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Introduction and Contents

Greetings!

I am IoQayin! I've been practicing witchcraft for the past two decades. I am an initiate of both British Traditional Witchcraft, and the Minoan Tradition.

For the past decade I have lived in the Pacific Northwest where I have been a practicing witch and Dionysian. From a young age, I was obsessed with witchcraft. One of the first books I read when I was maybe 9 or 10 years old was The Witch's Handbook by Malcolm Bird. I grew up in the '90s when Silver Ravenwolf, Christopher Penzack, Ellen Dugan, Raymond Buckland, and others of that time period were the only sources of witchcraft knowledge. In my teens, I started reading Chumbley, Artisson, Pennick, Gary, Cochrane, and others. For a time, I was also learning the Heritage Tradition of Witchcraft with Grayson Magnus, and also training in Feri. It wasn't until I was in my twenties that I actually sat down to read Doreen Valiente and Gerald Gardner and the other early pioneers of Wica, and that was after I had experienced a ritual that was based off of some Alexandrian and Gardnerian rites. That ritual changed my life. I went home and immediately asked my friend of 10 years if I could Seek initiation with her into Gardnerian Witchcraft. My life hasn't been the same since. Since my initiation, I have met people from all over the world, and experienced deep mysteries of kinship and witchcraft. My friendships and devotions have grown ever deeper, but I am still exploring. I'm still learning, especially learning how to pass on the Craft to the next generation. I grew up in a unique period of transition in the Craft, when books were moving away from what would now be considered light and fluffy witchcraft, to witchcraft that was considered more traditional and folkloric. And now I feel we are in an interesting flux again when people are moving away from solitary back to a coven structure. Below you will find some of my writings since I started this blog, and hopefully there will be many more!

Foundational Practices

Grammayre

Herbarium

Articles of Sundry Topics

Poems and Tales of Witchery

Resources

Resources for BTW Seekers

Archive

Letterbox

May the grace of the Great Mother and the Horned Lord of Death and Resurrection go with you on all your roads, and may you find what you truly Seek.

#witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #wicca #minoan #PNW #pacific northwest #wica #gardnerian #gardnerian wicca #minoan brotherhood

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darck7776

Hi :) When I’m calling the quarters, I couldn't be sure if I should invoke the elements themselves, the elementals, or the guardian of direction, so I include all of them in an invocation, something like: “I invoke the guardian of the west, the element of water, O lovely Undines.” Is it okay or is it something unheard of in the craft?

Oh what an excellent question, and something quite curious to the history of the Craft and calling the quarters!

If you read into the history of the Craft, one may notice that the inclusion of the elements was a later addition. Gardner said in _Witchcraft Today_ that elementals were capricious and not to be trusted. But later Fred Lamond in _50 Years of Wicca_ said that Fred's coven decided to include them, because after all: we are a nature religion! Cora Anderson in _Heart of the Initiate_ doesn't necessarily give an elemental attribute to the guardians of the circle, but there does seem to be something elemental to the guardians. In _The Witches Bible_ by the Farrars, they call upon the "Watchtower of the East, the Lords of Air".

Ever to live in the world of paradoxes, I should say: I see no issue here. In Gemma Gary's Cornish system, for example, the Red Serpent of the East is the guardian of that direction, and also represents the element of fire. So, I see no reason why you can not do the same. In essence: the guardian, the element, and the elemental are all one, but also separate beings all at the same time.

Kinda kooky, no?

#witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #witch #wicca #pagan #traditional wicca

magpiesmagicnest

Witchy asks

Do you believe in ghosts and spirits? Any experience with them?

What do you believe happens to us after we die?

How would you describe your personal beliefs/path/practice?

Do you think life is guided by fate, free will or a mix of both?

Do you think dreams have meaning? If so, have you had any meaningful ones you can remember?

Do you carry any good luck charms/talismans on you? How did you get them if so?

Do you believe people can feel the energy others have? If so, do you think you're good at doing so?

Are there specific celebrations you observe (eg. Sabbats.)?

What deities do you worship (if any)? Can you talk about how you connected with them?

What tools do you think are the most important in your practice?

Do you have any stones you favor? If so, which ones?

Ignoring birth month associations, is there an element that you most heavily identify with? Why?

Do you prefer doing spells that are cast and then forgotten? Or do you prefer longer lasting ones, like jar spells, that you keep around?

Is there anywhere spiritually significant to you that you'd want to visit someday?

Do you believe in things such as karma, or the threefold rule?

Sometimes when you've accomplished what you set out to do with witchery, you have less time to devote to witchery.

I feel like I used to have more space in my life to sit down in front of my altar. But these days I'm always on the move to one project after another. And this damned phone sucks me in! I'm trying to find the space and grace to forgive myself for being distracted by this phone, and find other outlets like reading.

Space and grace.

#witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #witch #wicca #pagan

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ioqayin

So, you want to work a curse?

So, you want to work a curse against the administration/ICE, but have been told political magic doesn't work?

