jamie

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The first sounds quite academic. The other, too spiritual to be scientific. But in our faith, they are one and the same. As always, thank you for your trust in my guidance. But I have already answered most of your questions. Please refer to this list, and explore as you wish.

The Basics

The Truth About Your Sun Sign

The Real Deal with Your Rising Sign

When Your Sun and Rising Signs are One

What Your North and South Nodes Really Are

Stelliums and Superpowers

The Compatibility of Opposite Signs

Phenomena

What Really Happens During Mercury Retrograde

The Promise of Saturn Return

Tarot and Mercury Retrograde

Saturn, Pluto and COVID-19

The Craft

Natural-Born Witch Placements

Astrological Placements for Mystical Healers

Astrology, Animals and Spells

Cartomancy and Zodiac Signs

The Divine

How a God Becomes Your Parent

The God Who Attended Your Birth

When No God was Present

When Your Ruler is Retrograde

Why Calculate Manually

The Old Gods

The Old Gods and Their Domains

Apollo

Diana

Mercury and Pluto

Venus

Mars

Jupiter and Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Pluto

The Gods’ Rivalries and Alliances

Mars and Pluto

Persephone

The Rest of the Old Gods

The Greco-Roman Gods as Parents

The Depth and Breadth of Their Presents

How the Gods Avenge Their Children

What It Means to Carry Your Parent’s Name

What the Gods Look Like

What the Gods’ Children Look Like

Traditional Worship of the Old Gods

How to Speak to the Old Gods

What You Can Offer the Old Gods

Ways to Worship Discreetly

What to Do with Offerings

The Gods’ Inner and Outer Circles

How to Know When Your God Has Claimed You

Reasons Your Divine Parent Would Reject You

Tips

Tarot and Astrology

How to Use Tarot to Find Your Rising Sign

How to Strengthen Your Powers

Recommended Astrology Deck

Signs that Someone is Your Soulmate

Soulmate Pick a Card Reading

The Circumstances of Your Birth

One’s Birthday Dictating One’s Name

Views

What I Like About Your Sign

How a Scorpio Really Sees You

Venus, Pluto and Self Esteem

On Traditional and Modern Rulers

On Astrological Systems

note: these are my personal correspondences! you may not agree with them, and thats totally okay. i just wanna share some ideas so you can form your own opinions :) feel free to add to the list!

Why would you involve the elements?

depending on the sigil’s purpose, different elements can aid the intent. for example:

WATER

water would help with sigils relating to emotions, wisdom, purification, love, healing, femininity and others.

WAYS TO CHARGE/ACTIVATE USING WATER 

drawing the sigil on paper and letting it soak in the sink

placing the sigil out in the rain

letting the sigil absorb moonlight

drawing the sigil on your body while you swim or bathe

EARTH

earth would help with sigils relating to gardening, money, grounding, divination, fertility, employment, stability, and others.

WAYS TO CHARGE/ACTIVATE USING EARTH

placing the sigil in soil

if it is a sigil to help with plants, place it under the pot or near the plant

let the sigil absorb sunlight

surround with crystals/rocks (selenite would be good!)

any sort of physical way would be good

FIRE

fire would help with sigils relating to sex, courage, exercise, destruction, force, cleansing, protection and many others.

WAYS TO CHARGE/ACTIVATE USING FIRE

draw the sigil on paper and burn it (be careful!)

pass over a candle

pass through incense smoke (or any smoke) 

cut up the paper

let it absorb sunlight

have the paper under your pillow or nearby when indulging in acts of passion (yep. you know what i mean.)

draw the sigil on your skin and everytime it moves it’ll charge

AIR

air would help with sigils relating to flying, moving, intelligence, school, karma, and others.

WAYS TO CHARGE/ACTIVATE USING AIR

pass through incense smoke

play your sigil some music

toss the sigil into the air

take it with you when traveling 

fan the sigil

study with it nearby if it is to do with that

​Section 2: Grounding and Centering

Read Section one here if you missed it! All entries are tagged “Intro to Witchcraft Series” for easy finding!

Disclaimers: I am young and still learning, so information may be incomplete, but for the sake of documenting my own craft and helping others, I felt it was too important to at least start this series. These will also be based off of my beliefs, so if something doesn’t work for you then I urge you to do more research elsewhere. Also, magic cannot replace modern medicine and therapy - if you need dire help, find a professional.  

Grounding and Centering are further ways to manipulate your energy. While knowing the basic energy manipulation talked about in the previous section is often required to cast a spell, grounding and centering are ways to prepare for a spell and recover once the spell is over.

Centering  

Before you start on a spell, you’re going to want to make sure that your energy is under control, so that it is easier to direct during the spell. It also helps get you into the mindset of doing a spell.

Practice: Sit down in a way most comfortable for you. Close your eyes, and envision your energy as a white light. For me, it typically ends up being all over the place, as this misty cloud attached to me. Pull this energy to your center (slightly above the bellybutton) visualizing your energy being pulled towards your center. When ready, stop and open your eyes.  

