I do not personally endorse all these sources, read skeptically and cross-reference at your discretion. These are, however, all sources I personally use, with varying levels of trust.
Herbaria, Herbals, Botanical Books, etc
EARLY MODERN-CONTEMPORARY
New Flora of the British Isles - Clive A. Stace
The Englishman's Flora - George Grigson
Das Buch der Natur - Konrad Megenbergen
Culpeper's Complete Herbal
MEDIEVAL-RENAISSANCE
Het Biënboec van Thomas van Cantimpré en zijn exempelen [Old Dutch] - Wouter Antonie van der Vet
Jacob van Maerlant's Naturen Bloeme
Hildegard Von Bingen's Physica - Priscilla Throop
Pristina Medicamenta: Ancient and Medieval Medical Botany - Jerry Stannard
Florum, et coronariarum odoratarumque nonnullarum herbarum historia - Rembert Dodoens
Nauwkeurige beschrijving der aardgewassen [Old Dutch] - Abraham Munting
Images in color of the botanical/naturalist art of Abraham Munting
Phytognomonica
Rembert Dodoens' Cruijdeboeck
The Grand Albert
CLASSICAL
Theophrastus' Enquiry into Plants | I through V | VI onward
The Medical Features of the Ebers Papyrus - Carl H. von Klein
The Greek Herbal of Dioscorides
Herbal Magic, Using Herbs, Herb Folklore, Flower Language
The Black Toad - Gemma Gary
County Folk-lore - GB Folklore Society
Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland
Scottish Folk-lore and Folk Life - Donald MacKenzie
The Anglo-Saxon Charms - Felix Grendon
Compendium of Ritual and Symbolic Plants in Europe - M. Cleene | Dutch Edition
Anglo-Saxon Magic - Gofrid Storms
Northern mythology : comprising the principal popular traditions and superstitions of Scandinavia, North Germany, and The Netherlands | 2 | 3
La mythologie des plantes; ou, Les légendes du règne végétal - Angelo de Gubernatis
The Language and Sentiment of Flowers - Anonymous
The Language and Sentiment of Flowers - L.V.
The Illustrated Language of Flowers - Anna Christian Burke
Flora symbolica; or, The language and sentiment of flowers - John H. Ingram
The Natural History of the Bible - H.B. Tristram
Handwörterbuch Des Deutschen Aberglaubens - Baechtold-Staubl, Hoffman-Krayer
Antiker aberglaube in modernen ausstrahlungen - dr. Eduard Stemplinger
Der Baumkultus der Germanen und ihrer Nachbarstämme - Wilhelm Mannhardt
The Folk-Lore of Plants - T.F. Thiselton Dyer (read skeptically)
Practical Magic And the Literary Archaeology of the Pagan Past in Two Anglo-Saxon Charms - Jang
Madness, Medication—and Self-Induced Hallucination? Elleborus (and Woody Nightshade) in Anglo-Saxon England, 700–900 - Hall
Elleborus in Anglo-Saxon England, 900–1100: Tunsingwyrt and Wodewistle - Hall
Folk-healing, Fairies and Witchcraft: The Trial of Stein Maltman, Stirling 1628 - Hall
Online Libraries
Native American Ethnobotany Database
Alaska Native Knowledge Base
The Medieval Garden Enclosed
Monumental Trees
Trees for Life
Ecoliterature, Natural History, Cultural History
Gathering Moss - Robin Wall Kimmerer
Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer
Annihilation - Jeff VanderMeer
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Protection Work in Folk Magic: Herbs, Spells, & Charms for Protecting Yourself & Others
by Keziah
Times are hard, and hard times, unfortunately, often come along with an increased need for protection. Due to this, I felt it was only right to start sharing the protection work series I've been planning to do for quite some time now. In this first piece, I share a collection (both curations and creations) of magical workings within the realm of folk magic that can offer protection. From herbs and tools to turn to, to spells and charms to work, there's plenty of protection help to be found here.
What is Folk Magic?
First and foremost, I'll answer this question so there's no confusion as to what sort of spells will be found in this piece. Folk magic is a term that has come into more common use (thanks to social media) in recent years, but that use isn't necessarily the most accurate explanation or representation as to what folk magic is.
While you'll see many claiming that folk magic is strictly Christian, that simply isn't the case. Folk magic is bigger than any one religion, and the term applies to a broad spectrum of belief sets. In its most barebones definition, folk magic is applied to the magical systems of a common people, a magical craft that exists outside of the realm of ceremonial magic. Some folk magic exists outside of initiatory and hierarchical systems, some within such systems. Some folk magic is Christian or Christianized, some is simply not. For instance, there are forms of Jewish folk magical practices and countless other non-Christian paths of folk magic.
Folk magic is not always called witchcraft, and its practitioners don't always label themselves as witches. Each folk path has its own terminologies, but some you may have heard will be charmers, cunning men and cunning women, rootworkers, granny witches, conjurers, and much, much more.
And now onto the magic!
Herbs, Ingredients, & Tools Commonly Used in Protection Work:
Agrimony: Agrimony is excellent for protection work of various kinds.
It can be used to both protect against harmful magic sent your way and to reverse spells, break hexes, and reflect the malicious work back to its sender.
