Calawyn's Den

This post may not be of much interest to many, but I wanted to make something to point out the difficulty of taking passed down stories and folklore and translating it to usable practice and show why taking notes and conducting experiments with your practice is so necessary. As my example, here’s how to conjure the devil to you (according to Southern folklore):

 1. Go to a crossroads of four roads for nine consecutive mornings and on the ninth morning the devil will appear and you must physically fight him and, assuming that he let’s you go, he’ll ask your terms - what you want and for how many years you want on Earth before he comes for you. 

2. Go to a crossroads of nine roads for nine Sunday mornings and on the ninth the devil will appear and play music (with you? against you?) and ask what kind of earthly pleasures you want. 

3. Go to any public crossroads for nine consecutive mornings with a live black chicken and on the ninth the devil will meet you and teach you anything you want to know.

Now while I have no interest in conjuring the devil at a crossroads I’d have a hard time of it if I was. Although there are some consistent elements - the nine mornings spent at a crossroads - there’s a lot of variation here, and this is a mild example of the kinds of wild variation in folk stories and magic practices. Ask five different individuals and you’ll likely end up with five slightly consistent but quite varied stories. In some instances it can be easy to see the main patterns and pull out the core elements from there, but in many cases it can be impossible to note any kind of consistency when it comes to what you’re actually supposed to do, not to mention all of the details that might be left out intentionally or unintentionally - are there words to speak while at the crossroads? is there a trick to besting the devil physically? is there a better time of morning to conduct this? etc. 

Our tree house refuge in the jungle.

Toledo District, Belize.

in my opinion you can ask the tarot anything, but here are some ideas for those who don’t know where to start

Love/Relationships:

- What kind of partner would be best for me?

- How will I know when I’ve found the right person?

- Is my heart ready for a relationship?

- Is the person I’m interested in right for me?

- Is there anything I need to know about the person I’m interested in/dating?

- Are there any red flags in my relationships that I’m oblivious to?

- Is the person I love deceiving me in some way?

- What purpose does this relationship serve in my life? 

- How can I build more emotional intimacy between me and my partner?

- How can I attract love into my life?

- What’s the biggest obstacle in my relationships?

- What stops me from getting emotionally vulnerable with my loved ones?

- How can I be more sensitive to my loved ones needs?

Career/Life Path

- How can I become more open to understanding my life’s purpose?

- What would be the result of pursuing the career I have in mind?

- What should I do to figure out which career path is meant for me?

- What obstacles do I need to overcome in order to achieve my goals? 

- Are the goals I’m working toward right for me?

- What can I do right now to better align me with my life’s purpose?

- How can I unlock my hidden talents?

- What skills do I possess that I can utilize to get closer to my goals? 

- What’s the best strategy to advance in my career path?

Feeling Stuck/Depressed/Anxious

- What is the root of my emotional turmoil?

- Why am I still carrying this emotional baggage?

- How can I let go of emotional burdens stopping me from being my best self?

- What is the reason that I feel stuck and directionless right now?

- Where can I find my next new adventure?

- Why does _________ bother me so much?

- What can I focus on to clear my mind of what’s weighing me down?

- What action do I need to take to be more emotionally balanced?

- How can I find what makes me happy?

Relationship Troubles or Break-ups

- What is the root of the problems in my relationship?

- When did these problems start to cause conflict?

- Should I try to stay and work things out or should I just move on?

- Is my relationship causing more harm than good?

- I know this relationship is bad for me but I don’t know how to leave. What should I do?

- What purpose did this relationship and its ending serve in my life?

- What was I able to learn from this experience? 

- How can I ease my mind and let go of my grief?

- Why did this break-up have to happen? 

Spirituality

- How can I become more aligned with my spirituality?

- What purpose does spirituality serve in my life?

- What does my higher power look/feel like?

- What does the universe want me to know right now? 

- How can I open myself up to receive messages from the universe and/or my higher power? 

- How can I gain more awareness of my subconscious mind?

- What’s blocking my intuition?

- How can I become more in tune with the universe’s vibrations?

- How can I find my spiritual purpose in my life?

- What action can I take to strengthen my spirituality?

You!

- What’s something unique about who I am?

- How can I gain more awareness of my identity?

- What best describes my personality?

- What is a trait that others can see in me that I’m oblivious to?