I’m going to repeat once again, this is simply how I do this! As I strongly recommend centering before any spell, if this method doesn’t work for you please look into what others do!  

Grounding  

Grounding is something you should do after you finish a spell. It’s a way to pull whatever energy not spent back to yourself, and wind down from magic. There are many ways to ground, so please look into all the ways that others do it as well!  

Practice: If you have any, grab a rock or some obsidian or anything that is “earthy” to you. (I have an air-dry clay bowl filled with rocks and acorns just for this!). If you don’t have access, don’t worry as it’s not necessary. Just helpful. Sit down in a way comfortable to you. Visualize tree roots wrapping around you and binding you to the ground. Keep this up until you feel as if your energy is secure. When done, be sure to eat and get some water.  

If you decide to learn some form of divination, I also recommend grounding after a reading is over. It can prove useful as well!  

That’s the end of today’s lesson! Let me know how I did; feedback is always appreciated! If you have any questions, my ask and pms are open!  

Looking for patterns across the whole spread is always a solid place to start - the cards don’t have to be read in order for you to find connections between them. Feel free to hop around the cards like an enthusiastic rabbit, shake things up a bit! I don’t mean like, literally stand up and hop around, though. Unless you’re into that. No judgement here.

I start by looking at the suits! How many are there of each? How many wands are there, how many cups do you see? If your spread has a majority of pentacles, it could suggest a focus on the body (health), career, wealth, education. Or earthy things. Perhaps it’s time to start a garden?

Now, are there any absent suits? In the context of your spread, could this suggest a problem area? For example, if your spread has no wands, does it suggest a lack of passion / growth? On the other hand, it could suggest that you’ve got a solid grip on that area, or it is simply irrelevant. Again, it all depends on the context of the spread.

Next, I look for symbols that stand out or reoccur. Do you see a lot of children across your cards? That could suggest the beginning of a new venture, or that children are literally on their way to you. But not like, en masse, because that would be weird. More like birth, adoption, babysitting - whatever applies to your life. Don’t worry, there isn’t a horde of sticky little kids coming after you like a mob of the walking dead.

Probably.

After that, let’s take a look at the Court Cards. How many are there? Is your spread heavily influenced by other people? Sometimes the Courts are obviously about people we know - family members, friends, coworkers, etc. I’ve even had court cards represent pets! :D But other times, they represent our personality traits, or the energy being projected (or lacking) during the reading.

In short: are the courts about people you know, or traits that you have, wish to, or need to project?

Now let’s move on to the Major and Minor Arcana. Is your spread swayed heavily one way or another? A bulk of Major Arcana suggests that the focus of this spread is more personal, that spiritual growth is afoot. Key life lessons are currently in the works. A majority of Minor Arcana suggests that the nature of the reading is more about day-to-day happenings.

Welcome back! I touched on the topic of interpreting Tarot cards in part one of this series, but it definitely deserves a whole post for itself. So let me tell you about building a connection with your deck and how to interpret Tarot cards!

btw - I’m using the “Arcana Iris Sacra” deck from Labyrinthos! 

With Tarot, a lot of people (including me!) in the beginning don’t know where to start. So I’ve decided to create this post for those of you on this website that are scrolling and scrolling trying to absorb all the information you can get (I feel you)! So let’s get it, here are the very basics of Tarot reading. If you have any questions, feel free to comment them or message me!

Update: part 2 of this is now posted!

Here’s why you should get your own rune set and how to use it. Yes, Minor Arcana can suffice just fine for very short term, practical predictions… But what about daily life in detail?  Runes are the most accurate and quickest way to gain control of your everyday life right from the smallest things. 

They can be drawn on their own or featured in Tarot readings and other divination forms: a single rune can clarify the meaning of a card more effectively than any other tool at your disposal. 

The ancient who conceived futhark alphabets have assigned simple and concrete meanings to each figure: that’s why they’re easy to understand. By combining them together, one could be able to create more advanced phrases.  Runes should be kept inside a dark/opaque bag or box that won’t allow anybody to see them from outside.  Runic readings should take place in the morning, as they will warn you about what to watch during that specific day.

1. Shake the sachet and draw one rune at a time blindly. 

2. Once you pick the runic symbol, read its straight-forward meaning and keep it in mind without trying to metaphorically interpret it. 

3. If you want, you can carry the rune with you in a safe pocket or in your bag; it helps you stay aware and the rune stone/coin itself protects you in some way.

4. Keep in mind the meaning of the rune religiously: it is warning you about specific objects, events or people.

E.G. (happened to me last month lol):

I wake up in a super good mood, have breakfast and pick one rune from my sachet. This rune is raidō. I decide that “ok whatever lets just go out, take the family car and drive to this event, the sun is shining today”. I get out of the parking lot, all was fine, no crashes, no crazy noises… but after 6 minutes of driving my car had a flat tire.  And I was shocked in the middle of nowhere waiting for help.

