✨Angel Numbers✨

Hidden places for sigils

A lot of witches are in the broom closet and can't really have sigils just showing or you may just not want anyone to see your sigils. Whatever the reason may be you might want to keep them hidden or not super visible. Here are some places where you can put them.

On the lip of your shoes

Inside your phone case

In your wallet

Behind your watch

On your cosmetics

Tags of clothing

On your water bottle

On a key ring

Nail polish designs

Written on your skin in places others won't see or notice

On the bottom or on the heel of your shoes

Those are some places you can put sigils I hope this helps !!!

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

devonchristenson

Practical tips for Hellenic Khthonic Ritual

Khthonic deities are of the earth or ‘under’ it so offerings were made outside on low altars (escharai) or into specially dug pits.

For libations wine was replaced with water, milk, honey or blood.

Animals sacrificed were black in contrast to white, which were reserved for Ouranic (sky) deities.

Rituals were traditionally performed at night.

Seeing as animal sacrifice is frowned upon nowadays and not feasible for most practitioners, votive offerings can be offered instead, i.e. black animal figurines, predominantly sheep and rams.

Other offerings may include coins as traditionally an obol or oboloi (plural) was used as currency in Hades.

Epithets were used more than plain names.  Persephone  - Kore (Maiden,) Carpophorus (Bringer of Fruit), Despoina (Mistress), Praxidice (Exacter of Justice). Hades  -  Aidoneos (The Hidden), Necron Soter (Saviour of the Dead), Eubouleus (Good Counselor), Necrodegmon (Receiver of the Dead), Plouton (Wealth), Polydektes (Receiver of Many Guests), Theon Khthonios (God of the Underworld).

Any food offerings were wholly burned or buried (holocaust), none of it was shared with the ritual attendees as with Ouranic offerings.

Gods associated with or make the Underworld their home includes Hades, Kore, Hekate, Hermes Khthonios, Kerberus, Erinyes (Furies), Kronos, Thanatos, Charon, Hypnos, The Moirae and Nyx, among a myriad of others.

Heroes and ancestors were also worshipped in this manner, thought to exert great power from their tombs and the Underworld. F’ex, Asklepios and Herakles.

Caves or deep chasms were also thought to be gateways to the Underworld though mortals were discouraged from venturing there before their time.

Disclaimer - This is solely from personal research and in no way indicative of how everyone should approach Khthonic ritual. Feel free to omit or adjust anything you see fit.

Bast Deity Guide

Who is Bast?

The Egyptian goddess is known by many as Bastet, her name is transliterated as b-ꜣ-s-t-t and is pronounced as “Bast”. The Hieroglyphs for her name look something like this: 𓎯𓏏𓏏𓁐 or 𓎯𓏏𓏏

She is most notably a goddess of domesticity, the home, cats, and women. Bast was among the most popular Egyptian deities and her cult ran as far as Rome.

Originally she was depicted as a goddess with a lioness’ head instead of a cat, and she was closely related to Sekhmet, the warrior goddess. Bast’s role was that of protector and avenger of Ra Over time Bast’s depiction softened and she became a goddess related to domesticity and the home. However, she kept the ferocious side of her, only ever using it when needed. She was known to be loving and nurturing but also she was a force to be reckoned with. Bastet used this fury to avenge those who have been wronged, carried on through her son, Maahes, the protector of the innocent.

Due to her association as the Eye of Ra, Bast was more of a solar deity before she became conflated with the Greek Artemis.

Parents and Siblings

Ra (father)

Isis (mother, later in antiquity)

Horus (brother, twin brother later in antiquity)

Anhur (brother

Lovers or Partners

Ptah

Children

Maahes (son)

Nefertum (son, sometimes)

Epithets

Beautiful sistrum (rattle) player

The Golden One/The Beautiful One

The Lady of Dread

The Lady of Slaughter

The Eye of Ra - a title held by a group of deities.

Lady of the Ointments

Lady of the East

Goddess of the Rising Sun

Sacred and All Seeing Eye

Notes

Her name also is rendered as B'sst, Baast, Ubaste, and Baset

Though sometimes synchronized with Mut, the goddess Bast was never depicted as fully human. She was always depicted as either a cat or a woman with the head of a cat, lion, or desert cat.

In Ancient Greece, she was known as Ailuros (”cat”) and she was likened to Artemis. Because of this association, she was given a twin brother just like Artemis has: Horus became her twin brother and since Horus is Isis’ son, Bast became Isis’ daughter.

Bast was also synchronized with Sekhmet, Hathor, and Isis and picked up some of their associations throughout time.

The meaning of her name is uncertain though it’s possible that her name meant She of the Ointment Jar (Ubaste). This would also point to her relation to perfume.

The central city of her cult was Bubastis. People would travel to this city to have the bodies of their pet cats who have passed buried.

It’s common for people to view Bast as a sexual deity or a goddess of lust, but she tends to lean more toward domesticity and protection. This misunderstanding likely came from her later conflation with Hathor as well as one account from Herodotus who had observed the festival in Bubastis in honor of Bast.

