agathisfelis

[agathisfelis]

His water dance

[agathisfelis]

shadow work isn't witchcraft. "shadow worker" isn't a real witchcraft title, because -- again -- shadow work isn't witchcraft, or folk craft, or related to the occult literally at all. it was co-opted into witchcraft recently. it's a facet of psychology/psycho-analysis invented by Carl Jung to help people going through trauma therapy. since it's not witchcraft, you don't have to do it, you shouldn't put up with being shamed for not doing it, and you should definitely be seeing a therapist -- who has experience with it -- when you attempt it, because it can dredge up some really nasty shit if you're not ready or equipped to handle the fall-out. AND you should start mentioning this and talking about this in every witchcraft/occult space. get people talking about it and researching its history.

#love these tags #thanks for spelling out what I dislike about shadow work #shadow does not always mean witchy

[agathisfelis]

I post my own content so rarely, since I feel like rehashing things I’ve already written to be a waste, but I worry reblogging old content is a nuisance… It’s funny to see that the Two Days Of Drafts Dumping was a success haha

Anyway, hello, I’m Growing, I’m an MLS student and library worker, I’m a witch by way and worse by nature. How are you. You like books? I just spent five hours cleaning my room since I was trapped in the house all day. New Moon, huh

[agathisfelis]

BEE TEE DUBS, in case you weren't following along, that external source? Wasn't even a deity. It was people. And since it made me, *pretend gag* about it. I felt so nasty. SO very very nasty. I did it because I was experimenting with all kinds of shit I saw on the internet, and people were like "ooo psychic vampire techniques" GROSS. Just GROSS. disgust. Did not like. -35/10.

So that... informed all my spellwork from then on. It evolved my practice from just a "take the deities out" practice to something much deeper. Where I do not take from any external source, that means spirits, rocks, plants, symbols, places, etc. I do something else. And the nope voice told me yall are not allowed to hear more.

But what I'm getting at is, fundamentally, my moral and ethical code extends all the way up the chain from the littlest rock, the grain of sand, to the largest Deity you can muster. I do not take from external sources. And when I work with external sources, like trees for example, it's not a taking I do. And I always pay.

And if you're just super lost in the sauce here, perhaps you should think about what other actions and activities you can do besides taking. And in there, you may find me. Working my shit.

[agathisfelis]

Like it's conversations like this that remind me that I am very different from a lot of magical folks. It's not because I'm an edgey secular blog with too much ass and not enough pants.

It's because I stumbled on shit only through experimentation, and thus I built my foundation on experiences. Though I was listening to others when they talked about what they did, some of it I guessworked and got the wrong answer because the math wasn't mathing (these windows are gonna be so obvious if I smudge all these herbs on them because it's gonna leave a mark and people are gonna see it). Some of it I listened, and realized that people are gross. Some of it I listened to spirits, and worked on how to understand it from a human perspective. Some of it was listening to folks talk, and then me taking my understanding away because they inspired me - not necessarily that they taught me a skill, but they inspired something in me that i built on as an idea.

So thats why I have the definitions I have (amulets are things that naturally have the energy there, and talismans are the things you make). Rather than a more formed answer that others have for themselves.

I'm DIY in the best sense.

[agathisfelis]

One thing I want to do this year is contribute to sightings of migratory birds and insects.

#Migration #Monarchs #Butterflies #Hummingbirds

[agathisfelis]

Fuck Off Oil (Banishing  Oil)

Sometimes, just saying “fuck off” doesn’t quite do the trick. Whether it’s unsatisfying or doesn’t repel the asshole you’re trying to get rid of, it might be time to pull out the big guns.

This banishing oil is a revamped version of an oil I made for an old friend many years ago. The original purpose was to rid her home of a nasty invasive spirit and then keep it away, since it had already been banished and returned a few times. She used it to anoint her mirrors, windows, doors, and even herself, followed by a large black pillar candle coated in more of the oil and burned every day until it was just a lump of wax.

It worked perfectly for her purposes, so I have taken that old recipe and recreated it in my current style for my current needs. If you saw my earlier rant post, then you know what this is for. If not, that’s okay - just know that someone has tested my patience and taken advantage of my kindness, and now they should kindly fuck off forever.

Like most of my spells and spell ingredients, this oil is 100% edible… and pretty tasty! See my notes below for ideas on how to use it.

Ingredients:

Oil of Your Choice (I used olive oil because it’s what was in my cabinet)

Salt

Pepper

Red Chili Flakes

Smoked Paprika

Garlic, minced

Onion Powder

Oregano, dried

Caraway Seeds

Coriander

Bay Leaf

A Jar or Bottle

Instructions:

Measure how much oil you will need to fill your jar or bottle of choice. You can pour the oil into a bowl or use a measuring cup to both measure and mix your oil, which is what I did. Fewer dishes to wash at the end!

Add each of your ingredients, one at a time, to the oil. Leave the bay leaf for last, and see step 3. I added the ingredients in the order that they are listed, but you can do them in whatever order suits you best. Be sure to give each a purpose tied back to the person, spirit, or other bothersome creature you are banishing (some ingredients have protective properties; see my note below for how I assigned a purpose to each).

