Fun Witchy Knowledge

As a Hellenic witch, the worship of Medea is an important part of my practice. She was a witch and priestess of Hekate, possessing nearly unparalleled knowledge of magic and poisons. I wanted to write this post to give some background on who Medea is, her role as a witch and a priestess, and how I have come to honor her in my practice.

Who is Medea?

Parentage

Medea (Μήδεια) is given mainly two parentages, either Aeetes, son of Helios, and Eidyia, author of Oceanus, or Hekate and Aeetes. Hesiod offers us a description of the first, writing:

“To the tireless Sun the renowned Oceanid Perseïs bore Circe and King Aeetes. Aeetes, son of the Sun who makes light for mortals, married by the gods’ design another daughter of Oceanus the unending river, fair-cheeked Idyia; and she bore him the trim-ankled Medea, surrendering in intimacy through golden Aphrodite” (Hesiod 31)

Alternatively, Diodorus names Hekate and Aeetes as her parents, explaining:

“Perses had a daughter, Hecate, and she excelled her father in her brazen lawlessness…She was a keen contriver of mixtures of deadly drugs [pharmaka], and she discovered the so-called aconite. She tested the powers of each drug by mixing it into the food given to strangers…After this she married Aeetes and gave birth to two daughters, Circe and Medea, and also a son Aigialeus” (qtd. in Ogden 78)

Either of these parentages could make sense, but I personally observe the first.

(Art: Medea by Frederick Sandys)

Medea as the Witch Priestess of Hekate

One of Medeas most important roles in literature and myth is that she is a priestess of Hekate and a witch, being called “Medea of the many spells” (Apollonius of Rhodes 109). In most literature there is no way to separate these roles. 

She was extremely devoted to Hekate, Apollonius of Rhodes stating that “as a rule she did not spend her time at home, but was busy all day in the temple of Hecate, of whom she was priestess” (116). Euripides also writes that Medea says “I swear it by her, my mistress, whom most I honor and have chosen as partner, Hecate, who dwells in the recesses of my hearth” (Euripides 13). Clearly, the relationship between her and Hekate was very close, and it was said on occasion that she even learned magic from Hekate, Herself. Apollonius of Rhodes writes that “[t]here is a girl living in Aeetes’ palace whom the goddess Hecate has taught to handle with extraordinary skill all the magic herbs that grow on dry land or in running water” (123). Diodorus also claims this, but adds an interesting addendum that attributes to the character of Medea:

“They report that Medea learned all the powers of drugs from her mother [Hekate] and her sister [Kirke], but her own inclination was the opposite. For she continually saved the strangers that put in from dangers” (qtd. in Ogden 79)

(Art: Medea the Sorceress by Valentine Cameron Prinsep)

Regardless of the origins of her powers, they were no doubt incredible. Apollonius of Rhodes explains that “she can put out a raging fire, she can stop rivers as they roar in spate, arrest a star, and check the movement of the sacred moon” (123). In one instance Apollonius states that “the beautiful Medea spell through the palace, and for her the very doors responding to her hasty incantations swung open of their own accord…From there she meant to reach the temple. She knew the road well enough, having often roamed in that direction searching for corpses and noxious roots, as witches do” (148). This is clearly an indicator that her powers are incredible, but what is even more awe-inspiring is what Apollonius says happens next:

“Rising from the distant east, the Lady Moon [Selene], Titanian goddess, saw the girl wandering distraught, and in wicked glee said to herself: ’So I am not the only one to go astray for love, I that burn for beautiful Endymion and seek him in the Latmian cave. How many times, when I was bent on love, have you disorbed me with your incantations, making the night moonless so that you may practice your beloved witchcraft undisturbed!” (148).

Medea is said to be able to actually banish the moon Herself from the sky, an unimaginable feat. This is indicative of the degree of power she possesses, having sway over nature itself.

She is most known to have used her knowledge and powers repeatedly to help Jason, her husband, on his quest for the Golden Fleece. The first instance of this was that she made Jason an ointment which would make him invincible. Apollonius describes this in length, writing that:

“She had twelve maids, young as herself and all unmarried…She called them now and told them to yoke the mules to her carriage at once, as she wished them to drive to the spending Temple of Hecate; and while they were getting the carriage ready she took a magic ointment form her box. This salve was named after Prometheus. A man had only to smear it on his body, after procreating the only-begotten Maiden [Hekate] with a midnight offering, to become invulnerable by sword or fire” (131-2)

He continues, detailing the ritual of how she obtained the plant she used to make this ointment:

“Medea, clothed in black, in the gloom of night, had drawn off this juice in a Caspian shell after bathing in seven perennial streams and calling seven times on Brimo, nurse of youth, Brimo, night-wanderer of the underworld, Queen of the dead. The dark earth shook and rumbled underneath the Titan root when it was cute, and Prometheus himself groaned in the anguish of his soul” (132). 