An annual festival was held at Bubastis where supposedly all constraints on women were released and they would celebrate “by drinking, dancing, making music, and displaying their genitals" (Gerald Pincher, quoting Herodotus). This display depicted the fertility aspect of the goddess as well as being a sign of freedom from societal constraints.

Bast has been depicted holding a sistrum, a musical instrument similar to a rattle.

Bast is one of many gods who are referred to as the “Eye of Ra”, a title that belongs to deities that are protectors or avengers.

She has been known as the protector of the dead as well.

As cats were sacred to this goddess, to harm one was seen as a slight to Bast.

Mummified cats were often delivered to Bast’s temple as an offering.

Modern Deity Work

These are modern correspondences, anything with historical or traditional backing will be marked with a (T).

Correspondences

Rocks/Stone/Crystals

Gold (T) - Cats of royalty were sometimes known to don gold jewelry

Tiger’s eye

Cat’s eye

Bronze (T) - Bronze statues were used as votive offerings for Bast

Herbs/Plants

Ivy

Catnip

Rosemary

Mint (catnip is in the mint family also)

Animals

Cat, namely housecats but all cats could qualify

Symbols

Sistrum (rattle) (T)

Cat (T)

Eye of Ra (T)

Offerings

Cat imagery

Whiskers, claws, and teeth of cats (only if sourced ethically!)

Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, Emerald, Carnelian, Quartz, Malachite, and Galena were used in Ancient Egypt for jewelry or various cosmetics and could be offered. (The Structure of Crystals. Early historical notes)

Perfume or scented oils

Alcohol (such as wine or beer)

Fruit

Grains

Honey

Incenses or resins (T)

Jewelry

Acts of Devotion

Donate to, volunteer at, or otherwise support cats at shelters.

Pray to her or write poems in her honor

Research her

Honor your mother or the mother figure(s) in your life

Protect and fight for the innocent

Dance!

Play music or curate a playlist in honor of her

Learn about perfume and scented oils and how they were used and made in Ancient Egypt

Take care of your home

Of course, these are only suggestions based on my research but when making offerings to deities it's always best to do what feels right to you. You can also reach out to the deity and ask them yourself if you feel comfortable doing so.

References and Further Reading

Bast - eqyptianmuseum.org

Bastet - Britannica

Bastet - World History

Bastet - ARCE

Per-bast.org (The whole website is informational but this link will send you to their sources page!)

Offerings for Bast - The Gourmet Witch (blog)

Kemetic Offering Guide - The Twisted Rope (blog)

Quick Information for New Lokeans

Online Shrines: Lokaheim (An online shrine to Loki with a lot of references –Informative)

Loki: Trickster’s Flame (Another online shrine to Loki –Interactive)

Book Lists:

Writings For Loki Library Books by Tracy Nichols (mostly Loki-related things)

Helpful People:

Grumpy Lokean Elder (I’M SURE THERE’S MORE BUT SHH)

What you need to remember:

Your UPG is your UPG.

Don’t listen to unkind words, as they’re usually said by the ignorant.

Don’t jump on someone just because their opinion is a little bit different than yours.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Doubt is healthy and normal. It suck, yeah, but it’s good for you.

It doesn’t matter how you came to be a Lokean/How Loki came to you. Being interested in Loki through Marvel is perfectly fine, but remember that Marvel!Loki is not Norse!Loki.

Low Effort Magic 🌙

I have a hard time doing something that involves magic every day, even though I've been on this path for quite some time.

Practicing magic a lot is by no means mandatory but it does help (in my opinion) to get better at it and it just helps with everyday problems. So here are some low effort activities you can do everyday that will hopefully help those of you with similar problems!

Write words like "protection", "healing" or whatever you want into your drink with a straw or spoon before you drink it. Or draw sigils in it.

If you feel super exhausted for no apparent reason, open a window and scream or, if you like it, put on some angry punk or metal music to banish whatever is feeding on your energy. While you're doing that, keep in mind that you want to banish. Otherwise you're just playing angry music. Yelling "Fuck off" also does the trick.

When you eat or drink something, try to pinpoint at least one magical property of each ingredient in your drink/food. It can also be one that has no historical evidence but is personal to you. That will help keep you in the magic mindset and also helps you to get all if that info into your long-term memory.

Open the window, stand in front of it and breathe in the air deeply with your eyes closed while you remind yourself that tge wind is part of nature and that you're connected to it. It doesn't have to be a half hour meditation, 5 seconds get the job done as well.

Offer everyday activities to your deities. For example: cooking for Hestia, standing up for yourself for Loki, practicing magic or **self care time** for Freyja, disposing of trash the correct way to your local nature spirits, etc

Take a shower or a bath, or just wash your face or brush your teeth with the intent of cleansing yourself from all that negative energy that has built up over the day.

That's all for this time. If you like it I'll do another one. :)

A hymn I wrote to a few goddesses I view as playing a part in one of my major hobbies, Herbalism! I consider Hekate to be my patron in this area.

Hades devotion series masterpost

Hades 101- part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5

Hades 102- part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5