Stir your mixture well. Really whip it. Beat the hell out of it. Etc.

Bay leaves are often used in wish magic or as vehicles for sigils. For our purposes, hold the leaf with both hands and stare at it hard. Think of the person, spirit, or thing you are banishing. Whisper or shout your desire to keep them away from you, adding any specifics you like. Stuff the leaf into your jar or bottle whole.

Pour your mixture into the jar or bottle over the bay leaf. Be sure to get all of the bits of garlic in there.

Cap the jar or bottle and give it a good shake. I recommend letting it sit and infuse for a few days to get a really good flavor going, but you can use it immediately if you want. Just be sure to shake it well to charge it before use.

This oil is good for up to six months, though it may last longer. Keep an eye on it; if it forms mold, throw it away immediately. Keep your jar or bottle in a cool, dark space. Refrigeration is optional, but it’ll last longer if you keep it in the fridge.

Notes:

As with most oils, there are many uses for this recipe. It can be either a spell on its own, or you can create it to be a component in another spell. Or both! Both is good.

I like to use this to cook vegetables like brussels sprouts, asparagus, and potatoes, but you could also use it in a stir fry or to cook meats. This oil also makes for a very pleasant salad dressing when mixed with red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. It would be both funny and effective to feed a Fuck Off Salad to your target. If you want to do this, I recommend making it extra spicy, especially if they hate spice and you’re feeling especially vindictive.

If you’re not looking to eat this oil in some way, you can also use it to anoint candles for a banishing spell. Or, if you want to get a little more involved, you can submerge a taglock or poppet in the oil to symbolize the person you are repelling. This would be a great way to continuously banish someone or something if they keep trying to return. Plus, it can have the added benefit of being… uncomfortable for the target.

Here are the purposes I assigned to each ingredient; feel free to use these or come up with your own based off your own experiences:

Salt - Protect the caster during the creation and use of the oil, repel bad vibes and start the process of cleansing

Pepper - First line of fuck off; give a reason or a particular attribute that you want gone, such as “aggression” and “lying”

Chili flakes - Second line of fuck off, this time with ✨spice✨; I assigned “threats” and “rancid vibes” to this ingredient

Garlic - Third line of fuck off; protection against further nonsense, repelling them from contacting me

Onion - Keeping away pests; I use the layers of the onion to symbolize the layers of “fuck off” in the oil and reinforce each one

Oregano - Now comes the part where we protect ourselves from the offending party’s possible retaliation! This is protection from backlash and luck for the success of the spell. This has extra power for me, since my mom grew this oregano and is superbly pissed about someone threatening her kids!

Caraway seeds - Boosting my convictions and inner power, preventing the spell from backfiring on me (the target(s) are also witches, so this was very important to include!)

Coriander - Personal protection against further nonsense, cementing this oil as a line of self-defense

If you use this oil in a spell, let me know how you liked it, if you made any substitutions, and/or how it worked for you!

Happy Banishing, Witches!

[agathisfelis]

Willow Wings Witch Shop - New Home

The shop is moving to Shopify in February 2024! Pictured are some of the new items that will be available once the shop opens. (One or two are currently available as previews.)

Here are some of the things you can look forward to with the new shop:

Faster, easier ordering process with additional payment options

Purpose-driven spell kits (including spells from The Sisters Grimmoire)

New colors for the Witch Web Kits (including metallic and glow-in-the-dark)

New magical powders (Inspiration Salt, New Home Powder, and more!)

New Mini Bottle Charm variants (Strength, Confidence, and more!)

New items like Moon Spell Jars

Monthly emails with announcements and featured items

Periodic new merch drops and seasonal offerings

Make sure you update your bookmarks to http://hexpositive.myshopify.com and sign up for the email list so you can be notified of the opening and new merch drops.

Happy Witching!

Img Descrips-

Photo 1 - Witch Web Kit in green (four skeins of embroidery floss, two green, one white, one black, inside a wooden embroidery hoop with a small silver pentacle charm in the middle)

Photo 2 - Moon Spell Jars (six small glass jars containing herbs and crystals, each topped with a full moon wax seal in a different color - green, blue, purple, red, black, and silver; on all but the silver seal, the full moon is detailed in silver ink)

Photo 3 - Contents of the "Straw Into Gold" spell kit (three skeins of embroidery floss in different gold and golden-yellow hues, three small clear plastic bobbins, and one green chime candle)

Photo 4 - Strength Bottle Charms (two tiny glass bottles with cork closures, each with an eye hook, silver findings, and an acorn charm, one in silver and one in bronze)

Photo 5 - Wish Bottle Charm (single tiny bottle in foreground with others in the background on a silver tray; the bottle has a cork closure, silver findings, and an iridescent white butterfly charm; a small baggie with "Wishes" written on the paper label sits beside the bottle)

Photo 6 - New Home Powder (two glass vials with black caps and white printed labels, one upright, one laying down; the label text reads "New Home Powder" and lists the ingredients)

[agathisfelis]

I am several hours too late for the discord conversation on the subject, so you get this here:

A lot of us have had the experience of trying out a spell/ritual written by somebody else, and finding that it feels a bit silly when we do it. Like you're just playing pretend. This is normal, BTW. But it can make you feel like you must just suck at magic.