Here we see a process that is depicted often, the bathing of Medea and her ritualistic harvesting of herbs. We also see her here call on Brimo (Βριμω), an epithet of Hekate, in Her role as nurse of the young (Kourotrophos/Κουροτρόφος), night-wanderer (Νυκτιπολος/Nyktipolos), of the Underworld (Χθονιη/Kthonia), and Queen of the Dead (Ανασσα ενεροι/Anassa Eneroi), indicating the importance of Hekate to her witchcraft. 

(Art: Jason and Medea by John William Waterhouse)

A similar harvesting of herbs and roots is seen in fragments of Sophocles’ play The Root-Cutters. What we have of the play states that “She [Medea] covers her eyes with her hand and collects up the white-clouded juice that drips from the cut in bronze jars…the covered chests conceal the roots, which this woman reaped, naked, with bronze sickles, while crying out and howling” (qtd. in Ogden 83). Hekate is then said to be “crowned with oak branches and snakes” (qtd. in Ogden 83). Then the women chant “Lord of the sun and holy fire [Helios], sword of Hecate of the roads, which she carries over Olympus as she attends and as she traverses the sacred crossroads of the land, crowned with oak and the woven coils of snakes, falling on her shoulders” (qtd. in Ogden 83). In this short but incredible fragment we see that Medea calls on both Hekate and Helios, her grandfather, to bless their ritual. We also see a repeat of incantations to harvest magical herbs, and an introduction of her association with bronze. 

Another one of Medea’s feats was charming the snake that guarded the Golden Fleece into a slumber. In the Argonautica, Apollonius of Rhodes writes:

“The monster in his sheath of horny scares rolled forward his interminable coils, like the eddies of black smoke that spring from smoldering logs…But as he writhed he saw the maiden take her stand, and heard her in sweet voices invoking Sleep [Hypnos], the conqueror of the gods, to charm him. She also called on the night-wandering queen of the world below [Hekate] to countenance her efforts…the giant snake, enchanted by her song, was soon relaxing the whole length of his serrated spine and smoothing out his multitudinous undulations…Yet his grim head still hovered over them and the cruel jaws threatened to snap them up. But Medea, chanting a spell, dipped a fresh sprig of juniper in her brew and sprinkled his eyes with her most potent drugs and as the all-pervading magic scent spread around his head, sleep fell on him.” (150-1). 

(Medea and the Dragon by Maxwell Ashby Armfield)

She was also said to have killed the giant Talos, a gift given to Zeus from Hephaistos, with her witchcraft, specifically the Evil Eye. In this more horrifying passage, it is said that:

“[W]ith incantations, she invoked the Sprits of Death [Keres], the swift hounds of Hades who feed on souls and haunt the lower air to pounce on living men. She sank to her knees and called upon them three times in song, three times with spoken prayers. She steeled herself with their malignity and bewitched the eyes of Talos with the evil in her own. She flung at him the full force of her malevolence, and in an ecstasy of rage she plied him with images of death” (Apollonius of Rhodes 192). 

In this passage, she calls on the Keres, and with them is able to use the evil eye to bring immediate death to a direct creation of the gods. This is a horrifying feat, not only for the power it must require, but for her ability to kill in an instant. 

Finally, she also is said to have rejuvenated Jason’s father Aeson. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Jason pleads with Medea to take years of his own life to give more to his father, but she rejects him saying that Hekate will not allow such a thing to take place. Instead, she offers that through her witchcraft, instead, if Hekate is willing to help her, she may rejuvenate him. Under the full moon, Medea performs the ritual. She calls on Hekate, Night, the Moon, and Helios to aid her in her task (126-7). A chariot drawn by dragons appears to her and she takes it to gather herbs harvested with her bronze scythe. After nine days and nights, she returns to Jason to perform the ritual. The ritual is extensive and is essentially repeated in full. She builds two altars, one to Hecate and one to Hebe. She also digs two ditches on sacrifices a black sheep into the ditches, also pouring wine and milk into them. She also calls on the “deities of the earth” which may mean deities of the land or chthonic deities, and Hades. Once she appeases these gods and goddesses, she spells Aeson to sleep on a bed of herbs and tells Jason to leave her to perform her magic. She then dips sticks into pools of blood and lights them with the flames on the altars, then purifying the man once with fire, three times with water, and three times with sulfur. 

