#folk magic

Things you could do with paint water:

-Make a spell with it

-take some of the water and draw a sigil/symbol on a project youre currently working on or your sketchbook! (I personally draw a sun with the water)

-take a LITTLE of the water and put it on hands to encourage physical work , on feet to encourage movement- I say a little because paint is a chemical so be careful putting that on your skin!

-soak crystals in it and carry said crystals in a pocket or just close to you

-do literally anything

Me & my craft

¿ Who am I ?

I'm Kathrin, 24 years old, I come from Germany and I'm a social worker. Currently I'm still getting my masters degree in educational science and I'm working past time in an open door Youth Center.

¿ What are my hobbies/likes ?

I like to crochet, watching series (at the moment doctor who), decorating, taking walks, going to the gym, going out (or staying in) with friends, spending time with my family, spending cozy time at home.

¿ what do I call my craft ?

I'd rather call it folk practices, just for the simplification and mutual understanding I am sometimes calling what I do witchcraft, especially in online english spaces. I am heavy on german folk traditions in my region and my family.

¿ when did I get into witchcraft ?

I started getting to know witchcraft in 2021. Then I practiced sporadically for 1 or 2 years. Although I didn't have a full understanding of what I did, didn't write a lot down and was really chaotic with it because of mental health issues, I found peace and joy in the craft. Then I stopped for a few years because of mental illness reasons and in End of July I started again. So I'm currently in my learning stage. All very new old stuff <3.

¿ what do I practice ?

I do simple things to start. I remember some things from years ago, so it was easier and faster to get into it again. I do simple centering and grounding exercises, cleansing and protection of the home, I put intentions into my crystals and take them with me to places, I did my altar again, celebrating the god of the sun/ the sun (I'm still not sure how to call it lol), try to start little routines on the different weekdays depending on the association of the day.

And most importantly I picked up my tarot reading again. I did that in between the years once or twice and it is really important to me. I love doing readings for myself to find out what I feel and to connect to my unconsciousness.

¿ what do I want to practice in the future ?

Things that interest me/ I have on my to do list:

Ancestor/spirit work

Kitchen magic

Selflove spells/spells about embracing sexuality and feminity

healing work from sa experiences

...and the list goes on lol (this is going to be edited)

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I assume this is a question for the oracle readings, but I'm going to give you some more straightforward advice instead as I've had to do this before.

Cleanse everything!

Cleanse yourself, your house, any jewellery your wear regularly.

You can do this with visualisation, you can use crystals, herbs, water - cleansing comes in many forms.

My personal favourite is burying something in salt, or making a spray for my house using lemon juice and whatever suitable herbs I have to hand.

Protect yourself

Add protection to yourself and your space, and check on and replace any existing charms or wards you may have already.

I protect my home with conkers in the corners of rooms and using a spray made of salt, citrus and peppermint at the doorways to keep things out. I also have a horseshoe above my door.

I charm a necklace to keep me safe and I recite a specific prayer at times when I might feel unsafe. Try to charm something you wear often, like jewellery or a hair bobble. Don't worry about it breaking, it happens.

Protection spells are abundant on this site and it won't take you long to find one.

Consider your actions

These steps should usually shift any bad energy you've been carrying and should stop a constant string of bad luck.

Please remember though, not everything is because of bad luck! Sometimes life gives us unavoidable lessons, sometimes shit happens, sometimes these things are a result of your own actions. Assess your interactions with others and the energy you put out, also.

Yes, I do. Thank you for asking :)

My number one advice for someone starting out their witchcraft journey is not protections, not to research your associations, none of that. It's to start with familiarising yourself with spiritual dogwhistles. You will meet some incredibly kind and talented people from all sorts of backgrounds in witchcraft and pagan communities, but you will also find your white supremacists and your n@zis, and you need to learn how to distinguish the two before you begin your journey because it is so easy to fall down the alt-right pipeline. dogwhistles.org is a great place to start, although it doesn't touch much on witchy/pagan dogwhistles it's still a great resource.

Some things to look out for:

𖧷 Starseeds

This article is great for anyone who is unfamiliar with the concept of Starseeds

𖧷 Mount Shasta and Lemuria

This is a weird one with a lot of weird history connected to starseeds (mentioned above), new age ideals, and anti-Indigenous rhetoric. The "Lemurians" are thought to be an aryan race that live underneath Mount Shasta. Originally called Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki (I believe, please correct me if I'm wrong), this mountain was a sacred place for the Indigenous communities living in the area and was central in their spiritual and cultural beliefs. Is was then taken over by settlers, turned into a tourists spot, and had it's lore rewritten to be home to a superior all-white race. Yeah...

𖧷 Anti-Modern Medicine Rhetoric

Anti-Vaxx, anti-medicine conspiracy theories, "all the food is poison" type rhetoric quickly falls into anti-science alt-right territory. Now, this doesn't mean that any and all natural medicine content is alt-right. Many people who post this sort of content believe that traditional medicine & modern medicine should coexist and understand the importance of both. Use context clues, use discernment.

