"I haven't done an operative spell in a while... I don't know what I should do in a spell?"

Your craft is YOUR craft. It doesn't need to be a copy and paste of other people's practices.

You don't need to be in certain religions.

You don't need to cleanse or even own crystals.

You don't need to believe that your divination tools are alive.

You don't need to use incense. Bells, salt, prayers, etc., can cleanse the same way.

You don't need to believe in astrology.

You don't need to celebrate certain holidays.

You don't need to believe in chakras.

You don't need to use candles in every single spell. There are other types of magic you can do.

It's abhorrent how much pro-anorexia rehtoric I see everywhere in people of practically every age, even in witchcraft spaces. We need calories and body fat not just for the energy to move, but to live. The energy for our hearts to pump and lungs to breathe. For our thyroids to regulate our hormones and kidneys to detoxify our bodies. Literally everything in our bodies needs calories to create fat. If you have no fat to burn, your body breaks down your muscles instead. The longer you go your muscles begin to atrophy, your bones permanently decrease in density, your heart works double time on energy it doesn't have, and your brain begins to shrink.

It's hard enough to practice witchcraft in a body that isn't totally healthy, but the fatigue, brain fog, and memory struggles caused by anorexia makes not just practicing your craft, but doing anything so much more difficult. I used to suffer from anorexia as a teenager, I would know. My practice is actually a driving force that pulled me out of that state. If anyone here is struggling with anorexia, another eating disorder, or something completely different, my dms and inbox are always open.

IC 342: The Hidden Galaxy

Wanted to update my altar to Ba'lu Haddu and post pics!

The horned Canaanite altar and the Ba’al Stele Recreation are from an Etsy store called AncientReplicas!

The ceramic cow figure I thrifted from a Xmas nativity set. And I handmade the bull headed figure of Hadad with dollar store crayola air dry clay

The early Semites and Canaanites had a number of Gods before eventually bringing the number down to two (Asherah and El) until finally settling into the monothestic Judaic religion. The old Canaanite and Semitic deities are as follows:

Adonai: Meaning “Lord”, Adonai is a name for God still used today.

Aglibol: Aglibol is a luna deity depicted with a moon halo decorating his head and sometimes his shoulders, one of his attributes is the crescent moon. Aglibol means “Calf of the Lord”.

Amurru: Amurru was an early storm and mountain God known to be based on the Mesopotamian Adad. Amurru’s consort was Asherah and he likely came to inspire both Ba’al and El who were also inspired by Enlil and Enki of the Mesopotamian mythologies.

Anat: Anat was a war Goddess, a virgin - likely meaning Hierodule as proven by the fact that she is also the consort and lover of her brother Ba’al Hadad. Anat appears as a fierce, wild and ferocious warrior in battle said to wade knee-deep in blood, striking off heads, cutting hands, binding the heads to her breast and the hands in her sash, driving out the old men and townsfolk with her arrows with her heart filled with joy. Anat is the mother of Aglibol. Anat in one myth slays the God of death, Mot to release Ba’al Hadad from the underworld, she also seems to parallel Ishtar slightly in a myth where she seeks to take vengeance against the hero Aqhat for refusing to part with his marvellous bow.

Asherah: Asherah is a Semitic version of the Sumerian Goddess Ishtar. Asherah is the consort of El with whom through Hieros Gamos she is said to have birthed the cosmos. Asherah was worshiped by early Hebrews up until their Exodus from Egypt when Yahweh alone became the monotheistic God of the Israelites.

Ashima: Ashima is a Goddess of fate and the working of destiny, she was still worshiped by the Samaritans long after the Hebrew people stopped worshiping her.

Astarte: Astarte (Depicted top left) was a Goddess of fertility, sex and war she was associated with Venus and thus likely modeled on the Sumerian Goddess Ishtar and came to later influence the Semitic demoness Lilith. In one myth Astarte is sent by the primordial God of heaven with her two sisters Asherah and Ba’alat Gebal to trick the God El however all three end up becoming consorts of El. In much later demonology Astarte is made into a masculine demon king called Asteroth.

