metamorphic & metaphysical

Yeah…that went well. I shoulda squashed them first, because now they’re just floating at the top and not doing anything.

Tried squishing them against the glass, but they’re refusing to pop.

add water?

Get some more honey. I use 3 pounds for a batch of mead. 

Take half a gallon of water. Heat it until just simmering, then remove from heat and stir in honey. Once it cools a bit sprinkle in…oh, in this case, maybe a teaspoon of yeast. White wine yeast works best but regular will work ok too. 

Sterilize something to let it ferment in. A milk jug would work. Splash a little bleach in there, fill with water, let sit a bit, then wash out well. 

Once fermenting vessel is sterilized, pour the honey/water/berries/yeast in. Take a balloon and stretch it over the top of the jug, and prick a pinhole in it. This will keep outside wild yeasts out but let out co2 as it ferments. 

Leave it for a month or so. 

Then, bottle and drink!

By Rainy-Day-Witchcraft

⌲ Beach Sand: Use for calming or anxiety spells to gradually wash away and smooth out fear/negativity, for spells of change, or in magick for motivation or strength

⌲ Desert Sand: Use for cursing to “dry out” your target of wealth/luck/happiness/etc, or add to a resilience spell for the capability to grow through hard times or situations

⌲ River Sand: Use for spells that are focused on moving on physically or mentally, or for change and/or healing magick - Can also serve as an elemental water offering

⌲ Volcanic Sand: Use for destructive spells or curses, in magick to reveal deeper or hidden meanings/feelings, or for banishing magick - Can also serve as an elemental fire offering

⌲ Heavy Mineral/Crystal Sand: (Sands with significant presence of Quartz, Garnet, Olivine, Hematite, etc.) Use in magick for personal growth, focus, or motivation. If you have a sand heavily composed of a specific gemstone (quartz, for example) usable as a substitute for that gemstone in spellwork.

⌲ Black Sand: Use for protection, banishing, or negativity-based spells

Decoration tips from the local hearth witch

Dried slices of orange, lemon, lime, and apple are wonderful for decorating your sacred space (mine is my kitchen). Create strings of them to dangle from the ceiling, or perhaps set them one by one along your windowsill. Not only is it a cute and witchy way to invite positive energy into your home, but it’s homemade and very Earth-friendly.

To begin this project, I consulted both a very old recipe card from one of my relatives and the internet. The following is what I did in particular, though I offer no guarantee that this will work perfectly.

Preheat the oven to the lowest temperature possible, preferably between 150 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Find a cooling rack and a baking sheet or metal pan big enough to hold said cooling rack. (This is to keep the fruit slices elevated while baking, to prevent burning.)

Slice the fruit of your choice, preferably round, ripe, and unbruised, into 1/8 to 1/4 inch pieces. The thinner your slices, the faster they will dry. Thin slices also allow more light to pass through, thus creating a sun-catcher of sorts.

If using apples, soak the slices in 1 cup of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of table salt (or a similar ratio) for about 10 minutes before baking to prevent browning.

Use a tea towel to pat dry each slice of fruit. You may press gently on the pieces to squeeze out more moisture, but be careful not to damage or stretch your slices.

Place the fruit slices onto the cooling rack. Place the cooling rack onto your baking sheet (to catch any residual fruit juice) and pop it into the oven.

Return once every hour to turn over the slices of fruit. You’ll know slices are done when they harden—if you squeeze the fruit and liquid is still present, it is not fully dried yet.

After 3–6 hours, you have your dried slices! This little project will bless your home with the lovely scent of warm citrus. If you’re feeling festive, try adding cinnamon sticks, walnuts, or ginger to your mix.

Notes from the hearth witch:

Don’t fret if some of your slices are overdone. Even the brownest of my lemon slices look perfectly clear in the light!

For me this is spellwork, and the entire process was very calm and grounded. My craft is about making the home a sacred place. I have simply shared the “recipe” portion of the experience; take liberty in using it for your own rituals, giving these as gifts, or simply making a decoration.

DISCOVER: The Art of Japanese Incense Appreciation

Coinciding with the introduction of Buddhism in the 6th century, the burning of incense is an important part of Japanese culture, steeped in history and time-honoured tradition. Integral to traditional ceremonies, incense can be found burning in temples and homes throughout Japan – filling the air with evocative fragrances to accompany meditation and prayer.

Juniper smoke keeps the beasties at bay in traditional Slavic folklore and pagan beliefs: Kikimora (nightmare bringer), Strzyga (a vampiric creature) and the like. 

This translates very well into other uses: preventing nightmares, protection, cleansing and curse undoing. The juniper protects and purifies, removes remnants of the awful and prevents their return. 

