Chloe Marigold

There is a god awful book out there claiming to be about Scottish witchcraft, and …it just really… isn’t. 

I had a feeling I’d be disappointed when I read it, but I held out some hope that the author would have some Scottish folk magic in there, or at least a bit about rowan berry necklaces, or rowan and red thread. Alas no. I’m not going to mention the author or book title, but I’m sure you can figure it out on your own. 

I hate to deride books as I know a lot of work goes into writing them. But sadly the research did not go into this one. It was more part memoir, and a do whatever the fuck you what kind of attitude and call it Scottish witchcraft, with a splash of highland romanticism. Ugh. It’s a far cry from Scottish witchcraft and folk magic; as bad as Buckland’s book on the subject. I know it’s petty but it makes me annoyed that this book is masquerading as something it’s not, and people will buy it and read it and not know any better. 

Anyone looking to learn about Scottish witchcraft please read up on the Scottish witchcraft trials (there’s a fantastic site called the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft to get you started), the myths and folklore of Scotland, the Carmina Gadelica, The Gaelic Otherword, The Silver Bough (F. Marian McNeil), Cunning folk and Familiar Spirits (Emma Wilby), The Visions of Isobel Gowdie (Wilby) and other books like it. Read their suggested reading lists too. 

Michael Howard wrote a great book about Scottish Witchcraft but it’s not cheap to get it from the publisher (the shipping cost more than the book). Maybe ask your local library to order it if possible?

Now Scottish witchcraft as a practice per se, can be difficult to define. We have the records from the witch trials, which are accounts from the authorities responsible for arresting and usually sentencing ‘witches’ to death. The accused may or may not have been witches. So it’s hard to define what is genuine witchcraft and what isn’t. What the records will tell you, is what people believed  witchcraft to be during that time period and that in itself is useful. 

🌼Altar items/ symbols: salves, tictures, oils, honey, Himalayan salt lamp, lunar symbolism (mental healing), solar symbolism (physical healing), salts, teas, medication, cannabis, essential oil diffuser or humidifier, mermaid symbolism, snake symbolism, elephant symbolism, fresh flowers

🌼Herbs/plants: chamomile, lavender, aloe, passionflower, lemon, rose, lemon balm, calendula, oak, echinacea, apple, potatoe, cinnamon, cornflower, comfrey, milk thistle, thyme, basil, garlic, pine, lime, eucalyptus, rosemary, cannabis, elderflower, peppermint, ginger

🌼Stones: (any soft or round stones) bloodstone, agate, selenite, rose quartz, red jasper, garnet, jade, amethyst, pearl, moonstone, adventurine, hematite, amber

🌼Colors: blue, red, pink, lavender, green

🌼Deities: Eir, Brigid, Hygeia, Epione, Asclepius, Apollo, Toth, Gaia, Artemis, most solar goddesses

🌼Essential oils/ incense: lavender, mint, lemon, orange, eucalyptus, tea tree, pine, bay, frankincense, sandalwood, dragons blood

🌼Elements: all (water and fire especially)

🌼Time: full moon, Monday, Sunday, sunrise

Healing masterpost (not mine)

Healing tea recipes

Healing deity guide pt. 1 (not mine)

Healing witch ideas

-infuse ice cubes with herbs or essential oils for ice packs

-make homemade healing salves, tinctures, and oils

- make some healing tea mixes and give them as gifts when someone you know isn’t well or save then for when you’re under the weather

-take a healing bath with fresh mint leaves, lavender, and rosemary

-practice physical empathy (If you’re comfortable with it)

- make a personal healing list! Healing is a very individual thing (e.g. some people think chamomile is healing while others may be allergic to it, so for them, chamomile probably wouldn’t be a healing correspondence)

-healing correspondes with all elements, and each person has an element that heals them over others. Some people associate healing mostly with fire (to kill of diseases, protection from illness), and water (cleansing from illness, soothing pain, healing in general)

to heal with fire, light a blue/lavender/red candle or use a heat pack

to heal with water, hydrate yourself, take baths, use ice packs

to heal with air, do some deep breathing, art therapy, or aromatherapy

To heal with earth, use healing herbs and plants, use crystals, make teas

- you may find oracle decks to be more helpful in healing witchcraft than tarot

-enchant first aid items like bandaids for fast healing

A collection of categorized links for your Imbolc needs! What is Imbolc? [X] Imbolc is celebrated between January 31st to February 2nd (July 31st to August 2nd in the S. Hemisphere) and is also called: Brigid, Brigid’s day or Candlemas.

The Basics:

Activities, foods, crafts and more!

Imbolc correspondences 

Imbolc practices

Things to do on Imbolc

Low energy Imbolc ideas

Imbolc for secular witches

Imbolc for closeted witches

Imbolc Crafts:

Ice bowls

Brigid cross / Paper edition

Corn husk doll

Imbolc Recipes:

Lavender faery wine (alcohol free)

Milk tea for Imbolc

Lamb stew

Imbolc poppyseed tea bread

Honey cake

Imbolc Spells:

Imbolc ritual / Imbolc candle ritual

Imbolc spell jar

Sun spell

Imbolc cleansing chant

Spring glamour shower spell

Imbolc ritual bath / Imbolc lushcraft

Imbolc Tarot Spreads:

Melt the frost spread (3 card)

Imbolc spread (4 card)

The message spread (4 card)

Imbolc tarot spread (6 card)

Imbolc spread (6 card)

Other:

Imbolc altar decorations

Imbolc sigil

Imbolc playlist

Imbolc oil / Brigid’s oil / Imbolc oil

Imbolc incense 

Imbolc basil lime sugar scrub

Other resource post

Updated January of 2021. Please inform me of broken links via askbox!

Just a little addendum: Mugwort can be dangerous due to mildly psychoactive properties in the herb. Use with caution and avail yourself of the following list of free-use alternatives:

Basil (any kind, noting that Sweet Basil smells the best)

Sage (any type, but keep in mind that White Sage is becoming endangered)

Rosemary

Peppermint

Lavender

Cedar Tips or Shavings

idk i’m just thinking about how the campus i’ve been working at this summer has signs by every elevator about how you should take the stairs to conserve electricity, and signs by the drink machines with photos of sea turtles that say how they don’t offer plastic straws because of ocean pollution, and how i’ve been repeating to myself all summer you are not just a drain on the earth’s resources, you deserve to exist, and how fucking angry that makes me.

and i know a lot of leftists point out how those kind of things aren’t much better than platitudes when we should be focusing on action against the fossil fuel industry, but i feel like a lot of conversations about that just totally ignore how environmental guilt is absolutely crushing so many disabled people’s spirits and sense of worth in an already ableist society.

i guess i just wanna say that like, if you ate off of a styrofoam plate today because you didn’t have the energy to wash dishes, i’m so glad you ate. if you threw recyclables in the trash because the recycling bin is on the other side of the building and you couldn’t walk far enough to make two trips, i’m so proud of you for keeping your space clean. if you needed to use a plastic straw today, i’m so, so sorry for all the bullshit that’s been directed your way lately, and i’m so proud of you for enduring it.