Witchy Items For Your Altar

The Houses

The First House: Our compass; like the spark of vital life energy, that which guides you forward. Ruled by Aries.

The Second House: Our foundation; like a bear preparing for hibernation, what makes you feel secure. Ruled by Taurus. 

The Third House: Our connections; like an observant child, how you relate to the wider world. Ruled by Gemini.

The Fourth House: Our womb; like a receptive mother, what provides you a sense of home. Ruled by Cancer.

The Fifth House: Our purpose; like a blooming flower, how you creatively express your unique self. Ruled by Leo.

The Sixth House: Our efficiency; like a true hustler, how you solve problems and improve. Ruled by Virgo.

The Seventh House: Our bonds; like royalty, what influences you to choose who to form unions with. Ruled by Libra.

The Eighth House: Our transformations; like a snake shedding its skin, how you adapt to the rhythms of life. Ruled by Scorpio.

The Ninth House: Our journeys; like a vagabond charting a new map, what opportunities you will lean into. Ruled by Sagittarius.

The Tenth House: Our victories; like the heroic warrior of a story, how you will be of benefit to the world. Ruled by Capricorn. 

The Eleventh House: Our dreams; like looking deeply into the night sky, what dreams you want to manifest. Ruled by Aquarius. 

The Twelfth House: Our transcendence; like the chaos in the death of a phoenix, how you will rise again from primordiality. Ruled by Pisces.

Italian traditional folk magick

There is a rich history of traditional magic in Italy, some of which dates back centuries.

Here are a few examples:

The Evil Eye: The belief in the evil eye, or "malocchio," is prevalent in Italian culture. It is said to be caused by someone looking at you with envy or ill will, and can bring about bad luck or misfortune. To protect oneself from the evil eye, some Italians wear red coral jewelry or carry a small horn-shaped charm known as a "cornicello."

Tarantism: Tarantism is a traditional healing ritual that originated in Southern Italy. It involves music, dance, and the use of tarantula venom to cure people who have been bitten by the spider or who are suffering from a variety of ailments. The dance is said to release the toxic energy from the body and restore balance.

Stregoneria: Stregoneria is a form of Italian witchcraft that has been practiced for centuries. It involves the use of spells, charms, and divination to influence the natural world and bring about desired outcomes. Stregoneria practitioners are said to have a deep connection with the earth and the spirits that inhabit it.

La Befana: La Befana is a traditional Italian figure who brings gifts to children on the night of Epiphany (January 6th). She is often depicted as an old woman riding a broomstick and carrying a sack of toys. Legend has it that she visited the baby Jesus on his birth and has been giving gifts to children ever since.

Cimaruta: The cimaruta is a traditional Italian charm that is said to provide protection against evil forces. It is shaped like a sprig of rue, a plant that has long been associated with protection and purification. The charm often features symbols of the moon, stars, and other celestial bodies, as well as images of animals and other nature spirits.

cheap, easy ways to decorate your altar for the sabbats

Imbolc/Candlemas: seeds or bulbs, candles, red and white

Ostara: flowers, eggs, milk, honey

Beltane: flowers, ribbons, acorns

Litha: oak leaves, sun symbols, sunflowers

Lammas: bread, wheat, beer, honey, corn dolls, iron

Mabon: fall leaves, cornstalks, grapes and grape vines, pomegranates, apples

Samhain: tarot cards, mirror, food offerings, mulled wine, dark bread

Yule: holly, pine cones, mistletoe, fruits, nuts, bells

Lunar Phases 🌜🌛

New moon:

new beginnings

new endeavors

new relationships

positive changes

hope and faith

planting seeds

optimism

Waxing moon:

growth

learning

accomplishments

creativity

healing

positive transformation

Full moon:

wish fulfillment

spell casting

harvest

protection

achievement

perfect ideas

Waning moon:

letting go

cleansing

breaking habits

release

opening up

making space

ENDOSOMATIC

Prints

Blooming Flowers near the glacial ice toe (2013) Located: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE: an inspired “love” tarot spread by The Talking Heads.