- What kind of hidden talents do I possess?

- How can I unlock my true passion?

- How can I be more confident in my self-expression?

- What’s a good way to learn to express my true emotions? 

- Where do you see me in the future?

Dragon Rune Spread (Getting to Know Your Self) 

1. How Others See Me. This rune lets you know the dominant energy that others notice in you. This allows you to see how you present yourself to others and if it is favorable or unfavorable.

2. My Fears. This is exactly what it says it is – it reveals our fears, either hidden or unhidden.

3. What I Seek. This rune sheds light on what you are looking or striving for. This also may be something that you are aware of or it might reveal something that is unknown, in which case this may be causing friction as you are subconsciously yearning for something and might be working against it.

4. My Best Approach. It will give you an idea of what you need to do to reach what you seek, however this rune is only temporary in its advice. What it tells you today may change with the course of events.

5. My Goal. What your ultimate is along this path.

6. Obstacles To Overcome. This is an internal obstacle that you must overcome before you can work towards your goal.

7. External Influences. This is how others react to you and if they want to help you succeed or will try to hinder you.

8. The WayTo My True Self. This rune lets you know what you must develop within yourself in order to reach you goal.

9. My True Self. This is your True Will, your ideal self that is completely in tune with the world. This rune will let you know what attributes your inner self has. This rune will change as you grow.

About to make my overnight oats for tomorrows trip to the Xperience festival. I’m not measuring, just randomly throwing nutritious ingredients together, like for this bowl. ☀️ So for this one I took oats, spouted buckwheat, berberis for extra vitamin C, carob powder, dates and water to soaked. Plus all the toppings you can see and extra peanut butter.👌🏻 Any breakfast ideas for tomorrow :)?

heya fellas

y’all know that not everybody can burn things to do cleansing in the house so…

in the past days i was looking for a cleansing spray easy to do but really, none was easy

sooo, i decided to do my own cleansing spray with the things i have here in my house and i though, why not post the thing in my tumblr? so here it is!!!!

materials:

spray bottle (glass is better!!!!!!!)

rosemary

lavander

lavander essential oil

basil salt and lavander salt (any salt works)

moon water (important)

alcohol (medical or white vodka works fine)

mint

how to do it:

first, put the moon water in the spray bottle

then, put the same amount of moon water but replace the moon water with alcohol

now, put all the herbs inside of the bottle (lavander, mint and rosemary)

we are almost ready, now put the salt in the bottle, the amount you find okay (lavander and basil salt)

now it’s time to put the lavander essential oil in the bottle

finally, mix it all and you’re ready to do cleansing!!!!

note: put more water if your mix this very thick

The Red Meal

The red meal is a ritual that is used in many rites of necromancy and witchcraft.

This ancient rite can be used to sacrifice to the old Gods, gain favor of and commune with a specific spirit, honor the death of the Red king. The sacrificial lord of the autumn, or to simply strengthen and commune with your blood ancestors or the Fae.

it can be done at any time, however the Sabbat nights or dark moons are best.

good places to perform this rite are old hills, cemeteries, general “creepy” or liminal places, and forests/woods. you CAN perform this rite indoors, but remember to dispose of the remains outdoors.

note: this rite works unbelievably well if you do “the rite of the thorn tree door” by Robin Artisson first…  http://www.robinartisson.com/scarespite/thorn.htm

What you will need:

Red or Dark bread

Red wine

Bell

A dagger of forged iron

A cord of traveling or the witchflight cord

A skull

Offerings for the spirits

One cup of carven wood.

A stang or staff

It is a communion of dark or Red bread and red wine. The bread is ritually slain, mimicking the animal sacrifice of ancient times….

The bread is used in this rite to give flesh and body back to the spirit you are performing it for. Which aids the spirit in manifestation.

Next the wine is sanctified and offered to a pit in the ground.

This represents the blood of the sacrifice that was poured into the pit as an offering to the dead or Chthonic gods, but it serves an ulterior purpose as well, for the ancients believed that once one got to the underworld, after one had been judged of course, the shade would then be made to drink from the river “Lethe”, or “forgetfulness” and therefore lose all of the memories of the life they lead, becoming an emotionless, void, shade wandering in the underworld.

The blood is the life. And science, which has always been a marvelous companion to witchcraft, has proven that memories are energies and dwell in the DNA, I.e. “blood” and other fluids.

