of a time someone broke your heart. could you have been responsible in some way as well?

9. do you hold grudges against someone? if so, why are you not letting them go yet?

10. what do you need to forgive yourself for?

11. think back on the last time a person triggered you: can you see how the aspects of that person that triggered you are also in you?

12. ask yourself: "if... were true about me/my current life situation, i'd be terrified" (try to fill out this sentence as often as possible)

13. think back on your last argument/fight: did you actively try to see the other person's viewpoint and would there have been a way to be more compassionate with the other person and yourself?

14. think about a time in your childhood when you felt unhappy (small or big moment) and write a letter from your child self to the present you about how you felt and how you perceived the situation: try to take on that child as much as you can and write from its perspective as automatically as you can then write a letter back to that child, explaining the situation, showing empathy and understanding and asking how you can help now or which needs have to be met for that child to feel good again if you get answres from that child, then try to meet those needs today

15. In what areas of life are you holding back and playing small? (Think about the times you feel weak, small or disempowered.) Write them below and next to each explore why

16. In what ways do you feel judged by others? Write them below. Explore how many of these judgments might actually originate within you first (and are displaced onto others)

17. What negatives or positives do others point out about you that you have trouble accepting?

18. What emotions do you rarely express around others – and when did you first start hiding these emotions from others? (Emotional suppression and repression often point to areas of shame buried within you.)

19. Reflect on a period of life where you were at your worst (i.e. most selfdestructive, argumentative, etc.). Write a short, but heartfelt letter of understanding, acceptance, and compassion for that version of you. You can return to this letter later whenever you feel rotten about yourself.

20. What are your “hot buttons” or triggers that cause you to get angry or defensive in the presence of others?

Shadow Work Prompts 2

21. What qualities in your family members do you most dislike or have trouble dealing with? What might these qualities in your loved ones secretly reveal about you?

22. In which areas of life do you tend to expect others to conform to your beliefs? (Also, what scares you the most about allowing others to have their own beliefs in that area?)

23. When are you the most critical of yourself? Explore what your self-talk sounds like below.

24. Describe five things you love about yourself and feel gratitude about.

25. How judged do you tend to feel on a daily basis? Explore how much of that perceived judgment is real and how much is imagined.

26. Take a look at the best and most enjoyable aspect of your life right now. What is your underlying fear in that area and why?

27. Write about the last time you tried to manipulate a situation to your advantage and examine how you feel about that in hindsight.

28. If you could say one thing to the person who's hurt you the most right now, what would it be and why?

29. What do you currently envy in someone else's life and why?

30. which of my weaknesses could have potential?

31. what makes me feel the happiest

32. how worthy do I honestly believe I am?

33. if I could communicate with the person I was 10 years ago today, I would say...

34. why do I have issues with trust?

35. the way I spend my daily life is how I will spend the rest of my life. how do I feel about this idea?

36. do I trust myself?

37. how can I have more trust?

38. which situations have shaped my personality and why?

39. while reflecting on my childhood, what makes me extremely angry or sad to this day?

40. my absolute dream life: how does my perfect day begin?

41. do I handle my feelings in a healthy and constructive way?

42. do I project certain aspects of myself onto others?

43. did my parents provide me with everything I needed?

44. what makes me really angry and why?

45. would I describe my childhood as happy?

46. what is it that makes me sad?

47. what do I consider the most challenging for me?

48. have I forgiven myself?

49. have I forgiven all the people who ever hurt me?

50. if I were to write a letter to a person who hurt me, what would it say?

51. how do I react when something does not turn out the way it should?

52. if I could write a letter to myself, apologizing for all the self-blame, what would it say?

Shadow Work Prompts 3

53. how can I cope with sadness in a healthy way?

54. which behavior that I know is wrong and has negative effects, do I repeat over and over again?

55.how long do I reflect on failures or mistakes? do I have difficulties in coming to terms with them or vice versa - do I suppress such experiences

56. do I find it hard to forgive?

57. how long do I need to forgive?

58. am I honest with myself about my feelings?

59. am I honest with other people about my feelings?

60. do I completely accept and love myself the way I am?

61. do I reward myself when I accomplish something productive?

62. how do I deal with failures?

63. what is it that I would like to heal from?

64. what are my negative personality traits and, when do they emerge?

65. what is a pattern in my life that keeps showing up.

66. where am I struggling the most?

