friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

In the Ars Goetia, Stolas is a demon listed as a Great Prince of Hell. He is depicted as a crowned owl with long legs, and is said to command twenty-six legions of demons.

Stolas has knowledge of poisons, as well as astronomy, plants and precious stones.

Image source.

Monster master list.

Suggest a spook.

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

Beltane (May 1st) is almost here, we celebrate spring being at its peak and everything around us being in bloom. The sun is shining bright again, and the days are now longer.

Beltane correspondences: Symbols | bonfire, lots of candles, sun, flowers and flower crowns, maypoles, colored ribbons Colors | yellow, white, green, pink, reds Spells | fertility, love, cleansing, spellss for creativity and beauty Crystals | rose quartz, carnelian, jasper Herbs and flowers | tulips, violets, mint, rosemary Foods to make | salad, cake or pie, dishes with honey, breads, nuts How to celebrate | Light a bonfire, go out in nature, make love, dancing, make a maypole

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

PSA - Will It Summon Demons?

Things That Are Not Likely To Summon Demons And Spirits Into Your Home:

Practicing a pagan religion

Practicing no religion

Skipping religious services

Disobeying your parents

Disobeying oppressive religious rules

Reading books about other religions

Reading books about witchcraft

Casting most types of spells, including hexes

Practicing divination

Reading tarot cards

Owning crystals

Having deity statues

Maintaining an altar

Adopting a black cat

Owning or wearing a pentacle or other pagan symbol

Playing with Ouija or other talking boards

Putting up fantasy or non-Christian artwork

Celebrating pagan holidays

Celebrating Halloween

Watching scary movies and TV shows

Reading horror novels

Playing tabletop RPGs

Playing LARP games

Playing video games

Reading fantasy books

Reading comics and graphic novels

Listening to heavy metal music

Dyeing your hair

Dancing

Swearing

Drinking

Dressing however you please

Having tattoos and piercings

Engaging in premarital sex

Being queer

Being trans

Participating in activism for progressive social causes

Things That Might Summon Demons And Spirits Into Your Home:

Literally summoning demons and spirits into your home

This has been a Public Service Announcement.

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

BTW, I did this, left the room, and returned to find a fly perched on the damn incense stick.

So either Loki likes the offering, or flies don't actually hate the smell of cinnamon that much.

Anyone else decide to light cinnamon spice incense to drive off flies while cleaning and decide to dedicate it to Loki while you're at it? Invite him to hang even if it's not necessarily his thing?

#lokideity #my posts

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

Anyone else decide to light cinnamon spice incense to drive off flies while cleaning and decide to dedicate it to Loki while you're at it? Invite him to hang even if it's not necessarily his thing?

#lokideity #my posts

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

"oh so you're spiritual but not religious" no actually I am deeply religious in alarmingly carnal and esoteric ways. If you even care.

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

How do I connect with local spirits?

Most witches consider local spirits to be a cornerstone of their practice. It's much easier to cast a ward on your home when the local forest spirit will back it up. Ask five witches how to connect to spirits and you'll get seven answers and three arguments.

So I'm going to give you a foolproof answer.

If you live in the united states, your state will have a list of endangered and threatened species. It will also have a list of invasive species. Look through these. There's a pretty good chance that you'll be surprised and find something you've seen before. "I didn't know that was endangered! I've seen that in my grandma's backyard."

Great! You are now that species guardian angel.

Figure out how to protect it. Find out how to spread it. Then do it. It spreads from cuttings? Awesome! Take some cuttings and sprout them, then plant them somewhere.

You don't have anywhere to plant them? That's okay. Get a high-vis vest, pull over onto the side of the highway in a nice spot, plant them, and leave. No one questions the high-vis vest. Someone does? "I'm a volenteer at an endangered species reintroduction program." It's not even a lie, it's just a program of one. Hell, that program may actually exist and you may actually be able to volenteer for it.

"But how does this help me connect with local spirits?" You are actively protecting your local ecosystems that your local spirits are a reflection of. They will appreciate that far more than any other offering you can give.

