Basics of Using Tarot Cards

Tarot cards are perhaps the most commonly used form of divination nowadays, but the magick of unlocking their abilities and how to care for them has largely been forgotten. For anyone who is interested in tarot divination, these are the majority of the basics I’ve gained throughout my years of practice- in magick, spirit work, and divination.

Finding the right deck for you: Finding the right tarot deck is often a difficult decision, especially since it is important to find a deck whose energy works well with you. But furthermore, it is also important to find a deck which has artwork that well portrays the symbolic meaning of each card. This is primarily because the artwork is one of the main ways to gain insight from the meaning, rather than just looking up definitions each time. The art tells its own story as well. So minimalistic artwork should be avoided in these cases, as they will not tell you much at all. Find a deck as if searching for a friendly companion, it is not meant to be a trivial matter. When in doubt, the best deck for overall imagery and symbolism still remains the traditional tarot deck by Rider Waite.

Cleansing Your Deck: When cleansing your deck, be sure to respect the cards and use either incense or your own energy to envelope the cards in white energy and banish away any impurities. You especially must do this if buying your cards second-hand, since any residual energies will negatively affect your readings. Try to cleanse each deck every month or so, or after they are touched by someone else.

Awakening the Deck: Each tarot deck has its own group of spirits, as each card is inhabited by a small consciousness. They each represent the energy of every card, and can help you in divination. However, the spirits must be awakened first. If they are not, they will remain asleep and the deck will not be as powerful. To awaken your tarot deck, this is what you must do:

Buy a cloth to keep your cards wrapped in, have it be special and kept clean.

When sleeping, keep the deck beneath your pillow

Keep the deck away from mundane objects (coins, other papers, etc.) whenever possible

After about 28-29 days (a Lunar month), the cards should be awoken, and one who is skilled in sensing energies should feel this happening. With the spirit awoken, the personal meanings of the cards will be combined with your own personal interpretations. 

Caring for the Deck: Once you have awakened your tarot deck, the spirits will have a certain way they wish to be treated. They are particular about some things, and will become aggravated or even abandon the tarot deck if they become mistreated. These are some things you must never do to your cards:

I sing now of the far-seeing Kirke, glamored daughter of the Sun, magic weaver of Aeaea

Born from the line of Okeanos whose waters nourish all the world, vast is her influence, reaching far from her enchanted isle.

I speak of a witch with braided hair, of a nymph-born Titan feared by wayward heros. Glorious and shining is she, the hawk-eyed Pharmakis.

She burns with passion, casts spells with every breath. She does as enchantresses are wont to do and spins a new world upon her golden loom

Come, great Goddess! Speak to me with your mortal-mouth. Whisper to me the prophecies I seek, blessed as you are with your father’s true sight.

Favor me, golden Witch! I should be honored to learn from your charms, to understand but a fraction of your wit, so I may hone my craft and forge my path.

In my last post, I mentioned that one of my primary devotional acts to Kirke is weaving. Not only it is powerful and highly effective, but it really doesn’t requires too much energy besides your will. In my practice, I have modernized this concept (with Her guidance) and I wanted to share some of the experience I’ve had with it.

First of all, I want to touch on some of the mythology behind this! Weaving is something that is very closely associated with Kirke, starting with Her name. As well as ‘hawk’, Her name has also been said to mean ‘to bind’ or ‘to encircle’, which refers primarily to the binding nature of Her magic. As well, She is seen as a seamstress and weaver (often seen working at the loom), and is skilled in knot and spinning magic.

However, in addition to this, there are many other modern methods of weaving that are just as valid and effective as fabric weaving and spell work. Here are just 3 of them I commonly use (feel free to add if you think of something else!):

1. Writing (Weaving Words)

As I mentioned in my previous post, for myself and my fellow authors, writing is a perfect platform for deepening (or more tightly weaving) your connection with Kirke. This includes anything from writing stories, to poetry, journalism, constructive/analytical texts or essays, letters, or any other method of weaving words that you can think of!