𖧷 Mentions of men being left behind or oppressed in women-dominated cultural spaces & practices

Many alt-right men in witchcraft/pagan spaces will specifically target cultural practices that have historically been female led and try to discredit women-dominated and female-led spaces and practices by painting them as hateful bigots or exclusionary, even when that is not the case.

𖧷 "Divine Feminine" Type Content

Now, there is nuance here, check out this comment I made under a post discussing this topic. But when the term "Divine Feminine" is being posed as "women belong in the home raising kids because they're inherently nurturing and caregivers" type rhetoric, RUN. This is just misogyny repackaged as "spirituality".

𖧷 Mention of "Aryans" or an “Aryan Race”

This one should hopefully be obvious, but you'll typically see this in new age spaces in reference to starseeds, lemurians, etc. Some alt-right individuals have also attempted to connect the term to the Tuatha Dé Danann, which is a complete falsehood and really gets on my nerves.

This has been only the tip of the ever-expanding iceberg, but these are some of the most prominent alt-right dogwhistles I've seen in my time in both online and in-person witchy/pagan/spiritual spaces. You can find these dogwhistles littered everywhere, even in "educational" literature. Know the meanings, keep yourself safe. If anyone can think of any other dogwhistles that I've forgot to mention here, please feel free to add them in the reblogs or comments.

Another quick note before I wrap up this post, a lot of alt-right individuals have been co-opting Norse and Celtic symbols as dog whistles. These symbols have long histories outside of being dogwhistles, and hold cultural importance outside of the new, co-opted meanings. Just because someone is wearing cultural jewellry does not mean they are a n@zi or white supremacist, use context clues, use discernment. I've personally been wearing Celtic knots since childhood and I refuse to stop wearing them because some entitled man-babies want to turn something so beautiful into a symbol of hate.

Illinois: Road Trip to Hell

TW: mentions of death, specifically caused by racial motivation, drug abuse, and suicide

As someone born and raised in Illinois, folk magic has made me curious about the folklore of my state but with the obsession with the Appalachian Mountains and the Ozarks among folk practitioners, it's not very easy to learn about old superstitions and tales from the midwest. The best sources I have found in the past are the books Folklore from Adam's County Illinois and Witchcraft in Illinois. When it comes to online research it can be quite a dud. I sometimes am able to come across articles here and there and an old newspaper article. Despite there being little information online about the folkloric history of Illinois, I have come acrossed a pretty wacky tale that is far from holy.

Collinsville, Illinois: A small town harnessing evil

In Collinsville, Illinois in the late 1800s, railroad trestles were built on Lebanon Road to help trains get around the small mining town. Over the years, these trestles have been deteriorating and thick woods have surrounded them giving them an eerie look. According to rumors, these trestles hold history of hangings, KKK meetings, satanic rituals, and paranormal activity.

Two urban legends are told about them. The first being that if you drive through each trestle in order, from 1 to 7, and go through the last one at exactly midnight, a portal to Hell will open. Once opened, Hell hounds will drag you in. The second legend goes that if you drive through each trestle in reverse, from 7 to 1, you'll cause a tear in reality. You can glimpse back and see it as you drive through the last trestle. Supposedly you can get a view into Hell if you look through your rearview mirror. These legends have led to the trestles being referred to as "The Seven Gates of Hell."

Digging Deeper

Along the Hell Gate route, is a bridge that gets confused with the 6th gate despite not being apart of the gates at all. It was dubbed the name "Acid Bridge" due to a horrific car crash that took place in the 1970s that killed a group of teenagers who have been rumored to have been under the influence of LSD. It is said that you can hear phantom screams and see shadowy figures and a ghostly car that reenacts the crash at this bridge.

Gate 2 has a few legends. One claims that a young African American boy was chased by the KKK and hung at this gate. Another one goes that 2 friends were arguing over a girl leading to one hanging himself. His friend felt remorse for him and proceeded to hang himself as well. It is said that you can see the ghosts of hanging bodies and a man and child here at midnight.

The gates are said to be guarded by Hell hounds with glowing green or red eyes.

What do the gates look like?

Gate 1

Gate 2

Gate 3

Gate 4

Gate 5

Gate 6

Gate 7

Sources:

Driving Through the Seven Gates of Hell in Collinsville, Illinois

Small Town in Illinois is Home to Terrifying ‘Seven Gates of Hell’ and People Are Warned Not To Go There

Whether that comes in the form of sacrificing time, money, resources, and more. Magic comes at a cost. And modern practioners seem to wanna shirk that cost in favor of having magic their way. And magic isn't fast food, it's a buffet you slaved over to make before consuming. So if you only wanted to give a little than your table will be emptier than if you had invested into your practice.

You get what you give in magic, and when you stop giving because you don't wanna be uncomfortable spirits take notice. It shows them that comfort is king, and if your comfort is more important than proper protocols and sustenance, than eventually spirits will treat the work you give them the same. Where their comfort takes priority over the task at hand, leading to delays or even unfinished work.