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

🔥 Subtle Loki Worship 🐎

Sitting around a bonfire or campfire, especially with loved ones

Being kind to children; playing with them if offered

Supporting organizations focused on marginalized groups; spreading the word, donating, volunteering, etc.

Supporting organizations focused on children and children's safety

Volunteering at a homeless shelter or an animal shelter

Teaching yourself that it's ok to ask for help, even if you don't receive it at first

Seeking out a community you can join; this will help with creating a support system as well; LGBTQ+ support groups, gamer groups, fandom groups, etc.

Having horse, snake, raven, or wolf imagery around; having skull imagery is also cool, but may not be acceptable in all households

Engaging with your childhood media or toys

Having literally any stuffed animals

Keeping a list of jokes and quotes that make you laugh

Supporting animal conservation efforts

Learning to accept yourself for who you are; embracing unique aspects of your identity, especially those that are looked down upon by others

Showing support for marginalized groups, such as being an LGBTQ+ ally or purchasing from POC small business owners

Identifying your strengths and weaknesses; finding healthy ways to acknowledge them both

Learning new ways of coping with emotional turmoil, including mental illness related situations

Listening to scary stories

Having a candle that reminds you of him (no altar needed)

Collecting lost or interesting objects (so long as it's not reclaimed first lol)

Being a little mischievous/silly with loved ones

Finding little ways to express yourself if you can't do so openly (e.g. wearing a bracelet with the colors of your gender identity, wearing shoelaces with pride flag colors that aren't easily recognizable, etc.)

Being kind to yourself when you're having a difficult time

Learning to forgive yourself for past mistakes you've made

Sleeping with comfy blankets

Drinking hot chocolate

Eating candies and sweets or spicy foods

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May add more later! So far, this is my list of discreet ways to worship Loki. Hope this helps, and take care, y'all!

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

Norse mythology from A to Z:

[H] - Höðr a blind god; misled by Loki, he kills his brother Balder by throwing a shaft of mistletoe.

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

Loki is chaos, yes, but there is comfort in chaos. There is comfort in change. Change can be terrifying, but embracing that fear is so freeing. Embracing the newness of it all, the rebirth. If we stayed the same, we would never grow or learn. Life would become too stagnant, too boring. There would be no sense of adventure. There would be nothing new. Change is required, even if it is chaos. Loki is chaos, yes, but there is comfort in chaos.

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

Sneak Preview of The Sisters Grimmoire Vol. II - Make Sure You Lock Up

'Well, let us start at once,' said he. 'Lock your door, and put the key in your pocket.'

- A Lost Paradise (The Lilac Fairy Book)

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Intent: To set your household wards when you lock your front door.

Materials:

Your front door key

Ideal Timing: Whenever you cast or refresh your household wards

A witchling once approached me with the following question: "How do household wards know when and when not to let people in?" My answer was simple: "You tell them the difference." This spell is one example of how to do just that. It works best when you are the homeowner, but as long as you call the place home, it should work.

Upon completion of your ritual for setting household protections, whatever that may be, take your house key and go to the front door. Place your dominant hand flat against the inside of the door, with the key between your palm and the door's surface.

Say in a strong clear voice:

This is my home And I hold the key; No one may enter Unless bidden by me.

If you feel the need, you can repeat this on other exterior doors for added security. Upon leaving your home, make sure you lock your doors and windows. The act of locking the front door from the outside with your key sets the wards until you return.

After you lock your front door, place your hand upon it and say, "No one but me." If someone else is to allowed in, include them as well, i.e. "No one but me or my spouse/roommate/parent/child/etc." Again, this will work best for people who actually live in the home, or whom you've given permission to be there in your absence.

Please note that this is not a foolproof method for deterring intruders. Take any and all mundane measures of security needed to ensure the safety of your home and its' occupants.