Agrimony can also be used to protect one from evil spirits.
Angelica: Also known as wild celery, angelica has long been used across a variety of historical and traditional European medicinal and healing practices, as well as being associated with protection magic and warding.
Angelica root is known to be used in protective charms and works throughout Europe and in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the US.
It can be used in spells and charms to protect from malicious and malevolent magic used against you - curses, hexes, evil eye, etc.
Angelica was used to ward off plague and, thus, is associated with protection from illness and safeguarding one's health.
Angelica can be carried (dried or fresh) for protection against evil, be it evil spirits, energies, people, or some other entity or force.
Burning angelica incense can provide protection and defense to the space it's burned in.
Basil: Due to basil's association with love, it can be used in charms to protect romantic relationships from hardship and infidelity. Basil can also be included in works or carried as a charm to protect those in transitionary periods of life - i.e. coming of age, transitioning, grieving and mourning, engaged to be married, moving into a new phase in life, being initiated or converted into a faith or creed, etc.
Garlic: Garlic is used across many cultures and countries in health, protection, banishing, and empowering work.
Dried garlic bulbs and garlic cloves have long been used as amulets against evil entities and forces, negative energy, and malicious people.
Minced and crushed garlic and/or garlic cloves are often used to infuse working oils for protection purposes.
Garlic cloves are added to jar spells and various pouch and bag charms - i.e. hex bags, charm bags, hands, sachets, etc. - to bring protection. Minced and crushed garlic can also be used in jar spells.
Braids and strands of garlic can be hung from window frames, doorframes, porch beams and rails, etc. to protect the space from evil, ill health and disease, malicious work, and negative energy.
Planting garlic on one's property is believed to keep away disease and illness, bring prosperity, and protect the land and household.
Ginger: Ginger is often used in healing work and can be used to protect against illness.
Carrying a piece of ginger root or sleeping with one under your pillow is believed to protect one from taking ill. The same is said of taking ginger (either a ginger shot, ginger tea, or ginger pastes) daily, as ginger boosts the immune system.
Carrying ginger or wearing it as an amulet is also said to offer a general protection.
Graveyard dirt: A versatile tool of the trade, graveyard dirt is used across many folk and ritual practices for a wide array of purposes. An ally that can be used to both harm and to help, graveyard dirt can both be used in hexing, cursing, and other such work, while also being used for protection, warding, binding, and the like.
Hair of a black dog: Dog hairs can be used as amulets for luck and protection. The hair of a black dog is considered especially good for protective purposes.
Holy water: In Christian religious and folk magical practices, holy water is water (usually from a sacred source, such as a holy well, holy spring, etc.) that has been blessed and sanctified by clergy (most often a priest in the Catholic, Anglican, Episcopalian, Eastern Orthodox, Asian Orthodox, and Lutheran customs).
Holy water can be used to protect against evil energies and forces via the anointing of one's body, items, or home.
Holy water has been included in many protection spells and works, and to wash and purify ritual tools, by those who practice forms of Christian witchcraft and Christian folk magic.
Iron (cast iron): Iron is believed to protect from evil of all ilk - spirits, demons, curses, evil eye, etc.
Iron nails can be hammered into doors, walls, floors to offer protection to a space. Iron nails are also worn and kept as amulets to ward off evil eye and protect one from being cursed or hexed.
Keeping a cast iron skillet hanging on the wall (and some beliefs say to keep a cast iron skillet under one's bed) is said to protect the home from evil.
Iron is also believed to keep away malicious spirits and various types of fae folk.
Rosemary: Rosemary used across many cultures and countries to sanctify and protect in so many different ways.
Rosemary is considered a powerful herb that provides protection against all forms of evil.
Rosemary incense can be burned to cleanse a space of negativity, impurity, and evil, so as to make that space sacred.
Dried rosemary can be hung up in the home to protect the space, or it can be added to spells and charms to defend against evil, illness, and negativity.
Rosemary charms can be carried or worn when working against or facing an enemy, as it's believed to protect the wearer and to strengthen their work and purpose.
Oils and waters infused with rosemary can be used to bless and purify sacred spaces and tools, and can be used as anointing oils and waters on those in need of protection, healing, strength, and purification.
Salt: Salt is often included in charms and spells as a tool for protection. It's both a purifier and a great defender and can be used to ward one's home and shield one from evil, negativity, curses, hexes, and the like.
Salt water can be sprinkled on thresholds and walkways to keep unwanted entities and energy from the space. It can also be used to cleanse sacred spaces in preparation for work.
Salt can be used in all kinds of sachets and charm bags for protection.
Salt sweeps are often used in the Southern US to cleanse, bless, and ward the home. Salt can also be added to washes for the same purpose.
For General Protection
Hagstone Charms:
Hagstones, also called adder stones, serpent's eggs, fairy stone, and witch stones, are stones which bear a naturally occurring hole, holes caused by erosion or some other natural event. Hagstones have been used as protective amulets for long while in traditional folk magic of Britain. Hagstones can be used to protect from a number of things - general protection overall, as well as protection from spirits of various ilk, protection from harm on the sea, protection of livestock and farmlands, protection from nightmares, and more.