The blood-wine is given to help the Dead remember who they were and memories they may have lost.

The rite

1. Prepare the space in the way of your tradition. And dig a small pit before the altar.

2. close your eyes, or put on a ritually sained blindfold.

3. Take out the witchflight cord. And begin chanting the spell.

(I find using an adapted version of “the Mushroom Song” by tricky Pixie works wonders)

“White is the dust of the state of dreaming, red is the mixture to make one still, dark is the power of death’s redeeming, mark but that one pinch can kill.”

4. Once you have crossed and you have arrived in the between, remove the blindfold. as you are in a trance do not get out of it. Allow the haziness to overtake you.

5. Ring the bell over the skull 3 times. Allowing it to fade out into the darkness each time.

6. State the name/s of the spirit/s you are performing this rite for.

7. Pour the wine into the wooden cup, saying “this is the blood of the sacrifice. Grant them/him/her their/his/her memory! The blood is the life!” Ring the bell over the cup three times, same as before.

8. Now stab the bread with the iron dagger, saying “ this is the body of the sacrifice. Grant them/him/her their/his/her body! The sacrifice complete! Be they/ him/ her made manifest before me! Ring the bell over the bread three times, as before.

9. Cut the bread in three pieces and toss them one by one into the pit. Saying, ” may this sacrifice, give thee body.“

10. Spill the blood into the pit. saying, “may this sacrifice, return to thee thy memory.”

11. Communicate with the spirits.

12. When you have accomplished the intent of your meal, then thank the spirits. Give them offerings and tell them your goodbyes.

Corn Dolls for Fall

For me, I grew up making them in fall and winter because that’s when my family made tamales. Hojas, or corn husks were an integral part of the process and without them, no tamales. So we always had more than we needed. Better to have more masa than meat. And better to have more hojas than both.

Here’s a little corn doll you can make as a gift, a fetish, a poppet or whatever your tradition holds. It’s not my bussiness what there for, but here’s how I make them.

So I went a little crazy writing again and still pulled myself back, so history of corn dolls is below the tutorial 😅 Based on requests, I’ll be focusing on ways to make these poppets instead of spirit dolls (though I may make another post for the spirit component at a later date). As a poppet, these will last as long as you need them to, they will dry completely within a day and keep indefinitely. Once you’re done or you want to end the working, these poppets burn rather easily.

Materials: scissors, string, and corn husks. Optional, use the corn husks instead of string, either cut thinly, or braided….and water. Super simple.

Step 1: soak the corn husks (about 6) in warm water for at least 5 minutes to make them pliable. You may need to weigh down the husks to keep them submerged…I only had a pomegranate on hand since I’m at work.

You can add ritual oils, dyes, herbs, or whatever you need to imbue to whole thing with your purpose. I used an oil blend for protection.

Step 2: take the husks out and pay them dry with paper towels to get off excess moisture.

Step 3: gather the thinnest points of the triangular husks and tie them off about an inch from tip.

Step 4: fold the lengths over the tied off end.

Before folding over, you can add a taglock to the tied off edges because folding them over will encase the taglock and form the head of the doll. For reference, add the taglock to the right of the twine in the above picture.

Step 5: Once all the lengths have flipped over the taglock and tied off section, tie string around the folded part to create the head.

You can introduce knot magic or color magic with the string. If doing baneful magic, you may want to make this into a noose.

Step 6: take one corn husk, and gold in half. Tightly roll and tie off the ends. Trim the edges. This is also a section where in folk practice, the arms may be braided instead.

If your tag lock was too large, or you want to include a sigil, written spell or other component, roll it into the arms. Whatever is at the most central point will sit where the heart is.

Step 7: separate the “dress” portion of the doll, and place the arms just beneath the neck. Once in place, tie off below the arms, this forms the waist.

Corn Dollys is one popular way of referring to these small creations made out of the husks of corn. The greek word for apparition, or spirit is “eidolon”. This root word then became shortened to “idol” and it’s been referenced that the term “dolly” is a bastardization of that root word referring to spirits.

Step 8: This section will vary doll to doll. You can leave it as is and make a dress. Or you can cut straight down the middle and make legs. I left a front and back section uncut to make this into a robe, covering the legs.

Step 9: Optional, but you can split a section and drape it over the shoulders, tying it off and creating an X, sealing the intent into the doll.

