Lammas - a festival to mark the annual wheat harvest, and is the first harvest festival of the year
It's common practice for candles to be lit in offering to various spirits and powers for favor, power, or gain. The seven day glass jar candles which are available in just about every witchcraft store, Botanica, and apothecary are perfect for this purpose, as they are not only self-contained in their jar, but can be refilled and reused if you have the know-how. But that is a post for a different day.
One practice I have really fallen into a routine with is the practice of "feeding" offering candles. While the burning candle itself is already a great offerings, thay offerings can be made more sacred and appropriate. The "feeding" process is very simple, and only requires a candle and an oil.
Take your offering candle and prepare it however you feel is appropriate. For the glass jar candles, this may include anointing them, carving sigils into the top, or speaking specific prayers over them. Here I have a simple white candle.
Light the candle in the name of the figure to whom it will be granted. Allow it to burn for a moment to melt the wax around the wick. Then, grab your oil of choice. I tend towards a blend of Tunisian frankincense and myrrh, but Olive Oil will literally be PERFECTLY fine. I just like these because of the scent that is created.
With the dropper, drop several drops of oil into the wax pool.
If you like, you can reiterate your prayer as needed when feeding.
This process can be used to feed not only the offering candles, but can be used to offer various substances to spirits, even the witch's blood should it be desired, through the medium of the burning flame. As the oil is dropped into the wax, the wick will absorb it until the oil itself is burned off by the flame, completing the offering.
Just to make it clear, there is NOTHING wrong with the just burning these candles, as multiple practices and peooles do across the world. This is just a ritualistic process that helps me focus my offerings a little more, and one that I feel compelled to share.
Scientific Name: Helianthus
Worship for deities related to the sun, good for Litha.
Sunflower seeds assist in magick relating to fertility, and pregnancy
Cut a sunflower at sunset while making a wish, it will come true by the next sunset as long as it not too grand
Sleep with a sunflower under your bed allows you to find out the truth
Sunflowers are good luck for green witches and gardeners
Plant sunflowers outside your house to bring positive energy into the home
Posted: July 21, 2019
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We had a stormy day last week. The weather was gloomy and it was really windy. I decided to bake a Brioche. Bread making is such a great activity to slow down, and brioche are such a decadent treat.
Making brioche was really hard for me the first couple of times, and I wish I watched videos on how to make it.
Brioche makes wonderful food for any celebrations of the pagan year! You can adapt the recipe to your need and add the flavours and herbs. They are perfect for you feasts are they are the embodiment of the little luxuries, the little extra we enjoy on a celebration day! At the end, I give you some ideas to adapt the recipe to each of the sabbats!
Prep time: 40 min
Rest time: 1h30
Proving time in the fridge: a whole night
Cooking time: 25 to 30 min
Material needed:
A standing mixer with a hook or a hand mixer with hooks. If you don’t have any of those, you can mix by hand but it is going to get really messy and it is much longer.
Ingredients
2tsp dry yeast
4tbsp milk
1tbsp suger
250g plain flour
30g sugar
125g butter at room temperature
3+1 eggs at room temperature
1tbsp Cointreau or Rhum
Recipe
Activate the yeast by mixing 2 tsp of dry yeast with 4tbsp of luke warm milk and a tbsp of sugar. Mix well and let it rest for at least 15min. The yeast is activated when there is a fluffy foam on the top of the milk.
In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt and butter together until crumbly.
In a small bowl beat 3 eggs with a tbsp of Cointreau or Rhum.
Add the beaten eggs and the yeast to the crumbly dough.
Start mixing with the robot for at least 5 min. The dough is ready when it is smooth, silky and sticky (don’t worry about that)
First proving:
Cover the bowl with cling film and let the dough rest in a warm place. Near a radiator is really good or in the oven at minimal heat (no more than 30°C / 86°F). Let it rise for about 1h30 or when the volume has doubled. If there is a wind draft, the dough will never rise.
Second proving:
Once the first rising is done, punch the dough to remove the gaz accumulated. At this point the dough is really sticky and that’s normal, don’t be tempted to add more flour. Cover the bowl again and let it rest a full night in the fridge. The dough will rise a bit again.
The day after:
Pre heat the oven at 180°C/350°F
Sprinkle flour on your worktop and start rolling the dough in a large cylinder. Cut it in 3 equal parts.
Roll each part in a long sausage, then braid them together.
Beat one egg and spread it on the braided brioche with a brush. It will make the crust gold and shiny
Bake 25 to 30min at 180°C/350°F
A few important tips:
This dough has a lot of butter that make is very sticky. That’s why the nigh in the fridge is very important. It makes the dough hard enough to be manipulated. Try to work quickly so the dough stays cold.
