Witch Way, Did She Go.

When people think of “the elements,” they’re probably thinking of the typical earth, air, water, and fire, but they don’t think of the fifth element, nor do they think about the stats of the elements or even the power behind them. This post is meant to go into detail about the five elements, and I hope that I (and my excessive reasearch, lol) are of use to you! 💛

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🍄🌿Earth🌿🍄

The Earth element is the one most closely linked with our physical world, and the densest of all the elements. It is the foundation on which the other elements, and is a receptive energy, helping us to accept responsibility and bringing to our attention limitations in our makeup. It is represented in the forms of burying objects in the earth, herbalism, and making images out of wood or stone. Spells that benefit from the element are business-related spells, fertility-related spells, prosperity-related spells, and stability-related spells.

🍄Represents: strength, abundance, stability, prosperity, wealth and femininity

🌿Gender: Female

🍄Direction: North

🌿Energy: Receptive

🍄Symbols: Rocks, fields, soil, salt, caves, clay

🌿Pentagram Placement: lower left

🍄Goddesses: Ceres, Demeter, Gaea, Mah, Nephtys, Persephone, Rhea

🌿Gods: Adonis, Athos, Arawn, Cernunnos, Dionysus, Mardyk, Pan, Tammuz

🍄Spirits: gnomes, dwarves, trolls

🌿Time: midnight, night

🍄Cycle Of Life: age

🌿Season: winter

🍄Colours: Black, Green, yellow, brown

🌿Zodiac Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

🍄Sense: touch

🌿Stones and Jewels: Rock crystal, emerald, onyx, jasper, salt, azurite, amethyst, quartz

🍄Magick Tools: Pentacle, Pentagram, salt, images, stones, gems, cords

🌿Metals: iron, lead

🍄Herbal: ivy, grains, oats, rice, patchouli, lichens

🌿Trees: Cypress, Honeysuckle, Jasmin, Lilac (some say Lilac is Water)

🍄Animals: cow, bull, dog, horse, ant, bear, wolf

🌿Instruments: drums and percussion

🍄Type Of Magick: Gardening, magnet images, stone (jewel divination, work with crystals), knot, Binding, money spells, grounding, finding treasures, runes

🌿Ritual Action: Burying, making clay effigies, planting trees or herbs

🍄Chant to Invoke:

“Here and now

I invoke the elemental force of earth

I call to the swirling dust

And dawn lit mountains,

To the farmer’s field

and all the swaying trees

You that remains solid

You that teaches of quiet stability

You that holds us firm against your skin.

I call your body here to infuse my intention

With your boundless gifts.

I call you here to fashion the spirit cavern,

Root my will in your soil,

and ground my purpose in the stones

Boulder and gravel

Redwood and rose

Earth, I call to thee.“

🍄🌿

~

🌬🌪Air🌪🌬

Air governs the realm of the mind and all mental activity, it is the most ethereal of the elements. As it is the element of the wind, it governs all movement. Air is represented in the forms of tossing objects into the wind, aromatherapy, songs, and hiding things in high places. It rules spells involving travels, instruction, freedom, knowledge, discovering lost items, and can also be used to develop psychic faculties. Air also rules the visualization.

🌬Represents: the mind and intelligence, communication, telepathy, psychic powers, inspiration, imagination, ideas, knowledge, dreams and wishes

🌪Gender: Masculine

🌬Direction: east

🌪Energy: projective

🌬Symbols: Sky, wind, breezes, clouds, feathers, breath, vibrations, smoke, plants, herbs, trees, flowers

🌪Pentagram Placement: upper left

🌬Goddesses: Aradia, Arianrhod, Cardea, Nuit, Urania

🌪Gods: Enlil, Kheoheva, Merawrim, Shu, Thoth

🌬Spirits: Sylphs, Zephyrs, Fairies of trees, flowers and winds

🌪Time: Dawn

🌬Cycle Of Life: Infancy

🌪Season: Spring

🌬Zodiac: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

🌪Colors: white, yellow, crimson

🌬Sense: smell, hearing

🌪Stones and Jewels: Topaz, pumice, rainbow stones, crystals, amethyst, alexandrite

🌬Magick Tools: censer, wand, sword

🌪Metals: Tin, copper

🌬Herbal: Clove, myrrh, pansy, primrose, vervain, dill, lavender

🌪Trees: Acacia, Almond, Aspen, Hazel, Linden, Maple, Pine

🌬Animals: Eagle, raven, spider

🌪Instruments: flute, wind instruments

🌬Type Of Magick: Divination, concentration, wind magick, prophecy, Karma work

🌪Ritual Actions: Playing a flute, tossing objects in the air (over the shoulder), burning incense, hanging objects in trees

🌬Chant To Invoke:

“Here and now

I evoke the elemental force of air.