Personal note: One thing I adore doing is writing a (mostly weekly, sometimes more or less) love letter to Kirke: it’s a wonderful way to strengthen your connection with Her! (plus, they make Her happy)

2. Braid Magic (Weaving Hair)

This is one some of you may do already, but braid magick is one of my favourite forms of weaving for Kirke! One of Kirke’s epithets is as a ‘nymph of braided tresses’ (in other words, braided hair). Which is why I use hairstyles as a platform for intent, obviously almost exclusively through braids.

Personal note: My go-to braid style is dual French braids (they’re easy and pretty much the only ones I can do other than a simple French); when I’m braiding my hair, I weave my intent for the day into them as I do so. In this way, I can create a physical manifestation of my intent in a way that also carries a part of my goddess with me throughout my day.

3. Kitchen Magic (Weaving Food)

Finally, and something I do pretty much daily, is kitchen magic. Okay, to be fair, it does kind of sound weird to say you’re ‘weaving’ food. However, when preparing food, we are weaving together the various ingredients in order to create something: creation is the key to weaving. Another thing that’s really great about kitchen magic is that eating is a necessity. Sometimes it’s difficult to find the time to do complex and/or formal ritual/devotion, but the fact that you can connect with Kirke through a simple task such as preparing daily meals is useful, simplistic and helps keep a constant in your practice!

Personal note: It’s okay to keep it simple! There’s no need to make a feast or anything, unless you feel like being more fancy, of course!

~

Kirke/Circe is a Greek goddess/titan (depending on how you slice it) of witchcraft and sorcery, particularly transmutations, illusions, and glamours. When I first began worshiping Her, one of my frustrations was the lack of epithets. The only ones I could really find were “hawk-eyed” and “braided/with braided hair.”

As I’ve continued my worship of Her I’ve amassed my own collection of epithets that I wanted to share. A fair number are based on UPG, so please take them with a grain of salt. As She is a master illusionist with a hundred thousand faces (give or take a few), it would make sense that She would present different facets to different worshipers and so not all of the epithets that arose from my personal practice will apply to anyone else’s. I’d love to hear if any of you have your own epithet lists for Kirke :)

With all that said, here are the epithets I use for Kirke:

the Braided/with braided hair*

Bright

the Burning

Daughter of the Sun

the Far-Seeing*

Feared by wayward heroes

Glamoured

Glorious/Shining

Golden

of the Golden Loom

Hawk-eyed

Hawk-sharp

Lion-skinned

Magic Weaver (of Aeaea)*

Mortal-mouthed*

Nymph-born

Pharmakis

She from whom Medea learned

She from whom sprung forth the far-sailing Telegonos*

She who creeps among the vines

She/the Titan who delights in flame

the Sorceress beyond the sea

Spectre of the (golden) isle

Tamer of the beasts*

the Temptress*

Viper-fanged

Witch of Aeaea

Witch of the wilds

Hello! I always recommend starting just by making an offering (anything will do, it’s the thought that counts, but some classics are water, wine, honey, and olive oil) and introducing yourself. I also recommend trying to speak to her through divination (I use tarot mostly), as divination is one of her domains.

These posts (one, two, three) include some basic associations and devotional acts + epithets I use in my worship (the epithets are very UPG-heavy though, so be aware of that!)

For historical/mythic basics I recommend this page for an overview. The primary text she features in is book 10 of The Odyssey, but she also appears briefly in Apollodorus’ Library, Hesiod’s Theogony, and Apollonius Rhodius’ The Argonautica in Greek literature, and Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Hyginus’ Fabulae in Roman literature.

I’m working on writing up a more in-depth introduction to worshiping her, but in the mean time I wrote this as a crash course on Kirke/Circe, an ancient Greek (and sometimes Roman) goddess of witchcraft and sorcery  :) This is by no means intended to be an exhaustive guide to Kirke and worshiping her, but more as a quick summary and reference to guide further research. If you have further questions, feel free to DM me any time !

