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Loch Maree is a fascinating place. It has two graves attributed to a King of Norway and a King of Ireland’s daughter, a plaque for the last woman(named Wynn) burnt as a witch in 1722, and an ancient god named Mourie.

The “official” story of Loch Maree say’s that it got it’s name thanks to a man called St Maol Ruanaidh, and that it was he who somehow made the sacred well flow with healing waters. However, the name of the loch is older than that, and instead is named after a god.

Sir A. Mitchell, writing in 1860, says : “The people of the place speak often of the god Mourie instead of St. Mourie.” An old man in the district told him the island’s name “was originally Eilean mo Righ (the Island of my King), or Eilean-a-Mhor-Righ (the Island of the Great King), and that this king was long ago worshipped as a god in the district.” The Folklore Journal; Vol 4, Issue 4 by Gertrude M. Godden (1893)

Two records from 1656 (Presbyery Records) voice concern about “the abominations within the parishes of Garloch” in regards to sacrificing bulls on the 15th of August, as well as pouring milk upon hills. Despite the pressure to stop, the practice continued to the late 1700’s.

Offerings of food and milk were not the only reasons people would visit the area; travelers also came with the intent of curing “insanity” with the healing powers of the well on the island.

"The earliest allusion to the healing powers of the well is the mention of it in 1656 as the resort of the lunatic- In 1774, Thomas Pennant describes how the patient “is brought into the sacred island, is made to kneel before the altar, where his attendants leave an offering in money. He is then brought to the well, and sips some of the holy water. A second offering is made ; that done, he is thrice dipped in the lake.” The Folklore Journal; Vol 4, Issue 4 by Gertrude M. Godden (1893)

The bringing of mentally-ill people to the island continued until the well dried up, and local lore blames that on a man who allowed his dog to drink from it. The man apparently wanted to cure his “mad dog,” —which often means the poor dog had rabies— but despite his good intentions, the act caused insult and the well ran dry.

After the well dried people continued to visit the island, but now focused their attention on the “wishing tree.” For it, people would attach offerings to the tree, which was then known for less-specific healing properties.

 ” It is said that if anyone removes an offering that has been attached to the tree, some misfortune, probably the taking fire of the house of the desecrator, is sure to follow. To each of the hundreds of nails, he says, ” was originally attached a piece of the clothing of some patient who had visited the spot.” The Folklore Journal; Vol 4, Issue 4 by Gertrude M. Godden (1893)

The surface of the wishing tree was described as white and covered with coins, nails, and other metal objects. At the base of the tree was a small hole with stones and rocks, which was where the well once was.

Sadly, just like how the waters running dry was blamed on a well-meaning person, the death of the tree also came at the hands of well-meaning people. Instead of silver coins or iron nails, people moved on to something more readily available; copper coins.

This was made popular after Queen Victoria visited the island in 1877 and added her own coin, and people still add to them in every available space today(even if the wood is unrelated to the original tree).

This is something I strongly advice against doing. Copper coins can cause copper poisonings to the area, which is what killed the wishing tree. Even if there is no life left on the island, the copper can still be harmful for wildlife. This is actually a common problem for coin wishing wells with fish; where the copper poisoning gradually kills the fish.

(Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)

A collection of tips and suggestions from and for magic practitioners who have POTS!

*To be used in addition to proper medical care, medication and mundane efforts, not as a sole alternative.*

Salt + electrolytes:

As you take salt pills, say a spell or blessing.

Incorporate salt into general health, wellness, and energy spells.

Draw sigils on your salt shakers.

“I drink a lot of electrolytes, and Pedialyte to help with orthostatic issues, and I will cast over my drink much the same as I do for tea, coffee, water, etc. So any spellwork for drinks could easily apply to one's electrolytes or water.” (x)

Tips and tricks:

Ask for specific strength to your blood vessels and brain.

Draw sigils on your medication bottles and mobility devices.

Carry around a resilience sigil or a sigil to keep your heart rate and blood pressure at a more average level.

Do little enchantments on your compression stockings and put them on a windowsill to charge with solar energy.