The rune was basically trying to tell me “hey yo, check your tires before you jump in the car ‘cause yesterday somebody slashed them or maybe a family member accidentally drove onto something pointy and hard”.

I call dad to seek some kind of comfort and he goes “yes, I was expecting that to happen…” and explains how something may have pierced the left tile on the rear (the one gone flat, I got chills) on the way back home from the countryside. 

In this case, I should’ve checked the state of the car beforehand and/or ask a family member if all was ok with the car. A simple thing, which I just overlooked despite a super specific raidō showing  up in my quick 1-rune morning reading.

That’s only a small example of how runes can prevent you from getting into trouble on a daily basis.

So lovelies, please give em a try if you feel weak or lost in general. These beautiful symbols will guide you through. ♡

ᚠ fehu - wealth, cattle ᚢ ūruz - auroch, wild animal ᚦ þurisaz - the god Thor, giant ᚨ ansuz - The god Odin, ancestors, insight ᚱ raidō - ride, journey, cartwheel, wheel ᚲ kaunaz - fire, ulcer, torch ᚷ gebō - gift, interaction ᚹ wunjō - joy, pleasure ᚺ hagalaz - hail stone, precipitation ᚾ naudiz - need, necessity ᛁ īsaz - ice, cold, blocks ᛃ jēra - year, season, harvest ᛇ eiwaz - yew, tree ᛈ peorþ - dice cup, mystery  ᛉalgiz - elk, protection, shielding  ᛊ sōwilō - Sun ᛏ tīwaz - the god Tyr, creator, male things ᛒ berkana - birth, mother, beginning, female things ᛖ ehwaz - horse, transportation ᛗ mannaz - man, human being ᛚ laguz - water, lake  ᛜ ᛝ ingwaz - the god Yngvi, young person, fertility ᛟ ōþila - home, heritage, estate, possession ᛞ dagaz - day, daylight Hope this post was helpful and inspiring for you!

Stay tuned for more… Loads of love, 

Here are some ideas to help you answer those pesky Yes/No questions using Tarot. These are just ways that I’ve found work for me and Yes/No card interpretations that have always given me the answers I seek. Sometimes, this varies from reader to reader, so use this as a springboard to find out what works for you! 

If you pull a Yes card in reverse, it could indicate a “Yes, BUT…” or a “Yes, IF…”. You’ll need to understand what each card means in reverse to determine the caveat for a reversed Yes card. 

Pay attention to the positive meanings for each No card. Sometimes, things aren’t as clear cut as a simple No. Sometimes, it becomes a “No, but…” and gives you clues about how you can change your No into a Yes.

If you pull a Maybe card, you can often get a feel for your options either way by drawing additional cards to go on either side. For example: Two of Swords is a Maybe card and often represents a difficult choice between two options. You can draw two cards to set on either side of this card that represent the two choices and their pros and cons. 

YES

Major Arcana: Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Emperor, Empress, Lovers, Chariot, Strength, Hermit, Star, Sun, Judgement, World

Cups: Ace, two, three, six, nine, ten, page, knight, queen, king

Pentacles: Ace, three, six, eight, nine, ten, page, knight, queen, king

Swords: Ace, page, knight

Wands: Ace, two, three, four, six, eight, page, knight, queen, king

NO

Major Arcana: Death, Devil, Tower, Moon

Cups: Five, eight

Pentacles: Four, five

Swords: Three, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten

Wands: Five, seven, ten

MAYBE

Major Arcana: Hierophant, Justice, Hanged Man, Wheel of Fortune, Temperance

Cups: Four, seven

Pentacles: Two, seven

Swords: Two, four, queen, king

like let's start some new superstitions

"if your buffalo wings have a broken bone in them, somebody has lied to you"

"if siri stops recognizing your voice, someone has cursed you"

"if your uber gets lost on the way to you, bad luck will befall you that week"

"a speaker that keeps disconnecting from bluetooth, a spirit is nearby"

*Cracks knuckles…prepares for the shit storm* brace yourselves…loooong fucking post.

95% of people I’ve seen talk about familiars, post pictures of their familiars and talk about how their *insert animal companion* helps them with their spell work…aren’t familiars. They are animal companions, aka pets. They also insist that because they are a witch with and animal who sits on their tarot cards, that it’s automatically a familiar.

Familiars can come in different forms (not talking about cat vs dog vs snake) but it must be reminded that familiar is shortened of “spirit familiar”. It’s not that pets can’t be familiars, it’s that the people who talk about their pets as familiars take inspiration from pop culture of what a familiar is. It’s not just an animal that follows the witch around. A familiar actively assists with the witch’s work. 

Familiars that come in the shape of animals have been around for ages, and across cultures, but the things that ties them together is they appear of their own volition or in specific ways. They aren’t purchased from a pet store, they aren’t adopted from the shelter…is it possible? Sure I guess? Pet stores weren’t really around when most of the accounts of familiar came from. Oof. I need to organize my thoughts a bit.

