Autumn Roses

Please read before sending asks:

Updated 8 January 2022

I will post prayer requests, but please keep in mind that prayer compliments professional healthcare, it’s not a replacement for it. 

- For all medical emergencies, please call your local emergency number.

- If you are struggling with an eating disorder, depression, self harm, suicidal thoughts, or just need to talk to someone, please contact a local, licensed mental health provider, reach out to counselors at Counseling and Prevention Resources or visit  www.suicidestop.com for online chats, worldwide hotlines and emergency numbers, interactive media, useful information and helpful tips.

Before sending me an ask:

- Is your question related to ancient Mediterranean religion, mythology, history or art, or about modern Hellenic and Roman polytheism/paganism? 

- Have you already tried googling your question, or checked Wikipedia or  theoi.com for an answer?

- Have you already searched my blog or checked tags - especially #Hellenic Polytheism 101 or #Roman Polytheism 101?

- If your question is about a post, have you already checked to see if I’ve recently edited or updated a particular post?

- Have you checked my sidebar, Welcome Page, and Masterpost of Hellenic and Roman Polytheism Resources?

If so, go ahead and ask!

If your question is about religion, please include your practice (Hellenic, Roman, Graeco-Roman, Graeco-Roman-Egyptian, etc.) so I can better answer your ask! 

Signed asks will always be answered privately unless otherwise requested.

If you find a typo, broken link, or something else that needs correcting, please dm with a link to the post and explain the problem.

I view as cowardly and/or trolling all anon asks “warning” or “informing” or “calling out” a blogger, a group, or some “new” turn of events. I expect any such information to be sent by dm or signed ask, accompanied by verifiable evidence and no, a screen shot of an email is not verifiable evidence because it can so easily be faked, but not easily verified. 

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May your path be blessed!

10 Prompts for Shadow Work

🌒 🌕 🌘

Keep track of your feelings from day to day. Record how you felt and try to pin point why you felt certain ways in different situations. How could you habe handled it better? Why did you react the way you did?

Write a letter to your past self, or your future self. Then break down your thoughts on why you said the things you did. Address any emotions that pop up during this process and record them. Why did you feel that way? What events in your life made you right what you did?

Are you living true to yourself? Are you changing who you are based on who you're around? What are those changes? Why do you make those changes?

Are you holding on to something or someone that you should let go of? Why do you hold on to it? What are steps you can take to let go of it?

What are your fears? Your REAL fears not just spiders or heights. Why are you afraid of those things? Are there any steps you can take to lessen that fear?

How do you treat the people in your life? Is there anything you could do for them to better your relationships? Are you being a positive, healthy influence on their life or are you being a toxic one? If toxic, what changes are you going to make to your behavior to stop being toxic?

What do you wish other people knew about you? Why do you keep it hidden?

Are you healing from past traumas and or incidents or have you just distracted yourself? What healthy ways could you address unhealed trauma in order to move to a healthier place?

Make a list of people you don't like. Why don't you like them? Are they actually bad or do you see bad parts of yourself reflecting in them and that's why you don't like them? Be honest.

Write down everything that happens to you in a week that makes you feel bad in any way. Examine this list and ask why certain events make you feel bad.

BONUS: Write down what you believe about a variety of things (from religion and karma all the way down to relationships and your career path). Why do you believe those things? Are these feelings set in stone or are you willing to accept alternate views? Why or why not?

Remember Shadow work is all about unlocking your subconscious. This helps you understand yourself better which is important for many different aspects in witchcraft, and your star seed will thank you for it.

🌟 🔮 🌟

Tips for when you’re considering Paganism

For my lovely friend @whoooooisthis!! I hope this helps love!

First things first, learn the basics. Cleansing, Warding, Banishing and Protection. 

Cleansing: You should cleanse when you’re having a bad day, are/were sick, after a breakup or loss, after arguments, during a major transition in life (graduation, birth, etc) and when you feel you need to. Cleansing cleans up the energy around you and keeps you safe. You can cleanse by lighting incense and passing the smoke around an object or room, bathing yourself or an object, burying an object, with salt (just don’t put it near dirt and plants!!), setting something in moonlight or sunlight (Make sure you keep track of which moon phase to cleanse on), with sound like bells or singing bowls, clapping, cleaning, burning sage or candles, using holy water or a protection spray, and touching each corner of a room and saying a prayer for each one. 

