Poems For Beginning Witches

Dried orange slices = Mini Solstice Suns The perfect decoration for a Yule Log. Here’s a way to dry some for our event this Saturday! https://www.thehappierhomemaker.com/diy-dried-orange-slices/ Event invite: https://facebook.com/events/2455125771377780/ #InnerCircleSanctuary #ICSEvent #Wicca #witchcraft #Yule #YuleLogs #crafting #solstice #WinterSolstice https://www.instagram.com/p/B5q1ArGndfb/?igshid=utay482dm2zp

What are the best sources for giving offerings to ancestors, gods, & local wights? What are the sources & what do you do exactly when giving offerings, like you specifically, give us an example pls?

This is a great question but I really have no hope of answering it adequately, this is such a complicated subject that it would take several doctoral dissertations.

There are basically four subcategories of sources for this sort of discussion which are: accounts by contemporary non-pagans, archaeology, Old Norse literature, and folk tradition. Some contemporary accounts of pagan worship include Tacitus’ Germania, The Life of Saint Ansgar by Rimbert (which among other things refers to deification of a dead king), Ahmad ibn Fadlan’s Risala, Ahmad ibn Rustah’s Book of Precious Records, the account by Ibrahim al-Tartushi, De Administrando Imperio by Constantine Porphyrogenitus, Thietmar of Murseburg’s account in his Chronicon, Adam of Bremen’s Gesta Hammaburgensis (part way down the page in the link ; mentions animal and human sacrifice as well as pouring libations, and I’m sure others that have slipped my mind. I’m not sure if it’s contemporary or not but the Life of Saint Columbanus also refers to Suebians gathering to sacrifice a cauldron full of beer to Wodan.

Sacrifice is an extremely common reoccurring feature of the Icelandic sagas. Scholars have been studying the instances in the sagas for literally centuries trying to determine what elements are The best source on representations of blót in Old Norse literature is unfortunately, as far as I know, only available in Icelandic, which is Blót í Norrænum Sið by Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson. Some of what he discusses also appears as a chapter in the book A Piece of Horse Liver. The most important sources to his study are Landnámabók, Íslendingabók, Hákons saga góða (part of Heimskringla), and Eyrbyggja saga. These accounts typically deal either with legal proceedings, major holidays like Jól or Winternights, or attempts to gain something by supernatural intervention (such as settlers sacrificing to gods to guide them safely to Iceland). It can be very difficult to tell which elements are genuinely preserved from pre-Christian times and what is post-Christian speculation. Also in many of these instances the actual proceedings of the sacrifice are not described, it’s only said that there was a blót. In many cases there is a reference to wooden idols and especially to blood being poured over them; there is also reference to worship of trees (esp. Heiðreks saga where a tree is called blóttré and reddened with blood), forests, rivers, and lakes. A few times animals are worshiped such as when Flóki Vilgerðarson blóts to three ravens which eventually guided him to Iceland. In Kormáks saga a figure who is directed toward a hill where álfar live and told to redden it with bull’s blood and make a meal of the meat for them and leave it on the hill. Eiríks saga rauða also features a figure, Þorhallr, who sneaks off from the settlement and recites poetry for Thor. Saxo Grammaticus can also fall under this heading. The poem Hyndluljóð also refers to Óttarr sacrificing to the ásynjur although the details of what Freyja is saying about it is a little obscure.

In the archaeological record sacrifice varies wildly over time even in the same places. I’m not sure what your upper or lower limit on time is here, but sacrifice changed so radically over time from the stone age through to the end of the Viking age that it would take a shelf of books to describe each. A book that I read (well, part of) for things that go that far back was Scandinavian Archaeology by Håkon Shetelig and Hjalmar Falk, although it is quite old now and you can probably find something better. Although it specifically concerns Denmark, I also recommend The Prehistory of Denmark by Jørgen Jensen. Around the turn of the century bog deposits of weapons, jewelry, and other equipment are common. As time goes on, gold seems to increase in importance, with Gullgubber coming into play at the end of the Migration age. Glass beads were found among the remains of what’s believed to be a hǫrgr (stone alter) in Norway and were interpreted as having been offerings left on it. Also within this category are grave goods – since burials make up a huge amount of Scandinavian archaeology they are usually discussed in terms of more general studies of material culture rather than directly from a religious/votive perspective.

As far as folkloric tradition goes I am mostly familiar with Icelandic folklore although I understand that bowls of porridge with butter were left out for house- and homestead wights in mainland Scandinavia. In Iceland around Christmas it was believed that it was the designated time for the elves to move (that is, change residences); they left the lights on for them and sometimes left out something for them to drink. There are recordings on http://www.ismus.is/ of interviews with Old Icelanders who had heard stories of people sacrificing a bundle of hay to a bog in order to get better weather. There was a part of a sheep’s heart called Ullareyru ‘Ullur’s ears’ which into modern times in Iceland was cut off the heart when the sheep was slaughtered and buried deep in the earth (I can’t find a source for this, but I was taught this in class).

