no amount of muscle can make a weapon heal

Hey there! Not too much trouble at all, though this is gonna get long…

To start, it might be useful to either throw out the word “pantheon” or at least rethink how it’s applied. In the Celtic cultures, there really wasn’t a concise grouping of deities. I mention this, because people like to try to make neat little family charts for the Gaelic deities and… it leads to headaches for all parties involved. This is because how the different deities were all kinda tweaked to make sense in local areas. But! If you broaden idea of pantheon to just be “deities of this particular culture”, then we have a starting point.

I mention Celtic and I should further explain that before I move on: “Celtic” is an umbrella term used to describe language groups of several cultures. There wasn’t an unifying Celtic culture. One of those Celtic cultures is Gaelic, which specifically refers to the cultures of Ireland, Scottish High Lands, and Isle of Man. 

OKAY so on to the deities! There are various deities and entities that could be classified as deity. I say the latter bit because it isn’t clear on how the pre-Christian Gaels viewed their various entities. We have the problem of “Is this entity a deity, or a very important ancestor?” or “Is this entity a land spirit, or a land deity?” … The answer may be “all of the above”. The lines are very blurry on the differences between ancestor, nature spirits, and deity. This could be how the original pre-Christian Gaelic people saw their entities – it could also be that the Christian Monks who started writing down the stories “lessened” the gods. It sadly isn’t clear. 

Also worth mentioning is that Gaelic entities don’t really have an hierarchy. I mean, there are deities who were/are kings (Manannan mac Lir, Nuada, Lugh…) but there isn’t really a Deity Above All Other Deities. Not in the classical sense, anyways. 

A name that will probably come up a lot in any further research is the “Tuatha De Danann.” This is a group of deities who are featured in the Book of Invasions (which details how Ireland got conquered again and again and again by different groups of people.) This group or tribe or “tuatha” of deities includes such names as Lugh, Nuada, Brighid, the Dagda, etc. A lot of the Gaelic Deities we love and adore are from this tuatha. There are deities outside of this tuatha, such as Manannan mac Lir, Tailtiu, the Cailleach, etc. … who aren’t lesser for not being part of the same tuatha. 

OKAY so that’s a lot I just typed haha. I’ll end it there but you are welcomed to ask further questions on what I wrote or on something you are curious about that I didn’t write.

TLDR: Pantheon is a tricky word to use; Celtic is an umbrella term in which Gaelic falls under; defining deity vs ancestor vs spirit is very tricky within Gaelic Polytheism; there isn’t a hierarchy for the deities; Tuatha De Danann is a big name group but there are definitely deities outside of it too

Reading up on sea witch spells and seeing people suggest putting offerings in bottles and letting the sea carry then away.

This upsets me.

My witch of a grandmother gave me her beautiful encyclopedia on healing plants to celebrate Ostara! I told her about my blog and she asked me to share some of her advice “for those lovely internet disciples of yours”. No, Yeyé, that’s not how this works…

But hey! When the crone talks, you listen!

“A jar of glass keeps away envious spirits and people who want to hurt you.”

“Everything dead deserves to be honored.”

“Strings of seeds bring prosperity.”

“A stone in the windowsill is a soldier that keeps away thieves, but make sure it’s not a pretty rock cause they might steal it!”

“When you trim a vine, keep some branches by the door so all the hard work you’ve done doesn’t disappear in a single day!”

“When you’re old and can’t move so much anymore, keep a jar of seeds by the Gods so they can pick their offerings as they please.”

“I keep lavender by the computer because it helps me remember how to open Facebook. Lavender is good for memory. Tell your friends of the internet.”

“I keep the obsidian and the agathe geodes in front of the TV so there will be no bad news.”

So there you have it.

Advice from an authentic crone with over 70 years of Craft , Old Yeyé.

She wishes you all many blessings and love and hopes you are all well guided.

Happy new season from lucky Old Yeyé!

An emoji spell to help make October a prosperous month.

Here’s a little spell you can do for your own cats, or simply to bless a kitty you see on the street to keep it safe from danger. You will need:

♥ Catnip (cat magic, love, happiness)

♥ A cat treat

♥ A few flower petals

1. Find your chosen cat. Offer the catnip and/or treat; as they are eating, give them some chin rubs and pets. As you do so, visualize golden energy passing from your fingertips and coating the cat’s fur.

2. A quick little chant will do: “May this creature be safe from harm, never lonely, never hungry, and always loved.”

Servitors are artificial spirits that are made by the practitioner, and are used to complete tasks, or goals set by the petitioner to help him or her in their life, or magical practice. Before you jump right into creating a servitor there are things you must plan out beforehand. It’s a lot like building a blueprint. You don’t just start making the house before you have a blueprint. Here are the things you’re going to need to think about  before building your very own servitor:

1) Purpose

Everything needs a purpose, and it’s your job to pick your purpose for your servitor. A purpose can be anything. You could want your servitor to protect you, or your family. You could want your servitor to help you pass a test. You could have your servitor torture people in their dreams… You know whatever you want. It is important to give your servitor a purpose, because it is dangerous to make a servitor without a purpose. If your servitor does not have a purpose it may go rogue, and we may have a situation like that Jewish story of  "The Golem of Prague", who goes on a murderous rampage. Once you have your purpose feel free to move on to the next step.

