Your gateway to endless inspiration
Prayer to Helios: A charm to restrain anger and for victory and for securing favor.
Instructions: Say to the Sun (Helios) seven times, and anoint your hand with oil and wipe it on your Head and Face.
"Rejoice with me, You who are set over the East Wind and the World, for whom all the Gods serve as Body-Guards at Your Good Hour and on Your Good Day, You who are the Good Daimon (God) of the World, the Crown of the Inhabited World, You who arise from the Abyss, You who Each Day rise a Young Man and set an Old Man. I beg You, Lord, do not allow me to be Over-Thrown, to be Plotted Against, to receive Dangerous Drugs, to go into Exile, to fall upon Hard Times. Rather, I ask to obtain and receive from You Life, Health, Reputation, Wealth, Influence, Strength, Success, Charm, Favor with all Men and all Women, Victory over all Men and all Women. Yes, Lord, accomplish this Matter which I want, by means of Your Power.”
[PGM XXXVI.211-30]
May Helios bless us all 💛🌻
Date: February 1st – 2nd Themes: Renewal, light, fertility, inspiration, purification Deity Association: Brigid (Celtic goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft)
1. Understanding Imbolc
Imbolc is a Celtic festival marking the halfway point between the Winter Solstice (Yule) and the Spring Equinox (Ostara). It celebrates the first signs of spring, fertility, purification, and the returning light. Traditionally associated with Brigid, Imbolc is a time to cleanse, set intentions, and welcome inspiration.
2. Preparing for Imbolc
Do a deep cleaning of your home (similar to spring cleaning) to invite fresh energy.
Use smoke cleansing (sage, rosemary, or incense) to purify your space.
Open windows and doors to let in fresh air and new energy.
Colors: White, red, green, gold
Symbols: Candles, milk, seeds, flowers, Brigid’s Cross, lambs, sun imagery
Crystals: Amethyst (intuition), citrine (light), garnet (passion), clear quartz (clarity)
Herbs & Plants: Chamomile, bay leaf, rosemary, snowdrops, and early spring flowers
3. Traditional Imbolc Rituals
Since Imbolc is a fire festival, lighting candles symbolizes the returning sun. You can:
Light a candle in every room at sunset.
Arrange candles in a circle and meditate on the growing light.
Use a red, white, or gold candle to represent Brigid’s presence.
Invocation of Brigid: "Brigid, goddess of hearth and home, Bless this space where I now roam. With fire and light, your warmth impart, Renew my spirit, heal my heart."
Leave a piece of fabric outside overnight to absorb Brigid’s blessings, then use it throughout the year for healing or protection.
Pour fresh milk or water outside as an offering to Brigid and nature spirits.
Place a small bowl of milk on your altar as a symbol of nourishment and fertility.
Write your intentions or wishes for the year ahead.
Burn them in a fire-safe bowl or fireplace while focusing on renewal.
Meditate on the warmth of the flame, visualizing the return of light and inspiration.
4. Imbolc Feasting & Food
Traditional foods focus on dairy, grains, and warming spices:
Milk-based foods (cheese, butter, custards, yogurt)
Breads & grains (oatcakes, bannocks, soda bread)
Spiced foods (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger)
Herbal teas (chamomile, peppermint, rosemary)
Hearty stews with root vegetables and lamb
Ingredients:
1 cup oats
1 cup flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tbsp butter
½ cup buttermilk
2 tbsp honey
Instructions:
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
Cut in butter until crumbly.
Stir in buttermilk and honey to form a dough.
Roll out and cut into rounds.
Cook on a greased skillet over medium heat until golden.
5. Imbolc Activities
Weave a Brigid’s Cross from straw, rushes, or paper.
Hang it over doors or hearths for protection and blessings.
Start indoor herbs or flowers as a symbol of new beginnings.
Snowdrops, crocuses, or daffodils are perfect for Imbolc.
Use tarot, runes, or scrying to gain insight into the year ahead.
Journal about your goals, creativity, and what you wish to manifest.
Look for signs of early spring: budding trees, returning birds, or sprouting flowers.
Gather natural items (fallen twigs, stones) for your altar.
6. Closing the Celebration
Thank Brigid and the spirits for their blessings.