67. how does the feeling of envy show up in my life? where does it stem from? how would I feel if I obtained the things I am envious of?

68. in what ways do I consciously or unconsciously punish myself? how can I be kinder to myself?

69. what should I forgive myself for? why haven't I yet? how can I now?

70. what unhealthy attachments do I hold onto? what fears do I have around the idea of ending these attachments? what do I have to gain from ending these attachments?

71. what negative emotions am I most comfortable feeling? how often and why do these emotions show up in my day to day?

72. in what ways do I hold myself to a higher standard than others? vice versa?

73. what is a grudge/incident I'm holding onto? why do I choose to hold onto this weight? how can I let it go?

74. how do I show up for others and fail to show up for myself?

75. how important am I to myself? how highly do I prioritize myself?

76. what am I addicted to?

77. what are my delusions?

78. how have I been ignorant?

79. how have I been distracting myself?

80. What are some things you've said to yourself recently that weren't so nice? Would you say that to somebody else? How would you react if somebody else said those things to you?

90. Name 5-10 negative beliefs you have about yourself. Where do they come from? Do they have any validity? Why or why not?

91. Do you over-think, what causes this?

92. What are your morals? How do those morals make you feel - do they come from you, or someone else?

93. What are some qualities you wish you had, why?

94. what is my go-to self-destructive act? what is my love language? are they connected?

95. what would I tell my future self?

96. What are some intrusive thoughts you've had recently? What triggered those thoughts? What do you think the root cause is?

97. what are my weaknesses?

98. If you had the people who've hurt you in a position where they were forced to listen to what you had to say and take everything to heart, what would you say to them?

99. what will I never forget?

100. Think of a person you hate for "no reason". What are some things about them that bother you? Do these things remind you of yourself or someone who hurt you?

🌘- Low energy witch tips - 🌒

As someone who is often low on energy, I know the difficulties that can come with trying to maintain your craft. Especially if, like me, you’re hard on yourself about such things. So here are some low energy ideas you can use in your craft day to day:

🌕 - Pay a little more attention to the seasonings you put on your food or what you drink, you might be doing a bit of accidental magic already! Feeling like you need a little protection? Maybe use a bit of basil and a pinch of salt on your next meal if appropriate. There are tons of simple herbs and blended teas, smoothies ect. out there that can really help boost your day if you need them.

🌕 - Talk to your Deities or spirits casually. If they don’t mind it, that is, do be careful not to offend. Though it can’t be said for all deities or spirits, there are many that will appreciate being regarded even just with casual talk. Discuss things with them, talk about how your day went, things you are concerned over, whatever you please. They might even help with issues if they decide to do so or if they are capable and even if they don’t, most of them are at least pleased to be regarded, especially if you don’t have the energy to do much more than that on a daily basis.

🌕 - Sigils. Sigil everything. Though they cannot solve all problems, I have found that sigils are an effective way to combat a lot of the smaller issues in my life. They don’t require too much energy and there are plenty out there if you look for them, so you don’t even have to design your own. 

🌕 - Time spent researching is not time wasted. If you’re too tired to actually do any craft but want to do something involving it, perhaps try sitting down and doing some research. Read books, look on various websites, research things you’d never looked into before and you never know, you just might find something new that calls to you.

🌕 - Incense/fragrance magic. If you’re able to burn incense or scented candles then take advantage of it, find correspondences for the scents you have and light any that might help you in areas of your life you feel need to improve. If you can’t use those then perhaps you can find scented things for a bath/shower and relax with the scents those provide. 

🌕 - Commune using music. You’d be surprised how many deities and spirits enjoy music. Relax with some you feel will be appropriate, even if it’s not at all traditional and you just might find yourself surprised about what they can enjoy. 

🌕 - If you have to go out, look out for items that might help bring your closer to your craft. Going to the supermarket? Perhaps take a brief look in the herb section. If you have a patron deity that enjoys a certain food item then perhaps see if you can get some. It doesn’t even have to cost money if you’re lucky, sometimes you might simply find something on your travels (a feather, a certain stone that looks perfect, a pinecone) and it may work in some way towards your craft. 