She then adds many herbs, roots, and flowers to her bronze cauldron as well as “hoar frost gathered under the full moon, the wings of the uncanny screech owl with the flesh as well, and the entrails of a werewolf which has the power of changing its wild-beast features into a man’s. There also in the pot is the scaly skin of a slender Cinyphian water-snake, the liver of a long-lived stag, to which she also adds eggs and the head of a crow nine generations old” (Ovid 129). Then, she slits the throat of Aeson and replaced his blood with her potion, finally rejuvenating him. 

There is more descriptions of Medea’s magical feats throughout literature, but these are simply some of the most detailed and famous. She is clearly a very powerful witch and a significant figure within the history of Hekate worship. With her bronze cauldron and chariot of dragons, she is quite awe-inspiring.

(Art: The Sorceress by R. Willis Maddox)

Medea’s Character

One of the issues we run into with Medea’s mythos is her defamation and portrayal as a child-murdering and vengeful woman. She is indeed vengeful against Jason, and rightfully so, for he bade her to leave her homeland, murder her brother, and constantly had her aid him with her witchcraft, only to abandon her for another. However, Euripides’ tale of her brutally murdering her children has some criticisms from scholars who note that there are other versions of the tale. 

One such tale is that from Apollodorus who writes that “Another tradition is that on her flight she left behind her children, who were still infants, setting them as suppliants on the altar of Hera of the Height; but the Corinthians removed them and wounded them to death” (1.9.28). In the modern era, a scholar named Sarah Illes Johnston, author of Restless Dead and Hekate Soteira, also writes that Medea prays to Hera Akraia to make her children immortal, and Hera either declines or breaks her promise to fulfill this task, leaving the children to die (62-3). Johnston denies the implication of Medea in her children’s death, instead attributing it to circumstances outside her control or by the hand of another.

These different tellings of Medea’s story fits with the Colchian princess who aids Jason in a much more believable way than the suddenly spiteful women who murders her children. This variation is less popular, the other being popularized perhaps to demonize magic and women of power.

(Art: Medea by Eve De Morgan)

Worshipping Medea

Now that Medea’s character and mythological status has been discussed, I think it’s important to talk about how I actually go about worshipping Medea. I worship Medea in both divine and ancestral ways, which I suppose could be attributed to methods of hero worship in Ancient Greece. Worshipping Medea can be done alongside Hekate and/or Helios, as well as alongside Kirke. If you observe the Mighty Dead or Witch Ancestors, she could also be worshipped alongside them.

Offerings

Offerings for Medea can include wine, frankincense, milk, honey, food, poisons, sacred plants, bronze artifacts, candles, snake parts or figurines and dragon figurines, artifacts of witchcraft, and even Hekate iconography. One could also offer her blood, but that is up to your personal discretion. 

Names and Epithets

Names/epithets I call Medea include ‘Of the Many Spells,’ ‘Vengeful Maiden,’ ‘Witch Priestess of Hekate,’ ‘Medea of Poisons,’ ’She Who Knows All Herbs,’ ‘Giant-Slayer,’ one that could also be said of Hekate, ‘Princess of Colchis,’ ‘Granddaughter of Helios,’ ’Daughter of Sun and Moon,’ one I use to indicate her relationship to Helios and her devotion to Hekate, and Medea Pharmakeia, or Medea of Witchcraft/Magic. 

Sacred Objects

Sacred plants of Medea could include any poisons, juniper, olive, and aconite specifically. Sacred animals include dragons and snakes. Bronze is also sacred to Medea, as are cauldrons of any kind. 

Specializations

Medea can be called upon for justice and vengeance, especially for spells of justice and vengeance, witchcraft of any kind, to bless herbs, for gardening, for aid in Hekate worship, for the downfall of your enemies, for protection from harm, for protection from snakes, and for guidance in magic.

Prayers to Medea

Prayer for Medea’s Aid in Witchcraft

Prayer to Medea for Vengeance

Conclusion

In conclusion, while Medea may not be a part of the usual canon of hero worship, or worship in general, if you are a devotee of Hekate or Helios, worshipping Medea might be right for you. Likewise, any witch who observes the Hellenic pantheon should give serious thought to venerating Medea in their practice. 

Works Cited:

Medea by Euripides

Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds by Daniel Ogden

The Voyage of Argo by Apollonius of Rhodes

Theogony by Hesiod

The Library by Apollodorus

The Metamorphoses by Ovid

“Corinthian Medea and the Cult of Hera Akraia” by Sarah Illes Johnston

Lay thorny branches on your doorstep to drive away evil.

