Fox Fae

I adhere to science a lot. Science simply makes sense to me.

Quartz. Why do we love quartz as witches? Quartz is capable of conducting an electrical charge when put under pressure, and that's why it's in all our electronics, from watches, computers to medical equipment. Science backs up our love of quartz and why we use it so much.

Rather than consulting some woo woo book or website full of someone's UPG - nothing wrong with UPGs, but facts are facts - about what a plant does, I'll look into its medicinal uses; what does medical science do with.. ivy, for example, ivy is used in cough syrups, so it's good for the lungs. One of many examples I encourage you to look up for yourself about medicinal plants.

Herbalism is also a good source of inspiration for how to use plants, it does teeter a little between fact, science and folklore, but, hey, you use what you have. Not really our fault so much knowledge was lost.

Metals are underrated in witchcraft, if you want my opinion, and lots of science to speak on their properties. One of my recent favourites is brass; antimicrobial so excellent for cleansing, doesn't hurt it makes a gorgeous, crisp sound. It's very resistant to corrosion, conducts electrical and thermal energy. Do I need to translate all this into witchy woo woo verbiage?

Reminds me I'm on the hunt for a brass bell... Maybe one will show up.

Silver is also very antimicrobial, so there's a reason why we like our silver jewellery, very conductive and very reflective. Also very soft, so you can't count on silver for everything.

Oh, and... I do believe that you'll learn A LOT about the craft from biology, botany, geology, mycology and many, many other sciences. Use science books alongside your witchcraft books.

The 11th century Irish chronicle Sex Aetates Mundi (literally ‘the six ages of the world’) describes the existence of the Goborchinn, a race of horse-headed beings.

References to these monsters in Irish manuscripts are scarce and we don’t really know how they treated or were treated by humans, but as they were described in a decidedly negative light, being grouped together with monsters, they were likely malicious.

They are often claimed to be a subspecies of the mythical Fomorians/Fomóraig, the ancient monstrous opponents of the early Irish people, but this is inaccurate. Rather, these two groups share the same origin as they were descended from the same ancestor: after the biblical Flood, Cham (or Ham) mocked his father Noah for being drunk and naked. Under the influence of this curse, Cham became the father of Luchorpáin (think of these as early leprechauns), the Fomóraig and the Goborchinn, a race of human-like beings with the heads of horses. The horse-headed Goborchinn have often been associated with the Fomorians, and while the name can mean either ‘goat-headed’ or ‘horse-headed’, we do know that one of the Fomorian kings in the Lebor Gabála was named Eochaid Echchenn, a name that translates to something like ‘Horsehead’, hence why the Goborchinn are generally accepted to have the heads of horses.

In earlier Celtic mythology, horses and horse-associated spirits were viewed in a more beneficial light, and the Christianisation of these myths might partially account for the change. It is unclear to me whether the Goborchinn were based on earlier, non-Christianized monsters, or to what extent, though it seems there is indeed a connection with earlier Celtic spirits.

Interestingly, there is evidence that these monsters were derived from the Cynocephali, a race of dog-headed humans discussed in older medieval texts. They might also be related to the more well-known Irish water horse monsters.

Sources:

MacCulloch, J. A., 1911, The Religion of the Ancient Celts, Morrison & Gibb Limited, Edinburgh, p. 189-190, 399 pp.

Clarke, M., 2012, The Lore of the Monstrous Races in the Developing Text of the Irish Sex Aetates Mundi, Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies 63, p. 15-49.

Lyle, E., 2021, Myth and History in Celtic and Scandinavian Traditions, Taylor & Francis, 302 pp.

Cleansing Waning Moon💜💫

Harvesting (Safety Guide)

Warning: Pay attention to when you see or hear the word BANE. It is a warning of danger. Bane derives from the Old German bano meaning death. Bane implies that this plant is poisonous enough to cause death.

Never use any botanicals without expert professional supervision. This extends to more than just standard internal administration. Even handling certain plants can be dangerous

Do not wildcraft (harvesting from wild places), for two reasons:

This is the botanical equivalent of poaching animals; many botanicals are severely endangered in the wild

Plants can be deceptive. It is very easy to assume that one is picking one plant when it is, in fact, another. This is particularly true with mushrooms.