🔮🤍🌿✨

get the fuck away from me spell

this is a basic and powerful banishment spell to keep a toxic, malicious person from influencing you, affecting your world, and attempting to hurt you. best done during a waning moon. you will need:

> black pepper (banishment, protection from evil)

> cloves (banishing hostile and negative forces)

> vinegar (banishing, binding, and averting evil)

> black and white candle

> paper and pen with black ink

> a jar with a lid

1. as you light your candles, recognize that the flame creates an aura of fire, will and strength. the black candle burns and summons protection from evil; the white candle burns and brings you cleansing and purifying. meditate on the flames and allow their warm auras to surround you.

2. write the person’s full name (if it’s known) on a small piece of paper. hold the paper in your hands and let yourself feel angry, hurt, sad, or whatever this person makes you feel. charge the paper with the pain this person has caused you, until you feel done. then, take your pen and scribble out the person’s name until it’s completely blacked out and opaque.

3. fold the paper up as many times as you can, and throw it in the jar. sprinkle the pepper and cloves over the paper, then fill the jar with vinegar. this mixture banishes their evil from you and drowns out their will and power to harm you. close the jar tightly. if you wish, use some black wax from your candle to drip onto the lid and seal the jar shut.

4. place your banishment jar in a dark, hidden place, like the bottom drawer of a dresser or the corner of a closet. keep it forever, or until you feel its purpose is fulfilled.

Rose Quartz Wands 🌹💗

Available at verbenalune.com ✨

Witch Tip 34

ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE HERBS YOUR ABOUT TO INGEST WON T FUCKING KILL YOU

Top 10 Lines in Palmistry.

Palmistry is an art of reading the hands. It is believed that everyone in this world has a destiny, which can be determined by analyzing the lines, rings and mounts on one’s hand. Out of these, lines and rings on the hand of a person are more important in context with palmistry-

1. Life Line Life line is obviously the most important line that can be found on the hand. By analysing it, one can determine how long will the bearer live and the ups and downs that he will face in his life.  It starts below the mount of Jupiter (below index figure) and passes through the mount of Venus.

2. Head Line Brain is considered to be one of the most important organs of the body and line of head could tell how intelligent is the bearer of the line of head is expected to be. A long and straight line reflects a practical man whereas a curvy line of head means that the person is more creative than practical. It starts below mount of Jupiter and passes straight dividing the palm.

3. Heart Line Line of Heart is situated above the Line of Head and it determines the emotional level of a person. A short line indicates possibility of a heart attack and a complete absence of Line of Heart means that the person has no emotions in him and is likely to be of a criminal nature.

4. Fate Line The line of fate determines the fortune of a person. A straight and unbroken line of fate means that the person will be lucky in this life while a broken line of fate means that the person is likely to see lots of misfortunes during his life.

5. Sun Line Line of sun in situated below the ring finger. It determines the amount of success that a person is likely to attain in his life. A strong line of sun is considered a sign of a successful person.

6. Health Line Line of health is situated below the mount of mercury (under the little finger). It can determine the health of a person and generally, it is considered as a good sign, if this line is light or is not present at all; such a person is expected to live a healthy and ailment free life.

7. Marriage Line It is a small line situated just above the line of heart at the corner of the mount of mercury. One can have one of more line of marriage. The stronger lines represent marriage relationship while the lighter ones reflect affairs. An absence of line of marriage would mean that the person will not get married in this life.

8. Ring of Saturn It is in shape of a half moon and it surrounds the middle finger. The person, who has such a ring, is expected to be of a very serious nature and someone who likes to live alone. Generally, it is not considered a good sign to have such a ring on the hand.

9. Ring of Venus This ring starts from the middle of little finger and ring finger and end in the mid of index finger and middle finger. The bearer of such a ring is likely to be extravagant and is expected to lose his fortune due to this habit.

10. Ring of Sun This ring occupies position below the sun finger or the ring finger. Like other rings, ring of sun too is not considered to be a good sign. The bearer of such a ring is expected to be too proud and egoist in nature.

