When he sees his reflection

if you're an inclusive witch blog like or rb this so I can check you out

Rest and recuperation:

- take a nap

- sit in the warm sunshine

- cuddle a pet

- take a bath

- go to bed early

- meditate

- forget all the yoga and just lie in corpse pose for however long you need

Self love:

- put on body lotion

- change your clothes into something more comfortable

- wash your hair

- light some candles

- write a love letter to yourself

- list 10 good things about yourself

Reminiscence and nostalgia:

- watch a childhood classic on TV

- clean your room: make it cozy and safe

- care for yourself the way your guardians would when you were a sick child

- do a small task or hobby that you used to love - listen to old music

- play a game from your past

Energy:

- eat a healthy meal

- put on some upbeat music

- drink ice cold water

- change into clothes that make you feel good but aren’t pyjamas

- go for a walk

- challenge yourself to do the things you want to do and reward yourself after

Companionship:

- get in touch with a friend

- go to a public place, like a coffee shop

- say hello to a stranger

- call your mum

- message a long lost friend

- arrange to meet someone you love

- join online groups of people with similar interests

Health:

- do some light exercise

- drink a glass of water

- do some yoga or stretches

- go to bed early

- take a short walk or jog

- eat something healthy and tasty

- clean your home

To express yourself:

- write about how your feelings

- dance to your favourite music

- sing

- put on makeup

- paint or draw

- bullet journal

- write a story, some poetry or a diary entry

- change your hairstyle

Comfort:

- drink something warm

- go somewhere you feel safe

- spend time with safe, loving people

- watch a lovely tv show or movie

- get under some blankets

- if it’s cold, sit by a fire

- cuddle someone or something

- give yourself a little hug

So, this has come up as a subject in the Slavic discord (you should totally join, it is a wonderful place). I have had a number of people ask me what it is I do to connect to the old ones, how do I reach out. So I have decided to make a post, and maybe give a few examples.

Disclaimer; I am by no means some omnipotent being who knows everything and has everything figured out. This is just what I do, based off research, conversations with others and personal experience.

First of all… Pray. A lot of people don’t like that word. For a lot of people, it is a word associated with mindlessly repeating words that are not our own to appease a distant diety. That is not what I mean. Talk to them. The old ones always listen. When I talk to them… I tell them secrets; I tell them about the annoyances and fears. I tell them the mundane; like when I feel low and lonely because the sky is grey and gloomy. The big; like that I am afraid of the shadows the talk to me. And everything in between.

Another way I have found much love for is dedicating my creativity to the old ones. Write, draw, sing and dance. The old ones do not care if you are a professional. Your devotion is enough. The effort and intention counts.

Maintaining an altar for the old ones is a very good way to connect to the old ones; it has the virtue of being as simple or as complex as you wish it to be. You can make it as personal as you wish, decorate it with fruits and flora of the season, your own craft, candles, crystals… Cloths etc. It can be as small as a tin box with a candle light and some leaves, if you have to hide your beliefs or simply don’t have the space. Tending to your altar, adding to it and changing it up is a wonderful exercise of connecting with the old ones.

Along that note, making offerings is another very good way. I have found many people around me struggle to come up with fitting offerings so I will suggest some down below. I personally like to use blood (normally own) as an offering to the two old ones I communicate with most often, as well as baked goods and different flora. Those are rather universal offerings, and can be used in addition/mixed in with other things. So here are a few examples of offerings and altar decorations I make and use;

Morana; dog rose, lilies, poppies, chrysanthemum, crow and raven feathers, fresh blood, bones (I like to use bones from my meals), graveyard dirt, black and white candles, obsidian, labradorite, dried fruits, velvet, rag dolls, pieces of paper with things I’m afraid of

Veles; pine cones, willow leaves, daisies, coins, bear or cattle statuettes, black, grey, and green candles, song lyrics, sheet music, drawings quartz, emerald, lightning stones, most fabrics really, apples, blueberries, raspberries, herbs, incense, secrets I’m not supposed to tell anyone written down on things like napkins, pieces of fabric etc.

Mokosh; roses, lavender, chicken feathers, flowery materials (such as shawls and table cloths), phallic statues and imagery, knitted handywork, locks of hair, sweet foodstuffs, red, brown, white and purple candles, interestingly shaped pebbles, carnelian, drawings, daily matters, such as things I need to remember organised on a list

Perun; oak leaves, nuts, steel, blue and white candles, silk, fresh produce such as bread and spiced meats, leather, celestite, sapphire, lightning imagery, white feathers,

the following things, considered to be a sign of upcoming death - or even something that would bring death upon someone - are widely present in many branches of slavic beliefs. they are deeply rooted in the belief in magic - and even if now thought by many to be merely folk superstition, they were once a very set and important way of recognizing signs, foretelling the future, and protecting yourself and your household - way of life if you will.