Put thyme in your last meal of the day to have pleasant dreams.

Place coins and cedar chips in a box for an easy money spell.

The bark of the willow tree is a natural painkiller.

Put almonds in your pocket to recover a lost object.

Light candles throughout the house regularly.

Sprinkle oats over your garden (especially herbs) to ensure good growth.

Honey is a natural antibiotic and antibacterial. Got a cold sore? Put that stuff all over that. Got a cold? Eat a tablespoon every few hours.

Place lilacs all over the house to get rid of unwanted spirits.

Drink cranberry juice to get a good detox when in need of grounding.

Hang dill over your door to keep people who wish ill on you out.

Place half an onion in the room with someone who is sick to draw out disease.

Place morning glory seeds inside your pillow to get rid of bad dreams.

Pour salt in your bath (or shower floor if you don’t have a bath) to cleanse and ground yourself.

Use chili peppers to break a curse.

Plant rosemary next to your front gate or door for a little good luck.

Not everything is a sign.

Not everything is a sign.

Not everything is a sign.

Not everything is a sign.

Not everything is a sign.

Not everything is a sign.

Please try not to assign symbolic meaning to legitimately everything.

May your August be filled with love and growth.

Fog is often a forgotten aspect of weather that seems to get passed over when it comes to witchcraft despite it having some powerful and noble uses as well as a history in the craft. Though not all areas get fog commonly, many do, almost every morning depending on the time of year. Allow this small post to perhaps be some help to those who have interest in harnessing fog into their craft.

History and Fiction

As stated above, in many literary sources witches of both historical senses and fiction harness fog as a powerful towel. In popular lore, witches were said to summon fogs to roll across the lands to protect fleeing mothers and children during wars to hide from invading soldiers, though this lore is hard to pin point down, it is often said to come from Celtic and Gaelic origins.

In other tales witches would summon fog to protect traveling royalty or heroes who are on a quest to reach lands that may be unfriendly to their arrival. At some other times fog was related to almost like the “witching hour” it meant it was a time that the supernatural were out and witches were casting their spells.

Fog as a Liminal Space

What is a liminal space? To put it simply it means a “transforming space” or a place that the Veil or energies are thinner and overcross one another. Often they are associated with spirit work, energy work, astral work and over all witchcraft. Some call these places or areas “places where one area and time stop and another begins”.

In many cases, places that are covered by fog often are said to be liminal spaces during this time, due to the surrealism and energy fog brings with it. It turns something mundane looking to mysterious, confusing and even to some creepy. Its concealing nature brings the feeling of the unknown and the unseen.

Traditionally and theatrically fog is often used to represent the Veil between worlds and afterlife, often used in settings of literature and movies by covering graveyards before something supernatural happens or by filling the streets at night when magick is about to begin. Often when many people who don’t practice the craft think of supernatural energies and the Veil they imagine a foggy night or a wall of fog, this imagery is for a reason.

Often, fog is seen as an important tool for spirit work both fictionally and modernly due to its relations of being a liminal space and therefore seen as easier to contact spirits with the barriers weaker when it arrives.

Correpsondences and Uses of Fog

Generally Fog Corresponds with - The Veil, Spirits/Spirit Work, The Hidden, The Unseen, Invisibility, Protection, Obstruction, Curses/Hexes, Warding, Meditation, Astral Work, Fear, Patience, Calmness, Serenity, Peace and Travel

Often times, fog is useful to one when they wish to cast or enchant items for invisibility and protection during travel, often necklaces or items enchanted while out in the fog. Others will take the opportunity of using fog for spiritual communication, past life work and astral projection, taking advantage of the weakened barriers and Veil for these purposes.

Associations

Crystals - Clear Quartz, Smokey Quartz, Thunder Egg

Herbs/Plants - Cotton, Broom, Saffron, Thistle/Thicket, Wheat, Pansy

Colors - Gray, Silver, Black, Blue

Other Tools - Steam, Incense/Smoke, Wands, Besoms, Branches, Storm Water/Rain Water, Ash, Dust, Mirrors and Gray Candles

Fog Summoning

There are many ways said to summon fog. A few of those ways will be listed below

Method 1: Using storm water boiling it until it has thick amounts of steam rising from it, carefully move it outside or to a window (if one is not already outside) and offer it to the sky. Many will chant or call to the weather or winds to bring them fog much like the steam of the pot.

Method 2: In water on a burner add storm or sea salt and a sigil on paper for fog. Close the lid to it and wait until it is boiling. Remove the lid and allow the steam to rise. Here chant if desired for fog or let the water boil until it is nearly gone.