Overview: Goddess of/Domains (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7):

Sorcery and Witchcraft

Transmutation

Illusion

Necromancy

Prophecy

Realm: Island of Aeaea (1, 2, 4, 5, 6)

Main Myths 1. Odysseus/Ulysses on Aeaea: See the Odyssey, the Library, Fabulae, and Metamorphoses 2. Medea, Jason, and Kirke: see the Argonautica and the Library 3. Kirke and Scylla: See Fabulae and Metamorphoses

Associations and Symbols: Symbols:

Cup/goblet/wine bowl (1)

Loom (1)

Wands (1)

Masks (UPG)

Sacred Animals:

Lions (1, 4)

Wolves (1, 4)

Beasts (2)

Hawks (7)

Pigs (1, 2, 4)

Associated Plants:

Moly

Magical herbs

Hallucinogenic plants and fungi(UPG)

Wheat ( UPG)

Bleeding hearts (UPG)

Colors (all from 1)

Purple

Gold

Silver

Red/Crimson

Misc Associations, Powers, and Traits

Can summon wind (1)

Associated with the sun & fresh water via her family (Assorted)

Braided hair (1)

Golden eyes (2)

Speaks with a mortal voice (1)

Relationships: Family

Father: Helios, the Titan of the Sun (1, 3, 4, 5)

Mother: Perseis/Perse, the Okeanid (1, 3, 4, 5)

Brothers: Aeetes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and Perses (4, 5)

Sister: Pasiphae (The Library, Fabulae)

Children:

Telegonus by Odysseus (4, 5) or by the will of Aphrodite (3)

Agrius by Odysseus (3)

Latinus by Odysseus (3, 6) or Telemachus (5)

Nausithous by Odysseus (5)

Romus, Anteis, and Ardeias by Odysseus (6)

Romanus by Odysseus (6)

Loves:

Odysseus/Ulysses (1, 4, 5, 6)

Glaucus (5)

Retinue/Attendants

Assorted nymphai (1)

Offerings Traditional/Literature supported Offerings (all from 1):

Barley

Pramnian Wine

Honey

Meat

Bread

Hawk, wolf, and lion votives

Weaving

Modern/UPG offerings:

Herbs, particularly lavender

Poisonous or hallucinogenic plants (do your research and handle with care!!)

Frankincense and myrrh incense

Bleeding heart flowers

Snowdrops

Divination as a devotional act

Bibliography

Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Emily Wilson. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, inc. 2018.

Apollonius Rhodius. Argonautica. Translated by William H. Race. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 2009.

Hesiod & Homer. Works of Hesiod and the Homeric Hymns. Translated by Daryl Hine. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 2005.

Apollodorus. The Library. Translated by R. Scott Smith and Stephen M. Trzaskoma. Indianapolis: Hacket Publishing Company, Inc. 2007.

Hyginus. Fabulae. Translated by R. Scott Smith and Stephen M. Trzaskoma. Indianapolis: Hacket Publishing Company, Inc. 2007.

Zalewska-Jura, Hanna. “Circe and Rome. The Origin of the Legend.” Studio Ceranea 8 (2018): 77-87

Praise to Kirke Polypharmakos, Witch of Aiaia, Great of wisdom, abundant in knowledge, Preeminent in charm and cunning, August ancestress of the Craft.

I beseech you Kirke Audêessa, Let me drink from your cup of inspiration, Guide my feet to the best of paths, And empower my spells, fruits of my Craft.

Deinê Theos, may my words fly to you and may you find them agreeable.