Bury or compost food offerings to return energy to the earth.
Snuff out candles (rather than blowing them out) to preserve the magic.
Sit in stillness, embracing the warmth of the candlelight.
Focus on inner renewal and the new cycle ahead.
7. Modern Ways to Celebrate Imbolc
Take a warm cleansing bath with herbs like rosemary and lavender.
Donate to a charity (honoring Brigid’s healing and generosity).
Write poetry or create art to invoke creativity and inspiration.
Craft a protection charm using red and white thread.
Final Thoughts
Imbolc is a time of hope, renewal, and inspiration. Whether through fire rituals, feasting, crafting, or quiet reflection, embracing the light within and around you is the true essence of this festival.
Blessed Imbolc! 🌿🔥
┊ ➶ 。˚ "mighty aphrodite rising out of the sea foam" henry courtney selous (1803-1890)°
happy april 3, this is dedicated to aphrodite !! blessed be ♡
(NSFW warning)
🌹Roses, roses, roses. Rose soap, rose lip balm, rose hand cream, rose lotion, rose perfume, rose oil on my pillow before falling asleep, rose candles, rose incense, roses in my garden, rosewater toner, rose face mist, rose shower gel, dried roses in the bath... Just roses everywhere you can fit them.
🌹Reading romantic books and poetry, watching romance films
🌹 Reading books and poetry about Aphrodite
🌹Making myself feel beautiful with pretty jewellery and makeup. Even just a swipe of tinted lip balm boosts my confidence (I use French Girl Rose Noir). I try to wear at least a little bit of makeup or jewellery daily, even if it's just a pair of studs or a subtle lipstick
🌹 Even if I'm just staying at home all day I'll spray perfume and put on jewellery and do lipstick just to feel sensual while I'm lounging around playing Animal Crossing (currently wearing a comfy embroidered nightie, small gold hoops, a pretty bracelet and a little bit of YSL Orange Perfecto lipstick as I write this)
🌹 Embracing my sensuality. Swaying my hips, feeling the softness of my body, dancing freely, engaging in self-pleasure, taking nudes, trying to unlearn the shame associated with sexuality from my upbringing. I don't watch porn often as I find most of it unhealthy and misogynistic (I only like this one random Japanese couple's channel and some vintage and Korean softcore), but I enjoy toys (my favourite is the rose), erotic literature, erotic film, audio porn (usually in other languages because I find a lot of dirty talk just makes me cringe but I still get enjoyment out of hearing little moans and silky low voices so I get that and avoid secondhand embarrassment from bad dirty talk by listening to it in languages I don't understand), and erotic fine art.
🌹 I try to get really comfortable when I'm engaged in self love. Lipstick and perfume on, hair styled, lingerie or nightie that makes me feel sexy, a candle lit or rose, ylang ylang and jasmine oil in my diffuser, soft music playing. Then I'll position myself comfortably, and stroke my thighs, tease my nipples, squeeze my breasts, lick my juices off my fingers and use it like a lipstick, painting my lips and nipples or using it to lightly lubricate my clitoris. Running my hands all over my belly, thighs and breasts, experimenting with different types of pressure and stimulation. Just luxuriating in the sensual feelings I can bring to my beautiful female body.
🌹 Wearing jewellery with seashells, pearls, emerald, ruby, bronze, copper, gold, jade, garnet and iridescent beads
🌹 Enjoying apples, honey, figs, pomegranates, strawberries, raspberries, olives, lettuce, rosewater and chocolate. I like buying Guylian chocolates as they're seashell shaped, but any chocolate will do (my favourite chocolate bar to buy is white chocolate with strawberries). I also like foods that you can taste the rosewater in like rose macarons and Turkish delight.
🌹 Making foods with ingredients she likes, like honey cakes, Persian rose love spell cookies, rosewater nougat, Persian love cake, baklava, cornes de gazelle, mhencha, etc... I mostly stick to Mediterranean, North African, Arab and Persian recipes, as they commonly use ingredients like rosewater, honey, pomegranates, and figs.