Method 3: With a besom go outside if it is a private space and much like wind summoning call to the fog to come to you, using your tool as an extension of yourself and your energy. Remember to ask it to come rather than demand for it.

Method 4: Using storm water or rain water, ash and a jar fill it with these ingredients and shake it thoroughly to summon fog. Be sure to center yourself and focus on your energy to put into this fog summoning jar. Leave it outside or in a window afterwards for further effects.

Fog Water

Fog water is a tool that can be used for witchcraft when fog is not rightfully available or in place of rain water/storm water in fog summoning. To capture fog water is pretty easy though you must be able to accept small amounts.

First you will need either very fine fabric or mesh or screen similar to what can be found in windows or for fishing nets. Tight it taunt onto something to hold it up like rods or sticks. Make sure it is held up at least a couple feet above the ground and somewhere the fog will roll through it. Base it off of how high the fog in your area tends to be, if you have low rolling fogs it may work better lower to the ground. After or during a time of fog you should be able to see droplets of water forming on it, you may use a jar tied below a corner of it to capture these drops or you can collect it yourself during/after they have formed. You can build much larger versions of this for potable water gathering and tutorials on this can be found easily online if that may interest you.

Store your fog water in glass containers and in the fridge, be sure to date and label to ensure you are using fresh water. Do not drink this water unless you set up the proper potable filtration systems.

Diffusing Fog

Often witches will find themselves tasked with fog being a hindrance rather than helpful. Its a dangerous weather condition especially for those on the road or at sea. 

Historically, sea witches would be asked to disperse fog for the safe return and port of sea vessels and the men upon them. Though it is difficult to find exact spells from these times, often broom or heather is used by facing the sea with it in hand and waving at the fog, putting energy into it and telling the fog to disperse. Other times it is said using a broom/besom to summon winds to remove the fog was a preferred way.

Other options for witches is to sing a fog removal song and often dance accompanied with it and with either a besom or wand in hand, direct the fog to travel away from you and somewhere else. Other witches have found success in praying and working with weather deities to move the fog back to the sky or to lead it away.

Omens, Superstitions and Dreams

In omens it is said fog represents blindness. It blocks our ability to see clearly and makes normal directions seem impossible to follow. It can go hand in hand with confusion and the feelings of anxiety. When fog appears in visions it is to be seen often as a warning that things are about to get just that - foggy.

Though it is also related to shrouding oneself, it may be a sign that it is time for you to create a fog about yourself and to build up those wards.

Superstition wise it was believed fog would steal people, often due to people getting lost in it and vanishing, because of this fog is seen as a warning of loss to come. Some cultures even associate it directly with death.

In dreams fog holds many meanings. If the fog is throughout the whole dream then it is a warning of deception. Someone is deceiving you and deep down you know it to be true. If you dream of being wrapped in fog and it is too thick to see through or escape it is often related to feeling that someone has stolen something from you. Dreaming of wandering in a foggy environment is a warning of dangers to come, keep on your toes. If you escape fog it means you are avoiding danger or theft.

If one dreams of fog just being around their head, eyes or following above them like a halo/hat, then it is an indication that you are lying to yourself. You are refusing to let yourself see the truth. It can also be a play of the saying “its all in your head” meaning you are overthinking a problem.

If you dream of fog and snow together, it is often said to be a dream related to sickness soon to come. Others say its a sign that illness of the mind and emotions is going to creep its way in.

If one dreams of their home, bedroom or apartment being filled with fog it is often taken as a bad omen and sign that a large family drama is soon to come.

Seeing a figure in fog in dreams can have different meanings. If it is someone that you know it means they may be hiding things from you or that you are going to have a fight with them in the near future. It can also indicate if you are in the fog and you see them outside of the fog, that you are guilty about something you did to them. Seeing a stranger in the fog or a shadow you do not recognize is often due to anxiety or fear in one’s waking life. They represent the unknown and the future to come, which you are currently stressed over. Animals in the fog can represent both anxieties and fears looming about you but also can represent that you a repressing your own desires and natural wants.

If you see fog rolling in from the distance of a dream it means something is looming in your waking life. If fog starts descending down on you in a dream from the sky to the ground, many take this as a bad omen for travel especially by air or sea. Historically it is said a foggy sea in your dreams means a shipwreck in your future. Though fog over a lake or river means dream-like wonder and is said that young women who dream of this can expect a mysterious stranger in their future.