1. Say ‘good morning’ and smile at Her

2. Crack a window and embrace the sunlight

3. Hum or sing to Her (I’m a terrible singer but She appreciates that I try anyway)

4. Burn or smell jasmine incense (She loves it: when She’s trying to get my attention, my room smells strongly of it)

5. Meditate with Her (very simple and quick, I usually do this every morning and night)

6. Set intentions for the day (She’s often the one who’ll suggest what I should focus on when I do my morning meditation)

7. Use LOTS of purple and gold (for me, I usually do this by wearing clothes or jewelry of those colors–I also have a (vaguely) heart-shaped amethyst that I carry over my heart most days)

8. SUNBATHE

9. Connect with the Earth and Water (for me, this includes anything from grounding to shower purification ritual)

10. Consecrate sunwater (I love how multi-purposed it is and it’s really easy to make: I have a beautiful gold and violet bottle I store it in)

11. Take care of plants (Kirke is a healer and herbalist, amongst other things, and is practiced in pharmakeia: I love using plants as a physical form of growing my connection with Her)

12. Love yourself and be confident! (Self-care is extremely important and She always encourages me to take care of myself first)

13. Honour the different sides of you and embrace balance (I’ll post more about this another time but in addition to seeing Kirke as a Goddess of Transformation, I have also always viewed Her as a Goddess of Balance)

14. And of course, WEAVING! (Again, I’ll post more about this, but I just want to point something out. Although mythology specifically talks about weaving as in the actual practice of weaving, I’ve found that ‘weaving’ applies to things that you create or ‘weave into existence’. As an author, I find that ‘weaving’ words (by writing stories and/or poems or prose) is just as valid as when I knit. Wearing my hair in braids (this also connects to Kirke having ‘braided tresses’) or cooking (kitchen magic is one of my favourite forms of magic) is something I also do devotionally)

*REBLOG/LIKE/COMMENT if you work with Kirke too (feel free to add to this list!): I haven’t met any other Kirke devotees and I’d love to see your experience with Her! (P.S. I might do a pt. 2 of this if I think of other things)

Lots of love and good intentions!

Hello lovelies!

Sorry I’ve been a bit inactive but I’ll be posting more from now on! Recently I’ve had several people dm me to ask about what sort of offerings I give to my main deities (Kirke, in particular), so to make my, and your lives, easier, I’ve decided to compile a list of what I give Kirke and Aeëtes in offering and what I put on their altars!

Note: For the most part, my offerings have historical/religious/mythological significance and associations/connotations but this is also based on my own personal experiences with them. Thus, I’ll distinguish which is traditional (keeping in mind that since they weren’t really worshipped it’s not the usual description of ‘traditional’) and which is personal.

2nd Note: I haven’t been working with Aeëtes for a very long time (almost a month) but I have been working with Him often within that time period (I’m talking almost daily), so His list may have some holes but I’ll do my best and will likely add some more information as time goes on.

~

Kirke

Kirke doesn’t really have any ‘traditional’ offerings as She wasn’t really worshipped in ancient Hellenic practice (unless someone knows otherwise, in which case, please let me know!). Thus, the ‘traditional’ offerings that I state here are things that, through my research, are associated with Her.

~~

Food/Plant Offerings (Traditional):

~  Cheese

~ Barley/barley-meal/Barley seed

~ Pramnian wine/or any wine really, preferably red (here’s a link on the specifics on Pramnian wine if you’d like: https://1historyofgreekfood.wordpress.com/category/pramnian-wine/) 

~ Honey (this is also an offering that was/is commonly given to Helios)

~ Even better: Honey-sweetened (Pramnian) red wine

Previous four offerings mentioned are based off Shrewing’s translation of a part of the Odyssey Book 10: 

“The goddess ushered them in, gave them all seats, high or low, and blended for them a dish of cheese and of barley-meal, of yellow honey and Pramnian wine, all together; but with these good things she mingled pernicious drugs as well, to make them forget their own country utterly.” 