The winds of intellect and imagination,

Satisfying source of flight, breath, and life.

I seek the open sky within myself

That I might breathe deep of freedom, ideas, sounds, and space.

I call you forth to sweep away

All that accumulates in the unseen places and to sing beauty into the world.

Wing and Feather,

Storm and Leaf,

Air, I call thee hence”

🌬🌪

~

🔥💥Fire💥🔥

Fire cleanses and purifies, but it is also creative and destructive. It can consume everything in it’s path and it is the only one of the elements that cannot exist without feeding on something else. It offers warmth and cooks food, but can get out of control. It has the power to transform everything it touches. It is positive and lifting, but can be frightening if not controlled. It is the most physical and spiritual of the elements and represents magick itself. Fire is represented in the forms of burning objects, love spells (always preferably self-love spells), baking, and lighting candles and fires.

🔥Represents: energy, inspiration, love, passion, leadership, magick

💥Gender: Masculine

🔥Direction: South

💥Energy: Projective

🔥Symbols: Flame, lightning, heated objects (stones in particular), volcano, rainbow, sun, stars, lava, heat

💥Pentagram Placement: lower right

🔥Goddesses: Brigit, Hestia, Pele, Vesta

💥Gods: Agni, Horus, Prometheus, Vulcan

🔥Spirits: Salamaders, firedrakes

💥Time: Noon

🔥Cycle Of Life: Youth

💥Season: Summer

🔥Zodiac: Leo, Sagittarius, Aries

💥Colors: Red, gold, crimson, orange, white

🔥Sense: Sight

💥Stones and Jewels: Ruby, fire opal, volcanic lava, agathe

🔥Magick Tools: Dagger, sword, athame, censer, lamp, candles, incense, herb burning, paper requests, knife

💥Metals: Gold, brass

🔥Herbal: Garlic, hibiscus, red peppers, cinnamon, coffee, beans, seeds, chili peppers

💥Trees: Alder, Ash, Cashew, Cedar, Chestnut, Fig, Juniper, Mahogany, Oak, Holly, Rowan, Walnut

🔥Animals: Dragon, cat, lion, horse, snake, cricket, mantis, ladybug, bee, scorpion, phoenix, coyote, fox

💥Instruments: Guitar, stringed instruments

🔥Type Of Magick: Candle, healing, love spells, energy work

💥Ritual Action: Burning objects, wood, paper, heating, preparing decoctions, cauldron work

🔥Chant To Invoke:

"Here and now,

I evoke the elemental force of fire.

The flames of creativity and passion,

Dancing source of heat, light, and life.

I seek the glowing force within

That I might warm myself with

Desire, excitement, courage, and inspiration.

I call you forth to burn away

All that impedes my highest vision

And to enact change in the world.

Lightning and heart,

Heart and force

Fire, I call thee hence”

🔥💥

~

💧🌊Water🌊💧

It is the element of love and emotions, constantly active beneath the surface, influencing our moods and emotional responses. It purifies, heals, offers emotional release, and removes all that is stagnant. It is represented in the forms of pouring water over objects, brew making, healing spells, ritual bathing, and tossing objects into of water. Spells that benefit from this element are friendship spells, fertility spells, happiness spells, and relationship spells.