considering my research and sources I’m using focus mainly on Polish folklore (with lesser additions from other slavic countries) I refrained from using the universal “slavic” title and categorization.  

however, keep in mind that many of those will be present in the folklore of other slavic (especially east and west) lands.

birds:

- if a rooster crows three times, it means the death is coming - similarly, if he crows at night. if a hen crows similarly to the rooster, it should be killed because it is a terrible omen

- killing a stork will bring death upon the killer and misery upon the entire village

- if a swallow hits the window and dies, it foretells a death of someone in the household

- if you hear a cuckoo while staring at the ground or looking down it means death will get you before the year ends

- if a woodpecker pecks at the door or threshold of a house it warns you about the upcoming death

- if a woman sees a black pigeon it is a sign she will soon be a widow

- if an owl hoots throughout the night near the household it is a sign that someone will soon die

- if a jay sits upon the roof, someone in the household will die

- if a nightingale sings while someone is sick or dying, it means their death will be peaceful and painless

- crows, raven, and jackdaws circling above the household were the most agreed upon death omen

dogs:

- if a dog howls relentlessly at night, it means someone will die

- if a dog howls precisely three times, it means that someone just died and their soul passed close-by

- if a dog howls while looking down on the ground, it means he sees death itself coming for someone

- if a dog keeps digging in the ground in one place it is a sign of a grave having to be dug soon

- if a dog dies while its master is sick it is a sign the person will die as well

plants:

- cutting down an elderberry would bring death upon the person who did it; cutting one growing above a pond or stream would poison the water

- a lonely tree in a field, especially if dead or slanted, would bring bad luck, demons, or even death upon someone who touched it or sat beneath it

- digging up a rowan or a  hazel tree (or destroying its roots) would bring death upon the one who did it

snakes:

- killing a household or barn snake would bring bad luck, illnesses or death upon the family

- if a child was sick and a household snake died it was a sign the child would die as well

dead, corpses, funerals:

- if someone points a finger at a funeral procession, they bring death upon themselves

- falling asleep in the room where a body of the deceased was kept would bring sickness and death on the person – similarly if someone sat or put anything between the legs of the dead

- if you look a dead person in the eyes they might take you with them

- if you do not belong to the closest family of the dead person or you are not the one appointed to carry out funerary preparations, touching the corpse might bring death upon you

- if someone looks through the window of the room and sees the deceased, that person will die soon

- if the funeral procession stops randomly while going through the village, someone will die in the house by which they stopped

- do not look behind you while in the procession, as the dead person’s soul might be following and will take you with it

spring and Kupala’s Night:

- if someone fences off his household in spring – or during Kupala’s Night St. John’s Eve – and drives the stakes through the ground, they will die before autumn

- if someone bathes in a pond or river before Kupala’s Night or St. John’s Eve they might die, killed by “the evil in the water” (usually topielce, boginki, witches, evil spirits etc)

these are, in all honesty, just a part of nearly countless beliefs and superstitions connected to death - and the signs and omens. 

if anyone - especially my Slavic followers - knows more and has something to add, please do so, I’d greatly appreciate it.

My astrological zodiac illustrations for Tua Culpa, a zine I released at the beginning of the year with Ashe! They were inspired by Louis Le Breton’s illustrations for the 1863 edition of Dictionnaire Infernal. 

In Lisa Chamberlain’s book called ‘Wicca: Kitchen Witchery’ I found some good informations for kitchen witchery and I would like to share it with you so it may will be useful for someone!

🌿Basil 🌿

General Magical Uses: fosters loving vibrations, protection, wards off negativities in a home

🍃Bay Leaf🍃

General Magical Uses: protection, purification, healing, strenght, good fortune, money, success

🌳Cinnamon🌳

General Magical Uses: love, luvck, prosperity, success, raises spiritual vibration

🏵️Dandelion🏵️

General Magical Uses: divination, interacction with spirit world, wishes

🌰Nutmeg🌰

General Magical Uses: money, prosperity, good luck, protection

🍃Oregano🍃

General Magical Uses: peace, deepening love relationships, releasing old relationships