2)Spiritual appearance

Now you must create an appearance for your servitor that it will take on the astral, and etheric planes of existence. It is important to keep in mind when making your servitor’s spiritual appearance that the spiritual appearance should reflect the task that they were assigned to complete. If the servitor is for better communication with your peers, then it’s spiritual appearance shouldn’t be a Azathoth looking creature, but maybe perhaps some type of human or anthropomorphic entity. Besides that the you can create any type of spiritual appearance you would like. Male, female, tall, short it’s up to you. You can even say “f*** it, and I’m making this one a shapeshifter”. So have some fun, and do whatever you would like. You also might want to draw a picture, or get some representation of their form once you decide upon it for later steps in the servitor creation process.

3)Personality

This one’s pretty self-explanatory, and again you can pretty much pick whatever you would like. All we’re going to do is think of some personality traits that you would like your servitor to have, like charming, intelligent, funny, friendly, loyal, etc…  So this one is pretty easy, and now that I think about it I have no idea what happens if you don’t give them a personality. I guess they turn into Kristen Stewart, or something. Anyway pick out your personality traits that you like, and move on to the next step.

4)Feeding

You like to eat, so do servitors. Feeding a servitor is a lot like charging a Sigil. and you can use all the same methods in order to feed a servitor in the same way you use to charge a sigil. You can also set up some methods of feeding for the servitor that the servitor can do on their own behalf. You could tell your servitor to feed on something like sunlight, or crystals that you have lying around. Not setting up feeding methods, or not feeding your servitor will result in it going rogue, or it finding its own food sources which may not always be more preferable.

5)Lifespan

There are some people that say the servitors lifespan should not be very long, but in my experience this has not been a problem. In my experience servitors only act up once they do not have a purpose anymore, or if acting up is programmed into their nature, or if they are not being fed. Life span is very based on purpose. If you want your servitor to help you pass a test, then its lifespan should only be until after the test then it will return back to the energy of source. If you wanted your servitor to protect your property then you would need a lifespan that you can end at any time. So then you would need a phrase, or ritual to end its life when the time comes. This phrase, or ritual would not have to be elaborate. It’s never happened to me before, but being on a system like that one could in theory make the servitor want to have self preservation. You would be the only thing that could kill it. So if they took you out then they could go on living. I don’t know if it happens, or not, but that’s just a theory. A Servitor Theory! Thanks for watching…. <– (Tell me if you get that joke.) I always tell my servitor if they try to harm me or anyone I care about they will be terminated immediately. That’s a good enough safety net I guess let’s move on to the next step.

6)The Housing

Now we need housing to ground the servitor to the physical plane. Housing can be things like a rock, a staff, a doll, something you made out of clay, etc… Servitors by nature do not need housing, but it is better to have a physical representation of them for control, and feeding purposes. Housing can be anything, but I would stay away from certain metals because energy does not flow as good through them as it does other materials. It is also better to have a housing made, or created by you, and your hands. Once you find what housing you would like to use you are ready to go onto the next step.

7)Naming

This one is super simple all you have to do is pick a name for your servitor. Literally can be anything Meaningful, or otherwise. All you have to choose a name, and then you can move on to the next step.

8)Making a Sigil

Now you should make a sigil out of the name of your servitor, or out of the purpose of your servitor. You will use this sigil as a true representation of your servitor. If you do not know how to make a sigil you can always Google it, or you should be able to find it by searching back through my posts.

Once you have your sigil you can draw it, or carve it into your housing for your servitor. This would be recommended, but if you do not want to mark the sigil on the housing you can always put the sigil on a piece of paper, and put it underneath your housing during the “Bringing the servitor to life” step.

9) Bringing the servitor to life

http://aeternam-voice.tumblr.com/

Call me old-fashioned, but I am a strong believer that curses inherently have the power to help as much as they have to harm. While witches have used them maliciously countless times, I prefer to learn towards curses that not only seek justice, but change ways. This is of the latter variety – meant not to damn (for the sole purpose of damnation), but to enlighten through disciplinary action. To force someone to see through the eyes of another, for the oppressor to feel his/her own oppression – to walk a mile in another person’s shoes. Hence the title: Walk-A-Mile.

Here I will present three variations to the hex, hopefully befitting a number of different circumstances, budgets and personal tastes.

Walk-A-Mile #1

This one is (objectively) the simplest of the three as far as supplies go, but is heavily reliant on the witch’s ability to acquiesce the foot-tracks of their victim and the power of time. I’ll be the first to note how difficult that can be at times – and one of the reasons I have created numerous variations to fulfill the same basic objective.