Athirat: An ocean Goddess and varient of Asherah.

Attar: A Semitic male version of Ishtar and a war God representing the morning star, Venus. Attar often attempts to overthrow the God El and so may have been an early Semitic version of Lucifer/Satan - who also bares the epitaph “morning star”. Attar was a fertility God with power to cause rain. This male “morning star” may have lead to the development of Samael as the male veriant of Lilith.

Ba’al: Ba’al (depicted top row and central) means “Lord” however the title also refered to as specific deity. Ba’al was a God of the heavens, of storms and fertility. In the Bible when it says “the Lord said” this is likely a translation from the original “Ba’al said”, in later demonology Ba’al would be demonised as both the demon king Ba’al and Beelzebub or more accurately “Ba’al Ze Bub” meaning “Lord of flies”.

Ba’alat Gebal: Was one of three sister Goddesses including Asherah and Astarte sent to trick El but ended up being his consort instead.

Ba’al Hadad: Ba’al Hadad is the Semitic version of the Sumerian God Adad. Ba’al Hadad was a storm and fertility God that brough rain he also fought and killed the God of the sea, Yam who Yahweh had set up to take the throne of heaven, after which Ba’al Hadad was himself vanquished by the death God Mot and resurrected by Mot’s own death when he was slain by the warrior Goddess Anat who killed Mot in order to release Ba’al Hadad. Ba’al Hadad seems to be the chief of Gods in Canaanite mythology and has three consorts: Ba’alat Gebal, Asherah and Astarte.

Ba’al Hammon: Ba’al Hammon was a weather and vegetation God of fertility, he was often depicted with horns and was the husband of the Goddess Tanit. Ba’al Hammon was likely demonised as the demon “Mammon” which rules over materialism and is closely associated with another Canaanite God-turned-demon; Moloch.

Ba’al Shamin: Ba’al Shamin is thought to be a solar deity or a heaven deity and is often depicted in a trinity with the moon God Aglibol and the sun God Malakbel. Ba’al Shamin was originally used as a title and of Ba’al Hadad although later he seems to become a God in his own right.

Ba’al Zephon: The God Ba’al in his role as lord of Mount Zephon - the Canannite home of the Gods.

Chemosh: Chemosh was the head God of the Moabites in their tradition he was often appeased by human sacrifice by fire, Chemosh in the Moabite cosmology is paired with Astarte in the form of Ashtar and the two in sacred marriage symbolism are paired as one androdgynous being known as Ashtar-Chemosh.

Dagan: The Mesopotamian deity Dagon (depicted top right) was worshiped by early Semites under the name “Dagan” his mythology remains the same however his interactions with Sumerian deities are replaced by their Semitic counterparts.

El: El meaning “God” became identical with Yahweh and eventually became the monotheistic God of the Hebrew Bible however he is clearly modeled on the Sumerian Gods Enlil and Enki. El was the chief deity of the early Semitic pantheon. El was a storm and mountain God as well as the creator God of Heaven, he is nearly identical with all forms of Ba’al. El was the father of the other Gods in a sacred marriage with Asherah, these other deities became the “Elohim” - “Children of El” which was later translated in the Bible as “Sons of God” and came to mean angels. El was originally the husband of three Goddesses; Ba’alat Gebal, Asherah and Astarte. In Canaanite combat myths it is El that vanquishes the great primordial beasts; Behemoth, Ziz and Leviathan in order to create the universe from their corpses showing a reference back to the Sumerian myth of Marduk and Tiamat.

El Elyon: A title of El meaning “God of the most high”.

Eshmun: Eshmun was a mortal man who was harassed by the Goddess Astarte and so cut off his own genitals in ritual castration and died he was then resurrected and made a God of healing. Since the cause of his castration is a Goddess and castration often implies sacred union this myth is clearly a Hieros Gamos mythology since it also follows the pattern of death followed by resurrection and ascent into Godhood.

Gapn: Gapn was a messanger of Ba’al and was a God of vines and wine.