Warding: Wards are spiritual shields that keep you safe. There’s two types of wards - spacial (for spaces and rooms) and personal (for objects and the self). You will need to maintain wards by charging and clearing them. You can ward by using enchanted jewelry or objects, sigils (magical symbols with purposeful energy), energy shields, magic circles, spells, protective crystals, protection spell bottles, anointing the corners of a room and window and door sills with holy water or another warding substance. I personally like to drill holes in peach pits to wear as necklaces, they work quite well for warding. 

Banishing. There are tons of spells online that will teach you how to banish negative entities. If an entity is fucking with you, bad things keep happening or things just feel off, don’t be afraid to banish. Letting spirits know you’re not to be fucked with is incredibly important.

Protection. Light a black candle. Use salt and pepper for warding. Learn banishing and warding spells. Use protective sigils. Protection is incredibly important when concerning spirits, so educate yourself on this thoroughly. 

Now onto the fun stuff…

- Talk to things! Your house, your trees and plants, your spirit guides. You can do this out loud or in your head. And remember, even if they don’t respond, they’re probably still there. Just trust me on that

- It’s alright to forge your own unique path. I personally am Autistic and have terrible memory, so it’s important for me to forge my own craft. If something doesn’t work for you, don’t be afraid to change it. Substitutions can always be made.

- Meditate. Everyone says this, but it’s very true. Meditation not only calms the mind and body, but it opens you and your intuition/senses up to new forces

- Don’t ask for things without giving something in return. I lost my pillbox once and couldn’t find it anywhere. I walked out of my room, politely asked for it to be returned, and a few minutes later it was right there on my desk in plain sight. I left a little dish of honey out for whoever (or whatever) returned it. It’s always polite to approach with an offering and give one either before or after asking for something. You can do this with something as simple as picking a flower, always ask permission.

-  Make it an everyday thing. That doesn’t mean you have to do daily rituals or meditation sessions. Simply talking (again, in your head or out loud) to your spirit guides, practicing mindfulness and doing little spiritual things here and there are enough. This could be meditation, interpreting a potential sign you got today, saying good morning to the spirits you work with, leaving an offering (especially if you’re asking for something or something has already been done for you) and plain researching to expand your craft and knowledge. 

- Write it down. In witchcraft/paganism, almost everybody is journaling. It’s the best way to keep track of signs, experiences, feelings, omens, knowledge that may pertain to your craft, dreams, anything that might seem important. Many witches have a grimoire or book of shadows where they keep their witchy knowledge stored. These are often very personal, can be online or written by hand, and are entirely unique to you. You don’t need a 50 dollar designer spellbook. My grimoire is almost entirely online and printed out into a binder. You don’t have to be fancy. - Research!! Keep finding white feathers? Look up what that means! You want to give an offering? Look up what nature spirits and specific deities prefer! Make sure you’re knowledgeable about what you do.

- Incorporate what you know and what you’re used to. I grew up in a Polish family in an Eastern Orthodox church. Many of the practices I learned from my family and culture have carried on into my craft. Such as knocking on wood to prevent jinxes, wearing clothes backwards to see spirits and keep them from messing with you, and little cultural tricks like stepping out of a room and asking for lost items to be returned when you can’t find something. Keep it familiar.

That's really all I can think of for now, love. If you have any more questions, just let me know in a relog!!

TAROT GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

Hi cuties! I tried to create an apposite blog for witchcraft/spiritual stuff but tumblr decided to be a bad bitch and marked my blog as a spammer, so I decided to post this guide here on my main blog. These observation are based on my 6+ years experience with tarot cards. I need some friends in the witchcraft community and more blog to follow, like this post and I will check your blog! <3

Sorry for my bad english.