What you'll need:
Hagstone (one or more)
Thread, cord, or twine.
What to do:
-Pass your thread, cord, or twine through the hole of the hagstone. You can knot the thread beforehand for added protection as a form of knot magic. Knots are believed to strengthen protective work, as they can confuse or distract spirits.
-You can add as many hagstones as you like. One is plenty, but I've seen charms with as many as nine stones.
-Keep your hagstone charm on your person for protection. I wear mine around my neck. It hangs from a nail in my doorframe when I'm not wearing it.
Protection from Evil Eye
the Iron Nail:
Iron nails are used for protection in an array of folk magical traditions, including (though not limited to) in Jewish folk magic, British folk magic, Appalachian and Southern folk magic in the United States, and within a number of European folk magic systems.
What you'll need:
An iron nail
(optional) A red or black thread, string, or ribbon
What to do:
-Keep an iron nail on your person to negate evil eye or malicious energies and intentions from others. The nail can be kept in a purse, wallet, pocket, car, or anywhere it can fit.
-The nail can be tied to the end of either a red or black thread, string, or ribbon for added strength. I keep mine on a cord of red twine. I keep it in my purse, but I can take it out and wear it around my neck or wrist if necessary.
Fox Tail Hairs:
Fox tails and fox tail hairs were employed in Jewish folk magic as an amulet of protection from the evil eye. Keeping a fox tail for this purpose wasn't uncommon in medieval times, but keeping a hair from a fox tail serves the same amuletic purpose.
Coral & Jet:
In many cultures, including in both my own ethnoreligious culture and my own regional culture, coral is believed to ward off and protect against evil eye. In some traditions it's specified that a hand with closed fist made from either coral or black jet can be worn or kept to protect one from any evil eye sent their way as well as any wishes of harm or suffering sent to them.
Antique hand-carved coral pendant or charm; photo courtesy of Invaluable Auction House.
In general, coral and jet beads or charms, either together or separately, can be worn to protect against the evil eye. You'll find such customs in Jewish folk magic, Southern folk magic in the United States, and throughout much of Central Europe's folk magical paths.
Protection from Hexes, Spells, Curses, & Malicious or Malevolent Magical Work
Dime Steppin':
Where I'm from, wearing a silver dime in the heel of your shoe is believed to keep any spells put on you from reaching you.
Church Dirt:
It's believed in various Southern U.S. regions that keeping a bit of dirt taken from church grounds will protect you from any witchcraft sent your way. The dirt can be kept in a baggy, pouch, envelope, vial, or any small thing you can keep on your person or in your home.
Iron:
Again, iron comes to save the day! It's long been believed that iron protects from witches, demons, and other forms of evil, and that it repels or dispels evil spells, curses, and hexes sent the keeper's way. For this reason, a bit of iron can be kept on one's person, or forged iron jewelry can be worn. Iron charms, rings, and amulets can be worn to protect from all forms of nefarious magical workings.
Angelica Baths:
For those who feel they've had a curse or hex put on them, add angelica or angelica root oil to your bath. Doing so is said to remove any curse, hex, or harmful magic laid upon you.
Mirror Method:
This spell is perfect for when you have someone you suspect is trying to spell, curse, or otherwise harm you, even in it's just through malicious gossip. This spell aims to protect you by making sure their work doesn't reach you and instead bounces back on them.
What you'll need:
A photograph or drawing of the person(s) you wish to prevent from harming you or the written name of the person(s)
A compact mirror
Red string, thread, cord, or ribbon.
What to do:
-Tape, glue, or fix the picture(s) or name(s) inside your compact mirror, making sure the name(s) or picture(s) will face the mirror when the compact is closed.
-Bind and tie the compact mirror closed with the red string, thread, twine, or ribbon.
-Keep your mirror somewhere safe where it won't be broken or disturbed. The curses or malicious work of those contained within the compact mirror should always be reflected back to them instead of reaching you.
Protection from Violence, Assault, & Harassment:
Sator Squares:
Pennsylvania Dutch variation of a Sator Square found in 'Long Lost Friend' by German-American Pennsylvania Dutch healer and charm worker, John George Hohman; published in 1820.
The Sator Square / Rotas-Sator Square is a palindromic word square used as a magical charm or amulet. It's been around for quite some time (with the oldest known square possibly being from as early as AD 50) and has been found to have been used historically throughout Europe, Africa, Asia Minor, and the Americas. As to its origins and intended purpose, no one knows for sure, but the Sator Square has come to have a number of magical uses, including as a tool for curing ailments, aiding in childbirth, putting out fires, and, in fitting with the theme of this piece, in protection magic.
Medieval Sator Square etched into a wall; Oppède-le-Vieux, France.
There are many variations of Sator Squares / Rotas-Sator Squares, but the most common forms consist of five rows of five words, each with five letters, arranged in a 5x5 grid. The Rotas-Sator Square (in which rotas is the word listed first, pictured below on the left) was the more common in pre-medieval use, but the Sator Square (in which sator is listed first, pictured below on the right) became far more prevalently used than the Rotas-Sator variation at some point in medieval Europe.