A lot of these rituals, especially relatively modern ones, involve a certain amount of "psychodrama," like elaborate costumes and props, or old-timey language that probably seemed cool when they wrote it, but feels ridiculous when you say it -- that kind of thing. These elements are generally there to help you switch into the headspace of Doing Magic, but if the psychodrama is not a good match for you, it ends up having the opposite effect. It makes you feel like you're just LARPing. Again, this is normal.

Basically, you need to figure out what works for YOU to switch into the headspace of Doing Magic, OR, perhaps you would find something relatively simple, like folk magic, a better fit.

Personally I've found that trying different methods of achieving trance states helped me to find Doing Magic mode, and now it takes less effort and set dressing to get there. But I also love the folk magic approach. No ritual -- doing the thing just works (usually), because it always (usually) has.

I also love making things, which can become its own ritual, free of costumes and "so mote it be" (unless that's what you're into, in which case go ham). Basically there is no one correct approach that's going to work for everyone. Try incorporating your existing interests if you can -- you'll probably have a better time!

[agathisfelis]

do you have any sources or books I could look into about different element paradigms? like ones that don't just follow fire/water/earth/air. I've searched google but I haven't figured out a way to format my search that doesn't keep bringing up discussions about those 4 elements

Books? No. Sources maybe.

@lazywitchling @friend-crow @windvexer IF, I recall correctly (... not always but maybe), yall three were knee deep in a discussion around different elemental paradigms. So can you drop some links to your posts?

I could reference incorrectly the Druid or Celtic (not really) system or the Five Phases here, but those are specific systems with specific meanings and aren't like for like. So it's kinda one of those, why do you need elements, what are you building, etc. The framing starts with the why.

[agathisfelis]

do you have any sources or books I could look into about different element paradigms? like ones that don't just follow fire/water/earth/air. I've searched google but I haven't figured out a way to format my search that doesn't keep bringing up discussions about those 4 elements

Books? No. Sources maybe.

@lazywitchling @friend-crow @windvexer IF, I recall correctly (... not always but maybe), yall three were knee deep in a discussion around different elemental paradigms. So can you drop some links to your posts?

I could reference incorrectly the Druid or Celtic (not really) system or the Five Phases here, but those are specific systems with specific meanings and aren't like for like. So it's kinda one of those, why do you need elements, what are you building, etc. The framing starts with the why.

[agathisfelis]

[agathisfelis]

Progress with the Crows

I've fed the crows several more times. Not on a regular schedule, but if I hear them calling outside. They're still cautious, but they seem to know that if they make enough racket, The Lady Who Scatters Peanuts will make an appearance.

I wonder if they are figuring out how to tell if I'm home or not, because I am at work a lot. How many times have they called for peanuts and I wasn't here to respond?

Anyway, I feel like it's progress. Today the whole murder was hanging out right next door instead of the house at the end of the block. Usually I just have a couple of scouts here and the rest of them are down the street (until the peanuts appear).

Also: I need to get more peanuts.

#Crows #Corvids

[agathisfelis]

#Seeds are so cool #Cold Stratification #Gardening

[agathisfelis]

Roots

[agathisfelis]

Persuasion Powder

Intent: To make your words ring true with your listeners, to sway them to your point of view without directly commanding, to make your arguments strong and get your point across in a convincing fashion. Ingredients:

Wild Cherry Bark

Marshmallow Root

Galangal Root

Cloves

Allspice

Orris Root

Materials:

Mortar & Pestle

Funnel

Mesh Strainer

Collection Dish

Container

Grind each ingredient separately for several minutes to produce fine powder. Sieve the material through the mesh strainer into the collection dish; this removes the larger ungrindable pieces and gives you cleaner powdered herb. (Pro-Tip: Putting a funnel under the strainer helps reduce lost material.) For the Wild Cherry Bark, Marshmallow Root, and Galangal Root, retain the leftover large pieces that don’t make it through the strainer. You can use this for loose incense or charm bags later. Remember, witchlings: waste not, want not! (If you don’t have Marshmallow or Galangal Root handy, plain sugar and cinnamon will suffice.) Combine the component powders in the collection dish, mix well, and bottle immediately. Sprinkle a little pinch in your shoes before going to important meetings or interviews, or any time you feel like you might need your arguments to have a little extra oomph. This powder can also be used in any spellwork intended to achieve the same result.

[agathisfelis]

“Those Who I Love Receive Good Fortune”

Many times I have been asked for a luck sigil meant to be cast on other people, and here you go!

You can either go the basic method of drawing this on a picture of your target, or drawing this on something with your targets full name and date of birth

OR

Because of the way I worded this sigil, you can simply hold this sigil against your heart and think about the people you hold dear in your life, people that deserve better than what life has been handing them. I recommend doing this method every night before bed, and you can keep this sigil close to you if you like.

#sigils #witchblr