MAJOR ARCANA: 

The Fool (0) :  This card is all about cycles, it could be referred to a new beginning in your life, a feeling of joy and excitement. It could also be associated with an happy ending followed by the beginning of something even better.

it’s usually a positive card and it’s energy’s able to protect you from the energy of negative cards. It suggests you to have faith, to act in a positive and optimistic way and to follow your instinct.

in some occasion it could mean impulsive and childish behavior and a return to “point zero”.

It’s referred to something that’s going to happen pretty soon.

The Magician (I) : This card’s about YOU and your ability to excel in a specific aspect of life. You have the ability to be successful and the strength to overcome obstacles, it reminds that you are the creator of your destiny. It’s also connected to intelligence and suggests you to connect to your higher self. It’s an invite to ACT NOW and to avoid procrastination.

In a negative scenario it could be referred to a manipulative person with bad intentions.

It’s referred to something that’s going to happen pretty soon.

The High Priestess (II) : This card’s all about secrets and things that are hidden from you. It could also mean that you’re not allowed to receive the answer for your question (I noticed that if this card come out frequently during your readings it’s signal to stop doing tarot for a while and to recharge your energy). It suggest you to connect with your spiritual side and to follow your intuition or that you’re going to receive a wise advice from someone that’s close to you.

The Empress (III) : It’s all about confidence, self-love and being happy with your yourself, sometimes it could be related to a mother or to a woman in your life. It announces a time of personal growth, self discovering and connection with your truer self. It’s related to a happy state of mind, creativity, new projects and love stories. It suggest you to believe in yourself and in your ability to create something new.

It’s related to spring/summer and announces that you’re going to see the product of your work in a while, changes will not be noticeable immediately.

The Emperor (IV) : This card suggests you to act in a strong and powerful way, to persist and to follow your goals. Like The Magician it suggests that the right time to act is NOW and that you should put your needs first. What you’re hoping to achieve is already yours.

In a negative scenario it could be related to a stubborn and closed minded individual who’s not going to compromise.

The Hierophant (V) : Like the High Priestess, this is a card about secrets and things that are hidden, in this case the card shows you that a secret’s going to be revealed pretty soon or a conflict will be solved. It reminds of a situation of peace and clarity. It’s also referred to a marriage or a long term relationship, to your father or an older man in your life, to a teacher, mentor or a guide. It announces the resolution of a problem.

In negative scenarios this card protects you from the negative cards and suggest you that the obstacles will be solved fast.

The Lovers (VI) : This card’s all about duality, choices and relationships. It could suggest a romantic relationship or romantic interests, but it’s not always the case, sometimes it suggest an important decision that’s going to change your life. It reminds that you should trust your emotions and follow them. It can talks about a partner or someone who’s in love with you, a reciprocated crush, good choices and happiness.

The Chariot (VII) : It’s a card about victory and overcoming fears. It suggests that you’re going to win and to excel, but first you need to overcame some obstacles. It could be related to travels. It reminds you that success is around the corner, your commitment will be repaid.

The Strength (VIII) : It’s a card about commitment, power and pride. In a love reading it reminds of a strong feeling, true love and honesty. It suggests to maintain a positive and optimistic attitude e to stay focused on your goals. In a reading about a specific problem it suggest that you need to be patience because the solution of the problem’s not there already, you need to wait for a while and to fight against your problem a little more, it suggest you to be optimistic because you have all the abilities to overcame your obstacles.

It’s usually referred to the summer.

The Hermit (IX) : It’s related to intelligence, being wise, loneliness and research. It suggests a lonely period and introspection, a transitioning phase in your life, you should take advantage of this period for studying something new and the card suggests you to read more books. If you are asking if you’re on the right path the answer is “yes”, it suggests that your soul chose a difficult path but you’re going to overcame all the obstacles. It’s the right time for counseling or seeing a psychologist.

It’s associated with waiting for a long time for an effective change in your life.

The Wheel of Fortune (X) : It’s about changes, new opportunities and the beginning of a new cycle, usually it’s a positive card but it’s pretty sensitive to the influence of other cards. It suggests that you’re entering in a new chapter of your life or that you’re going to move on in a painful situation.

