Witchcraft Ideals

Day 4: Hekate Kyôn Melaine

Hekate Kyôn Melaine, The Black Bitch roaming the streets. You are the one from which mortals run, Spotted in a midnight graveyard Stalking the poor fools who dwell too long. Three times the sight to strike them down. It is to you whom witches turn, Asking for aid in their devious spells, Allowing them your pitch black fur And a blackened claw or two, Birthing their spells into reality With your divine being. Hekate Kyôn Melaine, You mother us witches who dwell in your realm in the dead of night, And chase off the unwelcome With merely a hungry glance. Thank you, Hekate Kyôn Melaine, For rearing us with caring hand And the protection of a wild dog.

Day 3: Gaia Chthonia

Gaia Chthonia, Mother of the Earth, And its embodiment to the core. Lady Demeter brings fertility to the fields So we may have the fortune of nourishment, Bounteous all year round, ensuring humanity's survival. You, Mother Gaia, tend to all the wild expanses of the world, Forests, oceans, even deserts, all teeming with life. Demeter may tend or fields, But through you, only you, is all life possible. Even now as Autumn creeps in, Demeter halting all warmth in bereavement, Do we see you everywhere, dear Mother. You know as well as us all That life cannot exist without death. As life turns cold, it is your gentle loving hands That put them to rest, Taking them back within yourself And turning them into fertile soil, That more life may bloom and thrive in it's place, A cycle sustained long before, and long after humanity. Gaia Chthonia, Earth itself, The primordial Mother of All, I praise and honor your name! I would not be here, declaring my admiration, If not for your hand in the divine creation of life. I thank you, Mother Gaia, For providing me with a world of beauty And a life worth living. Even in these waning months, Do I look at the world with delight. I am deeply happy knowing When I, one day, lie with the leaves upon the cold and gentle earth, That only more life can spring from me.

Day 2: Hekate Eidôlios

Lady Eidôlios, The delicate and Ghostly Queen Who stalks the liminal like a wraith, Flowing saffron garments loosely trailing behind. When mortals lose themselves in your realm It is you who places a cold and gentle hand upon their shoulder And leads them out without a word. I cannot describe your beauty, It's haunting, it's soft, it's wrathful. Everything ethereal and otherworldly is what you are. Mild, merciful, forgiving, Good-natured Queen of Ghosts, As she is what she rules. Please, beautiful Lady Eidôlios, Take my every admiration, Take my awe, and take my praise. For you remind me of all the souls I've lost, And they look lovely.

Day 1: Demeter Chthonia

(Note: This hymn includes an offering. The offering should be any in season crop in your area.)

Demeter Chthonia, It is you who are tied so intimately to the earth And bare it produce bountiful fruits and grains For all of humanity to thrive upon. In spring you walk upon the land And caress the soil in our fields With your calloused and work-worn hands And bless every seed beneath with fertile growth. It is during this time of year, The autumnal waning of the seasons, That we see the reward of our hard labors, And bask in your blessings of fertility. You, Mother Chthonia, are the reason civilization flourishes. Year after year, we owe our deepest gratitude to you, For allowing us to eat our fill and live comfortably. Your greatest gift to humanity Was teaching us to work the rich lands And we have been honoring you ever since. And lo, as another year draws to its end, We honor you once more! With every harvest we make, Every fruit we pick, Every sheaf we reap, We do so with out Mother's blessing in mind. Lady Demeter, you give so graciously, And so I shall return the gift in kind! Please accept this offering of [in season crop], And know it was not possible without your divine touch. Mother Chthonia, I praise your name, And thank you for your many blessings!

Intent: To increase creativity and inventiveness. Also assists with clearing creative blocks.

Ingredients:

3 pt Salt

1 pt Horehound

1 pt Jasmine

1⁄2 pt Allspice

1⁄2 pt Witch Hazel*

* - This herb should be avoided by persons who are pregnant or nursing. Exercise all proper precautions.

Materials:

Mortar & Pestle (or spice grinder)

Funnel

Mesh Strainer

Collection Dish

Container

Note: Powdered versions of most herbs are available online. I recommend Starwest Botanicals and Penn Herbs for quality products at reasonable prices. Also, if you can get your hands on a good electric spice grinder, you can make your own powder from dried herb products. If you don't have premade powdered herbs, grind each ingredient separately to produce fine powder. Sieve the material through the mesh strainer into the collection dish; this removes the larger unground pieces and gives you cleaner powdered herb. (Pro-Tip: Putting a funnel under the mesh strainer reduces lost material and makes collection much easier.)

Combine the component powders in the collection dish, mix well, and bottle immediately. Label with the name, date, and ingredients for future reference.

Use Inspiration Salt in any and all magics meant to stimulate innovative thinking or inspire new ideas. If you are a witch with a creative side or lots of term papers to finish, this salt just might be your new best friend.