Rotas-Sator Square (left) and Sator Square (right).
In Southern Appalachian and some Southeastern folk practices within the United States, one can use a Sator Square for protection from violence or assault against your person.
What to do:
-Write out a Sator Sqaure or Rotas-Sator Square and carry the charm with you. It can be kept in the pocket, especially a shirt pocket, in the shoe, or even be sewn into one's clothes.
It's also said to be used in/on charm bags for general protection from evil in Cornish folkloric based witchcraft.
Protection from Illness & Pain
Shielding from Illness:
There is an oral version of the abracadabra charm I use to safeguard one's health and keep from falling ill.
What to do:
-When you lay down to go to sleep at night, press your teeth together. Not enough to cause you pain or discomfort, just enough to keep your mouth fixed so that your jaw doesn't move.
-With your jaw fixed in such a way, recite this charm in a hushed tone of more breath than voice -
-This should be recited three times in the same manner in order to shield one from illness.
Banishing Illness & Pain:
I've used a few variations of this work for years to rid one of illness or pain. Here are two variations -
The "Hands On" Approach:
If you or someone you know is coming down with something, is ill, or has been suffering pains, either place the palm of your hand on the area of their body where the pain or illness is rooted to or hover the hands just over the body. Recite either aloud or in your mind these words either 3 or 9 times (I typically use 3, but I've used 9 in more serious situations) -
All the ails shall leave (me/you/him/her/them/the person's name),
All that pains shall go away.
Good health shall surround (me/you/him/her/them/the name),
Good health shall come to stay.
The Long Distance Approach:
What you'll need:
A candle (preferably white or any other color associated with healing)
Powdered or ground ginger
Salt
What to do:
-When one is unable to be touched due to distance from the worker, severity of illness or pain, desire to not be touched, or any other reason, take a candle (preferably white or any other color you associated with healing) and hold it whilst you think of them and their ailments and how you wish for them to get better.
-Select where you're going to burn your candle and, before lighting the candle, make a circle of powdered ginger and salt around the candleholder.
-Light the candle and look into the flame, keeping your intention of healing and helping close to your heart and mind.
-As you look into the flame, recite these words either 3 or 9 times -
All the ails shall leave (me/you/him/her/them/the person's name),
All that pains shall go away.
Good health shall surround (me/you/him/her/them/the name),
Good health shall come to stay.
Alternatively, a variation of this spell calls for the recitation of these words -
Sickness burns, good health returns.
Protection from Enemies
Binding A Dangerous Enemy:
To bind someone dangerous who could do you harm.
With Sympathetic Magic
Sympathetic magic is one of the most common means of working against someone else where I'm from. It entails using an image, belonging, likeness, or symbol of who you're working against. In this case, we'll be using one of those things above to try to bind that someone from working against you or from bringing trouble, maliciousness, or suffering your way.
What you'll need:
A photo or drawing of the person;
or a doll of the person (which can be made of clay, cloth, wood, grass, corn husk, etc.); and/or a scrap of clothing, hair, or item belonging to that person
Red thread, string, or ribbon
A candle (preferably black or red)
What to do:
-Light the candle, which can be carved with the target's name if you'd like.
-If you have an item or scrap of clothing or hair belonging to this person, press it against the likeness when you pick it up. If you don't have any such item, skip that step. Item or no, hold the likeness in your hands, focusing on the object and your intent. Once you're fully focused, recite these words -
I name thee (name of the target of this work).
Thou art (she/he/they/name) in the flesh.
I name thee (name of the target of this work).
Thou art (she/he/they/name) in the flesh.
I name thee (name of the target of this work).
Thou art (she/he/they/name) in the flesh.
-Take the likeness (and if you have an item, scrap of clothing, or hair belonging to them, make sure you keep it against the likeness or symbol while you work, so that it's trapped beneath the bindings as well) and begin wrapping it up, tying it tight with your ribbon, thread, or string. If you're using a drawing or photograph of the person, you can roll or fold the image first before tying it up. While you wrap and tie up your symbol, recite these words -
Your hands are bound, your hands are tied.
They cannot be raised against me.
Your feet are bound, your feet are tied.
They cannot move against me.
Your lips are bound, your tongue is tied.
They cannot speak against me.
You're bound, you're tied, you're bound, you're tied.
You cannot work against me.
-Recite this as many times as you need while finishing the tying work, or you can tie them up as much as you need whilst reciting these words 9 times. It's up to you.
-Let the wrapped and tied symbol sit in the light of the candle as it burns down.
-Do with the likeness, doll, or symbol what you will. Some bury it (far from your home, preferably under the light of a waning moon so as to diminish the power of that person to move or work against you), some (especially if it's a clay or paper doll) burn the likeness, and some keep the item in their home and occasionally recite the binding words and add to the wrapping and tying when they feel they need to again.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING:
Most of the spells listed above are variations found within the realms of folk magic which I've learned through my family, ancestors, and from simply being born and raised where I am. Spells similar to these can be found in the reading list below, as can any spells included that were not from my own family or regional homebrew of craft.
'Conjure/Doctors: An Exploration of a Black Discourse in America, Antebellum to 1940' by Brown, David H.
'Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs' -Cunningham, Scott
'Doctoring the Devil: Notebooks of an Appalachian Conjure Man' - Richards, Jake
'Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion' - Trachtenberg, Joshua
'the Master Book of Herbalism'- Beyerl, Paul
'On the Origin of the Rotas Sator Square' - Fishwick, Duncan
'Silent as the Trees: Devonshire Witchcraft, Folklore, & Magic' - Gary, Gemma
'Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways' - Gary, Gemma
fucking spell jar to make shit stop fucking happening
hello. are you or your loved ones experiencing Shit? will Shit simply not Stop Fucking Coming? Is the universe putting you in a board-less game of Jumanji where every time you make half a move you land on some horrible awful twist of a punishment?
Introducing: Spell Jar To Make Shit Stop! It’ll make shit FUCKING STOP
this is the perfect gift to yourself or your friends and family when the world is crumbling beneath your feet and you desperately need some semblance of calm and normalcy. you can’t make a little bubble where time stops for as long as you need it, but you can make this!
materials:
choose between any you have on hand.
household herbs/spices:
💕rosemary for protection
💕basil, lavender, and chamomile for stress relief and calm in the face of Shit
💕catnip, dill, nettle and cumin for protection, banishment, and luck
💕rose for blessings and abundance
💕peppermint and garden sage for banishment, protection, and foresight
💕black pepper for banishment and warding
fancy rocks:
💕bloodstone: physical protection and luck
💕amber: protection
💕citrine: banishment and foresight
💕fluorite: anti stress
💕hematite: extra defense
💕malachite: protection and healing
💕snowflake obsidian: protection and intuition
💕onyx: grounding and banishment
💕tourmaline/black tourmaline: balance and banishment
extra little add ins:
💕oak leaves for luck and success
💕iron stakes, screws, or nails for warding
💕eggshells for cleansing
💕black salt or ash for cleansing, warding, and purification
Once all of these are in a jar, you will need:
💕a piece of paper and something to write with
💕a lighter and a candle, preferably black, white, or another color you associate with protection
On the paper, write:
“I hearby declare that all negativity surrounding me is to be vanquished and put to rest. No repeated stressors will interfere with daily life. No Bullshit shall be Shitted upon me nor the following people:
[Insert your bullet list of names]
Begone, foul fuckery, as we have no time for your foolishness. Let only prosperity, peace, and calm live on in our lives. Because I Fucking Say So.”
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The Ars Goetia didn't originate from "King Solomon" as it claims.
If it did, it wouldn't be heavily influenced by fucking Greek magic, since Solomon supposedly lived thousands of years before that period.
Medieval monks, who really wrote the Ars Goetia, had a very well documented habit of assigning parentage of magical texts to apocryphal figures like Solomon to make them seem cooler or more powerful. Particularly to christian adjacent figures, since otherwise these books would be considered hersey.
Even the word Goetia itself derives from the Greek Goêteia, meaning sorcery, specifically sorcery utilizing chthonic powers, or the Underworld: Gods, Daemons, and the Dead.
Goêteia comes from the proto Indo-European word goos, meaning to mourn, cry, or to wail; it comes from ancient funeral laments and mourning practices.
Also, Solomon likely never existed, hate to burst your bubble, but there has been zero archeological evidence found to support his, or his "father" king David's existence. Unlike other real kings of roughly the same periods, like King Nebuchadnezzar II.
Even the fact that the magic circles within the Ars Goetia utilize the same coiled serpents and five-pointed stars that Greek goêteia uses, stemming from EGYPT and Egyptian practice, not some psudeo-biblical figure like Solomon.
But wait, there's more
Even the use of demons isn't Solomonic, nor is it Jewish or christian.
It's also fucking Greek.
The word demon itself derives from the Greek daemon, meaning earthly divinity (rather than heavenly/ouranic) or a messenger of the Gods.
It was taken and absorbed into early christian theology like many other concepts such as Tartarus due to early christianity rising in the same region.
Particularly the use of daemons in magic through evocation, or even invocation (calling them within yourself to become possessed, a hallmark of Daemonism and the Engastraitai) through ritual incantations of voces magicae and nomina barbara.
All of it is fucking Greek, no Solomon to be found.
I'll add a step further: even the use of Jewish aspects of magic within the Ars Goetia stems from Greek goêteia, as Greek goêteia was a syncretism of Greek, Jewish, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian magical and spiritual practices.
Fuck, just take a look at the Greek Magical Papyri sonetime if you don't believe it.
Hell, even take a look at the Coptic Magical Papyri, which was a syncretism of early christianity and what we would call "ancient Egyptian" religion and Magical practices:
I think if studying the occult has improved any element of my life, it is my wonder at ordinary things. I love being able to see a rock or a plant and know the properties that generations of scientists and philosophers have attached to them. It's a dove, it's a nature Spirit, it's an omen of peace, it's a psychopomp, it is associated with the astral intelligences of the air and Venus and Aries and its entrails can be read to know where to build a settlement. But is also just a pigeon, and pigeons a lovely to see.