The Justice (XI) : It’s a card about equality and fairness. It could be either a positive or negative card, it means that those who act good will be blessed with a positive change, those who act bad will be punished for their action. It could be related to authority and making choices, a marriage or a divorce. It suggests you that your problems will be solved in the right way, you just have to trust the universe and allow the divine energy to guide you. It’s about telling the truth and talk in a clear way.

It’s related to patience and long time waiting.

The Hanged Man (XII) : It’s a card about blockages, anxiety, bad periods, waiting for something, impossibility to act, stagnancy. It’s related to a bad situations, feeling trapped and problems that cannot be solved for now. It suggest you to wait for better occasions and to explore your spiritual side, the right intuition will come to you at the right time.

It’s associated with long time waiting.

The Death (XIII) : This card’s about the natural end of a cycle, radical changes, moving on and ending in general. It’s not always a bad card and generally it’s not related to an actual death, it will just bring a change in some aspects of your life or in a relationship. It suggests you to let go of the past. In some cases it could mean that someone of your past is going to get back into your life.

The Temperance (XIV) : It’s about finding a new balance after a bad period, healing and inner work. It suggest you to relax, to calm yourself, to stay in the present moment and to take care of yourself. It’s a positive card and announces a period of calm and peace of mind. It’s a good time for counseling, seeing a therapist, begin a diet or take care of yourself in general.

The Devil (XV) : It’s a card about obsession, secrets, negativity, manipulative behavior, gossips and bad energy in general. It announces an obstacle in a situation or that someone’s not being honest to you. It’s related to anxiety, being worried, hyper sexuality and toxicity.

In a good scenario it could be related to a passionate person, with persuasive manners and a charismatic personality.

The Tower (XVI) : It’s about destruction, surprises, shocking events. It’s not necessarily a bad card, it’s always associated to an unexpected event, in a good scenario it could mean “love at first sight”. As a mental state, it’s connected to depression, anger and mental breakdowns. It forces you to let go of something to make space for something better.

The Star (XVII) : It’s all about dreams, good luck, protection and hope. It’s a good card and encourages you to dream bigger and to trust the universe. It announces a dream that’s going to came true, a good opportunity and success. It’s connected to spirits and suggests that they’re protecting you. Everything will turn out fine. It suggests you to pray and to connect to your higher self.

In presence of bad cards, it could be referred to a dream that’s not going to came true or false hope.

A change will shows up into your life at the right time.

The Moon (XVIII) : It’s a card about fears, insecurities, danger and lies. Like The High Priestess, it suggests that the cards are not able to answer your question. The situation in unstable and it generates anxiety and fears. It suggests to connect with your spiritual side and make clarity inside you mind.

The Sun (XIX) : It’s a positive card that announces happiness, joy and clarity. It’s connected to a secret that’s going to be revealed, peace after a conflict, harmony, beauty, something good in your love life or good times with friends.

It’s related to summer.

The Judgement (XX) : It’s a positive card related to resurrection, resolutions, shocking news. In some ways it’s like a positive version of The Tower, it could be connected to love at first sight, someone of the past that get back into your life, insights and unexpected news. It could be referred to the internet.

It’s associated with something that happen in an unexpected way.

The World (XXI) : Like The Fool, it’s a card referred to cycles, ending a chapter, receiving gratification after hard times. It means that now you’re able to see the “biggest picture” and see things in perspective. It could be referred to an important gift, a resolution to a problem or a dream that came true. It’s connected with abundance and being wise.

💀Unusual Death Witchcraft💀

Visiting natural history and art museum. Not only for the spirit work (museums are surprisingly rife with spirits) but also the reflection on the objects themselves that are imbued with death energy due to their age.

Kitchen witchcraft with fermentation. I’m talking both home starters/yeasts and drink based fermenting! The process of encouraging fermentation is literally a controlled necromancy if you think about it! Also your own fermented product will be excellent to use in spellwork!

Upcycle crafting! The process of reusing items in a new way that you already had or seeking out items to use instead of letting them become trash is also working with death energy!

