wilde witchery

Nobody wants to hear this but this goes for all the newbies to polytheism or even just any branch of paganism in general:

If anyone talks to you/writes about/blogs that everyone does something, you cannot trust them. If they say it is this way and only this way, you cannot trust them.

If they make blanket statements without saying “some people” or “in my experience”, or “most people, but not all,” and the like, they are not to be trusted. Blanket assumptions are counterproductive to individualism within paganism. It doesn’t matter how experienced that person claims to be - they cannot claim to have the facts.

What we can do is find people you can trust who do not attempt to know everything and realize there’s a shit ton of grey area in this faith/practice/religion.

Your path is your own. Your relationships with deities are your own.

Wood. Use all the wood. 

Stay tuned. 

I am using a combination of instructions by Lon Duquette, Aaron Leitch and Donald Tyson. Where the sources differ, I break the tie by further research or instinct.

I have used all wood for the Holy Table, The Ensigns of Creation and the Lamen.

I have a beeswax disc ready for the Sigillum Dei, but I also have a wooden disc ready as a substitute, because I am afraid I am not going be able to make the wax look anything like it is supposed to.

I have burned in the geometric outlines into the Table, Ensigns and the Lamen, and then spray painted the whole surface (Table black, Ensigns silver and Lamen gold to at least keep the metal color requirement, if I am not able to have polished tin and gold). I am having the Ring custom made out of brass, because again, I am too posh for paper but too cheap for gold. Until I can get it though, I will be making due with the paper one. 

As for the painting of the tools, where possible (outlines and lettering on the Table, outlines of the Ensigns and Lamen), I have used various color acrylic paints mixed with holy water, to at least come closer to the notion of using blessed oil paints. 

Lettering on the Ensigns and Lamen is done by fine permanent marker, because it is the finest writing implement I have that will stick. Not happy about it, but nothing about that I can do.  Below are some pictures:

Table and Ensigns in base color with outlines: 

Lamen in base color and finished outline: 

Almost finished table (edges are still in white marker as drafts):

Finished table (edges in silver paint with holy water):

I finished all the Ensigns, Lamen and the Sigillum, as well as acquired a ring. 

I ended up engraving the ring myself on a pre-bought piece, as the sources for a finished ring tuned up either nill or not really what I wanted. 

The ring I engraved myself is not really what I wanted either, but engraving it myself, even crudely, seemed like a better option than buying something I do not like for money I feel I either do not have to spend or that it isn’t worth. It is made of generic metal in rose-gold. 

The Sigillum is also far from being a work of art, the center heptagram turned out super lopsided and I am far from a calligrapher, but again, I like the imperfection that comes with handcrafting. I used raw beeswax and added a bit rose petal, mimosa and jasmine floral wax, because I felt like they belonged there. 

The engraving is colored with dragons blood ink (basically dragons blood dissolved in high concentration alcohol with a bit of holy water added in).

I may redo the Sigillum later, but I am happy for now. I am afraid it will end up even more lopsided though.

The Ensigns, as previously mentioned are wood, first pyrographed for texture, then colored in silver acrylic mixed with holy water, to substitute for the blessed oil paints. Writing is in black marker, because again, my penmanship leaves much to be desired. 

Lamen is done in a similar fashion, but gold painted instead of silver. Holy water was added to the gold + to the black color in the grids. Writing is in marker. Again. 

Below are some more pictures of the finished setup. I am quite proud to have made everything from scratch.

‘Properly prepared that’s the witches motto..’

Your best work will usually stay a secret. Either partially covered, or blatantly visible to those who know. But it will be in your best interest to keep it simple. Interns and cleaners are nosy and usually they are a lot more perceptive. Powders that look like regular dust/dirt do not attract a lot of attention.

A cliché makes a good bedfellow if it will get you the taglocks you want, since friends and foes change with the seasons and where the money comes from.

It is better to be underestimated a hundred times, than that your plan is for everyone to see, or that you’ve become predictable. So if you need to hex or curse, do it properly.

Those who make the coffee and tea for their office are in a position of terrible power. Be mindful of the opportunity this gives, and how to maintain it. You do not need glamours when they drink good words about you. Like any plant in fertile soil, it will grow. The same goes for the person who takes the minutes during meetings.

Never be cruel to interns and cleaners. See them as your extended eyes and ears. Properly cultivated relations- just be friendly to them, learn their name, ASK them for their opinion, etc -will prove valuable in the long run. A well placed cake from time to time works wonders.