Perhaps you have caught the eye of someone sparking something unexpected in you. Maybe you need a little assistance in deciphering the fickle nature of The Lovers and the journey that may partake amongst you. You want to understand the tender nature at hand and reassure that your heart is in it’s rightful place as events transpire. This spread is to help assess the emotions and feelings you are having towards your person of interest. Remember: the cards are merely an outline and guide to your story, but ultimately, you write your own ending. *feel free to switch out any lyrics you may not connect with for each card

The significator card: The Lovers

1. i feel numb, born with a weak heart, i guess i must be having fun: this card represents your overall feelings at the moment towards them; where your heart is lingering. feel free to draw another card applied to the first one if you feel the need for more clarification. add another draw if you’re curious about what they may feel for you.

2. and you’re standing here beside me, i love the passing of time: this card represents the situation that has brought you and them together. remember as best as you can what events lead up to your first initial meeting, or what you could currently be involved in with eachother.

3-4. i can’t tell one from the other, i find you, or you find me?: the strength and weakness of your heart placed in a romantic situation. either card could be the strength or weakness–you must decipher between the two meanings.

5. share the same space for a minute or two: a future challenge that you may come to face involving them. love invites challenges to the table in order to test it’s foundations of trust and compassion. do not be so alarmed, but prepare yourself.

6. eyes that light up, eyes look through you: represents the outcome between you and them.

Z.M. Wilmot’s Personality Tarot Spread

1. Central Characteristic: This card represents the most important part of someone’s personality; it is the card that best describes and sums up the the personality of the entire person. It is both the primary factor and the summary of the rest of the spread.

2. Influencing Characterstic: This card is the second most important aspect of someone’s personality, and influences, mitigates, or complements the Central Characteristic; in many ways it also the secondary characteristic of a person, and provides a second dimension to one’s personality, adding depth to it.

3. Influence of Past: This card sums up the influences that past events have had on one’s personality; memory is an important part of our personality, our desires, and our own identity. This card represents and shows the influence that this memory has had on a personality.

4. Goals of the Future: This card represents what one are striving to accomplish; another aspect of one’s personality is their drive, and what makes them motivated: that motivation and drive is represented by this card, which shows the thing that the person is striving to achieve, and their most important desire for the future.

5. Unconscious Thoughts and Motives: This card represents the unconscious thoughts and concerns of a person, and also represents this person’s motives. It answers the questions of “why do they do this?” as well as those of “what are they really thinking?”  This is their unconscious drive (rather than the conscious drive of Card 4), and represents the deepest aspects of their personality, hidden from themselves. This card also serves as the synthesis of cards 8 and 10.

6. Conscious Thoughts and Concerns: This card represents the person’s conscious thought. It helps one examine what the most important things are to this person, and represents their most pressing concerns, and what is most important to them at this time. This card also serves as the synthesis of cards 7 and 9.

7. Public Face: This card is the public aspect of one’s identity; this is how others perceive this person, and how their environment (including other people) affects them and notices them. This card is similar to Card 8 (second from the bottom of the Staff) on the Celtic Cross. This card represents how they want others to see them as well.

8. Private Face: This card represents the concept of self-identity and self-image, and shows how a person really thinks of themselves. This might line up with one’s public face, but often is at least slightly different. This card is similar to Card 7 (bottom of the Staff) of the Celtic Cross spread. This card shows how this person really feels about himself, and what they think their own identity is.

9. Public Desire: This card represents what one says they want; it is the stated hopes and fears of a person. This is what the person wants others to think they want and what they want others to think they are afraid of; this card represents those desires made public.

10. Private Desire: This card represents one’s true hopes and fears; their heart’s desire or their deepest, secret fear. These are the desires that people keep repressed and hidden – sometimes even from themselves – for various reasons. These are the inner passions and repressed terrors that often motivate people’s actions unconsciously.

Creating and Using Planetary Pentacles

(Part one of the Talismans, Pentacles, and Sigils series)

The Greater Key of Solomon contains numerous planetary pentacles for use in magickal operations. When properly constructed they are quite potent and require little additional input from the magician aside from periodic maintenance making them an excellent method of low energy spell casting. Rather than reproducing all of the pentacles here, please refer to this excerpt from the Greater Key before beginning. 

Construction

Choose a pentacle appropriate for your working. In general Saturn pentacles deal with destruction and baneful magick, Jupiter with wealth and protection, Mars with war and domination, Sun with spirit control and status, Venus with love and emotional/sexual domination, Mercury with knowledge and acquisition, and the Moon with freedom, divination, and water. Note that these are not hard and fast classifications and the realm of influence for each planet varies widely so choose your pentacle carefully to ensure you receive the greatest effects. 