🌹 Carrying rose quartz in my pocket and keeping rose quartz under my pillow
🌹 I use a rose quartz roller to massage oil into my face
🌹 I keep a mini Venus de Milo statue and a swan trinket box on my bedside table
🌹 Drinking a drink made up of honey, cinnamon, milk and hot water at night to relax
🌹 Wearing pretty lingerie under my clothes, even if it's a basic outfit
🌹 I often fall asleep to the sound of ocean waves
🌹 Gold highlighter swept on my cheeks and body shimmer on my collarbones, reflecting light like sun rays on the ocean
🌹 Doing little offerings, like spritzing her statue with perfume, or offering up a portion of food I'm eating that I think she'd like
🌹 Lighting incense in scents like myrrh, frankincense, rose, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and jasmine
🌹 Drawing myself relaxing baths with fragrant oils and salts
🌹 Reading hymns, Sappho's poetry, and listening to Athanati Afroditi
🌹 Listening to music that's romantic or sensual (this is my playlist)
🌹 Carrying a hand mirror and admiring myself as I check my makeup
🌹 Adding honey to tea
🌹 Writing letters and poetry about love and beauty
🌹Admiring women I find beautiful without jealousy or resentment, just appreciation
🌹Using these emojis: 🌹🦢🌊🪞🍎❤️💘💗💕💋🕊️🫒💄
🌹 Wearing pink, red, aqua, and seafoam green
🌹 Being consistent in self care. No matter how low my spoons are, unless I'm so dog-tired I end up falling asleep on the couch at 8pm, I force myself to do my evening skincare routine - cleansing, toning, eye cream, moisturiser, oil. And I always feel better for it even if I was exhausted before. Much smaller but I'm also consistent in oiling the ends of my hair daily and spraying perfume before bed. And I keep up with getting my hair done and brows waxed every three months without fail.
🌹 Doing exercises that make me feel sensual. I'm really lazy tbh but I push myself because I know Aphrodite would want me to take care of my body. I pick exercises that make me feel good and desirable, like yoga flow, belly dance, and exercises that target my womanly attributes.
🌹 Giving compliments!
🌹 Doing a big self care day every Friday (the day associated with her). Hot oil hair treatment, foot soak and exfoliation, removing old nail polish and buffing and filing nails, face mask, teeth whitening....
🌹 Going to the pond in winter and admiring the swans
🌹 Going to an art gallery in my city just to look at the painting Venus and Cupid (Day) by Fragonard
🌹 Sleeping on silk sheets as they feel sensual (they're also good for your hair and skin)
🌹 Making my own diffusers and cosmetics from natural, aphrodisiac products. Homemade bath salt with rose petals and pink salt, homemade lip mask with olive oil and rose oil, and adding oil of rose, jasmine, sandalwood, and cinnamon to a diffuser as I find these scents stimulating and sensual.
🌹 And of course, thanking Lady Aphrodite every day.
— Aphrodite is iridescence, like the shimmer of pearls and seashells, like glittering jewels in the sea
Divination
Tarot/Oracle decks
Pendulums
Rune stones
Charm casting supplies
Crystal balls
Scrying bowls
All divination tools
Cookie fortunes
Tea leaves
Art
Paint brushes/paints
Canvases
Colored pencils/markers/crayons
Collages
Journals
Art books
Art prints
Anything you made
Sculptures
Zines
Stickers
Any art supplies
Music
Music boxes
Records/CDs/Cassettes
Record players/radios/MP3 etc.
