Wicca - Blog Posts
What you reap is what you sow
What you give comes back three fold
As above
ʍolǝq oS
Hello everyone! Arcane Academia is a Discord server in which we have discussions about topics pertaining to spirit work, witchcraft, and anything in-between. Our server is open to anyone with any level of experience, as well as people who are interested and/or curious. If you are looking for advice or need some suggestions on what resources to read up on, our server can also provide in that area! Aside from the arcane, we also have channels for more general topics. The Arcane Academia is always open to branching out and looking for more members to join, so don’t be shy and pop in! We look forward to meeting you!
For new witches:
You don’t have to accept everything you’re told, your journey is yours to create. Don’t feel pressured to label yourself or fit into someone else’s idea of what a witch should be. Trust your instincts, explore what resonates with you and remember that your craft is deeply personal and will evolve over time.
THE ORIGIN OF BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
Historians believe that birthday celebrations first appeared in an ancient Greek ritual to honor Artemis, the Goddess associated with childbirth, wildlife and the moon. In this ritual, Greek people made circular cakes lit with candles to symbolize the Moon and its light.
They also thought that days of major change, like birthdays, welcomed evil spirits. They lit candles in response to these spirits almost as if they represented a light in the darkness. This implies that birthday celebrations started as a form of protection.
Written references to the tradition of blowing out the candles were first documented in Switzerland’s Folklore Journal in 1881, where there is a depiction of a birthday cake as having lighted candles which correspond to each year of life. These candles were required to be blown out, individually, by the person whose birthday it was.
Although cakes did exist in other ancient civilizations, such as Egypt and China, it is considered that cake making was passed to the Romans and the Western world through the Greeks.
As a rule, ancient Romans only celebrated men’s 50th birthdays. The birthdays of females were not celebrated until the 12th century in Europe.
Many centuries after that, children would be the first to have their birthdays celebrated in what is now Germany. Here, candles were added for each year of the child’s life, plus one candle for the hope of living for at least one more year – these birthdays were called Kinderfeste. Blowing out these candles while making a wish was a big part of these celebrations. In addition to candles, friends and family would gather around the birthday person and protect them from harm with good cheers, thoughts, and wishes. They would give gifts to bring even more good cheer that would ward off evil spirits. Noisemakers were also used to scare away the unwanted evill.
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KITCHEN WITCHERY
Kitchen witchery is a versatile and easy form to bring magick into your daily life. It is a warm, nurturing and down-to-earth way to practice magick and it is a fantastic path to try if you are broom closeted and need to keep your craft secret or outwardly invisible to others.
It defines every kind of magickal working that combines cooking, baking or culinary mixing and witchcraft. You could even stretch the definition as far as to include magickal crafting or work that is done in the kitchen.
Kitchen witchery can be performed in two different ways:
food rituals;
kitchen magick.
Birthdays and weddings are considered a food ritual because of the cake and candles – it is a means of happiness, good luck and for your wish to come true. It is about eating together and the celebration of the event that is taking place. Witches usually have celebratory meals when it comes to Sabbaths.
Kitchen magick is the practice of manipulating the energy that’s around us and in the food, making an intention known and trying to have it manifested.
Food is a magickal tool that can help you in immense ways!
A kitchen witch is someone that practices their witchcraft in the kitchen and weaves their magick into the food they prepare.
There are different types of kitchen magick, such as:
ENERGETIC MAGICK
Energetic magick is all about infusing food with energy and intention. This can be done through meditating on or visualizing a certain outcome, feeling an emotion or goal that will be worked into the food.
Common ways to do so is to stir it with a wooden spoon or simply mindfully blessing a meal.
RUNE, SYMBOL AND SIGIL MAGICK
Rune, symbol and sigil magick usage is a common way to work magick in the kitchen. This can be done by drawing them into pie crusts, bread and stirring them into sauces or into your morning coffee. You can also draw, carve or burn them on your cooking tools for different goals. This way you can draw a specific intention into your food.
MAGICKAL HERBALISM
You can infuse your morning coffee with magic ingredients, like cinnamon or vanilla, and stir it with intention.
MEDICINAL HERBALISM
If you are working with spells of health and healing, it is worth looking into herbs as they not only have magickal properties, but also medical.
INTENTIONAL COOKING
It is important to choose the method that resonates with you and your needs. Make your kitchen a space where you feel comfortable and at ease.
Every act of cooking and preparation can be infused with magick and carry energetical significance – for example, washing your hands and ingredients can be used to cleanse negative energies or anything undesirable.
Kitchen witchery is free and not fixed, so you don’t really need anything. A lot of witches love using tools, such as:
cups, bowls and pots possess loving energies. Rounded pots and bowls are generally associated with Goddess energy, as they were most commonly used to feed and nourish others in older times – they hold and contain sacred food, which is our key to life. Pots are associated with The Great Mother.
