thrift, art & occult

You deserve rest, you don't have to earn it, you should have it.

It's not selfish to protect your peace.

I saw one of those "Valhalla does not discriminate against the type of battle you lost" posts go by my dash. I really want to say something but the notes are full of people grieving and saying how much comfort this re-interpretation gave them and I'm not that much of a bastard.

This story of the littlest cancer patient going to Valhalla is kind of upsetting but I struggle to articulate why. It's like Christianity wearing my faith like a costume.

I don't want to call it cultural appropriation because, you know, Norse Paganism/Heathenry/Ásatru is a reconstruction of a dead faith - a (more or less) historically-informed best guess based on scanty surviving evidence (much, if not all, of that Christianised). It's public domain mythology, reuse and remix as you like, etc, etc.

But...

Valhalla is not and has never been a place of rest and healing, and to say it is is to fundamentally misunderstand the mythology. Valhalla is where Odinn is building an army to fight the war at the end of the world. It is not a place for children or victims of domestic violence or cancer patients or anyone like that.

If you're drawn to Norse mythology, if you're grieving and you want to believe that your loved ones are in a better place, let me give you a different story.

It starts with a little girl, a child whom the gods deemed monstrous. Her name is Hela and she's the daughter of Loki, so she every right to claim a home in Ásgard. But, as I said, she was called monstrous for her appearance and her heritage and all but cast out. She was given her own realm, far away from the gods, and tasked with caring for the dead that Odinn (etc) have no use for.

The charge that the gods give this outcast child was considered shit-work. Un-honourable, if not actually dishonourable. An insult for a goddess.

But Hela took that duty with solemnity and made Helheim a home for her wards. It's not a hall full of warriors feasting and drinking and fighting. It's quiet; a rest at the end of a hard life. A place full of children and grandparents, mothers and fathers, farmers and shepherds. You and me.

Helheim, like its mistress, is misunderstood and maligned. When we, who have no place in war, die, Hela will accept us into her hall, care for us, and let us to rest, instead of demanding we keep fighting forever.

🧂 1. Salt is your best friend

Sprinkle sea salt or black salt along windowsills, thresholds, or in corners of rooms. Salt absorbs and repels negative energy. You can also place bowls of salt in corners for ongoing protection (just replace regularly).

🌿 2. Protective herbs in corners or jars

Use rosemary, bay leaf, clove, cinnamon, or sage. Place dried herbs in small jars, sachets, or dishes in each corner of the room to absorb and ward off negativity.

🪞 3. Visualize mirrored or glowing barriers

Close your eyes and see a glowing, mirrored dome around your space that reflects all negativity away. Say:

“No harm may enter. Only light and truth remain.”

🧿 4. Charge and place protective items

Use crystals like black tourmaline, obsidian, or amethyst at entry points. Enchant them with your intention by saying:

“I charge this stone to guard this space.”

🕯 5. Seal doors & windows

Mix olive oil with rosemary or clove essential oil. Trace sigils, crosses, or protective runes on doors and windows. You can whisper affirmations or blessings as you seal each point.

🧼 6. Cleanse before you ward

Always cleanse your space with smoke (rosemary, incense), sound (bells, claps), or sprays (saltwater, moon water) before warding. Think of it like sweeping before locking the door.

🕰 7. Refresh your wards monthly

This one's been in the works for me for a week or so but I finally had enough peace in my busy moving schedule to sit down and make a pair - one for the front door and one for the back.

Use 9 silver [coloured] bells in place of knots or feathers so that these double as a door protection Witch Bell/s. Their peal as the door is opened wards off dark energies and brings in positive energy.

Use 3 threads:

Blue - for peace, calm, healing and protection

Yellow - for clear communication (So important in a share house)

Black- to absorb negative energy

I used embroidery thread but strips of fabric or anything you have around will do fine, as long as your bells can thread on.