Headphones
Music posters
Band merch
Instruments/String instruments
Dance shoes
Concert tickets
CD book holders
Sun and Light
Sun imagery
Sunscreen
Aloe for sunburns
Golden objects
Matches
Candles
Sunflowers/sunflower seeds
Health and Healing
First aid kits
Medicine
Pain relievers
Band-aids
Ice/heat packs
Rice socks
Masks
Aloe
Ambulance toy cars
Adaptive aids
Archery
Darts
Bow and arrows
Arrow quiver
Dart board
Targets
Bullseye
Myth Related
Snake skins
Snake imagery (Python)
Laurels
Bay leaves (Daphne)
Palm trees (Birth myth)
Ravens/Crows
Crow feathers (Why the crow is black)
Cattle/turtles (Hermes birth myth)
Swans (Pulled His chariot)
Hyacinths (Hyacinthus)
Locks of hair
Food
Vanilla
Honey
Sunny D
Lemons/lemon juice
Oranges/orange juice
Citrus
Water
Devotional Acts
Health
Take your meds
Go to therapy
Exercise
Wear a mask (We are still in a pandemic y’all)
Get vaccinated
Get STI tested
Self care
Learn first aid/CPR
Keep a first aid kit at home/in your car
Learn about alternative medicine
Advocate for accessible healthcare
Advocate for disability rights
Volunteer at a hospital
Give blood/plasma
Volunteer at a retirement home
Learn about anatomy/biology/nutrition
Learn about health conditions/rare disorders
Eat healthy for your body
Help fund surgeries if you can
Trip sit for someone
Listen to your body
Sunlight
Sunbathe
Wear sunscreen
Start a garden
Make sun water
Open all the windows on a sunny day
Music
Go to a concert/show
Listen to music
Make a playlist for someone you love
Make a playlist for Apollo
Learn an instrument/play and instrument
Dance
Sing
Support local bands
Explore new music
Burn CDs
Divination/Prophecy
Daily tarot card/rune stones
Make an oracle deck
Give divination readings
Shadow work
Colormancy
Art
Make something
Draw/paint/craft
Write a poem/story
Color
Make a zine
Go see a play
Get a tattoo
Archery
Throw darts
Use a slingshot
Take up archery
Go to a shooting range
Magic/Sorcery/Spells
Write/cast spells
Daily practical magic
Practice divination
Bonecasting
Scrying
Make a talisman
Protection magic around your home
Have a book of shadows
Learn the history of witchcraft
Learn astrology
Learn herbology
Study the occult
Astral projection
Keep a dream journal
Moon/Night
Follow the moon cycles
Make moon water
Practice moon magic
Take a nighttime walk
Star/moon gaze
Sit in the dark and ponder your existence
Ghosts/Demons/The Dead
Leave offerings for the dead
Honor ancestors
Clean graves (PROPERLY!!!)
Visit graveyards
Leave flowers at graves
Learn local ghost stories
Tell ghost stories
Go ghost hunting
Learn demonology
Protection magic against the dead/demons
Miscellaneous
Stand/meditate at crossroads
Keep secrets entrusted to you
Walk dogs
Light candles
Shadow work
Journal
Take a walk
Moon water
Moon imagery
Moonstone/selenite
Keys
Locks
Herbs/plants/poisonous plants (safely)
Lighters/matches
Snake imagery
Snakeskins
Ghost imagery
Grimoires
Pentacles
Essential oils
Dark alcohol
Books about magic, herbs, crystals, etc.
Tarot/oracle decks
Divination tools
Bones
Ouija boards/planchettes
Crow imagery
Crow feathers
Bat imagery
Dog fur
Potion bottles
Ashes
Wands
Mementos of the dead
Urns
Grave rubbings
Iron
Crossroads dirt
Cauldrons
Mortar and pestles
Pillar candles
Coffee grounds
Black teas
Garlic!!