Here is some further reading:

Terry Gunnell, “Hof, Halls, Goðar and Dwarves: An Examination of Ritual Space in the Pagan Icelandic Hall.”

Preben Rønne, “Horg, hov and ve” (a description of the Norwegian hǫrg and vé complex mentioned above)

Jakob Orri Jónsson, “Food, blood and little white stones: A study of ritual in the Icelandic Viking Age hall”, a master’s thesis on ritual space in saga-age Iceland.

Lilla Ullevi, a pagan cult site that has been the subject of archaeological investigation

As far as what I personally do, it depends entirely on the situation (I have not lived in the same place for more than a year since I became heathen so I’ve had to adapt frequently). If I’m not indoors I try to be near a body of water, at an elevated place, or near a tree. I don’t really worship indoors if I’m alone. When I lived on the east coast of the US I would try to be at the beach either when the sun rises or after it’s set (depending on the situation) and recite the “Heill Dagr…” verses from Sigrdrífumál or something else if it seems more appropriate. At one place there was a rock that looked like a huge Mjölnir sticking out of the sand and I would pour libations over it. When I am with one of my friends we pass a bottle back and forth and toast to gods and/or ancestors and/or whatever until the bottle is empty. There is a certain rock where we have left lamb meat for ravens; we’ve also left meat offerings in the jetty. She has a small bookcase alter with objects relating to Freyja and Thor on it where we leave offerings, especially if we are drinking we pour some of whatever we’re drinking into a small glass and leave it there. I go especially off the rails at Þorrablót and last year actually did the Þorri-welcoming ritual (that I highly doubt has anything to do with pre-Chrisian paganism, btw). I have frequently participated in group settings. It’s my opinion that ritual should really never not be accompanied by music, but that’s just me. If I have something to say I always do actually say it, even if it’s only a whisper (this is inspired by Eiríks saga rauða).

I think that in the sources one can discern two distinct threads, one that emphasizes reuse and reaffirmation of the ritual landscape in which you’re permanently situated, and the other which emphasizes transforming your current setting into one that is relateable to the mythological cosmology (see the Gunnell paper). For better or worse I’ve been stuck with the latter. That means hunting for bodies of water or auspicious-looking trees where I hopefully won’t be seen. Some day when I’m not moving so frequently and maybe even have some actual money I’d like to work out something more consistent that involves permanent structures or landscape elements.

I am still very much still in the process of formulating some kind of praxis and I highly doubt I will approach it for years. At least for now it’s more about experimentation than repetition. We do not have a “right way” and getting comfortable with ambiguity is a necessity.

Beginner masterlist

Thing to know:

Theories on how magick works Theurgy and Thaumaturgy 

Magic Vs. Magick 

Types Of Witches

List Of Magick Tools 

Magickal Tools   

List Of Different Theistic Doctrines

List Of Acronyms For Magickal Concepts 

Derogatory terms that I have ran into in the magickal community

The Crazy Stage 

Things to remember 

Belief 

Understanding substituting, and reworking in spells, and rituals. 

Reasons that a magick spell, or ritual would fail 

Spiritual Verification? UPG To Lore!

How to undo a spell

Things you can use instead of candles in witchcraft, and other forms of magick.

Simple methods in order to help you opening your third eye 

Energetic Blockages 

Energetic Burnout

Energetic Overflow 

Basic:

How to get started on your magickal journey!

Chi Energy 

Visualization 

Exercise ideas for strengthening your visualization skills 

Centering

Centering 2

Grounding

Grounding 2

Power Hand

Power Hand, and Receptive hand   

Affirmations

Magickal Names 

Magickal Names 2

Altered States Of Consciousness

Book of Shadows (BOS) 

Pentagram, Pentacle, And Goat Of Mendes 

Invoking, And Banishing The Pentagram 

Casting And Undoing A Circle 

Bubble Of White Light Protection

Warding In Witchcraft

Ways to cleanse a room

Shielding

Raising the cone of power

Liminality    

Taglocks, And Magickal Links 

Tarot Reading For Beginners 

Connecting To The Elements

Spiritual Senses: The Clairs

Make:

Making A Magickal Wand, Or Staff 

How exactly do you use a sigil?

Creating your own tarot spreads, and oracle cards spreads 

Learning to write your own spells, and/or rituals 

Curse:

Symptoms Of Being Cursed, and Diagnostics methods 

The 3 steps to get rid of a curse.