Yes, it is true that it is more difficult to curse big political figures like kings and presidents and emperors. Why? Because they're protected by the power of the office they hold, and their supporters who pray for their health and safety. That's a lot of shielding to get through. And you can be certain that there are sorcerers who are working spells for the current administration to succeed.

Instead, think smaller and be strategic. Go for the roots. Look how you can curse or bless your local, every day government. How can you support your local community with witchcraft? Witches have often come together to work magic as a group to overthrow oppressive regimes. Are there others you can work with?

We've been through this last time. I remember all the public cursing, and the people claiming it didn't work, but think about trump's last term. Fraught with scandal, many of his inner circle fired or resigned or disgraced, and importantly he didn't win a consecutive term. And this time? He's more unpopular than ever, not only here, but abroad. And his health is swiftly declining. His health is swiftly declining.

These are the death throes. The last desperate gasps of powers trying to establish an authoritarian government in the States before their leader passes. So, we have to aim around him, and bolster our local government. Not to return to the old, but to take this opportunity to establish something better. Revolution is coming, is happening now, and it is up to us to decide which way we revolve.

And of course, keep an image of trump somewhere where he can be stepped on, shat on, pissed on, and generally fucked with. Even if your power doesn't reach him, it surely will make you feel good. And that is just as important: to keep joy alive in the face of growing evil. And may your power reach him.

Back up your magical work with physical action. Call your representatives. Find community to protest with. Donate what you are able. Demand change from your local governance. Demand your senators abolish ICE. You don't have to do it all, find small actions as you're able. The most powerful thing you can do is stay informed.

tomewardbound

"I was intoxicated by the scent of the damp forest, that sensual aroma of red earth, sap, and roots, the peace of the dense growth guarded by those silent green giants, the mysterious murmur of growing things, the song of unseen waters, the dance of the air through the branches, the whispering of roots and insects, the cooing of gentle ring doves and raucous cries of the chimangos."

— Isabel Allende, "Portrait in Sepia"

ioqayin

In a society in which Nature is treated as an object from which to draw resources and not to be lived with in an reciprocal relationship, animism and similar philosophies of bioconsciousness become countercultural and destructive to the ruling regime. A living planet can not be bought and sold. Rewild your thinking.

frightfullytreeish

reblog to slowblink at your mutuals

carbon-heart

Really getting burnt out on compass laying/circle casting tech. I'm sure different things work for different people, but it's just not working for me as well as other techniques of power raising and spirit calling. I've been trying different ways of tapping the power that already exists in the land (as opposed to calling it from Elsewhere), as well as using a bullroarer made from scraps I got from a woodworking class way back when.

I guess this should be a lesson to me that what is formulaic in a lot of trad craft books is not always best for an individual.

ioqayin

Can you expand more on what you mean here? Do you mean the methods for drawing up a circle with quarter calls, and different materia used to draw the circle?

I'd love to hear of other methods :3

carbon-heart

Specifically, what I'm getting burnt out on is the various permutations of casting a circle and calling on elemental powers, associated with various points on a compass. I find that the lowercase-t traditional/folkloric methods work better for me (as opposed to the very Wiccan-influenced "calling of the watchtowers"), but it still seems like an unnecessary step in many workings.

Of course, there are many methods of raising and calling power that don't involve cardinal directions at all. The bullroarer mentioned above, for example, is calling on the spirits that are already present in the land-- I'm not necessarily building roads to fetch them from the Other. (That's my interpretation, anyway.) I do like the tech and concept of compass-laying, I just need to find a way to make it interesting for me.

Also, I've heard tell of laying visible rings of flour, oats or other materia to delineate a circle, but I've never done that. That just seems like a real pain to clean up.

ioqayin

I find in my personal work it's much easier and more expedient to call up all the spirits at the same time, but when I'm working in a group in order to help focus everyone I go to each direction and call the spirits.

I find that a lot of the methods for circle casting/compass laying are written with a group in mind. There are too many moving parts of one person!

The bullroarer is an excellent way to call up spirits. I also enjoy whistling, drumming, and singing up the spirits.

I have used chalk and flour to lay the circle. I also have a cord that when laid out makes up a 9ft circle. It fires my imagination! But again, most of these methods seem to written for a group, and it's much easier to clean up after ritual with many hands.

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carbon-heart

I guess this should be a lesson to me that what is formulaic in a lot of trad craft books is not always best for an individual.

ioqayin

Can you expand more on what you mean here? Do you mean the methods for drawing up a circle with quarter calls, and different materia used to draw the circle?

I'd love to hear of other methods :3

ioqayin

You carry your ancestors in your blood, your breath, and your bones.

Every day, or as often as your able, pray to the ancestors of your blood, your breath, and your bones. Pray that those ancestors who wish you well, and with whom you have good rapport, who are whole, sound, and healthy be with you to uphold you: to help you find your sweet spot, to send you messages that you will understand, and to be a cloud of witness around you always, always.

Pray that they be whole, sound, and healthy - that they will be uplifted and fed. And if there are hungry dead around you - sick ancestors who need healing and uplifting - ask your powerful ancestors to hold them and uplift them so that they - the hungry dead - will be fed and will become allies to you.