Veils
Talismans
Birth charts
Daggers/athames
Working With Hekate
Other titles: Keeper of the Gates, The Triple Goddess, Bringer of Light, Night Wanderer, and many more
Colors: Black, silver, gold, red, white
Herbs: Asphodel, trillium, ebony, fly agaric, garlic, aconite, yew, datura, cypress, belladonna, saffron, foxglove, mandrake, willow, black poplar, dandelion, mugwort, henbane, mandrake, yarrow, myyrh, lavender, oak, mullien, thornapple, bittersweet, poppy, wormwood, sage, rue, fumitory, dragon's blood, rowan, black copal
Crystals: Moonstone (especially black), labradorite, mother of pearl, black tourmaline, obsidian, black/smokey quartz, lodestone, nuummite, serpentine, auralite, abalone, corundum, zicron, hematite, jet, lapis lazuli, pyrite
Element: Earth/water/darkness
Planet: The Moon, Saturn, Pluto
Zodiac: Scorpio (Aquarius)
Metal: Silver, copper, bronze
Tarot: The Moon, The High Priestess
Direction: All
Date: November 16th, the Night of Hekate
Day: Any
Animals: Goats, wolves, dogs, owls, snakes, horses, crows, bulls, sheep, skunks, lizards, dragons
Domains: Thresholds/liminal spaces/boundaries, crossroads, witchcraft and sorcery, the Moon, herbalism, the poison path, necromancy, nocturnal magick, truth, secrets, hedge-riding, shadow work and integration of shadow-self, baneful magick, protection, knot magick, foraging, divination, creatures of the night, the Underworld, the Otherworld
Offerings: Keys, hair of a black dog, any of her sacred plants, representations of any of her animals, divination tools, black mirrors, wands, athames, bolines, blades, things in sets of 3, fruit, wine, blood, rituals/magick in her honor/name, feathers, fossils, shells, bones
Symbols: Blades, fire, keys, crossroads, gateways, doors, entrances, moons, torches, wands/sceptres, whips, the number 3
I
Under the starry sky,
I find myself at the crossroads,
The moon greets me as a friend,
With its illuminating glow,
Under that white beam I find,
An ever-blazing torch held three-fold,
With a stern gaze, soul piercing touch,
Held tight as a bright light guides the way,
Obsidian pebbles mark the path,
To where I let go and create,
And as the air fills with lavender and myrrh,
As dandelions make their way from the underworld,
As I place garlic upon the threshold,
And walk through the gates,
To which the keyholder granted me access,
Knowing I am protected.
Hail Hekate!
Hail Hekate!
Hail Hekate!
(This is a brief inspiration I had after reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and after listening to Kate Bush' song.)
Oh! It's him! He's here!
Oh! It's him! He's here!
Oh! It's him! He's here!
Oh! It's him! He's here........
and so, the voices whispered near my ear...
It was a windy day, clouds were blocking the Sun's light, protecting our eyes from its lethal rays. The Rain was soon to come and English people were strangely "happy" for it to come. Grey engulfed their senses, the vain shades of color appearing frequently and the cold burning the tip of their nose, forcing their instincts to shoot out at fluttering around to find anything to use as a cover. After all this daily mundane suffering, they still loved these landscapes and the punishment that came with them.
I was hiding in the little corner of his office, shaking wildly. Trembles came out of everywhere.
He had the temper of one of Zeus' child, Ares. My former lover, Ares (yes, exactly him), was also overflowed with fury and rage, not really understanding where it came from. A God who loved battle, blood, competiton and anger. He fought until the end of it all, just like his father, that's why Zeus never preferred him as a child.
With me, he was a strange monster. You must wonder why would I think in such a way about a former lover... Well, he was not a human, nor an alien, he was a God. I'm saying this because at the beginning I didn't know what he was. When he started courting me, I hadn't noticed the immense love he had for me, which was unacceptable to me; how could a man love a woman thusly? He hadn't known me, nor had he ever seen me previously, even by mistake. I'm sure of it. Hence, my intuition told me that he was not a good sign, coming to me and confessing such a profound love. "And who do you think you are, behaving to such a degree without any further motivation?"
The strangest part was that he didn't even manage to show me his family, that enormous family of his, that he was so eager to introduce me to. But, I saw his mother in my dreams. Hera. That woman. That Goddess- The mother in law I couldn't be able to have.
She was caressing my hair and cheeks while fondly looking at me as if she created me with her own hands. Perhaps, she did. We could never know.
Hera was speaking to me, in a language I understood at that moment but once I woke up, I couldn't seem to remember a thing.
What happened next made me freeze to death, literally. She moved her hand, with the intention to caress my belly. I had no idea what she was trying to do at that time. While doing so, she raised her head, looking at me and smiling once again, in such a fondly way that even in real life I felt the tears starting to shed from my eyes. That explains the wet eyes and pillow I had once I woke up.
I woke up. Ares was by my side, sleeping soundly. I was shaking. Trembles were fluttering their way up my body. Ares, still deep in his sleep, he raised his arm up, gripped my hip and moved me to the inside of his hairy chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, he scooted his head in my neck and sighed with a warm breath making me shudder under him.
I'm a cold little woman who needs heat coming out of her "husbands" body, words and eyes.
It was all a sign, to tell me that something was going on.