Playing death related games or watching movies with friends and family. Death witchcraft tasks and energy work doesn’t have to look witchy! If you have a weekly or monthly hangout where you play tabletops like Betrayal at House on the Hill or even online games. Or watch documentaries or movies with loved ones that related that totally counts! Especially as a lower spoon option.

Drawing or photographing abandoned buildings/architecture. So often people forgot that the decay of manmade objects and places do hold death energy and weight. Tapping into this side of death witchcraft can be an interesting experience.

Visiting a 24 hour store or restaurant in the middle of the night. This is a personal experience of mine but that quiet low level liminal space energy is such a similar transitional energy as to help you grow your experience and sensing of death energy. Also walking through a store at 3am is a good time to practice a walking meditation or some simple spirit communication without too much trouble. Just have your headphones in for an excuse!

Learning to maintain your own compost! I’m hopeless with the green thumb side of things myself but I still have composting I do for my yard in general. My wildflowers and natural growth is lovely because of it! The cycle of your kitchen supplies life and decay is such a simple and deep way to access that death energy and maybe even work your way up to having that green thumb! Also using this compost in spellwork will pack a punch!

What are some unusual ways you experience death witchcraft and energy?

please like/reblog if you save!

more lore olympus lockscreens here!

🍊☀️Sunshine Happiness Bath☀️🍊

Hello witchlings! With the sun in the sky and summer all around us in the Northern Hemisphere I thought I'd share one of my favorite bath recipes! It's focus is around solar magic and the oranges - to fill you with vibrations both hearty and gentle, bold and elegant, vibrant and soft. ☀️ It's time to take care of and connect to your divine self! 

Ingredients:

☀️ 3-4tbsp of sea salt

☀️ the peel from one orange(preferably local or organic so you know it's pesticide free)

☀️ a handful of lavender buds

☀️ optional: for more intention(or simply the comfy aesthetic) you can make a small altar on your bathroom counter. You can use a candle, light incense, crystals with solar or intended energies(i.e. orange calcite, carnelian, sunstone, citrine, quartz point, etc.), put on music with the right vibes, etc.

Directions:

☀️ Best done when the sun is out - draw a warm bath for yourself. While the tub is filling up add in your spell ingredients and stir the water in a clockwise direction focusing on your intent. As you stir visualize the golden rays of sunlight rippling off the water, the energy of sweetness and joy filling the bath.

☀️ Optional: while the bath is still filling; light your incense, candles, set up your little solar offering, open a window, etc. get comfy!

☀️ Once all set up - soak for at least ten minutes(or whatever is comfortable for you), feeling all the heaviness and darkness be washed away, instead filling you with the bright light of joy.

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Protection Pouch

As we all know, it's very important to use multiple methods of warding when practicing our craft. I decided to make this pouch as a permanent fixture for my altar to keep my space protected at all times.

For this spell you will need:

Salt (any salt will do; I used Black Salt)

Basil

Clear Quartz

Obsidian

Sunstone

Reptile shedding (I was lucky enough to receive a beautifully intact shedding from my partner's pet Corn Snake)

A pouch

As always, be sure to cleanse the area, the items to be used, and yourself! Before filling my pouch, I inscribed it with my own protection sigil. This is optional, but I find making sigils quite fun! Give it a go! And if you'd rather not, you can always use mine!

As you fill your pouch, chant the phrase:

"My energy is protected."

devonchristenson

Knot Magic

Knots are an incredibly versatile tool to use in your spells. They allow you to cast powerful spells with pretty much anything you can tie in a knot. Some people will tell you that things like the material and colors that you choose heavily impact your magic but really, these things are only helpful if they speak to you. If color affects your magic a lot then by all means, choose a cord for the color but otherwise it isn’t necessary.

Possible materials to choose from include:

Rope

Chord

Yarn

Floss

Copper wire

Chains

Vines

Sinews

Scarves

Etc…

So, the basic premise is that as you tie the knot you’re binding your intention. You can think of the knot as an anchor point for an idea that you want to manifest.

What kinds of ideas?