Element: Water;
the oven is seen as a symbol of the Divine, as well as transformation. Ovens have been used in various forms for many years and thus are preferable to newer inventions like microwaves when magickally cooking.
Element: Fire;
plates and platters generally represent the Physical world, money and abundance. They are ruled by the Sun.
Element: Earth;
spoons are mini bowls on handles, so they strongly correlate with bowls.
Element: Water;
forks are sacred, as they are the main tool for eating. They are ruled by Mars.
Element: Fire;
knives are associated with life and death, as knives can be used to bring about both stabbing and cutting food to eat. They are ruled by Mars.
Element: Fire.
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OSTARA
Ostara is one of the eight sabbats on the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. It’s one of the four minor sabbats which fall on the equinoxes and solstices.
The day hangs in perfect balance with equal amounts of light and dark, bringing with it all the hope and promise that spring signifies. It falls between March 19th and March 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere. It is not necessarily a one day celebration, you can celebrate all week long.
→ HISTORY
Ostara is an ancient festival of Germanic origin celebrating the Goddess of the dawn. This name came from the Goddess of spring and the dawn, Eostre.
She was traditionally honored and celebrated during the month of April with feasts and celebrations focused on fertility, new beginnings and rebirth.
The first writings we have on Ostara come from the English monk Venerable Bede, who wrote of an ancient festival that has died out, though some of the traditions had been incorporated into the Anglo Saxon Christian customs.
It was a fertility festival in honor of the Goddess and the dawning of the new year.
The biggest influence Ostara traditions have had that we still can see in modern times is the Christian holiday Easter. The name Easter is a derivative of Ostara (Eostre – just change the “o” to an “a” and invert the “er” at the end).
→ SYMBOLS
The hare is strongly associated with the Goddess. A popular myth includes her finding a wounded bird and healing it by turning it into a hare as it could no longer fly. The hare retained its egg-laying abilities and laid colored eggs. It then gave these eggs to the Goddess as gratitude. The hare represents the graciousness of the Goddess and fertility, given how many young ones they have.
Eggs represent both fertility and birth. Worshippers also bring them gifts for the Goddess and eat them at feasts. They also represent abundance and the sun.
Baking is essential during this festivity and hot cross buns are a primary feature. The four cross points represent the four elements of Fire, Earth, Water, and Air.
Springtime also sees flowers emerge, which symbolize the end of winter. They are a symbol of hope and life.
The Ostara period is also the start of the planting season. The seeds have the potential for new life and represent hope in the abundance to come. They are also associated with fertility and nature’s rebirth.
→ COLORS
Colors hold plenty of meaning when associated with sabbats. Each Sabbat has its colors to go with its central themes. For Ostara, you can use the following colors in your decorations and rituals:
green represents all the newly growing plants. It represents the abundance of nature, hope, and new life. It also represents earth, growth, new opportunities, fertility, and forgiveness;
light blue represents healing, fairness and truthfulness, honest communication, trust, and patience. It is a virtuous color that also represents innocence and purity;
lavender is associated with romance, love, and healing;
pink’s soft and tender nature represents romantic love, good relationships at home and with friends, empathy, self-care, and healing the heart;
yellow celebrates the returning sunshine, which keeps getting stronger each day. It represents persuasion, protection, self-control, self-confidence, happiness, abundance, and self-empowerment;
white represents a blank slate to start over. It is the fresh start that spring offers so you can pursue new ideas and opportunities. It also signifies cleansing and purification, peace, and connection to divinity.
→ CELEBRATIONS
A ritual bath to clear away the dark lethargy of winter can be a great idea. Pick soaps with bright citrus or floral smells to wake your mind or remind you of flowering fields. Something with exfoliation to it wakes up the skin while scrubbing away what is no longer vital. Candle meditations embrace the fire and heat of the sun and place it at the tips of your fingers.
Take time to meditate or journal and think about your intentions for the next few weeks as it relates to the goals you want to achieve.
Create an Altar by yourself or with friends and loved ones, decorate an altar for spring. Make it a beautiful, colorful, celebration of life and new beginnings.
Get crafty: decorate eggs with dyes, decoupage or paint. You can purchase plastic or wooden eggs to decorate and use year after year as well (a vegan option).
Plant seeds for a vegetable or flower garden.
Reconnect with animals by taking yourself to the zoo or to a farm. Spend time with the small creatures and gaze into their beautiful, big eyes. Additionally, if there are new babies in your family, spend time with them. Take a picnic, a walk, or do whatever you are drawn to.