Homer, Odyssey 10. 135 - 12. 156 (trans. Shewring) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) https://www.theoi.com/Titan/Kirke.html

~~

~ Any poisonous herbs/plants, I recently harvested some bittersweet nightshade for Her (PLEASE DO EXTENSIVE RESEARCH BEFORE WORKING WITH POISONOUS PLANTS! Once you think you’ve done enough research, do TRIPLE that.) – This is based on Her practice of pharmakeia

~ Pork/Ham: Things associated with pigs/swine (Of course, this has to do with the myth about Kirke turning Odysseus’ men into swine; However, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve used this as an offering (aka, I almost never give this as an offering). It is a point of note and is absolutely valid as an offering despite that I don’t personally use this often – we also don’t usually have pork/ham in the house so that contributes.

~ Other Meats: It’s mentioned several times in The Odyssey but one specific example is that Kirke feeds Odysseus and His men “plenteous meat” (Shrewing, Book 10, The Odyssey, https://www.theoi.com/Titan/Kirke.html)

~ Bread: (See excerpt below)

~~

Additional Offerings/Things Sacred to Her (Traditional):

~ Metals: particularly gold, but silver and bronze as well

    Example: Using a silver bowl for wine libations to Her (It is mentioned that She actually uses a silver bowl to keep honey-sweetened wine)

~~

“All this while, four handmaids of hers were busying themselves about the palace. She has them for her household tasks, and they come from springs [Naiades], they come from groves [Dryades], they come from the sacred rivers flowing seawards [Naiades]. One spread the chairs with fine crimson covers above and with linen cloths beneath; in front of the chairs, a second drew up silver tables on which she laid gold baskets for bread; a third mixed honey-sweet lovely wine in a silver bowl sand set the golden goblets out; the fourth brought water and lit a great fire under a massive cauldron. The water warmed; and when it boiled in the bright bronze vessel, the goddess made me sit in a bath and bathed me with water from the cauldron, tampering hot and cold to my mind and pouring it over my head and shoulders until she had banished from my limbs the weariness that had sapped my spirit. And having washed me and richly appointed me with oil, she dressed me in a fine cloak and tunic, led me forward and gave me a tall silver-studded chair to sit on–handsome and cunningly made–with a stool beneath it for the feet. She bade me eat, but my heart was not on eating, and I sat with my thoughts elsewhere and my mind unquiet.” (Shrewing, Book 10, The Odyssey, https://www.theoi.com/Titan/Kirke.html)

(Above) This specifically talks about various color correspondences in relation to Her, including metallic colors and crimson.

Also, gold corresponds not only with the above excerpt, but the fact that Her father is Helios (the Sun, personified) and that She’s distinguished as having golden eyes (For all the Children of Helios were easy to recognize even from a distance, by their flashing eyes, which shot out rays of golden light. (Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4. 662 ff, https://www.theoi.com/Titan/Kirke.html)) *Note: This was talking about Kirke recognizing Medea as Her kinswoman by their same eyes.

~~

~ Symbols of wolves and/or mountain lions/cougars (represents the animals She kept)

~ Weaving – This can be in whatever form works for you, if you want more info of what this means, I posted about Modern Forms of Weaving!

~ Hawk/falcon symbols, feathers especially (reference to Her name meaning (in certain translations) Hawk/Falcon)

~~

Personal Offerings/Sacred Things to Her:

Incense: Jasmine (in particular) and Lavender

Stones: Amethyst (mostly amethyst, Her favorite for me is a lovely heart-shaped one She chose out), sunstone, citrine and fluorite – Also, She loves any unique stones, something that has an interesting quality (I personally make Her plant-based resin stones with plants/feathers/flowers/etc. related to Her)

Colors: Purple (alongside the others I mentioned), this is the color of Her father Helios’ robes, and I see it as a royal and powerful but also a very magical and psychic color

Food: Green Tea, Berries and Mangoes

Essential Oils: Lavender and citrus mainly, though She seems to also really like my witch hazel spray

Candles: Her candle on my altar for Her is purple

Plants: She really likes wildflowers in my experience!