Harvesting varries, each plant is unique in the preocess they require to be harvested and prepared for external and interal use.

If you would like any information on specific herbs comment the herb name below, and I will give you any information I can find.

Source: Encyclopedia of Witch Craft by Judika Illes

Image: Image from page 373 of "Cyclopedia of American horticulture" 1900 (1900s) Authors: Bailey, L. H. (Liberty Hyde), 1858-1954 ed; Miller, Wilhelm, b. 1869, joint author Subjects: Gardening Publisher: New York [etc. ] The Macmillan company Contributing Library: Boston College Libraries Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

Witchcraft isn't selfish or self-centred.

This is something that took me an actually long time to grasp as a solo practitioner with not many people in my life. I'll spare you the lurid details of my lonely childhood and such. Once I began to include my friends and those in need in my spellwork, once I began to think of others a lot more, the spell results I wanted for myself landed much harder. Not to brag, but I started having more money coming in, more good things happening, even in the silly gacha games I play to unwind my overthinking mind.

If you have the gift of magic, it costs you nothing to add another name or two in your petitions. Okay, it costs a little bit of ink, or whatever.

I have to admit, I despise egotistical, selfish and self-centred people. They suck the life out of a room, act like they're the grandest, greatest, most fascinating person alive, while they're the biggest bore.

So, witches, step outside of yourself, your needs and wants. There is always someone very near you who could use a boost.

🔮 Witchy Shop 🔮

I see a lot of new beginner witches stressing about the minor details or asking questions “my candle flame did ___ what does that mean?” or “I don’t have this [herb] can I use [different herb] instead?”. Which truth be told I don’t know.

It’s a craft built and influenced by your own energy. I don’t know the intricacies of your spell work and the energy you’re bringing in for it to tell you that. I don’t know if that candle flame is good or bad because I'm not in the room with that candle's energy, I don’t know what that candle' s for and I don’t have your energy that it’s interacting with.

The reason craft is in the word witchcraft is that it’s a craft. You make stuff you like, make stuff you don’t like, get times where you need a break or go through blocks, make small mistakes that work out, make small mistakes that don’t, try new things and build your own methods, etc.

You can only build your own methods comfortably by doing your own crafting. Art classes or guide books can help build a better understanding of techniques but ultimately no one is making a carbon copy of each other because they know the same techniques, have the same tools, and the same prompt.

warded my relationship before telling anyone the good news

cleansed & bound myself to my ring so it doesn’t get lost

created a sigil to represent marriage blessings to help with planning, and will also serve as the “logo” for my wedding invites

A similar celebration to Lughnasadh for the Norse is Freyfeast/Freysblót.

Yngvi-Freyr is the god of many things and one is being the god good harvest, so naturally he is honoured during this celebration.

Bread is a very common offering to him.

My Granny is mainly a Celtic witch and will be making bread today, if I can snag a piece I will place it at my altar for him… until then he can have my bread crusts

I’ve also made a devotional jar for Yngvi. Adorned with one of my favourite crystals, moss agate, I’ve included some of the herbs you’ll find ready in August, as well as some seeds best to plant this month:

Rose, Caraway, Dill, Mugwort, Chamomile, Poppy seeds, Nettle, Spearmint, Lavander, Sage, Meadowsweet, Yarrow, Basil, Oregano

Aaaaand coffee beans, I always offer the gods some coffee :)

Another name adopted for this day is Freyfaxi. Which I have a bone to pick with 🫣

It’s named after a horse in Hrafnkell’s Saga, Freyfaxi, which he dedicated to Yngvi along with his other prized livestock and possessions.

Yngvi-Freyr was Hrafnkell’s patron god and he even achieved the name of Freysgoði (Freyr’s Goði (a prominent pagan leader))

Hrafnkell swore an oath he would slain any that would ride Freyfaxi without permission.

Besides him being a loyal follower of Freyr, and having his own settlement and a farm.. there’s no massive ties to the holiday. Like. At all. Hrafnkell also ends up becoming an atheist, albeit due to the consequences of his chaotic actions. But I don’t think it’s a very fitting name for the occasion….So I personally won’t be calling it that