a selkie without Her skin

I’m always harping on about the importance of research, but I have been yet to share any of the actual resources that I use for my practice. Before I get into it though, a quick disclaimer; this is not a complete list of every source I’ve used in my practice. A) That would be near impossible to compile, and B) A lot of my sources regarding Maritime magic are very local to me and the culture I grew up in (books from local authors, museums, cultural/heritage sites, family members, etc) so I don’t feel comfortable sharing them as they are very personal, and I like my privacy. Thank you for understanding.

Books

☕︎ Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread: Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic by Scott Richardson-Read

☕︎ Bluenose Ghosts by Helen Creighton

☕︎ Bluenose Magic by Helen Creighton

☕︎ Folklore of Nova Scotia by Mary L Fraser

☕︎ Songs Remembered in Exile: Traditional Gaelic Songs from Nova Scotia by John Lorne Campbell

☕︎ The Secret Commonwealth: Of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies by Robert Kirk

☕︎ Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore by Ellen Hopman

☕︎ The Visions of Isobel Gowdie: Magic, Witchcraft And Dark Shamanism In Seventeenth-century Scotland by Emma Wilby

☕︎ Witchcraft and Second Sight in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland by John Gregorson Campbell

☕︎ A Handbook of Scottish Gaelic Culture by Michael Steven Newton

☕︎ The Gaelic Otherworld: Superstitions of the Highlands and the Islands of Scotland and Witchcraft and Second Sight in the Highlands and Islands by John Gregorson Campbell

☕︎ Scottish Folk-Lore and Folk Life - Studies in Race, Culture and Tradition by Donald Mackenzie

☕︎ The Anthology of Scottish Folk Tales Vol I & II by History Press UK

☕︎ The Anthology of Irish Folk Tales Vol I & II by History Press UK

☕︎ The Scottish Fairy Book by Elizabeth Grierson

☕︎ Basically anything from Fiona Macleod is worth a read

Websites (with links)

☕︎ Cailleachs Herbarium

☕︎ Helen Creighton Folklore Society

☕︎ Comhairle Na Gàidhlig/The Gaelic Council

⚓︎ A full moon turned red is considered a sign of death or tragedy

⚓︎ If you feel a cold chill run down your body, it means someone has walked across the ground you will be buried under

⚓︎ If you stick knitting needles into a ball of yarn, someone you know will die

⚓︎ If a dishcloth falls to the floor, it means you will have visitors

⚓︎ It is considered bad luck to leave a house from a door different from the one you entered through

⚓︎ If you say goodbye to a friend while standing on a bridge, you will never see them again

⚓︎ If a bird hits your window or flies into your house, it means death will soon follow

⚓︎ It is bad luck to rock an empty rocking chair

⚓︎ If you sweep dirt out of your front door, you will sweep away a loved one

⚓︎ Bad luck comes in groups of three, if there is a death in the community, two more will follow

⚓︎ If a window slams shut on its own, it means someone will soon die

⚓︎ If a picture falls off of your wall, it is a sign of death in the family

⚓︎ If you have a dream of death in your family, it means that there will be a birth in the family. If you dream of a birth, it means that there will be a death

A lot of witches (especially online) tend to have this "holier than thou" attitude when it comes to comparing themselves to other practitioners.

I mostly see this through things like; "Oh, you do [insert thing] in your practice? Oh, I could neverrrrr, that would violate SO many rules in my practice and I'm such a more moral and just person than you because I don't do that thing."

Oh my godddddd. Should we tell everyone? Should we throw a party? Should we call fucking Agatha Harkness? No one gives a shit!

You set YOUR OWN rules for YOUR OWN practice. WHO are you to dictate the actions of a random person on the internet? Nobody, exactly! Does someone do something in their practice you don’t agree with? Well, thank fuck it’s not your practice and is zero business of yours.

You are not better than someone because you don’t hex people, you are not better than someone because you don’t do readings on people without their consent, you are not better than someone because you don’t do love magic, you’re not better than someone because you don’t do energy vampirism, you are not better than anyone. The rules of your practice and what you decide is moral and immoral in the context of magic pertains to your practice alone. You do not get to set rules or restrictions on the practice of others.

This may be a community on the internet, and we may share a lot of similarities in the context of our practices, but at the end of the day, WE ARE ALL STRANGERS ON THE INTERNET. You hold no authority over a stranger you’ve never even glimpsed in person simply because you think you’re better than them. Take a breath, look inwards, and maybe knock yourself down a few pegs.