Hands in the Dirt

Block print, 2017

In traditional English witchcraft a Whitch’s Whisk was set alight and blown out to smoke, just like a sage wand. The whisk is then used to “dance and weave” around the outside of your circle. The intent was to make a boundary for sacred space. The dried blackberry stems are cut and bound together at one end with traditionally red twine for power and protection but you can use any color twine to represent what you need it too. Sometimes the end bound is also covered in a matching colored wax for extra for intent.

The smoke of the whisk was used to exorcise evil entities and negativity, cleanse and consecrate a space, ward off misfortune and banish illnesses from the house and its inhabitants.

A chant which is traditionally associated with blackberries is the following. Chant it three times, knowing that you are invoking the energy of Brigid, the Goddess of Fire, healing and protection along with other things. The same chant is used for healing purposes.

It is likely, like me, you grew up without an education in Classical (or Modern for that matter) Greek. You might have read “Hecate” and read it as “Heh-KATE” or, at best, “Heh-kuh-TEE” (a habit which I fear I might take to the grave). So hopefully you will also find this selection of pronunciation from HellenicGods.org interesting. I recommend reading their full article. In particular was the use of the diphthongs - where the tip of the tongue meets and presses flat against the roof of the mouth right behind the teeth before releasing. It makes a sound that is something between a D and a Th. This is common in Indian languages, like Punjabi, where I became familiar with it.

Ækáti - (Hecate or Hekate; Gr. Ἑκάτη, ΕΚΑΤΗ) Pronounced: æ-KAH-tee. or eh-KAH-tee.

Ærmís (Hermes; Gr. Ἑρμῆς, ΕΡΜΗΣ) Pronounced: ayr-MEES, the ‘H’ is silent; the ‘R’ is rolled slightly such that it almost sounds like the name has three syllables.

Æstía (Hestia; Gr. Ἑστία, ΕΣΤΙΑ) Pronounced: æs-TEE-ah.

Aphrodíti (Aphrodite; Gr. Ἀφροδίτη, ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ) Pronunciation: ah-froh-DEE-tee, roll the ‘r’ slightly; the d (dǽlta) is pronounced like the soft th in this, not like the hard th in theory

Apóllohn - (Apollo; Gr. Ἀπόλλων, ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ) Pronounced ah-POH-lohn.

Áris - (Ares; Gr. Άρης, ΑΡΗΣ) Pronunciation: AH-rees 

Ártæmis (Artemis; Gr. Ἄρτεμις, ΑΡΤΕΜΙΣ) Pronunciation: AHR-tay-mees 

Athiná (Athena; Gr. Ἀθηνᾶ, ΑΘΗΝΑ) Pronunciation: ah-thee-NAH, the accent on the final syllable, or not accenting any syllable.

Daimohn (Gr. δαίμων, ΔΑΙΜΩΝ) Pronounced: DAY-mohn, the D sounding like the th in thee (not like the th in thesis).

Dimítir (Demeter or Demetra; Gr. Δημήτηρ, ΔΗΜΗΤΗΡ) When enunciating the name Dimítir, the D (delta) is pronounced like the soft th in this, not like the hard th in theory: dee-MEE-teer, with the accent on the second syllable.

Diónysos - (Dionysus; Gr. Διόνυσος, ΔΙΟΝΥΣΟΣ) The D in Diónysos is pronounced like the th in thee (not like the th in thesis). Pronounced: dee-OH-nee-sohs.

Ílios - (Helios; Gr. Ἥλιος, ΗΛΙΟΣ) Pronounced: EE-lee-ohs.

Íphaistos (Hephaestus; Gr. Ἥφαιστος, ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ) Pronounced: EE-fays-tohs, with the accent on the first syllable; there is no ‘H.’

Íra (Hera; Gr. Ήρα, ΗΡΑ) Pronounced: EE-rah.  The ‘H’ (Íta [Eta; Gr. ἦτα]) at the beginning of the name of the Goddess is a vowel.

Nyx (Gr. Νύξ, ΝΥΞ) Pronounced: neeks.

Orphéfs (Orpheus; Gr. Ὀρφεύς, ΟΡΦΕΥΣ) Pronounced: ohr-FEFS

Pærsæphóni - (Persephone; Gr. Περσεφόνη, ΠΕΡΣΕΦΟΝΗ) Pronounced: payr-say-FOH-nee.

Poseidóhn  - (Poseidon; Gr. Ποσειδῶν, ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ) Pronounced: poh-see-DOHN, accent on the last syllable; the d (delta) at the beginning of the last syllable is pronounced like a soft th as in this, not like the th in theory. 

Rǽa - (Rhea; Gr. Ῥέα, ΡΕΑ) Pronounced: RAY-ah, rolling the R just slightly.

Titánæs (Titans; Gr. Τιτᾶνες, ΤΙΤΑΝΕΣ) Pronounced: tee-TAH-nays or tee-TAH-nehs.

Yaia - (Gaia; Gr. Γαῖα, ΓΑΙΑ. Pronounced: YÆ-ah.