Urban.Folkwitch

333

Your guides are with you

Different Types of Wood for Wands

Alder - Support, foundation, magical beginnings, fire and water magic 

Apple - An apple wand is used for love magic, for rituals designed to establish contact with the Otherworld, for initiation, and for fertility rituals 

Ash - The ash is a great conductor of magical force, traditionally used for witches’ broomsticks, druids’ wands, and cunning men’s staffs; the use of the ash wand connects the magician to all three realms, and when using an ash wand he or she acts within all three 

Aspen - The aspen is used to invoke magical shields, for protection, and for healing 

Bay - The bay tree is associated with the sun god and his powers of protection, healing, and divination; a bay wand may be used in all these rituals 

Beech - The beech tree is associated with written knowledge; use a beech wand for spells and rituals concerning such knowledge, and in the consecration of written talismans 

Birch - The birch is a tree of fertility, but is also a powerful magical force in rituals of purification and the banishment of negativity

Blackthorn - A blackthorn wand can be used for great good or great ill; it is a powerful magical protection, but also an instrument of cursing, used anciently to invoke the Wild Hunt to carry off the soul of an enemy 

Bramble - Healing 

Buckthorn - Healing Cypress-Rites for the dead, crossing the gates of the underworld 

Elder - Rites of the crone goddess, rites of Samhain and winter, fairy contact, healing, and summoning spirits 

Elm - Rites of the Goddess, feminine magic 

Hawthorn - Protection, invoking a psychic shield, fairy contact, the rite of Beltane, and Goddess magic 

Hazel - A good general-purpose wand, some say this is the most efficacious of all wands; a hazel wand is sometimes called the wishing rod 

Holly - Rites of male magic, warrior magic, protection from negative forces Ivy-Binding magic, protection from psychic attack Juniper-For warding off the evil eye, exorcism 

Linden - Feminine power and rites of the Goddess 

Maple - Handfastings, rituals of celebration 

Mistletoe - Rites of healing, luck, and good fortune 

Oak - Rites of protection, general-purpose magic, Midsummer, divination, fairy contact, Otherworld magic 

Pine - Gaining knowledge, fire magic, illumination 

Poplar - Divination 

Rowan - Protection, divination Service 

Tree - Protection, or as an all-purpose wand

Spindle Tree - Spinning and weaving magic, creating magic, Goddess magic 

Whitebeam - Earth magic 

Willow - Bardic magic, healing, Goddess magic, feminine magic, rebirth, purification 

Yew - Initiation, funeral rites

*Credit to original author - If anyone knows who it is please let me know 

Spending the first new moon of the year with devotions to Persephone ♥️

⚡️How to Enchant Items⚡️

This is a basic guide on how to enchant everyday objects from necklaces and rings to phones and laptops. Whatever you want to enchant, go ahead and charm it! ⚡️This is not the only way to look at enchantment or do enchantments! Practice and explore to find what suits you best.⚡️

To break it down, enchanting is just giving an item purposed energy. All you need is intent + an energy source! The correspondences of that energy source will be transferred to your object. For example, I could take a necklace and leave it in the sunlight so the sun’s energy can be transferred to the necklace to give me energy, warmth, and confidence (those are my correspondences of the sun). Tada! That necklace is now enchanted!  ⚡️Examples of energy sources: the sun, the moon, the weather, yourself, plants, herbs, crystals, electricity, the elements, sigils, etc.⚡️ You can also say a quick chant before or during the charging stage (charging is giving an item energy; the difference between charging and enchanting is that charging is giving an object energy without a specific purpose while enchanting involves giving an object purposed energy) to make that energy have a specific purpose. For example, I could take a ring and leave it on top of a rose quartz crystal and say, “This ring shall be energized with love.” Tada! That ring is now enchanted with the specific purpose of having loving energy! Rather than having all the correspondences of rose quartz transferred to my ring, it is now just the love aspect that has been given to my ring. So, how do you use these items once they’re enchanted? Just keep them close to you! If you want to be confident, for instance, I’d recommend enchanting a necklace and wearing it around your neck so that it’s closer to where you talk and also closer to where you think. You can also leave them in places where you reside in the most since some of your energy will linger there, such as your bedroom, your most frequented restaurant, etc.

⚡️Common energy sources: crystals, the sun, the moon, herbs, the elements, your own energy, a tarot deck, electricity, lit candles, incense, essential oils⚡️

Little witchy activities 🤍

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Elly Fairytale

Pink crystal magic

21 December Blessed Yule in the North! Blessed Litha in the South!

How to celebrate the Winter Solstice as a practitioner of Celtic (Irish) Paganism and witchcraft (the irish may not have been celts but our ancient customs are often described as Celtic)

•Collect Holly and make a clay wren to celebrate the defeat of Winter: Irish traditions often have different guardians to symbolise the Summer and Winter seasons. You may be familiar with Caileach and Bríd. But there are also other similar equivalents The mythical dark Holly King who rules the Winter , disguised as a wren, and his twin, the light Oak King who ruled the Summer, disguised as a robin. The Irish would kill a wren and decorate it with holly to represent the death of the Winter king. (This custom has been colonised by catholicism but the tradition remains)

Custom: You can now practice this ethically by making a wren out of biodegradable material and decorate it with wild holly.