-from the forthcoming book, The Sisters Grimmoire, Vol. II; (c) 2021 Bree NicGarran

If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

I love videos of people performing religious ceremonies for small animals. Especially if it’s not something a small animal could participate in theologically.

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

the intersection of divination and unintentional spirit contact

Generally I'd say, no - divination (tarot cards, spirit/"ouija" boards, black mirrors, crystal balls, etc etc) in and of itself does not automatically conjure or evoke spirits.

If a spirit is already not in the space where you're performing divination, an act of divination will not spontaneously make spirits appear.

That being said, I have experienced and seen others experience increases in spiritual contact, activity, and awareness after "getting into" divination.

My goal in this post isn't to try to make people fearful of divination (which they should not be) but to try and highlight some of the nuances I've experienced at the intersection of divination and unintentional spirit contact.

Generally, we can divide these experiences into two categories.

There's a specific spirit who is already around, and they'd love an opportunity to chat, and,

"Hey spirit chums, isn't it neat that there's a new practitioner in town who's developing a consistent practice? Let's go over next time divination is open and say hi!"

You'll notice a distinct lack of a third category, "the demons you learned about in your nondenominational Protestant Sunday shool spontaneously appear and your house will one day be featured in a string of Amityville spinoffs."

Of course, not all divination occurs in unintended spirit contact. I'd hazard that a minority of all divinatory attempts end up this way.

So, what kind of specific spirits might already be around, wanting to chat?

I believe (and I'm not so unique in this belief) that spirits are just around us and within things, all the time. A person may have spirits in their home and yard; have spirits attached to family heirlooms; be watched over by ancestors, guides, angels, or protectors; or, in the case of many Seekers, have obtained the attention of various gods or other allies.

When a reader shuffles their tarot cards with the intent to access information they would not be able to have if not for magic, we can conceptualize that the reader is opening a little window and peering into the beyond. If spirits are "beyond," and wandering past the window, they have the ability to wave back and say howdy.

Sometimes - and, in my experience, rarely - these spirits will jut in and "take over" a reading in order to deliver some important message.

Much more often, spirits who push their way into a reading don't have anything important to say at all. They're not there because they're big, powerful, important, or relevant - they're there because it's something to do.

Many random spirits who are already around and like to show up to readings are just curious, don't particularly care about you, and are happy to be very weaselly if it means they get more attention from you. These spirits may be thrilled to claim that they are powerful demons, top-tier angels, faerie kings, your hitherto-unknown familiar spirit, and so forth.

A major giveaway is that they will often not reveal this identity until you specifically ask them if they are a faerie king, or whatever, and they'll agree that they are because to them this is Omegle and it's fun to have you on the hook.

These spirits are easy to get rid of, because they have exactly as much power over you during and after a reading as they had before the reading - which is to say, zero.

If these spirits are already not affecting your life, they will continue to not affect it once the reading is over. The fact that a reading occurred does not "magically" give them power or influence over you.

And again - while a reader worth their salt can intentionally petition helper spirits and ask to receive messages, it is pretty dang uncommon for a person's guides to force their ways into readings. More likely than not, you're dealing with some rando.

Now, all that being said - from time to time, various spirits demand attention and will use a reading as an excuse to get that attention. In my experience, this is a problem often experienced by people who are specifically spirit workers (although it can happen to others).

In circumstances like these, it's not a random curious spirit who's taking the opportunity to chat, nor is it a guide giving advice. Rather, a spirit has figured out that someone nearby can hear it, and it would like to engage your services.

It's not unheard of for a spirit worker (or very spiritually sensitive person) to take home a unique little trinket from the thrift shop, something that just catches their eye, something that makes them feel ways about things, and ignore it, and ignore it, and ignore it...

Until they open up the spirit board to try and do a meditation on the meanings of the runes, and the thrift shop spirit barges in and demands a proper shrine and maybe an offering every now and then.

Again, this isn't summoning, or conjuring, or whatever. The act of divination didn't cause the spirit to appear - it just created an opportunity for a spirit to speak.