Gather your materials. Traditionally pentacles were engraved on a disk of metal corresponding to the planet however this is a huge pain in the ass as well as expensive and toxic in many cases. Using metal is not strictly necessary though if you plan keeping it around for long term use, it can be beneficial. Paper works perfectly well and I suspect other materials would also be adequate so feel free to get creative. You will also need a Bible and a means of calculating the planetary hours (please see the “planetary correspondences” and “calculating the planetary hours” sections below for more information). 

On the day and hour associated with your planet (day and hour of Jupiter etc), draw the pentacle in an appropriately colored ink. While it may be tempting to print out your pentacle, avoid doing so because the process of drawing it by hand is the majority of the casting method. It doesn’t matter how the end product looks - a shitty pentacle will work just as well as a beautiful one, it’s the process that matters. You may start later than the planetary hour or finish drawing after the planetary hour has concluded but take care not to start early otherwise your pentacle will not be infused with the correct planetary energies. If you plan on drawing pentacles regularly, a compass and ruler will make your life much easier. 

Casting - this is the easy part. During the correct day and planetary hour, light some incense and hold the pentacle over it while reciting Psalms 8, 21, 27, 29, 32, 51, 72, and 134. Next read the Bible verse associated with your pentacle over it. If your pentacle has any special instructions (such as the 6th pentacle of the Moon), do them now. Using the correct hour is more important than the day so you can fudge this if necessary but it will not function as reliably. 

You’re done! If you want to keep it around feel free to though I personally find that paper pentacles are only good for one or two uses or as a component of a planetary talisman.

Calculating the Planetary Hours

Every day is ruled by one of the classical planets and each hour of the day is also ruled by a planet. These combinations of planetary day and hour can serve to either strengthen or weaken the planets effects depending on how the two interact with each other which in turn effects the outcome of planetary-based spellwork. For example Saturn (the great malefic) and Jupiter (the great benefic)  don’t play well together so curses cast on the day of Saturn in the hour of Jupiter will be weaker than normal or may not function at all. Conversely, Saturn and Mars serve to strengthen each other so a curse could be made more aggressive by casting during the day of Saturn, hour of Mars. The nitty-gritty of choosing the correct combination of planetary day and hour is outside the scope of this post so for our purposes we will be focusing on matching day and hour as this is when the planet’s influence is strongest. 

Planetary hours are calculated from sunrise to sunset and from sunset to sunrise so though they are based off a 24 hour cycle, they are not one hour long nor does their duration and starting time stay consistent throughout the year. Instead the time between sunrise and sunset is divided into 12 equal parts as are the hours between sunset and sunrise. Each day begins on it’s ruling planet - the first hour of Sunday is the hour of the sun, the first hour of monday is the hour of the moon, and so forth. The following chart is useful for illustrating the procession of the hours but remember: these are not the times in which the planetary hour occurs 

Quite frankly, manually determining the planetary hour is a pain in the ass. The good news is there is literally no reason whatsoever to do this by hand (unless you’re a masochist I guess). There are a number of programs, apps, and websites that will determine them for you based on your geographic location. ChronosXP is a good option for Windows and there are numerous free apps in the Android and iOS stores.  This is a good option for those of you who prefer to use your browser. 

Planetary Correspondences

Sun - gold, yellow, Sunday

1st Pentacle - “Behold His face and form by Whom all things were made, and Whom all creatures obey.”

2nd Pentacle - Angels: Shemeshiel, Paimoniah, Rekhodiah, Malkhiel

3rd Pentacle - Daniel 4:34

4th Pentacle - Psalm 13:3-4

5th Pentacle - Psalm 91:11-12

6th Pentacle - Psalm 69:23, Psalm 135:16

7th Pentacle - Psalm 116:16-17

Moon - silver, silver, Monday

1st Pentacle - Psalm 107:16

2nd Pentacle - Psalm 56:11

3rd Pentacle - Psalm 40:13

4th Pentacle- “Let them be confounded who persecute me, and let me not be confounded; let them fear, and not I.”