Feast with a nice and vibrant meal: have a picnic and try to find a place by water to represent the flowing energy of life and invite everyone to bring a dish that shows the vibrant colors of the season. It is not only a time for new beginnings, but for new friendship, adventures, atmospheres, and traditions. Take a nature walk.
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I made a vent character, here is a WIP of what he looks like. I got really tired of not making anything, so I finally let myself flow for once, putting down whatever thoughts that happened to be floating around my head. As it turns out, the only thoughts were "wizard lizard", so that's what I'm making.
revamp of an old favorite
“Ritual”
The last of the three illustrations I made last year for “Witchzine” fanzine. The theme was “Witches’ Pharmacy/Healing Witches”, so the idea of my illustrations was inspired by the preparation of a healing ritual.
A couple of spell jar necklaces that I’ve made
Anxiety
Lavender
Chamomile
Basil
Thyme
Rosemary
Sigil For Calming
Crushed Up Bay Leaf
Protection
Clear Quartz
2 Shark Teeth
1 Small Shell
Sea Salt
Basil
Sage
Black Pepper
My first ever spell jar!
A Basic Home Protection jar
In order from top to bottom:
Crushed Egg Shells- to protect and allow growth within
Salt- to absorb negative energy
Black Pepper- to protect and banish negativity
Garlic Powder- to protect and strengthen
Basil- to protect and keep peace
Crushed Egg Shells- to protect and allow growth within
Each ingredient is given intent before added to the jar, and then sealed off with a white candle to exorcise negativity, and to promote peace and protection. I did the wax sealing by lighting a long candle, and letting it drip wax onto the lid (I had the jar sitting on a paper plate to avoid a mess), and then I let it sit until the wax cooled.
I wanted my first spell jar to be something to protect my home and those that I love within, and after researching I found that the basic protection based ingredients could be found within my kitchen cabinet!
*Side note: The crushed egg shells can be added to a garden or potted plant as a natural fertilizer to help promote growth!
I would love this to be honest
I say screw it...I want to perform some Wiccan rituals and walk through graveyards with my Witch at dusk....all while I play songs from Astari Nite and The Cure while we both draw out the four corners and symbolic elements on a Pentagram arranged in the dark woods near the headstones....if that makes me a Witch's familiar or apprentice,I say that's Drac as hell☺
@lunagarmadon
Ahhh totally forgot to post the suit of pentacles, wow I’ve had these pages done for a while and here I am, either way here it is. The pentacles represented by earth tend to show materialistic and physical change is coming
https://www.shareasale-analytics.com/r.cfm?B=225816&U=389818&M=21395&affTrack=kbcfly74j10164lx001sa&urllink=www.redbubble.com%2Fpeople%2Flavendulamoon&shrsl_analytics_sscid=61k4%5Fau10g&shrsl_analytics_sstid=61k4%5Fau10g
Mabon playlist
Merry meet witches! Here is some music for Mabon!!!
Mabon: OMNIA crone of war
Autumn Leaves - Eric Clapton
Mabon- Lisa Thiel, circle of the seasons
Loreena Mckennit- Mummers Dance
We are but falling leaves- Sentenced
Mabon- Sowulo Alvenrod
Doris Day - Autumn Leaves - 1956
Mabon- Damh the Bard
The old ways- Loreena Mckennit
Autumns twilight- Kiva
Toast to tomorrow- Blackmores night
Dreamers waltz - David lanz
Mabon - seventh harmonic
Dreams of autumn- Andrey Danilko
Blackmores night- The circle
Transcendent Sound Generation: Autumnal Equinox
Falling Leaves- Yiling Huang
May the circle be open- Lindie Lila
Blessings and have a wonderful magical mabon! Merry part
I would like to know one thing.
Why everyone hates wiccans??? What have we done to be hated? And I really dont appreciate the hatred toward the goths like my brother @goth-creepy13 either ... Plz don't hate us because we are being who we want to be... We are actually very nice!
Never let anyone bring u down
Some things you should remind yourself daily
Your tummy is great
You have really nice legs
You have a really beautiful face
Your hair looks rad
You’re good enough
Your body is 100% normal and acceptable.
It’s yours and you should decorate it how you want
You’re hella cute
How come on a day where I want to talk with people. They are all busy.
Really why does this happen to me?
Thank you so much 😆😆😆
Gifts for my sister😂😆😂😆😂 Lunagarmadon
Teas for Protection
General Protection
Black Tea
Mint
Sage
Protection from Physical Harm
Lemon
Honey
Ginger
Protection from Malevolent Spirits
Chamomile
Honey
To Strengthen Your Wards and Shields
Orange
Cinnamon
Reblog if you're a Witch with a mental illness
I wanna see that there are others out there like me who struggle with a mental illness and also practise 🔮📿🕯
I wanna know I’m not alone and show you that you’re not alone too! 💞💜