🌱Parsley🌱

General Magical Uses: protection, money, luck, lust, strenght, vitality

🌿Rosemary🌿

General Magical Uses: love and lust spells, promotes healthy rest

❁Sage❁

General Magical Uses: longevity, wishom, protection, dispels negative energy

⭐Star Anise⭐

General Magical Uses: luck, spiritual connection, psychic and magical power

🌿Tyhme🌿

General Magical Uses: attracts lovalty, affection, psychic abilities

🌶️Red🌶️

Magical Attributes: passion, courage, strangth, intense emotions

Used in Magic for: love, physical energy, health, willpower

Example Foods: apple, tomatoe, pepper, cherry, strawberry

🍊Orange🍊

Magical Attributes: energy, attraction, vitality, stimulation

Used in Magic for: adaptability to sudden changes, encouragement, power

Example Foods: squash, pumpkin, cantaloupe, carrot

🍋Yellow🍋

Magical Attributes:  intellect, inspiration, imagination, knowledge

Used in Magic for: communication, confidence, divination, study

Example Foods: lemon, corn, golden beet, banana

🥑Green🥑

Magical Attributes: abundance, growth, wealth, renewal, balance

Used in Magic for: prosperity, employment, fertility, health, good luck

Example Foods: avocado, pepper, kale, lettuce, chard, zucchini, broccoli

🍇Blue🍇

Magical Attributes: peace, truth, wisdom, protection, patience

Used in Magic for: healing, psychic ability, harmony in the home, understanding

Example Foods: blueberry, blue corn, purple potatoes (turns blue when cooked)

🍆Violet🍆

Magical Attributes:  spirituality, wisdom, devotion, peace, idealism

Used in Magic for: divination, enhancing nurturing qualities, balancing sensitivity

Example Foods: eggplant, purple carrot, purple cabbage, plum

🍄White🍄

Magical Attributes: peace, innocence, illumination, purity

Used in Magic for: cleansing, clarity, establishing order, spiritual growth and understanding

Example Foods: onion, mushroom, rice, youghurt, all milks

🍠Black🍠

Magical Attributes: dignity, force, stability, protection

Used in Magic for: banishing and releasing negative energies, transformation, enlightenment

Example Foods: black beans blackberry, chia seeds, rice

🍫Brown🍫

Magical Attributes: endurance, peace, innocence, illumination, purity

Used in Magic for: balance, concentration, material gain, home, companion animals

Example Foods: lentil, rice, wheat, grains, dark chocolate

🍑Pink🍑

Magical Attributes: affection, friendship, companionship, spiritual healing

Used in Magic for: romance, spiritual awakening, partnerships, children’s magic

Example Foods: beet, rhubarb, ginger (when picked), raspberry

🍞Bread🍞

Magical Goals: Abundance, health, security, kinship 

🍡Beans🍡

Magical Goals:  Luck, money, divination, decision-making 

🧈Butter🧈

Magical Goals: Spirituality, peace, relationships 

🧀Cheese🧀

Magical Goals:  Moon magic, joy, health, completion of goals

🥚Eggs🥚

Magical Goals:  Fertility, mysticism, Goddess magic 

🍯Honey🍯

Magical Goals: Health, happiness, love, lust, sex, purification, wisdom, stability 

🥛Milk🥛

Magical Goals:  Love, spirituality, sustenance, motherhood 

🍚Rice🍚

Magical Goals:  Money, fertility, protection, good luck 

🧂Salt🧂

Magical Goals:  Protection, grounding, purification 

🍬Sugar🍬

Magical Goals:  Love, affection, banishing gossip 

🍶Vinegar🍶

Magical Goals:  Purification, protection, cleansing (white vinegar)

🌾Earth🌾

Magical Energies:  Stability, discipline, prosperity, abundance

Tools:  Plates, spoons, baking pans, cutting board

Example Food: grains, flour, root, vegetables, cheeses, maple syrup, peanuts

🌪️Air🌪️

Magical Energies:  Intellect, communication, imagination, harmony

Tools: Forks, knives, blender, oven fan

Example Food: honey, bamboo, shoots, rice, bananas, dandelions, corn

🔥Fire🔥

Magical Energies:  Passion, illumination, transformation, enthusiasm

Tools: Skillet, oven, oven burners, grill, toaster

Example Food: hot peppers, salsa, basil, radishes, sunflower seeds

🌊Water🌊

Magical Energies:  Emotion, sensitivity, intuition, empathy

Tools: Cups, bowls, pots, sink, dishwater

Example Food: all beverages, lemons, lettuce, cucumbers, plums

👻Spirit👻

Magical Energies: All

Tools: All

Example Food: All

I noticed that there were only small pockets of posts on helping ease dysphoria or helping you feel more at home with your gender/identity so I decided to compile what I could here!

TERFS are not welcome to interact with this post. But, I always seize the opportunity to block gross people!