💧Represents: emotions, absorption, subconscious, purification, eternal movement, wisdom, the soul, emotional aspects of love and femininity

🌊Gender: Feminine

💧Direction: West

🌊Energy: Receptive

💧Symbols: Ocean, river, shell, spring, lake, well, rain, fog, cup

🌊Pentagram Placement: Upper right

💧Goddesses: Aphrodite, Isis, Marianne, Mari, Tiamat, Yemaha

🌊Gods: Dylan, Ea, Manannan, Osiris, Neptune, Poseidon

💧Spirits: Undines, Nymphs, Mermaids, Fairies of ponds, lakes or streams

🌊Time: Twilight, dusk

💧Cycle Of Life: Maturity

🌊Season: Autumn

💧Zodiac: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

🌊Colors: Blue, turqoise, green, grey, indigo, black

💧Sense: Taste

🌊Stones and Jewels: Aquamarine, amethyst, blue tourmaline, pearl, coral, blue topaz, fluorite

💧Magick Tools: cup, cauldron, goblet, mirror

🌊Metals: Mercury, silver, copper

💧Herbal: Ferns, lotus, mosses, bushes, water lilies, gardenia

🌊Trees: Apple, Apricot, Birch, Cherry, Elder, Elm, Rose, Willow

💧Animals: Dragon, water snakes, dolphin, fish, cat, frog, turtle, swan, crab, sea mammals, sea birds

🌊Instruments: Anything resonant, harmonica, cymbals, a flute made from real reed or willow bark

💧Type Of Magick: Mirror divinations, magnet work, love magick, lucid dreaming, cleansing, protection spells

🌊Ritual Actions: Bathing, dilution, washing, sprinkling, preparing cold herbal infusions

💧Chant To Invoke:

"Here and now,

I evoke the elemental force of water

The fluid of infinite shapes and forms

Flowing source of adaptability, emotion, and life

I seek the pure spring

Within that I might drink deep of

Change, relationship, nourishment, and grace.

I call you forth to wash away

All that needlessly binds

And to move fluidly in this world.

Ocean and river

Ripple and rain

Water, I call thee hence.”

💧🌊

~

✨🌌Spirit🌌✨

Spirit (also known as Ether/Aether) is, by far, the most complex and complicated element to explain. It is what unites all things, anywhere and everywhere, and is our connection to the otherworld in rituals. The spirit element transports us beyond any narrow confines and allows us to open up to something much bigger, it is present in all aspects of life, and goes beyond thought and emotion. Unlike the other four elements it has no defined place or location, even though we cannot specifically place it, we know it is there. It provides the space, connection, and balance for the other elements to exist. All spells benefit from this element.

✨Represents: the sense of joy and union

🌌Gender: none

✨Direction: everywhere

🌌Energy: universal

✨Symbols: cord, rope

🌌Pentagram Placement: upper

✨Goddesses: The Lady

🌌Gods: The Horner God

✨Spirits: —

🌌Time: always

✨Cycle Of Life: eternity

🌌Season: year cycle (all seasons)

✨Zodiac: —

🌌Colors: white

✨Sense: higher receptions

🌌Stones and Jewels: —

✨Magick Tools: —

🌌Metals: —

✨Herbal: —

🌌Trees: —

✨Animals: dove

🌌Instruments: —

✨Type Of Magick: —

🌌Ritual Action: —

✨Chant To Invoke:

“Here and now,

I reach deep within myself.

Here and now,

I invoke spirit.

I call on the force connecting me

To the whole of existence

The thread running back through my blood,

And the ripples spreading over from my actions

I call on the visions that have inspired me, the kindness that has lifted me,

and the love I have given and received.

Life and song

Home and road,

Spirit, I call to thee”

BEKKATHYST SPRING 2019 GIVEAWAY

~This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Tumblr.~

Please read thoroughly before entering!

Hello lovely Tumblr folk! It’s that time again- I have a giveaway for you all. As current followers know, we are opening up a physical shop in addition to having our online shop! This giveaway is to thank you all so much for supporting us and helping us get this far! We definitely need all the help and support we can get right now, so hopefully this attracts some new customers as well 💞💞💞

All these items came from our shop.

What you get:

$50 credit that can be applied to anything in our shop. 

A carved triple moon wooden box

A (treated) titanium aura amethyst cluster

Two rainbow fluorite points

A mini selenite tower

A mini selenite sphere

Three little AAA quality amethyst clusters from Uruguay

An amethyst scepter crystal from Brazil

A fossilized agatized coral cabochon

Two rose quartz palm stones

Two clear quartz palm stones

A pile of rough amethyst chunks

A pile of rough quartz crystals

A rainbow fluorite slab

A high quality amethyst heart from Brazil

A high quality “super seven” included amethyst heart

A blue crazy lace agate sphere

A crazyyyy extra quality rainbow obsidian heart!