Horon: Horon was a God of destruction and chaos.

Ishat: Ishat was a Goddess of fire slain by Anat.

Itum: Itum was a Goddess and consort of the God Resep.

Jehovah Sabaoth: Meaning “Lord of Hosts” or “Lord of Armies/Powers”. “Jehova” is regarded as a pronounciation of “Yahweh” and so the two deities are practically identical with Jehova being seen as Yahweh in battle or as an aspect of Yahweh with a focus on war.

Kades: A mother Goddess of fertility often described as the fertility aspect of Astarte.

Kothar: The God of metallurgy and blacksmithing he was known to have created a marvellous bow for the hero Aqhat and two magic maces or clubs for Ba’al/El. Kothar was also an architect, carpenter and magician and was known to build the palaces of the other Gods, create spells and enchantments and bless deities with gifts of silver or gold furniture. Early Semitic builder cults probably venerated Kothar.

Kotharat: The Kotharat, meaning “skillful ones” were a group of seven moon Goddesses associated with swallows, they were divind midwives who helped women in childbirth and they themselves are seen as Hierodules/sacred prostitutes almost certainly having a connection to Hieros Gamos rites. The Kotharat were sometimes refered to as “Sasurartum”.

Malakbel: Malakbel was a solar deity often shown in trinity with Ba’al Shamin and the luna God Agibol. Malakbel was seen as a messanger of Ba’al - a term which is believed to have been rendered “angel of the Lord” in later Biblical interpretations.

Marqod: Also known as Ba’al Marqod meaning “Lord of the dance” was a God of healing and dancing as the two are thought to be linked and probably relating to ritual dancing. Interestingly the term Lord of the dance later became synonymous with Jesus Christ because of a Christian hymn which gives him the title.

Moloch: Moloch (modern recreation depicted lower left) was a Canaanite God. Moloch comes from the Canaanite “Mlk” meaning “King” and is often ascribed to various male deities in the Canaanite pantheon however Moloch is also a demonic deity depicted with a bulls head and horns and outstretched arms. There is a strong belief that the Canaanites would sacrifice their own children to be burned alive in the arms of a statue of Moloch to the beat of ritual drums this was considered a powerful sacrifice that would win the favour of the Gods since they had given something precious to themselves rather than property such as livestock or captured enemies, the sacrifice was known as a “burnt offering to God/Moloch” and is rendered in the Bible as the Biblical term “Holocaust” which has the same meaning. In modern demonology Moloch is often described as a demon.

Mot: Mot is the deification of death said to have dwelled on a throne in a low pit, in on myth he is invited to a feast by Ba’al Hadad who wishes Mot to submit to him, in this same myth Mot is refered to as “divine death” and so he may be a special kind of death God which only kills other Gods. In response to Ba’al Hadad’s request Mot claims his hunger is relentless and threatens to eat Ba’al Hadad himself, which according to the myth he achieved before being slain himself by the war Goddess Anat who cuts Mot into pieces in order to free and thus resurrect Ba’al Hadad. The reference to the hunger of Mot may influence later Semitic and Biblical depictions of death as a force that eats or swallows.

Nikkal: Nikkal was a Goddess of orchards and fruit and was known as “great lady and fruitful”, she is therefore also a fertility and vegetation Goddess thought to be based on the Mesopotamian Goddess Ningal.

Onca: Onca was a Canaanite Goddess of wisdom closely associated with the later Greek Goddess Athena.

Pidray: Pidray is one of the daughters of Ba’al and a Goddess of light and mists.

Qetesh: Qetesh (bottom right) was an aspect of Asherah described as a fertility Goddess and a Goddess of sacred prostitution linked with sacred marriage rites. Qetesh was also worshiped in Egypt where she was depicted as a forward-facing naked woman on top of a lion with a Uraeus and sun-disc on her head, often depicted holding a snake and lotus flowers she may therefore be related to Kundalini/serpent energy mysteries. Qetesh is the first known tripple Goddess in one form known as Qudshu-Astarte-Anat (wherein “Qudshu” is taken to mean Qetesh) from this it may be taken that Qetesh is synonymous with Asherah and Anat may also relate to Ba’alat Gebal since Asherah-Astarte-Ba’alat Gebal are also a set of Canaanite Goddesses who are mentioned in triplicate as the consorts of El.