“The topic of dreaming should lead us now to consider the importance of the dreaming for our forebears. Our prejudice In favour of‘outer life’ over ‘Inner life’ Is so pronounced In the West that few people are able to experience the necessary limlnality between the two to experience a werewolf, a faerie visitation or to ‘meet the Devir on a highway like Isobel Gowdle did. As Wilby put it:
Anthropological studies hai^e revealed that in cultures where visionary experience is highly valued, it is considered to he as real as the perceptions of normal waking Ife. Indeed, as ar\thropologist Jackson Lincoln has observed, in some cases it is regarded ‘as having a greater reality value than actual experience.
This Is a very Important point that Wilby brings to the fore here. We have literally been conditioned since childhood with such phrases as: ‘it’s just a dream’, with the emphasis on ‘just’ Implying that a dream state has a lesser ontological value than a waking one. Such conditioning can take a bit of undoing. In fact it cannot be undone through reason alone. It Is only through experience of the Other, and complete reweaving of the psyche through initiatory death and rebirth that such a change can occur. But in a scholarly way Wilby also points out other factors
about pre-jndustrlal life that may also have enhanced the conditions for visionary experience.
In the past more time was spent in ‘twilight consciousness’ rather than in front of televisions or before harsh electric lights. Today most of our time is spent either in light or in total darkness preparing for sleep, and so we tend to experience sleep and wakefulness, two defined states. But our ancestors, particularly in winter when darkness fell very early, spent a large portion of each day by only the light of a Яіскегіп§ hre, with no other entertainment to occupy their imaginations than stories and conversation. It Is easy to imagine that spending at least an hour in the evening by the light of only a fire or a candle or two would place one In a ‘between state’ more frequently. And repetition of stories than contained shared cultural reference points, stories that were believed at some level even though they were fantastical to the modern mind, further blurs the line between the happenings of‘this world’ and the Other.
Also, because of shared sleeping areas (often with adults, children and even animals) sleep tended to be broken. In fact most pre-industrial people experience a nights sleep as two separate sleeps of about four hours each with a period of prayer or meditation on dreams In the middle. It is important then that most lucid dreams and Intense remembered dream states occur when people are sleeping in a few hour stints rather than deeply asleep all night long. So if we wish to prepare ourselves to enhance our ability to see into the Otherness we can learn from this.
We can increase our amount of ‘twilight consciousness’, we can sleep for shorts periods of time as a purposeful attempt to invoke a lucid state and we can limit our food consumption during this time. All of this will help to bring us closer to the state our ancestors found themselves in on a daily basis.
But what is perhaps most important is that we begin to enhance our appreciation for the dream state. Take dreams seriously. If you have a bad dream, immediately tell someone all the details of it to diffuse its power. If you dream of something fortunate occurring, refrain from speaking of it, lest you diffuse its power. Try to refrain from speaking about dreams in terms of ‘true’ and ‘untrue’ dreams. Dreams should instead be seen as possessing different types or depths of truth. No dream or vision is completely unreal, some just have more importance than others. Some have a kind of existence that is shared by only you, and the deeper type, the power-dream, has an existence that can be shared by other entities and even other people. This type is easily as ЧеаГ as daily waking consciousness. In fact the more you begin to think of yourself as a being that has both an inner and outer life that touch each other mysteriously, the more you will come to understand why some pre-industrial people gave priority to what happened in vision and power-dreams» over that of every day waking reality. And how someone was able to say:
‘yes I saw him turn Into a wolf before my very eyes’”
- Lee Morgan, 2012, The Key That Fits No Lock, А Deed Without a Name Unearthing the Legacy of Traditional Witchcraft.
Traduction en français :
Sur la réalité des rêves
“Le sujet des rêves devrait maintenant nous amener à considérer leur importance aux yeux de nos ancêtres. Notre préjudice en faveur de la “vie extérieure” au profit de la “vie intérieure” est si prononcée en Occident que peu de personnes sont capables de vivre la liminalité nécessaire entre les deux pour percevoir un loup-garou, une visite féérique ou pour “rencontrer le Diable” sur une grand-route comme Isobel Gowdie l’a fait. Comme Wilby le dit :
Les études anthropologiques ont révélé que dans les cultures où l’expérience visionnaire est très estimée, elle est considérée comme aussi réelle que les perceptions de la vie éveillée. Bien sûr, comme l’anthropologue Jackson Lincoln l’a observé, elle est dans certains cas perçue “comme ayant une valeur plus réelle que la véritable expérience”.
C’est un sujet très important que Wilby amène ici. Nous avons littéralement été conditionnés depuis l’enfance avec des phrases telles que : “c’est juste un rêve”, avec l’emphase sur “juste”, impliquant que l’état onirique a une valeur ontologique inférieure à un état éveillé. Un tel conditionnement demande du travail pour le défaire. En fait, il ne peut pas être défait par la raison seule. C’est seulement par l’expérience de l’Autre, et par un renouvellement complet de la psyché au travers d’une mort et d’une renaissance initiatiques, qu’un tel changement peut avoir lieu. Mais, comme Wilby l’affirme sous une forme académique, d’autres facteurs de la vie pré-industrielle peuvent aussi avoir amélioré les conditions favorables à l’expérience visionnaire.