This has a retail value of $368 in addition to the $50 shop credit!

Rules:

You must be 16 or older. (If under 18 you MUST have parent’s permission)

You don’t have to live in the US to join!

Shipping is entirely free, I will cover it. But if you live outside the US and for whatever reasons your country wants to charge you import tax, you are responsible for it. If it gets sent back to me, you will need to pay shipping to have it sent again.

You must be following me, so you can get updates if anything about the giveaway changes.

Please check out our shop!

DO NOT tag this post as giveaway. That will risk the notes getting messed up, and this will be ruined for everyone.

Reblog this post to enter. Likes count, too. No giveaway or spam blogs. If you reblog on a side blog, let me know in the tags what the name of your blog is that you’re following me with.

Please don’t spam people with reblogs- limit 2 reblogs per blog per day.  

At the end, each entry will be assigned a number and the winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

The giveaway ends Saturday, April 20th at 6 pm Pacific time.

The winner will be messaged and must respond with their full name and address within 24 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.

Much has been written on trees in magical folklore and Paganism. This post will concern these trees in relation to cemeteries, souls of the dead, and their uses in death witchcraft and necromancy. 

Many of these trees are used for wands and talismans in death magic. A branch can be picked up from the ground of a cemetery and polished into a powerful tool. If you understand the associations, you may grind their bark for protection powders, give their dried leaves as offerings, and include them in talismans.

These particular trees are common in North America where I live, though you can find many more online. Along with their mythological symbolism, many of these trees are planted in cemeteries because they require little upkeep to survive. However, this only highlights their association with endurance, hardiness, immortality and rebirth. 

Note that these trees have many more associations and folklore attached to them. I am focusing on what I can find that connects to death, resurrection, and the afterlife.

Acacia - The ancient Egyptians made coffins from acacia due to its association with Osiris. In some versions, after Seth killed Osiris, Osiris’ coffer washed up in Byblos, where an acacia grew around it. Because some Egyptian Gods were also born under the acacia, the tree shelters the Gods who decide upon life and death. Hence, the acacia was put to much use honoring the dead: Egyptians would use its gum to coat mummies and burn wreaths for the dead; and Hebrews planted these trees near graves.

Cedar - A common tree in American cemeteries, the cedar has roots in Chinese folklore. According to one story, a king jailed an innocent man to pursue his wife. The man died in jail, and his wife committed suicide. Even though their graves were buried far apart, cedars grew upon the graves, and eventually their branches touched. Cedar is also a symbol of Hades Lord of the Dead, and its oil was used in Egyptian mummification.

Cypress - With strong connections to the Furies, Fates and several chthonic deities, cypress has a long history in Greek and Roman funeral rites. According to myth, Apollo gave a man Cyparissus a white stag, which was accidentally killed. Cyparissus asked the Gods to let him mourn forever, and, eventually tired of his weeping, the Gods turned him into a cypress tree. Mourners would carry cypress branches, and eventually lay the corpse down on a bed of cypress leaves before burial. Cypresses were planted by graves, or by a home to warn that the plot was occupied by a corpse. This period, a nine day period after being buried or cremated, was considered to have corrupted energy that the cypress (along with yew) guarded others from. 

Holly - Holly is sacred to Thor, and its use was said to protect one from lightning strikes. It is planted in cemeteries to protect the dead and mourners. The tree is used in celebrations around the winter solstice, being a symbol of the popularized NeoPagan Holly King, who ruled the year from summer to the winter solstice. 

Mulberry - Throughout the Middle East, India, Europe and Asia, mulberry leaf was traded and sold for its medicinal benefits. The mulberry quickly became associated with life and restoration, and the weeping mulberry is planted in cemeteries to represent healing grief and eternal life after life. 

Myrtle - When Venus washed up on the Isle of Cytheraea, it is said that she hid her nakedness behind a myrtle tree. She then labeled the tree as Hers, and it became associated with eternal love. It is planted in cemeteries for this same purpose. 