Familiars Spirits are traditionally intangible/supernatural entities that may or may not choose to appear in physical form whether animal, entity’s “True Form”, or even under disguise, whether as something else or even as another person. Spirit familiars may also inhabit inanimate objects such as statues, spirit vessels (fetiche) such as roots, clay or earthen figures, empty boxes etc.

Familiars as Gifts

In some accounts, a familiar is given to a witch or cunning folk by another person. 

In these cases it’s usually given by a teacher or mentor, or a family member to assist the practitioner in their path. Traditionally it’s someone with a hand in the recipients magical practice.

The spirit passed down may be the witch (or cunningfolk, but for the remainder of this post, I will refer to them interchangeably) indefinitely. The implication there is that the familiar not only is connected to the witch, but to their specific practice and thus can be viewed as a guardian of the path with the assumption that eventually, the witch will pass the familiar onto the next generation.

It may also be a personal familiar that is passed down. Personal as in this is the first time the familiar is passed on, and could become the type mentioned above (guardian style of either the path or family line) or it may be a temporary contract. The familiar may be with the witch to protect it, and assist in place of the original practitioner and may leave/disappear/die when they are able to conjure their own and enter into a pact with a new familiar (or create a pact with the old familiar).

In the case of being passed on, the relationship between witch and familiar, in lieu of a teacher, may impart certain secrets of the path. IT may also not even give the option to continue the relationship if the previous witch only extended the contract to get the new practitioner to a certain point or through hardship. 

It should also be pointed out that specifically in european traditions and some north american lore, that the spirit familiar is given to the witch or magical practitioner by yet another spirit or entity who is more powerful. This could be a spirit mentor, Faery, or as a pact with “The Man in Black” Ol Scratch, or some iteration that has been interpreted as the devil or satan. In these cases, it is both a symbol of the relationship, a representative of the pact, a gift, and a tool.

 Familiars as Animals

As mentioned and popularized both in folklore and in pop culture, familiar spirits may appear in the form of animals.

In the overly popular example of the Salem Witch trials, we see through trial records the purported importance of a “Witch’s Mark”. The mark is some bodily anomaly that supposedly was where the witch could suckle their familiar. It could be a mole, a birthmark, skintag, and was instrumental in the conviction of the accused.

Certain animals are more likely to be the form of a familiar, and that also depends on the geography of the witch as well as the culture. Example, in the US, black cats are inherently associated with witches, but in Scottland, Britain and other countries, you’re may be more likely to find a connection through hares, toads, and ravens more commonly than the black cat.

One reason that they appear as more common animals is to maintain the secrecy that envelopes the witch.

In pop culture, it’s always obvious when a familiar is a familiar because the animal is represented in stark contrast between the other animals. You will notice if a black crow flies to the same person’s house day in and day out when there are no other crows around. You would also notice if you were in the dessert, and a toad is always standing guard outside a home. The animal forms match the surroundings so it would be conceivable for the witch to deny the familiar as what it is “I found this toad in the scullery, it’s so pesky living near that damnable pond. Please wait a moment while I put this outside.”

There is also a connection and interpretation of familiars as being body doubles, or as having room for 2 spirits. Many stories about the folkloric witch hold that the animal appears throughout the town, or visits neighbors etc and is in fact the witch. Some versions hold that the familiar takes the form of the specific animal because that’s the form the witch can assume (conversely, the familiar teaches the witch to transform into a copy of it). This again maintains the witch’s anonymity because if you see the same animal around for a long time, it’s less likely to raise suspicion. It has also been alluded to that the witch enters the body of the familiar or projects their conscious into the familiar to see what need be seen and do what need be done remotely.

Animal familiar spirits in other accounts assume that shape to better serve the witch whether as lookout, intelligence gatherer or collector of needed ingredients.

Familiars also can assume the shape of multiple animals at once, but usually will be the same one, and smaller such as a cloud of flies, grouping of spiders, several small frogs, and even flocks of birds such as starlings, magpies and sparrows. Again, this depends on both the area and the witch.

Familiar Pets

This is one exception that can easily fall into the category of mundane pets and animals being considered familiars (Please note I said this is the easy exception. There may be others, but those are individual cases.)

Some animals are kept as divinatory familiars. This falls under the branch of Zoomancy - divination done through interpretation of movements actions and reaction of animals.

Ailuromancy, coming from the greek ailouros meaning “cat” is divination through…cats. How this is done varies depending on the culture and time, but it’s done by interpreting the movements, and actions of cats. Noticing how cats jump, where they land, what they do with their tales, whiskers, how they curl up, wash their faces, intonations of their meows. 

Alectromancy is the process of using hens and or roosters for divination. Sometimes its observing their movements naturally, other times it’s done by placing the chicken in a circle with different symbols and placing feed on all the symbols, interpreting the actions and choices of the chicken as the answer to the question.