Things You Will Need:

Glass Bowl/Jar/Cup

(9) Nails – as per usual, iron being the best, but this one can be accomplished with any make

Dirt of the Foot-Track

Instructions:

Again, this one is quite simple – merely fill the glass vessel with the dirt. Optionally: add to this dirt Hoot Foot Powder, Goofer Dust or drizzle with your favorite crossing oil.

When the dirt has been added and lightly packed down, take the first of the nine nails (again, can be primed with an oil of your choosing) and drive it directly into the center of the dirt – naming your victim and whose misfortune you wish to inflict upon them.

This is where the process can get a little timely. Take one of the remaining 8 nails, driving one in every day for 9 days (the original nail being Day 1) – each time repeating the name of your victim and the misfortune. Ex. (Victim), take upon yourself the misery you have inflicted. When all the nails have been added, allow them to remain in the dirt for another 9 day period.

After the 18 day period, begin the last 9 days by removing one of the 9 nails each day – speaking something to the extent of: From your sorrows, you will grow. Each day, repeating the process until all 9 of the nails have been removed.

On the last day, return the foot-track from whence it came, sprinkle it on the land of the victim, or scatter on the pavement of a road. Ritually wash the nails so they might be reused or drive them into the earth of their property, where every day they might cross them as a reminder.

Walk-A-Mile #2

The process is relatively the same, but can be accomplished in a shorter period of time with a few added “ingredients.” This one also has the benefit of not requiring the foot-tracks of your victim, but a personal affect is still required.

Things You Will Need:

(1) Old Shoe – not your own, unless you seek to make them walk-a-mile in your shoes. I recommend a Goodwill or second-hand shop wherein you might find a cheap, old pair of shoes – just make sure to ritually cleanse them unless you want to risk dragging a stranger into the mix.

(9) Nails – iron or otherwise

A Hammer

The Shoe Laces or a length of string

A Personal Affect (or at least their name)

Instructions:

Begin by affixing the affect to the shoe in some way. For a name you need only write it on the shoe, some things work better stuffed inside, others are better held onto and affixed later. This is a decision that must be left to the witch cursing – it’s all a matter of taste.

Now, for the fun part. Turn the shoe upside down on a sturdy work surface (outside and on concrete probably being the best idea). Using the hammer, drive the first nail into the center of the sole. Depending on the type of shoe, it may be easier to drive nearer the toe than the heel, as heels are often tougher and thicker.

This has the added beauty of angrily hitting things, which is a useful energy for curses. Similar to the first variation, make sure to note who you are afflicting and the parameters of your desires. With the first nail through, add the others in a cross-like fashion. One above, one below, one to the left, and one to the right. Drive the remaining 4 nails in at the diagonal – making a box design with one nail in the center, or 3 vertical lines of 3 (which ever you see it as).

Flip the shoe back over and (if your shoe has laces) pull them as tight as you can, working and tightening them as you work down the laces. If you shoe doesn’t have laces, simple bind the entire shoe with twine or string, leaving a good length for the “ears” (you’ll see why in the next point).

To complete the working, take the shoe and string it up: 1) in a cemetery, 2) in a tree in the victim’s yard (this one has the added benefit of freaking the victim out) or 3) hanging it anywhere where they might see it.

The cross is complete.

Walk-A-Mile #3

This one is somewhat a combination of the first two, and also requires a personal affect, name, or foot-track (as always, being most preferable). This one requires only a rudimentary knowledge of sewing (just a straight/running stitch) and a collection of sewing pens; ending in something like a charm.

What You Will Need:

Fabric (no more than an 8inx8in square should be necessary; design, color, etc. are unimportant)

Needle and Thread (Black would be best, but really it doesn’t matter)

Personal Affect

Sewing Pins

(Optional: Stuffing if your personal affect is not substantial enough to fill the charm, graveyard dirt (paid for) is a perfect stuffing)

Instructions:

Sketch out a rough foot shape on your folded-over square of fabric – roughly 3 by 4.5 inches. Depending on what you intend to stuff it with (for instance dirt would require a tighter stitch), stitch from the curve of where the heel begins around the front and to the other side (leaving the heel unstitched) – allot a .5in to .75in seam allowance and trim the excess. Flip inside out.

Add into the pocket the personal affect and stuffing, pinch the heel and stitch it closed – giving you a sealed, foot-shaped charm. (At this point, you could add a tie or string so that the charm may be hung or carried)

With sewing pins at the ready, drive them one-by-one into the foot – speaking just as the other variations require, who you wish to inflict and the parameters. You can add as many or as few pins as you want, but for best results use multiples of 9 (9,18,27…), with each one, repeating the aforementioned phrase. 

When all the pins have been pushed it, keep in a visible place (on a key-chain or hanging from a car mirror being two good options), so that anytime you see it and think about it, the hex grows. When the victim has grown or you feel it has run its course, remove the pins, cleanse them and burn the rest.