Fog and Different Types of Witchcraft

Sea Witchcraft - Fog is often seen as more of a hindrance in ocean magick, especially historically when fog at sea or port could be rather hazardous and bring tragedy to many. Due to this, fog in sea magick is often used for more negative tasks like cursing.

Storm Magick - Fog is often seen more in the light of a less harsh type of weather compared to storms or rain but still one that can be used to harness energy. The energy of foggy weather is much more mysterious, calm and hazy than that of storm or wind. It can be used for such purposes.

Death Magick - Fog is often related to the barriers of the other-side as some may say, so many death witches will take advantage of fog to use it to communicate and commune with the dead. Many report that it can make using tools of communication like Ouija boards and pendulums easier.

DionysianCore. It's a combination of light academia and cottagecore.

Examples:

Drinking wine in the woods or on a farm while watching the sunset/sunrise.

Living secluded in nature to study lost knowledge in peace.

Acting out classic plays around a bonfire.

Playing classical music on an acoustic guitar while sitting in the garden.

Explain?

One of the most common struggles for people who are protestant Christians, regarding actually believing in capital-G God, is this: if God exists, and God is as good as he claims, why do human beings suffer?  This led to the popular saying by David Hume:

If God is unable to prevent evil, then he is not all-powerful. If God is not willing to prevent evil, then he is not all-good.

People often simplify this as:

If God is God, he is not good If God is Good, he is not God

Protestant Christians then carry this attitude forward when dealing with people who hold other faiths.  This is particularly true of Christians who, unable to reconcile this question (among others) become Atheists.  Those of us who follow other religions then have to deal with this question being asked of us as if it matters.  People who are trying to poke a hole in my beliefs, as a Hellenic Polytheist, say things like, “If the gods are real, why don’t they save you from suffering?  They they’re real, why do they let bad things happen?”

The problem with that question is that I have a fundamentally different definition of ‘god’ than they do.  They are ONLY able to see the concept of deity through one lens: that of the Protestant Christianity with which they grew up.  They can’t conceptualize how Jewish People relate to G-d, which is DEEPLY, FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT from how Protestant Christians relate to God (seriously, if y’all grew up Christian, you know N O T H I N G about Judaism; you need to stop thinking you do).  It’s different from how Muslims relate to God.  It’s different from how Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, Indigenous Religions, and Pagan Religions relate to the concept of deity, which takes myriad different forms for each culture and religion.  

Side note: I will cop to this - because the religion Pagans are most likely to convert from is Christianity, many Pagans bring their baggage surrounding godhood with them, and have to unlearn it slowly over the course of years through research, mentoring, and personal devotional relationships with our own deities.  The question of why all-powerful beings would allow bad things to happen is part of the baggage we have to unpack as we learn to accept other definitions of ‘god’ that don’t carry inherently Christian assumptions.

Foundational to the question of God’s goodness versus God’s power is the idea that we live in a fallen world.  God created this world to be eminently good, the theology goes, and through human disobedience the world and humanity fell from a state of grace.  Therefore, we all suffer the consequences of letting sin and death into God’s perfect creation, and it is right and fair that we suffer these consequences because we are inherently sinful people who can only be made better by two things: striving to sin less and glorify God through our actions, which can never get us the whole way to grace because we can never be perfect, and the saving grace of the sacrifice of Christ to take us the rest of the way.  We are expected to spend our lives climbing a sheer mountain with Heaven at the peak.  We are utterly incapable of making it all the way up, but if we can get high enough, and persevere long enough, Jesus will reach down his hand and pull us the rest of the way into paradise.  Suffering in the world, therefore, is a crucible through which we are tested and refined.  We’re expected to keep the faith, glorify God even when everything is going to shit, and focus on gaining paradise rather than suffering in this world.

This theology may be fine and comforting on an individual or a small group level, but when it spreads out and takes over society, it exposes a pretty fucking significant missing pillar.  See, if suffering is the crucible in which we’re refined, and we are responsible for our own fallenness and have an obligation to strive for righteousness, that gives rise to a series of corollary beliefs:

Suffering isn’t something that should be alleviated because then how would you overcome it? 

We have no responsibility for the suffering of others because the state of the world is fallen.  Suffering is therefore inevitable.

Those who continue to suffer constantly shouldn’t complain about it or agitate for better conditions, because they should be focusing on rewards in Heaven after they die.

The suffering we cause others is of little or no consequence because it gives them an opportunity to strive for God.  If they succeed, Heaven will make up for all those wrongs. Feeds into, “Kill them all and let God sort it out”.

If you are not actively suffering, then you must not need to be tested.  This leads down the rabbit hole of Prosperity Gospel, which you can google for yourselves because this is already a crazy-long post.