5th Pentacle - Psalm 68:1

6th Pentacle - Genesis 7:11-12

Mars - iron, red, Tuesday

1st Pentacle- Angels: Madimiel, Bartzachiah, Eschiel, Ithuriel

2nd Pentacle - John 1:4

3rd Pentacle - Psalm 77:13

4th Pentacle - Psalm 110:5

5th Pentacle - Psalm 91:13

6th Pentacle - Psalm 37:15

7th Pentacle - Psalm 105:32-33

Mercury - mercury, mixed colors, orange, Wednesday

1st Pentacle - Spirits: Yekahel, Agiel

2nd Pentacle - Spirits: Boel and other Spirits

3rd Pentacle- Angels: Kokaviel, Gheoriah, Savaniah, Chokmahiel

4th Pentacle - “Wisdom and virtue are in his house, and the Knowledge of all things remaineth with him for ever.”

5th Pentacle- Psalm 24:7

Jupiter - tin, blue, Thursday

1st Pentacle - Angels: Netoniel, Devichiah, Tzedeqiah, Parasiel

2nd Pentacle- Psalm 112:3

3rd Pentacle- Psalm 125:1

4th Pentacle- Psalm 112:3

5th Pentacle- Ezekiel 1:1

6th Pentacle- Psalm 22:16-17

7th Pentacle- Psalm 113:7

Venus - copper, green, Friday

1st Pentacle - Angels: Nogahiel, Acheliah, Socodiah (or Socohiah), Nangariel

2nd Pentacle - Canticles 8:6

3rd Pentacle - Genesis 1:28

4th Pentacle - Genesis 2:23-24

5th Pentacle - Psalm 22:14

Saturn - lead, black, Saturday

1st Pentacle - Psalm 72:9

2nd Pentacle- Psalm 72:8

3rd Pentacle- Angels: Omeliel, Anachiel, Araughiah, Anazachia

4th Pentacle- Deuteronomy 6:4, Psalm 109:18

5th Pentacle- Deuteronomy 10:17

6th Pentacle- “Set thou a wicked one to be ruler over him, and let Satan stand at his right hand.”

7th Pentacle- Psalm 18:7

For an explanation of the meaning of the symbols contained in the pentacles, please see SonofBel’s excellent post on the subject

witch shit

Improving your Intuition

There is a common misconception that only certain people are intuitive, that it is purely a metaphysical skill. A quote that really changed my perception of intuition was discussed by an author who gave a discussion on the different  books on intuition and witchcraft she had written, “Intuition is a muscle”. But this would mean that everyone has this muscle! Many people feel barred from even trying to do magic, pick up a tarot deck or rune set, communicate with a passed relative, or even consult with their deity or god because they believe they are not intuitive. Coming from someone who is naturally gullible / somewhat naive, I want to talk a bit about what intuition is and how anyone can become more intuitive.

What is intuition?

The best way I can define intuition concisely is the ability to understand or know information immediately, without any conscious reasoning or evidence. The ability to know something without being told or being shown proof. This may sound completely foreign or impossible, so let me provide some context. Have you ever heard the phrase “The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife”? Have you ever gotten a “bad vibe” from someone and avoided them? That is your intuition at work!  Even interpreting emotional context based on someone’s vocal tone, pitch, body language, are forms of intuitive understanding. 

It may seem strange to think social nuances we have been trained to observe and interpret since the day we were born could involve intuition, but think about it. Is there any physical evidence or conscious reasoning to explain tension that is literally palpable? Is there physical proof that when someone speaks in a certain tone or pitch, or moves in a certain way, that they are angry? No, these are just things we have trained ourselves to understand. A form of intuition. But of course, this may not translate over to tarot, or spirit and deity communication as easily as one would like.

How does intuition work?

When discussing how intuition works exactly, we have to discuss what exactly someone who is intuitive actually senses. I look at intuition as a form of energy work. Lets briefly discuss the “Thick Tension” example. Tension from a conversation is not a physical concept in that it is not a literal brick that has weight when held in someone’s hand. But the conversation still disrupted the surrounding area, due to the energy that conversation created. Think about how different emotions feel like different things. Many describe anger as sharp, jabbing, thick. Sadness is often equated with water, such as when someone is “pouring their heart out”.  Although emotions are not bricks, the energy they have creates a physical disturbance. intuition includes being able to interpret those energies even though they can’t be given physical evidence of existing.