“Keeping all of my ingredients in easy to reach spots has also been a big help, specifically places that are low to the ground and don't require me to do much standing or walking around.” (x)

“When using counter maneuvers for POTS, visualize yourself being grounded & connected to the earth.” (x)

“I find time in nature also tends to ground me better, which can help if stress is a trigger for POTS.” (x)

“Pray to Apollon and Artemis for help at the start and end of the day. Again, this doesn't replace medical treatment, but it can certainly offer a lot of comfort, especially in the middle of a flare-up. For me, stress is a major trigger of my POTS, and I find that praying to my deities makes me calm down much faster, thereby allowing the flare-up to be a bit shorter.” (x)

Correspondences:

“Keeping a lot of bloodstone and rose quartz around has been helpful to me.” (x)

“As far as wandwork correspondences go, I like to use my mangrove wand for POTS-related work, bc of its unique adaptations to a salty environment. (Mangrove has a lot of health correspondences for me, but POTS and menstruation related issues are the two biggest.) Aspen, bloodwood, ebony, lignum vitae, redheart, and willow also have various health-related meanings for me, so I sometimes use those too.” (x)

Sigils:

Balance my blood pressure

My blood pressure is a healthy level

My heart rate stays average

Ease my dizziness

Ease my lightheadedness

I remain conscious

People respect my diagnosis

Other posts:

Suggestions from @khaire-traveler

The post asking for contributions

Spoonie witch masterpost

Bedridden witch series

Witchcraft for the chronically fatigued

Spoonie sigils (pain + symptoms) (energy + mental illness) (healing + other)

With contributions from:

"I don't know," "I used to think I knew but now I don't," "I'm figuring it out," "That answer isn't important to me," and "I just don't care"

"Nothing is perfect," Replied the God, "Not even the Gods are perfect. You are beautiful in your imperfection."

"But the things that I hope to achieve, the desires I long for - all of these things are wrong and evil! I am evil..."

"Are these things truly wrong, or were you told that they were?"

"...I was told that they were, but that doesn't change that I am evil, I am wrong."

Dionysus put a hand on the goat's back with a sigh. "If pleasure is evil, then I'm happy to be wrong."

The goat looked at the God with surprise. "Why?"

"Life is so short," Dionysus began, "It is a precious thing - something to cherish and savor, like a fine wine rich in flavor. Why spend your life caring what others think if evil and wrong of you when you can be living your best life, happy and away from them?"

"I see," Said the goat, "Then am I not evil?"

"If every opinion were a fact, you would be. But that's not how things work, no matter how certain people are of their opinions. You are not evil; you were only labeled as such."

Prayer cards I made for the monthly observances. Turns out even with a book I end up wanting something more convenient. All the hymns used are Homeric ones (short ones preferred for obvious reasons).

Maybe you need to worship on the DL/aren’t out about your religious beliefs to those you live around, maybe you can’t spare the money for altar supplies like candles, or maybe you don’t have the physical or mental capacity for rituals/offerings/big prayers. 

All of that is fine! While physical altars and offerings are nice, they aren’t necessary to worship a deity! Even your everyday activities can be acts of devotion. I mainly worship the god Apollo, so I’ll use him as an example here! Apollo is the god of music, art, poetry, medicine, plague, and the sun, so here are some of the things that I do to honor him outside of offerings:

Listen/dance/sing along to music

Wearing sun symbols, yellow, silver, etc.

wearing your deity’s colors or symbols gives them power and they give you protection, power, and guidance in return!

Make playlists

bonus if you make one dedicated specifically to Apollo

Try new music

Draw/doodle, make any form of art

bonus if you branch into art forms/mediums you haven’t tried before

even more bonus if you make art of Apollo

Reading/writing poetry

again bonus if you write about Apollo

Support other artists 

liking, reblogging, retweeting their work

buying from their shops

following their accounts

giving them encouraging comments and messages

Tagging posts with a god’s name

when I reblog art or aesthetics sometimes I will tag Apollo as an act of devotion and to send some art his way

Open your blinds or windows to let the sunshine in, or spend some time outside

Taking care of your mental health!! (Apollo and Dionysus preside over this together)

taking your medicine (safely taking medicine in general! when i take my weekly testosterone shots i send prayers and thanks to Apollo!)

music and art therapy (using any form of art for venting/self-expression/mental health is a devotional double whammie for Apollo! I express and vent a lot through writing poetry and it makes him very happy.)

Getting your annual check ups, vaccines, medicine, etc. 

these can be a bit of a drag, and inaccessible to some, but he really values taking care of your health. it’s flu season so it’s super important to protect yourself and others. remember flu shots are free and can be obtained at doctors offices as well as stores (in the US) such as CVS, Walgreens, and Target!

Silent prayer

Praying mentally is just as powerful as speaking out loud! It can also help develop mental connections with deities.