Spells (dysphoria):

Dysphoria healing spell

Dispelling dysphoria

Dysphoria spell bottle

Gender protection jar

Voice dysphoria glamour

To stop chest dysphoria

Menstruation dysphoria tea

Spells (gender identity):

Gender affirmation spell

Gender orientation validation spell

An enchantment to be seen as the gender you identify with

Gender clarity switch

Gender euphoria incantation

Confidence mirror glamour

Glamour to prevent misgendering

Sigils:

Dysphoria is banished

I am free of dysphoria

I do not have gender dysphoria

Dysphoria does not effect me

Relieving dysphoria for trans people

My gender is accepted

My voice gets deeper

For feeling more masculine:

Glamoured masculinity potion

The emperor’s reform spell (to strengthen masculine energies)

Bath spell for transmasculinity 

Dapper magic

I am full of masculinity sigil

I look more masculine sigil

For feeling more feminine:

Potion for trans-feminine people

Glamoured femininity potion

The empress reclaim spell (to strengthen feminine energies)

I appear feminine sigil

My appearance is feminine sigil

Increased femininity sigil

For feeling more non-binary (any “non-traditional” gender):

Androgynous glamour

My body is an agender body sigil

Non-binary confidence sigil

Ambiguity / Androgyny / Genderlessness sigils

General:

Dysphoria tarot spread

Crystals for dysphoria

Gender identi-tea

Other resources:

@sylvaetria‘s masterpost

@witchy-woman‘s LGBT masterposts [masculine] [feminine]

@magicusersresource‘s masterpost (spells for trans and nb folks)

I wanted to do another giveaway to celebrate reaching 10200 followers! 

Rules:

Must be following me, anghellrose

Likes and Reblogs = 1 entry each

Reblog as much as you like but please be mindful of your followers

No giveaway blogs

Open internationally

Must respond to message/ask within 48hours or new winner will be chosen

Must be 18+ or have parental permission (as i will need your address for shipping)

Winner will be chosen with a random number generator on 2 April 7pm GMT

Prizes:

Instax mini 9 camera with 30 shots

26 promarkers (colours may differ)

Wax seal kit

BeBarefaced face mask

Festival face glitter

Disclaimer: I am not an expert, don’t burn your house down please. 

So, You’re a New Witch… (Beginner Witch Tips)

First of all, Welcome to the craft. If you have any questions on ANYTHING, Ask me about them here. I will answer every single question, there is no such thing as a “bad” or “stupid” question. These tips are all things I wish someone had shared with me. 

Read. Before you even think about practicing magick, you need to study. It sounds tedious, I know, but witchcraft is not a trivial undertaking. Start a grimoire/Book of Shadows/Journal. You’ll need a safe place to keep all of the information you’ve gathered safe, and a grimoire (as I call mine), is essentially a notebook for that exact purpose. It doesn’t have to be fancy (though you’re welcome to make it as ostentatious as you like), – it can be a bullet journal if that’s easy for you. Within your grimoire, you should keep all gathered information, spells, failures, successes, records of work you’ve done, etc,. Anything that pertains to your craft. I have a post on tips for starting your grimoire here. Don’t put pressure on yourself to pick a path. You might see a lot of witches who class themselves as one thing or another, e.g., sea witches, kitchen witches, elemental witches, sun witches; green witches; cosmic witches, and so on. That is cool and their prerogative, but you will also see witches known as eclectic. Eclectic Witches, are simply witches who choose to practice many different types of magick and forge their own path, instead of following only one, or following a pre-established path. I am an eclectic witch, and i choose not to label myself as a certain kind of witch. I’m just a witch. there is no need at all, whatsoever, to label yourself. With many of us, our paths found us in time. If you must label yourself right off the bat, Here is a “Types of witches” master post Research paths, secular witchcraft and religious witchcraft. Witchcraft alone, is a practice. However, some paths are indeed religious, such as Wicca. Make sure you know the difference before you begin actively practicing and before you decide on your path, if you do choose to do so. Carry a little notebook on your person.You can’t always carry your grimoire with you, so I personally like to carry a tiny little notebook with me, for those moments when inspiration takes me, or if something captures my imagination or attention. You can add it to your grimoire later.  Oh, and one more thing: don’t ever stop learning and reading and recording. Witchcraft is a path of continuous learning. It will never stop.

Things to Research & Links:

Herb Correspondences

Crystal Correspondences

Sabbats and esbats (also known as solstices and equinoxes to those who prefer it, like myself) 

The basic tools of witchcraft.

Altars (if you’re so inclined).

Lunar phases.

Divination, e.g., tarot, runes, pendulums. 

Deities (if you’re so inclined).

Traditional witchcraft practises, such as circle casting.

SAFETY! What is safe to use/burn/touch/ingest. There are lots of poisonous and potentially fatal plants and ingredients out there.

Easy/budget magick/witchcraft.

The history of witchcraft, including lore, myths and tales.

The importance and use of the elements in magick

Research cultural witchcraft. Make sure that your practice does not steal from closed cultures, such as Haitian vodou.

Easy Practices for New Witches:

Grounding – grounding is the act of centering your energy and focusing it within yourself. You can ground yourself by being out in nature and using visualising techniques that tie your energies firmly into the ground (traditional method), or by finding a quiet place that you are content in and meditating.

Meditation.

Energy Work

Sigil crafting/creation.

Candle Magick

Dream interpretation.

Enchanting jewelry/objects.