There are a variety of different ways to sense energy, many of which include employing clair senses. Clair senses refer to the ability to have intuitive understanding through our senses, the discussion of which could take up many more posts, but I will link resources at the end of this post. Some of the kinds you may be familiar with include clairvoyance, clairaudience, claircognizance, and clairempathy (also known as being and “empath”).  

So how can I improve my intuition?

Well, it depends on what you want to be able to do! But I will link and discuss a multitude of different exercises and things you can do to improve your intuition.

Be aware of physical sensations when speaking with others or entering situations. Do you feel at ease with someone even though you don’t know them? Or do you have a sinking feeling in your stomach that you are trying to ignore? Listen to your gut! More often than not, you will find your “hunch” being right, especially as you practice.

Practice divination! I am not just saying this because I love divination, I’m saying this because I primarily improved my claircognizance through using divination. I used to not really have hunches, but now I have extremely accurate ones after 3 years of practicing tarot reading and other forms of divination. 

Keep a dream journal and try to start interpreting your dreams. As nonsensical as they may seem, if you research symbolism, you may begin to see patterns in your dreams that reflect the main  problems or situations in your life. I know I have! And I rarely remember my dreams.

Practice identifying objects without looking at them. This is a fun sensory game for most, but with time and more difficult items, you may be able to sense the energy of the item itself, see an image of it in your minds eye, hear a sound it makes, etc. If you want to amp this up, close your eyes and walk through a room while trying not to bump into anything! This is great for practicing sensing the aura’s of objects, and the more you can sense, the more you can try to interpret.

The next two exercises I am taking from Ellen Dougan’s book “The Natural Psychic”.

The first is practicing using your senses, and requires you to journal for four days.

Day 1: Seeing day

You should focus on your environment as if you are seeing it for the first time. When you enter a new room or landmark, you scan teh area to get a lay of the land, right? Take time to notice colors, shapes, people and items that catch your attention. How do these make you feel? Write down what you notice.

Day 2: Hearing day

No background music today! We drown out a lot of the sounds in our environment to focus on individual tasks. Today, spend time listening to your environment, what do you hear? It would be great to go to a nature location during this day. Take note of what you hear and how it makes you feel.

Day 3:  Touching day

At this point, you should be getting the drill. When you touch items today, really spend time touching them. Feel the fabric of your clothing as you get dressed, your keyboard and mouse when you type, feel your own pulse, pet your animals. How do you feel when touching different items, and how does touch impact others, such as your pets?

Day 4: Sensing day

Today we focus on our emotions, and how our environment makes us feel. Take note of how certain environments, certain people, make you feel. You can do this with plants as well! Take note of what you sense.

The second is the ace of spades exercise, and requires a deck of cards.

Take the ace of hearts, the ace of diamonds, and the ace of spades out of the deck. Place all three face down on a flat surface and then mix them up before lining them up in a row. Go over each card one at a time and try to figure out which one is the ace of spades. Turn it over to see if you’re right! For a trial run, do this no more than 10 times in one sitting, and note how many times you were correct. This is a great way to identify what clair senses you may be employing. Answer these questions about the times you were correct,

Did you “just know” it was that card, a feeling in your gut?

Did you know it was the card when you touched it?

Did your inner voice tell you which one it was?

Did you feel an emotional response?

Did you see the card in your mind’s eye?

Other Resources: http://www.okinhealth.com/articles/10-clairsenses-intuition-emily-matweow

https://consciouslifenews.com/8-simple-way-to-boost-your-clairvoyant-abilities85450/1185450/#

“The Natural Psychic” by Ellen Dougan

https://powerpriestess.tumblr.com/post/176034234934/clairvoyance-101

https://ghosthuntingrebelwitch.tumblr.com/post/169571479633/developing-your-super-senses-in-particular

https://messageinthecrystal.tumblr.com/post/178155680555/empath-info

http://rosymystic.tumblr.com/post/177522966777/smalls-ways-to-develop-intuition

Many thanks to dislocated-cannibal here on tumblr, who is my mentor for energy work, as well as other things, who discussed the concept of emotions creating a n energy we an feel with me at length. Please check them out! http://dislocated-cannibal.tumblr.com/