Tie a loop large enough to slip on to your door handle, and then thread on your first bell. I always thread my bells onto the black thread so that they will reinforce each others ability to repel and control dark energies.

Start plaiting! Each time you cross a thread over repeat to yourself its purpose: "peace and calm, clear communication absorb the negative, peace and calm, clear communication, absorb the negative-" I find this helps my intent stay focused for such long projects.

When you've plaited enough space that your bells won't touch, thread on another. Repeat this until the 9th bell. Tie this one on with a strong ending statement such as "In this Home!" Or "So mote it be!"

However, were you to look at a different witch's ladder, you would find that it would have its own unique qualities. And, if you hadn't already guessed by the photo, a witch's ladder is a garland-like magical charm with a variety of uses.

One of the more sensational uses is for the act of cursing. Charles Godfrey Leland wrote of witches creating garlands from the feathers of live black hens, which were tied into cords along with the hair of their intended victim, and hidden in their bed. The only way to remove the curse was to find the Garland and throw it downstream.(2 p121)

However, a use of the witches ladder that I by far prefer is that of influencing what has gone wrong in a positive way. It is said that should you swing a witch's ladder back and forth and make a request of something else, that it will do as asked. For instance, you could request that your lost pet return to you, by saying "(your pet's name), come" while swinging the witch's ladder. (1, p152)

While having the appearance of the arcane, however, I will admit that this charm has an uncanny resemblance to a sewel. This item consists of a length of cord with feathers attached, hung up to discourage the intrusion of deer (who are flighty and spook at the strange movement of the sewel in the wind). As a result, it may be that the most potent use for a witch’s ladder is in fact for protection, but perhaps of a more mundane, garden variety.

1)The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art. United Kingdom, J. W. Parker and Son, 1887.

2)Bogan, Chas. The Secret Keys of Conjure: Unlocking the Mysteries of American Folk Magic. United States, Llewellyn Worldwide, Limited, 2018

Hello everyone! :] Today is December first, and so I decided that today would be a great time to go over the 12 days of Yule, and what they are! :]

The 12 days of Yule start on December 21st, and end on January 1st! So let’s go over the days and what they are meant for, shall we?

⛤⃝ Day one: Mothers night (Modrannicht)

-> This day is dedicated to the remembrance and honor of the camel goddesses and ancestors.

⛤⃝ Day two: The winters solstice

-> This day is as the title says! It is celebrated by feasts, Yule logs, and much more! And represents the return of the sun!

⛤⃝ Day three: Feast of the wild hunt

-> This is a day associated with the spectoral procession of the dead and various deities across the night sky!

⛤⃝ Day four: High feast of the gods

-> This is a day for honoring the Norse gods, particularly Odin, with toasts and sacrifices.

⛤⃝ Day five: Feast of the ancestors

-> This is a day for honoring all ancestors and the family lineage.

⛤⃝ Day six: Festival of community

-> This is a day dedicated to community bonding, often involving gift exchange and communal activities!

⛤⃝ Day seven: Celebration of Thorrablot (Thors feast.)

-> A day dedicated to the Norse god Thor, marked by feasts and story telling. (The pentagram wouldn’t paste right for some reason in the title-)

⛤⃝ Day eight: Freyas day

-> A day for celebration of the goddess Freya; focusing on love, fertility, and beauty.

⛤⃝ Day nine: Sacred night of the lady

-> A night devoted to Frigg(Odins wife), and the domestic arts!

⛤⃝ Day ten: Day of remembrance for the fallen warriors

-> A day to donor those who have fallen in battle.

⛤⃝ Day eleven: Scared night of the Cak King and the Holly King

-> This day symbolizes the battle between the Cak King(light), and the Holly King(darkness), with the Oak Kings victory heralding lengthening days.

⛤⃝ Day twelve: Twelfth night.

-> The final night of Yule; often invoking feasting and the lightening of candles to guild the spirits back to the other world.