Place a small bowl of Inspiration Salt in workspace to encourage new ideas. If you are inclined to candle magic, you can place a tealight candle in the center of the dish to amplify the salt's effects. (Open flame is not required to make this work; a battery-operated LED candle can provide the necessary amplification if needed.) If a candle is not available, a lodestone works well too.

Inspiration Salt makes a good additive for clay charms if you're in the mood to make salt dough clay. A small "study buddy" may be crafted to sit on your desk and lighten your work sessions.

-adapted from Pestlework: A Book of Magical Powders & Oils, (c) 2017 by Bree NicGarran

"Note: This is not a complete list. Consult with a doctor, midwife, trained aromatherapist, or herbalist before using essential oils while pregnant.

Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum)

Anise, Star (Illicium verum)

Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

Birch (Betula lenta)

Blue Cypress (Callitris intratropica)

Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora)

Chamomile, Roman (Chamaemelum nobile)

Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea)

Fennel, Sweet (Foeniculum vulgare)

Ho Leaf (Cinnamomum camphora)

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)

Myrtle (Myrtus communis)

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)

Parsley (Petroselinum sativum)

Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Sage (Salvia officinalis)

Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas)

Spearmint (Mentha spicata)

Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)

Wintergreen (Gaulltheria procumbens)

If exposure to essential oils results in drops contacting sensitive mucus membranes (e.g., in the nose) or splashes into eyes, flush with full-fat milk or a few drops of jojoba oil."

Goddess of: Crossroads, thresholds, boundaries, transitions, dreams and nightmares, oracles and divination, life and death, the restless dead, witchcraft and herbalism/poisons, protection, childbirth, the heavens, sea and earth.

Epithets: Chthonia (earthly one), Dadouchos (torch-bearer), Enodia ('of the wayside' or 'of the crossroad'), Kleidouchos (key-bearer), Kourotrophos (child's nurse), Phosphorus (light-bearer), Propolos (companion), Propylaia (the one before the gate), Soteira (savior), Triformis (three bodied), Trioditis (of the three ways), Brimo (angry/terrifying), Nexichthon (she who breaks open the earth), Prytania (invincible queen).

Symbols: Keys, torches, the moon, lunar crescent diadem, bronze/brass (her sacred metal), iron (particularly nails), bronze or golden sandals, virgin, garland/wreath, scorge, whips, sickles, swords, knives, wands, things done in threes, the strophalos, white, black, red, and saffron yellow.

Animal Associations: Lions, (black) dogs, horses, cows/bulls, hydras, snakes, bats, and dragons.

Plant Associations: Rue, laurel, cumin, sesame seeds, cornels, asphodel, maidenhair, rushes, galangal, verbena, sage, hedge-mustard, purple honeysuckle, cassidony, field basil. mandrake, hulwort, dittany, saffron, nose-smart, lion-foot, greenbriar, camomile, black poppy, alcua, all-heal, white hellebore, aconite, oak, ebony, garlic, and cypress.

Deities She's Worshiped With: Demeter and Kore (Eleusinian mysteries), Poseidon, and Hermes.

Deities She Absorbed: Brimo, Despoina, Enodia, Genetyllis, Kotys, Kratais, and Kourotrophos.

Deities She's Syncretised With: Artemis, Selene, Mene, Persephone, Physis, Bendis, Bona Dea, Diana, Ereschigal, and Isis.

Offerings: Dogs, goats, lizards (this can be something in their shape), incense and fragrances, resins like frankincense, myrrh, and storax, wafers and cakes, barley cakes, honey, vegetables, first fruits, flowers, fish like sprat and mullet, wine, milk, blood, oil, water, raw eggs, bread, cheese, and cheesecakes.

New item: Runic Sealing Wax

really excited about these! Also pretty cool to have ten pounds of wax all at once.

🍁🍂🦴🌲🌿🍂🍁

I went to a new age crystal shop today, as you do, and I seriously can't believe I saw moldavite incense there.

A quick google search will tell you moldavite is composed of silicon dioxide and an aluminum oxide compound. These are both highly toxic when inhaled.

"Long term inhalation of silica dust may lead to issues in the lungs, including:

-silicosis, a progressive, irreversible lung disease

-lung cancer

-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD

-increased risk of tuberculosis"

(source)

"Exposure to Aluminum Oxide can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat. Repeated exposure to high levels of Aluminum Oxide dust may cause scarring of the lungs ("pulmonary fibrosis") with shortness of breath. This condition can be fatal."

(source)

“A number of spells made use of the transformative power of the moment of the elevation of the host during Mass. A Sicilian spell to make an enemy fall ill involves taking a lemon or an orange to midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, removing a bit of peel, and piercing it with pins while reciting ‘Tanti spilli infiggo in quest'arancia [or questo limone], tanti mali ti calino addosso'  (‘As many pins as I stick in this orange [or lemon], may as many ills befall you’). The fruit is then thrown into a well or cistern.”