Arachnomancy is the process of divining knowledge past present and future through spiders. It’s been done in multiple cultures from the Inca who kept spiders to answer questions by placing them in bowls and reading how they moved the leaves around. In China, women would collect spiders at fortuitous times in incense boxes and determine events based on if they made webs or didn’t over night. In other cultures, the keeping of spiders was done to read their webs and habits. In other parts of the world, different type of leaves, or cards were moved by kept spiders to interpret omens and fortune.

The reason that these are considered familiars is because they are used directly in the witch’s work. They are kept and fed and cared for, but they have a separate purpose from just existing, and that is as a tool.

I have nothing against pets, I’ve got three myself. I love them, I care for them, they comfort me when I am sick, or tired, or stressed, but they are mundane animals. They were adopted, they were raised, and they do dog things. I joke when I refer to my black dog Arlo as a familiar because he brings me avocados. I don’t use avocados that often in my craft and there’s a tree in my backyard so it’s nothing spiritually enriching, just adorable.

Is it possible that your pet is a familiar? Yes. But most likely it’s just a treasured animal, and familiar in this definition: One who is often seen, and well known; synonym: Companion. Alt.: in close friendship; intimate. Synonyms: Casual, friendly, comfortable, informal.

The term “familiar”, the noun in regards to witches is a different definition: a spirit often embodied in an animal and held to attend and serve or guard a person.

There is precedent to referring to pets as familiars when it comes to having animals that are integral to your craft.

While it may not do anything inherently magical, if used for magic then it is sometimes referred to as a familiar.

Using an animal/pet for a working can also be referred to as using a familiar. Some people use their pets as a conduit or even as a spell holder to deliver the spell to someone else.

Paul Huson refers to these types of animals/familiars/magistelli as a power object

Yes, I mean you can put a hex on someone through your dog. Yes I also mean you can deliver a hex to someone by them petting your dog. or a blessing…that too

Additional note…If you’ve pissed off another witch and go to their home ask if they’ve read my blog before petting their dog. They may be using it to hex you…or bless you.

What does this mean?

If your pet doesn’t attend and serve you in your magical workings, or used in your magical workings on purpose it’s not a traditional witch’s spirit familiar.

If your pet gives you attention and happiness it is familiar to you.

A witch doesn’t need to have a familiar to be a witch. Yes, the 1648 law in Massachusetts defined a witch as one who “hath or consulteth with a familiar spirit.” But even that denotation of what makes a witch was repealed in 1682, ten years before the Salem witch trials. Even the puritans recognized that not all witches have familiars, and sometimes an animal is just an animal.

Familiar Spirits additionally

Some familiar spirits may appear and be subservient or loyal immediately. No pact or contract needs to be done, it’s more just…there.

Familiar spirits may be other spirits who enter into a pact with the witch. Either appearing spontaneously, or through a summons and communication.

This pact may be for a week, a month, several years, or a lifetime…even longer (see above, Familiars as gifts).

Familiars may not always be present. Some may have a resting place the witch must go to, some reside in a different realm, plane, dimension or whatever and need to be called forth to do work. Some may be around the witch at all times, but there is still the function of the familiar.

Familiars do what witches cannot. If that’s going out, gathering items, retrieving lost things, there is an air of purpose that familiars fulfill in assisting the witch in a real way.

This real way is often either physical or spiritual, and with the exception of popculture, most times it is not in an emotional sense like pets fulfill.

Familiars are spirits, and their forms may change, but they are spirits none the less. 

Plant familiars are a thing. Most famous is the Alraune/Alrune/Alruna made from a mandrake. Other plant familiars are grouped under the title of Magistellius Flora.

Magistelli is one title for familiars, and some historians denote that the term “familiar” was passed on from the church to further pass judgement on witches for becoming familiar with the devil (through demonic servants).

As mentioned previously, spirit familiars may inhabit objects and go forth from there. The physical tether is usually cared for and attended to by the witch.

Even though the vessel isn’t living, it is fed and tended to usually as part of the pact made with the spirit.