Rabbim: Rabbim was a God of floods killed by the war Goddess, Anat in some myths but is more commonly said to have been slain by El/Yahweh or Ba’al. Rabbim may therefore be identical to the sea monster Rahab.

Resep: Resep is a God of illness and a deification of plagues, in some texts he is an attendant of Yahweh.

Resheph: A horned archer God whose name means “lord of the arrow”, Resheph was known as a war deity associated with protection from plague, the God Resep may therefote be a later corruption of Resheph. Resheph likely relates to the Sumerian God Pabilsag since Pabilsag is described as a horned bull synonymous with the archer of the Zodiac; Sagittarius.

Sapas: Sapas was a solar Goddess, a messanger of El and a healer, she was also known to lead souls through the underworld acting as a psychopomp just as the sun is seen to descend into the underworld at sunset. Sapas is also described as all seeing and called by the title “torch of the Gods”, this may have influenced later Semitic and Biblical omnipotent sun Gods and the Masonic symbol of light or “all seeing eye”/“eye of providence”.

Shahar: Shahar was the God of dawn and was brother of Shalim, he was born of the union of El and Asherah. The concept of the sun having different personifications depending on its position in the sky is likely influenced by Sumerian and Egyptian cultures.

Shalim: Shalim was the God of dusk and brother of Shahar, like Shahar he was born of the union of El and Asherah.

Sydyk: Sydyk was a Goddess of justice and judgement and was connected to the planet Jupiter, she was probably based on Roman mythology as she appears much later than other Phoenician deities.

Tanit: A mother Goddess likely based on Astarte, she was a consort of Ba’al Hammon and a Goddess of war, fertility, virgins (Hierodules) and nurses. There is some archeological evidence and written historical evidence to suggest that the worship of Ba’al Hammon and Tanit may have resulted in the sacrificing of children, this in turn may relate the two deities to Moloch and may be the cause of the demonisation of Ba’al Hammon into Mammon.

Yahweh: Yahweh was a divine warrior God of storms, war, mountains and the heavens. The name Yahweh likely started out as a title of Ba’al and/or El before becoming a God in his own right and ultimately becoming one with both these figures as the monothestic God of Judaism and the Hebrew Bible which likely relates back to the volcanic mount Sanai in later Hebrew mythology. Yahweh developed as the God of Israel and Judah and was the husband of Asherah before she too was mostly removed from the newly formed Jewish religion being refered to as titles such as “Shekhina” meaning “Holy Spirit” or “Bride of God”.

Yam: In the original combat myths of the Canaanites Yam is an ocean God thought to be modeled on the Sumerian God Anzu or Goddess Tiamat or perhaps even Kingu. Yam is sent by his father El to attempt to usurp the throne of heaven and succeeded making himself the master of the Gods and working them as slaves, the Gods in turn pray to their mother Asherah who goes before Yam and offers her body (sacred prostitution) in exchange for releasing the other Gods which Yam then accepts. Asherah goes back and relates this deal to the other Gods and Ba’al Hadad in rage protests and insights a war against Yam finally slaying him with the twin maces forged for him by the smith God Kothar. Slaying Yam in turn made Ba’al Hadad king of the other Gods. This mythology is clearly based on the uprising of the Gods behind Marduk in battle against Anzu, Tiamat and Kingu.

Ba’al is the name given to the ancient Canaanite-Phoenician deity that was previously called Hadad, who was the god of fertility (childbirth) as well as rain and storms. 

Astarte - the Hellenized form of the Ancient Near Eastern goddess ʿAṯtart.

Anat - the goddess of love and fertility. In ancient Egypt, Anat is typically depicted carrying at least one weapon, reflecting her role as a warrior goddess.