Therefore, if you are suffering it is because you are sinful.  If you are not suffering, you must already be righteous. This feeds into the widespread belief that people who are in poverty, who are disabled, or who are mentally ill, DID SOMETHING WRONG to be there, and therefore they don’t deserve help.  This is why people who claim to be Christians will police the hell out of every single thing an impoverished or disabled person does without offering an iota of aid, and it is where the ‘bootstraps’ attitude comes from.

As you can see, there are a LOT of pitfalls here that are directly related to some of the most unfortunate expressions of oligarchy in our society.  God’s responsibilities to us and our responsibilities to God are directly centered on being fallen and striving to achieve grace, in a Protestant Christian (and yes, Calvinist) mindset.  So Protestant Christians, who have these beliefs written throughout their entire lives, their morals, their systems of ethics, the way they form and maintain relationships with other humans, with other creatures, and with the very world around them (why save the planet? We’re all striving for Heaven anyway) are often unable (or unwilling) to even CONCEIVE of the idea that other people, belonging to other religions, which have deities, may not relate to their deities in the same way.  Or that those deities may not hold the same responsibilities toward us that they ascribe to God.  Or even that those deities, as is the case with my particular pantheon, may not even claim to represent ultimate good, and therefore, cannot be forced through theological paradoxes to assume responsibility for preventing all of human suffering.

Years afterwards a shepherd was driving his herd across the bridge, and saw lying in the sand beneath, a snow-white little bone. He thought that it would make a good mouth-piece, so he clambered down, picked it up, and cut out of it a mouth-piece for his horn. But when he blew through it for the first time, to his great astonishment, the bone began of its own accord to sing:

“Ah, friend, thou blowest upon my bone! Long have I lain beside the water; My brother slew me for the boar, And took for his wife the King’s young daughter.”

-The Singing Bone

Intent: To reveal a crime and bring justice upon the perpetrator. Ideal Timing: Full Moon for revelation / Dark of the Moon for revenge

Materials:

Wooden flute

White paint & brush

Dry chicken bone

Dish of sand

Cauldron or burning bowl

Charcoal disk

Herbal incense for justice, truth, retribution, etc (see below)

To begin, acquire a wooden flute. I recommend something like a children’s toy whistle, but use whatever suits your purposes best. Mastery of the instrument is not required. All that is needed is a sound. Clean the instrument well and paint it white. Then, somewhere on the body of the flute, careful paint or draw a set of scales to represent justice, and whatever other symbols you deem appropriate. Set it aside to allow the paint to dry.

Next, acquire a chicken bone. A leg or part of a wing is suggested, but a vertebra would also be appropriate and in keeping with the details of the story. Clean the bone well to remove any scraps of soft tissue, dry it well, then bury it in a small dish of sand. It doesn’t need to be deep, it just needs to be covered.

Note: Since the ritual portion of this working dips a toe into the realm of spirit work, I do suggest casting a protective circle in your work area before performing the next part of the spell, purely as a precaution. Use whatever methods you normally would to sanctify and protect your workspace.

On the day that you plan to perform your spell, retrieve the dish of sand and the prepared flute. Set up your burning bowl in a fire-safe area outdoors, with a charcoal disk in the bottom and a handful of herbs on top. The components of this incense may vary according to what you prefer to use and what you have on hand, but the following are suggested options:

JUSTICE & LEGAL MATTERS - Celandine, Cascara Segrada, Galangal Root, Hickory Wood, Lovage, Marigold, Sumac Berries, Tansy, Tobacco

RETRIBUTION - Blackthorn, Devil’s Shoestring, Vetiver, Willow Bark

STRENGTH - Balsam, Basil, Bay Leaf, Bloodroot, Calamus, Cedar, Cinquefoil, Echinacea, Fennel, Motherwort, Nettle, Oak, Oakmoss, Pine, Sycamore, Thistle, Thyme, Walnut

TRUTH - Bluebell, Borage, Cherry Blossom, Deer’s Tongue, Dogbane, Primrose, Scullcap, Solomon’s Seal Root

CATALYSTS - Agrimony, Allspice Powder, Amber Oil, Bergamot, Cardamom, Clove Powder, Ginger Root, Peppermint

Set your incense to smolder, and allow the smoke to rise. When you’re ready, blow a steady note on the wooden flute. Call the name of the wronged or murdered party, saying:

“[NAME], I hear your cry for justice from beyond the veil of night. Though this wrong lies buried, we will see it brought to light.”