Other: Literally anything you make for Her, or even for yourself and offer to Her, She loves! She’s a weaving goddess: A goddess of creation, so create! I personally tend to use knot (literal knots and knitting) and kitchen magic with Her. I write Her love letters and poetry – I also have started really getting into binding my hair for Her as both a devotion to Her (one of Her most well-known epithets is “of the braided tresses”, after all) and for my own self-empowerment.

Sources for more info on Kirke:

One of my favourite resources on information on Kirke is Theoi.com: https://www.theoi.com/Titan/Kirke.html

Also, of course, Book 10 of The Odyssey as well as Apollonius of Rhodes’ Argonautica (particularly Book 4) has a lot of details on Her. Other mentions of Her can be found in Ovid’s Metamorphosis and Hesiod’s Theogony, amongst others.

~~

Aeëtes

Similar to His sister Kirke, Aeëtes is not a deity that was traditionally worshipped, so again, this is based on my research and findings and is in no way extensive.

~~

Food/Plant Offerings (Traditional):

~ ‘Dainty’ foods (if that makes any sense, I’m not quite sure how to describe it): Cakes, breads, berries, tender meats

~ Wine, again, preferably Pramnian or red – I personally use it as a libation

These two are based off of a lovely excerpt from Book VI of The Life and Death of Jason, The Palace of Aeëtes Translated by William Morris (Line 81-84):

“Whither the wondering seafarers [Jason and the Argonauts] were led,

And there with meat and drink full delicate

Were feasted, and strange dainty things they ate,

Of unused savor, and drank godlike wine;”

I’ll post the entirety of The Palace of Aeëtes at some point soon; I really love it, it’s beautifully written, detailed and extraordinarily poetic.

~ Oak: This is a reference to the sacred grove of oaks in which the Golden Fleece resides – I personally have a golden oak wand I use as a method of channelling His energy (yes, I have several wands and an ironwood (hornbeam) staff)

~ Rams/bulls/cows – This relates to not only the Golden Fleece itself, but also to the flame-breathing Bronze Bulls (Tauroi Khalkeoi) of Aeëtes gifted to Him by Hephaestus (He had done so as a ‘thank-offering’ to Helios). As a trial for the Golden Fleece, Aeëtes had Jason yoke them in order to plow the field with Ismenian Dragon’s teeth (the sacred dragon of Ares slaughtered by Cadmus. Athena split the teeth between Aeëtes and Cadmus.).

Additional Offerings/Things Sacred to Him (Traditional):

~ DRAGONS! - Any representation of dragons is phenomenal when working with Aeëtes: Not only does it relate to the ever-watchful Kolkhian Dragon (Drakon Kholkikos) who guarded the Golden Fleece in the sacred grove of Ares, but it also refers to the Ismenian Dragon’s teeth that Jason sowed per request by Aeëtes. I have a (fake, obviously) dragon skull that He has begun extremely attached to.

~ The colors gold and crimson/red: The gold is in reference to Helios, His eyes, the Fleece and the red relates to a mention in The Palace of Aeëtes and his association with Ares and fire.

~ Eagles - This is due to His name meaning ‘eagle’ (similar to Kirke with hawks/falcons) ~ Golden eagles resonate particularly

Personal Offerings/Sacred Things to Him:

~ Incense: I’m not entirely sure what it is but every time I work with Him I smell this sweet, almost fruity but slightly bitter

~ Stones: Big fan of black tourmaline and onyx, He also seems to really love my mayan jade heart

~ Colors: Gold, bronze, black and brown

~ Food: Blackberries, blackberries and more blackberries (also He really likes oranges and loves tea, earl gray and green especially: I’ve been doing a LOT of tassomancy with Him. Kirke likes Her green tea but in no way is She as excited about it as Aeëtes)

~ Essential Oils: Citrus, eucalyptus and witch hazel

~ Candles: His altar candle is this rustic-looking brown candle

~ Other: He seems to like orchids a lot (I have purple and white orchid petals); Also, He seems to really like bones – I don’t necessarily mean ACTUAL bones (unless you’re comfortable with that and it’s ethically sourced), but as I mentioned, He loves His dragon skull and I’ll likely be getting Him some other bones in the near future (I’m assuming His attraction to them has to do with Him being practiced in necromancy). Resin works well with Him too: His skull is made of plant-based resin and I’ve given Him as few other pieces of resin art.