Familiars in Pop Culture That are More Accurate than Others…

The VVitch (Movie)- the hare that appear numerous times throughout the film is a familiar. It’s not made clear if it is there as a watcher for the witch either holding the witch’s conscious, or as the witch herself. Another possibility is that the hare is a harbinger, delivering an enchantment on behalf of the witch to go unnoticed (The musket backfiring while the hare is watching). Another iteration or possibility is that the familiar is taking on the stance of protector or guard. When deep in the woods the hare is seen, and as the location of where the witch(es) live in the woods, it could be implied that it stands guard to repel interlopers, or notify the witch(es) of the presence of the puritans. The hare also, while not as widely associated with witches in the United States currently, must be recognized as still being very intensely connected to witches during the time period. The puritans immigrated to the colonies from England, and it can be inferred that the witch(es) who are at work in the woods also came from England or another European country.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV) - Sabrina actively seeks a familiar and goes into the woods asking for a (hob)goblin to attend her as a partner. Though it’s also acknowledged that familiars can be subservient and chosen that way. Numerous times, the cat (Salem) acts as a protector for Sabrina. As mentioned above, familiars are sometimes called forth to guide and protect witches through trying times, or to be near the witch to assist with workings when other witches cannot. You also see the spirit form of the goblin before it chooses what shape to inhabit. It’s usual for the true nature of the familiar to only be visible by the witch it has a contract with, but accounts (and experience) of others being able to see flits of the spirit if not discernable details is exhibited by Salem only showing his true form to Sabrina when they enter into the pact.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (TV) - Being a prime example of the British and Scottish interpretations of Spirit familiars being Fae, Faery, or the Good Neighbors, the story line includes a Faery referred to as “The Gentleman” (Further example of the relationship between fae and witches relating to the importance of names) who wishes to be the assistant, teacher, mentor of Mr. Norrell. A “common” occurence in scottish witch lore is that either the faery that the witch/cunning folk learns from in some cases is a familiar, but in other accounts bestows a familiar (lesser faery, animal spirit etc) unto the practitioner. This also is a fair representation both of the care needed when working with the fae, but also with working with spirits in general as they have autonomy, and a familiar gained through a pact, needs to be respected.

Harry Potter (Movie And Book Series) - While there are plenty of animals, fantastic beasts and witches throughout the story lines, there are only 2 (kinda 3) animals that fulfill the traditional sense of the word “Familiar”. Mrs. Norris the cat and Argus Filch have a relationship that is a parody of who people would assume is a witch (the irony being that he has no magical powers, but lives among those who do). A curmudgeonly man with a bad attitude, snarl and distaste for interacting with the general populous and a craving for torturing children with a cat (reads like a stereotypical witch). Mrs. Norris is described as having an uncanny ability to find rule breakers and an unexplainable connection to her owner. Being able to notify him when there’s rukebreaking afoot with a yowl and also being able to recognize and see through enchantments (Harry’s cloak). Nagini also fits the bill as being an animal with whom only the witch/wizard can communicate who also is able to act independently of them. Also being sent out both as scout, guard and having a connection the owner can use to see through their eyes/inhabit (Voldemort in Nagini/ the department of mysteries. Also the shapeshifting into Bathilda Bagshot and notifying her owner of Harry’s prescience.) **BEFORE YALL TRY AND GO OFF. I realize that as of the newest film, nagini can’t be considered a familiar as she’s a cursed witch blah blah blah. Before it came out, the books representation of Nagini is textbook Familiar.** Speaking of Fantastic Beasts, the Matagat are described as familiar spirits and it’s a little nod to folklore. They appear for like 3 minutes.

Bell, Book, and Candle (movie)- this film is full of tropes. It lays on some pretty thick liberties loosely based on lore surrounding traditional witches mixing it with fairy tale lore about them, namely witches being unable to love etc. But, the cat familiar Pyewacket is an accurate representation of how a familiar can act and be used. Touching on the subject of working magic through the familiar who is more cat with magic, than imp/goblin/demon/fairy/brownie in animal form, the main character uses Pyewacket as both a conduit for her spells as well as sending it forth for her bidding. It also represents the familiars ability to have autonomy and choose whether or not to listen if the pact is broken (this is shown by Pyewacket’s rejection to the main character after she rejects her powers).

Salem(TV) - Another example of familiars, with the additional Witch’s Mark lore incorporated.

Pan’s Labyrinth (Movie) - The mandrake is a textbook magistellus flora root familiar alrune piece of delicious representation.

There are others too but this post is long enough.

So….there are some of my thoughts. Also keep in mind that this is focusing on familiars in North America and European lore. There’s additional context to be had and differences when including South America, Asia, Africa and Australia. Also keep in mind, this is my view and opinions, if you call your parakeet a familiar, I don’t really care. That’s your choice and your practice and as the world adjusts so do practices, but as a traditional witch and folkloric witch myself……I could go on and on and had to stop myself from talking about Greek Genius spirits, Animism, accounts and trial records of witches and familiars, the Allegory of the Cave and more.

TLDR: Familiars are real, I work with them and they are not my pet dogs. If the only reason you call a pet a familiar is because it’s in the room while you light incense and you’re a witch…it’s probably not a traditional familiar. You can call it that sure, but it’s a different definition than is widely accepted and assumed when you say Witch’s familiar. If you do include your pet for workings then that falls in line with some of the iterations of the classical familiar.

Brown skin, bushy hair (and beard!) and big nose. Although many archaelogists and historians now believe that, had he existed, he’d have been born closer to Nazareth, Israel, the above picture would definitely be much more accurate that the one in the original post. So yes, let’s advocate for Jesus to be represented as non white, BUT let’s also remember that he was a middle eastern Jew and black would also be a historically and geographically innacurate description of Jesus.

Since it’s super hard to find them when you need them! Anyone is welcome to use these, but I don’t want to see “this is great for people who DON’T have chronic illnesses too” (trust us, we know).