Oak - Often planted within military and children’s cemeteries, oak signifies strength, authority and protection. Its associations with thunder deities such as Thor and Zeus come from its remarkable hardiness in withstanding destructive weather. Oaks are also sprinkled throughout the Bible, with some naming it as the wood used for Jesus’s cross, although some sources say it was yew. The oak is planted to protect the souls of the dead, protect headstones from rough weather, and protect mourners from sun rays.  

Olive - A recognized symbol of Athena, the olive tree highlights deep symbolism of hope, peace, and protection. According to one story, King Xerxes once set Acropolis ablaze, which contained rows of olive trees. But the trees re-sprouted the same day that the fire went one. This and other stories make the olive a powerful symbol of rebirth. 

Palm - In Christianity, palm trees represent martyrs who triumph with soul over body. In Islam, the palms symbolize Paradise, giving this tree strong links to a spiritual afterlife. Although natives of Malaysia and India referred to the palm as “The Tree of Life” due its medicinal properties and resilience, it is said that Portuguese explorers found the coconut similar to a ghost in their folklore called the coco. 

Pine - As an evergreen tree slow to decay, the pine symbolizes immortality and the eternal life after death. Ancient Egyptians would sometimes bury carvings of Osiris out of pine with the deceased. In the Scottish Highlands, pine marked the graves of honored warriors and chieftains. Druids burned pine on the winter solstice to mark the end of long nights and coming of divine light. In Roman mythology, the consort of the earth Goddess Cybele, Attis, was transformed into a pine tree after being killed by a boar. The pine protects mourners from some of the darkest moments of their life, and connects the dead to the Gods.

Weeping Willow - This tree is a picturesque analogy for human mourning–hunched, drooping, dragging–that it’s no wonder the ancient Greeks called it “the mourning tree”. It is a symbol of Hecate, a chthonic deity. Orpheus carried willow branches on his journey to the underworld. In China, the willow depicts rebirth and immortality, due to its ability to quickly regrow after being damaged or chopped. To no one’s surprise, by the nineteenth century, willows were commonly seen on gravestones and mourning cards in Britain and America. The willow highlights more of the mourner’s struggle than the deceased’s, and it is a reminder that we too enter the graves of those we’re mourning for. 

Yule - One of the oldest trees recorded, yew stands as a reincarnation symbol for the Druids, a symbol of immortality for Christians, and a reminder of the otherworld for Irish Pagans. In Irish folklore, the yew is one of five sacred trees brought up from the otherworld to divide the land. A sister of birch, the tree of eternal life, yew is the opposite as the tree of eternal death. Its reputation stems from how it grows down to form new stems which looks like freshly sprouted trunks. Yew governs both death and rebirth, and is a perfect symbol for the afterlife. Early Christians buried corpses with yew shoots. The ancient Romans used yew to warn onlookers of the nine day libation period mentioned before. 

In the best case scenario, a magician will learn to recognize these trees on sight. Otherwise, they may recognize some of these trees in a cemetery, and gain a better understanding of the conditions of the souls beneath the canopy. They can also use these trees for their own magical purposes. 

Part 2 has not been written yet. This post will update after it is posted. 

IT’S HERE! Iv’e finished designing and publishing the full deck of cards AND companion booklet for my ✧･ﾟ: * TELLURIC RUNES *:･ﾟ✧

To celebrate the launch- and my new followers- I am doing my first long-overdue fancy giveaway :D (and an excessive amount of spiffy pictures!!)

PRIZES *:･ﾟ✧

1st winner:

-1 Telluric Runes cards deck with companion book

2nd winner:

-1 Runes stationery set, including 10 sheets of linen writing paper and 5 linen envelopes (your choice of runes, see my Etsy store; link in my bio)

3rd winner:

-1 Art print in 8.5" x 11" archival fine art paper (can be a rune or your choice of other artwork from my Etsy store)

RULES *:･ﾟ✧

- A reblog is an entry (not a ‘like’ alone)

- I only wish my daily nonsense onto people who really want it, so a follow is    NOT necessary to win.

- ‘Giveaway blogs’ are disqualified

- Ending on January 29th at midnight (Eastern time)

- Please make sure your ask box is open so I can contact you if you win

✧･ﾟ: * More info on the deck and runes set under the cut *:･ﾟ✧