Blow on the flute once more. If you know the name or names of the guilty parties, call them aloud, saying:

“[NAME(S)]*, though you bury your misdeeds deep, Though you hide behind the walls of power and station, The eyes of the gods are upon you. The eyes of the people are upon you. The eyes of justice are upon you. In the name of [all that is good and right],** I reveal you to the eyes of the world. Stand and answer for what you have done!”

*If the guilty party is not known by name, a simple epithet such as “You who have wronged this person” or the like will suffice.

**If desired, you may substitute the names or epithets of your preferred deity or deities.

Blow a long note on the flute and shake the dish of sand so that the buried bone rises to the top. The calling and unburying of the bone may be repeated as many times as you feel a need, or multiple times for multiple victims, or multiple times for multiple perpetrators. Take as long as you need.

Black Created Tarot Decks Masterpost

Dust II Onyx Tarot - Courtney Alexander

Afro Goddess Tarot & Oracle - Andrea Furtick

Afro Tarot & Oracle - Jessi Jumanji

Adinkra Ancestral Guidance cards - Simone Bresi-Ando

Akamara Tarot & Okana Oracle - Lolu

Melanade Stand Tarot - Fontaine Felisha Foxworth

The Black Gold Lenormand - Tea

Melanated Classic Tarot - Oubria Tronshaw & Julia Goolsby

Ares: a rather misunderstood god. He’s so much more than just violence and war. Here’s some resources and sources on him. I also got some Ares devotees to contribute some ideas for devotional activities for him.

Ares 

God of & Divine Functions:

War 

Battles

Protection 

Rebellion 

Defence

Civil order

City Defense

Anger & Violence; blessing is restraint of it

War Booty

Possibly Manliness 

War-Chariot Races

Ancestral god, protector of the fatherland 

He is Ouranic.

He is usually depicted as a beardless youth, baring a sword or spear, wearing a helmet. In the Iliad, he is described to be extremely intimidating. In other cases he’s shown to have a beard.

Symbols/Attributes 

Spear

Helmet

Shield 

Armour 

Sacred Animals:

Serpent/Dragons

Vulture 

Woodpecker 

Barn Owl

Eagle Owl

Sacred Plants

none

Shrine Ideas:

Coins

Spears, Swords

Shield 

Sigils; symbols of protection 

Serpents/Dragons

His Sacred birds

Chariots

Things that make you feel safe

Riches, jewelry, etc.

Offering Ideas:

General Offerings: Water, Milk, Wine, Honey, etc.

Coins, riches 

Meats; Steak

Devotional Activities Ideas:

Workouts

Martial Arts

LARP

Cult Locations

Attica

Argolis

Laconia

Elis

Achaea 

Arcadia

Boeotia 

Aetolia 

Thesportia

Thrace

Rome and Lantum 

Historical Hymns to Ares

Homeric Hymn 8: To Ares

Orphic Hymn 65: To Ares

Other:

Planet: Mars

Day: Tuesday

Ares is misunderstood to simply be an angry, war driven god. This is false - he is the god of protection and rebellion. He is a protector. His Homeric hymn shows it well:

Homeric Hymn 8 to Ares (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic B.C.) :

“Ares, exceeding in strength, chariot-rider, golden-helmed, doughty in heart, shield-bearer, Saviour of cities, harnessed in bronze, strong of arm, unwearying, mighty with the spear, O defender of Olympos, father of warlike Nike (Victory), ally of Themis, stern governor of the rebellious, leader of the righteous men, sceptred King of manliness, who whirl your fiery sphere [the star Mars] among the planets in their sevenfold courses through the aither wherein your blazing steeds ever bear you above the third firmament of heaven; hear me, helper of men, giver of dauntless youth! Shed down a kindly ray from above upon my life, and strength of war, that I may be able to drive away bitter cowardice from my head and crush down the deceitful impulses of my soul. Restrain also the keen fury of my heart which provokes me to tread the ways of blood-curdling strife. Rather, O blessed one, give you me boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violent fiends of death.”

I hope that this makes people more comfortable with him. Ares is a wonderful deity, and doesn’t deserve to be ignored. I’d recommend watching The Pastel Priestess’s podcast episode on him, she does a wonderful job.

Resources + Sources

https://www.theoi.com/Summary/Ares.html

https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Ares.html

https://www.theoi.com/Cult/AresCult.html#Cult

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ares

Podcast Episode about Ares:

https://youtu.be/ICpZYdr9D3w

Book on Ares Cultus:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J_b6AegjBxydjA3_kxsoAqlra38NbpxA/view?usp=drivesdk

Aesthetic Image from: https://aly-naith.tumblr.com