If you don’t have room temperature butter, shred the butter with a cheese grater it will do just fine.
No alcohol? No problem! Try to perfume the brioche with vanilla or orange zest!
Sabbaths celebrations ideas:
Mabon - 20th-22nd September - Add some sliced apples to the dough before the first proving time
Samhain - 31st October - Add a tsp of pumpkin spices to the flour.
Yule - 20th-22nd December - Add orange zest and orange juice to the mix instead of the Cointreau
Imbolc - 1st February - Don’t change the recipe it is perfect for this celebration day!
Ostara - 20th-22nd March - CHOCOLATE! Add chocolate chips to the batter before mixing everything together
Beltane - 1st May - Use 30g of honey instead of sugar
Litha - 20th-22nd June - Again, you can use honey and also add oranges. Maybe brush a bit of orange marmalade when it is straight out of the oven
Lughnasadh - 31st July - Add Strawberries / Raspberries / Blueberries to the mix before the first proving time
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Yule ball
Ingredients:
🌙 salt/sea salt, pine needles, dried rose petals, rosemary, dried orange peel, lavender, star anise, *coffee beans
Process:
🌙 First add the salt, then your herbs. After this you can add *optional items like crystals, ribbons, sigils, ...
As you add your items, state your intent and the purpose of each one.
Now you can decide, were to hang youre Yule ball - I prefer it in the corners of the room or near the window.
Please feel free to put other ingredients in it and hang the ball wherever you like. ❤ Try to collect some ingredients outside. 🌙🌲
Have fun. 🌙
It’s been a little since my last post so here’s one I created a bit ago but didn’t post. Due to my health I have not been practicing my craft and I know that the idea of stopping can freak some witches out. I just want to remind everyone that a ‘break’ does not deem you unworthy or less of a witch. In fact, acknowledging that you need a break takes responsibility and self growth and allows your spirit and physical self to rest and repair. Blessings and good health to you guys!
You do not need to be Wiccan.
You do not need to be religious.
‘Witch’ is gender neutral.
Check grocery stores, flea markets, online stores, and craft stores before metaphysical stores. Great finds but sometimes way cheaper.
You do not need to practice every single day unless you want to.
You are not less of a witch if you dont practice every day.
Keep reading
When was the last time you cleansed your home?
When was the last time you checked your wards?
When was the last time you made sure your space was clear of bad energy, bad spirits, and other nasty things?
When was the last time you did that saltwater-incense-bell ringing thing you do?
When was the last time you did a banishing ritual?
If you feel your space is funky, here’s your reminder. Here’s your great cosmic sign. Fix that shit.
Hi! Could you write some offering ideas to Odin?
Hey there Nonny! I’d love to take a crack at it.
Let me preface this all off by letting y'all know that I don’t specifically work with Odin, so these offerings are just what I can figure from research and my vague gnosis of the Allfather. I invite all who have more intimate knowledge of Him to add on! And if you want more historical detail for any of these, let me know, I’m dying to elaborate!
Whatever you offer, be sure to be hospitable. Basic offerings of food and drink are usually a good go to, but if you want to get deeper here are some ideas.
Alcohol, specifically beer and mead.
Shiny things, stuff a corvid would want to steal. Coins and jewellery are good go-tos.
Blood. Preferably of your enemies.
Meat! Cooked to perfection.
Whatever best snack you have in the house.
Things with the word “bastard” on them.
Pinatas (animal sacrifices used to be hung by their neck until dead. This is the modern AllDad to the ancient AllFather)
Travel related things!
Neat books.
Something you made. A drawing of ravens, a neat stick you whittled, macaroni art of Sleipnir. Anything, as long as you put effort into it.
Learn all his names and use them.
Have a party and feed everyone! He does it daily in Valhalla, take His example.
Terrible dad jokes. Also springing said terrible dad jokes on loved ones.
Learn a new thing of philosophy and become more wise. Discuss.
Donate money to a charity that you think He would like (Heifer international lets you buy a goat for a family and that feels like a very Odin thing to do)
Learn the runes and use them to talk.
The important part of Norse offerings is that it is a sacrifice to make offerings. Something that would have benefitted you is instead going to the Gods, and there in lies the power. The Old Norse gave up their horses, their goats, and their slaves to the forests, weapons and money and tools to the lakes. And it takes a lot of work to make those things, not to mention the loss of lives.
Sometimes it’s the gods at your altar asking for the best chips in the bag, you know the ones you save for last because they’re perfect. Sometimes it’s the gods taking form in a homeless man, asking for something to eat when you only have five bucks for your own lunch. Keep an eye out for the holy places, there’s more places to make offerings than the altar.