On 2 June, a Sunday, he left and never came back. Where to go, I don't know. But my soul and energy reeked of him still, my inner witch, that was hidden in the profounds of the universe, searched for him like a desperate bitch.
He left on my birthday.
And I loved him wholly, even if he was a monster.
He's here! We want his heat! Let him burn us!
He's here! We want his heat! Let him burn us!
He's here! We want his heat! Let him burn us!
He's here! We want his heat! Let him burn us!
and so, the voices started once again...
Mars was his name. The man that came in my house and bribed me under his own fate.
Now I tremble wholly and my body needs my "husbands" heat. Where will I find it?
He comes to me. Every step he takes, I feel even colder than before. My body freezing, but my soul doesn't seem to shut up.
He is now so close to me that he could hear my heart beating.
"Xena, my love..." he whispers so softly that even I am bewildered at how I managed to hear it.
That name. "No. Don't say that name." he can't. How did he? He should be dead now. No human or other specie can ever utter that name.
"Xena... it's me. Look at me, please." he softly utters my name again.
He isn't dead. Why? How?
Ares! Lover! Come here! We're so cold!
Ares! Lover! Come here! We're so cold!
Ares! Lover! Come here! We're so cold!
Ares! Lover! Come here! We're so cold!
I shake my head wildly. Why are they not shutting up? Why can you not understand that he left us? my voice echoes in my head silencing them. For now, because they started once again.
I look up. There he is. My Ares.
"Xena, it's me, Ares." he calls.
The voices were silent. His voice was exactly Ares' voice. But how-
"You aren't! Mars how? What are you- what are you trying to do?" my voice trembles from the cold I felt. He looked like my Ares and he was as tall as him. The unique height that only my husband had.
It can't be true.
"Xena... think about it. Why would someone be named Mars?" he questioned me, inviting me to think.
Mars. In Latin for the God of war, Ares. The one and only deity that had made such an imponent famous story throughout the archaic Rome.
While trembling from the cold, I raise my hands and caress my freezing cheeks; he managed to call me by my name without dying. He has the same features and physic as him. The name is exactly the same as his but in a different language.
So, it's truly him.
I remove my hands away from my face and I raise my head up, looking towards him. Tears come out of my eyes, flooding my entire sight.
"Ares?" I say in a meek voice, which I doubt he would hear if he'd have a normal hearing.
He just nods his head, "Xena. It's me, Ares. I've come home." he says whispering.
"Ares! It's you! You're here!" I call for him while tremendously shaking like a leaf.
He comes extremely close to me, grips me at the wrists and gets me up from my seated position, engulfing me in his arms.
His heat consumes me, making me feel whole again. My body and senses burn, finally having my lover back.
Fire eruptes from my sides, unleashing the beast I had been hiding for decades. My true self was with him now.
He's here! He's finally here!!!!!!!
He's here! He's finally here!!!!!!!
He's here! He's finally here!!!!!!!
He's here! He's finally here!!!!!!!
and so, the voices resided in the profounds of Goddess' Xena.
This was the extraordinary love story of Ares and Xena.
K.M.
To spice up the end of your Yuletide season ^^
Were you born into your faith? If not, how did you discover it?
What draws you to your Gods? What do you like about them?
Is your practice more ritualistic or casual? What does it look like?
How do you picture the universe? What is your idea of its cosmology?
Do you believe in spirits, angels or demons?
Are there Gods you willfully don’t follow? What are the reasons behind this choice?
What does your ideal altar look like?
What are some of your stronger UPG’s?
Do you have a patron/matron? How did you choose them?
If you could have a direct conversation with your deity/deities right now, what would you tell them?
Do you pray? If so, what do your prayers look like?
How important is mythology in your practice? How much credit do you give it?
What are some devotional acts you actively engage in?
How would you define your Gods? (have fun with that one)
Are you faithful to one specific pantheon or is your belief more eclectic?
How do you communicate with your deities the best?
Do you associate certain Gods with specific songs? Share them!
What are your thoughts on godspousing?
How have your Gods affected your life?
List a few of the deities you worship and associate each with a quote your think represents them best!
Feel free submit any of these questions in my ask box too, I do want to share in the fun! 🥺
Artwork