•Wear a disguise: Similar to Samhain, in which the people wore masks to be concealed from evil spirits. During the day of the Wren the Irish would often wear masks and disguises. There are also plays that people used to preform around those times. Custom: Similar to halloween. There are plenty or ways to dress up. And theres no right way to do it. However here are some Irish people dressing up on Stephens Day.

•Celebrate the beginning of the sunny seasons: In Old Irish culture the new year began in October on Samhain. So rather than the new year, the solstice was most likely a way of predicting what type of year it would be for the crops. Custom: Do some divination, there is a lot of power in the shift from darkness into light. So its a good time to do tarot cards or divination. Though a lot of old irish divination was done using objects, weather and occurrences.

Collect some mistletoe: The old druids often collected mistletoe as it was known for bringing fertility to animals. Since a lot of this season has to do with the sunny weather and production of crops and food for the year ahead. Mistletoe is ideal for bringing fortune and blessings for the sunny seasons of the year. Custom: Try and find some mistletoe in the tree and cut it down with a golden knife and collect it in a white sheet.

DO NOT EAT MISTLETOE IT IS POISONOUS

Visit a well: there a lot of evidence to suggest that visiting magical wells was a pre-colonial tradition in Ireland. That was later claimed by the catholic church. There are still many beautiful wells that worshippers visit and put rags on the nearby trees. Custom: Find a local “holy” well with an ancient pagan origin and bring some organic rags to decorate a nearby tree.

Happy Winter Solstice!!!!

using athames // ritual daggers

the athame (typically pronounced ah-tha-mey) is a blade used for ritual purposes both in traditional witchcraft and in neopagan practices like wicca. it is considered one of the four elemental tools in modern occultism, along with the wand, pentacle, and chalice. a typical athame is a small double-edged blade with a black handle (which sometimes features symbolic carvings).

purposes of the athame

contrary to naive assumptions, athames are not traditionally used for sacrifice or blood magick. they are used to direct energy during rituals, to represent the element of fire (though other practices associate it with air), for banishment rituals, and rituals involving fertility when accompanied with the chalice.

some practitioners strongly believe that the athame is not meant for any kind of physical cutting, while others will use its blade to cut plants, fabric, cord, and other things pertinent to a spell or ritual. keep in mind that the athame absorbs and channels the energy of what it interacts with, so avoid letting others use your athame and be mindful of what items you cut with it, if at all.

consecrating and blessing a new athame before use

when you get a new athame, it’s important to cleanse it and properly declare it your own. gather two candles, one white and one black. 

⤏ pass the athame’s blade over the white candleflame, which cleanses it of its previously held energies and purifies its intentions. 

⤏ pass the blade over the black candleflame, to endow it with protective properties.

⤏ finally, stick the blade into rich soil, to bless it with earth magick. wash the blade off with water, and it is ready to use.

ways to incorporate the athame into your craft

⤏ cast a circle by outlining it with the blade, channeling protective energy

⤏ cut open and re-close circles you’ve already cast by slicing and redrawing

⤏ use the blade to cut and harvest herbs for spellwork or kitchen witchcraft

⤏ carve sigils and other symbols into candles for candle magick

⤏ use the blade in banishing rituals to cut negative energy away

⤏ use in place of a wand during house exorcisms/protection spells

⤏ use in place of a wand during rituals involving fire

a few easy rituals you can perform with just an athame

love ritual: hold the athame in your dominant hand and visualize the kind of relationship you want to have, or your ideal partner. trace a large heart in the air in front of you with the athame and walk through the energy-heart.

protection ritual: hold the athame in your dominant hand and say “may your blade protect me from harm and ill will.” hover the blade over your body, starting at the head and moving down to your feet.

banishing ritual: hold the athame in your dominant hand and reflect on what you want to banish, whether it be a person, bad habit, spirit, negative energy, or otherwise. say with confidence “i banish you and cast you away” and extend your arm quickly, sweeping the blade away from you and pointing it outward. do this three times, or until you feel satisfied.