Sources to find more info on Aeëtes: Honestly, the Argonautica (Apollonius of Rhodes) is probably your best bet, but this: http://www.maicar.com/GML/Aeetes.html is a rather detailed and extensive view of Aeëtes. 

~~

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly; I’ll be happy to help!

Lots of love and good intentions,

The Sorceress by John William Waterhouse

A hymn to Kirke

Kirke, sorceress and Aiaia's witch,

Titaness of binding magic,

You who know the moon and the sun,

beasts, and pharmakeia of Your world.

Awesome lady, I welcome you,

guide me through my metamorphic

journey and help me understand

my nature, tools, and processes

so I may craft my refined self

One thing that I love and find intensely interesting about the goddess, nymph, and/or hero Kirke is the fact that she exists in a space between mortal and divine in every portrayal, but is almost never a demigoddess. So I wanted to address and unpack that a bit, because I haven't seen much on it and it deserves attention.

First, Kirke as a very mortal goddess--this is how I'd classify her portrayal in the Odyssey, where she is clearly divine, but described as very reminiscent of a mortal. This is the origin of one of her most famous epithets, "of mortal speech." This is generally viewed as a unique trait of Kirke.

Second, Kirke as a godly mortal. She was sometimes worshipped with hero cultus, with a sacred space of hers being described as a tomb, generally reserved for dead mortal heroes. I don't believe she was ever viewed as fully mortal, but she was at least mortal adjacent, which is significant in and of itself, even if a rarer portrayal.

Generally, pharmakeia (the sorcery she performed, based in herbs) was seen as at least partly a divine power, but also, not fully in the hands of the gods. The theoi do not need herbs and witchcraft to work their wills, but working one's will through herbs and witchcraft must be at least partly based in a non-mortal power.

Kirke, in my opinion, embodies this divide. As the pharmakis goddess of Aiaia, she uses a craft both mortal and divine. The working of herbs for power is not the way of a full god, but using the power of the herbs is not the typical way of a mortal.

For clarity's sake, I am aware I am somewhat echoing arguments against witchcraft and pharmakeia in Hellenic Polytheist spheres, so I'd like to say that I do not believe pharmakeia to be a hubristic practice. Pharmakeia, in the hands of a mortal pharmakis, controls no god. Gods may refuse their aid, spells may fail and be broken. And, actually, this is another aspect of Kirke's story I find so applicable to pharmakeia: Hermes and the herb 'moly.'

Moly is a herb given to Odysseus by Hermes to protect against Kirke's enchantments. The fact that her pharmakeia is resisted with one little plant, and that the plant is given to a hero by a god, is not an accident.

This is a clear example of how pharmakeia may be overpowered by the gods, and some crafty mortals. Hermes prevented the manifestation of her charms completely and utterly. From this it follows that, outside of stories, the theoi may prevent any witchcraft from succeeding without their consent, and most likely do not need the mythic moly to do it.

Folks identifying with the cunning craft, the benandanti tradition, the bean fasa tradition, and many other folk practices at the roots of old world witchcraft had fully incorporated christian elements by this time. From a modern magical perspective, this is very clever, since the working at hand can draw on the egregores of the dominant culture, much like a magical battery. The modern folk witch need not feel any qualms about using psalms and Latin incantations from the christian tradition. This is part of our history. That said, it’s perfectly fine to use the names of non-christian entities if one prefers. Accept the paradox of calling on the Devil one minute and reciting a psalm the next. The craft is full of riddles, and there is mystery in the way these elements speak to one another.