Dans le passé, plus de temps était passé dans une “conscience crépusculaire” plutôt que devant des télévisions ou des lumières électriques dures. Aujourd’hui, nous passons la plupart de notre temps soit dans la lumière, soit dans l’obscurité totale en se préparant au sommeil, et nous vivons ainsi le sommeil et l’éveil comme deux états bien définis. Mais nos ancêtres, particulièrement en hiver quand l’obscurité arrivait très tôt, passaient une bonne portion de chaque jour éclairés seulement par le feu, avec pour seul divertissement des histoires et des conversations. Il est facile d’imaginer que passer au moins une heure par soir à la lumière d’un feu ou d’une ou deux bougies nous placerait dans un “état intermédiaire” plus souvent. La répétition d’histoires qui contenaient des références culturelles communes, des histoires prises pour vraies bien qu’elles paraissent fantastiques de nos jours, brouille encore plus la démarcation entre ce qui arrive dans “ce monde” et dans l’Autre.
Aussi, à cause des chambres partagées (souvent avec des adultes, des enfants et même des animaux), le sommeil avait tendance à être brisé. En fait, la plupart des personnes de l’époque pré-industrielle faisaient des nuits de sommeil séparées en deux sommeils séparés de quatre heures chacun, avec au milieu un temps de prière ou de méditation sur les rêves. Il est important de noter que la plupart des rêves lucides et des expériences oniriques intenses ont lieu quand notre sommeil est divisé en plusieurs séries, plutôt que lorsqu’on est profondément endormi toute la nuit. Si nous souhaitons nous préparer à améliorer notre capacité à voir dans cette Alterité, on peut apprendre de ceci. Nous pouvons augmenter notre quantité de “conscience crépusculaire”, nous pouvons dormir pour de courtes périodes de temps dans un effort conscient d’invoquer un rêve lucide et nous pouvons limiter notre consommation de nourriture durant ces périodes. Tout ceci nous aidera à nous ramener vers l’état dans lequel nos ancêtres se trouvaient au quotidien.
Mais ce qui est peut-être le plus important c’est que nous commencions à améliorer notre appréciation de l’état onirique. Prenons les rêves au sérieux. Si vous faites un cauchemar, racontez-en immédiatement les détails à quelqu’un pour en diffuser le pouvoir. Si vous rêvez de quelque chose de bénéfique qui arrive, retenez-vous d’en parler, pour ne pas risquer de diffuser son pouvoir. Essayez d’éviter de parler des rêves en termes de “vrais” et de “faux” rêves. Les rêves devraient plutôt être vus comme possédant différents types ou profondeurs de vérité. Aucun rêve et aucune vision n’est complètement irréelle, certains ont juste plus d’importance que d’autres. Certains ont une sorte d’existence qui est partagée seulement par vous, et le type plus profond, le rêve-pouvoir”, a une existence qui peut être partagée avec d’autres entités et même d’autres personnes. Ce type est facilement aussi “réel” que la conscience éveillée. En fait, plus vous commencerez à vous penser vous-même comme ayant aussi bien une vie intérieure qu’extérieure, les deux interagissant de façon mystérieuse, plus vous comprendrez pourquoi certaines personnes de l’époque pré-industrielle donnaient la priorité à ce qui arrivait dans les visions et dans les rêves-pouvoir, plutôt qu’à la réalité éveillée de tous les jours. Et comment quelqu’un était capable de dire :
“Oui, je l’ai vu se transformer en loup sous mes propres yeux.””
- Lee Morgan, 2012, La Clef Qui N’ouvre Aucune Serrure, Un Acte Sans Nom Déterrer l’Héritage de la Sorcellerie Traditionnelle (Traduction collective)
Illustration : Brett Morgan
like we're really not gonna address the fact that he died of a "self inflicted head wound" literal hours after Boeings lawyers asked him to stay an extra day. We're not gonna speak on the fact that he told his family "if I die, it wasn't suicide " before he went to go testify. None of it huh
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shadow work isn't witchcraft. "shadow worker" isn't a real witchcraft title, because -- again -- shadow work isn't witchcraft, or folk craft, or related to the occult literally at all. it was co-opted into witchcraft recently. it's a facet of psychology/psycho-analysis invented by Carl Jung to help people going through trauma therapy. since it's not witchcraft, you don't have to do it, you shouldn't put up with being shamed for not doing it, and you should definitely be seeing a therapist -- who has experience with it -- when you attempt it, because it can dredge up some really nasty shit if you're not ready or equipped to handle the fall-out. AND you should start mentioning this and talking about this in every witchcraft/occult space. get people talking about it and researching its history.
HEKATE (Hecate) was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. She was the only child of the Titanes Perses and Asteria from whom she received her power over heaven, earth, and sea. Hekate assisted Demeter in her search for Persephone, guiding her through the night with flaming torches.
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Elaborate rituals, intense meditations, and huge gestures have their places in spirit work. There's value in putting a massive effort into something for the spirits you venerate or work with. And sometimes, you need to do these big things for a particular outcome or as part of your tradition.
I have a bias against big, elaborate rituals for this purpose, though. In my practice, it's just unnecessary. All of the relationships I have and maintain with spirits are, at their cores, friendships. They're not working relationships, they're not worshiper-worshiped relationships, they're not transactional relationships. My spirits are my friends.