Meditation:

Meditation 

Focal Meditation 

Void Meditation 

Problems, And Solutions For People Who Can’t Meditate 

Universal Maps:

Planes Of Existence   

The subtle bodies of the soul 

The 10 Dimensions 

Guides:

Types of Personal Spirit Guides 

How To Find Your Spirit Guides, And Guardian Angels

Spirit Guides

The Higher Self 

Laws:

The Laws Of Magick 

The Seven Hermetic Principles of the Kybalion

The Law Of Attraction   

Sabbat Altar and Celebration Ideas for the Solitary Witch

YULE Altar ideas: Put mistletoe and pine on your altar; put a candle up there to represent the Sun; keep your Yule log on your altar; use symbols of the Sun; decorate with red, green, white, blue, and yellow (red and green for holly, white and blue for snow and wintery colors, yellow for the Sun). Celebration ideas: Kiss a consenting person under the mistletoe for luck; give gifts; have a feast; make magickal wreaths with herbs corresponding to the spell intent (you might use lilac, lavender, and camomile for a wreath that brings peace into your home).

IMBOLC Altar ideas: Use candles to represent the return of spring; make a cute little corn dolly; put a Brigid’s cross on there to honor her; decorate with yellow and green to represent the Sun and return of spring. Celebration ideas: Clean your house; have a self-dedication ritual (to a particular path, deity, philosophy, standard of life, etc.); clean off your working altar and redo it; cleanse and charge any tools or crystals you need to.

OSTARA Altar ideas: Use fake eggs, rabbits, and other symbols of fertility or spring; put some potted plants on the altar; place some packets of seeds you might be planning on growing; decorate with purple, yellow, green, white, and other spring, pastel colors. Celebration ideas: Paint and blow eggs (take proper precautions when handling raw eggs, obviously, especially if you’re putting your mouth on them); if you have a greenhouse, want a potted plant, or it’s warm enough where you live to plant outside, plant some seeds; buy a potted plant; organize your herb shelf.

BELTAINE Altar ideas: Make a mini Maypole for your centerpiece; smack some candles up in there, especially beeswax, if that’s in your budget; put some faery symbols, like little statues or bells or something like that; a jar of honey or some beeswax is always dope; if you’re comfortable with it, some people like to put representations of genatalia on their altar. Celebration ideas: Light an awesome bonfire (also be very cautious with this because fire can quickly turn dangerous); leave offerings to the faeries; have a dance outside; this is a good time to plan to have a handfasting ceremony or wedding; cast any love workings you’ve been meaning to do; if you’re an adult and have a person/people who consent to it, you could choose to have sex during this time (but do be safe!); many people try to conceive children during Beltaine.

LITHA Altar ideas: Symbols of the Sun and the Moon, feminine and masculine symbols if that’s a thing in your tradition; decorate with black and white to symbolize the night and day. Celebration ideas: Get up before the Sun rises and go to sleep after it sets, so you can experience the day and night; have a bonfire (again, safety is important); have a picnic; just spend a lot of time outside.

LUGHNASADH Altar ideas: Put bread and grain on the altar; maybe some apples and other autumn fruits; pinecones and leaves are fall symbols; decorate with red, orange, yellow, brown, and other colors of the season. Celebration ideas: Bake (especially make the cute little bread men); give an offering to the Earth; go to an apple orchard and pick some apples; share a feast with the family or your friends.

MABON Altar ideas: Wine, or grape juice if alcohol is unavailable for any reason; leaves and pinecones; apples; a money jar (see first celebration suggestion below). Celebration ideas: For a week or two before Mabon, put money you can afford to give up in a jar, and donate it to charity or a cause you support on Mabon; have another apple harvest; have another feast; do a ritual to honor the Earth.

SAMHAIN Altar ideas: Pop a few gourds in there, more apples if you want; pictures of the deceased; tools for divination and spirit contact; decorate with black, white, and orange. Celebration ideas: Divination, spirit communication (obviously only if you know what you’re doing); hold a seance or a dumb supper if that’s more comfortable for you; light a candle in the window for spirits (use a fake one if you want it lit all night); leave some milk and honey for the Fair Folk; give offerings to the dead; put up wards and shields if you’re one of the people who would prefer to avoid spirit activity.

Witchcraft for the Home: Herbs and Spices

Kitchen and Cottage witchcraft is really what I focus on and I love to do little things to encorperate little things into my every day practice and a great way to do that is in the kitchen. So I’m going to list some of my go to herbs and spices that I use. A page straight from my Book of Shadows DISCLAIMER: NOT ALL HERBS FROM YOUR LOCAL WITCH SHOP ARE FOOD GRADE. MAKE SURE TO ASK FIRST. USING HERBS THAT AREN’T FOOD GRADE TASTE AWFUL AT THE LEAST AND CAN MAKE YOU SICK AT THE WORST.