These are to be used as a supplement in addition to professional medical care, treatment and medication, not as a sole alternative!

Back + neck issues:

“Ease my neck pain” sigil

“Ease my lower back and hip pain” sigil

“My back is relaxed and free of pain” sigil

“I am free of back pain” sigil

Brainfog:

Brainfog lifting

Brainfog relief spell

Memory masterpost Memory and concentration spell

“Brainfog begone” sigil

Fatigue:

Spell for energy

Energy gain spell

Energy jar

Energy bath

Crystals for fatigue

“No fatigue” sigil

“Energy” sigil

“I am energetic” sigil

“I have the energy to take a shower” sigil

Headaches: 

Headache soothing tea spell

Headache healing

To banish a headache

Tea for cluster headaches

Curing a headache

“Ease my morning headaches” sigil

“Headache” sigil

“Against headaches” sigil

“My headache goes away” sigil

Immune system:

Masterpost of sigils to boost your immune system

Joint pain:

Joint pain spell

“Ease my joint pain” sigil

“My arthritis is manageable” sigil

“My joints are stable” sigil

Migraine:

Anti-migraine spell

A spell for migraines

Anti-migraine spell bottle

Migraine relief bath

Migraine magic (herbs and crystals)

Witch tip for migraines

“Ease my migraine” sigil

Muscle pain + spasms:

Crystals for rheumatic and muscular pain

Muscle pain sachet

“Ease my jaw tension” sigil/s

“My muscles are relaxed” sigil

Pain (general):

Chant to ease the pain

Chant for bad pain days

Simple ease the pain spell

Chronic pain relief spell

Release my pain to the wind spell

Bath spell to ease chronic pain

Change the pain spell jar

“I find moments of peace from my pain” sigil

“The pain is gone” sigil

“Relieve chronic pain” sigil

Sleep problems:

Sleep crystal spell

Spell to help you sleep when you’re in pain

Sleep easy spell sachet

Sleepy witch tip

Sleep aid art

“My chronic pain doesn’t affect my sleep” sigil 

Stomach issues:

Soothing tummy tea

Anti-nausea bath

“Anti-nausea” sigil

“Find your way out” (constipation) sigil

“My digestive issues are eased” sigil

“I overcome stomach pains” sigil

this is such a huge part of our craft, and i think its about time we talk about it.

a side note before we start, there is an amazing video that personally inspired me by a witch (herspeak) that you can watch here! i will include some of the information she gives in her video in this post for those of you who don’t have the time to watch!

first off… grimoire? book of shadows? whats the difference? what on earth even is a book of mirrors?? wait… there’s even more??

well first lets quickly talk about the different types of books!

grimoire: a textbook of magick, a reference book filled with anything you desire or need to remember (lists, correspondences, how-to’s, spells)

book of shadows: for wiccans/pagans, this can be seen as more religious, but it is typically more known for its personal/spiritual journal aspects (religious or not); some may use it for references also

book of mirrors: a book of reflections, for recording experimentation and its results including successes and failures (some like to keep their book of shadows pure with only successes)

book of light: a book used usually by wiccans/pagans that is used by eclectics, referring to light as knowledge; used for notes and information often to be shared whereas a book of shadows is personal and private (sort of makes me think of a less organized/personal grimoire)

the tree: a seax-wica (an anglo-saxon paganism) version of a book of shadows

book of ways: a devotional book for wiccans/pagans

(of course all of these things are up to further interpretation!)

back in the day when witchcraft was more ruled by covens, only one spell book was required for each coven, but now that witchcraft is often a solitary and/or personal path, witches are often encouraged to have their own! most witches will have either a book of shadows or grimoire. some witches will have both, and some will have one book that includes the aspects of both and call it one or the other.

let’s start with the basic thing nobody talks about… the book itself!

what should you use? well first off, you don’t need some big, expensive, and fancy leather book straight out of hocus pocus. if its so fancy that you aren’t going to work in it, don’t use it! you could use…

a sketchbook

you could make a book (a traveler’s notebook is a great idea)

an online book

a binder and insert pages

an old thrift store book and paint over the pages

you could even write and paint on paper and paste all over your walls and work space and make a room your ‘book’

you could choose something that relates to your field of magick if you have a defined one, get creative!

make sure your book a reflection of you. but remember, we are what makes books come alive. reading is what makes languages have purpose. without you there to read it, your book is meaningless. the connection between you and your book is beyond special from the first moment you begin working!

so where on earth do i start? if you already have one, what’s holding you back from working more?

well what interests you? if you don’t know yet, here is a wonderful masterpost of types of magick! find what you like, what sounds cool to you, what resonates with you, research it! (maybe make an entry about it and your discoveries!)

once you know your interests, don’t waste time on things you aren’t interested in. if you don’t care about herbal magick, don’t write down a seven page list of all herbs and their properties. i personally had to retry creating a grimoire a few times in order to learn that lesson.

so how do i bond and grow comfortable with my book? how do i create a connection? how do i give it my personal touch?