From there, do whatever you need to do with the doll to continue the spell you’ve done. You can toss it in a jar and label honey over it and other spices for a sweetening spell. Put it in a box with nasty things for a curse. Completely tie it off for a binding, or give t encouragement for some sympathetic magic/mood boosting to tour target.

You can also dress them in fabric or make adornments out of husks to further their likeness to the intended. The very first picture is a witch, capped in a hat and broom, so get creative!

🦇Cheers, Barberwitch

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Ever since I started studying magic, I’ve apprehended everything in a very scattered way. No head and no toes. With time I started understanding in my own way how to sort everything in my head. This is how I arrange everything while I study. 

The Virtue of Knowing (Gnosis) 

The passive Virtue. It does not talk about knowledge in the superficial sense of the word. Knowing here is related to the acknowledgement, understanding and observing of the realities, not just cognitive learning. I divide this Virtue in three: Hylegnosis, Aithergnosis.

Hylegnosis relates to the knowledge of all things material. Here the studies of Astrology, Herbology and others apply.

Aithergnosis relates to all that can be known and observed within the Astral Light (in Qabalistic terms, from Tipheret to Yesod). This virtue is related with Clairvoyance.

Meditations within this Virtue deal with passive observance.

The Virtue of Daring (Thaumaturgy)

The active Virtue is related to the performing of magical deeds. From the performing of visualization and manipulation of energy to the most complex ceremonial magic. Invoking, evoking, transfiguration, transmutation, projection and manipulation.

Meditations within this virtue deal with active visualizations, astral projection and creation.

The Virtue of Being (Theurgy)

Perhaps the most important Virtue, deals with the sublimation of the self and building the Body of Light. This is the area of the Mystics. Wether it be from an objective or subjective point of view (dealig with gods or integrating aspects) it appears as the basis for the expansion and growing of Consciousness.

The Ultimate Guide to Potion Bases

We all spend so much time thinking about the correspondences of the actual ingredients that go into our potions that we often forget to think about what the potion base represents! (At least I do.) It would be nice to have a list of all the various liquids that can be used in place of water. Naturally, I can’t think of everything but I think this is a pretty good starting point! What else can be used? Eventually, at some point down the road, I will compile all these thoughts into a book on potion making and want to include this! Keep in mind that these are my own correspondences. Let me know if you disagree or if you’d change anything up! Let’s see how big we can make this list. Also, I should probably note that not all of these liquids can be ingested. (Obviously.)

The List

Vinegar: Used for cleansing and purification potions.  Lemon Juice: Used in hexing, cursing, or revenge potions.  Cranberry Juice: Used in love potions. Apple Juice: Used in healing, knowledge, and youth potions.  Ammonia: Used in banishing, cursing, purification, and protection  Red Wine: Love potions and potions dealing with death and the afterlife.  White Wine: Used in platonic love potions as well as success brews.  Rum: Used in potions involving spirit work.  Whisky: Another good base for potion work.  Vodka: A good base for work involving rapid banishing.  Laundry detergent: Good for cleansing potions.  Oils: Used to speed up a process.  Molasses: Used in potions intended to slow a situation down.  Rubbing Alcohol: Another good base for cleansing and purification. Hydrogen Peroxide: Used in healing potions.  Milk: Used in potions to promote sleep and peace.  Sour Milk: Used to cause nightmares or in potions designed to torment. Orange Juice: For potions of solar importance, healing, success.  Soda Water: Used in potions designed to encourage laughter and giddiness.  Ginger Ale: Used in health or healing potions.  Olive Juice: Used in peace potions.  Honey: Used in potions to sweeten up another’s disposition. Syrup: Used in abundance and prosperity potions.  Beer: Used in potions intended to induce slumber.  Clam Juice: Used in aphrodisiacs.  Cough Syrup: Used in healing potions and to make someone ‘cough it up.’ Soy Sauce: Used in protection potions. (Thanks Lexa Rosean for this one!) Pineapple Juice: Used in abundance potions and fidelity potions.  Coconut Milk: Used in spiritual and magical cleansing potions.  Ice: Solid first, then melted for transformation potions. Coffee: Really, a potion in and of itself in my book. Vanilla Extract: In small amounts, used in passion potions. Witch Hazel: Used in communication and cleansing potions.