Basil- Good for Protection. A favorite for pasta dishes. Use pesto as a good way to incorporate it. It’s also really good in soups.

Bay Lead- My favorite use for Bayleaf is healing, but not really physical wellbeing. I use it motly for emotional and spiritual healing. Really great after a long, stressful day. Cooks best in slow cooker meals like soups, stews, and pulled meats

Cinnamon- Protection and passion. I always find that it always brings a sense of warmth to whatever I’m making. I use it in a lot of sweets or whenever I’m making Chai.

Clove- Brings in warmth and casts out negativity. Clove is my favorite spice so I’ll add it to just about anything that’s “spicy”

Nutmeg- Strengthens divination. Nutmeg is really good in fall flavored baking and warm flavored stews, like those with a tomato base.

Pepper- Used for protection. I like to think of it as sort of a ‘bite’ at the things you need protection from. Actively expelling instead of putting up a “wall” like cinnamon.

Poppy seeds- Prosperity. Lemon poppy seed muffins are an amazing good luck charm to use before a a big test or meetings.

Rosemary- Purification, intellectual protection. Rosemary is a sort of go all herb. It goes great in roasts and traditional English and American cooking. Use a spring of rosemary on roast veggies, chicken, or steaks.  It’s also good in homemade bread and can be used during Sabbats and Holidays as part of the feast.

Thyme- Divination and clarity. This is another sort of ‘old school’ herb. You can find it in a lot of simplistic cooking (three or four ingrediant meals) and in a lot of italian food. It pairs great with marinara, eggplants, and peppers. Roasted egg plant with olive oil and thyme is one of my favorites.

Vanilla- Love. I put a drop of vanilla in my coffee almost every morning to try and bring love into my day. It works great if you have a stressful job you need to remember to stay caring and level headed at (childcare, health care, support lines). I also like to use it in small short bread or sugar cookies and use those as offerings (particularly to Aphrodite)

Kitchen Witch Spoken Charm

As it passes from mouth to heart, and heart to soul,

If a single emotion:

let happiness fill them whole.

If a more complex intent:

May friendship spread and strength as this is my goal

This is probably the witch advice you didn’t ask for, but I’ve found it’s much easier to remember to do general periodic maintenance that’s otherwise easily forgotten or put off when tied to milestones such as solstices, equinox, new, or full moons. 

For example: Stow your winter blankets or clothes on the Vernal Equinox and take them out again on the Autumnal Equinox. Replace your air and water filters on solstices and equinoxes (every 90 days). Begin new 30-day challenges or do reset/cleaning of your living space on the new moon (every month). 

Living cyclically breaks life down into manageable little blocks of time and helps us live in the moment by paying attention to the ebb and flow of the Earth.

Khaire 💫💀🖤

Sabbath Tip for Wiccans

Never... And I mean NEVER beat yourself up for not being able (for whatever reason) to do a full ritual for a Sabbath. Since today (August 1st) is Lammas/Lughnasadh I thought I'd share somethings you can do on a Sabbath without it being a full-on ritual at your altar with offerings.

Remember that a Sabbath is personal. If you take a moment to speak with the God and Goddess, or your patron deity, that is perfectly fine. Give thanks and ask for continued prosperity. Acknowledging the holiday within yourself is more than enough; you can light candles if you like but you can speak to you deity without any supplies.

Spend time on your grimoire [book of shadows] simply spending some part of the day devoted to your craft can be very rewarding. If a Sabbath comes up quickly and you don't have anything prepared then you can make a page in your BoS for that particular Sabbath with all of its associations and lore; or you could plan a Sabbath ritual in your book to use next year.

Eat witchy. By this I mean you can do something small to still commemorate the holiday. You could quickly look up associated herbs with the particular Sabbath and make tea if you have it available. Other than that, most Sabbaths are associated with wheat- that being said, having a quiet moment to yourself eating some toast with honey on it and thanking your deity/deities for the abundance of food and a beautiful harvest. [I know most of us don't harvest our wheat and make our own bread, but someone did, so give thanks] If you can't eat gluten then some fruit and milk'n honey are good universal Sabbath foods.

English vs French Lavender

While it’s well known that lavender has a calming and soothing effect, (I’ve seen it used a lot in sleep spells and drinks, etc) I’ve only recently found out that it’s not true for all varieties.

English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) in the picture on the left is your go-to for those soothing bed-time vibes. This is the more common variety.

French lavender (Lavandula stoechas), the tufty flower on the right, actually has an invigorating effect. It’s also brilliant for cuts and grazes to prevent infection and promote healing, but if you’re growing this plant to help you sleep it will not have the desired effect in your bed-time tea/pillow sachet!