do what makes you happy.

create your own aesthetic. maybe ask friends around you what your aesthetic seems to be if you don’t know yourself. don’t follow that big ole leather book stereotype unless you like it. if you do, another great idea for aging your pages are coffee and tea stains on your paper. 

sleep with your book under your pillow! bond with it like you would your tarot deck. carry it around throughout the day. let it become a companion.

your book isn’t just a place to write about your craft, infuse your craft! if you like lunar magick, bathe it in moonlight. if you like herbal magick, spray your pages with an herb and water mix.

don’t stress about organization or a table of contents yet. you can put an index at the end when you know you’re done. its your book so you’ll probably have a sense of where things are anyways, but if you’re forgetful like me, use some labelled bookmarks!

in fact, don’t stress about it at all if you can! your book shouldn’t stress you out. mistakes happen. keep negative energy away. you and your book are a conjoined, powerful force! you can paste over pages, paint over them, or even just rip them out. in the wonderful words of herspeak in the aforementioned video, nothing is special until you say it is. 

remember, it might take a couple tries to get it right, and that’s okay! you might have to make a couple throughout your lifetime to hold all the knowledge you learn, so no worries.

don’t just copy and paste other peoples’ information into your book, that isn’t how you learn. take note of things that are important to you. are you memorizing or understanding? allow yourself to understand. if it shines and you find it important, write this information in your own words and in a setup you enjoy.

you don’t have to be an artist to make a beautiful book! your book is already beautiful, unique, and magickal because its yours!

here’s some ideas for pages in your book!

correspondence lists. i definitely think color correspondences are important for just about every witch! what do these things mean to you? how do they make you feel and what do you relate them to? do this with other things you find interesting!

devote a page to your sun and moon sign or maybe you and your partners signs and how they interact.

create a protection sigil just for your book.

make a page about your totem animal/spirit animal. please don’t appropriate these terms though, you can also use daemon, patronus, eomkin, or even just your personal corresponding animal.

you could make a page for each holiday, its history and dates, and add a paper pocket into the page filled with recipes.

you could collage things that make you think of a deity you like whether you’re secular or whether you participate. if enjoy and appreciate a deity, give em a page! if you worship or work with one or many, dive in much deeper and show how that relationship affects you.

paste in pictures from books or parts of posters that show what magick means to you.

practice spirit work? draw the spirit! collage the spirit. find art that makes you think of the spirit and pop it in there.

press plants you find, tape them in, bring a little greenery into your book. label them if you like. give them your own names if you don’t know your plants well.

write your dreams out, decorate in a way that feels right, use colors according to how it made you feel.

draw out the ingredients you want to use in a spell/potion/oil. dab a bit of the creation on the page.

make a page for your familiars. list any spells for them, where you found/adopted them, their breed and things about them, what’s their favorite snack, and if your familiar is cooperative, maybe try to get a paw/nose print!

make a pendulum chart.

find one of those adult coloring books. tear a few pages and stick them in either randomly or maybe in a page about meditation. when stressed, use it as a meditative practice.

chakras, what they mean to you, correspondences, and which you may need to work on. here is a fun test you can take that tells you if your chakras are under-active, over-active, or open.

any fictional/real witches or wizards that stood out to you? why?

write about magickal experiences you had as a child you can’t explain today. what about imaginary friends and were they imaginary?

get geeky. make spells about video games! inspire spells based on favorite characters and abilities or get inspiration from your favorite playable mages! get really creative with this one.

make a page about past lives if you know of any.

what do the elements mean to you? what are your favorites? which do you feel connected to?

stick envelopes in there and put recipes, spreads, all sorts of things in there to save some pages! utilize fold out pages for long chunks of information.

do you cast circles? what do you use? what do you think the energy looks like? the color? the shape if you don’t see it as a circle? draw the seen and unseen.

make a page about your spiritual or psychic gifts. how did you discover them?

make a list of things to research. cross them out as you do.

print out aesthetically pleasing pictures you find portray you and your craft. collage your personal aesthetic/witchy moodboard

i could list on and on, but i hope i’ve given you some creative inspiration! make your book what you want! keep researching and gain inspiration from others if you’re ever lost. feel free to message me if you ever have questions!

happy casting!

For me (spoonie with executive dysfunction), keeping mine was SO HARD. In fact, I didn’t start for YEARS because it’s so much effort to get a nice book and make it look nice and then I have hand spasms so it’s gonna get stained and get wax on it and I don’t want that to happen to such a nice book, especially if I put all that effort into it…

But I had to write shit down SOMEWHERE. So I started collecting info in a garden variety notebook, some off brand school supply basic spiral bound notebook.

Let me tell you. The day I decided “fuck this I just need to write stuff I can’t make it pretty or nice I’m just writing words on paper rn” was the day my journal BLOSSOMED.

If you have the time/energy/ability/money to use a hand bound glorious folio with illuminated writing and illustrations, go for it!