Pretty much everything. I’m not joking, I can’t think of a type of spell that can’t be performed using a knot. Curses, binding spells, healing spells, protective spells, prosperity and luck spells, it can all be done with a knot. Traditionally, knot spells were heavily associated with air elemental magic and with weather spell casting.

What kinds of knots can be used in spells like these?

Absolutely any knot can be used to cast a spell. For quickies I like your typical overhand knot, for more complicated spells you might choose a more ornate knot or even an entire set of knots to make jewelry.

Along those same lines, needlework like knitting and crocheting can be used in the exact same manner. This type of knot magic can become very elaborate, including the use of various stitches, patterns and projects to achieve your intent.

Are there any bad things about knot spells?

Yes, unfortunately there are. Since knots are a physical representation of the spell, if the knot gets broken the spell is broken as well. This isn’t always a drawback however, it means that your spells are easily broken if you ever feel the need.

Now for my favorite part, examples! The spells below are spells that I’ve designed myself but they’re not particularly specific and I’m certain that I’m not the first person to think of them. As with most of my spells, they’re incredibly versatile. Change things in whatever way suits your practice and your intention.

Lovers Knots

Nobody freak out. This isn’t your average “make him love me” love spell. Instead this spell is designed to be made by a pair who are already lovers. It’s designed as an activity to bring you together and to remind you of each other when things get rough. Think of it as a magic reservoir of each other’s love for when you can’t be together or are having a spat. Each of you will make a bracelet for the other and place intentions into the bracelet you make. Your intention could be to protect them (love is excellent for protection), to tie the two of you together or to help solve a particular problem between the two of you. The important thing about this is that both parties participate and have discussed what they want out of the spell.

Here are a few knot bracelet tutorials as ideas :)

Friendship Bracelet

Another Friendship Bracelet

Beads and Braids Work Too

Pick one and get knotting! With each knot that you make think and meditate about your intention but this doesn’t need to be a somber thing. Laugh and chat with your lover and really get the love flowing between the two of you (breaks for kissing and stuff are a good idea if you want). Basically just use this as a chance to really get close with your partner. The emotion and energy that you have during this is going to stick so no being mad at each other or arguing or nit picking or talking about the dishes or anything. Take this time to just be in love.

If you want, when you’ve finished making the bracelet you can let it charge in sunlight or moonlight or say an incantation or prayer to a deity over it, whatever works with your practice. Now swap and wear your new lovers knots. 

If, for any reason, you wish to undo the spell, each knot in the bracelet must be broken. This can be done by going through and untying each one, by cutting each one or by burning the entire bracelet (if it’s flammable). A single knot left unbroken will still retain its power.

Despite being named “Lovers Knots”, this spell can be used by any pair of people or even a group! Friends, siblings and parents with their children can all modify this spell for their use. In a group you can have a rotation of sorts, each person begins a bracelet, makes maybe an inch and then passes it in one direction around the circle where the next person will make another inch and continue passing it. Each bracelet will have been made in part by every member of the group.

Luck Knot Spell

Another good example for the uses of knots in magic, this spell works a little differently than the last. Each knot is designed to be a pre-made “quick release” spell. You should choose a cord material that is easy for you to untie.

Prep for this spell however you like, cast a circle, consecrate your cord, call your deities, whatever. Now, pick a number for your spell, my first choice would be my lucky number but use whatever number associations you’d like.

Begin by creating your first knot. This knot is your anchor, it sets the framework for the entire spell, imbue it with the intention that each subsequent knot will be a holder. The idea is to have a spell attached to each knot and as the knot is untied, the spell is released and activated. Once you finish with your first knot you can start on the rest of them, with each that you make charge the knot with your intention, in this case, luck. You can do this in a number of ways, meditating, chanting, incantations and prayers all work. The incantation below is just an example of something I’ve used before.

Ex. Winds of fortune blow, let my good luck grow.

Finish up in your preferred way, close your circle, ground, thank any spirits that you work with, etc. You can now keep the cord with you and whenever you need a little burst of luck (before a test or interview, talking to your crush, competing, anything like that) just untie a knot.

If anyone has more questions about knot magic or specific spells then feel free to drop me a line :)