It is not required of you to heal all the traumas of your ancestors. You have a whole team of ancestors who can aid you in that work. You are never alone. Never.

Allow yourself - give yourself permission to be upheld and supported by the ancestors of your blood/the Underworld, the ancestors of your breath/the Land, and the ancestors of your bones/the Stars -- the Might Dead, your Spiritual Ancestors.

May it be so.

buccason

Some recommended books on traditional witchcraft and folk magic 🐐

The God of the witches; Margaret Murray

Treading the Mill; Nigel Pearson

The Devil’s Dozen; Gemma gary

The black toad; Gemma Gary

Traditional Witchcraft A Cornish Book of Ways; Gemma gary

A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the occult

Mastering Witchcraft; Paul Huson

The crooked Path; Kelden

The Witch cult in western Europe; Margaret Murray

folk witchcraft: a guide to lore, land, and the familiar spirit for the solitary practitioner; Roger J horne

The Witches' Devil: Myth and Lore for Modern Cunning; Roger J horne

A Broom at Midnight: 13 Gates of Witchcraft by Spirit Flight; Roger J horne

The Witch's Art of Incantation: Spoken Charms, Spells, & Curses in Folk Witchcraft; Roger j Horne

The black Book of Isobel Gowdie: and other Scottish Spells & Charms

Cartomancy in Folk Witchcraft: Playing Cards and Marseille Tarot in Divination, Magic, and Lore; Roger J Horne

Alive With Spirits: The Path and Practice of Animistic Witchcraft

Besom, Stang and Sword: A Guide to Traditional Witchcraft, the Six-Fold Path and the Hidden Landscape

The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe, Brian P. Levack

The Malleus Maleficarum

The clovenstone working; Robin Artisson

Demons and Spirits of the land, Claude Lecouteux

Under the witching tree; Corinne Boyer

Letters From The Devil’s Forest; Robin Artisson

The magic of the horse shoe; Lawrence

These are just a few books on traditional witchcraft and folk magic; I hope this has been helpful:)

I'm very sure you're not a Satanist but I'm also confident I can ask, do you know any traditional witchcraft rituals a Satanist can use in their own practice?

I would consider myself a Luciferian at the very least hehe

Any ritual of traditional witchcraft is easily adapted for Satanic use!

The red meal/housel, for example, is easily adapted to Satanism as an offering to Satan. And of course the Black Mass is used by Satanists and some groups of trad crafters.

#witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #witch #satanism

Come, come, come to the Sabbat!

#witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #witch #sabbat #black widow #walpurgisnacht #Youtube

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Priest of the Flesh

What does it mean to be a priest of the Craft? We do not have a leity or a congregation (unless you're part of one them Wiccan churches, which this blogger has always found to be counter to what the Craft is all about), so we mostly minister to each other in small, intimate groups. This has been something I've pondered ever since my initiation: I am a priest of the gods -- what do I do now?

Inspired by this beautiful post by a fellow Minoan priest, I dove back into my musings about what it means to be a priest of the Wica. Gibaldi says that we are a priesthood of the Flesh. What does this mean?

The modern witchcraft movement began shortly before World War 2 (if one believes the stories about the New Forest coven) in a post-Victorian London, and emerged out of the bunkers of England into a post-War Europe struggling to make spiritual sense of the horrors of war. Joy was needed. Laughter, dancing, sex, and good friends were needed in this war-torn London. This was part of a greater surge of interest in paganism building in alternative circles in the United Kingdom.

In contrast, the Anglican Church, and religion in general, was and is seen as ascetic, anti-sex, anti-woman, and pushed guilt-ridden sermons from the pulpit. To middle-aged country gentlemen and ladies, a naked witchcult in the forest was the perfect titillating escape!

But what of now? Wicca and paganism have become so far reaching, so far, perhaps, that they have travelled too far from their revival roots in a nudist club trying to reconstruct what they saw was Britain's Stone Age nature religion. When you read Gardner's, Valiente's, Crowther's, and other's accounts of the Craft, they focus on the joy and pleasure the Craft brings their lives. When I read the Reddit threads, I see a lot of fear. Fear induced by a lot of rules people have made up about the Craft, and perhaps a lot of left-over trauma from jealous gods, and concepts of sin.

What do I do as a priest? I set an example. I revel in being human, and I am not ashamed of it. I am a witch born of trees and stars; a child of the earth and the starry heavens. I make mistakes, and my gods do not punish me for them, but may perhaps gently chide me and nudge me in the right direction. I take responsibility for my actions, and don't blame some boogeyman spirit. I have sex, eat, drink, dance, all in the name of my gods.

And at the sound of our laughter, may all break their chains and follow!

#witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #wicca #pagan #traditional wicca #minoan #minoan brotherhood

lokisspanana

If you love folk magic or traditions. For history, inspiration or practice

You’ll love this documentary where the presenter Jimmy Trash goes across parts of eastern and southern Europe to find people still practicing older healing and curse lifting practices

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