Talk to the building. Establish a line of communication. It might take a while, but it is worth it. Let it know who you are, who you want gone, or if you need something from someone. Clean, give water and prayer in return. Nothing comes for free.

When forced to do magic at work, do it so that you can stengthen it once you get home. Never keep explicit stuff at work. Worst case scenario is that your stuff is found and it has consequences. Keep it simple and weird. ‘Why do you need all those litte packages of salt and black pepper?’ is easier to deal with than ‘is that a doll with the managers face!?!!’

Keep your office smelling fresh and nice. Florida water, rose water any kind of floral water really- or 4711 -will not only make your office smell good, in time, with whispered charms, will build up a specific energy that influences people. Positive thought, good smell-associations. Having ‘secret’ candy stash that everyone knows about, but never talks about, works like mad too.

I have recently come across a lot of witches that claim to be descendents of the witches from Salem or something like that. It made me think of how magic is part of black culture, without us acknowledging it. A week ago I listened to @latouriste video on how she became a witch; and she mentioned how many women in her family have been psychic and been able to see the dead. How they have had dream premonitions. My first thought was all black women do that. My mom can do it and many of my family members can as well. I feel like that is a part of black culture, if a woman in your family tells you she had a dream or she feels a bad omen and not to go somewhere; we know that’s not something to mess with even though many black folk don’t identify as witches.

Today, I saw that someone had named themselves a hereditary witch and it got me thinking again about our bloodlines. I started thinking about how, not only do, we come from a long line of magical people, but people so strong that not even slavery could prevent us from moving towards prosperity. Somehow even with all the erasing of ancestry, we are still able to find that magic and pass it to our offspring. Creating a tradition of magic throughout the black community without even calling it magic. It’s really amazing when you think about it.

“I Am Not Silent When Somebody Is In Need”

✨Monday✨

Planet: Moon

Colors: Blue, silver, white

Intent: Beauty, dreams, emotions, fertility, insight, astral work, divination, sleep, peace, travel, purity, spiritual cleansing, psychic ability, wisdom

✨Tuesday✨

Planet: Mars

Colors: Black, orange, red

Intent: Courage, conviction, defense, ambition, achievement, activate protective talismans,success, stength, protection, physical power, passion, sexuality, reverse hexes, victory

✨Wednesday✨

Planet: Mercury

Colors: Orange, purple

Intent: Communication, change, fortune, creativity, knowledge, acceptance, luck, money

✨Thursday✨

Planet: Jupiter

Colors: Blue, green, purple

Intent: Healing, growth, fulfillment, justice, authority, protection, strength, luck, prosperity, long term preservation of wealth

✨Friday✨

Planet: Venus

Color. Pink

Intent: Birth, fertility, gentleness, freindship, healing, goodness, blocking, romance, pregnancy, passion, love, money, prosperity, self-care

✨Saturday✨

Planet: Saturn

Color: Black, purple

Intent: Banishing, cleansing, binding, ending, protection, spirituality, loss, renewing, transforming, wisdom

✨Sunday✨

Planet: Sun

Color: Gold, yellow

Tips for Appealing to Deities

The most common questions I get usually involve asking for tips to contact or talk to deities as well as ways to know when one is trying to contact you, so I figured I should compile some of the more general tips here!

Research the common manifestations of the deity you’re interested in

Dedicate a spot on your altar to them or create a new altar altogether for them

Research their traditional offerings during the height of their worship

Provide regular offerings for them. 

Even if you don’t think they’re listening, pray to them

Do activities that you feel might please them (e.x. volunteer at a nature preserve for Artemis, volunteer at a clinic for Apollo, etc.)

Sing for them, create art, or dedicate poetry for them (this is technically another form of offering).

Wear their colors in some way.

Take note of any repeating symbols, colors, words, animals, etc. that you come across in a short time period

Keep a dream journal and analyze your dreams for signs

Practice strengthening your spiritual awareness and abilities (There are ENDLESS ways of doing this such as meditating)

Keep in mind that all deities want to be reached out to or will be bothered to make themselves known. You should use your intuition with determining if this is the case. I HIGHLY DO NOT RECOMMEND trying to reach out to them or find them in the Astral. This is very dangerous because you most likely wouldn’t truly know who or what you are talking to unless you are a very very seasoned pro in the astral with complex protections put in place. An ill-intending entity could very well disguise themselves as the deity you wish to contact and manipulate you. These tips do not apply to deities within closed religions!