The solution to getting rid of such a spirit is often to help it out, or respectfully remove it from the premises, or so on. That's spirit working stuff, and not a facet of divination.

But, what about people who experience an increase in general spiritual activity after readings?

Well, it's a bit like buying a new house and becoming very active in the neighborhood. The neighbors take notice of you. That attention doesn't stop the second the cookout ends and you go back inside.

I'm much less inclined to believe that divination alone will cause you to be an active member in your spiritual neighborhood. But many diviners are witches, pagans, or practitioners. They're not just reading cards, but also practicing spells, praying to gods, and modifying their own spiritual environment.

A witch who is attempting meditations to find their spirit guides, experimenting with full moon rituals, casting spells, and trying to take care of their local environment, should not really be that surprised if spirits start showing up wanting to hang out.

It doesn't mean that witch has special spirit-drawing powers (sorry), and it doesn't mean the runes you bought off Etsy are summoning demons - it means you're integrating with the spiritual reality around you.

Of course, people who don't desire random spirit contact don't have to just deal with it. There is a big difference between throwing a neighborhood bbq where anyone is invited, and having a private cookout for friends in the yard.

Spirits, by and large, often don't bother people who don't want to be bothered. Hang a big no solicitors sign on your spiritual house, and a lot of spirits just won't bother.

Again, I doubt that just reading tarot (even if you do it a lot) is going to suddenly inspire tons of spiritual contact. A lot of people work very hard to get spirits to talk to them. It's usually not as easy as coming into contact with spiritual tools.

Even direct divination that actively seeks contact with spirits (like, trying to channel someone's ancestors for them) often does not bring the spirit into the space - it's more like a two-way phone call. It doesn't actually bring the spirit to where you are and then set it loose.

Anyway. Unintended spirit contact while using divinatory tools does happen, but it's... usually not a big deal. It's often the equivalent of someone walking past your picnic at the park and saying, "some weather we're having!"

And in the random instances I've encountered where the spirit contact is actually a Situation, nine times out of ten, the spirit just wants a spirit worker to help them with someone so they can get on with their life.

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

some elements of spellwork distinguishing animist or spirit-based approaches from the energetic and psychological – a laughably basic and woefully incomplete list:

waking: most especially relevant for dried herbs or other preserved material. rouse what lies dormant with breath and touch and whisper.

speaking (or writing, etc): ask for assistance, don’t demand it. give praise, throw in some epithets. make deals, discuss terms and conditions. say thank you. say what you mean.

listening: now shut up for a bit. anticipate communication. words, song snippets, images, colours, feelings, whatever. look out for a “no” and be ready to honour it–it may hit hard in the chest or the guts. we have two-way streets here.

giving: praise, prayers, food, drink, candles, incense, crafts, all the usual suspects and more… reciprocity is key, no one likes a perpetual taker. some situations call for altruism, others for hard-nosed contracts, others for a secret third thing.

feeding: giving again, but specifically to maintain or revive longer workings. remember what the dormouse said…

sourcing: the perfect is the enemy of the good, but it makes a difference. grow, make, forage (responsibly) as much as possible. listen & give when sourcing things from the earth. shop ethically, re-use, thrift.

paring down: if it seems like a lot to go through for everything you want to include in your spell, then good. depth before breadth. use fewer herbs/stones/whatever that you know well, and that really need to be there. god i hate 12-ingredient spell jar recipes with #babywitch stuck on them. yes i will probably stick #babywitch on this. sue me.

to me these follow logically from the premise that plants, stones, bones, bits & bobs have spirit, not just energy. because that implies that their power must be given, it isn’t just there to be channelled (energetic model) or derived from the practitioner’s mental associations (psychological model). i claim nothing of reality and little of truth, but this premise has served me well.

just in case: the writing style is a little conceit that i use in many of my personal notes, which this was originally. obviously “in my opinion/experience/practice” etc.

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

Rules for living in winter

From: 3rdritual

[friendly-neighborhood-lab-witch]

a e offering for fenrir

"Karma's gonna come collect your debt"