So I approach working with them like friendship. I'll light a candle and set a cup of coffee or tea on their altar in the same way I'd offer a friend a cup of tea when they visit. If I'm working on something, I'm accustomed to body doubling as someone with ADHD, and I like to invite my friends to work alongside me. In the same way, I'll invite my spirit friends to participate or just hang around while I work.
Heck, they hang out while I write these posts sometimes!
Not everything in spirit work has to be intense and serious. Yes, you should be respectful -- in the same way that you should be respectful to your neighbors and your friends. And yeah, not all spirits can or should be treated this way.
But I would like to posit the humble power of Hanging Out.
What I Mean By That
Literally. Hanging out.
Whatever you normally do to "call" your spirit(s), do that. My method is lighting a candle of some sort. Sometimes, I'll choose a scented candle if I'm trying to lure a particular spirit to the area, but an unscented taper candle will do just fine.
And then, you hang out. That's it.
If you're watching YouTube, invite the spirit to watch with you. Ask their opinions on what to watch, if you have an easy way to communicate with them. (One of my spirits loves Ghost Hunting TV Shows. He thinks it's hilarious.)
If you're playing a video game, leave space on the couch for the spirit to settle next to you to watch.
Make dinner, chat about your days. Set aside a little plate for them if you want. Eat together.
The Value in Hanging Out
The idea here is that time is valuable. Time spent with someone else is valuable on its own, even if that time is spent doing little to nothing "productive."
Think about your friends and the people you enjoy spending time with. It isn't always clubs, parties, exploring, hiking, running, traveling, or whatever else you do. Even if that's how you met or your main activity together, there are always casual moments. Easy breakfasts, simple conversations, sleepovers in your PJs, watching movies.
Quality time is powerful. Choosing to spend your time with someone sends a clear message: "I value your presence."
Not everything has to be an elaborate party. Sometimes, all you want is to sit down and hang out.
Why can't it be the same with spirits? The answer is that it can. In my practice, I rarely do anything that elaborate. I'll put extra effort in for special occasions like holidays, but usually, it's a simple act of lighting a candle, saying hello, and then sitting down with the spirit to just hang out.
Not every relationship requires constant, intense focus. Especially if you're looking to befriend your spirits, rather than just work with them, the Power of Hanging Out is a valuable asset to keep in mind.
It doesn't have to be every day, either. I have a sort of open, standing invitation for whichever spirits to hang out whenever they like. They're welcome to chill anytime, unless I ask to be left alone. Because of our relationship, they respect that. (Usually -- the only time they don't is if something urgent has come up or they need something.)
I developed the theory of Hanging Out years ago. Spirit work was where I started, and it's always been Home to me. But it's intense sometimes, and a lot of what I was doing was burning me out very, very fast. So I adapted on the fly, as one does, and it ended up working really well.
Now, Hanging Out is my primary method of doing spirit work. Even with spirits I don't know or in new locations, there's value in projecting an aura of "I'm just here to chill. Feel free to talk to me, or don't. It's cool." Spirits, shockingly, respond to that. I end up with a lot of interesting, casual conversations, light taps on the shoulder to let me know I've been acknowledged by something that doesn't want to talk, and various visual anomalies from shy critters in the shadows.
Think of it like slow blinking at a cat or offering the back of your hand to a dog. Approaching respectfully and calmly in a very casual way attracts things that otherwise wouldn't show themselves. The Power of Hanging Out is alluring to even the shyest spirits.
Again, obviously, this won't work for all spirits. Do what works for what you work with. I've found Hanging Out works best with ancestors, house spirits, land spirits, and assorted ghosties over the years. It's not so good with, say, the Good Neighbors. But hey, maybe your experience will differ.
Extra Benefits of Hanging Out
Aside from the relationship benefits of casually sitting and hanging out, there are even more practical benefits. As a side-effect of adapting spirit work in this way to work for me, my senses for spiritual energy shot through the roof.
I've always been pretty sensitive. I'm that weird kid at the next table over in the restaurant who clocked the spirit of your recently-deceased aunt who left you her necklace which you're wearing under your shirt and which I couldn't have possibly seen. But when I started Hanging Out and just existing in a space with spirits, everything sort of... exploded.
It's like recognizing your family's footsteps coming down the hallway. When I stopped trying to force myself to understand and recognize every scrap of energy, it all washed over me instead. And in the Energy Soup, I started to recognize more signs and signals without effort.
This is, in my opinion, the greatest benefit of Hanging Out, even for people who don't do spirit work at all. There's no meditative aspect to it, really (though you can certainly meditate to enhance it, if that's something you do). It's just sitting and being receptive.
I don't think this method will work for everyone. People who have zero sensitivity to spirits may not see any results. But I think it has value even for those people.
At its core, Hanging Out is a mindfulness exercise. If you can't be with spirits, be with yourself. Put the call out to whoever or whatever you work with, venerate, sense -- or things you'd like to get to know better. See what answers.
Light a candle.
Say, "If you want to come sit with me and watch TV, feel free. I have popcorn."
Hang Out.
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